In July at the Meiji Shrine, there’s a Tanabata festival, so come evening, many people come for a stroll.
A few little kids ran by, clutching colorful paper tags attached to a string, laughing and ignoring their mothers’ warnings and scoldings behind them.
Mrs. Hanamaru smiled at the corner of her mouth, watching their receding backs as if seeing the two who often walked together in their childhood.
Now... the two who grew up together should probably get married in two years.
On the bluestone path, Hanamaru Hanabi’s small hand occasionally tried to reach for someone’s hand, but hesitated and retracted, entangled in indecision.
Then she felt a pang of self-reproach, thinking even though they’re so familiar... she’s still so useless.
Mrs. Hanamaru noticed her daughter’s hand movement ahead and shouted, "Little Hanabi, come here quickly."
Hanamaru Hanabi and Uesugi Sakura turned back together.
The fading twilight in the sky made the bushes along the road appear somewhat dim.
Hanamaru Hanabi walked to her mother’s side.
Mrs. Hanamaru rubbed her head, decorated with a bow, with her right hand, "You’re so clingy every day.
Hanamaru Hanabi shrank her neck instinctively, then said in a low voice against her mother’s palm, "No, I’m not."
Mrs. Hanamaru leaned over her ear, "Tell mom secretly, where did you go this afternoon?"
The girl lowered her head.
Walking in front, Uesugi Sakura had already seen the large torii at the intersection of the north and south pathways, towering over ten meters high.
This place was surrounded by clear air and abundant greenery, the towering trees obscuring the high-rise buildings of Tokyo.
People with leisurely steps strolled through here one by one, as if heading to another world.
Uesugi Sakura didn’t know what the mother and daughter behind were talking about, but Hanabi’s face was getting redder and redder.
It must be a topic that made her embarrassed.
Having a wedding at the Meiji Shrine isn’t something only the wealthy can do.
You just need to book three months in advance, prepare the invitation and everything for the wedding, and you can have a traditional Japanese Shinto-style wedding.
Outside the ceremonial hall at the Meiji Memorial Hall.
Seeing Hanamaru Meiko and Uesugi Nobuko chatting with the women at the reception like old friends, Uesugi Sakura understood why they had to see this wedding today.
"Hanamaru-kun didn’t come?" the woman at the reception, wearing a pair of ankle-exposing high heels and a standard Western-style dress, asked.
"Hanamaru-kun didn’t come, but Mrs. Hanamaru did,"
Hanamaru Meiko teased with a smile, then pushed Hanabi forward by the shoulders, saying, "Hanabi, this is Auntie Nai, she held you shortly after you were born."
Hanamaru Hanabi’s extremely beautiful eyes shifted colors under the incandescent light, and she nodded slightly, politely saying, "Auntie Nai."
Such a sweet voice made Nai Yaka inexplicably want to pat her head:
"Haha, I never thought the ugly little Hanabi back then would grow up so pretty, I’m a bit jealous, but don’t listen to your mom, call me sister."
"Sister Nai," Hanamaru Hanabi said with her small hands folded over her skirt.
The woman beamed with joy.
Uesugi Sakura felt this scene would not feel out of place if Hanabi were replaced with a primary school student, or perhaps it would even suit better.
In response to the classmates, naturally, primary school student number two, Kosugi Sakura, was also dragged by his mother in front of her old classmates.
Reluctantly, Uesugi Sakura had to call out:
Then he too had his head patted — even though he was taller than this Sister Nai.
Damn! This trick for dealing with primary school students, being patted on the head by someone shorter than himself, was too embarrassing!
Taking a deep breath, he tried to suppress the urge to call her Auntie.
——As a sister, Uesugi Shio escaped this calamity.
Entering the magnificent hall that could only be described as spacious, Uesugi Sakura chose some buffet desserts and fruits and casually poured a cup of tea to enjoy on the sofa.
Naturally, little Hanabi was pulled away by Mrs. Hanamaru to show off and chat with her old classmates.
After all, her cuteness, with that added bit of charm, had already exceeded the maximum limit.
With some time before the wedding starting at 7 o’clock, Uesugi Sakura boredly opened his attribute panel.
[Name: Uesugi Sakura]
[Skills: Reading Lv9 (5/10)
Sword Dao Lv7 (34/40)
Calligraphy Lv7 (10/40)
Reading Lv9: Already reading as if personally reaching the scene!
Sword Dao Lv7: The path of the sword, fifth rank!
Accuracy Lv9: Some things must be done with care.
Calligraphy Lv7: Sometimes writing well can inadvertently attract certain people’s attention.
Cooking Lv0: Can’t understand why someone could have negative cooking experience.
[Current Status: A normal 16-year-old]
Sword Dao 7 is only at the fifth rank?
When did the Charm secretly increase to 8?
The often neglected system of Uesugi Sakura held little interest for him, casually popping a grape into his mouth, throwing the seeds several meters into a trash bin.
The tiny seeds lined up and fell neatly into place.
A little girl in a white dress and white long socks, upon seeing this, rushed over quickly, lifting her skirt in small steps, saying to him, "Teach me, big brother, teach me, I want to learn."
Uesugi Sakura, good at dealing with children, said while eating a grape, "If you take a candy and a grape to the bride, let her nibble and feed you with it, you’ll have this magic."
Finally, he added, "The bride is blessed by the gods today, and kissing her will also bring you blessings."