"That…that's not…"
Yuzuru guiltily turned her head away, not forgetting to explain, "That day, I had plans to go out with friends…"
"That's perfect then. You and your friends can come to our School Festival. Most of the events are indoors, so you don't have to worry about the sun outside."
Tsuna smiled at her, dodged Hachiko, who was pouncing on him, and, taking Shouko's hand, left the living room.
Even with the air conditioning on, he refused to hug a furry Hachiko on such a hot day.
However, seeing Hachiko looking rather dejected, he left the compensation to Yuzuru.
"Click…"
As soon as Shouko returned to the second-floor bedroom with him, the impulsive memories of last night flashed through her mind like a series of mirror reflections.
Although, after a day of verification, she felt that Tsuna was definitely asleep at that time…
"Shouko?"
Tsuna saw that she was distracted as soon as they came up, feeling a bit confused. Then he raised his hand and waved it in front of her eyes: "Shouko? What are you thinking about? You're so absorbed, I've called you several times."
"Tsuna, will you use the lap pillow coupon tonight?"
"Huh?"
After she said this, both of them froze simultaneously. Shouko instinctively covered her mouth, wishing she could slap herself twice…
Why did she blurt out what was on her mind?
"Do you want me to use it?"
"I can't decide that. If you want to use it, just use it." Shouko's small mouth pouted slightly.
Tsuna looked at her suddenly tsundere expression and felt like reaching out to pinch her face.
Once the thought emerged, there was nothing more to say. He reached out and directly pinched her soft cheeks, making her meet his gaze and said with a smile:
"Shouko, tsundere is already out of style, you know?"
Shouko, with her cheeks pinched, didn't speak, only shook her head repeatedly.
Tsuna, having satisfied his urge, released her and poked her fair forehead. "After the School Festival, how about we go to the aquarium on Sunday?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shouko saw him produce two tickets to the Ocean Aquarium from behind his back. Before her surprise could fully show, she heard him continue:
"It's to celebrate the successful conclusion of our School Festival! You've worked hard this past month too, so go relax and rest."
"Tsuna, wasn't the last part of your sentence the main point?"
Shouko joyfully took the two tickets from his hand, then mimicked his gesture, wagging her finger playfully:
"Tsuna, tsundere is already out of style, you know?"
"…"
"Then, as a return gift, how about I clean your ears, Tsuna?"
"No…no thank you…" Tsuna instinctively wanted to refuse.
It wasn't that Shouko's ear-cleaning skills were bad, but he always felt a strange fear when someone else helped him clean his ears.
"It's decided then!" Saying that, Shouko put the tickets into her pocket, stood up, and ran downstairs to get the tools.
"…"
When she returned, she held an ear pick and a handful of cotton swabs. She placed the items on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed.
Seeing Tsuna still hesitating in the chair, she patted her thigh and tilted her head towards him.
"Be gentle, don't go as deep as last time…"
"That time was an accident…"
"…"
Tsuna walked to her side, adjusted his posture, and lay down on his side. He still felt a bit nervous and finally chose to close his eyes and let her proceed.
"Tsuna, when we go to the aquarium, should we invite Ajitani-chan and the others?" Shouko took the ear pick and slowly probed into his ear.
"Shouko, can you concentrate a little? I'm scared…"
"Mm-hmm…"
For the next few minutes, only the ticking of the clock and their soft breathing could be heard in the room.
"Tsuna…"
After cleaning one ear, Shouko called out softly.
"Are you done?"
Saying that, Tsuna changed his posture, facing the ceiling. From the corner of his eye, he clearly caught a fleeting hint of disappointment in Shouko's eyes, feeling a bit speechless…
"Tsuna, there's the other one."
"I just want to lie here for a bit."
Tsuna observed the girl who had been with him for over ten years from a new and curious angle.
"Next week for the aquarium, do you want to invite the class president and the others?"
He had already decided to confess at the Ocean Aquarium next week. If those few joined, he would have to consider whether to include them in his plan.
He could get them to cooperate with him; after all, they were free labor… And if he brought it up to them, they would probably be very willing.
"I…" Shouko looked into his eyes, a hint of hesitation rising in her heart.
Tsuna found something in this angle very obstructing, so he could only sit up and shrug:
"It's fine, if you want to, there's no problem inviting the class president and them.
It'll be livelier with more people, just like when everyone went to the aquarium together last time."
"But…but…" Shouko went from stammering at first to finally summoning the courage to meet his gaze, "But I want to go with just you this time, just the two of us…"
"I…I…I…"
Before she could finish the sentence, she seemed to lose her courage again, slowly lowering her head, her ear tips flushing with color along with her movement.
"Shouko, do you prefer a confession by letter or a verbal confession?"
'!!'
Shouko, who was still feeling annoyed, heard his words and suddenly looked up, meeting his eyes full of amusement.
The slender steel handle tightened in her fingers, and the small scoop of the ear pick was unconsciously bent out of shape.
"Shouko… I—"
"Mm-mm…?"
Tsuna only felt a warmth on his lips as the girl's warm palm, with an undeniable force, tightly covered his mouth, blocking the words he hadn't had a chance to speak.
He instinctively tried to break free, but his gaze met her eyes, which were close, filled with seriousness, and even a touch of assertiveness.
"Tsuna, you're always the one standing in front of me… So this time, I'll say it first!"
All the past memories flashing through her mind gave the girl enough courage.
"Tsuna, suki desu! (I like you!)"
"…" Tsuna opened his mouth to agree, but his mouth was still tightly covered, so he could only nod repeatedly.
His original plan was interrupted, perhaps because of yesterday's incident which gave Shouko the courage. His confession was preempted, but Tsuna indicated that he still had the opportunity for a marriage proposal…
The moment he nodded, Shouko could no longer hold back. With a warm gust of wind, mixed with a faint sweet fragrance, she crashed into his embrace, pressing her face and body completely against him.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist and back, her face buried deeply in his chest, so tightly that it seemed she wanted to embed herself within him.
"Loosen… loosen up a bit…" Tsuna was being squeezed and had trouble breathing, so he quickly patted her arm.
Once the murderous force dissipated a bit, Tsuna immediately wrapped his arms around her, his chin unconsciously rubbing against the top of her head, and he complained with feigned dissatisfaction:
"Shouko, your confession…did you reference a 'Minimalist Instruction Manual'?
The core message was precisely hit, but the emotional impact…was it a bit stingy?!"
Shouko nestled dependently into the crook of his neck, letting out a satisfied little sigh, then softly punched his shoulder with a clenched fist:
"How about I write you a thousand-word confession when I get back tonight?"