"Dong... Dong... Dong...!"
"Okay, this class is over, hurry up and eat your lunch."
The quiet classroom suddenly became noisy. Tsuna watched the teacher with a smile on his face leave the classroom before retracting his gaze.
Subconsciously, he wanted to take out the lunch box his mother gave him this morning, but when his hand touched the lunch box, he remembered what his mother had said this morning.
Tsuna pretended to be nonchalant and retracted his hand. He turned his head to look at Shouko, who was chatting with Takagi. Seeing that she didn't notice his previous behavior, he interrupted her and said,
"No, Shouko, Shizuka got up late today and didn't prepare a lunch box. I'm going to the convenience store to buy rice balls. You can eat the lunch box first."
He stood up and prepared to go out before she could respond.
"Wait, Tsuna."
"Hmm?" Tsuna paused, looking back at her. "What's wrong? Is there anything you want me to bring up?"
"Come here." Shouko glanced around. Takagi-san was the only one looking at her; no one else was paying attention. She quickly waved to Tsuna, fearing that if she was a little slower, the other students would notice her.
"Takagi-san, why don't you go heat up your lunch?" Shouko turned and looked at Takagi-san with an apologetic look.
Takagi-san had been staring at her, and she was a little embarrassed to say it out loud.
Takagi-san guessed she had something to say to Miyamura-san, and based on what Miyamura had just said, she had a rough idea.
"Yeah," she nodded, then without hesitation, she grabbed her lunch from the desk and stood up and left her seat.
"What's wrong? You're acting so secretive." Tsuna watched Takagi-san walk away before slowly walking over to her and squatting.
He had guessed what she was going to do, but he still had to keep up the act.
Shouko leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Actually, I told Auntie not to prepare your lunch box last night. I made one for you this morning." She silently registered the look of surprise and a hint of astonishment on Tsuna's face before reaching into her bag and pulling a bento out, handing it to him.
She'd been working so hard for the past ten days just to see that expression on his face.
Of course, she also needed his praise for her cooking skills; that would motivate her to prepare a bento for him every day.
And for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the future...
Tsuna showered her with praise before returning to his seat with the bento and carefully unwrapping it.
The surprise in his eyes as he watched her pull the bento from her bag wasn't an act.
He'd guessed it, but the surprise and astonishment were genuine, especially after hearing her say she'd gotten up so early to prepare a bento for him.
"Tsuna, stop staring at me. Try it and see if it's good," Shouko urged quietly, seeing he hesitated.
Hearing this, Tsuna looked at her face that was eager for praise, and the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably. But now was not the time to eat, so he asked a few questions first.
He picked up a small piece of fried pork chop with chopsticks and put it into his mouth, then picked up the lid and closed the bento again. The bento was still cold, and it would not taste good if you ate it, and it would affect the taste.
"What's wrong? Is there something that doesn't suit your appetite or is it cooked too badly?"
Seeing that he closed the bento after eating a small amount, the expression on his face instantly turned into one of aggrievedness, and the light in his eyes seemed to have disappeared.
Tsuna was shocked when he saw this, and he quickly explained: "No, no, I want to heat it up before eating, otherwise, it won't taste good if it's cold." As soon as he finished speaking, he chewed the food in his mouth and guessed that there must be no shortage of salt in Shouko's house...
After swallowing the fried pork chop, he tried his best to control the expression on his face and hurriedly praised: "It's delicious, really, I feel that what you make now tastes the same as what mom makes! In a month or two, I believe it will be no problem for your cooking skills to surpass hers."
"Really...?" Shouko was a little unconvinced...
"Really, there's no benefit in lying to you." Tsuna nodded in assurance, but seeing that she still didn't believe what he said, he added: "Look, if what you make is not delicious, and I praise you now, you will make it for me then, then won't I be the unlucky one?"
Shouko's slightly frowned brows finally relaxed. It made sense... but she still said stubbornly: "Who will make it for you in the future? I will only make it for the one in my family!"
"Isn't that still me?" Tsuna muttered in silence.
Of course, Shouko didn't hear what he said, but he forgot that she could lip-read.
If you know about this kind of thing, just don't say it out loud, okay? Isn't it enough to just know it in your heart? He is really shameless.
Thinking of this, she reached out and pinched his arm lightly without saying a word.
"By the way, where is your lunch box?" After being pinched, he returned to normal and turned to look at her puzzledly.
"Don't worry, I won't forget mine." Shouko pulled a pink bento box from the hole in the table.
"But this one's what grandma prepared for me. I'm not that fast right now, so I can't make two."
"That's good."
"What's wrong?"
Tsuna waved his hand. "Nothing, let's go heat up our bento."
"Yeah."
As the two of them strolled down the street, holding their bento boxes, Shouko suddenly asked, "By the way, Tsuna, I forgot to taste it after I made it this morning. I'll grab a piece or two after it's heated up. Is that okay?"
Tsuna shook his head and ruthlessly refused. "Yes, it's a big deal. This is the first time you've made me a bento. Even if it's the original owner, I won't share it."
Shouko stopped talking about the bento and changed the subject.
Her heart was filled with sweetness, and she smiled.
Back in the classroom, the two of them ate their bento boxes with Takagi, who had already returned. Tsuna even brought the lonely Nishikata over to share the table.
The main thing was that there were three of us sharing a table, and she was a little uncomfortable…
————————
After finishing her lunch, Shouko took Takagi to go to the bathroom together. She was hesitant to say something on the way and finally said hesitantly when they were almost at the bathroom:
"Takagi-san, your idea is good, but I just feel that Tsuna is a little unfair…"
"I just added a little more salt to that fried pork chop, and didn't I see him eating it with enjoyment?"
Takagi didn't know what to say to Shouko. She saw Miyamura eating with enjoyment, and she almost thought that Shouko regretted it and thought she didn't add any.
But she suggested to Shouko yesterday that she only add a tiny bit of salt, and it shouldn't be too salty…
Unless…
"I'm going to ask you a question, and you answer me honestly."
"Yeah." Shouko nodded.
"How much salt did you add to your fried pork chop?"
"Hmm..." After hearing this, Shouko recalled what happened early in the morning and then slowly said:
"About three spoons... At that time, I added a little as you said, but I was afraid that it would lose its flavor, so I accidentally added more... Then I rinsed it with water, but I was afraid that it would be too bland after rinsing and difficult to control, so I added two more spoons of salt. Together with the extra spoonful I added before, the total is three spoonfuls."
Shouko scratched her head embarrassedly.
"..." Takagi suddenly felt that this kid was a little silly and cute...
But she was also wrong. When she gave the advice, she forgot that Shouko was a newbie who had only been learning for ten days.
No, to be precise, she only learned a little during dinner...
(End of this chapter)
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