"Dad, if you've got something urgent, go ahead. Mom and I can just walk home slowly," Akira said, glancing at his father, who kept checking his phone every ten seconds like clockwork.
"I actually do have something..." Daiki Miyamura hesitated.
Akira peeked into the classroom. Shizuka was still surrounded by parents—she wouldn't be done anytime soon. Waving a hand, he said, "It's fine, really. The meeting's over. It's only a few minutes' walk home."
"Alright then. Just make sure to tell your mom." Daiki gave in, ruffling Akira's hair and gently patting Shouko's head with a grin. "I'll bring back a big fish!"
With that, he turned and walked away with a spring in his step.
"Bye, Uncle!" Shouko waved her tiny hand enthusiastically as she watched him descend the stairs. Then she turned and noticed Akira's slightly speechless expression.
"What's wrong, Akira?"
"Nothing..." Akira replied flatly.
Seeing how rushed his dad was, he'd thought it must be some work emergency. He didn't expect it to be fishing.
With that cleared up, Shouko began chatting freely again, telling him all sorts of fun stories. Now that Daiki was gone, she was clearly more relaxed—even though she had grown up around Uncle Miyamura, too.
Meanwhile, in the car...
"Dong—"
Daiki Miyamura plopped into the driver's seat and made a call.
The moment the line connected, a loud, gruff voice burst out:
"Daiki! You saw the photo I sent, right? Envious, huh?"
"You wait, you show-off." Daiki snorted. "You really dared to send me pics of two palm-sized fish and act proud?"
Without giving his friend a chance to respond, he hung up and started the engine with a huff.
About ten minutes later, Shizuka finally emerged from the classroom.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Mom, Dad had something urgent and went ahead," Akira said calmly as she walked up to them. He'd cover for him this time… but next time, he was on his own.
Shizuka assumed it was work and didn't think much of it. She took their hands with a warm smile. "Alright, let's go home too."
The three of them strolled toward the school gate. Just then, Akira turned to Shouko.
"Hey, let's go buy the materials for tomorrow."
"Okay!" Shouko lit up instantly. She suddenly remembered the handmade kite Akira had promised her the day before.
"What materials? Is this some extra homework Minagawa-sensei assigned?" Shizuka asked, confused as she walked between them.
Before Akira could answer, Shouko chimed in excitedly, "No, no! Akira said yesterday he'd make me a beautiful kite, so we're going to buy the stuff for it!"
Her voice was full of joy and anticipation.
"Really?" Shizuka raised a brow, half-disbelieving. It wasn't that she doubted Shouko—but her son making a kite? That she hadn't heard of.
"Yes, yes!" Shouko nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling with admiration. To her, Akira could do anything.
"You know how to make kites? Since when?" Shizuka laughed, letting go of Akira's hand to ruffle his hair. She wasn't doubting him—just surprised. "You never mentioned it before."
"I've been keeping a low profile," Akira said, smiling awkwardly. "I picked it up from watching TV. Haven't really practiced yet."
No way he could say, I learned it in Hawaii in my past life.
Shizuka chuckled and gently patted his head. "Alright, let's go get what you need. But you better make one for me, too."
She reached for his hand again with a grin.
"Auntie! I was first! Akira promised me first!" Shouko protested, freeing her hand from Shizuka's and puffing up indignantly.
"Haha, don't worry, I'm not stealing him from you. He's all yours anyway." Shizuka smiled teasingly, unable to resist poking fun at the flustered little girl.
Shouko immediately wilted. The fire in her eyes fizzled out, and her voice turned to a whisper: "Th-th-that's not true… not yet…"
By the time she reached the end of the sentence, her voice was so low it was barely audible.
"Hm? What was that?" Shizuka leaned closer, playful curiosity in her tone. "Auntie didn't catch that."
"I-I didn't say anything…" Shouko muttered, lowering her head even more to hide her bright red face.
"Is that so?" Shizuka grinned. She was having too much fun teasing her.
Shouko, meanwhile, was torn between embarrassment and mock anger. She wanted to scold her but couldn't muster the courage. She finally whispered with a blush:
"Auntie… you're too much!"
Then, without even looking up, she buried her face into Akira's side like a tiny ball of frustration.
Akira's internal monologue:
One is my mother. The other is my future wife. If I help either one, I'm doomed… Better to stay out of it completely.
"Let's go, Mom," he said, smoothly changing the subject.
Shizuka decided it was time to stop teasing and nodded. "What materials do you need?"
"Let me think..." Akira said, rubbing Shouko's head absentmindedly. "paper, bamboo, glue—like white glue or latex—kite string, and colored pens. That's about it."
"Those are easy to find." Shizuka smiled, then noticed Shouko still clinging to Akira like a tiny koala. She teased again, "Alright, Shouko, Auntie was wrong. I'll stop teasing. Akira's face is already bright red."
Shouko immediately peeked up at Akira to check, startled.
"Auntie! You're lying to kids again!" she squeaked, turning redder when her eyes accidentally met his. She quickly looked away and mumbled, never trusting Auntie again!
Akira chuckled and gently coaxed her. "Alright, alright. Let's go, Shouko. It's kind of hard to walk with you hanging on me like this."
To him, it didn't feel weird. She was just a classmate clinging to him. Of course, he wasn't blushing or anything… Not at all.
Seeing her still flustered, he added kindly, "Want me to carry you instead?"
"N-no! Let's just go..." Shouko quickly let go and instead grabbed his hand tightly. Being carried would be too much—for her and for him.
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POWER STONE!!!
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