In the living room of the Nishimiya family, Yaeko was sitting on the tatami holding Yuzuru and watching a comedy show on TV.
Shizuka was sitting opposite and kept making faces to tease Yuzuru. Yuzuru, in Yaeko's arms, opened her eyes wide and laughed, showing her only two teeth. It was very cute.
"Ding...Ding...Ding!" Shizuka, who was about to make faces to tease Yuzuru, was interrupted by the ringing of her mobile phone in her pocket. Yaeko's attention also shifted from the TV to Shizuka Miyamura.
Shizuka reached out from her pocket and took out her mobile phone. She was confused when she saw the incoming call with the note "Teacher Yoshinaga" on the screen. Yaeko also saw the note of the incoming call from the corner of her eye.
Shizuka stood up from the tatami, gave Yaeko a reassuring look, took the mobile phone, walked out of the living room to the wooden corridor, clicked to answer the call, and put the phone to her ear.
"Is this Tsuna's parent?" Teacher Yoshinaga's voice came from the phone.
"Good afternoon, Teacher Yoshinaga." Shizuka greeted him first and then asked in confusion, "Did my Tsuna get into trouble?"
Teacher Yoshinaga's slightly hurried voice came again: "Good afternoon. Please come to Futaba Kindergarten. The general situation is that Shoko was bullied by two kids, and Tsuna beat them up."
"What!? Is she injured?"
Teacher Yoshinaga heard Shizuka's shocked voice and hurriedly explained to her not to worry: "Tsuna's parent, don't worry, Tsuna is not injured."
"Who cares about that kid? I want to know if Shoko is injured." Shizuka hurriedly asked Teacher Yoshinaga and felt relieved to hear that her own Tsuna was fine.
"What?" Teacher Yoshinaga was confused by Shizuka's words. She quickly composed herself and said to Shizuka, "Come to the kindergarten first. Shoko has only suffered a minor skin injury."
"Okay, okay, you don't have to call Shoko's parents. I'm at her house. I'll go with her now." Shizuka quickly ignored what Teacher Yoshinaga said next, and quickly hung up the phone and put the phone back in her pocket.
Shizuka entered the living room, ready to explain the situation to Yaeko, but Yaeko interrupted her, saying, "Let's go, Shizuka."
Yaeko stood up, holding Yuzuru in her arms. When she looked up, she saw Shizuka standing at the door, looking dazed. She chuckled softly and sighed, then explained, "Let's go. You're so loud that I could hear you all the way in the living room."
"Let's go!" Shizuka snapped out of it and turned toward the corridor. Suddenly, she remembered something and turned back to Yaeko. "Wait here for me. I'll bring the car around—come out when I honk." With that, she headed to the entrance, put on her shoes, opened the door, and walked out.
——————
After notifying the parents of the three people, Teacher Yoshinaga stood outside the infirmary, took a deep breath, turned around, and walked in.
Principal Takakura saw Teacher Yoshinaga walk in and asked, "How is it? Have all the parents been notified?"
"Yes, they'll be here soon," Teacher Yoshinaga replied, turning to Principal Takakura. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two students sitting behind him, quietly sobbing. She asked with concern, "How are Fuji and Haru?"
Principal Takakura nodded and replied calmly, "Just apply a warm compress with an egg."
Teacher Yoshinaga nodded, then walked over to Shoko's bed. As she got closer, she saw square pieces of medical gauze wrapped around Shoko's hands and joints. A flash of heartache passed through her eyes, but she still looked slightly puzzled. She turned to Teacher Ageo, who was sitting beside the bed, and asked:
"Didn't Shoko have a skin abrasion?"
"Yes, but children like to move around, so I was worried the wounds might get infected. That's why I bandaged Shoko up," Teacher Ageo said, rolling a small bottle of iodine solution in her hand. Then she looked at Teacher Yoshinaga and added, "It's just a pity we can't do anything for her left cheek."
Teacher Yoshinaga walked to the other side, reached out and stroked Tsuna's head, and said gently: "Don't worry, Shoko is fine."
Tsuna nodded without replying, thinking about how to explain to his mother and Aunt Nishimiya later.
Shoko's eyes were red with tears. Seeing Tsuna sitting silently with his head down, she thought he was worried about her. In a trembling voice, she said, still crying, "Tsuna, you don't have to worry about me."
Tsuna looked up and gave Shoko a gentle smile. His gaze lingered on the scratch on the left side of her face, and his heart ached. He felt a pang of regret for not being able to beat them up more.
After more than ten minutes, Shizuka and Yaeko came to the infirmary under the guidance of the security guard.
Shizuka walked in first, greeted the nearest director, Takakura, and walked straight in.
As she got closer, she noticed the medical gauze on Shoko's body, the scratch on her left cheek, and her red, tear-filled eyes. With a pained expression, she walked up and gently stroked Shoko's head. "Shoko, does it still hurt?" she asked softly. "Auntie will take you to the hospital now." She then bent down, ready to pick Shoko up and carry her out.
Teacher Yoshinaga quickly stopped her, "Don't worry, Tsuna's parents. Shoko only has skin injuries. We have treated them. If you are worried, we can go together later."
Shoko hiccupped and tried to explain through her tears, "Aunt Miyamura, I'm okay. It doesn't hurt as much as it did at first. It's just… Tsuna and I lost our lunch." After speaking, she lay back on the bed, a hint of disappointment in her eyes as she thought about how Tsuna had no lunch because of her.
After hearing what Teacher Yoshinaga and Shoko said, Shizuka felt relieved. But when she saw that Shoko was still worried about the two lunch boxes, an inexplicable discomfort settled over her.
Suddenly, Shizuka remembered why Teacher Yoshinaga had called her, and then thought of her child. She turned sharply toward Tsuna, her eyes fierce, and asked, "Did you kill them?"
"Ah?" Tsuna was directly confused by his mother's words.
At that moment, Yaeko stepped forward from behind, holding Yuzuru in her arms. She looked at Shoko with distress in her eyes, but relaxed slightly when she heard Teacher Yoshinaga's words from behind. Turning her head, she looked at Tsuna and asked worriedly, "Tsuna, are you hurt?"
Tsuna quickly shook his head, signaling he wasn't hurt. Yaeko handed Yuzuru to Shizuka and crouched down to check on Tsuna. After confirming he was fine, she stood up and greeted Teacher Yoshinaga and Teacher Ageo.
Teacher Yoshinaga explained the general situation at noon to Yaeko and Shizuka, and then took the mobile phone from Principal Takakura and played the surveillance video of noon for them to watch.
When Tsuna saw Shoko being kicked away, anger surged through him—he nearly clenched his teeth, yet still felt he hadn't used enough force. Yaeko watched with a heart full of sorrow.
Shizuka was especially angry, but since the others were children, she found it difficult to intervene and could only stand by the bed, gritting her teeth. After watching the video, Tsuna took action and glared fiercely at one of them, thinking he hadn't hit hard enough—after all, both kids had gotten back up.