By the time Tsuna and Shouko returned to the stage, the two curtains had already closed, the audience was steadily leaving, and most of the props and set had been removed.
"Ding-dong…"
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Tsuna took it out, unlocked the screen, and saw a message from his mom at first glance.
"Your Aunt Uzaki and I are leaving first. You two don't need to look for us when you're dismissed later. You and Shouko should find somewhere to eat lunch."
"Tsuna, is something wrong?" Shouko, noticing him standing still, curiously leaned over to check.
"Nothing, just a message from Mom." Tsuna shrugged carelessly and then casually held the phone in front of Shouko, who was peeking over. "Want to reply for me?"
Shouko didn't hesitate. She took the phone and immediately began typing.
Tsuna naturally took her free hand while listening to Ajitani's directions, moving into position as she indicated.
Under Ajitani's deliberate arrangement, Nishikata and Takagi were cleverly paired together, and Tsuna and Shouko were, of course, even more so.
"Alright! I'll count to three, and everyone shout 'Cheese!' happily together!"
Misae deftly set up the camera, watched the group opposite tidy their clothes and postures, then impatiently held up three fingers and shouted in a clear voice:
"Three!" She called out loudly, simultaneously lowering one finger with a swift motion.
"Two!" Her voice rose, carrying a hint of urging amusement as she lowered another finger.
"One!" The last syllable was drawn out the longest, full of anticipation, as if freezing the moment.
"Chee—se!!"
Almost as soon as the word 'One' fell, Misae impatiently yelled out!
"Mmm…"
As if he had anticipated this, the moment the word "One" popped out, Tsuna's right hand lifted like a shadow.
With a precise grasp and scoop, he firmly 'locked' Shouko's face, which was attempting a sneak attack, in his palm.
Then, just before the shutter clicked, he deftly twisted his wrist, skillfully adjusting Shouko's slightly pouting 'goldfish mouth,' which held a hint of protest, to a perfect angle.
Thus, this lively yet slightly awkward expression was permanently captured in the center of the group photo with the crisp click of the shutter.
At the same time, everyone's unified, joy-filled shouts erupted, accompanied by a succession of smiling faces frozen before the lens.
The radiant smiles on everyone's faces at this moment formed a stark contrast to the listless exhaustion and drained spirits that would pervade the venue just three short days later when the School Festival concluded.
---
"Tsuna, what do you think about what I just mentioned to you?"
Misae, carrying a small bag, walked up to Tsuna, who had already changed back into his casual clothes, and asked.
"Not... not so good." Tsuna leaned against the corridor railing, shook his head, and then suggested, "Misae-nee, I think you'd be better off finding Shin-chan for this job."
"You don't even need to pay him after it's over, maybe just buy him two boxes of crocodile chocolates."
Seeing him lounging against the railing, Misae raised an eyebrow and, mimicking him, lazily leaned against the side.
But when she turned her head and met his face, along with his words, his "dead fish eyes" mode instantly activated. After glancing back and forth for several seconds, she gave him a clear and direct look, showing a lot of the whites of her eyes.
"Don't refuse so quickly. Go back and think about it. Just be a model, strike a few poses, and take 'a few' photos."
She emphasized the words 'a few' particularly heavily.
"Mm-hmm."
Tsuna felt that even if he refused, the other party wouldn't give up anytime soon, so he could only nod perfunctorily for now.
After Shouko and the two others came out of the restroom, the group met up and strolled outside the school. They all unanimously decided to start exploring the School Festival in the afternoon; they would skip it for now in the middle of the day.
As they walked, Ajitani reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the still bustling stalls on the school's sports field, tilting her head to look at Misae on her left:
"Misae-nee," her voice held a hint of excitement and anticipation, "How long will it take for that group photo to be developed?"
"Mmm…"
Misae lightly tapped her chin, pretending to think seriously for a few seconds. Meeting the expectant gazes of the others, she then clearly and crisply gave her answer:
"For the regular process, it'll probably take about a week."
She then added, "However... if you're really in a hurry and want it faster, you know~"
Misae winked playfully at Ajitani.
"No hurry, no hurry."
Ajitani quickly waved her hand. She had understood Misae's hint; it was simply about paying more...
After choosing a steaming hot tonkotsu ramen shop outside the school, as soon as the bowls of hot soup noodles were served, Ajitani and Misae's conversation completely opened up.
Ajitani animatedly recounted the fresh news and interesting anecdotes from school recently.
One by one, she helped Misae recall her high school days, which felt like just yesterday.
Sitting opposite, Tsuna slurped his noodles, listening and watching.
He observed the two of them—one a vibrant high school student, the other a woman whose experience was probably... possibly... likely rich and approaching "forty"—chatting with continuous laughter and growing increasingly congenial.
He couldn't quite understand how this generational gap, spanning nearly two decades, seemed to evaporate into thin air in front of them.
---
"These two are finally together." Misae raised an eyebrow, and the chopsticks she was slowly twirling between her fingers paused.
"Tsk tsk tsk…"
She slowly scanned her gaze back and forth across the faces of the two people opposite, then returned to Ajitani's face beside her and smiled:
"When they graduated from Kindergarten, I was the one who took their family photo. Even then, I thought those two had something going on."
As she spoke, her gaze slid to Tsuna's calm face.
Misae let out a small huff of air from her nose, shaking her head almost imperceptibly, her words revealing a familiar helplessness, like an elder looking at a junior who hadn't caught on:
"But this brat was too slow to catch on. It took them so long to get together; he wasn't afraid at all that the adorable Shouko would be snatched away by another boy."
"…"
The speechless Tsuna didn't indulge the other party. He immediately launched several attacks: "Heh, Misae-nee, when it comes to 'late blooming,' you're the expert."
He looked up, his gaze lightly sweeping over her face, a hint of a smile playing on his lips:
"Are you married? Have you found a boyfriend? Has Uncle Koyama urged you many times? Aunt Nohara must have urged you a lot too, right? You're almost forty, aren't you?"
Tsuna wanted to continue speaking, but Shouko's small hand pinched his arm under the table, stopping his words. He had already said what he wanted…
"…"
Misae had heard the first few sentences from her family so many times that she was somewhat immune to them, but only the last sentence pierced her heart.