CHAPTER 432: CHAPTER 308: PREPARING FOR A TRIP_2

"I’m back...Sakura, are you doing the laundry...?" Hanamaru Hanabi stood at the doorway, noticing the basin he was holding, which she usually used for laundry, and tilted her head slightly.

"Yeah, just figured I’d do it since I was free." Uesugi Sakura casually made an excuse.

"But... when you’re free, you usually read in the bedroom."

Uesugi Sakura fell silent. The reason he was doing the laundry was because he felt guilty towards Hanabi and wanted to help with household chores to ease that feeling of guilt.

Would he usually take the initiative to do these things?

No, it was always Hanabi doing them. Whenever he occasionally offered to help, she would easily decline.

What should he say to Hanabi now, tell her he did this to make up for her?

As he was lost in thought and remained silent, Hanamaru Hanabi spoke up again.

"Sakura, you don’t have to worry about it. I didn’t take yesterday’s matter to heart..."

"I know, I just... wanted... to find something to do..."

As soon as he said that, he sighed and looked up at Hanamaru Hanabi, saying, "Not considering your feelings is my fault, so please let me help you more with things, at least that way... I’ll feel a bit better."

After saying these words, he felt they were a bit pretentious.

Perhaps the discomfort was an exaggeration; he just wanted to be nicer to Hanabi.

Hanamaru Hanabi looked at him, knowing she shouldn’t let him feel too embarrassed, so she changed the topic: "Tomorrow we’re going to see the flowers. Should we invite Mom and others too?"

"Yeah, invite them. It’s been a while since we saw Shin and Hanami; the two little ones must have grown a bit."

"Okay," Hanamaru Hanabi saw the basin in his arms, suddenly remembered the clothes she changed out of yesterday, and shyly asked, "Sakura... did you wash all the clothes...?"

"Yes, I washed them all."

"And... the intimate ones..." Hanamaru Hanabi was too shy to mention the panties directly.

"I washed those too."

"Sakura, maybe you shouldn’t do the laundry in the future... Hanabi can do it."

"It’s no big deal, right?" Uesugi Sakura tested, seeing Hanabi’s reaction was still shy. He could only say, "Alright, I won’t do them next time."

"Thank you..."

"Is it really that bad to let me handle the panties?"

"Sakura, you can’t see them..."

"Really can’t?"

"Really can’t..."

Hanamaru Hanabi was always a shy girl, even holding hands would make her blush in the past.

After dinner, lying on the bed, waiting for Hanamaru Hanabi to finish today’s illustration, it was time to turn off the lights and sleep.

Uesugi Sakura smelled a familiar fragrance and opened his eyes.

"Finished?"

"Yeah..."

Hanamaru Hanabi untied the ornament at her bed, letting her hair fall loosely, the thin moonlight making her soft hair shine silvery.

Uesugi Sakura shifted his position, moving closer to her side.

"Sakura..." Hanamaru Hanabi looked down at him, finding him very close.

"Is it okay?"

"Yeah..."

Uesugi Sakura slowly rested his head on the girl’s lap, her skin always soft, filled with a sweet youthful fragrance.

From this angle, with the moonlight from outside, he could barely make out Hanamaru Hanabi’s face.

His eyes gazed upwards, unmoving.

"It’s grown bigger. I used to be able to clearly see Hanabi’s face from this position."

"The chest...?... Sakura... always focusing on these things..."

Hanamaru Hanabi’s cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, her soft voice becoming smaller.

"But it’s distinctive, right? I’m not always focused on it; it’s just too obvious."

Uesugi Sakura closed his eyes, nestled on her lap in the gentle moonlight, feeling both peaceful and calm.

"So... do you prefer the way it was before or now?"

"That’s not a question I would expect Hanabi to ask." Uesugi Sakura closed his eyes with a smile on his lips, "If you ask which I like, I can only say I like both. Small has its own charm, and big has its own allure. The most important thing is the scent of Hanabi."

"What’s Hanabi’s scent like...?" Hanamaru Hanabi asked.

"Sweet, so sweet like a mouthful of honey, but not overwhelming, fragrant and elegant."

"Before I met you, my life had no meaning. Hearing too many sweet words might make them lose flavor, but only after meeting you did I truly understand what happiness and life are."

"With you, I understand the meaning of ’you’re the one.’

"Hanabi, you’re truly beautiful."

Uesugi Sakura slowly expressed each word, speaking with eyes closed as if imbued with a kind of magical power in the night, firm and dreamy.

"..."

"Thank you, Sakura..."

Uesugi Sakura wasn’t planning to ask Hanabi about what Kitagawa mentioned earlier in the day; his trust in her was complete.

Hanabi was always gentle, easily bullied, and easily brought to tears.

What he needed to do now was protect her well.

The atmosphere was so peaceful that no words were needed; Uesugi Sakura turned his head to face her stomach.

The scent of lily and bath soap made the gentle girl sweet and cozy.

Hanamaru Hanabi looked down at his head, unconsciously tightening her thighs, her cheek flushed a lovely red.

"Sakura... do... we not need to tonight...?"

"Does Hanabi want to?" Uesugi Sakura opened his eyes.

Hanamaru Hanabi didn’t respond, but her face blushed even more, her gaze unfathomable in the moonlight.

Understanding her meaning, Uesugi Sakura slid his hands over her delicate waist, beneath the thin nightwear, tracing her graceful lines upwards to embrace her strapless back, gently laying her down.

He pulled over the blanket, covering them both entirely from the remaining dim light.

Within the covers, Uesugi Sakura lightly nibbled on the girl’s ear, whispering as she let out a soft, pink sigh:

"Hanabi, you’ve learned to be naughty too."

Afterward, the two small feet outside the blanket curled inward, tinged with a淡淡的粉红色.

...

His mind was groggy, until the first ray of sunlight streamed down through the window, bringing him to realize it was already the next morning.

Uesugi Sakura slightly turned his body, glancing sideways at Hanamaru Hanabi’s sleeping face before him.

Her two small hands were overlapped near her mouth, gently moving with her calm breaths.

Just watching for a moment, his heart felt intoxicated, as if filled with sweet wine.

Unable to resist, he reached out to touch her cheek, feeling her soft and smooth skin.

This rare warmth was precious; it made Uesugi Sakura cherish even more the beauty met every morning.

He was accustomed to her presence by his side...

Wanting to hear her soft voice calling him ’Sakura...’

Seeing Hanamaru Hanabi frown as she struggled to adapt to the bright light with closed eyes, he said:

"Time to get up."

"Mmm..." Her mind still muddled, she hadn’t fully transitioned from dream to reality, "Sakura... are you going for a morning run...?"

"Not today, we’re going to your mother’s place." Uesugi Sakura pulled the blanket to cover her pale shoulder.

"Sakura... Can Hanabi sleep a bit more..."

"Are you that tired...?"

"Yeah..."

"Then sleep a bit longer, I’ll stay with you."

Uesugi Sakura’s right hand from under the blanket held her back, letting the girl lean against him.

Hanamaru Hanabi gently leaned on his chest, eyes half-closed, hands curled up, "Sakura smells...nice too..."

Her small voice like a whisper, Uesugi Sakura knew it was her half-conscious truth.

"What does it smell like?"

"..."

"Warm." Hanamaru Hanabi pressed her forehead against his chest.

"Warm isn’t a scent, plus Hana’s chest is also warm, and soft."

"Sakura...you never touched them..."

"You’re mistaken, from an evening before, weren’t you still discovered by me? And it wasn’t the first time."

"Mmm... Sakura, you’re always like this, teasing."

Uesugi Sakura pushed her shoulder aside to look at her smiling, sleepy face.

"Why are you laughing?"