Chapter 592: Chapter 380: Want to Become a Star?_2
Uesugi Sakura raised her milk tea cup towards her.
"Really? Sakura, you also like the sweet flavor...?"
Hanamaru Hanabi’s cheeks were always a bit rosy. Perhaps it was the simple and serene white dress that made her beautiful face stand out even more.
Today, she specially dressed up nicely to accompany him out.
"Of course, it’s true."
Uesugi Sakura replied, flashing a smile at the girl sitting across the small table.
Hanamaru Hanabi held the milk tea cup with both hands, brought the small straw to her mouth, and took a sip. The taste was very refreshing, not just the plain overly sweet kind. This indeed seemed like a flavor Uesugi Sakura would like, and she happily looked at the milk tea and said:
"It’s really sweet."
Uesugi Sakura glanced at her while sipping his milk tea: "Hmm...? See, I wasn’t lying to you."
Pedestrians kept passing by outside the window on the shopping street, their faces basked in the summer sunlight, creating a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
The atmosphere inside the milk tea shop was the same.
Busy staff, lazy cats, customers sitting down to play on their phones, eating ice cream, drinking milk tea, and posting exquisite photos on social media.
When Hanamaru Hanabi was halfway through her milk tea, she seemed to notice something and suddenly looked up:
"Isn’t Sakura’s milk tea unsweetened?"
Uesugi Sakura gave her a gentle smile.
"It is sweetened."
...
...
Leaving the milk tea shop, Uesugi Sakura walked down the street holding the clothes she had bought for him.
Along the way, there were many delicacies, and whenever Hanamaru Hanabi saw them, she couldn’t help but peek to take a look. By the time she came back to her senses, Uesugi Sakura had read the craving in her eyes.
When a cute girl asks you for tasty food, do you give it or not?
Of course, you should give it.
It’s a reward for her cuteness.
The line was packed with people.
Uesugi Sakura looked up at the stall’s sign, [Ultimate Delicacy: Scallion Grilled Chicken Skewers].
Japanese headlines are always inclined to be extravagant, making the sign’s letters as eye-catching as possible.
The news is just like that too.
"Want to eat?"
"Yes, I do..."
Uesugi Sakura glanced over the crowd to look inside the stall, where the uncle wore a white towel on his head and was deftly working with scallion-studded chicken skewers, busy as a bee.
"So many people, if we want to eat, it’ll probably take some time to queue."
Hanamaru Hanabi stood close to Uesugi Sakura, peeking out from beside him.
"I’ll queue with you, Sakura."
"You’re so good, Hanabi... How about a kiss?" Uesugi Sakura whispered.
"No way." Hanamaru Hanabi whispered back to him.
The queuing time was about fifteen minutes.
This was thanks to the grill uncle’s superb skill, manoeuvring four sets of skewers with both hands in rapid succession, which made the long queue in front disappear quickly.
When Hanamaru Hanabi got her foil-wrapped skewer, she wouldn’t eat it right away.
She would take out her treasured chili powder from a little pouch around her waist and sprinkle it on before starting to eat.
Often, the edges and corners of her small mouth would get stained with chili.
Uesugi Sakura looked at the bright red layer on the skewer; it was practically death chili powder.
Yet she sat beside a tree, eating with a face full of delight.
But seeing her finish it bit by bit and finally wipe her mouth with a tissue, Uesugi Sakura felt completely at ease.
This might be one of the perks of being a beautiful girl.
Even the way she eats is especially cute, making one feel delighted.
Today’s afternoon was meant for shopping.
But they spent most of the time eating and drinking.
Until the evening, they were still wandering around the streets.
"Shall we walk a bit more and pick up Aei and them to head home? Do we still have ingredients at home?"
"We still do, no need to buy."
"I kind of want to eat the omelet rice that Hanabi makes."
"Hanabi will make it for you when we get home, Sakura."
Pedestrians came and went on the streets. As evening set in, the pedestrian street started its real working hours.
Most office workers chose to get off around 6 o’clock, to gather at these izakayas, drink some beer, and foster camaraderie among colleagues. Naturally, it involved a lot of socializing aspects.
If you don’t go drinking often, you’ll be excluded.
Being out of tune, whether at school or in society, can have this effect.
"Hello! Hello! Please wait a moment!!!"
Uesugi Sakura turned around to find a man in a suit, carrying a briefcase.
He called out to Uesugi Sakura and Hanamaru Hanabi, then quickly ran over, bowed in greeting, and handed over his pre-prepared business card:
"Sorry to interrupt! My name is Nagahide Hiroi, and I’m an actor’s manager at HORI."
"Actor’s manager?"
Uesugi Sakura looked at the information on the card and then glanced at the man named Nagahide Hiroi in front of him.
"A talent scout?" he asked.
"Yes."
Uesugi Sakura glanced at Hanamaru Hanabi beside him, then took the business card and asked the actor’s manager standing in front of him:
"Are you looking for me or her?"
The quality of this actor’s manager seemed quite good. He first apologized and then smiled, saying:
"It’s for this young lady."
"Me...?"
Hanamaru Hanabi looked around, still unsure why she had caught a talent scout’s eye.
Nagahide Hiroi nodded at her. For some reason, he seemed to admire Hanamaru Hanabi’s looks, and there was an inexplicable excitement in his demeanor.
"Yes... the first time I saw you just now, I could clearly see your uniqueness! That’s why I ran over quickly. Perhaps you can’t understand, but the first impression you gave me was like Nakamori Akina... You know, the original songstress, the kind of gentle and charming vulnerability you emit... A unique atmosphere brought by your charisma and personality that resonated just like when I first saw the features of 16-year-old Nakamori Akina!"
"Miss... At HORI, we are a well-known and prestigious agency domestically, managing talents like Ishihara and Ayase..."
Uesugi Sakura handed the business card back to the actor’s manager who was looking somewhat excited and interrupted him:
"Sorry, she has no intention of joining the entertainment industry."
Nagahide Hiroi did not retract the offered card and looked again towards Hanamaru Hanabi: "Miss, you...?"
Hanamaru Hanabi didn’t speak, she just shook her head.
"Could you think about it? We are a very reputable actor agency, without any of those rumored issues."
Hanamaru Hanabi still shook her head.
Nagahide Hiroi was a little stunned. While sighing in his heart, he gathered his thoughts, and seeing there was no agreement from them, he found himself in an awkward position but didn’t insist too much. Instead, he offered another business card solemnly: "Please consider it, the agency will provide the best resources!"
After he left.
Uesugi Sakura looked again at the contact details and agency address on the card.
"Muekoku Muekoku Itchi-chome, actor’s manager, Nagahide Hiroi?"
The two continued walking forward.
Uesugi Sakura spoke to Hanamaru Hanabi about what had just happened.
"What does Hanabi think? Even if not a star, becoming a model could make you even more beautiful."
Hanamaru Hanabi looked up: "Aren’t we... getting married...? If I become an artist, it might take a lot of time..."
Uesugi Sakura continued: "I actually think Hanabi has great potential. The most important condition, looks, is there; you also have talent in singing. If you genuinely stepped into the entertainment industry, perhaps the new generation’s Reiwa Songstress might just be you, Hanabi. At that point, your husband would also bask in your glory."
"Where is the singing talent...?"
"Didn’t you do well at the school festival last time?"
"It was awful..."
"Don’t belittle yourself. It’s just that your voice is a bit shy, but isn’t it this soft voice that everyone loves about you? After the school festival, quite a few seniors have asked me about your relationship with me."
In the evening of Tokyo, neon lights were dazzlingly colorful.
Hanamaru Hanabi walked in the city, looking at the black loafers moving under her feet.
"...Does Sakura want Hanabi to go...?"
"What if I said I do want?"
"Then... Hanabi will agree..."
"Even if the wedding date is postponed for several years? Perhaps until you’ve gotten famous and successful?"
Hanamaru Hanabi clasped her hands in front of her white dress, timidly hesitating:
"As long as Sakura agrees..."