At the door, Musae, dressed in a light blue short-sleeved shirt and moon-white trousers, carried a white bag as she approached the entrance to change into the slippers that Tsuna had placed on the floor.
"Hello! I'm Musae Koyama from Barracuda Photo Studio. I called you yesterday."
Musae followed Tsuna to the entrance of the living room, where she saw Mrs. Miyamura conversing with an unfamiliar woman. A man was seated on the sofa, so she bowed and introduced herself.
"Please sit down for a moment; we'll get ready shortly." Shizuka nodded in acknowledgment and stood up with Yaeko beside her to apply their makeup first.
Tsuna observed Musae as she sat down at the coffee table, her head bowed in silence. With a sense of restraint, he went to the dining room to pour her a glass of water.
"Tsuna!!! Are you home?! Tsuna had just placed the water in front of Musae when he heard Shin-chan calling from outside the house.
Musae thanked Tsuna and recognized the familiar voice.
"Knock, knock, knock..." A rapid series of knocks echoed on the door.
"I'm coming! Tsuna didn't understand why Shin-chan was there, so he quickly rushed to open the door.
The people outside seemed to have heard Tsuna's voice, and the knocking stopped. Tsuna approached the front door and opened it to find a five-member team accompanied by a dog. Everyone was there.
Tsuna was quite confused. "Why are you here?"
"Of course, I came to play with you and Shouko. However, I'm not sure if we can attend the same elementary school." Masao stood at the end of the line, scratching the back of his head with his left hand as he sighed.
"Yes..."
Nene quickly echoed Bo-chan's words: "Yes, this may be the last time we play super-realistic house."
After hearing this, the other four individuals responded in unison, their voices tinged with embarrassment: "It's okay if we don't play..."
Tsuna couldn't stand Nene's overly realistic house-playing; it was simply absurd. Shouko was the only one who enjoyed playing with Nene, so he had no choice but to accompany her. At times, he worried that Nene might lead Shouko to act violently.
"We're taking graduation photos together this afternoon, so let's do it as a team. Tsuna noticed Nene's flushed cheeks and swiftly shifted the topic.
"Come in first and talk later." Tsuna realized that chatting at the door was not a good idea, so he turned and walked into the corridor. He hadn't prepared disposable slippers for his guests, so he allowed them to wear their socks instead.
"Why are you here, Aunt Musae? A group of people followed Tsuna, and as soon as Shin-chan entered the living room, he spotted the reserved Musae.
Musae appeared to have found a savior, transforming her previously reserved demeanor. She turned her head with a smile and said to Shin-chan and the others, "I'm the cameraman here to take photos for Tsuna and the others today."
"You!?" Shin-chan exclaimed, clearly in disbelief.
"Shin-chan, what's with that expression?" Musae gritted her teeth as she looked at the questioning Shin-chan.
"Hello, Uncle!"
Toru walked behind, ignoring the two people bickering. He first noticed Daisuke sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper, and quickly greeted him. The others promptly followed suit. Musae also ceased her argument with Shin-chan, having forgotten that the owner of the house was sitting on the sofa behind them.
"Be casual; don't be so reserved." Over the past three years, Daisuke has encountered these children several times. His son, Tsuna, didn't have many friends, so he recognized them but didn't know them well.
"Woof! Woof!" Shiro excitedly ran to Hachiko, eager to play. Hachiko followed the little marshmallow bounding ahead of him and barked a few times, but he hesitated to make any sudden movements because Yuzuru was lying on him with his eyes closed.
This year, both families became accustomed to Yuzuru riding Hachiko. Initially, Yaeko earnestly advised Yuzuru against riding Hachiko, fearing that she might fall off.
Later, she repeated it more than ten times and attempted it once or twice, but it didn't work, so she lost interest. She wanted her to experience a fall, believing that only then would she understand the pain.
But she was disappointed. Yuzuru never fell off Hachiko, and the man and the dog gradually grew accustomed to one another. When Hachiko was about to run, he would bark, prompting Yuzuru to hold him tightly with both hands. If he walked slowly, he simply had to sit still. At times, Tsuna questioned whether Hachiko and he were truly the closest companions.
"Shouko, wake up and get ready to take pictures, Tsuna gently urged as Shouko came down from upstairs after taking a nap.
"Hmm..." Shouko mumbled, dazed, as she raised her hand to rub her eyes.
Shizuka and Yaeko applied their makeup and exited the master bedroom on the first floor. Typically, Yaeko only wears light makeup for work, while Shizuka refrains from wearing any makeup unless there is a significant occasion.
Everyone lined up in front of the Miyamura house, with the adults standing at the back. Shizuka was at the center, accompanied by Nishimiya Ito, Teacher Ageo, Teacher Yoshinaga, and the stern-faced Director Takakura. They had all been summoned by Shizuka and were planning to share a meal together once the preparations were complete.
The children stood at the front, with Tsuna in the center, Shouko on the left, and Shin-chan on the right. Why wasn't Yuzuru positioned to Tsuna's right? Because she was lying on Hachiko and refused to get up, insisting that she wanted to pose like this. The two dogs stood on either side of the child.
"Okay! Ready!" Musae stood a short distance away from Tsuna, adjusting the equipment in her hand.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!!"
"Cheese!"
"Click" sounded with a flash of light.
The picture captured the moment when Shouko boldly turned her head and kissed Tsuna on the left cheek. Tsuna's eyes widened in surprise. Meanwhile, Shin-chan removed his pants and performed the first step of the butt dance. Shizuka, standing behind Tsuna, looked down at the two in astonishment. Yuzuru raised his arms and made a "yeah" gesture, while Hachiko excitedly wagged his tail. Everyone else also raised their hands, joining in with a "yeah" sign.
——————
After the shooting, Shizuka made a strong request to have the first photo printed and framed. Following that, Shizuka and Daisuke drove everyone to a nearby restaurant that had received rave reviews for dinner.
That night, Shouko took a bath and returned to her room. She retrieved a small cardboard box from beneath her bed. Gently, Shouko opened it and gazed at the paper cranes that Tsuna had taught her to fold, along with some small toys that Tsuna had given her, and the cat doll that Tsuna had gifted her on her first day of kindergarten three years ago.
Looking at these items, Shouko felt a stirring in her heart, an indescribable sensation. Finally, she chuckled, placed a large group photo on the bedside table, gently closed the cardboard box, and pushed it back under the bed. Lying on the small bed and gazing at the ceiling, memories of kindergarten flooded her mind.
On Tsuna's side, she sat on the bed in a daze, holding the amulet that Shouko had given her. The front was embroidered with the four characters "Miyamura Tsunayoshi" the inside featured the four characters "Nishimiya Shouko"