Chapter 547: Chapter 363: The Lawyer’s Call_2
Hanamaru Hanabi didn’t ask much.
"Hanabi needs to keep working, Sakura-kun mustn’t disturb."
"But I haven’t hugged you enough, let me hug a little longer."
"At night, when we’re sleeping, Sakura-kun can hug as much as you want..." Hanamaru Hanabi said a bit shyly, in a small voice.
"It’s still! Still not enough! I think we should be hugging together all day."
As Uesugi Sakura said this, his phone suddenly rang again. When he looked, it was the same number.
Who was so tactless?
"Is it the call from before?" Hanamaru Hanabi asked.
"Yes," Uesugi Sakura stared at the unknown call on the phone screen, "I’ll go outside to take the call, Hanabi, you can get busy, I’ll come find you for a hug later."
"Sakura-kun has clung to Hanabi all morning, you can only hug at night!"
Uesugi Sakura rejected her reply with a smile.
Then he walked to the balcony outside the bedroom, looking at the green trees swaying in the wind, and the endless utility poles.
The call was connected.
There was a rather bright male voice inside.
"Mr. Uesugi, can we go out and talk?"
"Who are you?" Uesugi Sakura asked the person on the other end of the call.
"Someone was causing trouble for you those few days in early August."
Uesugi Sakura recalled it was the group of Yakuza who couldn’t even outrun him.
"Are you in cahoots with them? Yakuza?"
"You could say that, but not entirely, I’m not Yakuza, but I am the lawyer they’ve hired."
"Lawyer?"
Uesugi Sakura propped his elbow on the balcony railing, gazing at an elderly couple helping each other as they walked down the street, recalling the Yakuza’s request for him to withdraw a lawsuit.
Last time, it was withdrawing a lawsuit, now it’s a lawyer.
Could it be he’s entangled in some legal case?
"Excuse me, Lawyer, why are you looking for me? Is it about what they said? Some absurd lawsuit withdrawal? I don’t recall suing anyone, nor do I recall any lawsuit against me."
"Mr. Uesugi, since I found you, I can be certain you have some relation to this matter," the person on the other end seemed to laugh and said, "It appears you’ve illegally imprisoned two underage elementary school students, right? Against the wishes of their parents, forcibly abducting them to your home for detainment, their mother has been searching for them for nearly two months now, so worried she couldn’t eat or sleep, living in extreme distress."
"Trying to scare me?"
Uesugi Sakura’s expression remained calm.
Upon mention of two underage elementary students, he already understood the rough cause of this incident.
These days, his father-in-law has been helping to transfer the custody of Aei and Chiaei.
The progress seemed to encounter some resistance, as it hasn’t been wrapped up.
As for the claim of illegal imprisonment, it was entirely a scare tactic intended to intimidate Uesugi Sakura.
Because that story was full of holes.
After all, Aei and Chiaei are still attending their former school, if their mother has been searching for two months, wouldn’t she investigate at the school?
Just a bit of questioning their teachers would reveal where they’re living now.
"What do you want to do?" Uesugi Sakura asked bluntly.
The voice on the other end seemed to bounce the question back like a ball.
"What does Mr. Uesugi think we want to do? As long as you withdraw the lawsuit, we’ll also drop the charges against you."
Withdraw the lawsuit?
Uesugi Sakura roughly understood that their motive was to prevent him from obtaining the custody of Aei and Chiaei.
But why, why do they want this custody?
What benefit does it serve them to do so?
This negligent mother never cared for the lives of these little girls, so why at the end does she still want their custody?
"Mr. Uesugi, this matter is better discussed in person, there are many things that are inconvenient to talk about over the phone, do you have time to meet up for a chat?"
Uesugi Sakura contemplated for a moment, watching the loving old couple disappear around the street corner.
"Today it is, you name a place."
"2 PM, Tonchu Public Tavern in Shinjuku District."
Tonchu Public Tavern?
Uesugi Sakura switched to the background, confirming that the place is an izakaya on his phone, then said over the phone:
"Okay."
And then hung up the call.
Life is always full of troubles.
Just like the old lady from the couples earlier with bad legs, not fatal, but always a nuisance.
Uesugi Sakura returned to the bedroom.
Hanamaru Hanabi was drawing Amami Nana Akatsuki’s feet——in her role as a Fox Demon witch leaning against a white tiger, her left hand on the tiger’s forehead, caressing, her expression serene and confident, her long-sleeved red attire sacred and elegant.
The background was a lush forest, with brilliant sunshine.
The Fox Demon witch had snow-white legs exposed, delicate toes quietly placed upon the grass in the forest.
The combination of lines and colors was unforgettable.
This was probably an illustration of a scene.
Hanamaru Hanabi had been busy with this these days.
Little Harabi’s drawings of feet were as beautiful as ever.
She often says Uesugi Sakura is odd for liking her feet, but truly, in her heart, she understands what Uesugi Sakura likes.
Otherwise, why else would the female characters’ feet be drawn so exceptionally?
Watching her focused expression, Uesugi Sakura went up and kissed her little cheek:
"Hana-chan, I’m heading out for a bit."
"Go ahead."
Hanamaru Hanabi answered subconsciously, only realizing after her reply what he had said:
"Sakura-kun, what are you going out to do?"
"To secretly meet another girl."
Hanamaru Hanabi was stunned for a long time, then looked at him, trying to make her tone stern: "No way!"
"Not allowed what?"
"Sakura-kun... you’re not allowed to meet other girls... Sakura-kun... only Hanabi...only Hanabi is allowed..."
"So Hanabi means I can only date Hanabi-chan, the only girl?"
Hanamaru Hanabi nodded her little head, her amethyst eyes staring directly at him, her gaze firm.
Uesugi Sakura smiled.
He deliberately said so, also intentionally wanting to hear Hanabi’s response.
He just wanted to see Hanabi’s concerned look for him.
When he mentioned going out to meet other girls, little Hanabi’s eyes were all saying no, her helpless look was utterly enchanting.
And looking at her finely-crafted little face... how could she be so cute?
Uesugi Sakura wanted to move in for another kiss, but she dodged it.
"Don’t worry, I won’t be meeting other girls." Uesugi Sakura reassured her again.
"Sakura-kun might not, but other girls also seek out Sakura-kun..."
"Why say that?"
"Last time... when Hanabi was working at the Shrine, everyone was talking about how handsome Sakura-kun is... Sakura-kun with his handsome looks, always liked by girls, wasn’t it the same back in school... Sakura-kun always received confessions."
"Superficial, that’s just outward appearance, there’s no one like Hanabi who genuinely loves me from inside to out." Uesugi Sakura pulled her into his arms.
"Sakura-kun..."
Hanamaru Hanabi said with delight, lowered her head slightly.
——This action of lowering her head and biting her lip showed her happiness, yet she didn’t want anyone to see.
Uesugi Sakura thought he sounded greasy just then, coughed twice to alleviate his embarrassment, though little Hanabi liked it a lot.
"Alright, I should head out now."
"Sakura-kun hasn’t said what you’re going out to do yet."
Uesugi Sakura took advantage of her distractedness, leaned over, quickly sampled her taste, then smiled and said to her:
"I’ll tell you when I return, love you."
Though it sounded like a scoundrel, Hanamaru Hanabi seemed indeed fond of it.
The words "love you" made the girl flutter with tenderness, her heart racing like a deer in frenzy.
But whether she liked him saying so or liked his kiss was unknown even to Uesugi Sakura.
He remembered a verse.
.
After playing on the swing, rising lazily to adjust the delicate hands. Dew-laden, flowers thin, slight sweat soaks through light clothes.
Guest enters, slipper slid, hairpin drops. With shy grace, turning at the door, she sniffs a green plum.
.
He too was like that unexpected guest.
Upon seeing Uesugi Sakura unexpectedly entering her heart, Hanamaru Hanabi’s cheeks flushed with innocence and purity, yet reservedly holding back words typical of a young maiden.