CHAPTER 345: CHAPTER 261 THE PERSON WHO CAME BACK FROM THE CAPITAL CITY_2

The old-fashioned civil servants mostly have slicked-back hairstyles because they can comb their hair from the back to the front, and with hair wax, it’s not easy to see the baldness.

Uesugi Sakura: "If I lose my hair and become ugly, you wouldn’t dislike me, right?"

Just her calling him "Sakura-kun" with a smile could dissipate all past worries in an instant.

The Hook Jade was given to the grandchildren by the old lady of the Uesugi Family.

Despite these precautions, she has been tailed before.

"..."

But she understands, it’s not Uesugi Shio’s fault.

Uesugi Sakura: "That’s just in your eyes."

The two mothers walking behind understood that young couples enjoyed showing their affection like that, and teasingly chatted about who among them took the initiative.

In Japan, relatives generally don’t keep in touch, evident from the Japanese vocabulary.

It didn’t seem to have any magical effect.

Mrs. Hanamaru on the side held down the squirming Hanamaru Hanami who wanted to crawl on the floor, saying: "Stay longer, you know we have dinner together every night with Hanami and Shin, an extra person is always nice."

Uesugi Sakura also hoped his cousin would stay at home, as besides anything else, she’s a formidable force.

Some are respectable husbands but after drinking at an izakaya or entertaining clients, they genuinely just fall asleep.

Uesugi Sakura placed the groceries he was carrying on the coffee table and glanced out at the lawn, spotting Shio practicing Kanji.

Those closer father’s brothers are called uncle too.

"Shio, why did you return so suddenly yesterday?"

Mrs. Uesugi frowned slightly: "Didn’t I say you could stay here? Why waste that money?"

"Sakura-kun, why did Shio suddenly come back?"

"Don’t talk about being a burden," Mrs. Uesugi said while holding the bright-eyed Uesugi Shin, "Now that Sakura-kun and Hanabi have moved out, and with his father often working, I’m alone at home with Shin and it doesn’t feel good, more people bring more life!"

If she had been in Uesugi Shio’s position, she wouldn’t have given that father a single penny.

*

You can see people lying on the street, sleeping face down.

On the contrary, she refused to let Shio repay her father’s debt.

Hanamaru Hanabi: "Among the girls, they would secretly say you’re good-looking, and asked if Hanabi ever confessed to you."

In modern times, practicing Sword Dao can lead to admission to a good sports university, and after obtaining a degree, one can continue down this path, achieving rankings, opening a dojo.

Yet really, really, he wanted to live forever like this with her, to see her smiling at him every day, to see her take steady steps in her beautiful dress.

Shio would usually be lazing on the sofa watching TV, but there was no sign of her at the moment.

Sword Dao leans more towards competition, while swordsmanship leans more towards combat.

"How did you answer?"

"Hanabi... just felt that I wasn’t worthy of you..."

Mrs. Uesugi also happened to enter the living room and saw Uesugi Shio standing in front of Uesugi Sakura and asked:

All these years, she has been practicing Sword Dao, and has also learned ancient swordsmanship from a mentor.

Once on the Yamanote Line, Uesugi Sakura casually grabbed a loop handle and asked the girl next to him.

That is truly precious.

For instance, fathers’ and mothers’ brothers are collectively referred to as uncle in Japanese.

The Uesugi Family has a close relationship, at least Uesugi Sakura’s father and his three siblings support and look after each other.

"It’s too much trouble for you," Uesugi Shio said apologetically.

One could also try to compete in world-class Sword Dao tournaments.

Upon seeing them enter, Uesugi Shio put down her practice bamboo sword and washed her hands at the lawn faucet before coming inside.

It’s good to have someone who can fight off suspiciously lurking drunkards.

"The tournament didn’t go too well." Uesugi Sakura said, already seeing the Uesugi Family’s house ahead.

Uesugi Shio had gone to participate in the Kyoto Prefecture’s Sword Dao tournament in late March.

Although for special reasons, Uesugi Shio’s father is rather unwilling to continue working.

Even though his current life was plain like water.

As they exited the subway, Uesugi Sakura held her small hand tightly in his.

Hanamaru Hanabi: "Liar, you’ve always been good-looking."

Hanamaru Hanabi seemed to sense something, and leaned closely against him, holding his arm as they walked in step.

Uesugi Sakura felt that his occasional inexplicable loneliness stemmed from his previous life’s colorless existence, being a cog in a company.

"Yeah... I’m here."

Uesugi Sakura: "Looks are secondary, we weren’t very good-looking when we were kids."

Becoming a fitness coach, physical education teacher, or referee is also possible.

In a dry vest, with her hair tied in a ponytail, the Hook Jade on her chest gleamed warmly under the post-rain sunlight.

Such outcomes often lead to being robbed by jobless vagrants on the streets, taking away all belongings.

Uesugi Sakura suddenly felt that this unexpected yet calm emotion might just be his daily life.

"So..." Hanamaru Hanabi spoke softly, "Hanabi just feels she has no distinguishing features, and only got close to you because we knew each other since childhood..."

Hanamaru Hanabi noticed that he had been staring at her for a long time, and tugged at his shirt with her small hand and called:

"Aunt," Uesugi Shio greeted politely, her tone slightly lazy out of habit, "With the tournament over, I naturally came back, and I’ll be moving into a new rental place tomorrow."

He stepped directly into the living room wearing slippers.

Uesugi Sakura knew that she cared for him in every way and cherished every little moment.

For example, Uesugi Sakura’s "Bow Taker" nickname led several prestigious universities to offer him tuition-free admission during his college years with scholarship guarantees for continued competition participation.

The two ladies, university friends, chatted seamlessly, and Uesugi Shio, unable to argue back, nodded in agreement, losing any opportunity to excuse herself for training.

They were to stay for lunch at the Uesugi Family, so they first went to a nearby supermarket to buy groceries and then headed home with bags in hand.

He has never understood the purpose of the Red Hook Jade.

As a daughter, she worked hard to earn money from Sword Dao competitions but used very little for herself, giving it all to the father who never raised her.

——————————————————

Announcement: "Waseda Station, arrived, next stop, Takadanobaba Station."

Is she planning to live alone?

At the Uesugi Family’s door, Uesugi Sakura unlocked the door with a key, recognizing the familiar entrance, and familiar slippers.

Nights in Japan aren’t very safe, with drunkards being most common, especially in places like Shinjuku Ikebukuro.

Uesugi Nobuko is not a traditional Japanese woman, as shown by her being busy with work and even reaching the position of restaurant general manager.

At least in his previous life, he never experienced it until his death.

Hanamaru Hanabi: "It’s alright, Hanabi would also become ugly along with you, it’s not that you shouldn’t dislike Hanabi for being ugly..."

There were initially two pairs, but one from a pair got lost, leaving one for Uesugi Shio.

A complete pair was given to both Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi.

Uesugi Sakura sensed a bit of insecurity in her words, "Don’t say that, you used to be very cute, just a bit invisible, always helping with things without getting noticed."

Success would bring a favorable bias of social resources.

It’s important to know that the Hanamaru family used to strictly prohibit Hanamaru Hanabi from going out after 7 PM.

He looked at her, his body swaying with the train carriage, the sound of the tracks and the flickering lights surrounding them.

"Sakura-kun...?"

Uesugi Shio didn’t know how to respond, she knew if she refused, her aunt would certainly counter her and insist she stay. Read today on

During after-school and early morning commutes, if she didn’t travel with Uesugi Sakura, someone had to accompany her home, or she had to wait at the clubroom for her father to pick her up.

It wasn’t very obvious, just someone following and secretly taking pictures.

Mrs. Uesugi knows about Uesugi Shio’s family situation, her father still owes Uesugi Kenichi several million in debt.

Yet, the darn system labeled it as a mission tool.

Uesugi Sakura was right by her side then.