Tsuna took Shouko's schoolbag and casually tossed it on the sofa. Then he pulled her over to the coffee table and sat down. He took an orange and began peeling it, asking curiously,
"Are the cherry blossoms about to bloom again?"
Only after arriving in Japan did he learn that the Cherry Blossom Festival is one of Japan's most iconic traditional festivals, and its timing is irregular.
The festival typically takes place from March 15th to April 15th each year.
During this period, the cherry blossoms gradually bloomed from south to north across Japan, and various cherry blossom viewing events were held.
The first cherry blossoms are in Okinawa, located in southern Kyushu. Here, they begin to bloom around late January to early February, marking the beginning of the festival.
The cherry blossoms in other parts of Kyushu begin to bloom in mid-to-late February.
"Yeah, I'll talk to Yaeko about it then. I need to see if she wants to go first," Shizuka nodded, snatching her child's peeled orange and eating it.
Tsuna had no choice but to pick up another orange and peel it.
Shouko had been staring at someone's orange. Aunt Miyamura had caught her unawares by snatching the orange, so she let her keep it.
She tried to distract herself by saying, "Why don't we invite Shin-chan and his family over? It's been ages since we've been together to see the cherry blossoms."
Tsuna ignored their chatter, while Miyamura Shizuka pondered it carefully. "Okay, I'll ask Misae later."
(Misae Nohara: Shin-chan's mother)
Tsuna knew his limitations. He couldn't make any decisions about outings like this. Like his father, he obeyed his mother's orders. All he had to do was eat and play.
"Here you go," Tsuna said without hesitation, handing the orange to the girl in front of him, who was wholly absorbed in it.
He hadn't understood how long it took to peel an orange while they focused on the one in their hands, but he finally understood.
Shouko, momentarily lost in thought, took in his adoring gaze and the orange he was offered.
Soon, a hand pulled her back, and she watched helplessly as the orange was snatched away by the hand that Shizuka stretched out.
"Hehe... this one is mine again." Shizuka cut the orange in half and stuffed it into her mouth without forgetting to laugh.
"Godmother! I want to break up with you for a minute!" Shouko looked at Shizuka with puffed cheeks, stood up, and put her hands on her hips.
Shizuka didn't pay any attention to her words; she just felt that Shouko in front of her was too cute, so she pulled her into her arms, rubbed her, and didn't forget to feed her half of the orange in her hand.
"I don't know which pig will get my Shouko in the future." Shizuka didn't forget to sigh, and her eyes kept hinting at the person watching the show.
Tsuna couldn't stand her obvious hints and chose to ignore them... He turned on the TV with the remote control, started watching, and then got a slap from Shizuka.
————————
The next day, as Tsuna and Shouko walked into the classroom from the back door, they noticed that Shoya's desk was the same as yesterday, and this time, even the chairs were covered in graffiti.
Shouko looked at the desk and chairs and whispered, "That's too much."
"Let's go." Tsuna knew that Shouko was kind-hearted and had been well protected from beginning to end, so it was normal that she couldn't help herself when she saw this scene.
Although slightly jealous, he knew that Shouko was not concerned about Shoya and that her previous words were not meant to speak up for the hedgehog-headed guy.
"What's too much? Ishida used to love getting into trouble, and the little lesson they gave him was nothing."
At this time, a male voice sounded behind Tsuna. They turned their heads to look at the source of the voice and found that it was Shimada, which surprised them a little.
Seeing the two looking at him, Shimada greeted them with a slight smile before returning to his seat.
They? It seems this wasn't the work of just one person. Tsuna watched him return to his seat, his words lingering in his mind.
"Is it really okay for Shimada to say that about Ishida? Didn't they use to be close friends?" As Tsuna and Shouko returned to their seats, Shouko, puzzled, couldn't help but ask someone a question.
After stuffing his bag into the desk hole, Tsuna stood up and walked over to Shouko.
Instead of answering her question, he pinched her soft cheeks.
Even more puzzled, Shouko looked up at him, staring directly into his eyes.
"Hey, Nishimiya-san, how would I know something like that? I only have a few friends I know," Tsuna said, tugging at her soft cheeks.
Shouko instantly recognized the hint of jealousy in Tsuna's words and felt the pressure on her face, quickly promising,
"I was wrong. I won't do it again. Will you forgive me?" She blinked her eyes, looking at him pitifully.
Although she felt a bit pleased that Tsuna was jealous of her words, she didn't want him to feel jealous over something so trivial.
But he completely ignored her cute appearance and began to rub and knead with his hands.
"Tsuna\~"
Tsuna made a few more promises in a low voice. Noticing his lack of response, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her face against his stomach. Tsuna had to let go of her when he saw her like this.
"Don't be angry\~ I'll go back and use my knees as a pillow for you for five minutes, okay?" Shouko's face was pressed against his stomach, and a muffled voice came out.
"Ten minutes." Tsuna saw that the benefits were coming and decisively changed his previous attitude and bargained.
"No—" Before Shouko could finish her words, she was interrupted by a familiar voice:
"You two should just stop now. You can't hug each other just because it's early morning and there aren't many people in the classroom."
Shouko hurriedly let go of him. He turned to see that it was Miyoko, but he ignored him.
She looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when she found no one was paying attention to them. She turned back and greeted her with an awkward smile.
"Good morning, Miyoko. Have you had breakfast?"
After saying that, she didn't forget to punch Tsuna, thinking this person must have done it on purpose. He must have seen Miyoko coming, but didn't remind himself.
When I get home, I'll let him sleep for two or three minutes! She made a cruel plan in her heart.
"I'm full. Seeing this scene so early in the morning makes me feel like I don't need breakfast." Miyoko joked.
Seeing her teasing look, Shouko couldn't help but punch her a few times, then reminded her with concern, "Miyoko, skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach."
Tsuna had already retreated to his seat. At this point, there was no way he could get in on their girlish conversation.
He was a little sleepy, so he could catch up on some sleep. The slight taste of snacks vanished without a trace the moment Shouko understood what he meant.
——————
Just like yesterday, Shōya walked into the classroom alone, carrying his schoolbag, and immediately noticed something strange about his seat.
Before he could question anything, he saw the teasing and sarcastic looks from most people in the room, and for the first time, he began to dislike their expressions and eyes.
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