The two hurried back to the dormitory door and, upon opening it, saw Kitano looking like a dehydrated sea cucumber.
He was sprawled out on the tatami mat in a large 'X' shape, staring blankly at the ceiling, looking utterly despondent, as if "the world has nothing to do with him."
Tsuna glanced at him and went straight to the point: "What do you say? Leaving now?"
"Let's go!"
Kitano, who had been listless just moments ago, executed a neat carp flip, landing firmly on his feet with a thump. He didn't even need Nishikata to reach out; he stood up on his own.
"Xiao Jia and Xiao Yi went ahead with Tanaka. If we hurry now, Rinko and the others should also be just arriving."
Kitano wasted no words. He swung his arm and rushed out of the dormitory first, with Tsuna and Nishikata following closely behind.
The three figures moved swiftly through the dimly lit hotel corridor, their footsteps echoing in the narrow passageway.
Kitano was clearly familiar with the layout these past few days, as several decisive turns led them out of the main building.
A crisp night breeze, carrying the fresh scent of bamboo leaves, blew over them, and the view suddenly opened up.
They saw a serene moonlight quietly spilling onto the famous internet-famous photo spot in the hotel's backyard—the winding, curved green bamboo path.
Even before they got close, the three saw Xiao Jia and Xiao Yi, standing like two door gods at the entrance.
Tsuna knew their role tonight was to temporarily use an excuse to deter approaching classmates. After nodding in greeting, the three continued to hurry inside.
A stone path tightly enclosed by a bamboo forest, the bamboo was so dense that the path appeared a bit dim.
Besides the inherent atmosphere of the bamboo, the main reason this place became popular was the stone lanterns on both sides.
They were old-fashioned, small stone lanterns, not large in size, but plentiful, neatly arranged along both sides of the path.
It was said that at the end of this bamboo forest path, there was also a century-old bamboo where people could hang wish plaques.
As for how that bamboo lived for a hundred years, Tsuna wasn't very clear; it was probably a publicity stunt by the hotel to attract customers.
The three stepped into the path where bamboo shadows intertwined. After walking a distance, they saw a familiar figure in the distance.
He was leaning lazily against an exceptionally thick clump of bamboo, his entire person appearing somewhat blurred in the moonlight.
"Tanaka!"
Kitano recognized him at a glance and almost blurted it out. At the same time, his feet involuntarily began to jog, stirring a subtle breeze through the bamboo leaves.
"How is it? Have they arrived? Are they here?"
He fired off a barrage of questions, having already rushed to the other person, his gaze eagerly searching behind him.
"…"
His flurry of questions left Tanaka and the two behind him a bit speechless.
Tanaka nodded in greeting to Tsuna and Nishikata, then said, "They should be arriving soon. Why don't you find a place to hide first?"
"Hide? Why hide?" Kitano was very puzzled; this wasn't in the plan discussed in the evening.
"We'll just stand next to you. When Rinko brings other Girl over, Miyamura will directly lead them away."
As he spoke, he even raised his hand to pat Tsuna's shoulder, but Tsuna dodged him, so he could only helplessly continue, "At that time, Nishikata and I will also pretend to leave, and we'll hide in the shadows to help you observe if any unexpected situations might occur."
Seeing Kitano's confident, as if victory was assured, demeanor, Tanaka opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed the doubts that had risen to his lips.
He turned to Tsuna and Nishikata, scratching the back of his head vigorously, revealing a smile mixed with embarrassment and gratitude:
"That… Miyamura, Nishikata, thank you both so much this time!"
He bowed deeply, "If this works out, I… I will definitely treat you to a hearty feast!"
His voice carried a sense of desperate determination.
"No—"
"Ding-a-ling-ling-ling…"
Nishikata had just raised his hand to say a few polite words when a sharp, piercing incoming call ringtone, accompanied by high-frequency vibration, unexpectedly blared from Tanaka's pants pocket.
Tanaka fumbled to pull out his phone, his trembling fingertips desperately jabbing at the green answer button…
Almost as soon as it connected, Xiao Jia's off-key, cracking roar exploded from the other end of the line:
"They're here! Rinko and the others are just—"
"Thanks!"
Tanaka's heart was almost leaping out of his throat; he couldn't even bother to listen to the last few words.
Before the word "just" even landed, his finger, as if burned, slammed onto the hang-up button! The call abruptly ended.
"…"
Is he really that nervous…?
The three looked at him like this, and this question simultaneously popped into their minds.
The bamboo shadows swayed slightly, and the wind in the forest seemed to pause for a moment.
Just as Kitano and Nishikata were exchanging glances, contemplating what to say due to Tanaka's nervous appearance…
A familiar, clear voice, carrying undisguised confusion, came without warning from behind them:
"Tsuna…?"
The four of them looked over almost simultaneously.
They saw that at a nearby bend in the bamboo path, dappled moonlight was quietly spilling, outlining several graceful figures:
Shouko and two others, and tonight's female lead, Rinko, were standing quietly there.
They were standing very close, and in each of their clear eyes, the moonlight and undisguised, deep confusion were reflected, their gazes uniformly focused on the four of them.
To be precise, on Tsuna and Nishikata; Kitano and Tanaka were ignored…
Tsuna raised an eyebrow at Shouko: 'Hmm? What about the goodnight you promised?'
Shouko grinned, silently returning an 'Oh, don't mind the details' expression:
"Hey, it's not important, not important at all~"
Their eyes met back and forth like this, a silent understanding passing between them.
The next second, Tsuna had already very naturally turned sideways, took a step, and moved himself into the area covered by moonlight, walking towards the Girl.
And Kitano's reminder was still stuck in his throat, completely useless.
"I…—"
"Rinko-chan, Tsuna and I are going to look around nearby. We'll find you all later."
Tsuna hadn't even finished speaking when Shouko took his hand and continued walking down the path behind the boys. As he passed the three, he could only cast a helpless look.
Before the two had even walked far, Takagi playfully winked at Nishikata, and Nishikata was stunned.
"Rinko, I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to attend to!" Takagi smiled apologetically at Rinko, speaking quickly, "I'll come find you later, wait for me!"
After speaking, without waiting for Rinko to reply, Takagi turned and began walking towards the exit of the bamboo forest.
Indeed, after only a few meters, familiar footsteps echoed on the stone path behind her, one step closely following another.
The corner of Takagi's mouth couldn't help but curl upwards into a small arc.
And in the scene, only tonight's male and female leads, Ajitani, and Kitano remained.
Kitano watched them leave in pairs, then looked at the cute class representative beside Rinko opposite him. The corners of his mouth hadn't dropped; he couldn't even force them down.
"Class representative, I…—"
"You guys chat, I'm going to find Shouko-chan and Miyamura!"
Before her words had fully settled, she had already dashed off like a small whirlwind towards Tsuna, her feet pounding.
Her footsteps on the bamboo leaves made a "rustling" sound, and her voice chased after them from afar: "Shouko-chan…! Wait for me!"
"…"