"Hmm..."
Hearing this, Tsuna stopped what he was doing, thinking about the crowded tourist spots during previous New Year's holidays and the command his Old Man had given, and slowly shook his head.
"Just like before, we'll stay at home."
Shouko let out a "Heyshu" and sat up from the bed, asking for his opinion, "Then I'll go out and play with Ajitani-chan and the others during the day. Tsuna, do you want to come along?"
"No." He waved his hand in refusal. "It's a girls' gathering. I won't go. Just be careful tomorrow."
"I'll bring you back something good to eat when I return."
Shouko stood up, walked to his side, reached out, and vigorously rubbed his head. Then she turned and quickly fled his room, not forgetting to leave behind a "Good night!"
Click...
Tsuna withdrew his gaze from the closed door and continued writing his unfinished light novel, having long since forgotten her words.
In the past, whenever she went out to play, most of the small desserts she brought back ended up in her stomach, and the remaining small portion was eaten by his Mom beforehand...
He stared blankly at the two ellipses on the screen, and when he came back to his senses, the time had already reached '23:23', caught between continuing to write and going to bed.
He didn't hesitate to choose going to the bathroom and then sleeping. He also had to accompany his Dad in receiving potential visiting guests tomorrow during the day, so it was better not to stay up late.
The black velvet of the winter night was gently torn by the morning light, the indigo gradually fading into a fish-belly white.
The first rays of the sun were outlining the eaves of the shrine with a golden foil pen. Dew condensed from the long night fell into the ripples of the morning bell, and trains filled with commuters crushed the last specks of starlight.
"Tsuna, Takagi-chan and I are going out to play. I'll be careful."
(Rabbit waving.jpg)
He looked at these two messages on his phone, which had been sent two hours ago, replied with 'Be careful,' tidied up a bit, and then went downstairs to wash up.
Coming out of the washroom, he noticed the breakfast left on the dining table and could hear intermittent chatting sounds coming from the living room.
He could tell that only his Dad and Mom were in the living room, and there were no other guests, which made him feel relieved.
There was none of that social death feeling from his previous life where he would wake up late in the afternoon and see several relatives staring at him as soon as he left his room.
If there was also a beautiful girl of the same age whom he had never met before, it would be even more awkward.
Ding-dong...
The ringtone of his phone beside him interrupted his rambling thoughts. He picked it up and saw it was still a message from Shouko.
"Tsuna, which one do you want to eat? I'll bring one back for you later."
"[Image] [Image] [Image]"
"I recommend this chocolate-flavored cake. It's really delicious!"
His gaze swept over the different flavored cakes sent by Shouko one by one, and combined with her last sentence, it was already a clear hint.
At this point, if he were to choose a cake of another flavor, he would be too clueless.
"..."
"Help me bring back a chocolate-flavored one. Arigato."
(Rabbit nodding.jpg)
Ding-dong...
Ding-dong...
"Tsuna, go open the door. It should be your Aunt!"
As soon as the doorbell rang, he heard his Mom's loud voice from the living room. He casually replied to Shouko and reluctantly got up to open the door.
Click...
"You two are...?"
Tsuna opened the door and paused for a moment, looking at the middle-aged man and the black-haired girl he had never seen before, but instantly reacted.
The stern middle-aged man was holding a beautifully wrapped gift box, while the girl with slightly widened pupils was empty-handed.
This made him slightly doubt his judgment, but it wasn't important. Regardless, they were guests visiting for the New Year, so being polite was the right thing to do.
"Happy New Year! This is the Miyamura house, right? I'm here to pay a New Year's call." The middle-aged man nodded slightly toward Tsuna.
And the girl beside him, following his words, instantly put away her previous loss of composure expression, gave Tsuna a slight bow, and at the same time didn't forget to echo:
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year." Tsuna also learned from the girl and gave a slight bow toward the two people at the door.
Just as he stood straight and was about to nod in affirmation of the middle-aged man's words, he was interrupted by the other party's smile.
"You are 'Miyamura Tsunayoshi,' Tsuna, right? Daisuke showed me your photo."
The middle-aged man's words were mixed with a hint of laughter, making him seem very friendly, giving a feeling of being 'approachable despite being rich.'
"Nakama? Why did you come over directly without telling me?"
At this moment, Daisuke's slightly surprised voice sounded from behind Tsuna.
Before he could turn his head to look, a gentle large hand was placed on his head and began to gently rub it.
"It's cold outside, don't stand outside anymore. Come in quickly."
At the same time, he didn't forget to introduce the father and daughter in front of Tsuna:
"This is your Dad's university classmate, named Inoue Nakama, and beside him is Takina Inoue, who is two years younger than you."
"Hello, Inoue Uncle!" Hearing this, Tsuna gave the middle-aged man another slight bow.
But he was stopped by the other party's outstretched hand.
"No need to be so formal, just call me Uncle Nakama ."
As the words fell, the middle-aged man took out the prepared 'O-nen-dama' (New Year's gift money) from his brown suit pocket and handed it to Tsuna.
Tsuna took it with both hands, and just as he was about to say some congratulatory words, he was interrupted by Shizuka's speechless words from behind:
"That's enough, Nakama, you don't mind the cold standing outside either. Next, is it Daisuke's turn to give 'Nen-dama' to Nishiki, and then you two will stand at the door chatting for about thirty minutes?"
Hearing his Mom's words, Tsuna knew without guessing that they went to the same university. His Dad said their relationship was solid, so how could his Mom not know him?
The girl greeted Shizuka, who had come out of the living room, and then followed the middle-aged man into the house.
Only the gaze that intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Tsuna beside Daisuke revealed the girl's thoughts.
Compared to the girl's kneeling posture, the others were clearly much more relaxed. The adults reminisced about the past, chatting about their university days, while the two children quietly listened beside them.
Just as Tsuna started to feel bored, Inoue Nakama 'intentionally or unintentionally' shifted the topic to his grades, forcing him to pay attention.
"I heard Tsuna's grades at school are very good? Daisuke never failed to show off your grades every time he met with me." Nakama placed his gaze on Tsuna.
"Yes, Dad and Mom taught me well."
Tsuna very naturally threw this topic to Daisuke, but in front of outsiders, it was better to call them Dad and Mom.
Moreover, after about an hour of interaction, he had relaxed a bit, realizing that this person was also an important partner of his Old Man's firm.
But this time, he came to pay a New Year's visit as a friend, not as a business partner, so he didn't need to be so nervous about saying something wrong for the first time.
"Then can you add Takina's contact information? She's not particularly outstanding in her studies, so if she has any questions in the future, would you teach her?"
"Ah...?" The girl, whose peripheral vision was fixed on Tsuna, let out a small gasp of surprise, quickly reacted, and hurriedly covered her mouth.
"Okay."
Tsuna didn't feel anything in particular. He didn't hesitate to take out his phone, open 'LINE', tap on the add friend section, and with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, handed it to the girl opposite him.
As for the meaning behind the other person's words, how could he not hear it?