"Tsuna, the kite flew away!" Shouko exclaimed when she realized she'd accidentally let go of the string and watched the kite drift off into the sky. A hint of disappointment filled her voice as she called out to Tsuna, who was sitting on a nearby bench.
Tsuna looked at the kite flying farther and farther away. He had no choice but to stand up and walk over to Shouko to comfort her.
Chika, who also noticed what happened, put away her own kite and walked over with a gentle smile. "Shouko, you can fly mine."
As for Miu, no one knew where she'd run off to with her kite.
"Isn't that bad…?" Shouko still wanted to play, but she looked hesitant when Chika offered.
"It's fine. I'm a little tired anyway, so I'd like a break," Chika shook her head with a soft smile, telling her not to be shy.
Shouko, excited, took the swallow kite from Chika and thanked her cheerfully. "Chika, I'll buy you a drink when we get back!"
"Thank you." Tsuna thanked her, too; if it weren't for Chika, he would've had to spend time coaxing Shouko himself.
"Be careful, don't run too fast, Shouko," Tsuna called after Shouko as she ran off with the kite, but she didn't answer; maybe she didn't hear him.
Chika pointed to the bench Tsuna had just left. "Come on, let's sit for a while."
"Yeah." Tsuna nodded, but his eyes stayed on Shouko as she managed to get the kite flying on her own. Seeing that she didn't need his help like before, he finally turned around and followed Chika back to the bench.
"Tsuna, look! It's flying even higher than before!" Shouko shouted excitedly once the kite was stable.
Tsuna didn't answer, and Shouko only saw him sitting and chatting with Chika on the bench. (It was just normal small talk, nothing more, don't worry, I know you might misunderstand!)
Seeing them chatting and laughing together, Shouko turned back to look at the kite floating in the sky, then glanced at them again. Without any hesitation, she quickly reeled the kite in and packed it up.
"Chika, I'm tired too. I'll give the kite back. I want to rest a bit," Shouko said softly, walking up with the kite in hand.
"So soon? If you want to fly it again later, just tell me," Chika said with a bit of surprise, taking the kite with a smile before running off to fly it herself.
"Tired? I'll fan you." Tsuna smiled as Shouko sat beside him.
"Hehe." Shouko let out a soft laugh but pretended to ignore him as she caught sight of him taking a folding fan from his pocket.
"Don't be mad, it's just a kite. If you want, I'll make you an even prettier one by hand," Tsuna coaxed softly, guessing she was still upset about losing her kite earlier. He didn't think too much about jealousy after all; she was still just a kid.
Shouko turned her head in surprise, her eyes lighting up. "You can make kites too!?"
Seeing her excitement, Tsuna realized he had guessed right. He chuckled. "Yeah, I learned it in Hawaii before; um, I mean, I saw it on TV once."
Shouko's eyes widened even more. "Really!?"
"Yeah, we can buy the materials this weekend, and I'll make you one," he said, unable to resist her sparkling gaze; she was just too cute.
"I knew Tsuna was the best!" Shouko beamed. The two sat on the bench chatting happily. As for flying kites, she'd already thrown that out of her mind, now thinking only about how to make tomorrow pass faster.
——————
"Wake up, Shouko. It's time to go home," Tsuna said gently, shaking Shouko, who had fallen asleep with her head resting on his lap.
"Mmm…" Shouko sat up and rubbed her sleepy eyes, still half-asleep.
She yawned and looked around, not seeing the other two. She asked lazily, "Where did Chika and Miu go?"
"They went back first. I didn't wake you so you could sleep a bit longer," Tsuna explained as he rubbed his numb thigh, still faintly damp with her drool.
"Then let's go too." Shouko patted her cheeks to wake herself up, but was still groggy. She stood up and stretched.
Under the setting sun, the two of them slowly walked home, hand in hand.
Plop!
The sound of something heavy splashing into water caught Tsuna's attention. Shouko hadn't noticed yet, but a sudden shout made her look too: "Shoya really jumped!"
They saw two familiar boys standing on a stone bridge, staring down at the river two or three meters below.
"That guy's gonna kill himself one day," the thin boy next to him mumbled. No one nearby heard him, but Shouko roughly figured out what he said from his lips.
"Ha! You guys should jump too! It doesn't hurt at all!" A boy's head popped up from the water, laughing as he called to the two still on the bridge.
The chubby boy looked doubtful. "Really?"
"Why would I lie?"
Plop! Plop!
The other two jumped in too.
"Ha!— huh?" Shoya laughed at them for being so loyal, but then noticed Tsuna and Shouko watching from the side.
He knew Tsuna, the student who always ranked first in every subject for three years, praised by every teacher. As for the girl next to him, he'd heard about her from the girls in class; apparently, she was disabled, but he wasn't sure.
Seeing their eyes on him, Shoya scowled and shouted, "What are you looking at!? Don't think you're so great just 'cause you're first in the grade!"
"Psycho." Tsuna laughed softly and turned away with Shouko, not caring about someone he thought acted like a fool.
Shoya thought he'd scared Tsuna off and laughed even louder. "Coward! Sissy!" He always saw Tsuna hanging out with girls, unlike him, who couldn't stand them.
Shouko couldn't stand anyone calling her Tsuna names. She wanted to turn back and shout at Shoya, but Tsuna just shook his head at her with a gentle look. She pouted but held back.
"Shouko, don't be angry." Tsuna raised a hand and patted her head softly.
He thought it was childish to argue back. Japanese insults were so mild compared to the colorful curses he'd known in his past life. Besides, Shoya was soaked and gross, not worth it.