Teacher Ageo quickly spoke up to quiet the children and let the reporter continue.
"So, which kid would like to introduce themselves first?"
Some brave children raised their left hands. The reporter then asked them to look at the camera and stand up to introduce themselves. Shouko watched them naturally and calmly from her seat, clearly eager to try.
"Tsuna, can we go together?" Shouko asked softly, feeling a bit shy and wanting Tsuna to accompany her.
Tsuna didn't think it was a big deal, so he nodded and agreed. "Yeah."
Seeing Tsuna agree, Shouko happily raised her left hand. She was instantly noticed by the female reporter near the podium. When the reporter first entered the Sakura class, she saw this cute kid but didn't ask her to speak because she hadn't raised her hand.
The female reporter walked up to Shouko with a microphone, followed by a young man carrying a camera. Shouko stood up nervously and cheered herself on silently.
"You're so cute, little friend. Please introduce yourself first."
The original shyness Shouko had felt vanished with Tsuna's encouragement, but after the praise from the beautiful female reporter, her shyness returned. Still, she timidly said,
"My name is Nishimiya Shouko, and I am a student in the Sakura senior class of Futaba Kindergarten."
At that moment, Shouko wasn't sure what to say next and kept looking at Tsuna beside her, silently asking for help.
"Shouko's pronunciation is very clear. Can you tell me how she practiced?"
After hearing the previous children's self-introductions and then listening to Shouko's opening speech, the female reporter might have doubted that Shouko had any hearing issues if she hadn't seen the hearing aid in her ear.
"I... I..."
"Shouko, believe in yourself. You can do it."
Tsuna saw Shouko stuttering and quickly stepped in to encourage her.
The camera shifted to Tsuna as he spoke, and the female reporter holding the microphone also turned to look at him.
"Because Tsuna is by my side... he's been teaching me how to speak and correcting my pronunciation for the past three years, so my pronunciation is better than the other kids."
After Tsuna's encouragement, Shouko spoke slowly. Her tone was still a little reserved, but what she said was already remarkable.
"So that's how it is. Shouko has a very good friend. Is Tsuna also in this class?"
The female reporter had a good guess that the Tsuna Shouko mentioned was the boy beside her, but to avoid any mistakes, she asked to confirm.
"Yes! He's Tsuna! His name is Miyamura Tsunayoshi."
Shouko, delighted to hear the reporter praise Tsuna, happily ran out of her seat, hugged Tsuna's arm, and introduced him.
"Oh...? Tsuna is very cute too. Can you introduce yourself as well?"
The female reporter looked at the closeness between the two and, for some reason, thought of herself as still single and felt as if she had lost miserably.
Seeing that Tsuna was about to stand up and introduce himself, Shouko let go of his hand but stayed beside him, watching closely. She wanted to encourage him in case he got nervous.
"My name is Miyamura Tsunayoshi, and I'm a student in the senior class of Sakura at Futaba Kindergarten."
Tsuna paused here, unsure of what to say next.
The female reporter quickly followed up on his words and asked, "Tsuna, why are you in the Sakura class? I noticed that you're the only one in the class not wearing a hearing aid."
"Because I want to be with Shouko, and I'm afraid she'll be bullied."
Tsuna answered confidently, feeling there was nothing wrong with what he said.
Teacher Ageo, who was holding Shin-chan on the podium, listened to the two cute kids' baby voices and instinctively held him tighter and tighter. She looked very excited and didn't notice anything unusual.
"Teacher Ageo, Teacher Ageo, relax! I won't go looking for that girl!"
Shin-chan felt it was getting harder and harder to breathe, so he quickly patted Teacher Ageo's hand and begged for mercy.
The female reporter saw Tsuna say this so bluntly in front of the camera without any hesitation. She had always thought that most children in kindergarten were as reserved as Shouko.
Suddenly, she wanted to ask something more interesting. She moved the microphone from Tsuna to Shouko and asked in a gentle voice:
"Tsuna is so good to you, Shouko. How do you think you can repay him?"
Tsuna saw Shouko lower her head in thought. He knew that her little head probably couldn't come up with an answer quickly, after all, this question had nothing to do with a kindergarten lesson, so he was about to help her out.
But before he could speak, Shouko looked up, her gaze firm as she faced the camera and declared:
"I will marry Tsuna in the future and be his bride! I'll give him lots of cute babies."
At home, Shizuka was watching the live broadcast on the Futaba Channel. When she heard Shouko's firm words, she slammed her hand on the coffee table in frustration, wishing she were there in person.
The female reporter had gotten the exact answer she was hoping for. Even though she knew they were just kindergarteners who might forget about this promise in a few months, words spoken by children at that age were often the most sincere.
"Teacher Ageo! Teacher Ageo! I'm dying! I'm dying!" Shin-chan gasped as he flailed his hands, struggling to breathe again.
Startled from her thoughts, Teacher Ageo quickly released her grip and apologized profusely, realizing she had been squeezing him too tightly.
Tsuna couldn't help but blush when he heard Shouko's firm words and met her earnest gaze.
The female reporter, catching sight of Tsuna's gradually reddening face from the corner of her eye, smiled softly. She moved the microphone back toward him and asked teasingly,
"So, Tsuna—are you willing to marry Shouko in the future?"
Suddenly, Tsuna became bashful. The camera was focused directly on him, and he had no doubt that countless people across Japan might be watching, waiting for his response. On top of that, he could feel a scorching gaze from his side—the kind that told him if he dared to say the wrong thing, he'd be receiving Shizuka's "motherly love" at full power when he got home.
"I'm willing… I-I'm willing…" Tsuna stammered, his voice barely louder than a whisper.
It was the first time that Teacher Ageo, standing on the podium, and Shizuka, watching from the TV at home, had ever seen Tsuna look so awkward. His flushed cheeks, the way he shifted-shy, ly everything about him in that moment was utterly adorable.
Shouko, standing quietly beside him, was equally surprised. In her eyes, Tsuna had always been calm, composed, and dependable, someone she could rely on no matter what. But now, seeing this shy and flustered side of him, something unfamiliar stirred in her heart. It was warm, fluttery, and hard to put into words… but she knew it made her happy.
The female reporter chuckled lightly, clearly amused and touched by the children's innocent exchange. She gently asked Tsuna and Shouko to sit down and then turned her attention to the rest of the class, continuing with the introductions of other students.
Once she had finished asking nearly all her questions, the reporter thanked Teacher Ageo and the children warmly. With a friendly wave, she led her team to leave the classroom. Shin-chan quietly slipped out behind them, eager to follow the grown-ups.
As the wooden classroom door clicked shut behind them, Teacher Ageo clapped her hands to draw the children's attention back.
"Alright, everyone! When you go home this afternoon, you'll get to see yourselves on TV!" she announced with a big smile.
She had already called each parent the night before, reminding them to tune in to the broadcast. Now, the kids buzzed with excitement, their minds filled with the thought of seeing their faces on the television screen.
The children below nodded eagerly, their voices bubbling with excitement as they chattered about how nervous and thrilled they had been just moments ago.
"Tsuna, Tsuna, I want to go home soon!" Shouko, sitting in her seat, couldn't hide her impatience. Her eyes sparkled as she glanced at Tsuna, waiting for him to share her excitement.
Tsuna smiled gently, his calmness steadying her eagerness. "Don't worry, Shouko. Soon, we'll both get to watch ourselves on TV."
Shouko beamed, feeling a warmth spread through her chest not just from the anticipation, but from knowing Tsuna would be right there with her.