"Where's your costume?"
Shouko gestured with her head towards the seat in front of her. "It's with Takagi-chan."
Following her gaze, Tsuna's eyes were instantly drawn to a Q-version pink pig head wearing a yellow crown.
Next to that comical item, Takagi-san resembled a deflated balloon, desperately covering her mouth as her shoulders shook uncontrollably, clearly on the verge of bursting into laughter.
"It suits you very well, Nishikata Tongxue," Takagi-san praised, then immediately bit her lips together, afraid she would break down if she waited another second.
"Really...?"
Nishikata stiffly turned his head to look at her, but the next second, she immediately turned her head away, not letting Nishikata see her current expression.
The only response Nishikata received was her continuous nodding.
"Clap, clap, clap..."
Several clear, strong, and piercing claps suddenly rang out in the slightly noisy auditorium, followed by Nanase-sensei's clear voice:
"Everyone, please collect your costumes and change quickly. We aim to have a successful rehearsal without a single mishap."
Tsuna's gaze shifted from Nanase-sensei on the stage, then he looked at Shouko next to him. "Is my costume still with the class monitor?"
His gaze inadvertently swept over the audience, settling precisely on the heavy bag in Ajitani's hand.
Shouko shook her head. "I already brought it for you, it's with Takagi-chan. Mine is too."
Students who needed to rehearse gradually left the auditorium.
Shouko took the two costumes from Takagi-san's hand and tossed the magnificent outfit prepared for Tsuna into his arms. It had a pristine milky-white base adorned with striking and solemn gold and black details.
She also handed him a finely crafted, exquisite golden crown.
"Tsuna, I want to switch with you." Shouko's gaze darted between her costume and Tsuna's.
"Then you can just keep wishing." Tsuna's eyes and brows were filled with a smile as he gently poked her forehead.
Then, he gave a glance at Nishikata, who was not far away, and the two turned and walked side by side into the depths of the bustling corridor.
---
"Don't be disheartened, Nishikata."
Tsuna had just taken off his shirt when his peripheral vision noticed Nishikata still staring at the costume in his hand. He patted his shoulder. "If you put in some effort, you might still get to kiss Princess Takagi."
"Thanks... I feel comforted."
"You're welcome." Tsuna smiled and patted Nishikata's Q-version pink pig head.
He just said it casually; he knew whether Nishikata was truly comforted or not.
"..."
Gradually, the people in the changing room dwindled until only Tsuna and two or three others remained.
Nishikata suddenly grabbed his blue and white performance costume, then rushed a few steps to Tsuna's side.
His fingertips firmly pinched the gold thread on the cuff of Tsuna's splendid attire, his voice slightly raised due to surprise:
"Wait, wait, wait! The disparity is a bit too outrageous, isn't it?"
As he spoke, he unconsciously widened his eyes, pointing back and forth between their clothes.
"Tsuna, are you sure our costume team didn't spend the entire budget on you when renting the costumes?"
Tsuna, focused on adjusting a disobedient strand of bangs in the mirror on the door, paused at his words. He cast a bewildered look from the mirror.
"? What's wrong? They were all rented from the same place."
"Are you sure??"
"Yes, all from the same place."
When Nishikata put on that costume, Tsuna understood what he had meant earlier. The performance costume he had on could only be described as "mediocre"...
"Why don't I have that feeling when I put it on...?" Nishikata looked at the mirror in front of him, then compared the costumes on both of them.
"Nishikata, you need to think from a different perspective."
After much thought, Tsuna decided to use a 'well-intentioned' lie: "The character I'm playing is the King, so my clothes naturally have to be luxurious."
"Besides, I only appear for a short while at the beginning, and my main purpose is to keep the audience from asking for refunds. Doesn't that make sense?"
Nishikata wanted to object but couldn't find a point to, so he could only nod.
Receiving his response, Tsuna continued: "Your character is a pig-headed knight disguised as a prince, so the surface material of your clothes would naturally be different from mine."
"..." Hearing Tsuna say that, Nishikata suddenly felt there was some truth to it...
"Let's go."
"Mm." Nishikata hugged his Q-version pig head and quickly followed Tsuna's footsteps.
Walking beside Tsuna, he suddenly felt a bit like a servant...
The light outside the changing room was a bit dazzling. Before Tsuna could adapt, a burning gaze instantly fixed on his face.
"Even if you look at me like that, Ms. Big Bad Wolf, I won't let you eat me."
Tsuna stopped a few steps in front of Shouko, his gaze firmly glued to the one-piece costume that almost completely enveloped Shouko, making her look like a fluffy, round Big Bad Wolf plushie.
Only a small part of her fair face was visible beneath the fluffy hood, especially those soft, triangular ears stubbornly perched on top of her head.
"Hey, hey, Ms. Big Bad Wolf." He tried to put on a serious expression, but a hint of a smile couldn't be hidden in his voice.
"Even if you widen your eyes and stare at me like that, I won't let you eat me."
As he spoke, he reached out and ruffled her head before Shouko could react.
Meanwhile, in a similar fashion, Nishikata's gaze was fixed on Takagi-san's direction.
"Ahem..."
Takagi-san deliberately cleared her throat, while her lips curved into an unmistakably teasing smile.
Nishikata instantly snapped out of it, realizing he had been staring in a daze. He quickly averted his gaze, pretending to be busy, his ears coloring at a visible speed.
---
"Why are Shouko-chan and the others taking so long...?" Ajitani's gaze was fixed on the entrance.
Now, only a few people for the rehearsal hadn't arrived, and Tsuna's group of four was still on their way.
"Maybe they went to the restroom. After all, a single show is over forty minutes, and they can't go during the performance," Nanase-sensei's lazy voice sounded beside her.
"Sorry for the wait, sorry for the wait."
"This..." Ajitani looked at Shouko and Takagi-san as they walked in, her gaze moving between them before finally settling on Shouko in front.
Ajitani immediately stood up and walked to Shouko, starting to touch her, while not forgetting to praise Takagi-san behind her, saying that her princess dress was a refreshing sight.
However, she still preferred the fluffy Shouko in front of her, with only a small part of her fair face showing.
"Ajitani-chan, it's very tiring." Shouko gently pushed away Ajitani, who was about to hug her.
Their appearance also attracted the attention of those around them, especially Takagi-san, who was dressed in splendid attire, playing Snow White.
She was almost instantly surrounded by curious gazes, and many girls couldn't contain their excitement, already gathering around her.
Some wanted to see her exquisite makeup and skirt, while others wanted to experience that fairytale-like dream aura up close.
"Oh, right, are Miyamura and Nishikata not ready yet?"
"Tsuna forgot his crown and went back to the changing room. He should be back soon."
No sooner had Shouko finished speaking than Nishikata's voice rang out behind her:
"We're not the last ones to arrive, are we?"