"Hanabi is a novice, has no popularity..."
Hanamaru Hanabi is very meticulous in her drawings, with every stroke creating delicate and graceful lines.
For example, the white-haired loli stepping on a watermelon is drawn beautifully, with her white, silk-covered feet pressing on the smooth watermelon, her small toes tinged with a hint of red.
Whose tastes are so peculiar, loli with white silk and watermelon?
Why is it a watermelon being stepped on?
Is it because the little foot creates a smooth curve when it steps on it?
Uesugi Sakura somehow starts to understand what that person might mean.
He points to the loli’s white silk-covered feet on the screen and asks, "Hanabi, did you draw this with your own feet in mind?"
Hanamaru Hanabi subconsciously looks at her bare feet perched on the chair, her face blushing uncontrollably.
"I always thought it looks like when you wear white silk," Uesugi Sakura says while shifting his gaze from the screen to her, "Hanabi, do you want to try this?"
"No, no," Hanamaru Hanabi refuses in a weak voice, "Such a strange pose."
"Isn’t it strange to find your own drawn pose odd?"
Uesugi Sakura brings out the dessert he had hidden behind him in front of Hanamaru Hanabi:
"I’ll give Hanabi cake, and Hanabi wears a pretty dress for me to see."
Hanamaru Hanabi sees the same milk-strawberry cake from that day and is momentarily stunned.
Uesugi Sakura smiles at her silly, dazed little face:
"Do you want me to feed you again?"
Upon hearing "feed," Hanamaru Hanabi immediately tucks her head into her knees: "No, you can’t feed Hanabi."
"It’s been days since we kissed," Uesugi Sakura places the dessert bag on the computer desk.
"The more you kiss Hanabi, the more mischievous you become..." Hanamaru Hanabi, still burying her head, says in an ultra-small voice.
"Hanabi is too cute."
"Hanabi is not cute..."
"When a cute girl says she’s not cute, she becomes even cuter."
"Will you please look up," Uesugi Sakura says.
Hanamaru Hanabi always listens to what he says.
Peeking with her eyes, seeing that he’s far away, she cautiously turns her head and lifts her face.
Timid as a newborn animal.
Seeing her raise her shy, rosy nose, someone quickly steals a light peck on her lips.
The cold rain falling from the sky still shrouds everything in a misty gray.
However, the shy-faced Hanamaru Hanabi before him is vividly captivating.
"Hanabi, do you know what it feels like to be in love?"
Hanamaru Hanabi looks at him: "I do..."
"I like you, and this liking will last forever, so don’t worry at any time."
Hanamaru Hanabi blinks her shimmering purple eyes, still colorful amidst the gray rainy day.
The cold rain’s scent makes it feel like only she exists in the world.
"I know Hanabi always worries about not doing enough, but I also know she’s been trying hard.
"Her gentleness and thoughtfulness are already more than enough, cooking bento every day, making dinner every day, washing his clothes, listening to his words.
"Without complaints, without dissatisfaction, only little by little silent contributions—ordinary yet filled with the most precious love."
Uesugi Sakura shows a beautiful smile to her upturned little face.
"Sometimes I really don’t know how to answer her; there’s no girl better than her."
"Perhaps some people don’t like her personality, but I do, and I will always like her gentle ways."
"A person’s love is limited, but with Hanabi, it’s more than enough."
"Hanabi, you won’t fall for any other boys, right?" Uesugi Sakura asks.
"So, never worry that I’ll like someone else. Be confident for the self who has accompanied him for twelve years."
Uesugi Sakura takes her little hand.
"After all, this girl has occupied an entire forest in his heart since twelve years ago."
The small hand extended by Hanamaru Hanabi lifts her head, her eyes tenderly meeting his gaze.
"You two upstairs! Time to eat!" Hanamaru’s mother calls from downstairs, her timing inconvenient.
Adding a mumble they can’t hear: "Really, every time Sakura goes up to call Hanabi-chan, they both get stuck up there."
"Let’s eat first, we’ll have dessert later."
After these words, Uesugi Sakura can feel Hanamaru Hanabi’s mood and spirit lifting quite a bit.
He understands it’s not that his words were outstanding, but that little Hanabi cares too much about him.
Even the simplest words of concern have a multiplied effect on her.
Hanamaru Hanabi has always been a girl with small wishes.
Simple love is enough for her.
---------------------
Logically speaking, summer vacation should have started by this time, but due to this year’s special sports meet, it’s been delayed for a few more days.
Most importantly, the extra days were not made up after the start of school, leaving several days of vacation lost, utterly inexplicable.
Blame it on the rain overhead.
Under the transparent umbrella, on the sparsely populated long street, Uesugi Sakura accompanies Hanamaru Hanabi returning from buying medicine.
She hugs her own arms, fingers interlaced tightly.
The chilly drizzle makes the girl tie on a scarf, her soft short hair already grown a section in front, pinned on both sides with two chili-shaped hair clips.
"I know growing two sections is for twin tails? What kind of hairstyle is this?"
Under her pretty blue dress, Hanamaru Hanabi wears fine white silk.
denier, just enough to show a faint flesh color when squatting at the knees.
"Actually, Hanabi doesn’t know either..." Hanamaru Hanabi softly twirls the lock of hair at her chest.
"Do girls not know what their hairstyle is called?"
"Hanabi just thinks it looks nice, so she grew it that way without knowing the name."
Along with her blue dress and light blue shoulder bag, little Hanabi looks even more harmonious.
"Thank you, Sakura-kun..." Hanamaru Hanabi sweetly replies.
The narrow street, yet it has green bushes and vending machines on each side.
The rain falls on the umbrella, crisp and bright to the ear.
"What do you say we take a bath together again today?"
"Why does Sakura-kun always want to bathe with Hanabi lately..."
"Isn’t bathing with a cute girl a man’s dream?"
"Then Sakura-kun’s dream has been realized... so no more bathing with Hanabi..."
Hanamaru Hanabi looks at him several times, then says quietly: "After... after getting married..."
"That’s too long, two more years until I’m eighteen."
"Then Sakura-kun, set a time..."
"In... in the morning, we can’t bathe together..."
"A morning bath is a delight," Uesugi Sakura holds the umbrella in his left hand, embracing her soft, petite body with his right, "isn’t it better to bathe with Hanabi?"
"Feels like Sakura-kun is just making excuses..."
"Yes," Uesugi Sakura nods at her lowered head, whose face he can’t see clearly, "actually, I want to touch your feet."
Feet... feet... feet...
Hanamaru Hanabi shyly mutters, hesitatingly says:
"Sakura-kun... are you still dwelling on that peculiar painting?"
"That painting is quite normal."
Hanamaru Hanabi recalls his increasingly strange actions lately.
"Sakura-kun, first liked to pinch Hanabi’s face, then liked to touch Hanabi’s waist, now likes to touch Hanabi’s feet..."
"Isn’t this good? It means I like everything about Hanabi."
"So, so strange!" Hanamaru Hanabi tries to raise her shy voice slightly.
"Once you get used to it, it won’t be strange anymore? Many things are learned through adaptation."
"But no matter how you think about it, this is weird... touching Hanabi’s feet and all..."
"Didn’t you also cover your nose with my blanket..."
"No, can’t say that!"
"Very unfair, obviously Hanabi did it, yet I can’t mention it."
"Then, then Sakura-kun..."
"Unfair situations naturally require a small price to balance things," Uesugi Sakura says.
"Sakura-kun... what do you mean?"
"Help you wash your feet."
"Sakura-kun is so weird," Hanamaru Hanabi says.
"But Hanabi likes him," Uesugi Sakura says.
"That’s a sign of liking her."
"So, does Hanabi agree?"
Hanamaru Hanabi doesn’t reply but instead clutches her small dress tightly under the rain-soaked umbrella for two, looking at him.
Their eyes meet, Uesugi Sakura smiles at her: