The Sound of a Silent Life

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On the left side of the photo, the mother is wearing a school uniform, which should be the one she wore during her high school years. There is a Band-Aid on her nose. Even back then, her eyes looked a little disdainful.

She bared her teeth, hugged the father's shoulders, and made a "V" sign toward the camera.

The father on the right side of the photo is also wearing the same school uniform as the mother. He has black-framed square glasses and carries a black school bag. He smiles stiffly at the camera, as if he were forced by his mother.

Shizuka looked at the photo and recalled for a while, then slowly explained the situation to the two children.

She talked about how she got into a gang fight in high school and became a delinquent. Then, she was assigned to the same class as him. He kept persuading her to study hard. Later, she was injured in an accident, and while hiding on the road, she met him again. And then, something like that happened—a Mary Sue plot.

(A/n: Let's see everyone's feedback later. If the response is good, Shizuka and Daisuke will get one or two extra chapters.)

After listening, Shouko excitedly asked the important question: "Who confessed first?"

"Of course, it was my mom. Just look at the photo—my dad looks like a model student who was forced into it. It doesn't look like he took the initiative," Tsuna answered Shouko's question without hesitation.

"Haha..." After hearing this, Shizuka chuckled, raised her hand, and tapped her son's forehead with her index finger, then explained, "That really disappoints you. Your dad confessed to me."

Tsuna was shocked and said, "What!?" He never thought he had made the wrong judgment. It didn't seem like the nerdy dad would have confessed first!

He turned to look at his dad next to him, trying to see from his face and eyes whether his mom was lying or not, but he was disappointed.

Daisuke noticed his questioning gaze, looked at him gently, nodded, and said in a soft voice, "Your mother didn't lie to you. It was really me who confessed first."

Shizuka understood what her son meant. She patted the dust off her hands, stretched them out, and pulled his cheeks from both sides, then said kindly, "What do you mean? Is there a problem with him confessing to your mother first?"

Tsuna felt a slight pain on his face, and his survival instincts kicked in. He mumbled, "No, no problem, of course no problem! It only shows that Dad has great taste, really great!" Then, he gave Shizuka a thumbs-up.

"Auntie, Tsuna knows he was wrong. Just let him go." Shouko, seeing that Tsuna's face had turned a bit red, quickly acted cute and pleaded with Shizuka for mercy.

What else could Shizuka do? Her daughter-in-law wasn't on her side, so she had no choice but to slowly let go of her son. Then she looked at his face with confusion and said, "I didn't use that much force."

Daisuke saw the worry in Shizuka's eyes and slowly explained, "Your son's skin is as delicate as water. It turns red even if you pinch it lightly. You'll get used to it."

Tsuna also shook his head in agreement with Daisuke, indicating that he was fine. He hadn't felt much pain earlier; he was used to his skin.

Yuu, who had been watching the scene unfold, looked at the sky and felt that it was getting late. She asked the others, "Are you staying for dinner tonight?" After the two heads of the family nodded, she returned to the house to prepare the meal.

Watching Yuu walk back into the house, Shizuka suddenly remembered something about Shouko. She quickly took out her phone and explained, "I'll call Yaeko first. I forgot to tell her I brought Shouko out." Then, she walked away a bit with her phone.

After Tsuna finished sorting through the scattered items, only four letters remained. He held them in his hand and asked, "Dad, can we read these letters now? Or should we wait until Mom comes back first?"

The scattered items were just small toys, Daisuke's high school textbooks, some of Shizuka's jewelry, a few handmade toys and dolls created by the two of them, and that photo.

"Let's wait until she comes back. There's no rush," Daisuke replied, taking the letters from his hand. He quickly glanced at them and guessed who the parents were. Four letters; just right.

By the time Shizuka returned, Daisuke had already buried Shouko's time capsule back in its original place. Seeing her return, he asked, puzzled, "Why did you take so long? Did something happen?"

"Nothing, I was just chatting with Yaeko about gossip. I didn't realize how quickly time passed." Shizuka waved her hand and laughed casually.

The three of them sat at the coffee table in the living room. Shizuka went to the kitchen to help Yuu, so now only the three remained.

Tsuna rubbed Shouko's soft little hand, pretending to massage her. She believed it and didn't resist at all. She simply handed over her small hand and started watching TV.

He glanced at his father and asked slowly, "Should we open this letter now?"

Daisuke handed him one and said in a gentle voice, "Open this one first. I wrote it, so it doesn't matter." As soon as he finished speaking, he resumed watching the Japanese comedy variety show on TV.

Tsuna carefully opened the envelope, pulled out a slightly yellowed paper, and handed it to Shouko, who was standing beside him. She gave Tsuna a speechless look and continued watching TV.

Daisuke's letter was still the same—just a short dozen words:

"I hope my wife becomes stronger and stronger in the future, and that I love my wife more and more, and that everything goes smoothly and peacefully."

After everyone finished dinner, it was already around 8 p.m. Shizuka sat casually on the tatami in the living room. After reading Daisuke's letter, she raised her hand and lightly patted him, indicating he was shameless.

"Alright, open it and take a look. I can tell Shouko can't wait any longer," Yuu said with a chuckle, noticing how eager Shouko was since dinner ended.

Shizuka's wish letter from more than ten years ago read:

"I hope I become more and more beautiful in ten years, and that the baby in my belly is born healthy and grows up well. Hopefully, it's a girl! A girl!!

She should inherit my beauty and her father's intelligence. But if not, at least inherit my beauty! Of course, it would be even better if she's smart too, or else she'll be easily deceived by blonde-haired guys.

I also heard that newborns tend to be noisy. I hope mine is quiet, doesn't cry, and sleeps well. But most importantly, even if none of that happens, I just hope he or she is born safely and lives a healthy life."

After reading the letter, Tsuna was a little speechless. "Mom, this isn't a wish letter, is it?"

Then it hit him—his mom really wanted a girl. That must be why she always said she accidentally got addicted to shopping and bought him women's clothes and pajamas. Was it intentional???

"Haha, just look at the letter. Except for you not being a girl, haven't all the wishes come true? Doesn't that show how effective it was?" Shizuka laughed softly and reached out to rub her son's head, who was becoming more and more handsome.

"Huh... that kind of makes sense...? It does seem like they all came true one by one."

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