CHAPTER 391: CHAPTER 287 TEA PARTY

"What’s the matter with looking at legs? Wu’s feet are as white as frost and snow, barefoot they cleanse white silk! Admiring a girl’s legs and feet, that’s also a proper thing."

Uesugi Sakura saw her tug at her skirt again, covering her legs, not wanting him to look, so he smiled and said, "At night, you like to steal the blanket and curl up into a ball to sleep. When I wake up in the morning, I can see your clean, white little foot kicking me in the stomach."

"What are your little feet like, shall I describe them?"

"No!" Hanamaru Hanabi quickly refused, then nervously hid back in her room.

"What a pity."

Uesugi Sakura shook his head, savoring the scene alone.

The afternoon passed harmoniously, with the two of them studying together in the study room.

Hanabi sat in front of the computer drawing, while he took out a book to study.

What does studying humanities at Tokyo University entail?

Ancient poetry papers, modern novel theories, discussions on authors or works, and so on.

The first few topics don’t need explanation, they’re literary theory.

The later topics, the discussions on authors and works, refer to in-depth research on a particular author or piece of work.

Studying these subjects often requires writing short papers and reports.

It’s not too tiring and gives you something to do.

The humanities are like that.

Reading doesn’t just mean reading; you also need to understand the reason, process, impact, and background, and the style of depiction.

If you’re not careful, you might end up reading in a fog.

Sometimes, when you encounter completely unfamiliar parts, reading the words feels like gnawing on bones, swallowing them down hard, leaving your mind exhausted for half a day.

Three hours later.

Uesugi Sakura put down the book, bookmarked the page, then closed his eyes to rest for a few minutes.

After an unknown number of minutes, a girl’s fragrance appeared at his side.

"Sakura-kun."

Hanamaru Hanabi placed the refreshments she had just prepared next to him.

The tea was soothingly cool, and the matcha cookies emitted a fresh aroma.

Nothing felt more comfortable than having some refreshments after studying.

Before this, Uesugi Sakura had already smelled the aroma of the snacks, realizing that Hanamaru Hanabi had taken the time to make them fresh.

"Thank you, I’m sorry to bother you again."

"Sakura-kun... you’re so polite."

"You’re usually this polite to me, you just haven’t noticed." Uesugi Sakura took a bite of the cookie, "By the way, did that editor Kawaichi reply to you this morning?"

"Yes." Hanamaru Hanabi nodded, then picked up her phone from the computer desk and showed the email record to him.

Uesugi Sakura took a bite of the matcha cookie, quickly scanning through the email content.

The content of the email was long, but mostly consisted of polite greetings and inquiries.

——Japan places a lot of emphasis on this aspect, sometimes even overly so.

The useful information summarized that they accepted the price Hanabi offered and attached the character settings and text of the novel, hoping she could take a look when she had time.

This was Hanabi’s work, and he couldn’t really comment on it.

"Light novels can be considered popular literature. How about I try writing one, and Hana-chan, you help me with the illustrations?"

"Why did Sakura-kun suddenly want to do this?"

"Couples collaborating isn’t something to be ashamed of. The main purpose is to do something together with you, it’ll feel very rewarding."

Hanamaru Hanabi smiled and said, "If Sakura-kun wishes for that, Hanabi will do her best to help out."

Though he said that, Uesugi Sakura never pursued ideas that came from a moment of impulsiveness.

For example, he really wanted to run a café with Hanabi, but since he didn’t fully understand the details, it hasn’t materialized quickly.

At night, after bathing, Uesugi Sakura dried her hair in the bedroom.

The soft, fine strands slipped through his fingers, leaving a simple fragrance in the warm air.

"Do you think long hair looks better or short hair, Sakura-kun?"

"I’m indecisive; if you ask me, both look nice. It’s up to you." Uesugi Sakura picked up her hair again, letting it slip smoothly through his palm.

Being able to dry her beautiful, smooth hair like this and feel her presence beside him brought an unusual happiness.

...

11:43 p.m.

After working overtime to make progress on her design tasks, Hanamaru Hanabi’s eyes began to droop, and she felt a bit tired.

She turned off the light and walked to the bed piled high with shark plushies, lazily burrowing into the covers.

Her delicate face carried a soft expression, sinking into the white belly of the plush shark.

"Goodnight, Sakura-kun..."

"Mm, goodnight, sleep early." Uesugi Sakura saw that she seemed to have fallen asleep, so he put down the book, leaned over, and turned off the bedside lamp as well.

The light dimmed, the curtains gently swayed, and in the moonlight, a faint glow illuminated her face beside him.

Uesugi Sakura lay down, grasped her small hand inside the covers, gently parted her slender fingers, aligned their palms, interlocking fingers together. Only after feeling the softness in his hand did he slowly close his eyes.

...

A night of peaceful sleep.

A hazy, white glow.

Uesugi Sakura dreamed of walking with Hanamaru Hanabi on an endless field of rice paddies, stepping in unison, hand in hand, walking towards a distant future with smiles.

In the breeze, the fields of rice rippled with waves, and their figures grew smaller along the winding path.

Amidst the expanse left behind, only that pure white skirt fluttered, embodying the beauty of youthful dreams.

It was a very artistic scene, yet it was filled with the melancholy of cherry blossoms falling.

Like the feeling of wanting to get closer, but realizing it’s unattainable, a helpless compromise.

The next morning, when Uesugi Sakura first woke up, he clearly recalled this dream.

Perhaps it was because he had been reading too much literature lately, frequently experiencing these kinds of emotions.