After saying that, Shouko ran off. Tsuna stared after her in shock. It was hard to chase her in slippers, and besides, he thought she was joking. After all, he hadn’t done anything.
"You’ve been standing there for a while. Are you srized by the view?" ca Shizuka’s teasing voice from behind.
"No, I was just thinking about sothing..." Tsuna replied, closing the door with a sigh and heading toward the dining room. It was ti for dinner.
Leaning against the wall at the entrance to the living room, Shizuka smiled knowingly and nodded, but said nothing more.
______________
"So hot?" Shizuka stood by Tsuna’s bed early in the morning and touched his forehead. Then she hurried downstairs to get the thermoter.
When she returned to the second floor, Daisuke was trailing behind her.
Shizuka handed the electronic thermoter to Tsuna and told him to place it under his tongue.
"I told you to take a cold shower with Tsuna last night, and you ended up using a water gun to hit the water stream," Shizuka said, turning around to slap Daisuke’s arm.
Daisuke opened his mouth to explain, but Shizuka shot him a glare that quickly silenced him.
After about five minutes, Shizuka took out the thermoter and looked at the number on it at 38 degrees. Daisuke saw it too and hurried downstairs to prepare so cold dicine.
"Mom, it’s just a mild cold. I’ll be fine after a good sleep. Don’t forget to ask for leave for ," Tsuna said.
He had woken up when Shizuka slapped Daisuke’s arm earlier, but he didn’t stop her. After all, his father had completely crushed him the night before while playing with the water stick using his adult strength and not even putting water in it.
"Okay, drink the cold dicine and get so rest. Your temperature should drop by noon," Shizuka said. Although she was worried, she didn’t think it was necessary to take him to the hospital for sothing this mild.
After a while, Daisuke brought up the cold dicine. Shizuka took the cold dicine with warm water and said to him:
"Don’t worry too much. When Shouko cos over later, you can take her to kindergarten. I’ll stay and look after Tsuna," Shizuka said.
Daisuke knew that Tsuna only had a mild cold, and with Shizuka staying ho, everything would be fine. He nodded and went downstairs for breakfast.
"Do you want Mommy to feed you?" Shizuka sat down on the bed and asked gently.
Tsuna shook his head, sat up, took the glass of water, and drank it in one gulp.
"You’re so manly at tis like this," Shizuka said with a smile.
Tsuna handed the empty cup to Shizuka. He knew she was worried about him and that her praise ca from a coaxing tone. Although he was a child now, it still made him feel a bit awkward.
"Shizuka dear, if you don’t know how to praise soone, you don’t have to," he muttered.
Shizuka saw the exasperated look on her son’s face and raised her hand to gently rub his head. Hearing him call her by na even now, so cheekily, reassured her that he was fine. She let him lie back down to rest and decided to check on him again later.
Knock, knock, knock!
Shizuka had just walked down to the first floor when she heard a knock at the door. She knew it had to be Shouko, so she called out to Tsuna to continue eating his breakfast—she would get the door.
"Good morning, Aunt Miyamura!"
As soon as the door opened, Shouko greeted her cheerfully.
"Have you had breakfast, Shouko?"
Shizuka couldn’t resist Shouko’s adorable eyes. She half-squatted to gently pat the girl’s head and let her co in first.
"Shouko, Tsuna has a cold today, so he won’t be able to go to kindergarten with you," Shizuka said as she stepped onto the wooden corridor. She turned back to speak to Shouko, who was changing her shoes at the entrance. "Uncle will take you to kindergarten later."
When Shouko heard this, she stopped changing her shoes and asked Shizuka worriedly, "Is Tsuna’s condition serious?"
Shizuka saw the concern on Shouko’s face, smiled gently, and reassured her, "He’ll be fine after a good sleep. But don’t go into Tsuna’s room today I’m worried he might pass the cold to you."
Shouko stood there, a little at a loss after hearing that she couldn’t see Tsuna. She rembered how, whenever she caught a cold, Tsuna would co to keep her company. So why couldn’t she do the sa for him now? She had completely forgotten about the mask Tsuna wore when he ca to visit her during her own illness.
Suddenly, Shouko rembered a TV series she had watched. In the story, the husband of a family had a terminal illness, but the family kept it a secret from the wife. The husband pretended to be strong and insisted he was fine.
In the end, he died from the illness, and his wife never found out the truth.
Over the past two years, Shouko had often played super-realistic house gas with Nene. Now, for no reason, she placed herself in the role of that grieving wife, and Tsuna beca the husband. She even recalled how she "got pregnant" with Tsuna’s baby yesterday. And now, today, Tsuna was seriously ill, and Aunt Miyamura was keeping it a secret from her.
The more she thought about it, the redder her eyes beca, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.
"Shouko?" Shizuka, seeing her standing there in a daze with her eyes growing redder, was startled. She quickly squatted down in front of her and called her na, concerned.
Shouko gathered the ssy thoughts swirling in her mind and burst into tears."Is Tsuna going to die?"
"Ah!?"
Although Shizuka adored Shouko deeply, hearing her say that about her son so suddenly made her uneasy. Still, she gently asked, "Why would you say that?"
"Because... because you, Auntie, won’t let go see Tsuna. Is he suffering from a terminal illness?"
"Auntie is just worried you’ll catch his cold," Shizuka replied, fighting the urge to hold her forehead and let out a bitter smile. She realized it was partly her fault for letting Shouko watch such dramatic shows. I need to have her watch less of those emotional dramas, she thought to herself.
After a mont’s thought, she softened her tone and changed her approach. "How about this? Auntie will get you a children’s mask to wear, so you can go upstairs and see him, okay?"
Finally, Shizuka wiped Shouko’s tears with a tissue, helped her put on a mask, and took her up to the second floor.
As soon as the door opened, Shouko saw Tsuna lying on the bed. The emotions hit her all at once the tears that had just been wiped away began to fall again. She couldn’t hold back and ran straight to Tsuna’s bedside.
Tsuna wasn’t asleep to begin with. The mont the door opened, he opened his eyes and saw Shouko crying. He was about to tell her not to worry, but Shouko spoke first.
"Tsuna, if you leave... what will happen to the cute baby in my belly?"
Shouko said sothing so shocking that Tsuna froze on the spot.
Shizuka was even more stunned behind them. She rembered the explanation about how babies are made that she jokingly gave them last night. She never expected these two to take it so seriously and act on it so soon!
"Mom, I didn’t do anything!" Tsuna shook his head desperately, trying to explain. "I don’t even have the ability yet!"
Shouko, still crying, wiped her tears and tried to explain to the flustered Tsuna in a trembling voice, "It’s my fault... I accidentally kissed the corner of your mouth when I kissed you secretly the day before yesterday."
"Ah!?" x2
Tsuna was shocked not only had Shouko secretly kissed him, but she also genuinely believed what his mother said. Shizuka, on the other hand, didn’t expect the usually timid Shouko to be so bold.
"Shouko, it’s Auntie’s fault. I shouldn’t have lied to you," Shizuka said softly as she walked over with a tissue and gently wiped Shouko’s tears. She wanted to slap herself for what she’d said the night before.
"It’s true! After I finished my lunch box yesterday, my stomach was still bloated. That’s never happened before. The baby in my tummy must not like broccoli, and started kicking . So I won’t eat it next ti," Shouko said as she shook her head seriously.
Tsuna, lying in bed watching the two of them interact, felt speechless. He weakly muttered, "You drank so much water before lunch yesterday. Of course, your stomach was bloated. And broccoli is innocent."
"Children can’t get pregnant," Shizuka said, glancing at Tsuna, who was trying to sound annoyed despite not having the strength to raise his voice. She had to hold back a laugh.
Then Shizuka patiently explained to Shouko why her stomach had felt bloated the day before, and she ended by firmly emphasizing that Shouko should eat more broccoli.
Realizing she wasn’t actually pregnant and had completely misunderstood, Shouko lowered her head and didn’t dare to look at Tsuna. But when she heard Shizuka say she should eat more broccoli, she still shook her head frantically in refusal.
anwhile, Tsuna was lying on the bed, lost in thought about the fact that Shouko had secretly kissed him. He didn’t hear a word of the conversation between Shizuka and Shouko.
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