"Haha…" Nishikata turned toward Takagi and the others, forcing out a laugh.
Shouko quickly tugged on Ajitani's sleeve. "Ajitani-chan, my stomach suddenly feels a bit uncomfortable. Can you come back to the store with me to use the restroom?"
Before Ayumi could respond, Shouko grabbed her hand and pushed open the door, dragging her inside. "I'll be embarrassed going alone. Come on, come on."
Before leaving, she didn't forget to glance at Tsuna.
"…" Tsuna didn't make any excuses and simply followed after the two girls.
The sudden silence of the wind chime, paired with the cicadas' chirping cutting off twice as if stuck, left the muggy air feeling even heavier.
Nishikata walked up to Takagi, face burning red. Looking at the girl in front of him desperately trying to suppress her smile, he opened his mouth—yet the words jammed in his throat.
"Um…"
"Just now…"
"Hm?"
"I…"
Takagi stayed quiet. She instinctively clenched her fists, forcing her expression to remain neutral, waiting for the boy—blushing and trembling in front of her—to finish what he wanted to say.
"Just now… my… my mom's words, don't misunderstand. Actually… the wallpaper on my computer is a group photo of everyone…"
"…"
Seeing her smile fade a little, Nishikata panicked even more. "I… I suddenly remembered something I have to do… Can you tell Tsuna and the others for me? I'm leaving first."
The moment he finished, he turned and bolted before Takagi could say a word.
"No way!? He's not going to confess after such a perfect setup?"
Ajitani, who had watched the entire exchange through Tsuna and Shouko's expert live lip-reading, felt genuinely indignant. She silently cursed Nishikata's complete lack of courage.
"Ajitani-chan, you can't say that." Shouko shook her finger. "Nishikata is probably scared of being rejected by Takagi-chan. If that happened, they might not even be able to stay friends."
"But Takagi-chan was being so obvious. How can he still not tell?" Ajitani muttered, though she had to admit the explanation made sense.
"What if Nishikata is just emotionally dense?" Shouko glanced at a certain someone still staring out the window.
Ajitani recalled Nishikata's behavior throughout their three years of junior high and nodded. "Yeah… that does sound like him."
"Let's go. Let's head out first," Tsuna suggested.
"Mm-hm."
"Okay."
"Wait." Tsuna reached out to stop them. Facing their puzzled looks, he said, "I've got something urgent to take care of. You three go ahead."
"What is it?"
"Okay then, Tsuna, go back first."
Shouko waved dismissively before he could answer, pulling Takagi and Ajitani along and leaving. Ajitani didn't even get a chance to ask what he meant.
Tsuna watched Shouko's back until she disappeared down the road, then finally looked away.
---
— — — — — — — —
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"
"Miyamura, do you think Takagi-san has figured out that I like her??"
"(Head in hands, collapsing.jpg)"
By the time Tsuna got home, his phone was exploding with Nishikata's frantic messages. After letting Shizuka know he was back, he retreated to his room and started scrolling through them one by one with the expression of an old man reading memes on the subway.
"Miyamura, say something… I can see you read it…"
"Say what?"
Tsuna leaned back and flopped onto the bed. He had zero intention of soothing Nishikata's panic attack.
"Where are you guys now?"
"At home. If you're looking for Takagi-san, she went to the department store."
"…"
"I'm not looking for her. I want to find you."
"…"
Tsuna stared at the latest message, immediately regretting opening it. After replying just enough to keep Nishikata from spiraling, he sat up and turned on his computer.
"What were you even thinking? You turned around and ran without hesitation."
"I got nervous! I didn't think that far…"
"It's fine. Takagi believed your excuse."
"I don't believe it…"
Once his computer finished loading, Tsuna closed the chat with Nishikata and clicked on the one with Jun instead.
"Jun, should I send you the new book now for review?"
He'd already mentioned this a few days ago, so no extra explanation was needed.
After she replied, Tsuna sent her the edited manuscript of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas.
Then he tossed a few more half-hearted messages to Nishikata before letting his screen go dark, falling asleep until Shouko returned home in the afternoon and shook him awake.
Afternoon cicadas buzzed endlessly outside, blending with the hum of the air conditioner's outdoor unit.
"You all went shopping today. Did Takagi-san act any differently?" Tsuna asked from the bed, too lazy to move.
"No," Shouko said with a slow shake of her head. "Everything was normal, like the whole Nishikata thing never happened."
"Then there shouldn't be anything…" Tsuna muttered, checking LINE.
Jun's chat window still showed nothing beyond the "Received" she had sent hours earlier. Assuming she was still reading, he chose not to disturb her.
Shouko dragged him downstairs to watch TV. Neither of them noticed as the sky gradually darkened and the streetlights flickered on.
---
— — — — — —
As night fell, the lights inside Futaba Publishing lit up as well.
"Sister Suzuki, I'm heading out first. You all enjoy the dinner party tonight—I've got something to do."
Jun tidied her desk, unable to suppress the smile spreading across her face.
The woman at the next desk caught the expression and boldly teased, "Jun, did you get yourself a boyfriend?"
The President of Futaba Publishing, who had just stepped out of his office, stopped in place upon hearing that.
Jun quickly shook her head in denial—especially when she noticed her father's stiff expression.
"Didn't I tell you a few days ago? Miyamura-sensei already finished a new book."
She'd said enough that everyone in the department could guess exactly why she was skipping the dinner party—while the President silently turned and slipped back into his office.
The woman blinked in disbelief, tinged with envy. "Already!? Didn't his last volume just come out?"
Considering the cut editors got from Miyamura-sensei's sales, it was no surprise she sounded a little jealous.
Jun nodded, confirming her suspicion.
"Jun, when will Miyamura-sensei visit the publishing house? Introduce him to me, won't you?" another woman in a fitted black suit joked.
"You just want to steal Miyamura-sensei from Jun, don't you?" Suzuki chimed in.
"Well, since you already figured it out, Suzuki, no need to say it out loud," the woman laughed. Poaching him was out of the question though—anyone with eyes could see Jun's connections in the company.