He woke up feeling very comfortable, sighing as he remembered everything that had happened. Without even realizing it, a small, gentle, and completely sincere smile formed on his face—something he hadn't done in a long time. He quickly got ready for the day, the smile still there.
The children were making a mess with breakfast, a common but dangerous practice that wreaked havoc on cleanliness. Reborn was reading the paper and sipping his precious coffee, completely ignoring the noise. Then, there was silence.
"Good morning, what's for breakfast?" Tsuna asked softly, pulling out a chair.
No one said a word. The usual conflict of "it's mine" and "don't steal it" was forgotten. They were all stunned by something they hadn't seen in what felt like months. Tsuna, confused, simply scratched the back of his neck. They didn't seem inclined to answer him, and he didn't want to bother asking silly questions or become the next target of their war. He also found it odd that Reborn wasn't threatening him. So, he just took a piece of toast from the first plate he saw—Lambo's, who had stolen it from I-Pin—slathered it with jam, and started to eat.
Tsuna decided to ignore the fact that under normal circumstances, Lambo would have tried to blow him up for such audacity, forcing him to clean up the mess, wipe away crocodile tears, and avoid Reborn's punishment, all in one go. Instead, he simply decided to enjoy the rare peace that had settled over the room, a peace that he knew would surely not last long before chaos returned.
After two minutes of the strange silence, Reborn finally decided to address what had caused it. "Yesterday was a good day for you, wasn't it?" That smile was a huge improvement. It was like going from a toy car to a limousine—a massive exaggeration, but that's how it felt.
"The night, actually. Why do you ask?" For once, Reborn let go of the fact that his student had just drunk his coffee. His coffee. Such audacity would not go unpunished, and he'd figure out how to torture him in a few hours.
"Because you're smiling like an idiot." Even if he wasn't acting on it, that didn't mean Reborn wasn't annoyed by such boldness.
Strangely, Tsuna just laughed before returning the coffee cup instead of getting offended. "Very good joke, Reborn." Reborn gave him a look that would make anyone faint or wet themselves, but Tsuna wasn't affected in the slightest. "Well, I'd better leave now before I'm late. Bye!" To Reborn's great frustration, the boy dodged every single one of his shots. He would get his revenge, and he would enjoy it.
Tsuna arrived just in time, but just in time for what? He asked himself at the living room door, hearing very familiar explosions and curses, and laughter in the background. The laughter was unsettling. It made him think of an insane asylum or a psychopath. Without another thought, he jumped out of a window.
"Hmph… herbivores…" The prefect was growing more and more annoyed and bloodthirsty. Absolutely no one could harm his school…
"Whoa, Gokudera-kun, you've overdone it with the explosives," Tsuna commented, amused, as he single-handedly caught a tonfa mid-swing. He had appeared out of nowhere and obviously scared two… in his opinion, they were idiots. They should know that Hibari would make them eat dirt if they continued to damage the school and give him a weak fight.
"I'm sorry—"
"And your attempts to calm them down are disturbing, Yamamoto…" Holllaaa, you have the flames of the rain, you idiot, that's what you're supposed to use! Although I can't deny that laugh is a good idea to get them to try and kill you first… and no, they aren't telling a joke or at a baseball game… "That's not going to calm anyone down! Find another alternative." The named character broke into a cold sweat and nodded. Tsuna mentally sighed. Maybe Yamamoto didn't even want to calm anyone down in the first place.
"Hibari-san…" Tsuna blocked another tonfa, very, very easily. "…I know you don't like it when you're in—"
"Omnivore. Fight." Tsuna broke out in a cold sweat and grimaced. Lightning… he had completely forgotten that Hibari preferred a good fight to anything else. And he had already proven to be a formidable opponent in less than five seconds of playing around. Tsuna was not in good enough condition for a full-power fight, but Hibari didn't know that.
"Ehh… Hibari-san!" Tsuna called out, surprised to see the first tonfa break in two. However, Tsuna broke into another cold sweat when he saw Hibari pull out another one from God knows where. He never runs out, it seems… an infinite repertoire, perhaps?
"I'll bite you to—"
"Wait, Hibari-san, I can't give you a good fight right now!" If looks could kill, Tsuna would be dead by now. He broke into a cold sweat and laughed mentally. He couldn't blame Hibari; there weren't many good adversaries for him here. "Give me a week, and I'll fight you whenever and wherever you want. Please, Hibari-san?" Be cute and cuddly, be cute and cuddly… Tsuna mentally sang, doing his best to look cute and endearing but not weak—one of his Cloud Guardian's few weaknesses.
"Hmph…" Hibari put away his tonfas and began to walk away. "…I'll bite you to death if you forget." Tsuna made an ironic face. If he fought, Hibari would bite him to death. If he didn't, he would also bite him to death. Well, at least he had— "Don't let me down, Omnivore." —accepted.
Tsuna sighed. A fight with one of the most bloodthirsty people in the world. Yes, there was no problem, except maybe if they won or were interrupted. He hoped the second one wouldn't happen, or who would withstand the prefect's fury? There would be many wounded and blood, especially blood, for the poor fool who was to blame. It wasn't really their problem, but they would also be upset if they were interrupted by chance, and the prefect would get help whether he wanted it or not. And that reminded him…
"Ma Ma, thank you—"
"Alright, it's time for your punishments. You know how much Hibari-san hates it when you destroy this place and cause a ruckus, let alone being late…" He trailed off, still smiling. Both boys shuddered. Punishments?
"Whatever you order, Juudaime! Excuse the mess!" Gokudera exclaimed, bowing completely to Tsuna.
When Tsuna returned to the room, the teacher hadn't arrived yet. He immediately went to his desk, ignoring almost everyone present, who were talking and joking in groups, some even doing homework at the last minute. Or rather, at the last minute, Tsuna mentally laughed. They wouldn't have time to finish; it was a bit long, even if they were copying each other. The only people he didn't ignore were two girls, whom he greeted, but that was it. This made one girl look at him in surprise, while the other just half-reciprocated before continuing with what she was doing as if nothing had happened.
"Good morning, open your textbooks to page 67…" Tsuna yawned. Straight to the lesson, huh? Total boredom. He got ready to take a good nap, but… "Sawada, what is the definition of marriage?" Tsuna groaned. Really?
"The formal and beautiful definition says that it's the act in which two people, a man and a woman, become a single being. In the formal technical function, it's a legal process where two people are united in a legal act. And in the most vulgar definition, it's the act in which two people swear eternal love and fidelity, among other things." Tsuna put on his best poker face. "Although it should be noted that there are two types of marriages: the formal and the church. To make a church one, the other must have been made first, and this one is practically permanent. It should also be noted that it should be between two people of opposite genders, but in different parts of the world, that isn't fulfilled, nor is the part about only two people, and it's not necessarily for love…" He paused. "Anything else before I take my nap?"
"Well, yes…" Why did I ask… "Those definitions are pretty nice. Have you been studying the book by any chance?" I haven't touched a book in years… Tsuna mentally grimaced. Next time, he would just go with what the dictionary said instead of an explanation for children. "Oh, that's wonderful. You can sleep now." Tsuna raised an eyebrow. He hadn't even answered. Shrugging his shoulders, he returned to his nap.
He didn't hear any of the questions or murmurs about the two missing students. This time, he had fallen asleep almost immediately. Other times, he would have been too irritated by the murmurs and surely would have exploded. Were they blind? The students were outside; they could be seen through the window in a rather ridiculous scene.
An hour or two later, the door opened, and two boys came in, sweaty and looking like they had been through an oven. Both practically collapsed into their chairs.
"What happened to them?" one of the girls in the class asked, almost jumping out of her chair to help him dry off or lend him her thermos of water.
"Even Yamamoto-kun…" a boy commented, whose light bulb went on seconds later. "…you…?" he asked with a face of pure horror.
"Shut up, you inept, or I'll make you swallow this!" Gokudera was not in the mood for any of this.
"Ma Ma, I have no idea what you're talking about. We were just cleaning up the mess we made this morning with Hibari…" Just thinking about it, his bones hurt. "…or Tsuna would be upset."
"What does Dame-Tsuna have to do with all of this?" a student X demanded. It was a good thing the professor had gone out to get a coffee.
Yamamoto blinked, confused, and unintentionally snatched the fireworks from Gokudera, giving him a look that said, "Do you want to repeat that horror?" Gokudera crossed his arms but said nothing. That was bad enough. He didn't want a repeat.
"Tsuna is the boss," he answered simply.
Hana frowned at them, trying to understand what the hell Tsuna had done and what "cleaning" they were talking about. The rest of the class, except for a sleeping Tsuna and a laughing Kyoko, turned a sickly green with horror written all over their faces. However, any comments or questions that might have arisen were cut off by a certain prefect who entered the door so silently that they only saw him when he spoke:
"Herbivores, you are missing a building. Repair it or I will bite you to death." Both boys groaned before obeying. "And you, herbivores…" They turned pale when they saw the tonfas appear out of nowhere. "I will bite you to death!"
"But what did we do this time?!"
I don't know… just insulting him with being gay of all things, nothing more, Hana thought, trying to hold back her laughter and get Kyoko out of there with her. Tsuna could survive… right? That boy… where the hell did the scary Tsuna go? It would be a good way for Hana to cut herself off. She wasn't crazy… or was she? Had that happened? With a grimace, she decided to leave it at that for the moment. It was more important to get out of there unharmed.
"Tsuna… Tsuna, wake up…"
"Hm… what's going on?" How many hours have passed…? "Are they finished?"
Yamamoto grimaced and nodded, then pointed to the blackboard in response. On it were the words: "Winter Festival." He could only sigh at that. They were already preparing everything, and he knew he wasn't going to like the result at all. If his Hyper Intuition was right, he would hate it, and it was always right, always, without exception. He sighed again and decided to remain silent during everything that happened. They probably wouldn't listen to him anyway. He thanked Yamamoto before settling down to watch. Apparently, they had been discussing this matter for a while.
"…How about we make a kind of club?"
"No, that's already very affected, and the other grades are going to do something like that."
"We need something more original…"
"How about a cafe?"
"No, it's a lot of work, and the girls won't want to serve just anyone. Plus, we did that two years ago."
If this is the most interesting thing you can think of, it's obviously going to be something that's already been done and isn't very flashy… and very boring, I might add, Tsuna wanted to groan. This was so boring and predictable that it made him want to pull his hair out, but the only thing preventing him from jumping out of a window was his Hyper Intuition, which was getting more and more serious. Whatever it was, it would be soon, and the best thing was for him to stay to see what it was so he wouldn't like it.
"What if we do a play?" a voice said that Tsuna knew very well. Only his years of going through this prevented his killer instinct from coming to the surface. He did not want to act, thank you very much.
"If Yamamoto-kun says so, then it must be a good idea!" The named character just broke into a cold sweat and smiled nervously.
Gokudera hadn't said anything, still half-dead at his desk, and he probably wouldn't. He wasn't even paying attention. However… Tsuna blinked twice. Had a stampede or something happened? Why was almost everyone so beaten up? In fact, why weren't they in the infirmary? Well, it wasn't his problem.
In a certain infirmary, a certain pervert was voluntarily absent, and a carnivore slept peacefully in one of the beds, tired after biting to death a pervert, a classroom, and about 100 students scattered around the school, not to mention those brave herbivores who woke him up.
"…Yamamoto-san, who gave you that idea?" This has Reborn-san written all over it… and the worst is yet to come… ugh…
"Oh, well, the baby told me…" He took almost all his self-control not to laugh at the face Tsuna was making, one that clearly said he was not impressed and wanted to hit a wall. "…and I thought it was a good idea…"
Tsuna nodded his head wisely, hiding his anger, though not his irritation. I knew it. It was impossible for Yamamoto-san to have come up with that idea on his own. He's not interested in things like that. But that only means that Reborn-san is up to something, probably with the aim of bringing the Family closer together. If not, he just wants to know everything, stubborn and persistent… A sigh. In other calculations, taking into account that everyone loves Gokudera-san and Yamamoto-san, especially the female population which is 50% of the class, and that Gokudera-san has not opened his mouth to oppose it, it can indicate two things: either he died or he is asleep. But ignoring that means that almost the whole room would support that idea and, therefore, it would win… Yamamoto decided to say absolutely nothing. It was very funny to see Tsuna irritated, and still, he looked like a tender but lethal kitten. He didn't want to know if Tsuna was lethal or not. And if my suspicions are correct, the role I will have will be that of the villain, and it will have to do with my life in general…
"And what will Yamamoto-kun's play be about?" A smart question…
"This one, well…" Tsuna sighed. Reborn hadn't said anything else. Why does Professor Boren show up now?
"It will be about a mafia family." Just as he predicted.
"Professor Boren! Welcome, please come in." Bows and applause. Tsuna just looked at him, bored.
"Ciaossu, thank you."
"Of the mafia, but isn't the mafia bad?"
His Hyper Intuition was pointing in a direction that Tsuna didn't even want to look at, but he already knew it was the worst. And as always, his Hyper Intuition didn't fail to tell him that he truly wouldn't like it, because to be honest, he already hated it, and it hadn't even happened yet, but in a few seconds, it would. How sad. A sinister smile began to form on Tsuna's lips.
"Well, this family won't be bad. There's no need to worry about that, young lady."
Reborn looked at him and smiled slightly before sitting down at his desk, still not noticing the sinister smile growing. I'll laugh mentally at that, he thought. What he lacked was for him to use his head as a chair, which at that moment didn't matter to him…
"It will be about a good-for-nothing boy who happened to be the next heir of the Oyster Family. His name will be Yoshi. His life will change completely when he is found by his tutor, Roben, the best hitman in the world, hired to train him to be the new head of that family…"
"…"
"I see that I have your attention… well, from there, little by little, he will make friends, and these will be his family. He will face many challenges until he reaches his destination, and that is the plot of the story in general…"
"…It's great!" Just because the great and wonderful Professor Boren said so…
"…although she looks like Dame-Tsuna…"
"…you don't know how true it is…" he whispered to himself, silently so no one would hear him. "I have a much better idea," he said aloud, getting everyone's attention.
"What could be good coming from you, Dame-Tsuna?"
A café with that theme, and with that play as entertainment. If they don't come for food, they'll come for the theater. If they come for the theater, they'll also eat. It's a win-win." Tsuna used some of his killing intent, which caused nearly everyone present to shudder. "And, for the love of all that is good, I'm out of the play. If I absolutely must be in it, let it be a character with a minor appearance. No complaints." The only person unaffected was Reborn, who was quite surprised at such a display of idiocy-bravery. "Chaos."
Reborn just stared at him with a deep, penetrating look. Tsuna mentally hit a wall, so careful not to let go of the little catchphrase he had learned from Reborn himself during his last years of training. Thank goodness Reborn let it go. Everyone agreed, mostly out of fear, but it was so much better than just the play. At least this way, Tsuna would have something to do other than act.
In the end, Tsuna was cast as Kuran, the villain of the play, while Yoshi was one of his worst thugs. He snorted mentally, as if he cared about the play. Once his role was given, he pretended to be asleep, which only angered those present. They had been calmed by the recent display and didn't want a repeat, or something worse. The sad thing was that they were only saved because Kuran appears just a few times. Otherwise, they would be trying not to be eaten by a giant dragon who could make their lives miserable with the mere lift of a finger. Of course, no one knew this except his family, and they didn't believe he was capable of such a feat. Boren said goodbye and disappeared as mysteriously as he arrived, but not before giving his student one last piercing look.
Tsuna listened to everything and classified the information, so he wouldn't have many problems later on. This also gave him the perfect excuse to say that he had read the entire 500-page script. Why would he read it? It was his life. He didn't have to read it. Only the names and certain parts had been conveniently modified. He sighed deeply for who knows how many times that day. His Hyper Intuition was never wrong; he didn't like this at all. But it was inevitable. The best thing was to bow his head and resign himself to his fate rather than fight tooth and nail against an iron wall. In the end, he would have to do it anyway, but if he resigned himself from the beginning, he wouldn't be so hurt or cause problems because of it. The best thing was that he hadn't even opened his mouth to say a word... and yet, he had already. He hoped Reborn would let him get away with it this time, but he probably wouldn't.
"Tsunaaa…" Please, don't let it be anything else from the stupid script they're calling me for. "Sleepyhead, wake up, it's time to eat."
Tsuna mentally sighed. He didn't want to move from there. Thank goodness it was lunch. During recess, they hadn't woken him up because they thought he'd still be full. However, they didn't know that he didn't care one bit; he could practically go without eating until he died if this was his real body. Still, he was grateful to them, so he wouldn't have to invent another excuse not to eat. And as if the simple fact of not wanting to get up wasn't enough, after this little rest time would come the first auditions. He might have been a great actor, but that didn't mean he wanted to imitate someone else while other people were aware of it. His acting skills were much more useful in the shadows than in the light, but it wasn't like anyone knew that besides himself.
"I'm not hungry."
"Were you awake?"
He lazily opened one eye. Gokudera seemed to have had a great shock at the revelation, while Yamamoto only seemed confused. Tsuna closed his eyes again and settled in as comfortably as possible, ready to really sleep this time.
"…Only five minutes ago, when someone kicked the door. I think she was angry."
"Ah, it was Hana. She was kind of upset about something she calls 'untrained staff'."
Tsuna snorted slightly, typical. They had to be directors; all of them were so demanding. Tsuna was slightly surprised to feel a pair of hands on his head, carefully stroking his hair. He smiled slightly before giving in to their demands, got up, and took his things, patiently waiting for them to snap out of their surprise. It took a few minutes. He would have to remind himself not to do things that were too out of his past self's personality, unless he wanted them to freeze in surprise. He breathed the softest sigh of relief he could as he heard them talking and arguing. He was happy with just that. But he knew not to be confident. They were worried about him—no, about his past self. No one cared about him anymore, but it was understandable. He was no longer human… he was a monster.
Once they reached their destination, he sat down and didn't bother to take anything out to eat. He just looked up at the sky and listened to them, and although he didn't seem remotely interested in what they were saying, he answered and intervened as if it were the exact opposite—a rather strange combination.
"…You better not act so out of character. Remember that they're your inverted personalities, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Yama and Dera… Hm… funny names."
"…It's easy for you to say, Juudaime."
"You think so?" Look who's talking, the one who said it was easy to pass me off as a girl with my appearance. Ah, sweet revenge. "All you have to do is act like an airhead and smile all the time, and Yamamoto just has to be grumpy and fuming from his ears almost all the time." Tsuna paused intentionally, enjoying this, especially their incredulous faces. "No offense intended."
Gokudera and Yamamoto looked at each other. Was that how he saw them? Was that how they acted? It was a big blow, even if it was true. Tsuna almost wanted to laugh. They were much better off than him. Let's see, he was useless and a good-for-nothing. That was much worse than being a fool or a grumpy man most of the time, right? He wanted to laugh; he really did. But if he did, it would be the end of the fun.
"…I don't want my role…" Let's be honest here… nobody wants to be the villain! Tsuna mentally grimaced. "…no role, really. But in this one, I'll be Byakuran, something I really don't even want to try." Well, it's not that hard… "You really have it easy. The ones I'm worried about are Hibari and Mukuro. Kuro and Kyo. And as if that wasn't crazy enough, they have to pretend to be the other and hate each other. At least Chrome will be Mukuro throughout the play, pretending to be Kyo." He added insecurely, "I hope…"
Either way, this play will end in a total disaster with chocolate chips on top and a Coke. Hibari-san hates crowds, Mukuro is half-crazy, they both have a very disastrous friendship too, and in general, if they don't tear it to shreds, something else will. I hope to be in the front row to see it. A purr almost escaped him at the thought. Here, I could enjoy any chaos without having to sign papers or hear a lot of complaints, or worry too much. I could just reach for the popcorn and sit quietly watching, not to mention that I would probably see unpleasant people get hurt. That would be very gratifying in a way.
"I don't want to admit it, but you're absolutely right. This is almost on the verge of ending in disaster." Gokudera shuddered just imagining it; the pineapple and the prefect would destroy the school in a three-way battle. "Although it's strange that none of them said anything and accepted the role without even a complaint."
"Ma Ma, they just want to get closer to the Family."
"But they're too stubborn to do it directly." Okay, enough jokes. "Truly, Reborn must have promised them something very, very good." Golden rule: Hibari loves good fights and Mukuro… well, at this time, anything for Chrome and the others, and in the future, also hair gel and luxurious products for his very special hair. Even after so many years, Tsuna didn't understand what Mukuro saw in his hair. Looking like a chatty alien pineapple wasn't great at all; it wasn't scary, it was just… strange.
"…Juudaime…" Who was this being, and what had he done with his precious boss?
"Don't look at me so surprised. The truth is the truth, and there is nothing that can change it." That, and what are we talking about is nothing more and nothing less than the best hitman in the world in action. Tsuna mentally smiled, slightly amused.
Silence. Tsuna wasn't at all surprised. Yamamoto was still very innocent, and Gokudera might be a genius, but he could never think ill of someone like Reborn.
"What do you think if you play your characters and I help you before the play?" he asked, having had enough of being the center of attention, even if it was only for 30 seconds or so.
"…Ma Ma, okay, how are you supposed to—"
"Dera, you are a grumpy being who doesn't trust anyone, so you have to act like one, except when you become friends with Yoshi. Only with him will you act as you are." He stressed again: "But only with him, and more like a devoted servant than yourself." Because Gokudera never acted as happy and calm as he did at any time, not even with him, more like a devoted and very overprotective servant.
"…Don't tell me what to do, you idiot!" Internally, Tsuna moaned and patted his forehead, but on the outside, he half-smiled. How bad was that? Gokudera just wanted to put dynamite down the other boy's throat, but he didn't dare challenge his boss.
"Hm…" What to say, what to say so as not to make him feel bad for such a horrible performance? Who the hell smiles happily when they're insulting someone directly as if it were just a joke? "Close. You lack a bit of anger and cold indifference, but the vocabulary is perfect." So perfect that it complies with all the regulations, but not in real life. "Don't smile; you're not supposed to be happy."
"…He was really a wretch…" No, that's a lie. You just treated me like trash and tried to kill me before you became the right-hand man of the next Vongola boss, and you treat most people you don't like very badly. Tsuna thought, ignoring his friend's half-defeated tone. "…True?"
"You still are. It's just the way you are." Especially in my time, but that doesn't come here. You don't hate me here, I think. "And it's not like I don't like it. Plus, it's very good sometimes." Really… I wish I could be like that without regrets. The less trouble I would have to deal with. "Don't feel bad about it. I would like to be like that."
"NO!" Tsuna almost jumped in fright at the unexpected scream, or rather, screams, to be honest. They had very good lungs. Wow… those faces were scary. "Juudaime is perfect just the way he is!" / "You're perfect the way you are!" What…? "Never change, okay?"
Tsuna just looked at them in surprise before nodding slightly. But inside, he was in a dark corner, playing with his fingers nervously and with a heavy aura in his head. Not changing? He was the perfect proof that that request was in vain! What would they say now if they knew that? Would they be disappointed? Upset? Sad? He didn't want to know, but… this promise would also be broken in a few years. What a consolation that was. They would end up hating him so much that they wouldn't even want to see him in a photo.
"Going back to the topic, Yama…" Because he wanted to stop thinking about it, it was better to just forget and enjoy while he could. "Your attitude should be 'I am happy and I don't care about anything else in the world but my family'."
"Ha ha, of course, Tsuna…" Tsuna couldn't resist the temptation; he patted his forehead, making Gokudera break out in a cold sweat and start the chain of apologies while Yamamoto just blinked and laughed. What else could he do?
"It sounds very forced… And with that face, it's obvious that you're not happy in the slightest, nor does it seem like sarcasm," he said with the best poker face he had. It was like seeing Hibari smile normally—something very, very chilling and very out of character. To have a bitter face and say that… No, it didn't fit at all; it was ridiculous. "Try to imagine that you are seeing someone you really love." Anything that would make him smile and wasn't so forced. "Do you want me to see you angry?" Correction: Do you want to make a fool of yourself in front of him or her?
"N-no, of course not… I think…" Tsuna decided to pretend he didn't hear the last part.
"Well, and don't forget that I'm Kuran. You must hate me and want to kill me in the story. Don't make the mistake of forgetting that I'm going to be playing the villain." If Reborn-san leaves me there, not knowing him, unfortunately… "Even if it doesn't work out for me and I don't want to do it…"
"But Juudaime… That's just in the play…" At that moment, Tsuna just sighed. They would be able to throw the play to the ground in less than a blink of an eye without even thinking twice, and he was 99.9999% sure they would, probably without even realizing it.
"I know…" What time do those penguins pass today? "But that doesn't mean I like it." Because Reborn-san ruined my day…
A quiet silence followed, only interrupted by the singing of birds and the sound of their breathing… and a bloody scream that surely came from a poor soul who had fallen into the prefect's clutches, something perfectly normal.
"…You don't really plan to eat, do you?" Tsuna smiled faintly at that, making his two companions shudder. That smile only said one thing: And you're just now realizing this? It's a fact.
"I'm not hungry. Maybe later…" he murmured, still with that smile, this time with a certain mockery in it. "…at snack time, perhaps…" Or maybe tomorrow… or in a few days…
It was a somewhat vague answer in the end, but one thing was clear: Tsuna was not going to lunch. To be honest, that was something that worried them. He was a little thinner than normal; you could tell. Even his mother had commented on it, but they couldn't force him… or could they? They were two— Rrrriiiinnnggggg!
"I was wondering when you were going to sound," Tsuna murmured to himself, very amused.
With no other choice, they put everything away and went down the stairs until they reached their next destination: the gym. Funnily enough, the first thing they decided to start rehearsing was…
"Y-ou sh-ou-ld h-ave—"
"Cut!"
"But—"
"No 'buts,' Yoshi! Sawada, act like a real villain and not like a fearful, good-for-nothing stutterer!" Yes, she was upset about dealing with so many brainless monkeys. Why couldn't anyone else be the director? She also had to teach them how to be waiters, just for more trickery. "Again! Action!"
Alright, I'm tired of this, and I feel like taking a nap.
"Welcome to my humble home, Tenth Oyster. I am pleased to meet you at last." He gave a sarcastic smile and a deep bow. "I hope you didn't have many inconveniences getting here." He continued as if nothing had happened, a perfectly modest farce.
Total silence and jaws on the floor. Tsuna had a 180-degree change, surprising everyone present so much that no one could think of anything but him. His firm, elegant, and relaxed posture, next to his fresh and diplomatically dark and evil face, made him look like a perfect panther stalking its prey. And as if the attitude alone wasn't enough, his voice was sweet, cajoling, manipulative, and lying, with a hypocritical and elegant air. It was an absolutely deceptive and mysterious voice, totally perfect for a powerful villain. He had a dark and somewhat unfeeling aura, as if he didn't care about anything but himself. Yoshi reacted and broke the silence, not even having to act, because he was genuinely terrified of this radical personality change, as were all the others.
"B-u-t—"
"What's going on? Don't you like this kind of welcome?"
"W-wel-co-me?! You're a—"
"Monster, murderer? Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi, we are in the world of the mafia. There is no one here who has not shed a single drop of blood."
"…"
"If you care so much about your family, why have you brought them into this world? No matter how innocent they are, here they are condemned to die or kill." He paused. "You are an idiot if you think you can keep them safe without having to shed blood. People live and die every day. If one of them dies, it will be your fault, but it's not a problem, because you will replace them with another. That's how they work in this place." With slight curiosity, he added, "You're naive if you still think that! If you want to protect your family so much… why have you brought them here?"
"…How cruel!"
"Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi…" he said, practically scolding. "I'm not cruel. I'm purely realistic. It's you who are cruel to think that you won't have to commit vile acts to support your family. You will lead them completely to destruction with such stupid thinking." A tired sigh, as if he were talking to a brainless idiot. "In addition… you're the one who decided to bring them here, to this dark world, and… once inside… no one can get out."
Total silence.
"We have Lord Voldemort here!"
Everyone looked at the principal in disbelief. Was she serious? "Lord Voldemort was an idiot compared to the villain we have here!" that was what they wanted to say, but no one dared. Yamamoto and Gokudera could only think of one thing as they watched Tsuna walk calmly off the stage and then into the room: Tsuna could also be an excellent villain in real life, if he wasn't already.