Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard
Chapter 368 - 274 Strange Child_2

Chapter 368: Chapter 274 Strange Child_2

The hair is very beautiful, with a luster that looks like it would make a hat slide off at any moment.

Uesugi Sakura approached her.

"Aei-chan?"

"Hmm..." The girl responded blankly, her eyes fixed on the ants eating sugar under the tree.

"It’s time for lunch, Teacher Imanishi asked me to call you."

"Hmm..."

Aei gave the same response.

Uesugi Sakura thought she wasn’t very shy because she didn’t seem scared when approached by a complete stranger like himself:

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine... just watching ants eat sugar...."

She must have given the ants her own lollipop to eat.

Observing small animals and insects is indeed a behavior full of innocence.

But, it’s time to eat now.

"You can watch the ants later, let’s go back to the classroom to eat first."

Aei looked up at him, her tilted hat really seemed on the verge of falling backward.

Her eyes were beautiful, exuding a child’s pure innocence.

"Hmm..."

After waiting for a long time, Uesugi Sakura thought she would refuse, but unexpectedly she nodded and agreed.

"Okay..."

Seeing her standing beside him just like that, Uesugi Sakura asked:

"Aei-chan, are you not worried?"

Aei lazily nodded, "Even if I worry, it doesn’t matter, we’re going to lunch anyway."

"...?"

This answer was a bit strange, so Uesugi Sakura couldn’t quite follow her logic, "I’m not talking about that, you don’t really know me, do you? Don’t they teach in textbooks that you shouldn’t go with strangers?"

Aei quickly replied, "The textbooks did say that... but I know I’m going to lunch, so I also know the brother inviting me to lunch."

"...?" Uesugi Sakura still couldn’t react, "Do you know my name?"

Aei shook her head.

"So, Aei-chan is still willing to go with me?"

Aei nodded.

What a strange kid.

——Uesugi Sakura could only draw this conclusion, perhaps she thought he looked kind and mistook him for a good person?

"What was Aei-chan thinking about when you were watching the ants earlier?"

"Hmm, I was thinking about the exam."

"Did you do poorly?"

Aei nodded, then shook her head.

"When the teacher asked us to hand in the papers, I realized the test had two sides."

Uesugi Sakura found it interesting, "So you wrote on only one side, and discovered there was a second side when turning it in."

"Well, you could say that~"

Otherwise, how could it be interpreted?

Uesugi Sakura felt she was imitating the way adults speak, but it was quite cute for a little girl.

"Aei-chan, are you worried about doing poorly?"

Aei: "Not worried, I was just thinking about ’Aei only wrote on one side’."

A strange line of thought, elementary schoolers thinking about exams and not worrying about the grades, but simply recalling only writing on one side of the paper.

While watching ants eat sugar.

Can’t figure out what connection there is.

Talking to Aei often leads you along with her thinking, causing all sorts of random thoughts.

What an odd kid.

Uesugi Sakura decided not to talk to her until they returned to the classroom.

"Why isn’t brother talking?" Aei asked proactively.

"There’s no need really, the priority is to take you back to the classroom for lunch now."

"Will brother feed me?"

"Why should I feed you."

"Because my sister isn’t here, so brother has to feed me."

What kind of reason is that?

At first glance, it seemed reasonable.

But it’s only been less than five minutes, and we’re already at the feeding stage?

Uesugi Sakura thought it best to hand Aei over to Hanamaru Hanabi, as he couldn’t quite handle her:

"I’ll take you to find big sister, and she’ll feed you."

"I don’t know what big sister is doing, can’t find her." Aei said with little steps in her elementary school uniform, which looked very proper on her.

"Not your big sister, my big sister... no wait, a new big sister."

"Is the new sister as pretty as brother?"

Unintentionally, he was complimented by Aei, Uesugi Sakura smiled and said to her:

"She’s even prettier than brother."

"Wow, a pretty sister."

Aei-chan seemed very much looking forward to a pretty sister.

...

Bringing the odd kid back to the classroom, Aei immediately spotted Hanamaru Hanabi, looking up at the very tall Uesugi Sakura beside her, she said:

"Brother, it’s the new sister."

Uesugi Sakura praised her in return: "Aei-chan has bright eyes, to see her at a glance."

"What is brother talking about? There’s only one sister in the classroom."

"...."

Uesugi Sakura did not expect Aei to rebut his compliment and leave him speechless, what a strange kid.

He brought Aei to Hanamaru Hanabi.

"Sister, feed me."

Really straightforward, having just met.

Uesugi Sakura had to say: "Aei, before asking sister to feed you, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?"

Aei tilted her little head: "Didn’t brother just call out Aei’s name? The pretty sister already knows, no need for introductions."

Uesugi Sakura: "..."

This adorable child is simply impossible to comment on.

Hanamaru Hanabi seemed to like her very much, patting her head, then straightening her hat, agreeing to feed her lunch.

Aei: "Yay! Thank you new sister."

She can still thank properly.

Hanamaru Hanabi: "Does Aei-chan have her own sister?"

"Yes, Aei has her own sister."

"What kind of person is she?"

"Sister is very reliable, she really loves milk."

Hanamaru Hanabi smiled and said: "What a coincidence, big sister also loves milk just like your sister."

"What does brother like?" Aei asked Uesugi Sakura again, looking up.

He was watching the staff in white coats push a big cabinet in, containing the kids’ lunches.

Elementary schools generally eat in the classroom, with teachers as company too.

"Brother!" Aei tugged at his sleeve.

"Coffee." Uesugi Sakura replied to her previous question.

"Is it that hard, black stuff that comes out from under a cat’s tail?" Aei asked curiously.

"That’s cat poop coffee, not regular coffee."

"What does regular coffee look like?"

"Wheat colored, hard oval shape, ground and brewed through techniques to become coffee."

Aei continued to look up at him: "Wheat colored, hard oval shape, isn’t that the same as the cat poop coffee I mentioned?"

Uesugi Sakura decided not to delve further with her, as doing so would only lead him down a path guided by this little girl:

"Aei-chan only needs to remember, even if something is wheat-colored, hard and oval, there are differences. Just like people’s ears, noses, faces, they all have similar features, but they are different, distinct."

After hearing what he said, Aei indeed lowered her head, standing still as if contemplating.

This child’s quiet side is much cuter.

...

In elementary schools, every lunch serves milk, and they regularly change set meal menus, striving to ensure each meal is unique.

There’s also a "food duty" system, akin to a class duty, which translated to "today’s person in charge of food" in English.

Students wear special white coats, hats, and masks to serve meals to everyone.

Duty students must confirm with the teacher that they are not sick, introduce the dishes before serving, and report the remaining food portions, like how many servings of soup are left.

If the lunch is not enough and someone wants a particular dish, they must play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets it.

Today, Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi were helping the class serve lunch, an act showing concern from higher-grade students.

At least, the kids were very happy about it.

A notable point, little girls often wanted Uesugi Sakura to serve them, while little boys preferred Hanamaru Hanabi.

At a young age, they’ve learned to have a pretty sister serve them, truly a society that judges by appearances.