"Do you want me to help you change your clothes?"
Hanamaru Hanabi slowly came to her senses from sleep, gently brushing aside a few disheveled strands of hair, and said in a soft voice:
"Why is Sakura always thinking about things ..."
"Doesn’t Hanabi think she’s very cute?" Uesugi Sakura reached out to pinch her just-woken-up face.
"Not cute..." Hanamaru Hanabi felt a bit uncomfortable as he pinched her cheeks.
"But I feel like I want to pounce on you right now."
Hanamaru Hanabi sat on the bed, the white duvet covering her legs, "A kiss, just a kiss is fine..."
Uesugi Sakura moved closer to her, "Shall I kiss you first then?"
"Sakura... you’ve been naughty lately..."
Uesugi Sakura wrapped his arms around her waist, laid his face close to her snowy neck, and kissed her lightly, "It’s because I like you so much."
He touched her graceful waistline with both hands, making Hanamaru Hanabi tense up nervously.
"Do you need my help today?"
Hearing his slow voice, Hanamaru Hanabi was so startled that she pushed him away abruptly, clutched the duvet tightly with both hands, and said with a blushing face, "Sakura... you’re awful..."
"But like that..." Uesugi Sakura said with a smile, moving half an inch closer to her, "wouldn’t Hanabi feel nice, right?"
Hanamaru Hanabi couldn’t bring herself to respond, her cheeks just getting redder and showing her cuteness.
Uesugi Sakura knew it was time to take the initiative, placed his hand on her shoulder, and laid her gently onto the pillow.
"Come on, relax a bit."
Hanamaru Hanabi was a little scared and very shy, "Sakura... no, it’s not..."
"It’s okay, little Hanabi just needs to close her eyes tight and clutch the blanket."
"I found out that little Hanabi just loves to say one thing and mean another."
"No, no, it’s all Sakura’s fault." With her face buried in her plush Sharky, Hanamaru Hanabi’s voice was muffled, having done nothing herself but still being accused by a certain bad guy of being contradictory.
Ugh... so annoying...
Her ears remained a shade of red, faintly showing a pink hue.
Uesugi Sakura chuckled inside.
Clearly, she was being contradictory, but was too shy to admit it.
"Alright, alright, this afternoon we’re going to practice a piece at the Kyujuu family’s place, what do you want for lunch?"
Hanamaru Hanabi sat up, hugging Sharky, her fair cheeks had a tender blush.
"Are we leaving this afternoon?"
"It’s almost Saturday, though the performance is just for students, we still should put in some effort, shouldn’t we?"
Hanamaru Hanabi lowered her head, caressing Sharky’s head, "Hanabi knows, but Hanabi is worried about singing poorly..."
Among the tentative positions for the five people, she was the lead singer.
Uesugi Sakura comforted her by saying, "That’s why we need to practice, isn’t it? It’s also my first time performing guitar in front of people, I used to only play for you."
Hanamaru Hanabi shook her head, "It’s different, Sakura is very skilled at guitar, but Hanabi hasn’t practiced singing much."
Uesugi Sakura felt he needed to encourage her a little, "You sang beautifully when you sang for me before, light and confident."
Hanamaru Hanabi kept her head down, continuing to caress Sharky’s silly head, speaking softly, "That was... only sung for Sakura to hear..."
Uesugi Sakura fell silent for a moment, then reached out to pat her head:
In the afternoon, the weather forecast said it would rain.
At least when Uesugi Sakura carried Hanabi out the door, he looked up to see the sky was filled with heavy, oppressive clouds.
A jet-black Toyota car was parked outside, the driver uncle, wearing white gloves, personally got out to open the car door.
Kyujuu Rika stood in front of the car, smiling and greeted the two as they came out.
She was dressed today in a shimmering purple skirt, blue top, and white casual shoes, exuding an air of tranquility in her every move.
"Hey, Hanabi, why is your face so red, did you catch a cold?"
"Just took a shower..." Hanamaru Hanabi seemed to be avoiding the topic, speaking in a very low voice.
"I see." Kyujuu Rika looked at their faces, feeling something was strangely off, but didn’t question further.
Uesugi Sakura set down the Hanamaru Hanabi he was carrying, placed her in the car, and took the opportunity to pinch her cheek, whispering:
"Thanks a while ago."
Hanamaru Hanabi sat in the car, somewhat shy, also responding in a very low voice, "Sakura, don’t say those things outside..."
Uesugi Sakura said with a smile and left the car.
Kyujuu Rika asked him, "Uesugi, aren’t you getting in the car?"
He pointed to the single house with the door unlocked, "Going back to get the guitar."
Kyujuu Rika nodded, glancing at his figure as he walked into the house, she felt that Uesugi Sakura had changed a lot since confirming his relationship with Hanamaru Hanabi.
He used to be a cold, silent guy, not interested in participating in anything, only liking to avoid efforts.
Now, at least he was willing to join in on the performance.
When Uesugi Sakura came back with the guitar, he and Hanabi sat together in the back seat.
The engine roared to life, the vehicle moved off, and the streets and pedestrians outside the windows flashed by, gradually moving away.
Hanamaru Hanabi didn’t really like riding in cars because she often got dizzy.
This problem arose this year; when she went to the hospital for a check-up they said it was mainly related to her inner ear’s vestibular receptors being sensitive.
The doctor said it was because the vestibular system in the inner ear is the sensory organ for balance; when subjected to motion, dizziness occurs.
Even after taking medicine, Hanabi hadn’t improved much.
Traveling by train or bus wasn’t too bad, but sitting in a small car meant not looking at her phone, otherwise she would definitely feel dizzy.
Luckily, it wasn’t severe; closing her eyes to rest or gazing out the window could alleviate the dizziness.
Hanamaru Hanabi stared out the window as a gentle breeze tousled the strands of hair by her ear.