Tsuna looked at Shouko, who stood with her hands on her hips, her fierce yet cute face making him chuckle. He nodded to show he understood, then split the peeled orange in his hand into two halves and handed them to the "big and small" in front of him.
"Don't eat too much; lunch will be ready soon." Shizuka didn't take the orange and simply sat down on the tatami to watch TV.
"Hehe!" Shouko didn't bother to be polite to Tsuna. She snorted playfully and stuffed the orange straight into her mouth.
Tsuna watched Shouko cram half the orange in her mouth and helplessly reminded her, "Shouko, eat slowly, no one's going to snatch it from you."
Cough cough cough!
As if his words were magic, Shouko suddenly started coughing violently as soon as she tried to swallow. Tsuna quickly stood up and gently patted her back to help her feel better.
When she finally stopped coughing, he was about to say something, but seeing her eyes slightly red from the coughing, her big watery eyes looking at him pitifully, ready to be scolded, he silently swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
Shizuka sat on the tatami beside them. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether the TV show was more interesting than the adorable interaction between the two kids next to her.
Ordinary elementary school life quickly brought them to their first weekend.
"Mom! Where did this bicycle come from?" Tsuna had slept until he woke up naturally, and when he came downstairs, he saw a beige bicycle leaning against the wall at the entrance.
"It was given to me by a colleague. Since you're in first grade now, I figured it was time to accept it." Before Shizuka could reply, the calm voice of Daisuke came from the living room.
Tsuna walked toward the bathroom, muttering, "Dad, I'm only in first grade, you trust me to ride a bike to school with Shouko?"
Daisuke, who had forgotten to mention Japan's passenger rules, laughed lightly and explained, "What are you talking about? In Japan, it's illegal to carry passengers on a bicycle. At most, you can ride with Shouko on the sidewalk. If the traffic police catch you, you'll get fined.
I'll add training wheels to the back to help you balance," he added, worried Tsuna might fall off.
(Note: After family members commented, it was clarified that in 2007, Japan's traffic regulations limited bicycles carrying passengers. According to the law, bicycles can carry only one adult, and adults cannot ride on the back seat.)
When Tsuna came out of the bathroom, he saw Daisuke crouched at the entrance with tools, fixing the small wheels onto the bicycle.
Tsuna didn't stop him—he could ride it fine without training wheels, but adding them made it safer if Shouko was riding too.
Daisuke explained again about Japan's passenger rules while working.
"All right, I'll push it outside now, come and give it a try."
After tightening the last screw, Daisuke stood up, opened the door, and pushed the bicycle out without waiting for Tsuna's answer.
Tsuna changed into outdoor shoes and followed him. Daisuke pushed the bicycle to a side street where cars weren't allowed, then stopped and raised his eyebrows at Tsuna, signaling him to take over.
Tsuna stepped forward, took the beige adult bicycle from Daisuke, and adjusted the seat height so his feet could touch the ground.
Once Daisuke saw Tsuna get on, he briefly explained the brakes and other basics before stepping aside to watch him: "Ride slowly and watch for pedestrians."
"Yeah." Tsuna nodded halfheartedly. He could already ride without training wheels, so with them, balancing was no problem. He rode two easy loops and stopped in front of Daisuke.
"Not bad, much better than my first time."
Watching Tsuna turn so smoothly reminded Daisuke of his first ride, when he'd flipped over turning a corner. Of course, he'd never tell Tsuna that embarrassing story and ruin his image.
"I'm going back now, Dad."
After riding two more circles, Tsuna motioned for Daisuke to hop on the back. Daisuke just laughed, pushed Tsuna to the back seat himself, and rode him home.
"Tsuna, Tsuna! I heard you're learning to ride a bicycle?" Tsuna had just opened the door when he heard Shouko's excited voice.
Tsuna looked at Shouko, who had suddenly appeared at the entrance of his house. Just as he was about to speak, Shizuka walked out of the living room with a laugh: "Not long after you left, Shouko came looking for you. She ran out of the living room every few minutes to check if you were back like a little stone waiting for her husband."
Shouko didn't understand what a "husband-waiting stone" was, nor did she know Shizuka was teasing her. She excitedly ran up to Tsuna and chirped, "Tsuna, Tsuna! Take me out for a ride, okay?"
"Then let's go." Tsuna smiled fondly, ignoring the second half of Shizuka's teasing.
"Be careful!"
"Remember to stay on the side street," Daisuke and Shizuka said in unison. Tsuna reassured them repeatedly, then took Shouko's hand and walked out of the house.
"Wow! It looks so nice!" Shouko immediately spotted the beige bicycle outside.
"Wait!" Shizuka's voice came from behind, stopping Tsuna just as he was about to get on the bike. The two turned and looked at her in confusion.
"Wear your helmets. You didn't need them before because your dad was with you, but I'm worried when it's just you two." Shizuka handed them the black and white children's helmets that Daisuke had brought from the living room.
"Okay."
Tsuna thought a little extra safety was fine. He handed the white one to Shouko, took the black one for himself, and buckled it on. Then he gently helped Shouko secure hers and promised Shizuka they'd be careful before getting on the bike.
"Okay, Tsuna."
Shouko had seen on TV that girls often sat sideways on the back seat, so she gathered her skirt and sat sideways, placing her hands neatly on her knees.
"Hold my waist." Tsuna glanced back, worried she might slip off if he accelerated or hit a bump.
Without hesitation, Shouko opened her arms and hugged Tsuna's waist. Once she held him firmly, Tsuna pulled up the leg he'd been resting on the ground and pushed off on the pedal.
Thanks to the training wheels, the bicycle didn't wobble; it stayed steady.
But Shouko, sitting on the back, squeezed Tsuna tightly in fear, resting her head on his back and shutting her eyes. At first, when the bike wasn't moving, she'd felt fine. But as soon as it rolled forward, she felt like she might fall off at any moment.
There was a constant clicking sound from the training wheels behind them, but neither of them cared.
"It's okay, Shouko. Don't be scared." Tsuna spoke softly as he pedaled, feeling her arms tighten around him. After a moment, Shouko realized she hadn't fallen and was perfectly steady.
Slowly, Shouko opened her eyes and looked curiously at the houses and people passing by. This feeling was completely different from riding in Aunt Shizuka's car. The breeze tickled the ends of her hair, and leaning against Tsuna's back, listening to his heartbeat, she felt perfectly at ease.