Compared to Ace's excitement, Tsuna's face was much more grim.
"Hey, hey, hey... didn't you hear what she said?"
Tsuna looked nervously from Reborn to Ace, then down at the poisoned food on the ground, his complexion turning pale.
"She's here to kill me!"
He slumped to the ground in despair. As a high school student, Tsuna couldn't comprehend why his life was filled with so many dangerous individuals. After all, he was just a regular guy, barely scraping by on double-digit test scores!
But when Tsuna looked at Reborn with a pleading expression, hoping for some reassurance, Reborn merely took out a cup of black tea from seemingly nowhere and began to sip it elegantly. His demeanor exuded nothing but grace and poise.
Ace, meanwhile, strolled to the edge of the rooftop, gazing out over the peaceful campus below. The tranquility of this world was so unlike the chaotic, turbulent world of pirates. He sighed contentedly:
"What a beautiful scene."
Watching the indifferent attitudes of his two tutors in the face of danger, Tsuna felt even more helpless. Faced with the looming threat of death, tears welled up in his eyes. He looked like a defeated, hopeless soul—like a salted fish that had lost its dream.
---
In truth, Tsuna's fears were not unfounded.
During the afternoon home economics class, chaos erupted, just as expected, due to Bianchi's sudden appearance.
Thankfully, thanks to the clever combination of the [Iron Stomach Bullet] and the [Dying Will Bomb], both prepared in advance by Reborn, Tsuna somehow managed to consume the poisonous cakes served by his female classmates one after another without dying.
Using his own body as a shield, Tsuna averted what could have been a massive campus-wide food poisoning disaster.
It was a bittersweet victory.
In the end, however, Bianchi seemed to be swayed by Reborn's presence—or perhaps it was the first time she had encountered someone who "enjoyed" her cooking so much. Either way, she ultimately decided to abandon her assassination plan. Instead, she stayed at Tsuna's home, becoming his teacher in biology, chemistry, and home economics.
With her "unique" culinary skills, Tsuna was bound to make swift progress in those subjects... or so she claimed.
Though Tsuna didn't seem particularly thrilled about it.
Maybe it was because he couldn't understand why he had to learn complex chemical equations for creating toxic compounds...
---
As the days passed, Bianchi's arrival injected an odd burst of energy into Tsuna's life.
Or maybe Tsuna had simply grown used to the bizarre frequency with which weirdos kept showing up in his life.
In any case, Tsuna's home soon became a lively gathering place.
Haru Miura, the daughter of the principal from the neighboring school, began dropping by after she fell in love with Tsuna for heroically saving her.
There was also I-Pin, a 5-year-old Chinese girl who was both a "human bomb" and a nearsighted assassin.
Then, Sasagawa Ryohei, the head of the boxing club from Namimori Middle School, who inexplicably joined Tsuna's late-night training sessions. He also happened to be the older brother of Tsuna's crush.
Even Dino, the tenth-generation leader of the Italian Cavallone Mafia family, stopped by to visit his mentor, Reborn. Dino, like Tsuna, was struggling with the challenges of mafia leadership.
Then there was Futa, the "Star Prince" who had the ability to rank everything but was being hunted by the mafia.
Meanwhile, at Tsuna's school, the lecherous school doctor, Shamal—who was actually a renowned underground doctor and killer—had appeared as well.
During this time, Hayato and Takeshi, both claiming to be Tsuna's right-hand men, had even gotten into an unexpected brawl with Hibari Kyouya, the leader of the Namimori Discipline Committee.
But what surprised Tsuna most of all was the outcome of the fight.
Takeshi, with his athleticism, and Hayato, with his tactical mind, were easily overpowered by Hibari's overwhelming strength.
Thankfully, Reborn intervened before things escalated too far.
Yet, as a result of that battle, both Hayato and Takeshi became even more determined to push themselves in training.
Even Takeshi, who up until now had believed that Tsuna's mafia involvement was just a game between friends, began to feel a pang of guilt over how easily he had been defeated.
And so...
During Ace's intense training, Takeshi became the second person to unexpectedly awaken his Dying Will Flame, with the flames spreading across his entire body.
---
As for the third person...
"Waaaahhhh!!!"
In the still of the night, an incredibly intense aura suddenly surged, permeating the entire training ground.
Sasagawa Ryohei, who had recently joined the late-night training sessions, watched as his juniors, brimming with fiery determination, pushed themselves to their limits. Ryohei's fighting spirit ignited, and his body seemed to catch fire as he roared with passion.
The next instant, a mysterious force erupted from within him, coursing through every fiber of his being.
The heavy lead weights strapped to his waist seemed to offer no resistance at all. With incredible speed, Ryohei surged forward, quickly overtaking Hayato and Takeshi, who had been dragging behind with multiple tires tied to them.
Ace, observing from the edge of the training ground, didn't bother to join the session that night. Instead, he watched as Ryohei suddenly awakened the power of the Dying Will Flame and offered his own insight into this mysterious force.
"So that's it," Ace remarked with a grin. "The Dying Will Flames… they're a power born from the soul. The feeling is similar to the power of bond..."
At the same time, Ace mentally recorded everything he observed in his internal system notebook.
According to Sir Leo, the research report on the power system is particularly significant.
This is because the headquarters of the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce would likely evaluate the world based on his findings and decide how to treat it.
Having enjoyed his time in this world, Ace was determined not to let any mistakes in his work lead to unfavorable treatment for it.
Meanwhile, Reborn sipped his evening coffee gracefully, showing no intention of disrupting Ace's thoughts.
To not disturb him was Reborn's final act of kindness.
But in reality, Reborn was eager to ask Ace when the dimensional merchant he mentioned would arrive in this world. After all, he wanted to get rid of the curse of the [Rainbow Son] as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, although Ace wasn't foolish, he wasn't quite sharp enough to pick up on others' thoughts through their words and actions, especially when faced with someone like Reborn—the master of poker faces.
Thus, Ace's attention remained fully focused on the few people practicing in the open space.
After a few days of recovery, Ace's strength had reached around the level of a pirate with a 20-million bounty in the One Piece world.
Although this wasn't incredibly powerful, ordinary training sessions were no longer sufficient to help him regain his full strength.
Additionally, Ace realized that this world's power system placed more emphasis on the soul and techniques, with few people focusing on physical abilities.
This was the main reason he found himself sitting here at this moment.
As for Growlithe, due to training with Tsuna and the others, its talent allowed it to grow rapidly, even from just the tiniest sparks. His strength had nearly reached Ace's current level, around 12.
Although that number seems small, in the pirate world, such strength would be more than enough to defeat pirates with bounties of 100 million using Pokémon-like moves.
To Tsuna and his friends, Growlithe was a ferocious beast, whose sheer presence alone was enough to make Tsuna subconsciously speed up his training pace.
Yet, Ace, who was studying the power system of this world, couldn't help but feel puzzled as he watched Tsuna being chased by Growlithe, barking as usual.
"Strange... Logically, with Tsuna's life force level, it shouldn't have taken so long without any change."
The more Ace understood this world's power system, the more curious he became about why Tsuna remained such a failure.
Based on his understanding, Tsuna's performance shouldn't be so limited.
At that moment, Reborn finally set down his coffee, sensing an appropriate moment to speak.
"That's because Tsuna's power was once sealed by the Vongola Ninth Generation."
"Oh?"
Ace was momentarily stunned by this revelation, then his face lit up in surprise, as if he had just heard something fascinating.
After all, in the pirate world, sealing someone's power was something only a Devil Fruit could achieve.
Even when traveling from the East Blue to the New World, Ace had never seen anyone capable of such techniques.
But from Reborn's tone, it seemed that sealing powers was relatively commonplace here.
Perhaps…
This was just one of the many differences between the power systems of different worlds!
Ace once again marveled at the vastness of the universe.
This world was unimaginably larger than the seas he once knew—billions of times more expansive!
All of a sudden, Ace's gaze sharpened as he focused on Tsuna. A flash of realization glimmered in his deep eyes.
Of course... someone chosen by the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce couldn't be ordinary.
Ace's curiosity grew. What kind of energy would Tsuna unleash if his sealed powers were unlocked?
Ace's question brought Reborn back to a memory—the time the Vongola Ninth spoke to him before coming to Japan.
In fact…
Even Reborn had been surprised when the Ninth warned him that Tsuna's immense energy could become dangerous.
That's why Reborn kept using dying will shots on him, allowing Tsuna to gradually adapt to and control the power of his Dying Will Flame.
Suddenly, a small smile curled on Reborn's lips as he muttered to himself:
"Speaking of which, Leon's current condition is becoming rather peculiar."
"It seems the moment is drawing near."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Ace's ears perked up at Reborn's words, and he asked curiously.
For once, Reborn decided to embrace the role of a mystery keeper, merely smiling without answering. He silently drank his coffee, but his eyes revealed a look of satisfaction.
"Wait, are you seriously going to keep me in the dark?"
Ace, who immediately guessed Reborn's mischievous thoughts, couldn't help but shout in frustration.
Fortunately, Reborn's cryptic demeanor didn't last long.
Because just the day after their conversation ended, the students of Namimori Middle School found themselves entangled in a massive incident involving a murder.
...
...
Shua!
Walking through the hospital corridor packed with students, Tsuna pushed open the door to the ward.
"Ryohei-senpai!? Are you alright?!"
After hearing from the Disciplinary Committee Leader, Hibari Kyouya, that Kyoko's brother had been attacked, Tsuna rushed into the ward, deeply concerned, and hurried over to Sasagawa Ryohei's bedside.
Lying in bed, Ryohei slowly opened his eyes as he recognized Tsuna's voice.
At that moment, his entire body was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, his injuries severe. His dominant arm, the one he used for boxing, was encased in a thick cast.
He looked as bad as one could imagine.
Seeing Kyoko's brother in such a state, Tsuna held his head in disbelief, overwhelmed by the scene.
"Why... How could something like this happen to you!?"
After all...
Kyoko's brother, Sasagawa Ryohei, was the strongest member of their night training group!
The fact that someone as powerful as him could be attacked and left in this condition was beyond Tsuna's comprehension.
Ace, who had followed Tsuna into the ward, was equally puzzled.
He walked over to Ryohei's hospital bed with Reborn perched on his shoulder.
Reborn jumped lightly from his usual spot and landed on Ryohei's body.
With his small hands, Reborn gently examined the injuries and then remarked:
"Six broken bones, bite marks and scratches in various shapes, and…"
"There are also wounds caused by hidden weapons."
It was as if Reborn had the ability to see through everything. Just a quick glance at Ryohei's body, and he had already come to an accurate conclusion.
Ace frowned and muttered in doubt:
"With your strength, there's no way you should've ended up like this, right?"
Ace had been observing Ryohei for several days and knew his true capabilities.
Though Ryohei was not quite on par with the pirates and bandits Ace had faced in his world, he was strong enough to break rocks with his fists.
Logically…
If a battle of this intensity had occurred while Ryohei was returning from training, Ace and Reborn should have sensed something was amiss.
"Ah... Sorry, Instructor Ace."
At Ace's question, a look of guilt flashed in Ryohei's eyes.
He smiled weakly, harboring a silent regret.
The truth was...
During the fight the day before, Ryohei had never intended to retaliate against his attackers. He had remained on the defensive the entire time.
This was because, long ago, Ryohei had made a promise to his sister Kyoko…
He had vowed never to use his strength for pointless fights.
He would only bring out his power when it was truly necessary.
Clearly...
The provocation by the two students from the neighboring school yesterday didn't meet that threshold in Ryohei's eyes, so he considered it a mere "fight."
And fleeing would have gone against his core beliefs.
As a result, he suffered the beating.
...
...
After closing the door to the ward, Ace stepped out, visibly frustrated.
While, in principle, Ace was supposed to remain detached as an investigator for the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce, avoiding emotional connections with people in this world...
Ryohei was still, in a sense, his student.
More than that, Ace admired Ryohei's spirit and vitality, finding it resonated with him deeply.
Seeing Ryohei wounded like this stirred something within Ace, making it hard to keep his emotions in check.
In an effort to distance himself from interfering with the natural order of this world—and to remain impartial as an investigator...
Ace hurried to the window, trying to force himself not to dwell on the incident further.
Meanwhile, Tsuna was too caught up in his concern to notice Ace's reaction.
Instead, he began questioning other students who were visiting their injured friends, hoping to learn more.
Just then...
A hospital bed being pushed along the corridor passed by Tsuna.
On the bed was a member of Namimori Middle School's Disciplinary Committee.
With sharp reflexes, Reborn swiftly pulled out a vintage pocket watch from the injured student's collar.
He opened it.
The watch's face featured Roman numerals in an old-fashioned style, and the hands of the clock were set precisely to ten o'clock.
That is—[X].
Reborn's expression darkened as he turned the watch toward Tsuna and spoke with firm resolve:
"It seems the one they're really after… is you."
"Tsuna!"
——
[TL/n: Leon is the name of Reborn pet.]
——