Thinking from another perspective, maybe all the kindness Hanamaru Hanabi shows me is her way of winning my heart?
Uesugi Sakura can clearly sense that he can’t be without her anymore, and he is willing to be tightly bound by her.
Even if she kicked him playfully, he’d probably find it delightful.
They walked around the campus together, and suddenly she wanted to go sit on the swings.
Uesugi Sakura pushed her gently from behind, watching her sway back and forth.
The slowly fluttering skirt, the little-girl-like back, being able to see her from behind was happiness in itself.
This year she’s 17, and this is one of those splendid moments of her life.
If possible, Uesugi Sakura would prefer time to stay permanently in this moment, never growing up, this happiness just from seeing her is rare and precious.
Afterwards, returning to the classroom, as he reached the door, a big shark with ’x’ eyes staggered towards him.
"Here, take it and go on a date with Sister Hanabi." Aei’s voice came from behind the shark’s belly, her whole figure dwarfed by it.
Uesugi Sakura didn’t see the person, only a small shoe sticking out from behind the shark’s tail.
Seeing her stumbling towards him was rather cute.
Aei suddenly popped her head out from behind the shark’s fin, "Hey! Big brother smiled, are you really that happy to go on a date with Sister Hanabi!"
"I was just laughing at your funny walking style just now."
"Big brother is making excuses."
Saying that, Aei shoved the big plush shark into Uesugi Sakura’s arms.
"Don’t forget to make Sister Hanabi happy and buy me something tasty, okay."
Uesugi Sakura accepted the big plush shark from her, which was earned from the effort of the two sisters throughout the afternoon. Without them, it wouldn’t have been easy to get it.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Bread toast is enough? I thought you’d want something like kaiseki."
"Strawberry cake would be nice too." Aei said as she tilted back and forth a bit on her feet, hands clasped behind her.
Hanamaru Hanabi squatted in front of her, "Aei-chan, don’t you want to eat the meals sister makes? You’re welcome to come over anytime."
Aei nodded quickly, her little hat almost sliding off.
Chiaei watched her sister silently from the back.
In the afternoon, they played with the kids in the small vegetable garden again.
After that, today was about to end.
The kids were reluctant to see Hanabi leave and surrounded her one by one.
Uesugi Sakura also received some small snacks from the little girls. Although they weren’t anything expensive, they were tokens of affection.
After catching up with Teacher Imanishi, Uesugi Sakura waited outside the classroom for Hanabi to finish saying goodbye to the little ones.
As the sun set, the sunset clouds burned over Tokyo, and another day was about to end.
Aei and Chiaei walked in front.
The two little girls were quite pretty, with light-colored eyebrows, pale red lips, fair faces with a touch of childishness, each with their own personalities under the same uniform.
Uesugi Sakura: "Finished saying goodbye to Sister Hanabi?"
"Will big brother come back to school again?" Chiaei’s voice was small, seeming to carry a pleading emotion.
"I’m afraid it’ll have to be next time, Shirooka invited us here, and opportunities aren’t frequent. Today mostly spent playing with you all."
"If you come back next time, you’ll see the cabbages we grew tall and big!" Aei raised her little face, looking at him with her hands behind her back.
"Cabbages mature roughly every two months, and within two months, there may not be another opportunity."
"Huh, why, can’t you come to see us?"
"I have no reason..." Uesugi Sakura paused and stopped.
Because Aei’s eyes were watching him, and Chiaei was also silently watching from behind her sister.
In just a few short seconds, both the sisters’ eyes seemed to carry hope.
In just a short day of interaction, they could develop feelings of longing and even dependence.
"Alright, I’ll come to the school to see you guys when I have time."
A smile emerged on Chiaei’s young face: "Thank you, big brother."
"It’s nothing, didn’t Sister Hanabi also say, you can come visit our home, we’re usually there in the afternoons."
Aei joyfully shouted, "Bread toast, strawberry cake!"
Uesugi Sakura smiled and said, "Alright, I’ll make them for you."
"What does Chiaei-chan want to eat?"
"Me... me?" Chiaei seemed surprised that he would ask her, lowering her head shyly, squeaking in a small voice, "If possible... I want to eat... egg omelette..."
"Thank you, big brother..."
Afterwards, the two kids said many more things with Hanamaru Hanabi who emerged, and after mutual goodbyes, the two boarded the train home.
The train swayed, mostly filled with students returning home.
Their youthful energy seemed to leap up in the fluttering skirts.
Uesugi Sakura quickly shifted his gaze from the female high school student to the more beautiful face beside him, Hanamaru Hanabi, "I was just thinking about how Hanabi looks in her high school uniform."
"Sakura-kun... do you want to see it?"
"Are you willing to wear a sailor uniform!?"
"Hanabi just thinks Sakura-kun has some strange hobbies, why do you want me to wear high school clothes..."
Uesugi Sakura wrapped his arms around her slender waist, even through the clothes, he could feel the softness of her skin:
"It’s just cute to see, besides at your age, you should technically be a high school student, we just started school a year earlier."
Hanamaru Hanabi leaned her head on his shoulder, hugging the big plush shark in her arms, whispered in his ear, "Sakura-kun just loves to touch randomly..."
"It’s easy to understand, for example, you lean against me and feel good, and like how you secretly wear my clothes, these are all ways of liking you."
Uesugi Sakura glanced around the compartment, seeing no one watching them, he secretly nibbled her ear, and whispered:
"Today... let me help you, okay?"
Hanamaru Hanabi blushed, her voice soft, "Sakura-kun... is only enthusiastic about this kind of thing..."
"Doesn’t Hanabi become very cute too?"
"Liar, where is it cute..."
"Hmm~ Let me think, it’s when you hold on to me, pressing your little face against me. And when I see the nail marks on my arm, I wonder if Hanabi was that comfortable? Without even realizing you hurt me."
Uesugi Sakura recalled something and added with a smile.
"Oh right, during those times, Hanabi would be particularly tense, back leaning against me, thighs drawn inward, tiny feet curling tightly, and her peachy voice turning intermittent, faint yet apparent~"
"Sakura-kun!" Hanamaru Hanabi grew more and more embarrassed as he spoke, her little hand clutching her skirt more and more tightly.
"Alright, I won’t say anymore."
After a brief silence, he continued:
"I quite like Hanabi’s appearance at that time."
Hanamaru Hanabi got angry, muttering softly, "Today... Sakura-kun gets nothing..."
"C’mon, what we’re doing is helping each other, preparing early for the arrival of future children."
"Of course! Why would I lie to you?"