The Cursed Tutor
Reborn arrived in Namimori early morning.
His task, was to tutor the daughter of the blonde idiota Sawada Mikumo.
According to him, his daughter was really cute, perpetually-cheerful and perky, and has her playful moments that she once went to visit a granny without telling anybody...and is very adventurous that Iemitsu often had to watch out because his wife was kind of oblivious at times.
Iemitsu swore that when she tried her 'balancing act' on the couch's back rest to imitate the tightrope walker on TV, he was horrified he was scared of leaving her alone to his wife at work. He loves his wife, but she doesn't notice things that Mikumo tries out that could possibly break a limb or worse, her neck and begged Reborn that if she was still the same playful little girl, he watch out.
She once unconsciously reached out to a granny friend who was a Cloud, but was gently rejected because she was too old for the girl, so the granny gently rejected her, and no harm done.
Iemitsu looked in all databases for such a granny, only to learn she doesn't exist in society and doesn't even live in Namimori. And his daughter stayed with her for a week!
For now, he went to Namichuu to look at his student's performance, before visiting the house.
He got shown a picture of the girl as a little girl, around five years back. And now upon getting her file, she's blossoming into an attractive beauty with her mother's colors, but no mistaking the result of mixed lineage in her looks. She has long hair with bouncy layered fringes framing her face.
Her grades are Shu-level grades which is good. But she doesn't have a school club.
He planted bugs all over the place save the bathroom after putting the files away.
So he went to the house, and arrived just in time for breakfast.
He slid a flyer in after the newspaper man slid a newspaper in the mailbox slot.
He hid and waited...
It was the girl who came out, still in her idea of pajama which is basically a boy's shirt which would be worn by a sporty adult male, and a pair of flip flops to get the newspaper. Her hair also reached her waist. Her hair is pencil-straight, too, but the bottom half was 'rounded' as if her hair was cut that way.
But when she saw the flyer he made...
She looked straight at where he is in the trees!
He tested her by moving away from his spot, her gaze followed him.
Well, she's good.
However...his flyer burst into flame.
Sky Flames.
The paper was gone as soon as it caught fire.
Bam, rejected.
Heh, did she sense danger that was him, coming?
To be fair, he IS dangerous. He's the world's best hitman, damnit. But only to those who his client wants dead. But in this instance, his client wants him to tutor his successor...
But nobody told him she could play with her flames...
Sooo yes, while surprised that his student made herself interesting, he wants to verbally roar at his client and the idiot sub-client...
Italy, at their phones when they received Voice Mail...
'WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE CAN DO IT ALREADY?!' came the shocks from the two Vongola bosses.
Well, not that he cared for their reaction as long as he voiced his displeasure.
Mikumo even lied that she just got the newspaper.
As for where diet is concerned? Well, like any good jap concerned with health, breakfast was healthy, but instead of the traditional Miso Soup, its a very vegan miso soup. with loads of leafy greens...and fish was fish fillet instead of the whole grilled fish. Mikumo's bento was entirely fishy-vegan made by her mother, while Mikumo was making...Hamburger Steak?
He crept close, with Leon becoming a gadget that enabled him to eavesdrop.
/Miku-chan, who is that bento for?/ my god, the way Nana talked...first impression would be that she's an airhead who talks like a kid, but despite that and obliviousness, she was a very cheerful and doting mother and wife Iemitsu only had two things to complain about her but even then, those two things are superficial.
/Oh, I just got the feeling that I'll need it today, that's all./ Mikumo chirped happily while flipping the steak over, and proceeded to make poached eggs.
How she did it?
She took a glass jar, filled it with 1/8 water before cracking a large egg into it, and then microwaved it.
Microwaved.
Last he checked, you do NOT microwave eggs. Just no!
She set it to a minute on high before making the steak sauce by using a food processor, some spices, choice herbs and some boiled water...and when the microwave was done, he was rightfully-astonished. Because what was left in the hot glass jar, is a perfectly poached egg she took with oven mittens and tipped the jar over to the bento. Well, he learned something new today...then again, while good at cooking, he wasn't that much of a kitchen trickster.
When the sauce was done, she poured the sauce into a piece of jumbo plastic tube and twisted the tip...and melted the plastic with her flames to seal it tight while her back was towards her mom so she wouldn't see. So Nana does not know about her daughter's powers.
The last step was the rice. She put a nice helping, before putting the sauce tube on top of the rice and steak over the disposable box, a pair of bamboo chopsticks inside a tube plastic and closed the bento before wrapping it in...purple paper.
By that time, breakfast was done, and it was time to get ready for school indeed.
Reborn watched while flying on a Leon-copter while recording with a camera.
The students parted like the Red Sea before her, and all looked at her nervously and warily.
Hmm, this trait is good in a Donna. No teenage mafioso can do this so far even in Mafia Academy...
He'll have to ask some kids in lunch break.
xxx
Lunch Break...
Reborn felt the wait was like eternity when he wanted some stuff done sooner or get the stuff he wanted 'since yesterday'.
When he saw some girls, he appealed to them and asked, 'Hey, I saw everyone part like the sea for this one girl this morning.' he said. 'Do you know why?'
'That girl is scary! Right, Kana?'
'Yeah, she's fighting Hibari on a daily basis...and he's...' the girl called Kana looked around nervously before looking relieved. '...losing. He gets tired first before she does, but he doesn't exactly get beaten to defeat, he just gets tired.' she said. 'They fight every after school and its scary to see them fight!'
'Yeah, all those chinese kung fu movies just can't compare!' the first girl nodded grimly. 'They look like amateur stuntmen in comparison if they see Sawada and Hibari fight...and she's a freshman and he's our year too...'
OOOOOK?
He then approached some classmates whose faces he remembered when he was looking for her file.
'Geh?! You mean Sawada?!' some boys shuddered.
'She's cute and a real nice girl with gorgeous legs, but isn't friends with anybody...she's always by herself.'
'Yeah, no boyfriend either!'
Reborn paused.
What the hell? Aren't these brats only 13-14 to think about boyfriend-girlfriend? Precocious crushes and puppy love he can understand, but these guys are already thinking about THAT sort of level...he wondered if Japanese teenage mentality is different these days...or is it just here?
'She's cute, she's nice but that day...!' one of the boys sobbed. 'I thought she's a sweet princess until that Volleyball class!'
'My rose-colored glasses are gone!' another boy wailed. 'And there's no more cute girls in class too!'
'Yeah...Hibari gunned for her that day...and she revealed how scary she is under that cute face!'
He really will have to wait until after school.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop...
Hibari was napping...while ignoring his grumbling stomach.
His maid had to take leave as she wanted to wait in her grandson's room until his parents come from overseas from work since the grandson is in a bad shape and only the parents can make 'difficult' decisions, so he let the maid go for a few days. She made him food that only required microwave reheating, but...no bento for a while. So yes, he's hungry and cranky at lunch break and he won't have anyone make him dinner for a while, and the only thing he can cook, is rice and miso soup, but that's not a carnivore's food nor is it even herbivore food...its scavenger food and he's no scavenger!
He just got angrier at the idea when the rooftop door opened.
He wondered who'll earn his ire today for bothering him, but its the carnivore maiden.
'Hi!' she chirped, smiling at him and holding out a paper-wrapped box. 'I thought you'd need this today for some reason...' she gave him the box which was...warm.
Its obvious what this is, as he tore the wrapping apart impatiently and its a paper-disposable box.
Inside was rice, a jumbo burger steak, and two poached eggs. On top was the sauce and chopsticks.
His eyes widened at the sight of carnivore food before him and looked at her incredulously.
'I felt like making one for you today for some reason.' said Mikumo as she took out her own bento. Its a herbivorous lunch for a carnivore. 'I always follow my instincts and granny told me my instincts are finely-tuned I should always listen to it and never ignore it no matter what anyone says.'
'Ah...'
But still, Hibari was glad for the free food. And its got loads of sauce!
'...oh, and can I visit your house after school?' Mikumo asked him. 'I feel like I need to do something there for some reason...'
'Like what?'
'Cook.'
'...'
OK?
His maid is out for a week at most, and she felt like cooking in his house?
OK, she's a carnivore indeed.
Carnivores have great instincts, otherwise, they won't be on top of the food chain.
He ate the bento she made for him and DAMN, the sauce is heavenly, rice fluffy and the steak juicy! And the poached eggs so sweet!
The carnivore smiles while eating her lunch for some reason.
Because unknown to him, she finds his blushing face cute as soon as he tasted her cooking.
xxx
After school...
Reborn finally saw the fight, as soon as he got the cameras rolling.
The fight in question?
Even he had his jaw dropping.
Holy mother of Mary!
What the hell happened to Iemitsu's kid when he went back to Italy?!
"OK, from my observations so far, she's one hell of a looker many Dons and powerful men would fight over her someday, very good in academics, FEARED BY HER WHOLE SCHOOL and now...this.
This fighting ability is something one he'd expect from himself, and Fon with Fon being better than him, the Varia's top brass and the brats in combat speed while Reborn focuses on what kills you faster due to his job and he wasn't for prolonging fights but he can do the same to an extent. But this on pre-teens?!
Boy wonder is clearly a Cloud who's got some signs of bonding with her. So its Cloud in the bag when usually, Skies get Clouds last. If they're lucky to even have a Cloud as Clouds have very finicky standards. They won't accept just anybody no matter the element. They're the world's most pickiest SOBs. Skull was just an exception.
The fight took an hour before they called it a day.
'Oh, I'll call home before we go shopping together, OK?' Mikumo informed Hibari. 'I hope you have money on you since you're paying.'
'Hn. Of course.' like hell he'll let a girl pay for him...he has his pride, thank you!
Thus, Reborn stalked them.
xxx
Hibari's house...
'Woooow...' Mikumo marveled as its very...traditional. 'I feel like in a history book! Do you wear a kimono at home too? You'd look dashing in a kinagashi with a haori over, waka-sama!' she exclaimed with a giddy squeal.
Hibari twitched as he could somehow imagining how she imagines him right now.
'So where's the kitchen?'
Hibari led her to the kitchen without a word.
She never asked about his family. She was too awestruck by his house.
'...you like houses like this?' he asked her as they finally got to the kitchen.
'Its like granny's house in the rurals outside Tokyo. But she doesn't have a garden...to be fair, its a buddhist temple and a dojo she always gets challengers or people wanting to be her student...she doesn't have a beautiful garden like yours as its all bare ground.' Mikumo pouted. 'And getting to her house is kinda tiring too...you need to climb one hell of a stairway...I counted 300 steps.'
'Hooo...she a fighter?'
'A retired one looking for an heir, but she can beat the two of us blindfolded.' Mikumo chuckled while she started washing the rice. 'I was her student for five years. But granny has very high standards.'
'Standards?'
'Yup. She would never take in an heir with an evil heart who'll misuse her art. Because her art is dangerous in the wrong hands she feared for people if some no-good lowlife became her student, so she's very picky. I was almost ideal, but I lacked the one thing her art needed most even if I spend my whole life trying to have it because I just can't have it. To have it...you need to survive a near-death situation to have it and even then, chances are very low in having a certain trait. The most she did for me was my fighting skills and my body. I am who I am today thanks to granny.'
Hibari paused.
'Wait a minute...old granny...martial artist...Genkai?'
Mikumo lit up, meaning, he hit the jackpot.
'Oh! You've heard of her?'
Hibari gave her a blank stare.
'What fighter wouldn't?'
She looked sheepish.
'Ahahaha...only a certain kind of bunch in society knows of her. Its not like all of Japan knows her, y'know? I'd say 1% of Japan is aware of her.' she said. 'I visit her every seasonal break so come summer I'll come there again. Wanna come? Granny would like to see a case like you.'
'Me?'
'Yup. I've never heard of a fighter like you. Your mental processes evolve so fast it enabled you to catch up to my level in fighting. Just that, your body can't catch up to your mind.' Mikumo told him. 'You only do so when you force yourself and you end up with nasty muscle pains afterward. Probably after some homework, she'll whack you with a rolled-up newspaper for being so reckless~'
xxx
Reborn got a name.
Genkai.
Mikumo trained under her in fighting for five years.
Only select few know of her.
For now, he'll stick around and understand this girl more. Seeing Genkai can wait.