CHAPTER 741: CHAPTER 447 CHEERS!

The waiter brought a platter of fresh ingredients.

"For Uesugi and Hanami-chan, yours."

"Thank you."

Uesugi Sakura got up to take the beef brought over by Towa Rina from the other side, and continued whispering to Hanabi.

"Handle it yourself?"

"Yeah, Rikai likes Sakura-kun, not Hanabi." Hanamaru Hanabi picked up her chopsticks, lifted a piece of beef, and placed it on the charcoal grill, "Of course, you should handle your own business."

Uesugi Sakura watched the slices of beef sizzle on the grill. He really didn’t know how to handle it himself.

He thought for a while, then turned his head to tentatively say to Hanamaru Hanabi:

"I’ll just...pretend I didn’t see her."

"Do you think that would work, Sakura-kun?"

Hanamaru Hanabi smiled, using her chopsticks to flip the beef slice.

"A girl’s feelings for a boy only accumulate with time. The longer the secret crush lasts, the more she admires him. If he acts as if he doesn’t see her, eventually her feelings will explode, and if she gets rejected, the harsh words will scar her for life."

Uesugi Sakura didn’t want to see such a scene and didn’t want to be a playboy: "So...I have to stay away from her? Quit the café job?"

Hanamaru Hanabi flipped the beef and said, "Didn’t Sakura-kun just make a deal with the store manager? The manager offered you such good terms, even sharing a percentage of the daily revenue with you. Considering the favor and the manager’s face, can you bear to leave after just a month of work?"

"..."

Hanabi was right, and Uesugi Sakura couldn’t leave Mimi Café simply out of courtesy. According to the agreement, he had to train at least two barista apprentices before he could terminate the contract anytime.

That’s not something that can be done overnight.

Uesugi Sakura glanced at the others chatting and, seeing that they weren’t paying attention, shuffled closer to Hanamaru Hanabi, "Hanabi-chan~"

"Here, eat this, Sakura-kun." Hanamaru Hanabi ignored his coy call and directly placed a small slice of beef to his mouth.

Uesugi Sakura smelled the aroma of grilled beef, looked at the beef slice, then at her:

"Is this...?"

"It’s obviously beef." Hanamaru Hanabi said matter-of-factly, holding the chopsticks in one hand and cupping the beef morsel with the other.

"That’s not what I meant."

Hanamaru Hanabi glared at him and reminded with a smile, "Go ahead, eat it. Now Hanabi is Hanami. If we’re seen like this, there will be misunderstandings, right?"

Uesugi Sakura hesitated for a second, then ate the slice of grilled beef she fed him.

Hanamaru Hanabi watched him chew with a smile, seemingly delighted.

"Why are you smiling?" Uesugi Sakura, having swallowed the flavorful beef, asked her, a bit puzzled.

Hanamaru Hanabi turned back and continued to flip the beef on the grill: "It’s because Hanabi discovered the joy of feeding. Watching the one she likes eat the food she gave him, and seeing ’delicious’ written on his face, naturally makes her happy thinking he felt joy because of her."

As Hanamaru Hanabi said this, a hint of sweetness graced the corner of her mouth.

"In any interpretation, such a scene, happiness fills the mind."

Her words were said so calmly, so calmly it made one ponder deeply.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t know what to say, so he picked up a drink and poured a glass of milk in front of her, as if responding to her words.

"Sakura-kun, a girl’s liking for someone comes from the heart. If Rikai had long liked you but hasn’t shown it, she must be concerned about something."

Hanamaru Hanabi’s eyes reflected the fiery stars in the grill.

"Hanabi understands those feelings. Sometimes, seeing the person you like happy is better than achieving happiness yourself."

Uesugi Sakura’s mind calmed. He felt these words didn’t seem like something Hanabi would say.

Since she appeared before him, since her deep thoughts as Hanabi surfaced...she has always displayed a strong urge to control.

——Wanting Sakura-kun by her side, wanting Sakura-kun’s embrace, wanting Sakura-kun to love her truly.

Has this strong desire to control faded now?

Has that love...also faded?

Uesugi Sakura didn’t know how he felt, but he knew he began to miss the Hanabi who wanted to bind him tightly...

Because that was her way of expressing love—concrete, intense, clear.

"Hanabi..."

Hanamaru Hanabi turned to look at him, sensing the unease in his voice, she smiled softly: "Sakura-kun doesn’t need to worry. Hanabi never said she would withdraw. Rikai’s liking you is one thing, you being Hanabi’s is another. Rest assured, Hanabi’s love for Sakura-kun won’t fade."

"I see." Uesugi Sakura’s heart settled down.

On the other side, Towa Rina smiled and said to the two, "Why are you two sitting so far from us? Come a little closer."

"Okay."

After Hanamaru Hanabi scooted closer, Uesugi Sakura also adjusted his position.

"And, do you want some beer?"

She shook a bottle of beer with a narrow neck and wide body.

Uesugi Sakura glanced at it and declined to Towa Rina, "No, Hanami and I are both underage."