CHAPTER 365: CHAPTER 273: MEMORIES OF THE PAST

June 1st.

Uesugi Sakura waited in the living room for Hanabi to change clothes and come out.

Last night, he accidentally woke her up while secretly touching her feet, and after coaxing and holding her for a while, she finally fell asleep in his arms.

In the morning, Hanamaru Hanabi came out wearing a little skirt and white shirt, cheeks rosy, whispering many little words to him.

Words like "naughty," "bad guy," "big bad guy," sounding both angry and coquettish.

Uesugi Sakura had no choice but to hold her hands, gently peck her forehead with his lips, and then say to her:

"I only do this because I like you; I’m not interested in other girls."

Hearing this, Hanamaru Hanabi indeed looked up, her beautiful violet eyes meeting the morning light in the living room, shimmering brightly.

"Really...?"

"Of course."

Receiving his promise, Hanamaru Hanabi earnestly nodded, appearing completely convinced, with an unusually happy expression.

Seeing the girl’s demeanor in front of him, Uesugi Sakura felt she was both silly and innocent.

The previous sentence was just the most common tactic to appease a girl.

In this information-rich modern age, most girls wouldn’t fall for it anymore.

In fact, they might get angry, say it’s just a coaxing tactic, a low-grade sweet talk, and be upset all day.

Only Hanabi would be filled with joy because of a small compliment, a tiny bit of attention.

Has she ever thought these are words specifically meant to deceive girls?

Perhaps one day she might be deceived, yet still immersed in a happy mood, completely unaware.

It makes one feel both pity and a sense of foolishness.

In some harem anime, her type would be the one who loses the most tragically.

The naive childhood friend, incapable of competition, would certainly be targeted by the other female leads joining forces.

They would make her inadvertently do many wrong things, deepening misunderstandings with the male lead, eventually harboring a sense of loss, silently blaming herself, quietly distancing.

Uesugi Sakura could even imagine Hanamaru Hanabi walking away in a white dress, offering her blessings.

The one who was with him the longest and most sincerely, yet left the earliest.

"Silly girl." Uesugi Sakura smiled, reaching out his hand to pat her head.

"Sakura-kun."

Hanamaru Hanabi pushed against his hand, looking up.

"What is it?"

"It’s because Sakura-kun keeps patting Hanabi’s head that Hanabi can’t grow taller."

"Not growing tall is good; I can hug you easily."

"Not good."

"Very good."

"Not good."

"Very good."

"Not good!"

"Little girl even learned to be stubborn? If you keep bickering, I won’t help you tonight."

Hanamaru Hanabi’s cheeks flushed in an instant, her small hands tangled together, twisting around for a long time, before shyly lowering her head to say: "Sakura-kun, you’re mean."

Uesugi Sakura loved to see her shy look, and inwardly smiled benevolently, but on the surface, he pretended to sigh and said:

"Sigh, come to think of it, it’s tiring. The scratches from your nails on my arm from the bathroom yesterday haven’t even faded. Clearly, little Hanabi was very comfortable lying in my arms at that time—"

"Sakura-kun!"

Hanamaru Hanabi hurriedly interrupted him, but after fumbling for a long time, couldn’t find anything to retaliate against him, could only shut her eyes tightly and say once more:

"Meanie!"

——————————

Shirooka Elementary School is located in Shinjuku District, established in the early Meiji era, it is one of the historically significant public elementary schools in Tokyo.

It’s not far from both the Uesugi Family and Hanamaru Family, just a twenty-minute walk to the school gate.

The two of them got off the train and stepped onto the latter half of the path that was both familiar and unfamiliar to them.

Familiar, because it was the route they took for six years during elementary school.

Unfamiliar, because they hadn’t walked it much for the past six years.

Even the small shop they often bought snacks from was closed and no longer there.

Passing through the familiar small bridge and train crossing, walking to that shuttered door, Uesugi Sakura couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

He used to often use his pocket money to buy milk for Hanabi here.

The little her often couldn’t bear to drink it right there, wanting to take it back to show her mom before she would eat it during meals.

Now.

Uesugi Sakura looked at her standing beside him.

The little girl had grown up beautifully.

Hanamaru Hanabi stood in front of the shutter, looking up at the empty, signless shopfront.

"Sakura-kun, what happened to Grandpa Yoshitake afterwards?"

Grandpa Yoshitake was the former owner of this shop, often had marbles, small snacks, and such hanging outside, clever little kids would run interference, two would distract the owner, while one swiped the goodies.

Uesugi Sakura understood, Grandpa Yoshitake knew about their little thieving stunts.

The first time he didn’t mind, the second time he directly chased them out with a stick.

He always told himself and Hanabi, stealing, whether small or large, was stealing, he could forgive the first time, understanding the desire for things due to poverty, those toys and snacks weren’t valuable.

But the second time, he wouldn’t allow it, as it would become a habit, and in the future, they couldn’t achieve what they wanted with their own hands, only thinking to steal it.

Grandpa Yoshitake was stern with the other kids, many elementary students were a bit scared to buy from him.

But he was very kind to Sakura and Hanabi, saying they were good kids, often using his cane to get milk and candy from the shelves for Hanabi to eat.

Little Hanabi would accept with expectation, then save the best snacks for her Sakura brother.

——Though Sakura didn’t eat snacks.

However, time has passed, and Grandpa Yoshitake, once sitting in the shop gazing outside at the kids leaving school, was no longer there.