By the time he returned to the classroom with a bag from the campus convenience store, Tsuna and the others had already pushed their desks and chairs together.
"Everyone, do you have any plans for this weekend?" Ajitani asked with a playful lilt in her voice, her gaze sweeping over everyone.
"A date."
"Sleeping."
"Playing games."
"…A date?"
The three of them fixed their gazes on Shouko's face. Ajitani was the first to ask, "Shouko-chan, where are you planning to go on your date? Can you give us a little hint?"
"No way." Tsuna swallowed the food in his mouth and answered for Shouko.
"Class monitor, you've been busy for almost two months. Shouldn't you be resting well at home this weekend?"
Ajitani leaned back as if boneless, waving her hand.
"Don't look at me coming home late every day and think I have a lot of things to do. Actually, it's just a little bit. The main thing is following Nanase-sensei to learn. Nanase-sensei has arranged almost everything else."
Tsuna glanced at her speechlessly. He actually thought she didn't come back late at all; she was usually back by around 5:30 PM.
This school didn't have evening self-study. As for whether other schools did, he wasn't sure, but it was highly likely they didn't either.
"Takagi-chan, we—"
She was halfway through her sentence when Takagi-san's chopsticks picked up a small piece of broccoli and accurately popped it into her slightly open mouth.
"Later."
"…"
Ajitani swallowed the broccoli, then immediately blinked her eyes, which had regained their sparkle, and enthusiastically changed the subject:
"Hey, Shouko-chan, where are you guys planning to go for your date this weekend? Just a tiny hint, I absolutely won't follow you."
As she spoke, she raised her right hand, forming a small gap with her index finger and thumb.
"The Binlan Aquarium on Futaba Street."
"…?"
Shouko's large eyes showed confusion. The address on the two aquarium tickets he gave her was completely different from what he said.
And she also felt that the name of the aquarium he mentioned sounded very familiar.
"So familiar, I feel like I've heard it somewhere…" Nishikata mumbled the name several times.
"No way!" The 'clever' Ajitani immediately turned to Tsuna: "Where is there an aquarium on Futaba Street? I've never heard of it in all these years!"
"Pfft…"
Takagi-san let out a soft "pfft," unable to hold back a slight laugh.
Instantly, several pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on her.
Shouko and the others were still confused by the familiar name, and the sudden laughter made them even more bewildered the next second.
"Takagi-chan, what are you laughing at?"
"Do you guys feel like this name sounds familiar?" Takagi-san stifled her laughter, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Uh… mhm."
As if a single button had been pressed, Ajitani and Nishikata, with similar bewildered expressions, nodded their chins in unison.
"That place—"
Takagi-san's eyes darted, swallowing the answer that was about to blurt out, and changed her hint:
"Just right, Ajitani-chan, haven't you decided where to go this weekend yet?
How about we go visit that aquarium Miyamura mentioned on Saturday morning?"
"N-no… wouldn't that be bad?" Ajitani was tempted but hesitated, "Will we disturb Miyamura and them?"
"It's fine, it won't disturb them."
Tsuna smiled and waved his hand. He had just caught a sudden glint of mischief in Takagi-san's eyes, guessing her playful nature.
"Class monitor, you guys go then. I have something to do that day." Nishikata hesitated repeatedly but still spoke up to refuse.
"Alright then."
The topic ended after Ajitani nodded. The few of them moved the tables back to their original positions and left through the back door to wash their lunch boxes.
"Tsuna, the aquarium we're going to doesn't seem to be that one, right?"
On the way back to the classroom, Shouko leaned close to Tsuna and quietly asked.
"I know."
Before Tsuna finished speaking, he keenly caught sight of a figure rushing around the corridor corner. He reacted almost instinctively, reaching out an arm to circle Shouko's shoulder and swiftly pulling her back.
As a stumbling Shouko was safely protected in his arm, two figures chasing and playing barely brushed past their clothes.
"Sorry, sorry!" The hurried apologies drifted away with the chasing footsteps, without a backward glance.
A moment later, a roar suddenly erupted from the corridor ahead! Immediately following, a series of "I'm sorry" mixed with grievance and panic urgently rang out.
Tsuna pulled Shouko, who wanted to go forward with Ajitani and the others to join the commotion. "Let's go, there's nothing good to see."
But Tsuna's hand had barely held her for a moment when Shouko skillfully twisted her wrist, easily breaking free.
She took two light steps closer to the source of the noise, then turned back to Tsuna with a reassuring smile:
"Don't worry, Tsuna! I'll just take a look from afar! You go back to the classroom and wait for me. I promise not to get close to the excitement!"
"…"
Is joining in the fun human instinct? He wasn't sure about that, but watching Shouko and the others walk forward, he silently followed along.
— — — —
"You've all worked hard, Minasan."
At the entrance of the newly decorated auditorium, Nanase-sensei led her little follower, 'Ajitani,' in first.
Closely following were two students carrying heavy bags of cold drinks, with fine water droplets still condensed on the cold plastic bag openings.
Tsuna, resting in the audience seats, took the tissue handed to him by Shouko:
"If I had known we'd be setting up the stage today, I would've just taken the day off." As he spoke, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I remember this was Class 3's job, wasn't it? Why did they suddenly change their minds?"
Nishikata, sitting in front and panting, took the cold drink handed to him by Takagi-san and agreed.
Ajitani casually grabbed two bottles of cold drinks, and while smilingly handing them to Shouko and Tsuna respectively, she explained:
"Because after setting up the venue, we can also rehearse. For convenience, Nanase-sensei simply swapped with Class 3's Mori-sensei."
As she spoke, she turned back and pointed to the bags carried by several students entering the auditorium entrance:
"The costumes for the performance have arrived. Once everyone rests for a bit, we can start rehearsing."
"The clothes are here?"
Upon getting a nod, Shouko and Takagi-san, who had just sat down, stood up again, and pulling Ajitani along, went to check out the costumes they would be changing into later.
Tsuna ignored the chattering group, closed his eyes to rest for a while, and was then woken up by Shouko.
As soon as he opened his eyelids, a dazzling blue and yellow princess dress was unceremoniously waved in front of him, its skirt tracing an arc in the air.
"Here, Tsuna! Your 'protagonist's battle attire' for later."
The girl holding it had eyes sparkling with excitement and a brilliant smile: "I! Delivered it myself!"
"…"
Tsuna was a little speechless. "You probably got the wrong one, didn't you? I can still tell the difference between a princess and a king's costume."
And in front of him was Nishikata, who was also speechless, already wearing a Q-version pink pig's head.