"Shouko, it's time to get up and eat."
After washing up and having breakfast, Tsuna saw that Shouko was still taking a nap, with the quilt kicked aside, pajamas rolled up, and her belly button exposed. He couldn't help but shake his head and walked to her side to shake her.
"It me Sleep a little longer." Shouko subconsciously slapped someone's hand away, hugged the pillow, and turned over to continue sleeping.
Seeing this, Tsuna could only help her pull up her clothes, cover her with the quilt, and left the room reluctantly. It's okay to let her sleep a little longer, so just call her when it's time for lunch.
"Is Shouko still asleep?" Shizuka, who was in the living room, saw that only Tsuna had entered. She glanced behind him and saw that he was indeed alone. She asked in confusion,
"I really don't understand how late you two stayed up last night."
"Hehe... not that late."
Tsuna walked over to the coffee table and sat down. He picked up an upside-down teacup and poured the brewed tea into it, sipping it with an awkward smile.
"What!? You two slept together last night!?" Itohara, who had returned from the first floor to the second-floor living room to watch TV, was shocked to hear the conversation.
He suddenly felt his heart ache. The wounds from the belt last night, combined with the sudden heartache, made him feel like he was suffocating.
He felt like he was turning evil...
"Pa!"
Junko slapped him on the back. He returned to his normal self and continued to watch TV in silence, feeling sad.
Shizuka ignored the shocked movements of Itohara and Junko, narrowing her eyes at the brat leisurely sipping tea and questioningly saying,
"I told you that Shouko was just pretending to sleep last night. Your dad even lied to me and said she was asleep." Tsuna put down his teacup, not wanting to continue the conversation, and simply ended it with his own father.
"That's right, it's all Dad's fault. Just give him a hard time later, Mom."
Shizuka wasn't so easily fooled and unceremoniously slapped him on the head.
But seeing that he didn't want to talk, the topic was dropped.
"Achoo!"
Daisuke, who had been fishing with Takeshi at a nearby lake early in the morning, suddenly sneezed.
"What's wrong, Daisuke? Did you catch a cold last night?" Takeshi joked.
"Hehe... It's just a sneeze. It's nothing serious. Keep going."
Daisuke waved his hand casually and continued fishing, unconcerned about the sneeze.
---
"Mom, why were you yelling so loudly in the hallway so early this morning?"
Tsuna, sitting at the living room coffee table, was watching a boring TV show when he suddenly remembered something that happened earlier that morning and casually asked Shizuka.
This question also attracted the attention of Junko, who was also bored and dazed.
Itohara, on the other hand, was still concentrating on watching Ultraman on TV, showing no interest in their conversation.
Shizuka hesitated for a moment, first glancing at the living room entrance, but ultimately, feeling uneasy, she went to the room to check on Shouko, making sure she was still asleep before returning to the living room.
"Does this have something to do with Shouko?" Tsuna watched her mysteriously, constantly checking to see if Shouko had arrived, and immediately caught the clue.
"Yeah," Shizuka nodded, returning to her previous seat.
It turned out that Yaeko had called her this morning, wanting her to tell Shouko about this, as she felt Shouko had a right to know.
But she didn't really want Shouko to know about this. She had to at least let her be happy for the next few days.
Later, when they got back, Yaeko could tell her what she wanted to say.
But telling Tsuna wouldn't be a problem. Letting him know ahead of time, and then when Shouko found out, Tsuna, already prepared, could comfort her.
And her intuition told her that Tsuna's comfort would be infinitely more effective than her or Yaeko's.
"Do you still remember Suneo Nishimiya?" Shizuka whispered.
"Suneo Nishimiya?" Tsuna searched his mind. Nishimiya... he actually had some recollection.
"That's Shouko's bastard father."
Seeing him hesitate, Shizuka figured Tsuna was only two or three when that bastard divorced and ran off, and probably wouldn't remember him, so she gave the answer straight away.
When Yaeko mentioned that name this morning, she hesitated before remembering who it was.
After all, no one mentioned Yaeko's name since her divorce. If she didn't mention it, no one else would.
Tsuna interrupted his mental search. Her mention of the man immediately brought back all his memories of that name:
"I remember now. What's wrong? Did he stop paying child support to Yuzuru?"
"How could he stop it just because he wanted to? He'd have to run away." Shizuka was speechless.
"So what's wrong?"
Shizuka then explained to Tsuna the details of Yaeko's phone call that morning.
Yesterday, when Yaeko was leaving work, Suneo had waited for her downstairs at her office.
She had seen him but ignored him, but he kept pestering her.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Yaeko stopped and asked what he wanted, but he started by wanting to remarry her, and he'd somehow found out she was in a high-ranking position at the office.
That monthly salary would last him about two months, and Shouko could speak normally.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Yaeko slapped him in the face and walked away without looking back.
Suneo refused to give up, so Yaeko pulled out her stun gun from her bag and used it on him.
The man was temporarily incapacitated, and Yaeko managed to return home.
But back home, she felt he wouldn't give up. So, she'd called Shizuka and the others this morning to be careful. If they ran into him, they could just go straight to the fight, and she'd cover the medical expenses.
She also wanted Shizuka to talk to Shouko about it, fearing she wouldn't see a way out and go after her again.
But Shizuka thought it would be better to have Yaeko speak to Shouko when they got home. She wanted Shouko to enjoy the next few days.
"That's the whole story," Shizuka explained, then drank the tea from the coffee table.
"..." Tsuna was speechless.
He felt that things were not that simple. When Aunt Nishimiya told his mother about it, she must have omitted a lot of details.
But this was just his guess.
However, he had already made up his mind to buy a high-powered stun electric baton for Shouko when he returned.
---