CHAPTER 394: CHAPTER 288: TEA PARTY (2)_2

"...This kind of house is really hard to buy in Tokyo," Tsubokawa Takahiro said gently, "The Hanamaru family is quite suitable, with bamboo and a courtyard, you can try to have your father-in-law ease up a bit."

By "Hanamaru family," he was referring to Hanabi’s grandfather’s Hanamaru family.

In that Setagaya area.

Uesugi Sakura knew he was joking, no matter what, Hanabi’s grandfather didn’t have only Hanamaru Hiroki as a son, such a big house, the next Family Head was still unclear.

"Then I guess I’d have to marry into the family."

"Haha, indeed."

"Tsubokawa!"

A pair of siblings came over.

The boy was in casual clothes, with a light blue jacket, and the girl was dressed simply, without much distinction.

"Tsubokawa." The boy greeted him with a big smile and then turned to Uesugi Sakura with an eager hand extended, "Hello, I’m Akatsuki Seisoku, and this is my sister, Akitsuki Chunso."

"Hello, Uesugi Sakura."

They were unacquainted originally, and Uesugi Sakura didn’t pay much attention, but upon seeing the three cherry blossom family crests hanging at his waist, a vague memory surfaced, and he subconsciously inquired:

"Are you into Kendo?"

"You know?" Akatsuki Seisoku obviously didn’t expect him to ask this.

"Just happened to see you siblings on the subway, you both were carrying wooden sword bags with the seigaiha pattern that day."

"What a coincidence! Do you practice Kendo too? Should we have a spar sometime if you’re interested?"

"I don’t practice, but I’ve been quite interested recently," Uesugi Sakura said.

"That’s great! It doesn’t matter if you don’t, interest can lead to motivation," Akatsuki Seisoku seemed quite passionate about the subject, "If you need, I can ask the priest to guide you personally, I can even cover the tuition at the Kendo Hall."

"...No need."

"Don’t refuse so quickly, here, if you want to start Kendo, feel free to contact me, we can improve together."

Akatsuki Seisoku left a contact and ran to greet others on the other side.

The sister spoke little, the brother spoke a lot.

Strange person.

"Tsubokawa, are you very familiar with them?" After the Akatsuki siblings left, Uesugi Sakura asked.

"Seen them a few times, acquaintances at best, part of the Akisuki family, they’re enthusiastic about making friends, heard they have ancestral swordsmanship techniques at home."

The swordsmanship lineage sounds mysterious, but it’s really more about fitness, not about taking on five people at once.

"The Akisuki family from Chikuzen," Uesugi Sakura recalled the history learned, "from the Sengoku period, right?"

"You have a good memory," Tsubokawa Takahiro laughed, eating a piece of strawberry, "I’d say, all that lineage stuff is mostly for self-praise, with so many changes, the bloodline must be so diluted, as long as one has the status, just flip through a history book and pick a big family to harp on."

He clapped his hands and picked up his phone again to play a game.

This tea party, for Uesugi Sakura, was merely an opportunity to grab some food and drinks, Hanabi was here having fun with Kitagawa Sakisa.

The cake was quite good though.

"I’m going to the bathroom."

"Mhm, go on."

This is an extravagant building, the restroom naturally needed to be bright.

Uesugi Sakura wasn’t quite used to such aristocratic vibes, somewhat displeased.

As he entered the men’s room, he saw a little girl peeking inside, upon noticing someone coming, she quickly retracted into a cubicle.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the little girl’s slightly slanted hat seemed about to fall...

Uesugi Sakura walked inside speechlessly, stood in front of the tightly closed cubicle, and said to the inside: "Aei, this is the men’s room."

"I know, it’s the bathroom!" Aei clearly recognized his voice, and became fearless after the initial joy.

"Come on out, the girl’s bathroom is next door."

"Why can’t boys and girls use the bathroom together," Aei seemed reluctant to come out, "If brother wants to use the bathroom, I can let brother in."

"Because of different structures," Uesugi Sakura casually made up an excuse, "and who wants to be in your cubicle, isn’t it fine if I go next door?"

"Different structures...? Uh... does that mean boys..."

"Alright, just come out," Uesugi Sakura feared if she continued, he would be accused of harassment.

This could be problematic, with a little girl in the men’s room, if she cried out loud, things could become difficult to explain.

"No!"

"Come out."

"No way~"

"Come out now."

"Brother is harassing me, even touched my flat chest." Aei suddenly said from inside.

Uesugi Sakura felt his forehead tighten instantly, a troublesome child, "Even if you don’t want to come out, there’s no need to threaten me like that."

"It’s a countermeasure, you know."

No need for her to remind, Uesugi Sakura realized she was just being mischievous, hiding to avoid exposure:

"Come out, I’ll take you to eat strawberry cake."

The door opened immediately, Aei, in her elementary school uniform, stepped out of the cubicle, looking up at him:

"Strawberry cake!"

Uesugi Sakura was left speechless, first checked if anyone was approaching, then led her out.

Her sneaky peeking gesture, he really feared if they were seen, he’d be accused of being a pervert, not even sparing elementary school children.

In the corridor, Uesugi Sakura looked at the little girl in front of him, who was looking around:

"Tell me, why did you go to the men’s room for the bathroom? Or did someone take you there intentionally? Where’s your sister?"

"Brother, don’t rush~"

Uesugi Sakura took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face, "Alright, let me ask slowly, first, why was Aei in the men’s bathroom?"

Aei: "I came to find dad."

Finding dad?

No, no, Uesugi Sakura nearly got sidetracked, "Did you come on your own? No strange uncle accompanied you?"

Aei nodded with her hands behind her back.

Her little head bobbed vigorously, carrying that distinct restlessness of children.

"Don’t trick me, even if someone told you not to say it, you should still tell brother."

Aei looked at him with bright eyes, "Is brother worried about Aei? Don’t worry, Aei doesn’t have a sugar daddy, nor is she someone’s lover oh."

Sugar daddy, lover...

To hear such words from an elementary school kid really feels bizarre.

"These words... did you learn from books?"

"No," Aei stated in a very matter-of-fact manner, "I heard them from mom, she always cries during phone calls, saying she’s just an abandoned lover, and tells dad on the phone that she doesn’t matter, the important ones are me and sister, asking dad to send a bit more money for food."

Uesugi Sakura mulled over it for a while before digesting the statement:

"Aei... do you still believe mom will come back?"

"Yes!" a solid answer.

"You and your sister have been living alone for half a year already, right."

"Yes." Aei’s mouth curled into a crescent moon smile.

Aei is quite adorable, a bit eccentric but still a good kid.

But the more she smiled, the more Uesugi Sakura felt their mother was irresponsible.

Leaving them unattended for a full six months now, not returning home even once.

And yet that woman claims her two daughters are more important than herself.

Laughable.

Her words were merely to use her two daughters as an excuse to squeeze some extra money.

Yet Aei truly believed her mother’s words, which were actually excuses for begging for money.

Willing to believe her mother genuinely cared about the two of them.

Aei is very smart, she surely knows her mother’s attitude towards her and her sister.

Why she continues to believe in it despite knowing the truth—it’s because she ’chooses’ to believe.

Besides hoping for her mother’s return to the family... there’s nothing else left to put faith in.

"Why haven’t you come to visit my house recently?" Uesugi Sakura asked.

"Aei definitely wanted to go and play, but sister said we shouldn’t bother brother, we should be polite."

Uesugi Sakura understood, Chiaei definitely wanted to visit as well, probably thinking their relationship wasn’t strong enough, felt embarrassed to come eat, drink and trouble Hanabi and brother.

That teary-moled little girl respectfully bowing also flashed in his mind.

"Forget it, let me take you to eat cake first."

Aei immediately jumped to his side, clutching his clothes, "Great, brother take me over quickly, when I wanted to go there earlier, they kept blocking my way, not letting me in."