"..."
Before the auxiliary police officer could recover, Shouko had already swiftly pulled out her phone and snapped a few quick pictures, aiming at the little girl in Tsuna's arms.
After taking the photos, she immediately lowered her head, tapping away on the bright screen, and sent them directly to Teacher Yoshinaga on LINE.
She also included the location of the Futaba Police Station where they currently were.
"Ding-dong…"
Not long after the message was sent, Shouko's phone vibrated with a buzzing sound, accompanied by a notification tone.
"???"
"I'm contacting Little Yuan's parents now. Please wait a little longer, Shouko."
Shouko held her phone up and showed them the reply from Teacher Yoshinaga.
Only then did she curiously squat down, look the little girl in the eyes, and ask softly, "Little one, is your name Little Yuan?"
The little girl in Tsuna's arms wiggled her small head slightly, buried her face deeper into his neck, rubbed against him, and responded with a very faint, nasal hum.
"..."
Shouko looked at the little girl rubbing and whimpering against Tsuna's shoulder and suddenly felt a pang in her back teeth.
At first, she thought this little brat was quite cute, but now she wanted to take that thought back.
While Shouko was still struggling with her back teeth, the auxiliary police officer, who had been quietly observing, finally found an opening.
He immediately flipped open his small notebook, leaned close to Tsuna, and, using the nearby snacks as temptation, softened his voice to ask the little head still buried in Tsuna's neck:
"Little Yuan, can you tell uncle how you ended up alone by that stream? Did you go out to play and get lost on your way home?"
"Ding-a-ling-ling…"
A noisy phone ringtone interrupted everyone present, and the auxiliary police officer subconsciously patted the phone in his pocket.
"It's mine, it's mine. I'll go out to take a call."
With that, Shouko nodded to Tsuna, pulled out her vibrating phone, and ran out of the police station.
Once she left, Little Yuan, despite her young age, ultimately couldn't resist the immense temptation.
The auxiliary police officer finally pieced together the reason she appeared by the stream that afternoon from her intermittent, baby-voiced narration.
---
"Moshi moshi?"
Shouko strolled to the lamppost next to the police station, her toes unconsciously grinding a lonely little pebble on the ground.
Standing on one leg, she swayed her body and asked into the phone with a hint of confusion, "Mom, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Shizuka's voice came through the receiver, sounding relaxed and a bit casual. "It's just that it's so late, and you two aren't back yet, so I was a bit worried. I called Tsuna several times just now, but that kid didn't answer any of them!"
At this point, she seemed to suddenly realize it was Shouko who had answered the phone, and her voice immediately rose by several octaves, the intensity almost making the phone vibrate apart.
"..."
Shouko had the speakerphone on. Shizuka's suddenly elevated voice exploded like a small firecracker on the quiet street, making her shiver all over.
"Gah!"
She almost instinctively shrank her neck, then quickly looked around guiltily. Thankfully, there were no pedestrians passing by on the dimly lit street for now.
Letting out a long breath, she fumbled to move the phone a few inches away from her ear, which was pressed against her hearing aid.
Without hesitation, Shouko recounted the entire story of that afternoon. At the same time, she didn't forget to praise how cute the little girl was.
"I see," Shizuka's voice on the phone sounded relieved. "Alright then, remember to be careful on your way back."
"Mhm, mhm." Shouko nodded her head toward the phone.
After hanging up, Shouko tucked it into her pocket, took a long breath, composed herself, and then turned and walked quickly toward the police station entrance.
---
At the same time, at Miyamura.
"I told you you were overthinking it. Don't you know Tsuna by now?" Daisuke sat at the dining table with his legs crossed, a smile on his lips as he looked at his wife. "According to our bet—"
"Stop, stop, stop…" Shizuka, sitting opposite him, raised her hand to interrupt. "I know, I'll wash the dishes. I was just worried that because the two kids are young, they might not be able to control themselves and accidentally do something they shouldn't, right?"
"..."
Daisuke stood up and deftly stacked the dishes for her, still muttering under his breath, "They're not young kids anymore. They know what they're doing…"
Shizuka's gaze unconsciously fell on the few newly sprouted silver hairs at his temples.
She paused for a moment, the words on the tip of her tongue turning over before she finally swallowed them silently.
---
"Teacher Yoshinaga?"
Tsuna was the first to notice the figure appearing at the police station entrance. Shouko followed his gaze and couldn't help but exclaim as well.
It was still that striking orange T-shirt paired with jeans, the classic combination from memory completely unchanged.
Only the soft fine lines had quietly spread, lightly etched at the corners of her smiling eyes.
"Oh, Tsuna, Shouko!" She hurried closer, her voice filled with deep apology and gratitude. "Really… thank you for your trouble!"
Little Yuan, nestled in Tsuna's arms, immediately recognized the voice she heard every day, and her small body stiffened.
Her little face, which had been buried in his clothes, popped out from Tsuna's neck like a mushroom, her head twisting incredibly fast.
But as soon as her bright eyes locked onto Teacher Yoshinaga's joyful smile, she was like a little bird pulled by an invisible magnet.
"Whoosh."
She plunged her face back into Tsuna's chest, her small hands unconsciously clutching the fabric on his shoulders even tighter.
Hesitation instantly arose in her little head.
Hmm. Is it Teacher Yoshinaga's fragrant embrace, or this older brother, so warm and steady, a place where you can bury yourself and feel soft and completely unwilling to move? Which one is better?
"Little Yuan, have you said thank you to Big Brother and Big Sister?"
Without giving her a chance to hesitate, Teacher Yoshinaga skillfully extended her hands and picked Little Yuan out of Tsuna's arms, not giving her any time to react.
Little Yuan nodded quickly, the small pigtails at the back of her head flying up, looking a bit comical.
"Alright, then Shouko and I will take our leave."
Tsuna's gaze followed Little Yuan, now standing by Teacher Yoshinaga's leg, and his voice unconsciously softened a few degrees.
"Teacher Yoshinaga, Little Yuan."
He bent down and gave that fluffy little head a final, firm rub.
"Bye-bye."
"Bye-bye." Shouko also chimed in with a smile.
She knew this wasn't a good place for reminiscing. The auxiliary police officer would still need to talk to Teacher Yoshinaga later, so it was better to leave early.