Meanwhile, on the other side of the academy where the sports club was located...
A tall and burly figure could be seen slowly walking toward the building. He stopped and checked his cellphone, reading a text message:
"Come to the club, I'd be there. I'm sure you will not go back on your words now, right?"
"Go back on my words? You sure are looking down on me, Sakamoto-senpai..."
Mimasaka muttered to himself.
He looked around, noticing the eerie quietness despite the building's massive size.
The imposing PRIME logo atop the building glared down at him, contrasting sharply with the otherwise mundane structure.
A soft breeze rustled his hair as he sighed and made his way inside.
Tap... tap... tap...
His footsteps echoed throughout the empty corridors, amplifying the sense of desolation.
"Thank god it's not empty."
Finally, he spotted someone at the receptionist desk.
A woman stood there, her expression completely lifeless, resembling a scene straight out of a horror movie.
"She's definitely human, right?"
Mimasaka muttered to himself, his echoing steps only amplifying the eerie atmosphere.
He furrowed his eyebrows, feeling a creeping sense of unease.
"You must be looking for Sakamoto-kun, right?"
The receptionist turned to him, her empty eyes not seeming to focus on him at all.
Mimasaka felt his lips twitch in discomfort as he nodded, "Yes, he texted me to meet him at the club--"
"Alright, alright. You should already know where he is then?"
"Yes?"
"Then don't talk to me. Go..."
"...Ah, right. My apolog--"
"Shut up."
"..."
Mimasaka was baffled by the receptionist's rudeness, which somehow didn't feel rude at all due to her monotonous tone. Shaking his head, he continued making his way toward the basketball court.
He twitched his lips, recalling that all the members of the club were somewhat eccentric.
There were the ones who fought all the time over the simplest arguments. Then another who was depressed all the time, mainly because of those two who fought constantly.
Another did things on a whim; she might even find her way to Mars if she suddenly thought of it, which was a bit too much.
Then there was someone who trained so hard that Mimasaka himself almost broke his body trying to use his Perfect Trace on him.
And lastly...
Creak...
The creaking sound of the door opening echoed as Mimasaka narrowed his eyes, stepping into the court.
He saw Sakamoto standing in the middle as if he had been expecting him for a long time. The guy fixed his glasses and turned to him, "You've come. I guess I was underestimating you a little. My apologies..."
The seemingly gentle yet calculative captain and the chairman of the club, Sakamoto.
However...
"...It's fine, I should be the one apologizing for making you wait," Mimasaka said, trying to mask his nervousness.
In reality, Mimasaka felt the most nerve-wracking when he was around the captain more than when he was around Tsuna.
Though Tsuna could be scary sometimes, the guy would most likely just ignore him as long as he didn't get in the way, which was pretty much like any other person in general.
Yet, contrary to other people, Sakamoto felt like the one observing him the most, which made his hair stand on end as he felt like he was being stared at by a venomous snake ready to bite him the second he let his guard down.
"Hahaha, come on, don't be nervous..."
Sakamoto laughed out loud, shaking his head before walking toward a massive container. Mimasaka's eyes widened as he recognized it immediately.
"Is that...?"
"Ah, yes, I hope you don't mind me taking these knives you've collected in advance since it's going to be part of the terms you have to agree to after losing the food war," Sakamoto said, his smile not reaching his eyes.
Mimasaka narrowed his eyes at Sakamoto before sighing.
"...I guess it's fine."
There was no point in dwelling on it now that he had lost anyway.
But Mimasaka couldn't help but notice Sakamoto's confidence in Tsuna. The guy had taken the knives to this place in advance, clearly anticipating Mimasaka's defeat.
"So, besides leaving the academy, I have to give these back, huh?"
Mimasaka muttered to himself before shrugging his shoulders, adding, "Well, it's not like I'm going to use them anyway..."
"Oh, yes, you have to give them back, of course. But..."
Sakamoto turned to him after opening the container, revealing the 99 knives Mimasaka had taken from the students he defeated, "Who said you're going to leave the academy?"
"...Pardon?"
Mimasaka blinked in confusion as Sakamoto's smile widened, making Mimasaka's back grow cold.
"Yeah, the terms that I choose for you to follow are..."
Sakamoto raised a finger, "First of all, you have to return everything you've taken from the students."
Mimasaka nodded, the first one was obvious.
"Second of all," Sakamoto continued, his eyes narrowing, "You have to stay in the club until you graduate."
Mimasaka remained silent, his gaze fixed on Sakamoto as he listened intently.
"And lastly," Sakamoto said, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips, "I want you to utilize Perfect Trace on whoever I choose throughout the entire time you are a member of the club."
"..."
Mimasaka's eyes widened slightly at those words. Looking at Sakamoto's expression, Mimasaka realized this was his goal all along.
He turned to the knives in the container and understood why they were here in the first place.
"...I thought it was only Ito, but you seem to be shameless as well, huh?"
Mimasaka shook his head while sighing.
It was clear the students who felt grateful would likely want to return the favor, either by joining the club or becoming partners.
Being students at Totsuki, most came from well-established restaurant families, making it likely they'd become the next owners of their respective restaurants.
Considering these students were not as overpowered as some notable ones like the Elite Ten Council, their restaurants would definitely be more open to partnerships with PRIME, as they were not as high-class compared to other establishments.
Seeing Sakamoto's eyes gleaming with dollar signs, Mimasaka sighed again.
Wanting his Perfect Trace ability was normal since he was known for it, but the subtle power play to gain favor from the students was a brilliant move that would yield significant benefits for the club in the long term.
He shook his head, realizing Sakamoto was essentially a next-level version of Tsuna when it came to shameless promotion.
If Tsuna was shamelessly direct, Sakamoto was indirectly shameless!
Two different approaches that were borderline similar.
"So, what do you say, Subaru Mimasaka?"
"...You're an asshole... Captain..."
Mimasaka smiled as Sakamoto chuckled out loud before adding, "Great, so for your first job..."
"Ah, where did I put it," Sakamoto muttered before rummaging his pocket finding a piece of paper as he then approached Mimasaka and handed it over as he spoke, "Here's the information you might need..."
"Hmm? You want me to use my Perfect Trace on this guy?"
Mimasaka looked at the information in his hand before turning to Sakamoto who nodded at him.
The atmosphere in the court was quiet as the two of them stood beside a massive container. Mimasaka studied the information in his hand and muttered, "Atsushi Murasakibara, huh? Sure, this should be fun..."
"Good. I'm looking forward to your debut, Mimasaka..."
Sakamoto spoke, adjusting his glasses with a hint of amusement in his voice.
However, his demeanor quickly shifted back to normal when a notification interrupted him. He blinked in surprise, pulling out his phone to check the message from Totsuki Group.
"Huh? A receipt from Totsuki Group? Let's see..."
Tsuna had mentioned this as part of their agreement for the food war, so Sakamoto wasn't initially surprised.
But when he opened the receipt...
"...!"
His eyes widened, and his body trembled.
The phone nearly slipped from his grasp as he read the amount...
"This..."
Sakamoto tightened his grip on the phone to make sure he wasn't mistaken. Unfortunately, the numbers remained the same as he muttered, "He... really just spent 1,250,000 yen?"
The reality sank in, causing his vision to blur momentarily.
"Tsuna... you bastard, what on earth did you buy!?"
Sakamoto shouted angrily before the adrenaline subsided and he felt his vision darken.
"..."
Mimasaka watched in confusion as Sakamoto collapsed to the ground.