Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 940 - 549: Sakura-kun’s Birthday Party (End)

Chapter 940: Chapter 549: Sakura-kun’s Birthday Party (End)

Stepping off the train, their feet touched the cool night breeze as they walked together by the banks of the Kanda River.

They arrived at the entrance of a house labeled "Hanamaru."

Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi stood at the entrance, where a pot of lilies still sat, snowflakes fluttering down, surrounded by pristine whiteness.

They looked at the door of the Hanamaru family home in front of them, with no intention of going inside.

Uesugi Sakura held Hanabi’s hand, turned his head, and smiled at her, saying, "Everyone’s already waiting for us inside, aren’t they?"

"Yes..." Hanabi replied in a soft voice, "Sakura-kun, do you feel expectant?"

"Excited, yes, and a bit hesitant to go in... because I know there’s a surprise, and I know that as soon as I open the door, I’ll see it. It takes a bit of mental preparation, even for that."

The snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, the snow on this Christmas day never ceasing.

The light from the streetlamp cast a glow on Hanabi’s hair and face, creating two shining beams of light.

Uesugi Sakura gazed at her, lost in thought.

"Sakura-kun?"

"Haha, it’s nothing, I was just a bit mesmerized looking at you."

"...Sakura-kun... isn’t it said that by now, you should be tired of looking at me?"

"How could I... never tire of looking at you. I still remember vividly how you looked walking out of the inner hall in your shiromuku."

Hanabi also remembered the scene from that wedding day, how handsome Sakura-kun looked standing and waiting for her:

"Sakura-kun, you liked our wedding day a lot, didn’t you?"

"Yes, it’s a day I’ll never forget... Even at the coffee shop, I often pull out the photos that Yuuki’s mother took... Seeing Hanabi with tearful eyes, Yuuki often teases me."

"And what about you, Sakura-kun?"

"What?"

"When you saw Hanabi cry... did you also laugh at her?"

"Haha, I laughed at her, laughed because she cried so cutely, so innocently. But as I laughed while looking at her, I couldn’t help but shed tears myself, and then watching her dress up as a bride for me, there were so many words stuck in my throat, words I wanted to say but didn’t know how to express, just the feeling of being moved."

"Sakura-kun."

"Yes."

"Sometimes Hanabi has to admit... Sakura-kun’s sweet words aren’t cheesy at all!"

"Oh? You’ve realized how good I am now? Do you want me to fill a bunch of balloons with words like ’I like Hanabi’ and release them into the sky?"

"I just praised you, Sakura-kun, and now you’re showing your true colors! Writing love words on balloons is the cheesiest! But... if Sakura-kun is sincere, even the cheesiest of sweet words will move Hanabi just a little."

Hanabi thought for a moment, holding up a finger to him. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Just a little!"

"Really just a little?"

"But, if Sakura-kun piggybacks Hanabi again, it might move me a tiny bit more."

Releasing balloons might be cheesy, but if you truly experience it, in that setting... perhaps it wouldn’t feel that way at all.

Balloons filling the sky, the gentle breeze rustling through the greenery, carrying the girl he likes on his back, running quickly on the grass, her joyful laughter echoing. Then, exhausted, lying on the grass, breathing in the scent of earth, holding hands, staring at the blue sky together.

Haha, it feels just like a morning drama on TV.

But, it’s genuinely wonderful.

Being with the one you love is an immense joy and happiness.

Uesugi Sakura felt the need to say this to Hanabi, and after she heard, she immediately broke into a warm smile amidst the snow:

"If Sakura-kun wants to go, Hanabi can accompany him."

"Why treat me so well..."

"Because I like Sakura-kun."

Just those few short words made Uesugi Sakura look at her a few more times.

She still had that cute shoulder-length short hair, her skin as fair as snow, with cheeks faintly blushing. Her purple eyes sparkled in the night like a beacon in the fog.

She was a hope... and a longing in the midst of being lost.

Uesugi Sakura couldn’t help but take her little hand again, the familiar warmth spreading from her palm, still as soft as ever.

At this moment, it felt like he was holding more than just her hand, but also her adorable smile, her future life.

"I like Sakura-kun... In the past, little Hanabi would never have said these words to me so proactively."

Suddenly realizing, Hanabi pulled her hand back, her face reddening as she folded her hands over her little skirt:

"If Sakura-kun doesn’t like it, he can pretend he didn’t hear... Hanabi just... just..."

"Spoke in a moment of impulse?"

"Yes, Sakura-kun... Anyway, Sakura-kun, don’t mind it!"

"No, on the contrary, I like the little Hanabi who can proactively say she likes me."

Uesugi Sakura looked at her lowered eyebrows, her round little face, and suddenly, feeling playful, he reached out his hand to pinch her whole face from underneath.

"What are you doing..." Hanabi puffed her cheeks and said.

Uesugi Sakura pinched her cheeks back and forth, making the flesh on her face bounce and change with his fingers.

"This kind of Hanabi is very cute."

"Wasn’t the previous one cute?"

"The previous one was cute too."

The streetlamp shone brightly from behind her, casting a soft luminous glow over her hair and side profile.

Uesugi Sakura looked at her, beautiful and adorable, pinching her plump cheeks, smiling:

"After talking so much, how about a kiss before going in?"

"Why a kiss?"

"Because it’s been a long time since we kissed."

"Just because it’s been a long time... we can kiss? And, why does Sakura-kun keep pinching Hanabi’s cheeks?"