"..."
After Sakamoto announced the new member, the others from the Polar Star Dormitory stopped fighting and turned to take a look at Mimasaka.
"Huh? Why is he so big?"
"...That guy is tall as well."
Both Aoki and Sato looked up at Mimasaka, who towered over them. Standing at 176 cm each, they estimated Mimasaka to be around 190 cm or more.
"No, his height isn't the issue..."
Marui adjusted his glasses, observing Mimasaka from head to toe.
The guy's burly figure and his intense, almost Jojo-like expression made Marui's face darken as he continued, "Is he even a high school student?"
Mimasaka's face looked significantly older than a typical high school student's, a sentiment shared by everyone present.
However, Mimasaka seemed prepared.
He pulled out his ID and showed his birth date to each member, which made Sakamoto laugh as the scene looked hilarious, "Haha, as you can see, he's quite meticulous. And from his build alone, you guys already know he's pretty strong physically..."
"...his foundation is solid. And he's quite a skillful player, so he'd make a great addition to our team. More importantly..."
Sakamoto continued, turning to Marui with a reassuring smile, "You can finally take a break once in a while during each quarter, Marui."
Marui had a weak disposition, often struggling to keep up with the rest of the team and finding it difficult to complete the whole game with only short rests.
Having Mimasaka on the team would give them a valuable option to substitute Marui out when needed.
Even though Tsuna's snacks, which he was now officially paid to cook for the team, gave Marui enough strength to keep up, he was always dead tired afterward.
Thus, having another player to substitute him was still the best solution.
"..."
Marui felt touched, a tear escaping his eye as he looked at Sakamoto gratefully. He couldn't help but mumble, "Finally, my fragile body can take some rest..."
However, a sudden realization hit him as he blinked his eyes, Marui stared at Mimasaka in curiosity.
"Why does his name sound so familiar?"
Marui felt certain he had heard it somewhere before.
As he glanced between Tsuna and Mimasaka, he could sense a slight tension between them.
Then, it clicked.
"...!"
His eyes widened in realization, "Subaru Mimasaka! He's Tsuna's opponent in the quarter-finals!"
The bracket for the tournament was now posted on the announcement board for all the students to see, including the schedule.
As far as Marui remembered, Tsuna was set to face Mimasaka in the next couple of days.
"...Is that why he's here?"
Marui couldn't help but speculate, narrowing his eyes while adjusting his glasses.
Meanwhile, Sato and Aoki, seemingly oblivious to the significance of the situation, resumed their bickering and wrestling.
"Oh, seems like Marui knows him as well..."
Sakamoto quietly chuckled, observing Tsuna, who appeared indifferent to Mimasaka's presence. He silently added, "He should realize why Mimasaka is here by now."
As the chairman of the club, Sakamoto was well-versed in the happenings within the academy, including information about Subaru Mimasaka.
Mimasaka was notorious for his habit of taking his opponents' knives, a practice considered by many to be outright evil. For a chef, knives were invaluable, especially those inherited from predecessors.
The thought of losing such a precious tool was unthinkable.
"Mimasaka is known for copying and improving his opponents' cooking," Sakamoto continued, his expression turning serious as he adjusted his glasses.
"And his method..."
His voice dropped, emphasizing the gravity of his next words, "...is by stalking."
Mimasaka was an absolute expert in stalking!
Despite being called out like that, Mimasaka didn't seem to care. He shamelessly smiled and bowed, "It's great to meet you all. Please take care of me!"
"Oh, and by the way..."
Mimasaka continued, turning to Tsuna.
His expression turned serious as he added, "...about our match, why don't we make it a food war?"
He had done quite an observation on Tsuna, but he knew the guy was rather elusive.
There was hardly anything that might be useful for him to successfully establish the challenge, which was why he resorted to the simple approach of asking directly.
"And why should I agree to this?"
Tsuna shook his head and chuckled at the casual challenge for a food war.
He didn't even get a pop-up mission like he had when he faced Shinomiya, which meant it was completely not worth his time at all.
"..."
Mimasaka furrowed his eyebrows at this, having also considered the possibility of Tsuna refusing him.
Now, he was in quite a pinch.
However...
"Accept it, Tsuna..."
Sakamoto interjected, surprising everyone. They all looked at him in shock. Mimasaka raised his eyebrows at the captain, silently thinking, "Oh? Why is this guy supporting me?"
"..."
Tsuna turned to look at Sakamoto, knowing the guy wouldn't want him to accept on a whim. There had to be something Sakamoto wanted.
Thinking it over, Tsuna made a rough guess about Sakamoto's eager expression, which made him chuckle and grin.
"How much will you pay this time?"
"Enough..."
Sakamoto replied, causing Tsuna to chuckle again. Their laughter echoed through the room, creating an eerie atmosphere that sent shivers down the spines of the others.
"I knew money would do, but..."
Mimasaka thought as he quietly observed the scene.
He knew Tsuna's tendency for money-grubbing and, considering the expensive meals at Tsuna's restaurant, realized that the cost to get Tsuna to agree was simply too high.
Unable to afford it, Mimasaka turned to Sakamoto and mumbled, "Is he that rich? Seems like I was underestimating the club..."
"Alright, then. Since our captain has been gracious enough to allow the food war, I'll agree. Now, tell me, what do you want from me? My knife?"
Tsuna scoffed. He never had his own knife, so taking it would be pointless.
Besides, he was confident he'd win.
Contrary to his usual approach, Mimasaka shook his head, "No, I don't want your knife. I know you don't care about it..."
"How smart..."
Tsuna retorted sarcastically.
However...
"But I want that pair of chopsticks in front of your late mother's picture..."
"...!"
The atmosphere in the training center instantly froze. Everyone gulped nervously.
Even Mimasaka felt a chill run down his spine as he noticed Tsuna's carefree expression completely morph into an icy, expressionless mask.
His eyes turned cold, gripping Mimasaka's soul with their intensity.
The room fell silent, the tension palpable.
"You want my mother's chopsticks?"
Tsuna's voice was calm, but it carried an unnerving edge that made everyone in the room uneasy, "Do you have any idea what you're asking for?"
The chopsticks in question were a special gift Tsuna had bought for his mother before he had transmigrated into his current body.
Although not expensive, they held immense sentimental value.
His mother had cherished them as the first present from her son, and since her passing, Tsuna had kept them as a precious memento, only touching them to dust them off.
"So, they really are precious, huh?"
Despite the slight fear he felt, the excitement of realizing the importance of the pair of chopsticks he saw in front of Tsuna's late mother's picture overwhelmed Mimasaka's fear, causing his lips to curl into a smile.
"..."
Sakamoto nervously adjusted his glasses. It was his first time feeling such a palpable coldness just by standing beside someone.
He glanced at Mimasaka with pity.
"I see, you did your homework quite well..."
Tsuna's voice was still calm which contrasted the coldness they vividly felt, "Sure, I'll give them to you if I lose."
"No, in fact, if I lose..."
Tsuna shook his head before declaring, "I'll stop cooking forever."
"...!"
Those words shattered the freezing atmosphere.
"What? Are you for real?"
"...You don't have to do that no?"
"Tsuna, you might wanna reconsider..."
Everyone turned to look at him in shock as they tried to persuade him.
Even Mimasaka felt a bit shaken, not expecting Tsuna to escalate the stakes so dramatically.
"And if you lose..."
Tsuna shook his head as he pointed at Mimasaka, then carelessly shrugged his shoulders. "You do whatever Sakamoto tells you to do. I don't care."
Leaving behind such a declaration, which was entirely disadvantageous to him, Tsuna walked away.
The room remained in stunned silence, with everyone still feeling a nervous tension.
---
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