Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 852 - 503: The Thousand Paper Cranes Collected in Otaru City

Chapter 852: Chapter 503: The Thousand Paper Cranes Collected in Otaru City

The next morning, the first thing Hanamaru Hanabi saw when she opened her eyes was a stranger’s ceiling.

The room was filled with the scent of morning, and the gauzy curtains danced in the sunlight, light and airy like the wind.

This was a single-patient room.

Hanamaru Hanabi half-lowered her eyelids, letting out a gentle hum a girl might make upon waking.

She had almost slept her head off that night, and her head was still pounding painfully.

Her gaze followed the IV drip up to the half-bottle of clear liquid hanging from the stand, and the tiny drops fell evenly in the ampoule bottle in the middle of the tube.

The girl’s violet eyes blankly stared upwards, and only after a while did she realize that what happened last night was not a dream.

She turned her head to look around the room and finally understood that she was in a hospital.

Although the air in this private room was nice, if she sniffed carefully, she could still faintly smell the disinfectant.

The room was rather spacious, bright with sunlight, and even had a private bathroom.

But it was precisely because of the wide space that Hanamaru Hanabi felt somewhat uncomfortable.

She felt like she was alone, solitary in a cold and empty, personless hospital room.

Hanamaru Hanabi pulled the blanket over her face, only her forehead exposed outside.

She stayed like this for quite some time, seemingly remembering something, and instinctively whispered a name in her softest voice:

"Sakura-kun..."

...

But... she also understood, Sakura-kun wasn’t here now... He couldn’t hear her when she spoke...

A strange emotion welled up in her heart.

This emotion made her shrink into the covers, hugging her knees tightly, curling herself into a ball.

.....

"Sakura, is Hanabi feeling any better?"

"She’s fine now," Uesugi Sakura said as he packed the prepared meal boxes, "The doctor said it’s just a slight cold, if she’s doing well, she can be discharged this morning."

"Then why did it seem so serious yesterday..."

Uesugi Sakura: "It was probably the cold weather combined with a weak constitution, exacerbating the cold."

Ms. Uesugi sighed, "Ah, it really was, and coincidentally on a snowy night like that."

Uesugi Sakura chuckled, placing chopsticks into the insulated tote bag, "It’s all over now, isn’t it? Nothing happened."

"It might be over, but everyone was quite frightened. If the snowstorm had been just a bit stronger during the last stretch, we might have had to spend the night in the snow." Ms. Uesugi was clearly still shaken.

"All right, all right." Ms. Hanamaru said with a smile, as she coaxed Hanamaru Hanami to sleep. "Since it’s all over and nothing happened, why don’t we treat it as a unique experience from our trip to Hokkaido? After all, there’s no chance to experience a snowstorm in Tokyo."

"Meiko, you have such a big heart."

"Haha, you’re the one who’s always been timid, I’ve always known that!"

Seeing the two ladies chatting before him, Uesugi Sakura was about to return with Hanabi’s breakfast when Aei and Chiaei appeared before him.

"Nini~" Aei tugged at his hem.

"What’s up?"

Uesugi Sakura squatted down slightly, lifting his head a bit to see the two little girls of medium height.

"Is Sister Hanabi okay?" Chiaei asked softly.

"She’s fine, her fever broke in the middle of the night." Uesugi Sakura smiled at them again, "You were both very brave last night, worthy of praise, we’ll have something delicious for lunch. If you have nothing else, I’ll go check on Sister Hanabi now. I’m worried that if she wakes up alone, with no one to look after her, she might feel lonely."

"Your Sister Hanabi is the person who can least bear loneliness."

"Nini, hold out your hand." Aei placed her hands behind her back.

Uesugi Sakura suddenly realized Aei wanted to give him something, so he reached his hand out to her.

Then, Aei and Chiaei each opened their small fists, placing them in his palm.

Two paper cranes.

"Aei has been grateful all along to Brother, Sister Hanabi, and Uncle and Auntie... It was Brother and Sister who brought us out... cooked, bought clothes, toys, and snacks for us..." Chiaei said, her head burying lower as she spoke.

Aei then said to Uesugi Sakura, "Sister wanted to say she wasn’t able to help sick Sister Hanabi, she feels very guilty, so she folded a paper crane, hoping Brother would take it to Sister Hanabi."

Little Aei said this, and her delicate face nodded slightly:

"Yes, Aei thinks so too."

"Paper cranes, huh."

Uesugi Sakura looked at the two small paper pieces in his palm, this familiar feeling stirred many emotions in his heart. He instinctively said, "In the past, your Sister Hanabi used to give me these often when she was young too."

"Did she also give paper cranes then?"

"Most elementary school students learn to make these."

Uesugi Sakura gently squeezed the blue and red paper cranes folded by Aei and Chiaei in his palm.

"At that time, the teacher taught everyone how to fold them, saying: paper cranes have a meaning of blessing, representing your wishes for the person receiving them..."

Little Aei tilted her head and continued his words: "Legend has it that if you fold one paper crane a day, and persist for a thousand days, you can bring happiness to the person you like."

"That’s just a legend," Uesugi Sakura immediately smiled and said, but then suddenly felt something was off, and revised his words, "This legend might have some truth to it as well."