Chapter 540: Chapter 360 Sumida River Hanabi Festival
Uesugi Sakura sat in the living room eating breakfast.
Hanamaru Hanabi usually made very light breakfasts with various styles, Japanese, Western, and Chinese.
However, Uesugi Sakura preferred the vegetable salad she made.
"You’re going to Shayu Shrine for practice today, right?" Uesugi Sakura asked Hanamaru Hanabi.
Sitting beside him, Hanamaru Hanabi nodded and said in a melodious voice, "Tonight, you’ll be able to see me on the stage by the Sumida River."
"You get paid for being a witch, right?"
"Well... it’s not much, 1000 yen per hour."
"...Actually, that’s not too little, unlike you, who earns hundreds of thousands for a painting."
When Uesugi Sakura said that, he suddenly remembered she’s quite wealthy.
Although Hanabi is quite wealthy, he isn’t doing too bad himself, with over 90 million yen in savings.
The only downside is not having a stable income.
It seems like he’s being taken care of by Hanabi.
Thinking this, Uesugi Sakura found the vegetable salad he was eating inexplicably refreshing.
Aei and Chiaei were eating and chatting across from them, talking about yesterday’s outing. It seemed that a male classmate of Aei wanted to visit her home, but somehow, he was talked into going to his own home instead.
"What did you play at that male classmate’s house yesterday?"
"Game console."
"Did you play together?"
"Yes."
Uesugi Sakura thought for two seconds and asked Aei, "Does that classmate like you?"
"Yeah." Aei said while eating breakfast, "He didn’t dare to say at school, but during the holidays, he kept wanting to invite me out."
"If he confesses to you, you won’t agree, right?" Uesugi Sakura sincerely thought it was amazing that even elementary school students could do such things now.
"Of course not!" Aei replied, then shot back at Uesugi Sakura, "Brother, have you decided on a gift for Sister Hanabi?"
"Certainly."
Hanamaru Hanabi glanced at Uesugi Sakura beside her, with eyes that showed... happiness, joy, curiosity — all those, but not quite, a kind of subtle anticipation hidden in the heart.
Uesugi Sakura kept eating the vegetable salad, pondering whether to give a necklace or a spicy cake.
After breakfast, with the fireworks festival later tonight, Hanabi left for the shrine early.
After she left, Uesugi Sakura looked at the two little ones in the living room.
"Chiaei, what do you think Sister Hanabi would like as a gift?"
"Didn’t Brother already decide?"
Aei suddenly chimed in loudly, "Ah! I knew Brother hadn’t decided!"
Uesugi Sakura: "I thought the earlier idea was inappropriate, so now I’m consulting you for suggestions."
"Liar, you just haven’t decided! If Brother is like this, Sister Hanabi will be sad."
"It’s true. I thought of giving a necklace, but then I felt it was unoriginal,"
Aei swung her legs on the sofa, pouting a little. From her expression, it seemed she believed.
Uesugi Sakura continued, "What do you think of the necklace idea?"
Chiaei: "It’s a good idea."
Aei: "Not good."
Chiaei looked at her sister: "It’s good, Sister Hanabi will be happy."
Aei said, "Of course Sister Hanabi will be happy because it’s from Brother."
"Then why isn’t it good?"
"Because Brother isn’t satisfied."
Giving a necklace is feasible, but lacks originality.
Uesugi Sakura still remembers being just as conflicted the first time he gave a gift.
"Do you know how to do handicrafts?"
"Yes, of course."
Back in elementary school, Uesugi Sakura also learned handicrafts, but he had forgotten most of it.
Aei and Chiaei should still remember.
"How about you teach me, and together we can make the gift today."
Chiaei asked, "What does Brother want to make?"
"Um... it’s a secret for now."
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Inside the employee room of the Shayu Shrine’s office.
"Hanabi, what’s inside here?"
"It’s a gift."
The girl dressed in a witch dress hugged the box and laughed, "Is it for your fiancé?"
Hanamaru Hanabi nodded a bit embarrassed: "Yes."
"No wonder you left so early yesterday afternoon." Erina hugged the small box, looking at her, "What’s inside?"
"I can’t say yet."
The girl named Erina laughed and placed the box back into her cabinet, saying with a smile, "Ah, I get it, it’s a secret for now, right?"
Another girl peeked in from the side, smiling and saying, "It’s that handsome guy from last time, right? Hanabi’s fiancé is so handsome."
"She already has a fiancé."
"Yeah, yeah, and so romantic! He often visits Hanabi."
"He brings cake every time, right? Does Hanabi like cake?"
Hanamaru Hanabi nodded absentmindedly.
The witches chuckled quietly.
Shrine path, bluestone, streetlights, shrine.
The witches danced inside the Kagura Hall along with the bells.
The time moved to the afternoon. The sun had not completely set yet.
Uesugi Sakura, with Aei and Chiaei, arrived near the Sumida River. Due to the fireworks festival, it had already become lively here, with passersby in yukatas, food stalls along the street, and vendors.
A local man’s candy apples looked good, so Uesugi Sakura bought three and gave two to the little ones.
"Thank you."
"Ugh, I can’t bite it."
"Candy apples are meant to be licked." Uesugi Sakura said, eating a candy the size of half his face.
The red, shiny, and gleaming candy apple, biting into it was sour and sweet, rumored to be the taste of love.
Actually, it’s just like candied haws, with a layer of red sugar coating over the fruit.
Just one, and it costs 1500 yen!
A regular apple, even cheaper, doesn’t cost 100 yen.
Previously, Uesugi Sakura would have been more stingy and quietly praised the shopkeeper for knowing how to do business!
Now, well, it doesn’t matter.
Sumida River is a typical large river in Tokyo City, with sakura trees lining both banks, and behind them, the city and buildings. Asakusa Temple is near the Sumida River, and from the riverside, you can clearly see the iconic Skytree Tower.