The atmosphere in the academy remained lively as the preliminaries came to an end.
Students streamed out of the halls in both blocks, discussing the events of the preliminaries, solidifying the fame of the eight participants who passed through.
This was particularly true for Tsuna.
No longer just an arrogant freshman, he was now seen as both arrogant and skilled in the culinary arts, earning him high regard among his peers.
However, there were still some who wished for his downfall, holding grudges against the arrogant persona he had established when he first arrived at the academy.
Despite this, Tsuna paid little attention to the gossip as he hurried down the hill towards his restaurant, fully focused on grinding.
With the preliminaries behind them, the real challenge of the election had begun. The participants who made it through the phase could feel the tension mounting.
In particular, those in Block A had just learned about the impressive scores in Block B.
"He's got 98 points, huh? That guy's definitely going to be tough to beat," Hayama remarked, his gaze fixed on Tsuna's name at the top of the list.
He clenched his fist, feeling a surge of determination.
Beside Tsuna's name, he saw his own, just four points shy of the top spot.
To say he was nonchalant about the score would be a lie; Hayama felt the pressure, but it only fueled his excitement for the upcoming main tournament.
Meanwhile, Tsuna, with some time before opening his restaurant, embarked on another tour of Tokyo. Each step pushed his body to its limits once again, as he neared full adjustment to his new weight.
After a few hours, Tsuna returned to his restaurant to clean up before opening for business.
"Hmm?"
As he hung the sign to indicate the restaurant was open, a limousine pulled up in the alleyway, stopping right in front of his place.
A driver in a formal suit and sunglasses stepped out to open the door, revealing a beautiful lady with long, wavy, dark blonde hair parted into two sections at the roots, cascading to either side of her face.
"Oh? She's..."
Tsuna recognized a striking resemblance to Orie Sendawara, although this woman had a sharper, more intense glare.
As expected, Orie stepped out from the other side of the limousine.
The woman who resembled her furrowed her brows at the sight of the small restaurant, asking, "Are you sure this is the place?"
"Keke, my cash co— Ahem, guests have finally arrived, huh?"
Tsuna chuckled as another car pulled up and bodyguards slowly surrounded the two women. His eyes almost turned into dollar signs at their appearance.
These two were the well-known Sendawara Sisters.
Since he had met Orie during the preliminaries earlier today, the other woman was obviously her sister, Natsume Sendawara!
"It should be... Oh?"
Orie blinked as she noticed Tsuna standing in front of them. She mumbled, "Maste— Ahem..."
She coughed, realizing her slip of the tongue, then gestured towards her sister. "That student is the one I mentioned, Natsu-nee."
"Hmm?"
Natsume glared at Tsuna doubtfully. He didn't seem as impressive as Orie had described. "Really? I'll trust you on this, Orie..."
Tsuna greeted them warmly, causing Orie to fluster for some reason. Natsume took note of this, growing more wary of him.
However...
"Mhmmmm....!"
A loud, inappropriate sound reverberated through the neighborhood, making everyone passing by flustered and curious about Tsuna's restaurant.
The next day, the announcement was made last night through an email regarding the bracket for the main tournament. Tsuna who had just woken up looked at his phone in confusion, "Subaru Mimasaka, huh? I don't remember this guy..."
"Whatever..."
He just shrugged his shoulder as he couldn't careless about the guy.
Tsuna was confident that no matter the theme they were assigned, he would win regardless.
Still...
"Seems like there is a rat..."
Tsuna's eyes turned cold for a moment before he scoffed.
He noticed this since the very first time the rat quietly walked in, but since it didn't make any move, he just let it be.
As he closed the door, the creaking sound of the wooden stairs echoed, accompanied by his descending footsteps.
A breeze rustled the curtain, making it dance in the quiet, slightly dark room.
The air was cold, as the sun had yet to rise.
However...
From beneath the bed, a head suddenly poked out.
The figure, tall and buff, moved with complete silence, making no sound as he emerged. He slipped out through the window, leaving no trace of his presence.
"..."
The figure moved silently across the rooftop before landing on the side of the building, taking cover as he observed Tsuna stretching outside.
"Alright, let's get started..."
The figure heard Tsuna murmur to himself before a loud shout echoed about who was going to carry the boats and the logs.
Tsuna then began to run, his figure disappearing at the junction.
As Tsuna's voice faded into the distance, the figure stalking him smiled slightly and mumbled, "This should be easy..."
However...
Unbeknownst to him, the very person he was stalking suddenly appeared behind him like a ghost.
Tsuna's cold face, partially hidden in shadow, slowly emerged as he silently approached the stalker.
The tall and burly figure remained unaware of the impending danger.
"Who's this gorilla?"
Tsuna silently thought, eyeing the stalker.
With a swift and decisive movement, Tsuna swung his hand, easily knocking the man out without resistance.
The stalker's presence had been unnerving, and Tsuna's annoyance was evident as he efficiently dealt with the situation. Silently, he dragged the unconscious man away, disappearing as quietly as he had appeared.
After completing this task, Tsuna resumed his morning routine, slightly delayed but unfazed.
Meanwhile, a few hours later, the burly man began to stir. Disoriented, he looked around, utterly confused.
"Huh? Why am I here?"
He mumbled, trying to piece together what had happened, "I thought I was following Tsunayoshi Ito, but...?"
Blinking his eyes, he realized he was tied to a tree in the middle of a children's park.
His eyes widened as he noticed a group of kids surrounding him, their curious gazes fixed upon him.
Frowning, he attempted to assess the situation.
Though uncertain of what had happened, he turned to the children, attempting a smile. However, his attempt at friendliness only seemed to frighten them further.
"Could you guys help me out?"
He asked, his tone unintentionally menacing.
"Waah, this old man is scary!"
"M-Mom!"
After the children scattered in fear, their parents eventually found him and helped him free himself.
"Old man? I'm just a high school student..."
The burly figure mumbled as he thanked them before quietly leaving.
Meanwhile, Tsuna had completed his morning routine and was on his way to the club.
Sakamoto had called him to discuss something and introduce the team's new members.
Since Tsuna had no classes during the tournament, he decided to come.
Arriving at the lavish club building, Tsuna was greeted by Sakamoto's cheerful voice, "Ah, Tsuna! You're finally here. I was surprised when I read your message. It's been quite some time since you last came here, right? Haha..."
Sakamoto then led him into the training center, where Tsuna noticed the other members.
Marui appeared to be completely stressed out, sandwiched between Aoki and Sato, who seemed to be engaged in a heated argument.
However...
His brows furrowed as he noticed another person among the group. Sakamoto introduced him with a smile, "Tsuna, meet Subaru Mimasaka, he's our new member!"
"Oh?"
Tsuna narrowed his eyes at Mimasaka.
It was unmistakably the same man who had stalked him earlier that morning!