If there are grammar mistakes, plot holes or any other things that you feel can be improved, feel free to drop me a message. Constructive criticism will be taken into consideration while flaming will be ignored and used to roast vegetables for my bunnies. Thanks. Please enjoy the story!
I own nothing but my OC. Everything else belongs to their respective owners.
I apologise for the long wait for this chapter. School happened, you know, the messy, stressful and dramatic life of a tertiary student...
Where we last left off:
"Wonderful." I nodded my head approvingly before grinning evilly. "And now… We study!"
Tsuna would have to focus really hard, or he'd be mentally scarred from this experience. I would make sure of that.
Upon seeing my expression, the male teen seemed to have gotten the idea that torture was definitely going to be inflicted upon him by one Wang Xing Yu, aka me.
"Well now… What shall we start on first?" I thought aloud, tapping my finger against my temple.
It's kind of a personal tic, not that anyone should mind. It's not like I'm hurting anyone by doing it.
"Why don't we start with Math?" Tsuna suggested.
"Sure, start with my weakest subject…" I grumbled, crossing my arms. "I hate Math."
"That was kind of unexpected." The boy had the nerve to giggle at me! "You look like the type that'd be great at everything."
"I'm glad you think so highly of me, Tsunayoshi." I honestly felt very flattered. "But I'm not a perfect human being so I definitely am bad at certain things, like Art, Math and Literature to say the least…"
"Well, it certainly doesn't seem that way when I look at your grades." He rolled his eyes. "You do so well in everything."
"That's because I work really hard to be able to understand and apply what the teachers teach." I replied patiently and decided to add an afterthought. "Well, other than Nezu at least. He can't teach for shit."
"Thank god I wasn't the only one who didn't have any idea of what the hell was he teaching." The brunet sighed in relief. "I couldn't understand anything that came out of his mouth during lessons, except for the very obvious shut up and go back to your seats."
I laughed unabashedly at that. No wonder he always had a dumbfounded expression whenever Nezu started his lecturing.
"Well, he speaks nothing but gibberish." I shrugged my shoulders. "I'll help you. Science is one of my strong suits, except for Chemistry. That topic is pure evil."
"Heh. I thought we were doing Math?" He teased me. "Is your memory going already?"
"Darn. My effort to change the topic was unsuccessful." I snapped my fingers, frowning.
Unfortunately, that only made the male teen laugh like a hyena.
"Not cool to laugh at me, Tsunayoshi." I prodded his sensitive sides, sending him into louder peals of laughter. "So that's where your weakness is…"
With a mischievous grin, I proceeded to tickle the living daylights out of him. Tsuna's face was turning red and he practically gasping for air as he begged for me to stop.
"No! This is what happens when you make fun of me!" I cackled. "Now receive your punishment and suffer!"
"My, you kids seem to be having fun!" Nana commented.
Woah, the lady has some ninja skills. I didn't even hear her footsteps or the door open.
"I was being tortured." Tsuna whined.
Oops, guess I accidentally let up my assault on his sides. Oh well, there's always next time…
"Yes, of course." Nana merely laughed. "Here are some cookies that I baked and some iced tea for the both of you."
"Thank you very much, Nana-san." I smiled as I delicately held the cup and took a sip. "Nothing like iced tea on a warm summer day…"
"Indeed." Nana tittered and left.
"Now let's officially get to work." I stretched a little and dug out three notebooks from my bag. "We have to tackle Math, Science and Social Studies."
Tsuna seemed to physically deflate at the mention of homework.
"Well, it has to be done sometime. I'd rather get it over with." I sighed.
"I don't really have confidence to be able to answer the questions correctly." Tsuna looked gloomy. "I'll probably get an F again unless the teacher's feeling merciful."
"How about we go through the contents of each chapter that our homework is testing us on before doing them?" I offered. "It'll probably help a lot. And if it doesn't, I have a plan…"
Blissfully ignorant of my intent to mentally scar him if he doesn't pay attention to the walkthrough I was kindly providing, Tsuna nodded his head enthusiastically and took out the required supplies. He stared at me eagerly, ready to start the review.
"Let's start with Math. I hate it so I want to get it over with." I mumbled, glaring at a certain blue notebook with particularly devoted hatred.
"Okay." He obediently flipped to the chapter that was taught just hours ago.
"Today was about factorisation of polynomials completely. What do you not understand about it?" I asked.
"This part, this part and that part." He pointed out.
"So basically, everything?" I sighed.
"Yes." He had the gall to smile sheepishly.
"Next time, pay attention in lessons, Tsunayoshi." I really wanted to slam my head against the wall now. "Okay, so the first part to factorise the polynomial completely is to find out the common factor…"
As I droned on, I noticed that his eyelids were drooping. I smirked and continued speaking. He would learn his lesson. Oh yes, he definitely would.
"The review is done." I announced, coughing loudly. "Time to work on the problems Kirihara-sensei assigned us."
"W-What! But I haven't…" Tsuna trailed off.
"Oh, and before I forget, every time you get a problem wrong, you'll have to read one chapter of any yaoi manga of my choosing." I picked at my nails, ignoring his horrified wails. "Well, get to it."
With that, I completely ignored him and proceeded to do the questions on my notebook. I breezed through them since I had read ahead and the explanation by the teacher today just served to reinforce my understanding and knowledge of how to solve the problems.
I glanced at my friend and noted that he was panicking as he read through the questions, sweat beading on his forehead. I laughed to myself as I closed my notebook and flipped open the Science notebook to work on the questions assigned by Nezu. It was easy to do if you read the textbook and ignored Nezu but woe betide anyone who actually listened to that idiot.
When I finished the questions, I decided to check on Tsuna. Part of me wanted to wither when I saw that he was still stuck on the first few questions. The other part just laughed manically and rubbed its hands together, ready to torture the brunet.
"You're still not done yet?" I asked exasperatedly. "I've already finished those questions and the Science questions."
"What? You're too fast!" He whined most unbecomingly. "It's only been an hour and a half!"
"It's already been an hour and a half! You've been too spoilt, Tsunayoshi." I stood up and loomed over the cowering boy. "Looks like it's time for some punishment."
I looked at the questions he'd been doing and shook my head. He got every one of them wrong.
"Let's see now. You got everything wrong, plus there are six blanks." I gave an almost malicious smirk. "You've got ten chapters of Crimson Spell to read, dear Tsunayoshi."
"What!" He yelped. "B-But I wasn't ready yet…"
"You're never ready, silly boy." I rolled my eyes. "You've taken too long already. Now, I'll be merciful and give you a hint – refer to the textbook and the other pages of the notebook. It would be a breeze if you actually took notes down and listened in class."
The teen could only sigh as he did as he was told. I shook my head in exasperation before resuming the completion of my homework. I only had Social Studies left while Tsuna hadn't even finished a single subject. Honestly, that boy worries me.
I allowed the next hour to slip by, managing to finish up my final essay just as the last minute of the hour ended. I turned to check on the other person in the room and was pleasantly surprised to see that he had finished his Math homework and had moved on to Science. Surreptitiously, I took his notebook and looked through the questions he had completed.
I was pleased to see that he only had two mistakes and even then, the mistakes were made on the harder questions. I grabbed a pencil and quickly circled the mistakes, dropped a hint or two and pencilled down a rather long comment before placing the notebook back to where it was rested.
I looked out of the window and noticed that it was already close to sunset. I sighed as I rolled my shoulders and packed my things.
"You're leaving already?" The oblivious teen asked.
"Well, it's already close to sunset." I pointed a finger at the window. "I've got to get home and make dinner or I'll starve."
"Eh?! It's that late already?!" Tsuna yelped. "I'm going to die tomorrow since Sensei would definitely pick me to answer the questions!"
"Just drop me a message if you have any queries." I stared at him. "No saying I don't know how to do this or begging for answers, okay?"
"Right." He laughed nervously, probably remembering the time when he did just that and got quite the tongue lashing from me.
"Well then, I'll see you at school tomorrow, Tsunayoshi." I gave him a small smile and ruffled his ridiculously fluffy hair before leaving the house.
I hummed as I made my way back home; mentally checking off the ingredients I had in my refrigerator so that I could decide what to make for dinner. I was so lost in my thoughts that I bumped into someone for the third time today.
"Ugh, what is wrong with me today…" I rubbed my arm which had slammed into another person. "Sorry about that…"
"Sorry ain't cuttin' it, girl." The man I had bumped into sneered. "I think I broke my arm when you slammed into me like a trucker."
"That's just preposterous." I raised a fine eyebrow. "Since when did tough guys become such fragile little flowers? Did you guys grow up in a greenhouse or something? I didn't even get a bruise from that bump."
"Mocking me, are you?" The male crossed his beefy arms together before looking me up and down. "You ain't gonna make me forget about my injury by playing those mind tricks on me. Though you're rather plain, I wouldn't mind if you repaid me in that way."
"Sorry is good enough for a chump like you." I tossed my long tresses back dramatically. "Now move it."
"Hmph…" The large person snorted. "Looks like I gotta force you to do what I want."
"Try and see if you can." I gave a smug, uppity smirk and walked off.
Or at least, I tried to.
The incensed Neanderthal placed a weighty hand onto my shoulder, stopping me from leaving. I rolled my eyes and flipped the man over me before he could even blink.
The man landed with a rather loud crash onto the pavement, groaning all the while as he did so. I got a clear look at him and noticed that he was a member of some yakuza gang, what with all the tattoos on his arms.
"So, which gang are you from?" I prodded at his belly delicately with the tip of my foot. "I know you're from one, so spill it."
"Tch! The Momokyokai Yakuza won't let you off with this!" The man threatened as he hurried away.
"Well, that answers everything." I tapped my finger against my head. "Looks like I have some trash to clean up tomorrow."
With a new bounce in my step, I returned home, whistling happily since I now had something to do instead of the monotonous lifestyle I adopted these past few months due to nothing interesting happening at all.
Life was good.
Or at least, it was good until I reached home and got bowled over by all the animals in my house.
There were five large dogs, each with physical defects – the Labrador had a missing hind limb, two others of mixed breeds with heavy scarring that prevent them from moving properly, the Mastiff was blinded in one eye and the Rottweiler had half of his snout torn off in a car accident – but no less perfect or wonderful in their own ways.
The second wave came right on the heels of the first one, consisting of cats and smaller dogs. There were four cats and three smaller dogs, all abandoned by irresponsible owners once they were bored of their pets. Out of the four cats, two were mixed breeds with the other two being a Scottish Fold and a Russian Blue. The three smaller dogs were all purebred – an apricot coloured Toy Poodle, a Pomeranian and a Shiba Inu.
The third and final wave greeted me a scant few seconds later, consisting of rodents and birds. There were three Rabbits, two Guinea Pigs, two Parrots, a Cockatoo and a Sparrow that refused to leave after I nursed it back to health.
You may ask how life can get boring with all these animals around, but trust me; these animals are so independent that it's like their humans in their own right. They can feed themselves by utilising each species' own strengths – like getting the larger dogs to open the refrigerator and getting the cats to jump up to high places where the dry food is kept – to get the tasks done.
I also allow them to roam outside if they wish to since it isn't as if I'm their official owner. It feels more like a nature reserve, except for domesticated animals, really. You give the animals a place to stay, buy the food and the animals do everything else themselves.
It was sort of shocking to see it happen – I almost fainted the first time I saw the chaos – but perhaps they were so used to getting food and shelter for themselves that they do it instinctively, even if they had someone – namely me – to putter around and pamper them. Or maybe they just didn't trust my grubby human hands not to treat them as their previous owners had.
Whatever it was, an efficient system was worked out silently between the entire lot of us and we lived in harmony, except for the occasional complaint from the neighbours about the cacophony of sounds that cease the moment they see the amount of animals in the house.
Honestly, they're already rather quiet compared to the noisy vehicles that drive past almost every minute of the day.
"I'm home, guys." I bleated out from under the pile of animals.
A few angry barks, chirps and squeaks later, I amended my sentence.
"I'm home, ladies and gentlemen." I groaned. "Now get off me, please."
The entire zoo of creatures clambered off me awkwardly and stared at me expectantly, their eyes sparkling like gems.
The intelligence of animals both amaze and scare me.
"Alright…" I grumbled. "Since it's Friday night, we'll have sushi from Take-Sushi."
Joyous noise pollution echoed throughout the house, probably warranting a complaint or five from the surrounding people who have stubbornly refused to budge up on complaining about the obscene level of sound emanating from the house. Hell, if it were me, I'd complain too, and I'm the 'owner' of these animals.
I gave them a stern look and raised five fingers, gaining the attention of the excited creatures. As the number of fingers in the air decreased, so did the din, thankfully. It was yet another system worked out in silent compromise amongst the sole human and the other entities in the small bungalow of two-storeys – three if you count the basement – and a rather miniscule yard.
I'll order the usual so you guys just go do… whatever you usually do." I shooed them off and waded through the stubborn ones who refused to leave.
I finally reached the phone after what felt like forever and rattled off my order to the owner, one Yamamoto Tsuyoshi that I had gotten very familiar with after countless orders of sushi from his shop. After I hung up the phone, I slapped my forehead with my palm once I realised that I had my cell phone in my pocket and hence, did not have to struggle through the Red Sea of Animals. I heaved a sigh of exasperation and breathed in deeply.
"Usual rules apply! When the delivery man comes, no whining, begging, threatening, injuring, maiming and outright murder is allowed. There should be absolutely no noise as well, you hear me?!" I yelled out so loudly that everyone – and by everyone, I meant the neighbours as well – could hear me. "If any of the above rules are broken, no sushi is allowed in this house for a year!"
A chorus of agreements ranging from barks to trills and everything else in between sounded back, most likely giving the poor, long-suffering neighbours a migraine or two.
After waiting patiently for about half an hour, the doorbell sounded.
"Remember, no breaking of the rules!" I warned every living creature in the vicinity – besides the poor sod carrying the order – as I stalked out of the house, making sure to shut the door tightly and lock it with my key.
I turned around and spotted a surprising face holding the giant order of sushi I had called for.
"Here you go, Xing Yu-san!" Yamamoto Takeshi cheerfully passed me the large order. "Maa, you sure eat a lot for one person."
"It would be impossible for someone to finish all this by him or herself, Yamamoto-san." I wonder if I should be offended at being thought of as a glutton. "Anyway, thanks for delivering it. Here's the money."
Easily holding the stacks of sushi boxes in one hand, – I've lifted people twice that size – I shoved my hand into my pocket and expertly removed the money from my wallet singlehandedly, literally.
What can I say? I've had lots of practice.
Yamamoto looked slightly mind-boggled as he accepted the payment, looking as if he desperately wanted to ask me something.
"I've just had lots of practice." I told the bewildered person, already knowing the question through experience. "Thanks again, and see you tomorrow."
The teen gave a good natured laugh and wished me a good night before pedalling away on his bike, yelling about seeing me the next day as well. I merely chuckled to myself at the animated lad before heading into the house and steeling myself for the overwhelming wave of bodies that would hit me.
"Dinner is served!" I managed to announce before I was immediately sent to the floor by overenthusiastic animals that practically ripped into the food like starving beasts.
Well, they are beasts, but they most certainly do not starve judging by the amount of food I feed them on a daily basis.
With a loud war cry, I threw myself into the fray and got into a few friendly tussles with the playful creatures while eating my dinner together with what I would call my family.
As I popped a piece of tamago nigiri into my mouth while dodging the attempts of robbery from the Pomeranian and Rottweiler, I couldn't help but smile at the enormous mess of animals in the house.
Life wasn't just good. Life was great.
I will start replying to the reviews - if there are even any :( - at the end of the chapter for all my stories.
To sweetcookies82: Thank you! Just reading something like this gives me the motivation to keep on writing! I'll keep that pairing in view, though who Xing Yu ends up with depends on the flow of the story.
To uniquemangalover: Thank you for the kind compliment. You have no idea how happy this makes me.
To EvaWinters, Giotto21, Pyc, TheParadoxicalOtaku, sweetcookies82 and uniquemangalover: Thank you for favouriting my story! I'll do my best to make sure that this story continues to meet or hopefully, surpass your expectations!