My childhood sweetheart is Nishimiya Glass

Chapter 286 Commission and Celebration

At 4:30 pm, the shrine steps were scorching white. An old lady in a yukata introduced her goods to Takagi and Nishikata at a wind chime stall. The creaking of hemp rope against the wooden frame mingled with the chirping of cicadas.

The fish cake shop in the shopping street opened its curtains to let out some steam, which wafted onto the trousers of Yaeko Nishimiya as she passed by, leaving dark sweat stains along the crease.

At six o'clock sharp, the air conditioning in the convenience store was at its strongest. Ayumi Ajitani, who had just finished her club activities, was flipping through comics in front of the magazine shelf, while the rice ball packaging in the freezer gradually became covered with condensation.

Four or five goldfish scales floated in the plastic basin used for catching goldfish on the riverbank. Nishimiya Yuzuru excitedly led Hachiko home.

After seven o'clock, the shopping street was crowded with people looking for dinner. The takoyaki stalls sizzled on their griddles, and the bamboo skewers for grilled dumplings piled up in the trash cans.

"Tsuna, someone just messaged me privately, asking if I take on commissions for 2D character animation illustrations."

Looking at the bustling Futaba shopping street, which was now lively because of the fireworks festival, Shoko leaned close to someone's ear and deliberately spoke loudly.

"Look at you." Tsuna looked away from Yuzuru Nishimiya, who had blended into the crowd. "Didn't you just finish my request two weeks ago? Don't you want to rest a little longer?"

"You yourself said it was half a month ago..."

"Anime character action design? Which anime character?" Tsuna, dressed in a gray yukata, changed the subject.

Shoko led him to the takoyaki stand and lined up: "Action Kamen..."

"Hmm... let me guess." Tsuna stroked his chin, feigning profundity, and said, "Was the client's name Nohara Shinnosuke?"

"..." Shoko nudged his ribs with her elbow, trying to get him to be serious.

"How many portions for two people?"

"One..." Tsuna changed his mind before he could finish, "Boss, two portions."

"Shall we talk about this when we get back? Let's enjoy the fireworks festival first?" Tsuna turned to look at the girl in the white and orange yukata beside him.

"Mmm!" Shoko nodded, took the two servings of takoyaki from the shopkeeper, and left the group ahead of him.

The two then began to wander aimlessly, going wherever the crowds were, until they came across a goldfish scooping stall.

"Gentlemen, how about we check out some other goldfish scooping stalls?" The middle-aged man, wearing a black headscarf, looked at the two men and forced a smile.

"Uncle Hengben, don't be nervous, we're just here to take a look." Looking at his expression, which was more like a smile than a cry, Tsuna felt a little guilty for a moment.

The three met at a goldfish scooping stall when they were in sixth grade. Almost every year during the festival, Tsuna and Shoko would visit his stall.

For the first two years, he would always put the goldfish back in the tank after catching them, and Uncle Hengben would return the money.

In the years that followed, Uncle Hengben stopped charging money altogether and just gave him and Shoko a net to fish in.

He didn't know what to say...

"Uncle Hengben, we brought you some delicious food too." Shoko handed him the fried cakes she had bought but hadn't touched yet.

Shoko cherishes this relationship quite a bit. Importantly, his daughter and Yuzuru were classmates in junior high school and are also good friends.

I just don't know if he knows.

Afterwards, Tsuna and his companion watched a customer scooping up goldfish, said goodbye to him, and continued their stroll.

Around 9:30, the two witnessed this year's fireworks display at a shrine halfway up the mountain, while a light bulb watched them from a distance.

----------

"Tsuna, do you think I should accept this request or not?" Shoko, who had changed back into her casual clothes, leaned close to someone.

Tsuna didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "Does the other party want to chat with you online or offline?"

“He said online or offline is fine, but offline is preferred so we can discuss things in detail.” Shoko showed him the chat history on her phone.

He scrolled through the chat history but didn't see anything unusual. However, he still suggested, "Then you should set a time and place with the other person, and I'll go with you." "Okay." Shoko nodded, took back her phone, and sent a message to the other person according to what Tsuna had just said.

Before long, the two sides agreed on the time and place.

"Tsuna, the first afternoon of summer vacation, at the cat-eared maid café in Akihabara."

"..."

"They really know how to pick their timing..." Tsuna muttered to himself.

"Is there a problem?" Shoko asked, puzzled.

"No, let's go with this time. Just remember to remind me then."

"Uh-huh!"

Everything was settled. Shoko said "goodnight" to him and left his room. Three or four minutes later, he received a report on his phone that Shoko had arrived home safely.

At 11 o'clock, two of the shrine lanterns went dark. On his way home, Naoto Nishikata's flashlight swept across the empty fortune-telling stand, illuminating the flattened taiyaki wrapper from earlier that day.

At 4:07 a.m., Yuzuru Nishimiya was muttering in her sleep, and Hachiko, unable to bear it any longer, chose to leave her bedroom.

At 6:15, the delivery motorcycle rolled over the still-damp puddles, and the sound of brooms sweeping the shrine in the morning startled crows.

Tsuna, who was jogging in the morning, greeted Matsuoka Miu, whom he had bumped into, and continued running. The drumbeats coming from his sports headphones were mixed with the first sound of a bat hitting a ball during the morning training session of the nearby junior high school baseball team.

At 7:40, the sound of bicycle brakes echoed from the school gate. Ayumi Ajitani stacked the club flyers, which were damp with morning dew, even higher.

Good morning, Ayumi-chan.

"Good morning."

"Oh, you two."

After greeting the two, Ayumi Ajitani showed them several Shinkansen tickets on her phone:
"I've already grabbed the tickets for you guys, for 10:30 AM. We'll discuss it together when Takagi-chan gets here."

"How much? I'll transfer it to you."

Ayumi waved her hand, refusing Tsuna's offer to pay, and said that she would rather use the money to buy more good food for her daughter, Shoko...

"..."

Not long after, Takagi and Nishikata also arrived at the classroom, and Ayumi Ajitani discussed the arrangements for the trip with the four of them.

Questions such as meeting point, meeting time, tickets, etc.

The man who originally wanted to sleep with her was too embarrassed to say so amidst her excitement and enthusiasm...

"By the way, speaking of going to the beach, shouldn't we buy some swimsuits?" Shoko suddenly raised her hand to ask.

Upon hearing this, Nishikata, who had been listless, instantly perked up.

"No need, we can buy it when we get there. It might even be cheaper at my grandpa's place." Ayumi Ajitani waved her hand.

“That works too.” Shoko and Takagi nodded.

The swimsuit buying segment was the part the group was most looking forward to, and they all wanted to catch the eye of 'someone,' including Tsuna and Nishikata.

Even as school was about to end, Ayumi Ajitani's eager anticipation remained undiminished.

The same thing happened for the next few days.

(End of this chapter)