Seeing him obediently close his eyes, seemingly at her mercy, Shouko felt a momentary unease about taking action.
A nearby staff member, observing the girl's hesitation, didn't urge her, but quietly speculated about their relationship.
She initially thought they were a couple, but it seemed she'd been wrong. While they were somewhat close, some small details suggested they weren't a couple.
Should they be considered siblings?
"Hurry up!"
"Why are you still so slow?"
"That's right! You've already failed the challenge, and you're still taking your time spreading the cream!"
As several impatient tourists in the room started to jerk, Shouko felt even less inclined to smear the cream on his face. Then, she resolutely decided.
She placed the bowl of sticky whipped cream on the table and cautiously asked the staff member,
"I regret this now. Can I buy this extra-large ice cream at full price?"
Tsuna opened his eyes at the sound of her voice, his gaze lingering on Shouko's face for a moment before shifting to the staff member. This was the first time the staff member had encountered such a question since the restaurant opened, and she was a little undecided...
"I disagree!"
"Don't spoil the fun!"
"That's right! Just spread some cream on it, why bother with the money?"
"Click..." The kitchen door opened, and the staff member in the chef's uniform emerged once more.
The female staff member, as if she had found her savior, opened her mouth to say something, but the burly man nodded.
She swallowed her question.
"You can buy it at the original price." The male staff member smiled at Shouko, then turned his gaze to the earlier instigators and warned,
"Everyone, we don't allow loud noises while you're watching the fun."
"This isn't a library! I'll complain—"
"Do as you please," the male staff member interrupted the onlooker before he could finish.
"Just wait!" The man angrily slammed the table and left.
"Manager, this..."
"It's a small matter. I'll go back to the kitchen first. Aoi, you keep watching. Call me if you can't handle anything."
"Okay."
Tsuna looked away as the man, whom the female staff member called the manager, walked back to the kitchen and closed the door. Everything happened so fast that he didn't fully react.
"You two, the original purchase price is 2,000 yen."
But before he could think about it, he was interrupted by the female staff member's voice.
"2,000 yen?" Tsuna calculated in his mind. This ice cream is about 14 dollar.
He thought about just smearing the cream on his face, even though his family is rich...
"Yeah." The female staff member nodded.
And Shouko, who was about to get up to pay, suddenly realized a serious problem and reached out to gently shake Tsuna beside her.
When he looked over, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Tsuna, it seems we don't have any money with us..."
"…"
"Well…" Tsuna raised his hand to rub the back of his head and laughed awkwardly, "We don't have any money on us right now. I'll ask my friend to get the money. Can I stay here?"
The female staff member had no problem with this and nodded hesitantly.
Tsuna hurriedly grabbed Shouko who was about to stand up and leave: "Shouko, you should know where the locker where I put my clothes is?"
Seeing the confusion on her face, he continued, "My wallet is in my pants pocket. I'll wait for you here."
After the voice fell, he untied the bracelet on his hand and handed it to her.
Upon hearing this, Shouko took the bracelet, nodded to indicate her understanding, and hurried out of the store.
"Slow down, be careful not to fall!"
"Got it!" Shouko stopped, waved, and continued running.
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"Number 39, Number 39..."
Shouko looked at the rows of blue lockers stacked in front of her, her eyes scanning the numbers marked on them one by one.
Finally, she stopped at a blue locker with number 39, then called the staff member guarding the lockers and showed her the bracelet Tsuna had given her.
The staff member confirmed with her before using the key to open the locker.
Inside was only a shirt and pants, nothing else.
Shouko, with a clear goal in mind, reached out to remove Tsuna's pants and then took out his wallet.
As soon as she opened the wallet, her eyes were immediately drawn to an object.
If she remembered correctly, it was the red amulet she had given him on his kindergarten graduation day.
Shouko's fingertips traced the raised edges of the amulet, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
On the front, the words "Miyamura Tsunayoshi" were sewed by her grandmother with yellow thread, and her name was also sewn inside. She wondered if he'd noticed.
It was no wonder she hadn't found it before, searching between his bedside tables. He'd always carried it with him.
A daring idea suddenly struck her...
Without hesitation, Shouko pulled the amulet from his wallet.
————————
"Did Shouko drop it somewhere?"
Tsuna waited boredly in the shop for ten minutes without seeing Shouko arrive, and his mind began to wander.
Seeing the ice cream already half melted, he grew anxious.
He began to wonder if aliens had abducted Shouko, or if the aftermath of Godzilla vs. Superman had affected Shouko, causing her to arrive late.
After all, he was in his second life, so an alien wasn't too much to ask...?
"Tsunayoshi, Tsunayoshi." It wasn't until he saw a familiar figure appear at the entrance that all those wild thoughts vanished.
Then, after paying the staff, Shouko returned to sit beside him. As soon as Shouko sat down, before Tsunayoshi could offer any concern, she spoke up,
"Tsunayoshi, I see that amulet in your wallet is a little dirty. I'll take it, clean it, and return it to you in a few days."
She could take it, but she still had to tell Tsunayoshi about it. After all, he always had it with him, and he'd be worried if he found it missing.
"I refuse now, can you give it back?" he asked tentatively...
"No." Shouko chuckled and shook her head. She picked up the only spoon on the table, scooped up the unmelted ice cream from the bowl, and shoved it into her mouth.
"I've used this spoon before, and you're really not disgusted," he muttered, watching Shouko enjoying herself.
"Ah~"
Shouko, as if hearing his grumble, scooped up half a spoonful and placed it near his mouth, waiting for him to open his mouth.
He watched the spoon get closer and closer to his mouth, and could only open his mouth in resignation.
Meanwhile, hidden in the corner, Shizuka and Daisuke were wearing disposable hats and masks.
"It's a shame I didn't get to capture Tsuna's face being smeared with cream," Shizuka said, looking at the image she had just captured on her phone. Meanwhile,
Daisuke was chatting enthusiastically with the store manager who had come out to help Tsuna and the others.
(End of Chapter)
Reverie_1 thanks for the review and here's are the chapter as promised.
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