CHAPTER 696: CHAPTER 426 WARMTH IN THE NIGHT

When they got home, they remembered they hadn’t bought groceries for dinner.

They had to go to the nearby supermarket, or they’d be staring at an empty pot and bowl for dinner.

"Shall we go together?"

"Sure..."

After being apart for a few days, they both wanted to spend more time together, so they lingered a bit longer.

They walked side by side in silence on the way.

At the supermarket, in the fresh produce section, Uesugi Sakura watched her pick out a whole piece of cut pork.

She was very familiar with these things, knowing how to choose ingredients, knowing which part of the meat was the freshest and best here.

She spent a long time picking, finally putting a piece of pork she was satisfied with into the cart he was pushing.

"Do all girls have this skill?"

"What?"

"Shopping, like when you buy clothes, you look at clothes for a long time, while I think any one that fits is fine. Buying pork is the same; I’d just grab one that looks okay and be done with it."

"So, Sakura-kun, you don’t take care of yourself at all!"

"How am I not taking care of myself?"

"What have you been eating the past few days, Sakura-kun?"

"Umm..." This question stumped Uesugi Sakura, "The bento from here."

Hanamaru Hanabi chuckled in a little victory, "See, Sakura-kun doesn’t take care of himself, those bentos aren’t good for you!"

"They’re not bad, right? They’re made with local ingredients." Uesugi Sakura tried to argue.

"Those bentos are made by machines, and we can’t see the process when they’re being made, who knows if there’s something strange in them? Hanabi thinks it’s safer to cook with ingredients you’ve seen yourself." Hanamaru Hanabi explained while picking vegetables.

"Besides," she picked up a white radish and waved it at him, "the taste isn’t that great, right?"

"That’s true, but I still think I can take care of myself."

Uesugi Sakura thought, having lived for over forty years counting his past life, he was now being told by an eighteen-year-old girl that he couldn’t take care of himself.

"...If Sakura-kun can take care of himself, why do you want me to come back so badly..."

"That’s because I want you with me, is that reason good enough?" Uesugi Sakura said with a smile.

Hanamaru Hanabi glanced at him, didn’t say anything, and turned back to continue picking vegetables.

Though she didn’t smile openly, Uesugi Sakura saw a slight smile at the corner of her mouth when she turned away.

This meant she was happy.

"Dear... I want to eat your sautéed meat strips."

"Is it okay with green peppers?" Hanamaru Hanabi glanced at a pile of green herbs beside her.

"Anything’s fine."

Hanamaru Hanabi casually picked one, put it into a bag, then turned back to ask:

"What else does Sakura-kun want to eat?"

"Braised pork, tofu soup, some vegetable salad, and steamed cod."

"If Sakura-kun wants to eat so much, you’ll have to wait a long time tonight."

"No problem."

...

After leaving the supermarket, Uesugi Sakura carried a big bag of groceries and went home with Hanamaru Hanabi.

With one more person at home, the once empty house felt much warmer than a few days ago.

"Sakura-kun, why don’t you go take a shower first, Hanabi will start preparing the meal in the kitchen."

"Need any help?"

"No need." Hanamaru Hanabi shook her head.

Seeing her insistence, Uesugi Sakura didn’t press further and went to the bathroom to fill the tub with hot water and relax.

The bathroom was filled with steam, he stretched his body in the tub, soaking in a hot bath for thirty full minutes.

The hot water soaked his whole body, causing his blood vessels to expand and accelerate the blood flow.

His brain even began to feel a bit lightheaded.

Uesugi Sakura opened his eyes, shrouded by the bathroom mist, shifted his body back a bit and leaned against the tub’s edge.

The hot water enveloping his whole body made him let out a long breath.

He looked at his abs, having been working out intensely for the past few days. Whenever he had time while attending classes at Tokyo University, he’d go for a run on the track.

The doctor said some time ago that he had kidney deficiency, but now, kidney deficiency, really!?

Completely impossible.

He could even go eight times a night.

Speaking of which, he held back for six days when Hanabi-chan wasn’t around, tonight... it should be okay.

...

The new kitchen was an open kitchen, connected with the living room,

The heater was on at home, after Uesugi Sakura finished his bath, he came out draped in a towel.

He went to the kitchen to have a look, Hanamaru Hanabi was still diligently preparing their dinner.

She was still wearing that black dress, with black pantyhose on her legs, and an ankle decorated with a butterfly ornament he didn’t know where she got, to be honest, it looked quite nice.

Especially those beautiful legs wrapped in black stockings.

Uesugi Sakura walked up behind her, watching her cut bell pepper strips on the chopping board:

"What number dish is this?"

"The third one, the tofu soup is still cooking, the vegetable salad is already done...Sakura, Sakura-kun?" Hanamaru Hanabi looked back and saw his hands around her waist.

Uesugi Sakura’s hand wandered down: "You keep busy, and... could you stand on your toes a bit later?"

Hanamaru Hanabi blushed, listened to his request and stood on her tiptoes, turning back to cut the vegetables as she murmured: "Sakura-kun, really... thinking about these things as soon as Hanabi gets home..."

Uesugi Sakura held her waist with one hand, leaned forward, and smiled at her from behind: "Hanabi-chan, you’re just too cute."

"If the dishes turn out bad... Hanabi isn’t taking any blame..." Hanamaru Hanabi’s beautiful eyes softly closed occasionally.

"No worries." Uesugi Sakura leaned his upper body downwards, breathed in the fragrance of her hair against her back, and, with his hand over her thin top, caressed her soft belly.