CHAPTER 407: CHAPTER 295: THE ONGOING RAINY SEASON_2

"An adventure story about a young middle school girl who lost her father at a young age. She meets a boy named Mo at school, and together they accidentally bump into the girl’s father, who has been deceased for many years. Following ’father’s’ traces step by step, they gradually discover signs of something called ’God’s Hidden.’ Soon, through the token left by ’father,’ they realize there’s an incredible secret behind ’God’s Hidden.’ Ultimately, guided by ’father,’ they venture into a legendary underground realm that can resurrect the dead."

"That’s the content of the first volume," Seisa Takeshun added.

"It sounds interesting."

"Yes, but unfortunately, it hasn’t done very well in terms of sales. It remains a niche, lesser-known work to this day."

While they were talking, Todaka Keichiro had finished reading the first few pages of "Witch Fox Demon," saying, "It’s actually quite good. So, Uesugi, how would you like us to assist?"

Uesugi Sakura: "First, critique; second, suggestions; third, opinions."

Uesugi Sakura believed that these friends could provide valuable insights. The author’s work was excellent, but the author lacked confidence.

One important reason he was willing to draw upon his connections was that Tsubokawa had offered a bit of help when they found out Hanamaru was responsible for illustrations in their home library’s collection.

After some negotiations, the entire novel company agreed to give 10% of the profits to the artist.

This means that apart from the original author’s earnings, Hanamaru Hanabi would also get 10% of the library’s profits.

Uesugi Sakura wasn’t sure how much that 10% actually amounted to, but since it was related to the work’s sales, he had no choice but to ensure the quality by seeking feedback from classmates and professors at Tokyo University.

As for their unfamiliarity with light novels, that might not be the case.

Popular literature has always been a subject worthy of study.

Many students’ essays also revolve around the theme of light novels.

Quite a few light novels have been recognized by mainstream literature.

Currently, there’s no definitive answer as to what constitutes a light novel, but it’s a type of literature primarily aimed at teenagers.

Having explained everything, Uesugi Sakura felt that he had done his bit to support Hanabi.

At noon, he had lunch at the cafeteria of Tokyo University, and in the afternoon, he read books at the central library. It wasn’t until his eyes felt exhausted that he took a nap by the window, listening to the rain.

When he woke up, only a half-finished can of coffee was left beside him.

The rainy season was still continuing outside the window.

The humidity and heat of the rainy season are actually unfavorable for the growth of flowers, as excessive moisture could rot the roots in the soil.

Therefore, most planting is done in spring and autumn to avoid the rainy season as much as possible.

Planting flowers.

Uesugi Sakura stood along the ginkgo avenue of Tokyo University, looking up at the sky, thinking about buying some flowers to decorate at home.

He hadn’t practiced his gardening skills for a long time; his mother had been taking care of the large group of green plants at home.

He longed for a garden, one where he could take care of things together with little Hanabi.

Weeding together, planting flowers together, sitting on a large green stone to chat and rest together.

Eventually, through their efforts, witnessing the garden they created taking shape, the happiness and satisfaction of enjoying the garden together amidst the greenery would surely be unforgettable.

Holding an umbrella, he walked out the school gate.

In the evening, when Hanabi returned home, she would be busy with cooking again. Uesugi Sakura thought of giving her some gifts and small surprises. Remembering the scent of lilies on her, he decided to buy some fresh-cut lilies for her and decorate the house for a few days.

He took a swaying train to the Ota Market, opened his umbrella, stepped out of the station, and strolled along the street.

Buying fresh-cut flowers at the flower shop near Tokyo University was an option, but to get a better deal and quality, it was more suitable to buy from the Ota Flower Market.

The volume of flower trade at Ota Market is the highest in Japan, making it a genuinely large flower market in the whole country.

The market is located at the lower right corner of Tokyo Ota District, near Tokyo Bay, with masses of fresh flowers pouring into the flower market every day.

Across from the flower market, there’s also a horse racing track. It’s said that a Chinese man won 9.5 billion yen there in five years without paying taxes and fled back home.

But in reality, he only made over 1 billion, and spent five years doing data analysis and predictions.

Even with scientific analysis, horse racing is still too unreliable. Unless one had a luck MAX buff, it would definitely not be touched.

"How much is this?"

"880 yen."

Uesugi Sakura picked up a bouquet of packaged roses, a total of ten stems.

Ten roses for 880 yen, which is more than ten times cheaper than a flower shop, where one rose costs around 500 yen.

Seeing the bright red bouquet in his hand, Uesugi Sakura even considered buying roses.

The key point was that they were so cheap here, he even contemplated buying 999 roses to fill the house, hoping that Hanabi would be moved when she got home.

But would that be too old-fashioned?

Whether giving one rose or 999 roses, why did he feel it was too cliché?

Uesugi Sakura held the umbrella with his left hand and the flowers in his right hand, occasionally bringing them to his nose to smell them.

"Sir, are the roses for your girlfriend?" The flower seller was a young girl, looking like she was high school-aged, wearing a western-style school uniform.

For some reason, Uesugi Sakura felt she kept staring at his face.

"To be precise, fiancée."

"Fiancée huh..."

Uesugi Sakura noticed she was momentarily stunned, and the eager sparkle in her eyes dimmed a bit.

Does a young girl’s love come and go quickly?

He put the roses back and pointed to the other side’s colorful lilies: "What about these?"

"Please wait a moment, there are some lily varieties whose prices I can’t recall." She hurriedly took out a small pink sticker to check the marked prices and said, "Zorro, Mumon 770 yen; Malone, special red, Signo red are all 900 yen; double petal pink and double petal white are 1200 yen."

Each was ten stems.

Among the lilies, the white multi-stem double petal is actually the most expensive.

The expensive ones have their reasons, differing in flower color, fragrance, and appearance.

Typically, lilies bought in the market should not be too mature, meaning the flowers shouldn’t have fully bloomed yet.

Their buds would be in a closed state, about to bloom.

Pure and elegant, augurs well.

Uesugi Sakura intended to use the lilies as a way to express his feelings to little Hanabi.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t formally given flowers to her.

He did give a pot of lilies early on, but she ended up killing it with chili water. Back then, she was probably wondering why her two favorite things couldn’t coexist peacefully.

The thought of her clumsy younger self brought a smile to his lips.

Though the rainy day was gloomy, it couldn’t overshadow her radiant smile.

Uesugi Sakura picked up a bouquet of white double-petal lilies, inhaled their light fragrance, and then raised his gaze to speak to the young girl selling flowers: "I’ll take this one."

"Okay, alright."

After paying, Uesugi Sakura was ready to leave with the flowers. The young girl selling them seemed hesitant, as if she wanted to ask something, but she couldn’t muster the courage to speak before he left.

Uesugi Sakura didn’t linger long; he didn’t want to give the young girl any unrealistic fantasies. They were just passing figures in each other’s lives, as a commonly known saying goes.

The most crucial reason was that he only wanted to be devoted to little Hanabi.

Though she had never said it, Uesugi Sakura knew she was the kind of girl who would silently feel sad.

When hurt, she wouldn’t complain, and wouldn’t mention pain when taking a hit.

Therefore, Uesugi Sakura couldn’t bear to see her suffer any grievance.

Speaking of which, Hanamaru Hanabi had recently encountered quite a few persistent admirers on the university campus.

It’s understandable that beautiful and adorable girls would be pursued, expressing affection is fine, but if it’s overdone, Uesugi Sakura would show them the true meaning of bows and swords.