Time flies. Two years have passed in the blink of an eye since I met the Nishimiya family.
Tsuna was about to celebrate his third birthday.
Over the past two years, he had tried countless ways to summon the system, but none of them worked.
A lot had happened around him during that time, but the Miyamura family remained largely the same: an unreliable father, a carefree mother, and a frequently speechless Tsuna.
Tsuna has become the star kid in the eyes of other families in this neighborhood because he doesn't cry or make a fuss and is well-behaved and cute. No one has ever doubted that the soul of a college student lives in this little kid.
Shizuka and Daisuke are both first-time parents. They have worked hard to give birth to a piece of flesh from their bodies. How can they be suspicious of their baby, Tsuna?
Tsuna walked to the floor-length mirror and looked at himself, who was about to turn three years old.
After looking at it for a long time...
Hehe... I am even cuter.
Shizuka, who was kneeling on the tatami and reading a magazine, glanced at Tsuna in front of the mirror and said, "Tsuna, you are becoming more and more conceited."
Tsuna raised his right hand, stretched out his index finger to shake it, and replied without turning her head, "You are too nagging, Mom."
Shizuka did not respond to Tsuna's words because the blue veins on her head were jumping. She quietly walked behind Tsuna. Tsuna saw her approaching in the mirror but did not say anything.
She hugged Tsuna and then used her legs to fix Tsuna to prevent him from escaping. She rubbed Tsuna's little fleshy face with both hands, trying to teach him a lesson.
"No, no, please, mom." Tsuna urgently pleaded for mercy, fearing that if she continued, his skin would peel off.
Shizuka also stopped at the right time, gently rubbed Tsuna's red cheeks, and then, when she saw that it was almost time, she kissed him.
Tsuna watched his mother walk back to the small table and continue reading magazines like a scumbag who put on his pants and didn't recognize her.
Tsuna could only wipe the saliva off his face helplessly.
——————
A few uneventful days passed, until suddenly, some unexpected news brought back by Shizuka from the Nishimiya household stirred things up.
The Miyamura family was sitting in the room, watching a comedy show on TV. Daisuke reached into the basket in the middle of the small table, picked up an orange, and began peeling it.
Shizuka suddenly seemed to think of something and nervously said to Daisuke, who was peeling oranges beside him. "Dear, do you know?"
Daisuke suddenly froze at her words, a nervous feeling rising in his chest. "I know what?" he asked cautiously.
Shizuka didn't acknowledge his reaction. She continued peeling the orange in his hand as she spoke calmly, "You do know. I heard from Yaeko~Shouko was diagnosed with hearing impairment by the doctor."
"Ah? Ah...!!"
Shizuka broke off half of the peeled orange and stuffed it into Daisuke's mouth. But seeing him act as though he knew something yet clearly didn't leave her a little confused. She asked, "What's with that reaction? You really didn't know?"
"Did the doctor say if there's any way to treat it?" Daisuke swallowed the orange and tried to sound calm, hoping to steer the conversation away.
Shizuka didn't pay much attention to his strange response. She broke off another small piece and gently fed it to Tsuna, who was quietly watching TV. Then, recalling what Yaeko had told her, she turned to Daisuke and said:
"No, we still have to visit several hospitals for further tests, just in case it's a misdiagnosis," Shizuka replied.
Daisuke saw that Shizuka had shifted focus to the topic and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, thinking of the adorable Shouko next door, he said:
"Sigh... Shouko is still so young, and she might have to rely on hearing aids and sign language in the future. I really hope it's just a misdiagnosis."
"Yes." Shizuka saw Daisuke sighing, thinking that he was worried about Shouko.
Tsuna, who had just swallowed the orange, realized from their conversation that his mother had once again been diverted by his father and that the secret stash of money hidden behind the TV would probably be spared again.
Feigning innocence, he tilted his head and said sweetly, "Mom, Dad hid some small change behind the TV."
"What!?" Shizuka snapped, grabbing Daisuke by the collar with inhuman speed.
*********
A few days passed.
The Nishimiya family went to four or five hospitals, and all of them confirmed that Shouko had a hearing impairment. From then on, she could only rely on hearing aids and sign language to communicate.
Sitting at the dining table, Suneo and Yaeko looked at the stack of diagnostic reports in their hands. The atmosphere was heavy and silent.
Staring at one of the reports, Suneo took a sip of cold water from the cup beside him. Then, he asked a strange question in a quiet voice, "Why did you hide your genetic defect?"
Yaeko, already in a terrible mood over Shouko's condition, immediately understood that Suneo was trying to pin all the blame on her.
Suppressing her anger, she snapped, "The doctor said it! The root cause of Shouko's hearing impairment is a viral infection transmitted to her mother by the man!"
Suneo chuckled, holding the cup in his hand, and said casually, "Anyway, it's your fault, isn't it? Shouko had a problem because of your stomach."
Hearing this, Yaeko slammed the table in fury. The force of her action caused her glass of water to spill all over the test report.
Yaeko didn't care. She pointed at Suneo and shouted,
"This happened because I didn't know it was that kind of disease!"
"Sure enough, it's still your fault," Suneo said indifferently, ignoring her furious expression as he leaned back in his chair and took another sip of water.
"But... you were the one who got it!"
"Was it because you didn't get vaccinated?"
"So if... if I had known!"
"Calm down. Let's talk about this during the day." Suneo raised his hand and glanced at his watch, signaling her to settle down for now.
Yaeko also realized it was late and didn't want to disturb the neighbors, so she immediately agreed. "Fine. We'll talk tomorrow."
After cleaning up the table, Yaeko went back to the master bedroom. That night, she slept there with Shouko in her arms, while Suneo stayed in the guest room.
In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Suddenly, the doorbell rang at the Nishimiya home.
Yaeko walked to the entrance and opened the door, surprised to see Suneo's mother standing there.
"Mom!?"
"Haa... what? Don't you want to welcome me?"
"No... no, please come in." Yaeko hurriedly tried to take the bag from her mother-in-law at the door, but she dodged. Yaeko could only smile awkwardly and welcome her inside.
Everyone sat around the dining table again, this time with two more glasses of water than yesterday. On the left sat Suneo and his mother, and on the right were Yaeko and her mother, Nishimiya Ito.
Because it was so late last night, Shouko had already fallen asleep in the second bedroom.
Suneo spoke first, "Let's talk about the child's problem."
"What!? What child's problem?" Suneo's mother asked in surprise.
Suneo briefly explained Shouko's condition to his mother, then picked up the cup in front of him and took a big sip of water.
His mother covered her mouth in shock and said, "What? Shouko has a hearing impairment!?"
"Yes, in short, we were deceived," Suneo said calmly as he put down the cup and continued explaining.
Yaeko, on the other hand, looked at the mother and son with a gloomy expression. Their act was far too fake.
Suneo continued muttering to himself, "We never expected Yaeko to give birth to a child like this!"
Hearing that, Yaeko couldn't hold back. She slammed the table angrily, causing the water in her cup to ripple. Pointing at Suneo, she shouted,
"What do you mean by a child like this, huh!?"
Seeing Yaeko's anger, Suneo slammed the table with both hands and retorted, "Isn't that right!? Isn't there something wrong with Shouko?"
"Then what? What do you want!?" Yaeko shouted.
"Find a time to secretly send her to a welfare home!" Suneo said, his words hanging heavy in the silent room.
Everyone fell into stunned silence. Yaeko was even more shocked that the man she had been with for seven or eight years could say something so cruel.
Overwhelmed, Yaeko's eyes grew moist. Feeling defeated, she whispered, "Let's… divorce…"
When Yaeko finally spoke the words "Let's divorce," Suneo's mother didn't hesitate to agree, her voice cold and unforgiving:
"Fine! If you can't bear the thought of secretly sending her to a welfare home, then keep the child yourself. Our family wants nothing to do with a freak like that."
Yaeko's eyes filled with tears as she stared at the harsh faces of the mother and son. Unable to contain her rising anger and pain, she suddenly grabbed the glass of water before her and flung it onto Suneo.
Suneo barely raised a hand to stop his mother's outrage, chuckling darkly as he turned away, indifferent to Yaeko's breaking sobs that echoed through the room.