"Hmm?"
Seeing Tsuna's slightly dazed expression made Korosensei blink his beady eyes before, by chance, he caught a reflection of himself through the glasses and realized he wasn't wearing his mask.
"Oh, my apologies, I forgot my mask..."
Korosensei exclaimed, his voice cheerful despite the oversight.
In a blur of motion, he disappeared, only to reappear moments later wearing a comically oversized mask that obscured his face.
"Hahaha, young man, what you just witnessed was one of my magic tricks..."
Korosensei nervously chuckled as he pulled out a rose on one of his tentacles, only for it to disappear in a blur and reappear on the other side of his tentacle as he spoke, "I'm a magician teacher. You can call me Korosensei."
"First of all, I'm not a fool. Second of all, no average human would have tentacles. And third of all... your act is lame."
Tsuna sighed exhaustedly, shaking his head.
"...!?"
Korosensei's figure immediately disappeared and reappeared a distance away.
Despite seeking cover behind a power pole right in front of the restaurant, his tall and big figure was clearly visible, leaving Tsuna slightly speechless.
"You know what, I don't care. You want fried rice? Sure, get in..."
Tsuna scratched his head tiredly before returning inside to prepare everything.
As he took out the ingredients he had bought today, he muttered, "Hmm, I can do four servings today..."
"Ohoho, I'd like one serving of fried rice, please..."
The yellow octopus seemed to have returned to normal, not bothering to wear the mask anymore.
With a contented expression, the yellow octopus sat comfortably at the table, his demeanor relaxed and carefree.
After attempting to cover himself earlier, he now wore a wide smile.
"..."
Tsuna rolled his eyes at the octopus before deciding to turn on the television, allowing the background noise to fill the space between them.
As expected, the news blaring from the TV painted a grim picture: the moon shattered into pieces by some unknown force, which made him scratch his head as he muttered, "There goes my peaceful life..."
Tsuna felt he should look around to see if the High Table was around because if they were...
...he would surely pay them a visit!
He might not admit it, but he was quite petty sometimes.
"Hmm?"
Korosensei's jovial expression shifted in an instant, replaced by a tense focus as he sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere.
"That's quite an unexpected killing intent..."
The teenager before him, Tsuna, emitted a quiet but unmistakable aura of danger, prompting Korosensei to take notice.
"It wasn't directed at me, though?"
Known as The Reaper during his time as an assassin, he was obviously quite sensitive to such things.
"And it's quite thick as well..."
Korosensei silently observed Tsuna as he returned to the kitchen counter, preparing the ingredients in silence.
"His footsteps are silent, there are no sounds at all... His demeanor might appear casual, but he is clearly ready to retaliate when attacked... And the way he holds his knife..."
His eyes gleamed with certainty as he silently concluded, "...He's definitely an assassin!"
And a capable one at that!
"Ohoho, I found quite an interesting young man here..."
Korosensei muttered before suddenly asking, "Young man, do you want to transfer schools?"
Although he could see that Tsuna lacked strength right now, judging from his skinny frame.
Korosensei thought that with enough guidance and training, there might be a higher chance for this teenager in front of him to kill him.
"Why do you ask? You want me to learn how to be a magician under your tutelage?"
Tsuna sarcastically remarked, which made Korosensei seem slightly offended as his tentacles moved around, trying to argue back, "Don't underestimate my magic tricks! It's the proudest skill I have!"
"Besides... I will also be a great teacher in general so that you can learn every---"
"You will? So you are not yet a great teacher yet then..."
Tsuna cut him short as he kept moving on with what he was doing, making the yellow octopus seem even more adamant about arguing with him.
He persisted, saying that he would teach at the most prestigious private school in Japan, Kunugigaoka Junior High, which made Tsuna shake his head.
"Why are you shaking your head? You should know better that the school is the best in Japan!"
Korosensei's bulbous head puffed up like an annoyed schoolgirl, leaving Tsuna feeling slightly speechless as he began cooking.
He skillfully cooked the fried rice and then retorted, "I'm not even interested in going there..."
"Y-you...!"
Tsuna skillfully stirred the ingredients in his wok, the sizzling sound filling the kitchen.
With his elbow out, he added a sprinkle of his secret white powder.
"...!"
Korosensei's eyes widened in surprise at the display.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with the irresistible aroma of freshly cooked fried rice.
"Ito's Special Golden Fried Rice, enjoy!"
The dish glistened temptingly in its bowl, promising a delicious meal as Tsuna put that in front of Korosensei.
"..."
Despite his initial hesitation, Korosensei couldn't resist the temptation. He scooped up a spoonful of the fried rice and took a bite.
Instantly, his taste buds were treated to an explosion of flavors, each mouthful bursting with savory goodness and leaving him thoroughly satisfied.
Korosensei couldn't resist taking another spoonful, then another, until he had devoured the entire bowl of fried rice.
"This is incredible!" he exclaimed between mouthfuls.
"It's on a whole different level from what I've had before."
Tsuna watched with a satisfied smile as Korosensei savored every bite.
When he finally finished, Tsuna asked, "Is it good?"
Korosensei, still in a state of pleasant surprise, could only nod in response, his bulbous head bobbing up and down with approval.
Tsuna chuckled as he continued, "That's great then. You know, I'm sure you will be a great teacher. I could easily get any college degree I want with my current knowledge despite only being in high school..."
"But that's not where my heart lies. I've already been accepted to Totsuki Culinary Academy, the best culinary school in the world. My true calling is to cook great food for someone I long for..."
"Someone you long for?"
Korosensei couldn't help but look at Tsuna in a different light.
He had initially assumed that Tsuna's identity as an assassin had left him with a sense of bleakness like what he had experienced before as The Reaper.
However, seeing Tsuna's clear vision and determination for the future filled him with a sense of relief.
"Right, someone I long for..."
As Tsuna's expression shifted to a serious one, Korosensei listened intently, expecting him to speak words of profound wisdom.
"M.I.L.F!"
"...!?"
Korosensei was taken aback, nearly falling out of his chair in disbelief at Tsuna's unexpected declaration.
"...Pardon?"
With a deadpan expression, Tsuna elaborated, "That's right. To excel as a chef, I've dedicated myself to finding a Mother I would Like to Fry rice for!"
That was the way of cooking.
The secret of becoming the best in this culinary world!