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Chapter 4 - [4] Futaba Kindergarten

Yaeko met with Suneo the next day to negotiate. The two went to the hospital for a test, which confirmed that she was pregnant.

Suneo was worried that there might be something wrong with the child, and he didn't want to raise a child in his presence.

Ultimately, it was decided that all expenses incurred during the hospitalization would be covered, and the child would receive 80,000 yen per month until they graduated from high school. (Note: About 551.80 dollars)

Time flew, and seven months passed in the blink of an eye.

Two months ago, Yaeko quit her job and stayed at home to take care of the baby.

A few days ago, she calculated the time and was hospitalized early to prepare for the birth.

Today, she was lying on the bed and chatting with Shizuka when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach, which scared Shizuka, who was sitting on a chair next to the bed and talking. She quickly notified the nurse.

The nurse came in and rushed her to the operating room. Finally, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, named Yuzuru Nishimiya.

Ito Nishimiya was taking care of Shouko and Tsuna at home. The phone at the entrance rang, and she got up from the tatami and went to answer it.

When she heard that her daughter was in the operating room, she suddenly asked the three-year-old Tsuna to take care of Shouko at home while she rushed to the hospital.

Tsuna sat on the tatami and watched Grandma Ito leave in a hurry, speechless."I know you're in a hurry, but could you think your decisions through a little?"

"Ah~ah. (Hug!)" Shouko, seeing that Tsuna was no longer playing with her, opened her arms and jumped directly onto him.

Tsuna became Shouko's human cushion. He lay on the tatami, staring up at the green ceiling, a look of resignation on his face.

Shouko lay on top of Tsuna. Seeing that he didn't resist, she smiled and snuggled into his arms.

----

In the blink of an eye, Tsuna and Shouko were four years old. Today was their first day of kindergarten.

April 1st – Sunny.

Shizuka drove Yaeko and the two children to the kindergarten to learn about the classes and the teachers. Daisuke was at work, and Nishimiya Ito was at home taking care of Yuzuru.

As soon as they got out of the car, they saw a kindergarten situated next to a tree-lined street. Its exterior walls were painted with various cute cartoon characters.

The name of the kindergarten, Futaba Kindergarten, was written beside the gate.

The kindergarten gate was a huge rainbow bridge, with two cute little bears standing at either end.

When Shizuka and Yaeko first selected it, they were quite satisfied with the school. It also had classrooms and teachers for hearing-impaired children.

"Good morning."

A pretty woman in a yellow T-shirt and blue jeans stood next to the gate. When she saw Shizuka and the group approaching, she greeted them politely. More precisely, she was looking at the two cute children in the middle holding hands, both wearing matching white clothes.

"Good morning, teacher. Do you know how to get to the Sunflower Class and the Sakura Class?"

"I happen to be the teacher of the Sunflower Class. My name is Midori Yoshinaga. You can call me Teacher Yoshinaga."

Teacher Yoshinaga walked to Tsuna and Shouko with a smile and squatted down:

"Which one of you two cuties is in the Sunflower Class?" she asked, reaching out to gently touch their heads.

Tsuna saw that Teacher Yoshinaga seemed kind and replied politely,"Hello, teacher. I'm in the Sunflower Class."

Shouko didn't speak. From the beginning, her attention had been fixed on Teacher Yoshinaga's hand on Tsuna's head.

Shizuka and Yaeko watched their interaction with smiles, not interrupting.

At that moment, a quiet girl in a blue T-shirt, beige jeans, and glasses walked out and approached Shizuka.

"Good morning, you two. I heard one of your children is in the Sakura Class. I'd like to know more about them first. My name is Masumi Ageo."

"Hello, Teacher Ageo. Let's talk over here." Yaeko introduced herself and walked with the teacher toward the entrance to talk.

Shizuka Miyamura stayed behind, watching the two cute kids.

After a while, Yaeko and Teacher Ageo returned. Teacher Yoshinaga was very surprised by Tsuna's intelligence and cuteness and praised him repeatedly.

When Teacher Yoshinaga withdrew her hand, Shouko hugged Tsuna and looked at the teacher cautiously.

Shizuka noticed the time and reminded everyone,"Alright, Teacher Yoshinaga, let's head to the classrooms now."

"Okay…" Teacher Yoshinaga and Teacher Ageo led everyone through the gate.

Tsuna saw a spacious playground covered in green grass. On one side was an elaborate slide; on the other, a sandbox surrounded by various toys.

Teacher Yoshinaga and Teacher Ageo walked ahead, introducing Tsuna and Shouko. Shizuka and Yaeko already knew the layout from their earlier visit, so they weren't surprised. Tsuna also remained calm.

Shouko, however, looked around curiously.

Walking past the playground were four small classrooms and a three-story school building. The classrooms had a European design, with white marble walls and colorful glass windows.

A silver sign on the door displayed the names: Sunflower Junior Class, Pakura Junior Class, Rose Senior Class, Sakura Junior/Intermediate/Senior Class.

The Sakura Class was only for hearing-impaired children and offered specialized sign language instruction.

"Okay! The two kids have to separate here."

Teacher Yoshinaga clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.Shouko was still distracted by her surroundings.

The two teachers waited by the classroom doors. Shizuka reached out to guide Tsuna toward Teacher Yoshinaga.

Just as Yaeko reached to take Shouko, she saw Shouko still holding Tsuna's hand, walking toward the Sunflower Class.

Yaeko hurried forward and pulled Shouko's other hand."Shouko, our classroom is over here."

"Shouko, we'll see each other later."

Tsuna leaned close to Shouko's hearing aid and spoke slowly.

When Shouko didn't react, Tsuna repeated himself, even slower. This time, Shouko heard and understood and let go of Tsuna's hand.

Yaeko breathed a sigh of relief and tried to take Shouko's hand. But Shouko, instead, hugged Tsuna tightly and refused to separate.

Teachers Yoshinaga and Ageo quietly observed the scene and concluded that the two children had a deep bond.

Shizuka gave the teachers an apologetic smile and joined in persuading Shouko.

Seeing that nothing was working, Tsuna finally said,"Aunt Nishimiya, Shouko, and I will go to the Sakura Class first. Mom, can you report to the Sunflower Class for me?"

Shizuka agreed and chuckled to Yaeko,"Yaeko, remember to record me when you enter the classroom."She then explained the situation to Teacher Yoshinaga and walked into the Sunflower Class.

Yaeko held Tsuna's hand as they walked into the Sakura Classroom. Upon entering, Tsuna noticed the room was crowded. Although there were more than a dozen tables and chairs, most were already taken. Only a few remained empty.

Parents and children turned their heads as the wooden door opened and a peculiar pair entered the room.

A cute little boy was tangled up with a cute little girl, followed by their guardians.

Teacher Ueo stepped onto the podium and clapped his hands, shifting everyone's attention.

"This is the new member of our class, Nishimiya Shouko. Let's welcome her with applause, okay?"

The parents began clapping first, and the children followed after hearing the sound.

Clap! Clap! The clapping faded after a few seconds.Shouko still clung to Tsuna and paid no attention to it.

Tsuna looked at the twenty-something children before him—some big, some small—and slowly introduced:"Hello everyone... the one in my arms is Nishimiya Shouko. Please take care of us."

He spoke to both the adults and children.

Yaeko, standing by the door, covered her mouth and laughed softly, recording the entire touching scene between Tsuna and Shouko on her phone.

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