"…"
Tsuna didn't say anything, tacitly agreeing with what he said.
Nishikata, afraid of being exposed for something embarrassing, rushed to the railing in three strides before Tsuna could look at him, to watch Takagi and the others' scavenger hunt race up close.
This time, Shouko and the two finally didn't repeat their middle school mistakes; the contents of the slips were much more normal.
Takagi's was'something shiny,' while Ajitani's was 'a tool that can amplify sound.'
And the slip of paper Shouko had unfolded in her hand was 'an object that moves and stops intermittently.'
"Something shiny…"
"A tool that can amplify sound…"
"An object that moves and stops intermittently…"
"Ajitani-chan, aren't you going to look for a megaphone or a horn or something?" Shouko looked at Ajitani beside her, who was fanning her neck with her hand in a small fanning motion.
The scorching sun was burning, and other competitors were already scattered across the lawn, searching for the items on their slips.
Shouko and the two, however, hid in the stuffy shade of the tent, huddled together, discussing in low voices.
"I'm thinking…"
"But…" Takagi's gaze wandered over the slips in the hands of the two opposite her:
"These all feel pretty easy to find, but Shouko-chan, can you guess what yours refers to?"
She had already figured out what her'shiny thing' was: a clear water cup filled with water under the sun.
"No…" Shouko shook her head frantically: "Moves and stops intermittently… Can't think of it! Absolutely can't think of it!"
"I've got it!"
Ajitani snapped her fingers. Without another word, she pulled both of their hands and ran towards the finish line.
"Hey, hey, hey, Ajitani-chan, what are you doing? We haven't found anything yet!"
"Water cup! Water cup!"
Shouko and Takagi protested with their mouths, but their bodies were very obedient, being dragged by her all the way to the finish line, both wondering what she was up to.
"Teacher Shouge, we're here to submit our scavenger hunt items!" Ajitani, pulling Shouko and Takagi, rushed breathlessly to the referee's table by the finish line and stopped.
Coincidentally, the referee was their class's physical education teacher,'Shouge Jutsu,' who was also the teacher most annoyed by Ajitani on a normal basis.
"Oh?"
Teacher Shouge took the slip of paper Ajitani handed him, his gaze habitually sweeping over their three empty hands, and his brows immediately furrowed, a look of surprise on his face:
"A tool that can amplify sound… Where's the thing?"
"Wait a moment…" Saying that, Ajitani reached behind her, and then, in front of everyone, pulled out a mobile phone.
"Ajitani-chan, where did you pull that phone out from?" Takagi was stunned.
These gym clothes don't have pockets…
"Don't mind those details."
Ajitani smiled and waved her hand, temporarily handing the phone to her for safekeeping, then looked at the waiting Teacher Shouge:
"Watch closely, Teacher Shouge."
As soon as her voice fell, under the confused gazes of the three, Ajitani quickly cupped her hands into a horn shape by her mouth and shouted towards Teacher Shouge:
"Something that can amplify sound!"
"…" The three of them were speechless.
The two options of 'pass' and 'not pass' bounced back and forth in Teacher Shouge's mind.
"Pass, I guess…" Teacher Shouge almost couldn't bear to look at her, then looked at Shouko and the other behind her: "Then you two…—"
"Yes, yes, yes! They have them too!"
Ajitani raised her hand to interrupt him, took the slip of paper from Shouko's hand and submitted it to him:
"Watch closely, something that moves and stops intermittently."
She took the phone from Takagi's hand, set a vibrating alarm for one minute later, and handed it to Teacher Shouge:
"Teacher Shouge, just wait one minute."
"…" Teacher Shouge's speechless expression hadn't changed.
"Is Ajitani-chan really a genius…?" Shouko leaned closer to Takagi's ear and whispered, a look of surprise on her face.
She still hadn't figured out what the item on her slip referred to.
"Hehe…"
Takagi let out a dry laugh; for a moment, she really didn't know how to refute Shouko.
"Pa… Pass, next."
Teacher Shouge, as if relieved, quickly handed the phone back, only wanting to end this matter quickly.
But Ajitani didn't take it at all.
The next second, with a crisp'snap,' the phone was forcefully slapped back into Teacher Shouge's own outstretched palm.
Even worse, that familiar slip of paper, belonging to Takagi, was also slipped in along with it.
Teacher Shouge froze in place, his hand holding the phone and the slip forgotten to be withdrawn.
He looked down at the 'two-piece set' that had appeared in his hand, his eyelid twitched, his throat choked for a moment, before he squeezed out a few words in a tired tone:
"And… and more…?"
"Mm-hm!" Ajitani nodded vigorously, her eyes curved into a smile, even with a hint of smugness:
"As long as Teacher Shouge turns on the flashlight mode, he'll immediately know if it passes!"
"Pass, pass, pass!"
Teacher Shouge didn't even wait for her to finish speaking, shoving the phone and slip back into her hand all at once, waving his hand with a hint of disdain:
"I'll register your time, go on, go back to the stands and rest."
The three of them, hearing this, didn't linger, turning and walking towards the stands.
Along the way, Ajitani walked with great pride, chin raised: "How about it? Am I smart? One phone explained three slips!"
...…
The afternoon sun poured brightly onto the sports field, baking the plastic track and emitting an unpleasant smell.
When Shouko and the others returned to the stands, their foreheads were all damp with sweat.
"Class monitor, did your neck cramp?"
"…"
"Pfft…" Takagi covered her mouth, but still couldn't help but laugh.
Ajitani didn't explain, casually picked up a cheering stick next to her, and swung it at Nishikata, who was trying to sneak away with his neck tucked in.
Shouko, meanwhile, sat snugly next to Tsuna, fine beads of sweat still glistening on her temples.
Almost simultaneously.
Tsuna had already reached out incredibly naturally, casually picking up the small fan she had placed beside her, opening it with a 'click,' and a gentle cool breeze was softly sent towards her face.
She leaned sideways, rubbing against the coolness on his arm, and casually wiped away sweat with a tissue, then eagerly began talking to Tsuna.
Her voice carried a slight pant after exercising, and her warm breath occasionally brushed Tsuna's earlobe.
She vividly described Ajitani's recent feat, and Teacher Shouge's subtle expression, as if he had swallowed an entire lemon.
After a short rest, the sound of the closing ceremony's loudspeaker began to echo in its final notes. Students in the stands rose one after another, surging like a tide towards the specially chosen grand auditorium.
"Sis, I'll wait for you here." A voice rang out.
Her only response was the hurried backs of Shouko and the others, and Tsuna raising his hand and waving in the crowd.
...
By the time Tsuna and Shouko returned from the auditorium.
The vast stands were already empty, with only Yuzuru and a few scattered parents remaining, along with a few unlucky students on duty in that area.