A/N:
**Currently editing chapters 2–8**
So... I decided to rewrite this because I wasn't satisfied with how some key scenes played out back in the early days of this fic. Hopefully I can convey them properly after this heavy editing.
To the new readers, thank you for giving this little story of mine a chance. For the old readers if you're still here, I'm sorry for changing things but I'm very thankful if you managed to stick around despite the slow updates too ha ha—
Mainly slow burn 18OC. Reviews, follows and favorites are very much appreciated. :)
Disclaimers: I own my OCs only, these wonderful husband and wife materials belong to Akira Amano.
Warnings: Cursings and may contain mature themes at some point.
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"In another moment, down went Alice, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that she had not a moment to think about stopping before she found herself falling down what seemed to be a very deep abyss." —
Dark-brown eyes fluttered open as soon as the sound of an alarm goes off loudly in the room.
'Mmm... where am I?' was the first thing that came into mind when Erika saw the unfamiliar ceiling above her. 'Oh right, Namimori.'
Yawning, she wrapped herself in her blankets yet again, torn between getting up to start her first day at her new school and lying down for a few more minutes of sleep. But as tempting as it was to just laze all morning, skipping classes especially on the first day didn't sound like a good first impression.
A certain flashback played at the back of her mind as she threw the covers off the bed to begin her routine.
"Why are we talking about this now?" Erika's mother asked, her concerned tone was laced with annoyance.
Her parents were in the living room when she decided to open up the topic of going to Japan to pursue her studies; her mother almost spitting the coffee she was quietly enjoying from surprise while her dad was too focused on the television to even pay attention and just went along with everything she was saying.
"You were the ones who wanted me to go abroad back then, right? I was just thinking about the offer and right now it sounds like a great idea."
But her mother knew there was something else behind that reasoning of hers. "Are you sure this is not because of him? Because if it is, you're being dramatic. It's not the end of the world, you need to get over it!"
Her words struck her like lightning bolt, a sick and familiar emotion was starting to build up inside of her as she stood there rigidly. 'Why would she bring this up again...' Erika frowned, her eyes settling at the woman who went on a rambling in a matter of seconds.
After all these past months, her mother still assumed that her sudden change in behavior was the result of her boyfriend dumping her in front of people. Erika liked to believe that wasn't the case, and that was already ages ago ever since, but a tiny part of her deep inside begged to differ.
The woman released a sigh, massaging her temples to at least lessen her irritation towards her daughter and at the man who did nothing but glue his ass to the couch all day. Erika's father clicked his tongue at the sight of his wife's obvious anger. He did plan on sending their child to his home town once she reaches the right age, his partner agreeing to this decision a few years back so what was she going on about now? Women.
"Don't you think it would be nice to be independent for once?" Erika tried again, more politely this time. Indeed, it would be a nice change of scenery to get away from the scrutinizing looks of her former peers and disappointed glances her own parents would often send her way.
"Live there all by yourself?" A scoff. "You can't even take care of yourself right now, look at you."
"Why stop her now? If she wants to then let her go." the father finally spoke up, his wife turning to him in an instant.
"Do you really think she can survive there? Alone?"
Honestly, her mother was like a ticking time bomb with that temper of hers, and that goes the same for her father. "She's old enough to stand on her feet, I could when I was at her age..!"
"God, you two are so alike— you're both not thinking straight!"
An almost scream. Or was she screaming already? The daughter stuck in between wasn't sure when she tried to drone out their loud dispute.
"What?— Fine, Erika come here!" She visibly flinched not only at her name being called, but at the sound of silverware crashing in the kitchen as well. "Go make something to appease your damn mother—"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, I don't know why this is such a big deal for you?"
And so on and so forth. Erika couldn't help but hang her head in dejection, moreover when the two shot her accusing stares after their spat, it didn't help the fact that they somehow blame her for sparking an argument between them.
Thinking about it now, Erika found herself fully submerging in the bath tub due to the frustrating memory.
Her parents did come to an agreement in the end; they entrusted her the key to an apartment which they bought for traveling purposes located at her father's said home town, Namimori. The day eventually came where they said their awkward fare wells to each other and Erika had to fly away with a heavy luggage and an equally heavy heart.
"Their uniform's cute." Erika scanned the features of the newly ironed clothes sitting in front of her after the hot bath.
Wearing long sleeves was similar to being cooked alive in a pot of boiling water back in their country— the scorching weather itself would make anyone want to run naked across the entire south pole, unless it was the cold season.
Once she was done slipping into her new uniform and combing her thick locks into a loose bun, she grabbed her bag and locked her apartment door. 'Sorry, you can help yourself with whatever at lunch.' The short girl gently rubbed circles around her growling stomach to prevent it from going on a rampage for missing breakfast.
"Good morning!" An elderly waved from the garden as soon as she stepped out of the complex, Erika stopping briefly to return the gesture. As she recalled, the old woman named Rei— who's probably in her late sixties— was the owner of the building.
"First day of school?"
"Yes."
The old lady gave her an encouraging pat on the back despite the one word answer. "Alright, you take care now. Be sure to ace those subjects!"
Her statement helped soothe her nerves, Erika nodding with a soft smile before saying her goodbye. Rei felt like a grandmother to her already, what with the way she acted towards her when she first moved in, it's as if the woman treated her like her own grandchild.
It didn't take long for her to reach the school, which was conveniently a good walking distance from where she lived. She stood outside the gates of Namimori middle, moving quietly to the side as she turned to observe several students. Some were chilling near the entrance while the others waited for their friends at the gates, making her feel out of place because she looked like a lone stranger in comparison.
"Ugh, should I just go home..."
Sadly, Rei's motivational speech wasn't enough to calm her jittery bones now that she was here. Pursing her lips in hesitation, she adjusted her ribbon, suddenly finding it a bit tighter much to her dislike.
"Hey." Vice chairman Kusakabe Tetsuya eyed the fidgeting girl from head to toe as he marched towards her. He would be in big trouble if Hibari sees a student outside the school grounds at this hour, the thought of being smashed into a pulp for failing to establish discipline didn't sound appealing to him especially in the early morning.
"Classes will start soon, go to your room."
Facing the source of the stern order, Erika sighed in relief at the presence of the regent-haired boy. Based from his different uniform and an armband that clearly spelled 'discipline', it was obvious that a committee member has come to her rescue.
"U–um actually, I'm new here so I don't really know where my room is..."
Exact directions to the classroom, a kind teacher, or better yet a bubbly student representative was what she was looking forward to when the said officer told her to follow him, not an intimidating-looking guy with arms crossed as if he was about to reprimand her for not knowing her way around.
"Isn't it your responsibility to find your room?" The male narrowed his gaze at her after listening to his vice chairman's summary, Erika already shrinking under those sharp, grey eyes of his that held a vast amount of authority.
Great, for some unknown reason she managed to tick off the disciplinary committee on her first day, which wasn't originally in her plans mind you.
"I know, it's just I don't know where it is... exactly..?" she mumbled the last part to herself.
How hard was it to find her own classroom? Then again, giving her simple instructions in a courteous manner wasn't that hard either, right? Why did the dude with the questionable hairstyle even bring her here in the first place? Did she violate any rules?
In that moment, the freshman and the head chairman's thoughts clicked immediately, Kusakabe sweating a bit at the sudden shift of their attentions from each other now falling unto him.
... Alright. He had to admit that he made a mistake, but sometimes it was harder for him to focus when he only has a few hours of shut eye all because of that ridiculous hair he had to prepare every three in the morning. This was just one of those rare days.
"Class?" Hibari's cold gaze snapped back at Erika who answered in a meek voice,
"Oh— ah, it's 1-A..."
What's up with him? Was helping out a fellow student really that much of a bother?
"3rd floor, first room to your left." He turned to his second in command. "Vice chairman,"
"Y–yes..!"
Kusakabe vowed to never again repeat this slip up of disturbing their leader whilst he was enjoying his peaceful morning. Probably due to lack of sleep, he was just as an airhead as the girl who was silently trailing behind him.
By some miracle though, the head prefect didn't so much as showed him his annoyance in the form of a threat, or a beating if he was caught in a really bad mood. Wordlessly, he hoped that the earlier display would somehow pose as a warning for the new student and that she should never ever get in their way if she wanted to lead a happy life free from injuries.
Majority of the troublesome newbies made the wrong move of running into Hibari head first while acting all high and mighty without realizing what he can actually do aside from flaunting the disciplinary armband around. That surely earned them a warm Namimori middle hospitality hosted by none other than the chairman himself, and based from his experience, it was anything but popping confettis or welcoming smiles.
No, all Hibari Kyoya left in his wake were cries of regret, battered faces, and painful spikes to the victims' hospital bills.
"Everyone quiet down, we have a new student joining us today so behave yourselves!"
Erika could hear the teacher's shush even outside the classroom. She wasn't one to suddenly enter in the middle of the school year, so it was a first for her to stand awkwardly in front of the sliding door as she waited to be called in. Were formal introductions like these really necessary?
"A transfer student in the middle of the second term?"
"Ooooh, I hope he's cute like Gokudera-kun!"
"Please, please, be a girl this time—"
"Pft, shut up!"
Their continuous fussing reached her ears, which only added to her restless squirming. Erika refused eye contact with anyone, focusing on the well-polished floor instead once the teacher asked her to come in.
"... My name is Akihise Erika, it's nice to meet everyone."
Such bull— she was very much not pleased at the people's curious stares. With her light steps hurrying to get off the spotlight, she settled on the vacant seat reserved for her at the very back, their classes finally starting off without a hitch. For everyone else that is.
'Was my introduction okay? Too short? I... did ignore them— what if they found me rude?'
Due to old habit, Erika spent the entire period worrying about how her first impression went since she felt like coming off as a snob. Soon lunch break came, something her food deprived belly has been waiting for, but the absence of any familiar faces around wasn't as comforting that she gradually forgot about her hunger.
"Hello Akihise-san." A cute-looking girl filled her front view before the others could even. "I'm Sasagawa Kyoko, pleased to meet you! If you have any concerns, feel free to approach us, ne?"
Well that was fast.
"Oh hi, thanks," her short reply contrasted the popular idol's cheerful demeanor, the beaming girl being completely oblivious at the new student's lack of enthusiasm.
"You can come and have lunch with us too if you want."
The idea of being invited to eat together on her first day, let alone by a pretty girl like this one was something that hasn't crossed her mind. Kyoko probably saw how glued she was to the chair, another trait she inherited from her dear father.
"Um— with your friends?" 'Of course, you dummy.'
"Yup! They're right over there."
She was met by the sight of a scrawny spiky-haired kid, a scowling silver head, a tall guy with a contagious smile, and lastly another beautiful, albeit frowning, girl with dark hair similar to hers. The last one's expression was totally understandable, who wouldn't be irritated at the noisy bickering between the three boys?
'On second thought,' "Say Sasagawa-san, can you tell me where the bathroom is? I actually don't feel good."
The said girl's features turned into worry right away. "Bathroom? I can take you to the clinic if you like."
But Erika refused the kind offer, shaking her head with a bright smile. "Mhm— no it's fine really. I can go there by myself, thank you."
And just like that, without even waiting for Kyoko's response, the new girl politely excused herself and hurriedly exited the room. Wait— did she even know where the bathroom is?
"How did it go?" Hana asked when her best friend came back, but judging from her troubled look and the sudden disappearance of the transferee, she somewhat knew the answer.
"She said she doesn't feel well, I tried to take her to the clinic but..."
Placing a hand on Kyoko's shoulder to console her, she suggested, "Maybe it's anxiety? It's her first day after all."
"Don't you think she's a little quiet though?" Yamamoto wondered, "What do you say Tsuna?"
"Oi, I told you to stop pestering the juudaime with stupid questions!" The bomb expert was fuming yet again. Good thing, Tsuna quickly interfered to stop the two from getting into another heated yet nonsense discussion.
"I–It's alright, Gokudera-kun. Anyway... I think she's just being shy." Mentally though, Sawada Tsunayoshi prayed hard to the ever loving divinity that it wasn't another hitman tasked to make his life more chaotic than it already was. "There's still next time, Kyoko-chan. Let's just ask her again."
Except a sparkling smile was more befitting for someone like Sasagawa Kyoko, not an uneasy frown. He didn't want to let her down.
Kyoko's lips curved upwards at his attempt to cheer her up. "You're right, Tsuna-kun. I just hope she's okay."
The blush in his cheeks grew rapidly, Tsuna scratching his head in a bashful way as he lost himself at the girl's glory. Unfortunately, a murderous aura broke the pleasant atmosphere.
"What are you guys doing? You know crowding is against the policy." The spine tingling voice seemed to slap the young Vongola awake from his daydreaming, the realization hit him that they were already gathering in the hallway as they talked about the new student. Hibari glared at the group and Tsuna's only response was an abrupt screech before he frantically apologized,
"Sorry Hibari-san! W–we're going now!"
Thankfully, they managed to run away before the prefect could even take out his tonfas.
It was common knowledge that Hibari Kyoya's favorite place was the reception room, well basically anywhere as long as it was free from any loud herbivores. That included the rooftop as well. It was his territory and everyone in the school knew, so what was the clueless girl doing here? Ah yes, she was new, so he had to do what he had to do.
"You," he called out, but there was no movement made— not even the slightest.
The little intruder was just standing there, looking at the distance as if she was stuck in a trance. Patience wasn't a virtue of his, he didn't like to be ignored nor did he like calling for someone's attention twice. He walked towards her, tapping her on the shoulder as he neared.
"Shit!"
It was a notorious fact that people were terrified of his status and recognized their place below him, so Hibari always expected a proper greeting from a Namimori student, not a curse to his face.
"Your outburst of profanity is against the school rules," he stated, hostility evident.
"Oh it's you— look I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that! It's just that you really surprised me there, haha..."
Unluckily for her the prefect believed that it was a form of disrespect, and Hibari Kyoya first and foremost did not like to be disrespected. A tonfa shortly appeared on his hand— that's right, for a pathetic-looking herbivore like this one, there was no need for both hands.
'What the—' At instinct, Erika raised her hands defensively. "Woah, what are you gonna do with that? I thought weapons are strictly prohibited in the school? Are you even allowed to bring one here?"
She wasn't dumb. At least the moment she laid her eyes on the boy, she knew right off the bat that he was a force not to be messed with. There was this dangerous air around him, something malevolent, like a silent yet brooding storm waiting for the perfect time to unleash its rage. Erika never did like storms, and getting caught in one was definitely not on her to do list.
Backing away as soon as she noticed their close proximity, she tried again with a nervous chuckle, "C–come on, ever heard of freedom of speech? Freedom of right? No? Freedom of—"
"You talk too much."
Stalling was something she was particularly not good at, but there were times she could pass it off thanks to that blabbering mouth of hers. The last thing she wanted was to get into a fight on her first day, not that she's been in one before. Is he seriously going to hit her over something so trivial?
With that steady glower of his, there's no doubt that the answer was yes.
'Screw this.' This was abuse! Abuse against women, for stepping outside the boundaries of his authority, abuse against women— how in the world did he become a member of this committee anyway? The disciplinary committee nonetheless? Ironic.
Besides, it was just a tiny, little curse. Her cussing wasn't limited to her friends alone, even her family grew to accept that it became her expression of some sort, and it's not as if she did it on purpose. Maybe... sometimes. Still, in the entirety of her life, nobody pulled weapons out of thin air for being offended at her coarse language.
"Fine, hit me."
Out of hundreds of thoughts running loose in her mind, those three just had to come out of her mouth like that. For a moment there Hibari saw something serious glint in her eyes, before it was replaced with disbelief, the girl gasping at her own words as she covered her mouth.
'Oh crud—'
He smirked at her reaction. "Oho, you're willing to be my prey for the day?"
'Prey— what? Who talks like that?' Erika returned his question with a small sigh and a careless drop of her guard down. "... Okay... Are you gonna hit me or what? You talk too much."
Maybe it wasn't a good idea to push him over the edge but she couldn't help it. The guy reminded her of those cliche subpar villains and their incessant chattering like damn, are they going to beat the hell out of the hero or what?
The irritated male scowled at her, did this timid-looking herbivore just throw back at him his words awhile ago? One could easily tell how weak her body is, leaving him mildly surprised because instead of running away, or plead for her life, she chose to taunt the number one person in Namimori that shouldn't be taunted ever unless they have a death wish. She was either too brave or too stupid, though he was leaning to the latter conclusion.
Apparently, the plain sight of his armband wasn't enough to put some of the freshmen in their rightful place without resorting to some kind of pummeling. To his dismay, it's as if the benevolent being up and above favored her side today. The chime of the school bell interrupted them just when he was about to swing at her.
"Whoops saved by the bell, bye!"
Taking the chance, Erika dashed past through him and headed straight for the door once there was a tiny opening. Her agility was akin to a rabbit that Hibari missed the opportunity to strike her, even just a little. He gripped his tonfa tightly, infuriated at the fact that his prey just got away.
Between the violent prefect and a group of students currently hogging up her personal space, Erika was beginning to consider the idea that maybe dealing with the former one wouldn't be so bad.
"Thanks, Sasagawa-san. I'm fine now."
"I'm glad, we were worried about you."
Her immediate reasoning earlier helped her get away from Kyoko's little yet rowdy circle of friends but not this time, what were the odds that the teacher for the next subject would be absent? She groaned inwardly.
"By the way Akihise-san, this is Kurokawa Hana." Kyoko gestured at the black haired girl beside her and Erika bowed a little bit.
"Um, hello Kurokawa-san..."
"Kurokawa's fine. Are you sure you're okay now though?" She peered at her to look for any signs of symptoms, Erika inching away a bit with a weak yet queasy smile.
"I am, thank you for the concern."
Heading to the bathroom because she felt kind of sick? Really? She could've done something better than that lame excuse, it sounded wrong too. Hopefully they didn't get any funny ideas—
"Haha, maybe you're pregnant?" the tallest among the boys, the one who wore a goofy smile on his face, offered.
He could've went with the assumption that she was constipated, or that she was about to shit herself from nervousness— actually never mind the second one, that sounded a lot worse. Was he trying to be funny?
"Yeah, and maybe you're the father."
"..."
"..."
"..."
'Shit shit—' The silence afterwards was so heavy that Erika could hear crows repeatedly cawing at the background. Her bad habit of spitting unnecessary comebacks was sometimes beyond her control that she just wants to slap in an imaginary filter on the mouth. It seems like the guy didn't take any offense against it though because instead of giving her the dirty eye she had expected, he laughed in a carefree manner.
"Hey I'm kidding! My name's Yamamoto Takeshi—" He motioned at the remaining unnamed people. "And this here's Tsuna and Gokudera."
Tsuna was an adorable thing, Erika secretly told herself as she studied them, but the silver-haired boy? Not so much. His bold glare aimed towards her was already proof that he didn't like her, but there was no denying that he was just as good-looking. The same could be said for the other two, except the constantly smiling Yamamoto was kind of a dummy. That didn't matter though, girls' tastes these days ranged from sweet and giant dorks to hot-headed bad boys after all.
Another groan. Why was she suddenly surrounded by an attractive lot?
She could already tell that Sasagawa Kyoko was some kind of icon in their classroom, taking note of the boys' and girls' stares alike that held pure admiration directed at the blonde. Well she couldn't really blame them, she was certainly charming.
Her first day quickly passed by with her ignoring their teacher's monotone voice most of the time in between the lectures, and soon she found herself making her way straight home once classes were finished. The nostalgic memory of walking along the neighborhood with a bunch of friends hit her unexpectedly that Erika didn't realize she already reached the gates.
"Oh, Erika-chan! I thought you'd be a little late, welcome back," Rei greeted while continuously watering the plants outside.
"Um yes, I—"
"So, how did your first day go? Are they kind to you? Did you meet a lot of good people? I'm sorry, I almost forgot— I can't wait for you to meet my grandson!"
'Terrible. Kinda. Not really. Wait what?'
"Tora! Come and meet our lovely guest!"
The old woman acted like a teenager far more than her actual age, the said lady giggling from excitement as she threw in a lot of questions at her. Erika didn't really mind, it was rather nice to have someone who would check up on her every now and then.
"W–wait, I'm stuck on something!" They both heard a short cry and saw some struggling from the nearby bushes, a head surprisingly popping out from below a few seconds later. A boy, a handsome one at that, emerged in his completely disheveled clothes before he tossed a pair of gardening scissors aside. "Yo!"
"This is Tora, my grandson. He helped in bringing in some of your stuff the other day."
Erika finally shook the hand he held out and flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you for that." Despite looming over her with that towering height of his, it felt like she was in the presence of a kid due to his aura. "You... have some leaves on your hair."
Tora softly touched the part where she had pointed before he broke into an embarrassed chuckle. "Thanks, I guess this is all part of the job."
He somehow resembled the other taller guy from her class, it was like they were two peas in a pod especially with that similar huge grin of his.
"Uh huh..." Realizing that she was all out of topic after that remark of his, she averted her eyes and abruptly said, "Anyways thanks again for uh— everything, Tora-san. Nice to meet you."
The boy casually placed a hand on top of her head, an attempt to ease the awkwardness between them. "No prob, don't hesitate if you need anything alright? See you around, I hope you enjoy your stay here, Akihise."
"... Yeah, I hope I do."
Ever since Reborn came into the picture, Sawada Tsunayoshi has never been more wary of the new people he encounters every day. It's as if one day fate decided it would be a great idea to fuck up a poor kid's life by sending in a baby hitman from Italy but discovered that one wasn't enough, so why not bring in a dozen more mafioso's to ensue bigger chaos?
It was also the reason why Tsuna has been squeamish at the thought of another transfer student joining them. The last one they had almost blew him off to bits because the said culprit wanted to test his abilities as the next successor to the Vongola family.
"Tenth! Good morning!"
From shouting at him for how greatly unqualified he was to following him around like a lost puppy, Gokudera's sudden change of treatment could be compared to Bianchi's shifting mood when it involved her ex-boyfriend or Reborn. Well, they are siblings.
Tsuna wasn't really complaining though. He preferred this Gokudera than the other version Yamamoto has to put up with on a daily basis. Ah yes— Yamamoto, the oblivious baseball star who thinks all of this was just one silly game.
"Morning, Tsuna!"
Everyday has been quite eventful for Tsuna ever since Reborn showed up, speaking of the devil—
"Ciaossu!"
He squinted at the infant dubiously. "What are you doing here?"
"Just passing by to see if that cow managed to get his task done." Tsuna's eyes widened when he saw his tutor's playful look. It was pretty obvious who he was referring to.
"L–Lambo's here?!"
"Sawada-san," Erika cut his screams as she approached, before handing him a sheet of paper. "Umm, your test results from yesterday. I think they gave it to me by accident." She pointed out when all he did was stare at it, Erika taking a brief glance at the paper full of red marks.
'3/20'
Tsuna, suddenly feeling uncomfortable at her eyeing his failure, immediately snatched it from her hand and stuffed it inside his bag. How embarrassing would it be if the new student found out about the infamous no good Tsuna, right? But with the never-ending teasing in their classroom, it wouldn't be that hard for her to catch on— there was even the possibility that his classmates might have given her the paper on purpose, probably to make a good laugh out of him.
'Huh...' His seemingly defeated expression caught her attention. Was it... that bad? Sure she had the same experience before, but low grades were something she usually brushed off because her own family didn't bother enough to check on them. Maybe his parents were a pair of strict people? Should she say something to at least lift his spirits up? But what? Wouldn't she come across as nosy though?
"New classmate?" a tiny voice interrupted her train of thoughts, the source coming from the little kid standing on top of Tsuna's desk.
It took her a few seconds to process what was in front of her, Erika's face wrinkling in bafflement and all. 'What the hell is a baby doing here?' Is there a daycare center nearby she didn't know of? Because how else would she explain the appearance of a kid in a suit loitering around the school?
"... Yeah, and you are?" she managed to reply.
Erika wasn't fond of children, specifically those loud and whiny brats who think they could have anything in the world if they cried for it. Children were a pain in the ass but of course, she would never openly admit that. People might think that she wasn't capable of taking care of one, or worse, accuse her of child abuse.
There was that time where she almost smacked a ten year old for being a spoiled little shit after all.
"I'm Tsuna's home tutor and the greatest hitman, Reborn."
Doing a double take to make sure she heard him right, she repeated the last one, "... A hitman."
"The best in the world," Reborn declared with confidence.
At that moment, she deemed him as extremely odd yet intriguing. Indeed what a wild imagination he had for such a child of his age. But Erika decided to humor him— despite his questionable ambition— instead of crushing his hopes and dreams this early.
"Right. And I'm the Queen of England, Akihise Erika."
Tsuna could feel his heart jump out of his chest as he listened. Did she just mock Reborn? The world's most powerful hitman?! Then again, who would have guessed that a baby really is one of the strongest assassins ever, surely he didn't. And what did he get? A bullet to the head on their first meeting.
"Anyways, it's a pleasure mister hitman. See you guys later," Erika said before she walked away, off to somewhere to spend her lunch break in peace.
"How dare that woman insult Reborn-san?!"
"Haha, I told you she's gonna say something funny again!"
"Gokudera-kun calm down—"
"No, Tenth! I need to teach her a lesson!"
"Y–Yamamoto stop him!"
The trio quickly went back to their usual boisterous affairs, too preoccupied with each other to notice the curious gleam Reborn had in his eyes that followed the exiting girl— the friendly mask she had on unconsciously slipped away and was now replaced by an eerily blank one.