Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard-Chapter 815 - 484: Longing, Light Novel_2

Uesugi Sakura thought to himself, then smiled and explained to his wife, "It was my fault... it was my fault."

"Since you’re at fault, shouldn’t there be a little punishment for Sakura-kun?"

"I’m willing to accept whatever it is." Uesugi Sakura stood upright.

"Then," Hanamaru Hanabi smiled cutely, her small white feet in black shoes together, "for the next three days, Sakura-kun has to listen to everything Hanabi says, okay?"

"That’s easy."

"This is a promise from Sakura-kun, and you can’t go back on it! Otherwise, you won’t see Hanabi for a whole month."

A whole month?

A month would really be unbearable; not just because I’d miss her so much, but also because the emptiness every night can’t be erased no matter how hard I try.

So, Uesugi Sakura nodded naturally, "I agree."

"Great! The contract is established!"

Hanamaru Hanabi showed a very cute girl’s smile, "Sakura-kun, remember this."

"I will, definitely."

Even though there was no pinky promise this time, Uesugi Sakura couldn’t resist his wife’s requests at all. Whatever she said, he did; wherever she wanted to go, he went.

It wasn’t because of her identity as a beautiful girl, but because Uesugi Sakura felt that, ever since they were little, he owed her a lot.

Even after getting married, she cleaned the room, wiped windows, mopped the floor, did the laundry, washed the dishes, and even helped him tidy up his clothes before he went out, advising him in a wife’s tone to dress warmly as it was getting colder.

Even the lap pillow from the night before... seeing he was in a bad mood, she used her most gentle side to comfort him.

Uesugi Sakura sat in front of the easel, looking at his wife beside him, thinking that it would soon be Christmas.

Will it snow in Tokyo this year?

...

At noon, in the art studio.

Uesugi Sakura, waiting for lunch and playing a shooting game with Kitagawa Sakisa, received a phone call.

"Hold on a sec." He said to Kitagawa Sakisa, who was having fun with the game.

"Hmph! You better hurry up."

Uesugi Sakura glanced at the caller’s name; it was Editor Morisaki from Kadokawa Bunko.

He got up and walked towards the balcony where they grew vegetables.

"Hello, Morisaki-san."

"Hello, Uesugi-sensei, good afternoon. Sorry to disturb you during lunch. Are you available?"

"No problem, go ahead, I haven’t eaten yet."

"Haha, that’s good. I was worried about interrupting your meal," Editor Morisaki exchanged some greetings before getting to the point, "Your novel is ready to be officially published. May I ask if the cover and illustrations for the first volume are finished?"

"Hold on, let me check." Uesugi Sakura turned to look at Hanamaru Hanabi in the kitchen.

"Alright, do you want me to hang up?"

"No need, the artist is right here with me, I’ll just ask her."

"Okay."

Uesugi Sakura returned to the studio and saw Kitagawa Sakisa engrossed in the game. He deliberately went around the sofa to Hanabi’s side, asking, "Hanabi-chan, have you finished the illustrations?"

"Illustrations? Ah, yes, they’re done."

"All done?" Uesugi Sakura couldn’t believe she actually finished them since he either kept bothering her lately.

"Yes, they’re in a folder on Hanabi’s computer. Sakura-kun just needs to check." Hanamaru Hanabi continued busy chopping vegetables.

"Oh, okay."

Uesugi Sakura nodded to her, found Hanamaru Hanabi’s pink laptop from her bag on the sofa, unzipped it, and took it out.

She’s a very girly girl, fond of pink and blue. As he took the computer from the bag, Uesugi Sakura could even smell a fragrance only girls have.

It’s strange; girls having a scent is one thing, but why do their computers also carry it?

In his puzzlement, Uesugi Sakura placed Hanamaru Hanabi’s computer on the desk, pressed the power button, and turned it on.

The computer screen indicated it needed a password to unlock.

Hanabi-chan’s computer password is...

Oh, right, their wedding anniversary.

Uesugi Sakura thought of Hanabi’s birthday this year, entered the password, pressed enter, and the computer unlocked.

The wallpaper that appeared in front was a sea of fiery red peppers, with a blue shark fin swimming diagonally across the middle.

Peppers and sharks, a strange combination.

Uesugi Sakura glanced at the folder on the screen and found another titled "Requests from Sakura-kun."

He tapped on the touchpad and clicked in.

Vivid, ten perfect illustrations in total!

Even though Uesugi Sakura knew Hanabi’s skills, he couldn’t help swallowing when he saw these artworks.

The first impression the paintings gave him was: eye-catching.

For example, the cover illustration, featuring Hanabi Chiwa jumping - the heroine strikingly similar to Hanamaru Hanabi.

Just the effects on the hair used bold red, yellow, and blue hues, and the outfit was highlighted with a bright white shirt and navy blue pleated skirt to emphasize the girl’s lively spirit.

The girl had a backpack on, her hair flying backward, her tummy slightly exposed beneath her blouse, with a lively smile and energetic pose on her face and jumping legs.

The background was adorned with spring cherry blossoms.

The whole artwork was vivid yet harmonious, beautiful yet intricate.

Uesugi Sakura knew that even just this painting was worth a lot of money.

Not to mention so many colorful illustrations that followed... The male protagonist’s despondency... The childhood friend’s bold, cheerful grin... The thrill upon first meeting the heroine...

Each one... a carefully crafted piece of art.

After admiring them for a while, Uesugi Sakura almost forgot he was still on the phone with Editor Morisaki.

He snapped back to reality, quickly putting the phone to his ear: "Hello, Morisaki-san, are you still there?"

"Yes, Uesugi-sensei, did you get it?"

"Yes, ten illustrations plus one cover, is that okay?"

"Enough, more than enough, Uesugi-sensei, just send it to my email, I’ll handle the rest."

"Alright," Uesugi Sakura replied while opening his computer browser, "I’ll send it right away, hanging up now."

"Okay, no problem."

Uesugi Sakura hung up the phone and emailed the packaged illustrations from the folder to Editor Morisaki.

With that, the first volume of the light novel was completed.

Uesugi Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

Just as he closed the browser and was about to help Hanabi tidy up the computer, he discovered a folder named "Sakura-kun x Hanabi" among the many folders on Hanabi’s desktop.

Inside were some picture files.

"What’s this?"

Out of curiosity, Uesugi Sakura clicked into it without much hesitation.

"No! No, no, no!!!"

Hanamaru Hanabi suddenly rushed out from the kitchen in a hurry, and just as Uesugi Sakura glimpsed those image thumbnails, she slammed the laptop shut.

Her hurried demeanor caught the attention of Kitagawa Sakisa, Kyujuu Rika, and Ayaka Rie.

Hanamaru Hanabi was panting heavily, trying hard to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"What’s wrong?" Ayaka Rie asked.

Uesugi Sakura was also curious and looked at Hanamaru Hanabi beside him.

She seemed a bit evasive, explaining in a whisper: "It’s nothing, just... just some... client illustrations! They’re confidential until finished, can’t be shown casually."

Uesugi Sakura: "Even I can’t?"

Hanamaru Hanabi blushed: "Not even Sakura-kun!"

"But the folder name..."

When he got to this point, Uesugi Sakura suddenly realized what it was. It seemed he had seen Hanabi drawing strange pictures of him and her before.

Probably some kind of female-oriented work.

Oh, Hanabi, she should just seek comfort directly from him!

Why bother creating work for that!

Realizing this, Uesugi Sakura immediately smiled at the other three women in the room: "It’s nothing, really nothing."

However, they seemed not to quite believe him.