CHAPTER 338: CHAPTER 258 TOKYO UNIVERSITY MAY FESTIVAL (4)

Behind the stage, since it’s an outdoor stage, there was actually only a fairly large canopy for cover.

Uesugi Sakura held the guitar bought from England, gazing at the signature Miss Anna wrote for him more than a year ago.

"Hanabi wonders, was it coincidence that we miraculously ended up in the same school from kindergarten to high school?"

"Sakura-kun..."

"Looking back now, it was clearly Hanabi who wanted to be in the same school with me, begged auntie, who then informed mom, and that’s how we ended up being at the same school every year, didn’t we?"

"Hanabi, liking someone quietly for over ten years, wouldn’t that feel tiring?"

Hanamaru Hanabi looked at him silently for a while, then answered in a still soft and gentle voice: "Hanabi knows, Sakura-kun understands."

The lively echoes of the stage danced in the background, and Uesugi Sakura could only feel they were in rhythm, sketching the beautiful silhouette of the girl before him.

In his eyes, she was already an irreplaceable person.

"I understand, but lately I’ve been worried about losing your smile next to me. I don’t know what I can do to keep you with me."

"Sakura-kun, the thing you need to worry about the least is this... for Hanabi... Sakura-kun is the best..."

"What about the things I just said?"

"Sakura-kun... even though you said those things... Sakura-kun is still Sakura-kun..."

"What if I start to become violent, no longer the same person I once was."

"That won’t happen, Hanabi knows it’s you, Sakura-kun."

Uesugi Sakura saw his reflection in her twinkling violet eyes.

The student council staff signaled a short distance away that they could prepare to go on stage.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little, yes." Hanamaru Hanabi looked toward the people helping to move the upright piano.

"By the way, I noticed Hanabi seems a bit excited about this performance."

"Sakura-kun never participated in these kinds of activities before..." Hanamaru Hanabi turned her gaze back to him.

Under her gaze, Uesugi Sakura recalled briefly, "Hmm... I only ever learned guitar to play for you."

Kitagawa Sakisa came over carrying her violin case, reminding: "Ready to go on stage, Uesugi-kun!"

"Do close friends get jealous of their friends being taken by their boyfriends?" Uesugi Sakura asked as he heard her emphasize his name.

"Of course! Even though I also like seeing Hanabi-chan happy, if you’re around, it takes away time for me to talk to her, so it’s definitely not to my advantage!" Kitagawa Sakisa said generously, her black dress and violin case giving her a British feel.

Uesugi Sakura was a bit curious and asked, while student council members hadn’t yet called them to go on stage, "What do you usually do when you’re together?"

Do what?

Kitagawa Sakisa didn’t expect him to ask this question suddenly, but since he asked, she might as well answer.

She lifted her head slightly, eyes looking upward, contemplating for a moment before answering:

"Tea parties, cake parties, discussing projects in family restaurants, shopping on shopping streets for dresses, watching morning dramas together..."

Uesugi Sakura didn’t hear anything interesting, weren’t these just normal activities girls often do together.

"Nothing meaningful?"

"Why does playing have to have meaning!" Kitagawa Sakisa glared at Uesugi Sakura, feeling he was just looking for trouble.

"Like opening a café or something." Uesugi Sakura said.

"I can’t open a shop, but... humph..." Kitagawa Sakisa put her left hand on her hip, striking a classic haughty pose, saying, "If Uesugi-kun opened one, I’d definitely go support it."

"I’m just afraid you’d publicly declare my coffee’s no good in the shop."

"I’m someone who speaks the truth!"

The two bantered for a few moments, and then Kyujuu Rika, looking at her phone on the other side, interjected, glancing at the staff signaling them once more to go on stage, and rose to say: "Alright, we should get ready to go on."

Ayaka Rie, who had been preparing all along, also took a deep breath, stood up and asked: "Everyone okay?"

"Of course!" said Kitagawa Sakisa.

Hanamaru Hanabi also nodded in agreement.

Uesugi Sakura only watched Hanabi without responding.

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In front of the stage, the music from the previous act had stopped for a long time, and two ladies were holding two little ones, waiting for the five to enter.

"Meiko, what do you think Hanabi and little Sakura would be like if they got married?"

Mrs. Hanamaru held Hanamaru Hanami’s small hand, gently swinging it, making her giggle, "Little Sakura would probably cling to Hanabi every day, always thinking about giving her gifts to make her happy."

"I think so too, but it was the opposite when they were kids, Hanabi would follow little Sakura around every day, often giving him handmade gifts," Mrs. Uesugi said, lowering her head, "It must be fate."

"That’s because back then Hanabi really wanted a friend, and little Sakura was the only one willing to care for her." Mrs. Hanamaru said calmly.

In Mrs. Uesugi’s arms, Uesugi Shin was asleep, and she recalled how quiet Uesugi Sakura had been as an infant:

"Little Sakura never cried or caused trouble from a young age, very smart, but just didn’t like to talk much."

Mrs. Hanamaru also remembered how Sakura would politely say goodbye after walking Hanabi home, "Little Sakura, how to put it, very mature, but with a hint of worldliness that made him unlike a child."

Mrs. Uesugi pondered for a moment, "I think Hanabi must have liked his maturity back then, not as mischievous as the other kids."

"Nobuko, you’re wrong."

Mrs. Hanamaru shook her head, saying, "What Hanabi truly lacked was care, she needed the care of someone her age, and Sakura was the one who could give her that care. Her heart is simple, very pure, whoever is good to her, she will always be good to that person."