Tsuna lazily sat on the bench, gazing at the sky now dyed red by the sunset. Except for going home to eat lunch at noon, he'd spent almost all day here flying kites.
He looked at the sinking sun, felt the breeze tug at the ends of his hair, and complained helplessly to Hachiko, who was resting beside him. "In the end, I really underestimated how much energy kids have. Don't you think so too, Hachiko?"
"Woof woof…" Hachiko wagged his tail weakly and barked back, as if half-heartedly agreeing. Man and dog sat together, watching the three handmade kites drifting in the sky.
As for why he was sitting here resting while the kites still flew, it was because earlier that afternoon, they'd run into a twin-tailed girl on an errand. The memory of Shouko inviting her flashed in his mind.
"Miu?" When the three of them had passed a convenience store on the way, Shouko's sharp eyes had spotted Miu coming out of the store and called out curiously.
"It's you," Miu had answered, looking up when she heard the voice.
Tsuna asked, just as puzzled, "Miu, why are you here?" He clearly remembered this store was a bit far from Miu's house.
"My mom sent me to buy soy sauce," Miu explained casually. She noticed the kites in their hands and asked with surprise, "Are you going to fly kites?"
Shouko nodded with a bright smile. "Yeah! Tsuna made this kite for me. Isn't it pretty?" Her voice was joyful as she proudly held up the handmade kite.
Miu stepped forward, disbelief written all over her face as she examined all three kites carefully. After seeing their designs, she turned back to Tsuna in amazement. "You know how to make a kite?"
"Yep, learned it in Hawaii in my previous life; brought the memory with me," Tsuna said offhandedly, waving his hand like it was no big deal.
Miu ignored his obviously fake explanation and looked at Shouko with envy. "Shouko, I want to play too. Can you lend me yours? I've never flown a handmade kite before."
Before Shouko could reply, Yuzuru jumped in first. "Okay, Sister Miu! When Brother Tsuna's had enough, you can borrow it from him."
Over the past three years, Yuzuru had met a few of Shouko's friends—Miu included—and found her interesting, though not exactly the sharpest.
"Then let's go!" Miu said excitedly. Her family's little cousin was away for two days, so she'd been worrying about who to play with.
Shouko grabbed her hand before she could run off. "Wait Miu, don't you have something to do?"
"…Ah." Miu paused, remembering her mother's instructions: Buy soy sauce and come back. But her mom hadn't said she had to come straight back, right? After hesitating for a few seconds, she convinced herself. Yes, that must be what her mom meant—no rush.
Waving at Shouko, she chuckled. "No hurry! Mom didn't say we needed it right away. Let's play first, I can buy it on the way home."
"Alright, let's take it slow." Shouko easily gave in, holding her hand tighter.
When the four of them (plus Hachiko) arrived, Miu immediately turned to Tsuna. "Tsuna, can I fly yours first?"
"Sure, just be careful." Without any fuss, he handed her the kite Shizuka had given him. He really didn't feel like flying it anymore, anyway, he'd flown it all morning and was more worn out than the kids.
"Hehe… Thank you!" Miu took the kite and dashed off like a child set free.
——————
"Tsuna… get up, you'll catch a cold if you sleep here," Shouko whispered gently, shaking him awake where he dozed on the bench.
"Hmm?" Tsuna opened his eyes, half-asleep, and rubbed them. "How long was I out?"
"I don't know." Shouko sat down beside him, pulled a tissue from her pocket, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Alright, let's go call them," Tsuna said, stretching as he stood up. He glanced at his watch, around ten minutes had passed.
"Sister Miu, bye!" At the intersection, Yuzuru waved from where she was riding Hachiko's back, her little hand fluttering in the air.
"Bye!" Miu turned and waved back, skipping home with light steps.
"Mom! I'm home!" Miu opened the door and called into the house.
"You still remember where home is?" her mother teased kindly, emerging from the kitchen with a wooden spatula in hand.
"I forgot, I'm going now!" Miu's eyes widened as her memory came rushing back. She turned to open the door again.
"No need," her mom said, stopping her.
When Miu turned back, puzzled, she explained, "I went and bought it myself about half an hour after you left. I knew you'd end up playing somewhere and forget all about it."
"Hehe." Miu laughed happily, relieved she didn't have to go back out—and that she'd saved 500 yen in the process. For her, even that small amount felt huge. (500 yen ≈ 3.39 Dollar.)
After changing into slippers at the entrance, she hurried over to her mom and began telling her everything that had happened that afternoon. "Mom, you don't know, Tsuna can actually make kites by hand! They're just like the ones you buy at the store—and they really fly!"
Her mother just listened patiently, smiling, occasionally replying when something amused her.
——————
"Mom, I'm going to sleep." After blow-drying her hair, Shouko spoke to her mother, who was still busy in the living room. Yuzuru and Grandma Ito had long since fallen asleep.
Yaeko didn't even look up, just nodded lightly. "Alright. Make sure to cover up properly."
"Mom, don't stay up too late," Shouko said softly, then turned and went back to her room.
She pulled out a large cardboard box from under her bed. The little one she'd used back in kindergarten had long been replaced, proof that her memories with Tsuna had only grown over time.
She took out some of her treasured mementos and spread them out on the floor.
She picked up the kite from her bedside table, looking at the little boy she'd drawn on it. The corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously before she tucked them at the very bottom.
Behind it were the course notes Tsuna had written for her over the past three years, packed with answers, thoughtful reminders, and even little smiley faces he'd doodled.
There were also the cat toys he'd given her, the first paper cranes he'd taught her to fold—she even remembered how she'd once believed Aunt Shizuka would steal them from her. How silly she'd been.
She picked up the last keepsake, her eyes lingering on the little boy she'd secretly kissed in the photo. Finally, she placed the group photo of everyone on top.
___________
Time: 23:45
Yaeko stepped out of the bathroom after her bath, sighed quietly, raised her hand to rub her sore shoulder, then slowly walked to Shouko's room. She gently opened the door and approached the bed, watching her daughter's peaceful sleeping face. Carefully, she pulled the quilt over her shoulders.
"Good night…" she murmured, then silently closed the door behind her.