The gymnasium where the Interhigh took place was filling up with people eager to watch the ongoing game between Too Academy and Kaijo High. Among the spectators, the members of Totsuki Academy's basketball club made their way through the crowd, eventually finding seats together.
Sakamoto had informed the others that Tsuna wasn't coming with them to deal with other stuff.
This news didn't surprise anyone, as Tsuna had never trained with them, so his absence wasn't unexpected.
"It's expected that Tsuna wouldn't come, but..." Marui adjusted his glasses, his lips twitching in mild irritation. He pointed towards a burly figure seated nearby and asked, "...What's the deal with this gorilla?"
Munch... munch...
Mimasaka was busy munching on snacks, looking utterly bored despite the roaring excitement of the crowd around him. His presence seemed out of place amid the high energy and enthusiasm of the gymnasium.
Munch...
"Hmm?"
Just as Marui thought he wouldn't get a reaction, Mimasaka suddenly frowned, realizing he had finished all his snacks. He turned to Marui and asked, "Maruichin, do you have any snacks? I'm still hungry..."
"Chin? What the hell is that?"
Marui was completely baffled. His mind raced with thoughts about what was going on before he turned to Sakamoto.
Their captain hadn't mentioned anything about this, but it was likely his doing that Mimasaka was using his Perfect Trace.
The only question was...
"Who?"
Who was the one Mimasaka used his Perfect Trace on?
This question gnawed at Marui.
However...
"..."
Sakamoto quietly adjusted his glasses, while Sato and Aoki were busy arguing among themselves at the back, oblivious to the brewing confusion.
While the basketball club members were busy watching the game, Tsuna had just finished cleaning up after some light training. This training consisted of running across Tokyo as fast as he could, with added weight to his body.
He noticed that his body was adapting pretty quickly, which seemed unusual.
"Hmm, is it because I have chakra now?"
The use of chakra gave him a big advantage in healing his body. With both chakra and chi, Tsuna unlocked his physical and mental energies.
This constant use of chakra and chi made his body heal faster and grow stronger during training. Each time he trained, his body adapted and got tougher, allowing him to improve quickly and effectively.
This unique mix of chakra and chi not only made him a great fighter but also helped him get better every day.
Tsuna concluded that this was most likely the case for him; otherwise, there wasn't much explanation.
However, it wasn't the time to be worried about such things. Tsuna prepared to grab his mone— share a bit of his knowledge with the students of Class E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School.
"Alright, let's go..."
Tsuna mumbled as he then went on a light jog to the school, which was located not far from his restaurant, only half an hour away at his speed.
As Tsuna made his way to the junior high school, Class E was currently feeling ecstatic. Some of the students surrounded Korosensei in the middle of their classroom.
Only the girls...
"Korosensei, are we really going to have a culinary class with Tsuna-senpai again?" Rio Nakamura asked.
The other girls immediately perked up, eager to be taught again by the handsome senpai who had melted their hearts through his cooking.
"Ohoho, it seems like you enjoy culinary class so much..."
Korosensei's tentacles squirmed happily as if he was the one receiving the students' affection.
His beady eyes fluttered as his face spread into a wide smile. "Yes, unlike some other subjects which are bound by the curriculum, culinary class is an extra class specially provided by the government."
Even when other subjects were currently on hold after the midterm tests, the culinary class would continue.
More importantly, there wouldn't be an exam related to the subject itself, aside from the tests given by the instructor—Tsuna himself.
"Yeaayy!"
"That's great to hear! I'd love to learn more from Tsuna-senpai!"
"Yes, I think he genuinely cares for us, unlike a certain bitch..."
Their chatter was loud enough for everyone to hear. A loud shout came from outside as Irina, having heard their words, yelled out, "Huh! What did you say!?"
"Eh? Seems like we're going to cook something delicious again today..."
Kaede spoke with an innocently excited expression, which made Nagisa smile a little and nod, "Our last hotpot was truly good..."
And that was even with some mistakes here and there.
They had tasted what Soma had cooked, but knowing that Soma had only followed Tsuna's instructions, they couldn't help but wonder what Tsuna's own creation would taste like.
Even Karma was intrigued.
The food was one reason, but another reason stemmed from how Tsuna controlled Korosensei like a puppet master.
"Ahh, a strong being, totally helpless and begging like that..."
Karma's expression contorted into a weird, twisted grin as he mumbled, "I wonder how it'd feel like..."
Karma...was a bit sadistic.
And he found himself completely intrigued by the one person who could do what he wanted to do to Korosensei.
"...?"
On the side, Kaede looked at Karma confusedly, while Nagisa felt a chill down his spine at that twisted expression.
"Ha! What a fool..."
A loud scoff echoed through the classroom, drawing everyone's attention to Terasaka, who was sitting at the back with his goons.
"Huh? Are you looking for trouble again, Terasaka?"
Rio immediately spat sarcastically, recalling their last encounter.
"Shut up!" Terasaka retorted angrily, his face flushed red with embarrassment. He shook his head and added, "That guy just happens to be good at cooking. So what if he could ask for some tentacles from Korosensei? He still wouldn't be able to kill him!"
"Hey, Terasaka, you're pushing it..."
"Yeah, didn't you hear his explanation the other day? You must be deaf!"
"Tsuna-senpai is a saint. He just didn't want to kill Korosensei with his food!"
"...Saint?"
Korosensei's tentacles twitched lightly at the word as the students continued cursing at Terasaka. He looked at his innocent students, his beady eyes slightly tearing up, "Ah, my dear students, you should never judge a book by its cover..."
"...I heard what you said."
A voice whispered directly into Korosensei's ear, causing his eyes to widen in shock. In an instant, Korosensei's figure vanished and reappeared clinging to the corner of the room.
"...Tsuna-kun, please don't do that anymore."
Korosensei's annoyance was palpable as his tentacles twitched in frustration.
The students turned around to find Tsuna already in the room with them, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Ah? Senpai?"
When had he entered?
"Just now..."
Tsuna responded nonchalantly with his gaze drifting to Korosensei, who was visibly perturbed. His eyes held a thoughtful gleam as he observed Korosensei's reaction with a little smile.
"So, even someone like him can't detect me when I completely suppress my physical energy?"
Meanwhile, Korosensei's forehead beaded with sweat, his heart racing unnervingly fast.
The casual demeanor of Tsuna, coupled with his unsettling smile, sent a shiver down his spine.
Korosensei silently marveled, "His presence was completely nonexistent... Even at my peak, I was never this stealthy. Just who is he?"
"Hello there, my innocent little cash co— students..."
Tsuna's smile was gentle and warm, causing the hearts of the girls to flutter while the boys eyed him with mild annoyance.
Unfazed by their reactions, Tsuna continued with his usual nonchalance, "Let's head to the culinary room..."