CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 292: WALKING IN THE RAIN_2

Hanamaru Hanabi knew very well that once he held her, she couldn’t escape and could only say in a small, weak voice: "Sakura, you always bully me..."

"Can you really call this bullying? This is also a form of liking you. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t even bother to smile."

"Really, ...?"

Too easy to coax.

Seeing her soften, Uesugi Sakura reaffirmed, "Of course, it’s true. I’ll only like you."

In fact, the girl really did soften; whenever he spoke kindly, she would think the best of him.

Hearing "only like you," Hanamaru Hanabi lowered her blushing cheeks, as if she were the heroine completely captivated, lost in a fantasy of closeness.

"Hmm..."

Like this...

Uesugi Sakura couldn’t resist reaching out, touching her slightly warm cheeks, sliding down her soft skin to her chin, gently lifting her face towards him, and their eyes locked for a long time before their lips met.

...

Hanamaru Hanabi’s upturned face turned even redder, she slowly opened her eyes, and her tiptoed feet returned to the ground.

What is affection...

It’s probably that indescribable thrill when looking at the other person.

At this moment, the light shone on the girl’s face, and Uesugi Sakura felt she looked like a fantastical girl standing under the cherry blossom rain, exuding a dreamy aura.

Lovers naturally have a filter.

But little Hanabi was already cute, and the filter only made her seem unreal, as if she might vanish at any moment.

The more beautiful she was, the more Uesugi Sakura worried she didn’t exist, worried it was all a dream, fearful he would wake up in a solitude so deep he’d have to face surgery alone.

Uesugi Sakura held her small hand tightly, seriously feeling that unique soft warmth in his palm.

"This was a morning kiss, you didn’t mind, right?"

"No... I didn’t mind...."

Uesugi Sakura hugged her petite back, trying to make her lean into his arms, smiling gently:

"That’s good, let’s go out."

"Hmm...."

——————

The drops falling from the eaves were fine and scattered, hitting the slate and splashing into droplets, the sound entering the ears.

Hanamaru Hanabi stood under the eaves, reaching out her hand to touch the coolness, and hearing Uesugi Sakura calling her, she turned her attention to him.

Uesugi Sakura: "Let’s go."

Hanamaru Hanabi held the strap of her waist bag with both hands, taking a few small steps to get under his umbrella.

After seeing her stand stably beside him, Uesugi Sakura led her out, walking together in the rain.

The Tokyo monsoon brought a lot of humidity, and many places in the house would mold.

Outside, it wasn’t so bad; in any case, the rain would wash the city, masking the dust and noise.

"Don’t you find the sound of the rain irritating? Boom boom sounds."

"Nope." Hanamaru Hanabi looked up at the edge of the umbrella, reaching out her small hand to catch the water droplets, feeling a slight coolness.

"I initially thought everyone liked the rain, but later I found out they didn’t and thought the sound of rain was annoying." Uesugi Sakura looked forward, as the rain hit the street trees, making the leaves sound.

"Why is that?" Hanamaru Hanabi asked.

"It’s a matter of mindset. Someone idle will find the sound of rain appropriate. But those with bad moods will only find the sound bothersome."

"Do you like the rain, Sakura?" Hanamaru Hanabi asked while pinching raindrops with her small hand, continuing to walk by his side.

Uesugi Sakura found her exceptionally adorable walking beside him, and looked at her profile:

"I guess so. The sound reminds me of some things: lying by the window in my childhood, smelling the fresh breeze, hearing the gentle rain, and seeing nothing but fields, free from city noise and wrapped in personal tranquility."

"Fields... Is it the orchard at Sakura’s grandmother’s house?"

"No... it’s not that."

"But I don’t remember seeing such fields as a child."

Don’t remember?

The paths they’d grown on overlapped so closely that most of Uesugi Sakura’s childhood events were also in Hanamaru Hanabi’s memory.

As for that scene...

He didn’t really know how to explain the origin of that scene.

Speaking of which, rain and storms had accumulated for over thirty years now.

Rather than reminiscing about a past life, he’d prefer to treat that experience as a dream.

"Hanabi hadn’t seen it." Uesugi Sakura could only say this.

"Was it before Sakura met Hanabi?"

"Hmm, it was before meeting you."

Hanamaru Hanabi smiled at him, saying: "If possible, Hanabi would also like to see the place Sakura talked about."

Her smile dazed Uesugi Sakura for a moment.

"Sakura?"

"Want to have a look, eh?" It was like a question, yet like talking to himself.

Hanamaru Hanabi saw him a bit lost, wondering if she had said something wrong: "If it’s too much trouble... Sakura doesn’t need to mind it."

"No, that’s not the reason," Uesugi Sakura raised his head again, looking ahead, "I was just thinking whether to believe in such things."

Hanamaru Hanabi got even more curious: "Sakura... why are you acting so strange?"

——————

At the fountain in front of JR Keiyo Line Kasai Rinkai Park Station.

"Brother, Hanabi sister." Chiaei held an umbrella, politely greeting the two with her sister.

Of course, Aei was looking around, her mind already flying off somewhere even though her body was still under the umbrella.

In this world of just two people, Uesugi Sakura hadn’t thought about taking the two little sisters out to play.

But Aei suddenly called him, saying she wanted some coffee, and that’s when he remembered the sisters almost spent every day cooped up indoors, so he suggested they go out for a while.

"Is there coffee here!?"

"No, only fish."

The sound of the fountain in front combined with the monsoon, alternating into their ears.

Standing by the park fountain, one could see the hazy silhouette of a distant Ferris wheel.

Aei pouted: "What about milk?"

Uesugi Sakura thought for a bit: "There should be a convenience store nearby."

Why was Aei always thinking about drinking?

He glanced at Chiaei, who seemed a bit uneasy, and asked: "Have you... not had breakfast?"

"No, we haven’t!"

Aei eagerly answered for her sister, interrupting Chiaei, who was about to open her mouth.

"You’re so energetic even without breakfast."

Uesugi Sakura raised his left hand, the transparent lenses reflecting the watch dial on his wrist, "It’s still early, I’ll take you for breakfast."

Hearing about breakfast, Aei was extremely happy.

"Great! Big brother’s treating!"

"Alright, I’m treating."

On Central Garden Road, the wide road was lined with tall beech trees on both sides.

Even in the monsoon season, many mothers pushed strollers to take their kids to the aquarium.

Probably it had been raining too long, and they’d gotten cooped up at home, so they wanted to get out for some fresh air.

Passing through here, Uesugi Sakura led them to a chain store named "Yoshinoya."

As soon as they entered, Aei quickly ran to the counter, scanning the menu full of food pictures.

"Enoki mushroom beef rice! Enoki mushroom beef combo meal! Yoshinoya combo meal! Purple sweet potato rock salad!"

Aei ordered more and more things, making the female cashier behind the counter unable to help but look over and say, "Little one, you can’t eat that much, let me get you a bowl of beef rice or beef noodles instead."

In the end, it was Chiaei who stood out to resolve it: "Sister, two bowls of grilled fish rice will do."

It’s the weekend, but the two little girls still wore their elementary school uniforms, making the cashier lady find them especially cute, smiling and saying:

"Alright, no problem, that’ll be 824 yen in total."

Just as Chiaei was about to take money out of her small waist bag, Uesugi Sakura stepped up to pay for them, and then turned to ask Hanamaru Hanabi if she’d like a bowl of noodles.

"Eat... a little more?"

Hanamaru Hanabi hesitated, probably fearing she’d gain weight, but having some extra isn’t a big deal for girls, and it feels nicer to touch, so he got another bowl for her.

After taking the receipt, when Uesugi Sakura turned back, Chiaei’s face with a beauty mole was slightly red, showing an amusing expression, and then she gently thanked him.

He felt she was a bit too polite: "Just a small expense."

"Brother said he would treat!" Aei reminded her sister.

"I know, but shouldn’t Aei thank brother?" As the elder sister, Chiaei was pretty keen on educating her sibling.

But Aei suddenly ran to Hanamaru Hanabi, took her hand, looked up, and said: "Thank you, Hanabi sister."

Hanamaru Hanabi looked at her questioningly: "Isn’t Aei supposed to thank brother?"

"As long as Hanabi sister is happy, the big brother will be happy too."