Early the next morning, the two of them were getting ready to go out.
Since today’s outing counted as work, they had to dress a bit more stylishly.
"Which outfit do you think is better to wear today, Sakura?"
"Hmm, the one with the academy-style beret looks pretty good."
Hanamaru Hanabi knew he meant the suspender skirt with glasses set.
Uesugi Sakura, lying on the bed flipping through his phone, replied to the messages the professor sent him last night, "Why wouldn’t it be okay? With glasses, it’s so cute, silly and goofy."
Hanabi muttered softly, then began picking through the pile of clothes in the wardrobe.
"By the way, we have a break at the end of the month."
Hanabi continued to sift through her dresses, ignoring him.
Uesugi glanced at her back from the corner of his eye, put down his phone, got up from the bed, and walked over to her side, leaning in to whisper:
Hanabi, holding a little dress, looked up at him and said, "Yes, I’m mad."
"Then give me a chance to make it up to you."
"Sakura... how do you plan to make it up?"
Seeing him getting closer, Hanabi quickly pushed him away, "No kissing."
"Didn’t Hanabi say I could make it up to you?"
"Making it up doesn’t mean kissing."
"Then a kiss on the lips will do."
So naughty, really naughty, saying it’s making up, but no matter what, he’s not losing out.
Hanabi blinked at him, saying nothing.
Uesugi noticed the atmosphere was off and quickly said, "Don’t be mad, how about I change it up, tonight... when we get home, I’ll wash your feet?"
Uesugi felt a bit guilty under her gaze.
"How about a shoulder rub?"
"Sakura, you said you weren’t naughty yesterday," Hanabi held her small dress, "but you’re totally scheming, so bad."
"If I were to die, you wouldn’t be sad, right?"
"Of course, I would be."
"That’s good, if Hanabi is ever not around, I’d go with you."
"Sakura... why say such things..." Hanabi’s voice noticeably softened.
"So you understand how much I care about you."
Though he said it casually, it struck a chord in Hanabi’s heart. She remembered the promises they made from childhood and the upcoming wedding, her voice softened even more:
"Hanabi understands..."
Uesugi smiled, "So have you forgiven me?"
"Not really..." a voice lacking confidence.
"If not, how about letting me help you with something else?"
"Aren’t we just heading out? Let me help you put on some socks."
Though it was no different from helping with bathing or washing feet, Hanabi looked around, at last glancing at his smiling face, recalling his expression of care just now.
Hanabi couldn’t help but soften, "Let Hanabi change clothes first... then Sakura can come in..."
"Okay, hurry up then," Uesugi gave her a gentle smile and walked out of the bedroom.
He leaned against the doorframe, the smile slowly fading from his face.
He wasn’t fond of smiling, but for her, he couldn’t help it.
Loneliness isn’t a good thing, it causes desolation, and leads humanity to decay.
Uesugi knew he was a lonely person, yet with her presence, he found the light sought from loneliness.
The door was knocked twice.
"Sakura... you can come in now..."
The soft voice, as always, was pleasant to hear. Uesugi smiled again and turned to open the door.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her round beret, short hair falling to her shoulders, donning a white shirt and suspender skirt, with two fair slender legs dangling off the edge.
Hanabi heard the door open and looked up at him.
Her silhouette was backlit by the light, the hair near her ears glowing translucently, her small feet dangling in the air, pure and beautiful.
Uesugi came over, squatted down before her, and took her soft white little feet in his hands.
"But, doesn’t Sakura find it strange?"
He should probably say they were dainty, holding them felt warm.
"D-don’t pinch..." Hanabi instinctively reached out to stop him.
"Hanabi, don’t you think your feet are cute?"
"What’s cute about feet..."
"There’s an idiom, ’round as pearls, smooth as jade’, describing things as round like pearls, smooth like jade. Someone once wrote: ’When I see the white and soft fragrant rice, I think of her feet. If by chance, the bowl contained those tender feet, she would surely let out a mixture of true and false cries.’"
He said it seriously, leaving Hanabi embarrassed, her feet instinctively withdrawing to escape his grasp, "So weird..."
Uesugi emphasized, "This is serious literature."
While speaking, he gently helped her put on the white socks, her shy pulling back was so exceptionally endearing.
Putting down her delicate feet, Uesugi looked up at her, "All done."
Sitting on the bed in her short skirt, Hanabi, half-mumbling to Uesugi crouched in front of her, "Every time Sakura helps with socks... he always says a bunch of weird stuff."
"It’s not weird, it’s a hobby. Can’t you tell I like your feet, Hanabi?"
"Pervert..." she mumbled exceedingly quietly, still staring at her sock-clad feet, twitching her toes.
Of course, Uesugi heard it, "Yes, yes, I am a pervert, but I’ve rarely helped you with putting on socks, most times, you refuse."