He might have made a mistake. He always wanted some form of positive reputation, but the gazes of nearly everyone in the room locked onto him had him squirming in his seat.
Admiration, fear, bewilderment, and anticipation were being thrown at him from every angle, and his newfound ability to read the room did not let him ignore what people thought of him.
He did not care for what most of these people thought, but being watched like a rare animal in the zoo was bothering him.
So perhaps his petty need to get even with Mochida-senpai was a bit too high-profile for him. Then again, the moment Hibari got involved, everything was doomed to end up like this.
Hibari was always going to barge into Tsuna's life searching for his fix; anything less would be a complete betrayal of who Hibari was as a person.
At least the teacher had no idea what was going on. He came back after lunch break and just got right back to teaching without caring about the near-silence that settled over the room.
Tsuna took a tentative look at the two girls who were good to him to get a better read on them. Hana was paying attention to the teacher, but there was this tenseness in her frame she did not have before, and she would look in his direction every once in a while with some concern.
Kyoko, on the other hand, was a little dazed and looked at Tsuna as if she were seeing him for the first time, a sense of bewilderment that was almost overwhelming in her wide eyes.
Seeing their reactions fully, Tsuna relaxed. They were shocked about what happened, but they were not fearful of what Tsuna represented now; they were more confused, but they were not watching him like he was a bomb set to go off at any moment.
Tsuna went back to paying attention to the teacher, making sure he had notes to learn properly.
After a good, long moment, his focus was disturbed as someone decided to get his attention.
"What was that, Fluffy?" Hana hissed from her seat as she kept an eye on the teacher to make sure he did not pay attention to them. Tsuna took a look at the rambling teacher himself, but he appeared to be focused on his lecture to pay attention to the duo.
"You've got to be a bit more specific. If you want to know why I sicced Hibari-senpai on Mochida-senpai, well, Senpai wanted to pick a fight with me; instead of handling it myself, it was easier to let Hibari run wild. If you want to know why Hibari wants to fight me, well, it's because I'm apparently good at it." Tsuna explained lightly, with a small shrug.
Hana rolled her eyes at that comment and focused on him a bit more.
"You messing with Mochida does not really concern me; the idiot needs to learn to keep his temper in check, but you getting involved with Hibari is shocking, Fluffy. I've seen you nearly collapse from running one lap. How in God's name did you manage to get Hibari that interested in you?" Hana whispered with concern, lacing her words.
She heard what he said in this room like everyone else, but she did not think he had it in him to actually fight Hibari; she thought it was a trick. She did not see that as anything bad; in fact, she was impressed he managed to pull one over on Hibari, but she certainly did not think Tsuna was, in fact, a good fighter.
Tsuna felt his pride itch at that but ignored it. It was a miracle that Tsuna could even function at all before, considering his very being was being suppressed. Her view of him did not have the chance to change yet; Tsuna had not really shown off what he was capable of after all.
"I beat him. No tricks, no plots, just my fists and his tonfa. If I beat him in an underhanded method, Hibari would not be that interested in a second round." Tsuna spoke out seriously, his gaze locked onto Hana to convey just how serious he was about what he said.
Hana blinked as confusion, doubt, and worry combined for a brief moment. Her gaze searched his own, and the confusion only seemed to deepen even further as she saw how serious he was.
"How?" she asked after a moment, not doubting him this time but still utterly confused about how the small animal she was used to seeing became a predator who could fight with the monster that was Hibari.
Tsuna looked at her and bit his lip, hesitating for a moment before he decided to tell her a secret.
"I learned something about myself. You know how clumsy I was, how much I slept in class, and even my poor physical condition. All of that was a symptom; I was living like a dead man, and now that's no longer the case. I got treatment, and I actually feel like I can breathe now." Tsuna explained with a deep frown on his face, the memories of his life before the Gacha flashing through his mind and bringing up a boatload of bitter feelings.
Hana took in his words and frowned as well, her gaze soft, and there was guilt in it. She was not fully clear on what was happening with him, but Hana believed he was sick, that he was dying slowly, and everyone just made fun of him for being a loser instead of seeing how poor his health really was.
She believed she was equally guilty regarding that. She saw all the signs, but she just thought it was normal for Tsuna, not even doubting for a moment that a classmate of hers was suffering for as long as he lived. She felt like a piece of trash.
That pushed Tsuna's frown even further.
"Don't blame yourself; no one would have expected what happened to me. It was just normal for me, and if the person affected considered everything normal, then everyone else would do the same. You're a smart girl, Kurokawa-san. Perhaps the smartest girl I know, but you are still just a teenager; there was no way for you to have connected these dots. So don't blame yourself. You were one of the brighter spots in my life; I don't want a kind girl like you filled with guilt over something you had no control over." Tsuna spoke out earnestly, the sharp look in his eyes softening, and the orbs glowed ever so slightly for a moment.
Hana tensed, not willing to give in, but after looking deep into his eyes, she went slack and gave him a slow nod.
"Alright, Fluffy. So are you okay now? You sprang up like a weed, and your skin seems healthier." Hana commented lightly, worry still laced in her tone, but not as heavy as before.
"Yeah, I'm fine now. I'm hoping I can actually study properly now and catch up with everyone else." Tsuna commented lightly with a glint of determination flashing in his eyes.
Hana paused as if not getting why those two topics were connected, but that moment passed as she understood. Then she bit her lip and almost looked like she was going to go into self-blame again, but Tsuna coughed lightly and smiled softly in reassurance to the girl.
Seeing that, she relaxed and smiled back at him.
"Well, if you need them, I still have my notes from previous grades." Hana offered after a moment, although it appeared there was something else on her mind. Tsuna smiled brightly at her.
"That would be amazing, Kurokawa-san. My mom hired a tutor for me, but having your notes would still be really helpful." Tsuna spoke out with that same bright smile on his face. Hana blinked at him, and the thought running through her head disappeared.
She relaxed but almost seemed disappointed in the outcome.
"You can call me by my first name, Fluffy." Hana offered after a moment of silence between them. Tsuna blinked at that, not expecting the offer after their conversation.
"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked after a moment. He could see a connection forming between them, but he would not call what they had friendship; it was more like pity.
Hana let out a bitter smile.
"Fluffy, even before you changed, I would have considered you a friend. I know it's hard to believe with how the school treated you, but trust me a little… please?" She spoke out softly, her gaze firm.
Seeing that, Tsuna's mouth felt dry, and a deep twinge in his gut had him turning away from her gaze. For a brief moment, he took her words as empty little things, but then the truth of her words was whispered in his mind, and he felt his eyes moisten as he struggled to control his emotions.
He had changed so much, and while he considered himself a stronger person, a blow like this hit the softest parts of him. It took almost all of his self-control to keep himself from letting out a sob.
Instead, he collected himself and looked back at Hana, who grew slightly worried at his reaction. His eyes were still moist and reddened slightly but glowing like flickering flames, a smile that was soft and almost blinding with how warm it was.
"Thank you, Hana-san… Thank you for being a friend." Tsuna spoke out, and a soft warmth filled his chest. Hana blinked at that and looked away from Tsuna, a blush building on her face.
"It's not a big deal, Fluffy," Hana whispered, not looking at the beaming boy beside her.
"No, it really is, Hana-san. I did not think it was possible for someone like me to have a friend. So hearing those words from you… it means so much to me." Tsuna explained, perhaps coming on too strong in this moment, but he did not want his first friend to feel that the connection was a light one.
Hana let out a weird squawk that had the teacher finally paying attention to them. He reprimanded Hana for not paying attention, but finished quickly since she was one of the good students in class.
She was still blushing, and she appeared to be entirely focused on her work. Not looking at Tsuna at all, but the boy in question was still giddy as he concentrated on taking notes.
He was confident in making friends now that the Seal was no longer holding him back, but Hana being a friend before that? He never saw that coming, and that small connection was going to be a treasure he savored for the rest of his life.
[Feat Acchived! Harmonize with your first flame!]
[Received one Gold Ticket.]
Tsuna blinked. What did that even mean? He did not recall doing anything with his supernatural flames?