Chapter 520: Chapter 352: Girls Just Have Wild Thoughts_2
"Oh right, just now Hanabi called out for brother’s name."
Aei quickly got out of bed upon hearing that someone would help her comb her hair.
Uesugi Sakura took her to the washroom, first to prepare hot water, then wrung out a hot towel and applied it to her face.
While helping her wash her face, she would make noises like "mmm mmm," somewhat incoherent sounds.
This is probably the cute charm of little girls.
"Where’s your sister?" Uesugi Sakura placed the towel back in the basin, picked up a comb, and began to tidy her messy hair.
"Sister finished washing her face and is preparing breakfast now."
Looking at herself in the mirror, Aei asked, "Can brother braid hair?"
"Braids? No, I learned how to comb hair from your sister Hanabi, since I never comb my own hair."
Uesugi Sakura continued, "You’ve never had braids before, your hair has always been straight."
Aei had a good hair texture, and being a child, it only took a few strokes to smooth it out.
Uesugi Sakura placed the comb back in its place and took a hat from a nearby hanger, putting it on her.
That’s how the standard little Aei was all set.
"Some braids look very nice; Aei wants to try them, but sister can’t do them."
"Don’t be too hard on Chiaei, she’s still learning everything, ask Hanabi to help a bit."
"Aei already asked! Even Hanabi can’t do it."
Can’t braid hair?
Uesugi Sakura felt something was off.
But upon a closer thought,
Aside from having kept it a bit longer as a kid, Hanamaru Hanabi generally had short hair, only occasionally leaving some strands adorned with hair accessories in front.
Uesugi Sakura had never seen her braid her hair, and even Mrs. Hanamaru seldom did it.
Perhaps... she really can’t.
With three girls in the house now, Uesugi Sakura thought perhaps he should try learning.
After helping Aei finish washing up, he let her watch TV in the living room.
Chiaei was almost done with breakfast, yet Hanamaru Hanabi still hadn’t gotten up.
Uesugi Sakura had no choice but to head back to the bedroom.
On the large bed, under the morning sun, were white legs and little feet.
Uesugi Sakura sighed, went over and grabbed a milk-white little foot, then tickled its arch.
The toes first blushing shyly in cherry-red, all five cute, plump toes curled inward, their defenselessness growing ever more intense, and finally, the whole leg pulling back further, as if trying to escape the tickles.
Uesugi Sakura kept tickling, watching her reaction.
She twisted her body on the big bed, her face adorably exquisite, her lips stammering out weak-sounding lines, intermittently, seemingly making no sense:
"Sakura-kun... there, you shouldn’t... there..."
?
What is she talking about?
This is just tickling you.
Uesugi Sakura put down her little foot and moved to the other side of the bed.
With one hand pinching her nose, the other hand braced against the bed, his face leaned close to her lips.
"Still sleeping so soundly."
Gradually, Hanamaru Hanabi began to feel her breathing become difficult and resorted to breathing through her mouth.
Yet even so, she felt uncomfortable, and turning her head didn’t alleviate the suffocating sensation; suddenly she opened her eyes, instinctively wanting to get up.
But as she sat up, her view was blocked by him, and suddenly even her mouth was sealed by him.
Hanamaru Hanabi’s amethyst eyes moved in alarm, and upon seeing who it was, she quickly used both hands to push him away.
"Sakura-kun... Sakura-kun being naughty first thing in the morning..."
"You’re the one who kissed me."
"But isn’t it—" Hanamaru Hanabi hesitated to complete her sentence.
"Anyway, it’s Sakura-kun being naughty..."
"Okay~ I’m at fault; I came to wake you up for breakfast, Chiaei has prepared it."
"Just naughty!"
Uesugi Sakura chuckled: "But Hanabi likes it... Why are you looking a bit unwell...? Didn’t sleep well last night?"
As soon as he said that, a shark with its gaping maw flew towards him.
He caught it with one hand.
Then leaned slightly to look at the girl on the bed, her face buried in her hands.
"What’s up?"
"Sakura-kun... You’re a meanie..."
————————
Over the next two days, Hanamaru Hanabi really stopped talking to him.
She avoided him in everything, even going to sleep with Aei and the others at night.
Uesugi Sakura spent the nights alone, staring at the bright moonlight outside the window, feeling lonely.
What’s the matter?
Can’t quite figure it out.
Or maybe it’s just that you can never fully grasp a girl’s thoughts.
Uesugi Sakura didn’t think too much of it, only thought that she was having a small tantrum because he kept teasing her.
Once the upset blows over, things should be fine.
Today was just right for their Group C competition, so Uesugi Sakura went to the dojo in the morning.
On the way to the Martial Arts Hall with all the gear, Senior Brother Kusunoki struck up a conversation:
"Junior Brother, you’ve become quite famous!"
"Probably thanks to those reporters?" Uesugi Sakura felt like he pretty much had it figured out.
"Yeah, online talks say you’re unpredictable, giving up on being a bow champion to learn Sword Dao instead." Senior Brother Kusunoki laughed, looking very pleased.
"Ah, let them say what they want; I’ll just focus on my match."
Kusunoki Kubomaru chuckled, changing the subject:
"By the way, Junior Brother, have those people from before still been causing trouble?"
The senior was referring to the incident the other night involving the hoodlums and Yakuza.
Actually, days later, the police told him he could settle with compensation money.
Taking money isn’t unsettling.
But who was behind this?
More than the money, Uesugi Sakura was concerned with this.
But the Yakuza were clever, neither saying nor doing anything.
They steadfastly claimed it was just a personal grudge.
The police can’t coerce a confession without concrete evidence, so for now, he was left to settle for compensation.
He did take the money, 860,000 yen.
As for any leads...
Uesugi Sakura planned to seek out an officer who handled the matter after today’s match, to see if anything could be gleaned in person.
The auditorium.
Today, once again, was bustling with people.
Due to certain media reports and speculation, many spectators became interested in him.
Uesugi Sakura could clearly feel eyes on him.
This feeling of being watched wasn’t rare during his Kyudo competitions.
Their first face-off was with the Kasumi Shinto Style from the Divine Sect Dojo.
Uesugi Sakura glanced at his silver watch in the resting area.
Ten minutes till entry.
"Senior Brother, is the lineup set? When do I come on?"
Koshin Kagami smiled and said, "Junior Brother, you are the General."
"Naturally, you go last." Kusunoki Kubomaru chimed in.
If you hadn’t seen their daily bickering before, one might really think they were duet partners in sync.
"The Divine Sect Dojo seems to be over in the Nerima District." Uesugi Sakura checked his phone.
"Junior Brother, you’ve checked their information?"
"Just looked up some videos."
Koshin Kagami assured in front of the other senior brothers, "Rest assured; until the preliminary rounds end, there are no obstacles before officially joining the national competition."
This statement was uttered with great confidence.
After chatting with the senior brothers for a while,
Uesugi Sakura checked the time once again, noting the match was about to start.
Just then, a staff member entered, signaling them to enter soon.
————
Audience seats.
Journalist Miyata Kazuhiko from the sports periodical was focusing on the entrance area.
Meanwhile, his colleague and friend, Eitoku Nanahiko, was looking at the match chart.
It showed: Group C, Mushin Dojo versus Divine Sect Dojo.
"Who do you think will win?"
Miyata Kazuhiko jotted something with his pen: "There’s a place that has odds at 1:6.3. With nearly 6 times the odds, it’s already obvious who’s going to win."
Eitoku Nanahiko glanced around at the audience:
"Quite a crowd; if it’s a given, why are people here for this preliminary match?"
"Strange, Nanahiko, haven’t you been awake these past few days?"
"Uh... pretty much."
"Huh."
Miyata Kazuhiko leaned in to whisper in Eitoku Nanahiko’s ear.
...
"No way... it can’t be, right...," Eitoku Nanahiko had been covering Sword Dao events for years, and despite occasionally slacking off at work, he knew a thing or two.
After all, it’s his livelihood.
Miyata Kazuhiko nodded, leaning back in his seat:
"According to the information those people dug up, that’s the case."
"But... do you believe it?"
"I don’t."
"If you don’t believe it, why are you here?"
Miyata Kazuhiko smiled, looking out at the packed audience: "I don’t believe it, which is why I’m here to see for myself."