After Tsuna had taken care of everything, he picked up the square black cloth that had been wrapped around the lunch box and tied it around Shouko's neck to use as a napkin.
As he tied it on, Tsuna gently stroked the cloth, worried that Shouko might feel something strange or uncomfortable against her neck.
Teacher Ageo was also helping some children in the Sakura Class with issues like lunch boxes that wouldn't open.
When everything was settled and Tsuna was ready to eat, he suddenly thought of something, turned to Shouko, and slowly said, "Shouko, you eat first. I'll go get two cups of warm water."
Shouko nodded in response. Tsuna stood up and walked towards Teacher Ageo. Just as he was about to speak, she noticed him and asked,
"Are you having any problems, Tsuna?" After speaking, Teacher Ageo squatted down and looked at Tsuna at eye level.
"Teacher Ageo, do you have a disposable cup? I want to get some warm water."
Teacher Ageo gently replied, "Yes, I'll get that for you. Can you help me keep an eye on the children in the Sakura Class?" After saying this, she raised her right hand and gently stroked Tsuna's head.
Tsuna didn't respond immediately. He thought he'd trouble Teacher Ageo just this once today. When he returned home, he would ask Shizuka to help him prepare a thermos to bring to kindergarten.
"Tsuna?" Teacher Ageo called, noticing his slow response.
Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts and quickly replied, "Ah? Oh! I'm fine, Teacher Ageo. I was just lost in thought for a moment."
Seeing Teacher Ageo relieved, Tsuna continued, "Then I'll rely on you, Teacher Ageo. I'll take care of the children in the class."
"Haha, it's not a big deal," Teacher Ageo chuckled. She had never seen a four-year-old child speak so politely. She stood up, patted Tsuna's head, and then turned to leave the Sakura Class to get the water.
Tsuna watched her leave the classroom, then slowly walked to the podium and began observing the children below, who were quietly eating.
Except for the first day, when there were more than 20 students, only eleven children were now in the Sakura Class. They all wore hearing aids of various colors, including Shouko, who was concentrating on her food.
Tsuna noticed they were much more obedient than the children in his own Sunflower Class. Perhaps due to their disabilities, they were more well-behaved and mature.
As Tsuna leaned against the podium in thought, Teacher Ageo returned with two small transparent plastic cups. "Okay, Tsuna, you should go have lunch too."
"Thank you, Teacher Ageo." Tsuna carefully took the cups from her hands, thanked her again, and walked over to Shouko, who was still eating diligently.
After returning to Shouko's side, he gently set the two cups on the table and said with concern, "Shouko, eat slowly and be careful not to choke. Drink some water first." With that, he picked up one of the cups and offered it to her.
Shouko looked up but didn't dare meet Tsuna's eyes. She quickly took the cup from his hand, but her movements were too fast, and some of the water splashed out. "Go slowly, Shouko."
Shouko didn't hear what Tsuna had said. After taking the warm water, she tilted her head back and drank it.
Cough... cough...! Shouko began coughing violently. Tsuna wanted to facepalm and smile bitterly, but instead walked over to her and gently patted her back to soothe her.
Once she stopped coughing, Tsuna lowered his hand and looked at her closely. "Shouko, are you hiding something from me?"
Still avoiding eye contact, Shouko guiltily retorted, "No... Tsuna, you're overthinking."
Tsuna could barely understand her words, as they were unclear. He also missed the guilt hidden in her tone.
He raised his right hand and patted her head before placing it on the back of her chair, half sitting down, ready to focus on eating his lunch.
Tsuna first took a sip of warm water to rinse his mouth and moisten his throat. Then, he opened the black insulation cover he had closed earlier. He noticed that it was slightly bulging.
Turning to look at Shouko beside him, he saw that when she noticed his gaze, she quickly looked away guiltily and began glancing left and right.
Tsuna had a rough idea of what was going on but wasn't certain. He looked back at the lunch box and gently opened the insulation cover completely.
Once opened, he saw that the broccoli was almost falling out of place, and one or two florets rolled onto the table.
"Shouko, eating only meat and not vegetables leads to an unbalanced diet." Tsuna picked up the broccoli that had fallen onto the table with his chopsticks, placed it into his mouth, chewed, and gently reminded the picky eater, Shouko.
Looking more closely, he saw that only the broccoli was in excess; everything else was as it should be.
Shouko heard Tsuna's words and shook her head excitedly in protest, "No… No… No!"
Teacher Ageo, sitting near the podium, watched their interaction. At first, she thought they were arguing. Just as she was about to stand up, she noticed Tsuna holding a small piece of broccoli with his chopsticks and offering it to Shouko. With her many years of experience, she immediately understood—Shouko was a picky eater.
"Just eat a little?"
Listening to Tsuna's gentle tone and looking at the piece of broccoli being offered, Shouko slowly opened her mouth and took a bite.
Tsuna noticed her expression, like someone forced to eat bitter melon. She frowned deeply and forced herself to swallow it.
He picked up his cup of warm water, which he had only sipped from, and handed it to her, saying softly, "Drink some water, and go slower this time, Shouko."
Tsuna noticed Shouko was very resistant to eating broccoli, so she only ate it silently. Occasionally, he would pair a small piece of broccoli with a piece of fried pork to feed her during their conversation.
Usually, Tsuna finished lunch in just a few bites. But today, with Shouko talking to him and needing to reply and feed her occasionally, he ended up being the last one in the class to finish eating.
Once finished, Tsuna closed both empty lunch boxes, untied the black cloth from Shouko's neck, and laid it flat on the table. He packed up the lunch boxes and prepared to return to the Sunflower Class to check on things.
"I'm going back to the Sunflower Class now, Shouko. I'll see you after school this afternoon." With that, he stood up and reached out to pat her head.
"Yeah!" Shouko nodded.
Tsuna looked at her obedient expression and couldn't help but pinch her soft cheek.
"Wah... Ah... Tsuna~" Shouko protested verbally, trying to stop him.
Tsuna didn't hear her clearly, but he let go after feeling satisfied. He said, "See you in the afternoon," and turned to walk toward Teacher Ageo.