CHAPTER 451: CHAPTER 318: I HOPE, YOU WON’T LEAVE BECAUSE OF THIS

Today’s sunset carries a touch of gold.

Looking up from the current perspective, passing through the intricate web of street wires also offers a unique scenery.

Uesugi Sakura held onto the handrail, having just taken the train home from Todai’s root station.

From near to far, the scenery outside the train window shifted from fast to slow.

The city is bustling, with towering skyscrapers, rigid glass curtain walls, and with merely a glance at their 120-meter height, it’s clear how much money is involved here.

The owner of this building might be a businessman or a real estate developer; what is certain is that they must have substantial financial power in Tokyo, living a life that many people can only dream of.

Uesugi Sakura does not envy such people; he wonders whether Hanabi’s uncle and aunt, who also run a building, have long been blinded by a luxurious lifestyle.

At least for now, it seems so; even their own niece can be used as a pawn for an arranged marriage, truly showing the united front of a large family.

He withdrew his gaze from the fiery horizon; inside the train, there was an advertisement for the light novel "Is the Witch a Fox Demon?!".

In the illustration, the Fox Demon lady is mysterious and stunningly beautiful, with confident and alluring eyes that can strongly attract men’s attention.

This is the promotional artwork drawn by Hanabi; the novel was published on July 1st, and judging by the ubiquitous advertisements, the first volumes must have sold well.

Uesugi Sakura smiled; this means what he did before was not in vain. Helping the author analyze the plot led to the novel’s great sales, benefiting Hanabi as well.

Illustrations attract new readers, good plots keep them engaged, and through word-of-mouth, more attention can be garnered.

Readers, seeing the demand, want more illustrations of the heroine.

This indirectly helped Hanabi.

Perhaps she will become even more famous soon and attain a distinguished status in the circle of original artists.

It’s what she deserves; Uesugi Sakura knows she often works overtime without telling him.

Some days ago in the hospital, she was also working at his bedside with a tablet.

While he lay unconscious, a drawing interface tablet sat on the bed beside him, and the girl, due to exhaustion, leaned against him...

Just thinking about this scene inexplicably makes his heart stir.

In this life, besides his family, there has been no girl who cared for him as much as she does.

The train swayed to a stop at a station, and Uesugi Sakura carried the spicy cake he bought for Hanabi, walking home under the gradually dimming sky.

The clouds at sunset are beautiful, but he has no heart to admire them; completing a few weeks’ worth of course progress in a single day was tiring enough.

With summer vacation quickly approaching, Uesugi Sakura still plans to take Hanabi out for a trip.

The day he collapsed halfway and didn’t even get to apologize to her with the wisteria flowers remains a regret.

Aei and Chiaei had already come home from elementary school.

Not long after Uesugi Sakura entered the house, Aei ran out: "Did Hanabi Older Sister not come back with Older Brother?"

"No, your Hanabi Older Sister is quite busy; she should still be at school."

"Then what did Older Brother and Older Sister do yesterday?"

"Went to see Hanabi Older Sister’s grandfather," Uesugi Sakura glanced towards the living room, "Is Chiaei doing her homework?"

"Yes," Aei replied absent-mindedly, her attention still on the orange cat from a few days ago, "Can Older Brother turn into a big orange cat again?"

"What big orange cat?"

"The one Older Brother turned into." Aei gestured with her hands the shape of a cat, along with the long tail.

Uesugi Sakura wasn’t sure if Aei really recognized him, but he didn’t want to lie to the child, so he handed her a strawberry cake he had prepared in advance.

Aei, though clever, is ultimately a child; once her attention was diverted, she no longer asked about the cat.

"Alright, let Brother go prepare the meal first; once Hanabi Older Sister returns, we can prepare the dishes and eat."

"Then after cooking is done, will Brother play games with Aei? Sister is doing her homework, she can’t play with Aei."

Uesugi Sakura could feel her closeness, which might be what Chiaei mentioned as being "very popular with kids" trait. He patted her head and said:

"Brother has been tired all day; I’m going to take a nap first. Today, you’ll have to play alone; watching TV is fine too."

"Okay, then Aei will watch TV."

Aei turned and walked toward the living room with energy, her presence bringing more liveliness to the house.

Though pieced together temporarily, they have no true familial ties.

After washing the rice and setting a timer on the rice cooker, Uesugi Sakura headed upstairs to his bedroom to rest.

He lay on the bed, pulled over Hanabi’s favorite shark plush toy, and slowly drifted into sleep amidst exhaustion.

...

"Brother, brother, brother wake up."

A pair of small hands was shaking him, and Uesugi Sakura opened his eyes drowsily, finding little Aei already sitting on his stomach with Chiaei standing beside her.

"Brother! I called you for a long time and you didn’t wake up." Aei stopped shaking him after seeing his eyes open.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t immediately mind little Aei sitting on him but looked at his phone beside the pillow to check the time.

19:13:26

It’s seven o’clock in the evening.

"Did you have dinner yet...?" He was still adjusting to the light after opening his eyes.

"No! Sister hasn’t come back yet."

"Not back?"

His fuzzy consciousness cleared a bit, and Uesugi Sakura took out his phone again to check the time.

He confirmed that it was indeed seven in the evening.