khr ain't mine
Thanks for the review, guest-san ^o^ I've not even shown what I have up at my sleeve for Chrome yet, muhaha.
Hope you like the story and feel free to comment on it. Sorry for the delay, This was originally planned on being updated in the weekends but then I was like the chapter lacked pizzaz, so I touched on it.
Guess who's up next
Chapter 5
Know-It-All Werewolf
When Reborn exited the 'broken down' building, he was immediately greeted with an enthusiastic welcome by a silverette in punk clothes. The bad boy image did not fit the cheer he brought in.
"Reborn-san! I'll be taking over as your final guide for today. How's Namimori been so far?"
"You're... Gokudera Hayato, right? In Italy, there are no more rumors about you other than that you got yourself done in."
"That's just because after a mission to Japan, I never reported back. I've found my purpose here!"
"Hmm. So where are we heading to?"
"We're heading back home. It's pretty late for any tours, so if you still want to look around Namimori, it might be better to try tomorrow. You can explore around alone once that stupid skylark meets you."
Skylark? Oh... Hibari. The mayor sure seems to have lotta nicknames.
"By the way, what is the title of the Mayor?"
"It's the demon of Namimori."
"Well wow. I'm surprised he doesn't hold grudges."
"Why should he? It's the highest form of praise."
Oh right, this is Namimori.
"Besides it's pretty apt, seeing what he makes his DC committee do in broad daylight blatantly abusing the system."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh right... Reborn-san had been caught up in that baseball idiot and that pervert pineapple's scheme...
Well if you hadn't been lead around the nose to avoid the routes the committee would be crossing, you'd probably see the DC committee on their usual patrol.
People call them the Hyakki-Yakou, which would translate to the hundred demon parade. They're pretty noisy with the fanfare."
What on earth is this I-am-the-orthodox-dictator walking example?! A military parade every day?! That kind of show of power is over the top!
"That's why I said that he's abusing the system. Just because the town is crazy about the whole ghost image... he goes around making them wear elaborate costumes made by Miura which change according to her whims and makes them blatantly survey the townspeople."
"What's the point if people like Yamamoto and Mukuro just avoid the fixed route?"
"That's pointless since we've got drones swerving around modeled at spirit balls or ghost lanterns."
"Who even made those?!"
"My friend and I did!" the teen acted like a proud parent just waiting for the opportunity to brag about their kid.
"The most difficult part for creating the drone was the limited battery as well as designing the nano-drone to support the weight for the ghostly outer design. For that-"
"Wait why on earth did you make them for helping out Hibari?"
"It wasn't to help that b*stard. He found out that we created it so he said he wanted in or he'd start ordering the committee members to pelt and bring down any flying drone. Even though that idiot refused our previous suggestion of putting a surveillance camera as a bionic eye to those useless Hibirds he keeps on getting!
And now suddenly he wants in!"
Yeesh, mad scientist much?
"So what did the drone have?"
"It was modeled to have a surveillance camera, audio recording, GPS positioning, recognition capabilities, harmful action detection, and a miniature air-strike- small but deadly!"
Wait, what?! You gave the friendly neighborhood dictator what?!
"You're kidding. You gave that guy a remote control flying controllable rifles?"
"As if."
Whew.
"I gave that shoot signal to both that birdie and pineapple. It'll shoot only if both of them agree to shoo the target. An hour after Hibari figured out we got our hands in these drones, Mukuro contacted us and told us to give it to them instead. So we pulled a fast on both of them and made it so that both of them need to agree on shooting a target to actually work.
That's as likely as them agreeing to swear on eternal love at their wedding."
"What's the bullet made of anyway?"
"It's made from that quack's needles and my new explosives. Plus Aneki got wind of my metaphor and forc- I mean, volunteered to lace the bullet with one of her newest love."
Oh, so it was coated with poison.
"She said, now every time it would shoot, it would represent the proof of love, longing that the world should see."
So chances that the DC head and Midas would use it is right down in the negatives, huh.
"So if those two don't use it, it's useless isn't it."
"Oh, it's being used alright."
The silverette didn't clarify further.
They had reached back to the homely, yet, broken-down house of Sawada Tsunayoshi as the other opened the door and the two entered inside.
"You also live here?" the hitman asked the former-bomber.
"Yeah, I kinda made this house a type of flat or rent-house" Tsuna said sheepishly.
"Then who else lives here?"
"Lambo lives here, but pretty much hangs around the other's place. You've probably met many of them today. Others stay over sometime."
"So it's for sleepovers?"
"Kinda."
"Then what about other cases?" Reborn asked, thinking about the plausible case with people who fit his situation.
"They stay over when they're here."
"What about when they're not here? Where do they go?"
"What do you mean?"
"Huh? Do they have their own houses?"
"No."
"Then you don't mean they're out on the streets right?"
"Hibari-san wouldn't let that happen."
"Then where do they stay?"
Tsuna looked at him in absolute confusion, and Reborn felt like tearing his hair apart, unable to understand why the brunette couldn't join the dots and make the connections.
"Hey, Tsuna. If the people who 'stay over', don't stay at other people's place or have their own area or stay in the streets, where on earth do they go?"
He just wanted him to say they went back to their countries or stayed out of town. He wanted to hear the proof of visitors. But Tsuna looked at him in confusion, like he did not get what the other was trying to imply.
Then he remembered Gokudera's claim that the lanterns were in use and he turned grim. But to ask the one clearly in control of the drones for confirmation was the height of insanity. Fortunately, the silverette wasn't present for the conversation and right now, he hadn't integrated with the society.
Maybe, he should try getting the cooperation of the non-dangerous member of the circle he's being acquainted with. Especially with the brunette's behavior influencing the rest...
"Tsuna, you've mentioned about the fire right? Since I'm in contact with Iemitsu, I can let him and Nana-san know about you living here-"
"Tsuna-sama! I've brought the sushi the baseball idiot's pushed on and tested it for poison. It's safe for eating"
Gokudera's booming voice overlapped Reborn's proposal, diverting Tsuna's attention immediately.
"Hayato, I've told you that you don't have to test for poison every single time. Yamamoto-kun would never do that!"
"But you told me to show hospitality to the guests."
"The guests will freak out!"
"They've seemed to appreciate it so far..."
"Those guys are just weird!"
After the bantering, Tsuna looked at Reborn and said apologetically,
"Sorry, Reborn the setting up of your room will take a while, so you'll be bunking with me. Don't worry, I don't snore and kick up a fuss, so I don't think I'll be disturbing your sleep."
"I'll take you up on your offer."
Frankly speaking, bunking up with any of the other people he'd met would be far less favorable rather than the one person who did not explicitly or implicitly threaten him. He'd be fine either way since he could 'take care' of his problems, but then it would jeopardize his primary motive- information gathering. The people here seem to have potential as allies of Vongola and Timeteo might need all the help he can get for tackling the problematic Varia. In fact, the people here can form an external group on training that can put a damper on Varia's influence.
Not to mention, even though Iemitsu is an absolute idiot... Sawada Nana deserves to know what happened to her son... and so does he. One crazy shenanigan shouldn't have such dire consequences.
Tsuna got an unpleasant surprise the next morning.
"Gah! Do you sleep with your eyes open?! One moment I turn around, and I'm faced with your full blown eyes staring into my soul. It's like you're Satan incarnate."
"How rude. Do you have room to complain about sleeping habits? You literally sprawl over your bed. Your future non-existent girlfriends are at further risk because no one likes a bed-hogger."
"Ugh. That hit a weak point."
"You're full of openings, Dame-Tsuna."
"That way of calling is no fair!"
"If you have time for whining, straighten up. It's no good for a landlord to be so slovenly."
"Eep. I'll get my act together so don't aim that lizard at me. It takes after you with those eyes."
"After all, Leon's my partner."
"After the alligator, I've had my fill of lizards... Why can't anyone have normal pets for once?"
"You've got a complaint?"
"No Sir."
"I thought so. So, what's the agenda for today?"
"Gokudera's been saying about trouble at the Namimori Middle School, so I think you should probably go along with him for now. You'll meet new people."
Tsuna smiled and suggested, then he turned a bit serious, capturing the attention of Reborn immediately as his auburn eyes flashed gold as he said,
"I'm not sure what kind of issues you are facing looking that troubled... but if I had to make a guess, you're curious about the Kamikakushis here."
"What do you mean 'Kamikakushi'?"
"In this town, some people disappear and sometimes reappear and blend in with the crowd ...It's considered natural here, but it seems like it's not so for you."
"Aren't these people visitors?"
"No, they're definitely inhabitants.
The guys here, it's easy to have a wrong impression on them, but they're good people. I mean they gave me a chance, haha. It's just that they're worrywarts and all of us are pretty protective of each other. They can be a bit extreme in the ways they show it, but in the end, we're family.
So you can trust them, Reborn."
It was a different version of we he's heard from what the guides in the town said. Reborn tipped his hat and said slowly,
"...That's awfully naive of you, Tsuna."
"What can I say, I'm quite biased, ehehe." Tsuna laughed softly aiming a warm smile at the hitman.
Gokudera barged into the room seemingly in a hurry.
"That idiot's finally done it now. I knew he was up to no good but to think that marshmallow was cooperating! Tsuna-sama, I'll be heading to the middle school.
Reborn-san, will you be joining?"
"...sure."
Reborn gave a final glance at the brunette and tipped his hat slightly as he walked out of the house. He looked at the silverette who was on his bike which looked like one modeled according to an old-fashioned delinquent and frowned in distaste. The other seemed to agree with his opinion as he explained,
"This is apparently one of that white marimo's jokes. He sent my other bike to the mechanic garage because of one of the training regimes that Yakuza got themselves into."
"There is Yakuza in this town? With a strict disciplinary committee, I wouldn't expect there be one..."
"Oh, these guys are former Yakuza. That lawn-head got them head over heels conned into his ideals and became hell-bent on making him their Kashira. That idiot misunderstood and is thinking they're all part of the boxing club now.
He still doesn't get what he's actually become!"
Reborn had further questions, but they reached the school, so he kept them for later.
Gokudera moved infuriated in a fixed path, so he assumed the other knew who the culprit to whatever issue was currently going on. The other explained the situation as they moved into the building.
"There's an exam going on today and our idiot's planned on boldly cheating to pass it without effort."
He said as he slammed open a door in the 3rd floor of the school. Amidst the quietly scribbling students in the class, a distinct pumpkin head futilely ducked away from the line of sight to work on the question paper.
Reborn immediately figured out the situation as he looked blandly at the obvious schemer. But what he didn't expect was after the temporary suspension of the test and the clamor of confusion of students in the room followed by the ceremonious dragging of the humanoid pumpkin from the room, the teen was dethroned- I mean de-pumpkined to show a timid redhead who looked like he rather be anywhere but here.
"Shoichi! How did you get yourself roped into this situation?!" Gokudera exclaimed exasperatedly.
Ah, so that's what the other meant by bold. The teen had roped this Shoichi into blatantly substituting him in this test wearing nothing but the other's uniform and pumpkin head.
"It's not I couldn't look past his scheme! It's just that he suggested the idea in front of Byakuran! Then that guy said it was exciting and forced me into doing it all the while giving me that smiley face. If I didn't change myself, he looked like he'd make his subordinates strip me to get me into those clothes and finally personally drove his private heli and dropped me into the school.
That guy even painted his white heli like that of the DC! Honestly, there is no limits he wouldn't go to satisfy his stupid whims!"
Reborn perked up at the name and asked,
"You mean the Millefiore boss is here in this town?"
"Yeah, he came here for a vacation and to wreak havoc on the side."
There are visitors here! So why are the locals so confused on the topic of visiting? Is it just a cultural thing? In that case, why did Tsuna reference his description with that of Kamikakushi?
Gokudera continued the conversation.
"You do realize that if you write the paper, it'll be as if it's a research paper?"
"I told them that it'd be obvious that it's cheating. But Lambo just waived it off saying that if they suspect cheating for the onboard supervised re-examination, I just have to come back with the same disguise and do the exam in front of them..."
Uwaah, proving that you're not cheating by cheating right in front of the disciplinary board that is specially trained for this. That's a whole new level this kid is trying out for.
"I can't believe that cow-idiot. Just because these guys know that pumpkin=Lambo, he's been doing all sorts of things like putting a pumpkin at his seat, and that has never been found out until three months ago..."
No, I can't believe that it took so long to figure that out!
"That Hibari just hn-ed away all those reports until I finally pointed out that pumpkin is not = to Lambo to his face and that guy looked open-eyed at me, and then finally dragged that idiot back to class..."
Hibari, how on earth have you been seeing your citizens?!
"And now this?!"
Reborn just facepalmed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.