Chapter 12: The Class Placement
It has been a few days after the baseball game, Kouga gets ready to go to school for the results of their advancement to the second-year. When he reaches the school there are many students already there around the board, they look at the board to find their classes to be completely different, except for Kouga who is in the same class as Tsuna.
"Who would have thought…" Kouga says.
"N-No way…!" The black-haired teen turns to see Tsuna kneeling down in front of the crowd, then Kyoko kneeling down in hopes of comforting the depressed brunette.
Kouga sighs as he walks up to him. "Yo, Tsuna." He calls out to the brunette.
"K-Kouga-san…" He sobs.
"I know… A pain, isn't it?" He says. "Life isn't that planned out as one hopes."
"I-I don't want this…" Tsuna cries.
"You think that way too, Juudaime?" Gokudera asks. "There's no way Juudaime and I can be separated!" He takes out his dynamites. "I'll blow this nonsense away!"
"N-No!"
"Juudaime! Are you alright with this?!" He yells. "Are you going to accept this nonsense?!"
"It doesn't matter whether I agree to it or not," Tsuna tells him, "just don't blow anything up!"
"You're being rather boisterous…" They turn around to find that Hibari looks at them. Everyone immediately runs away in fear of their lives.
"H-Hibari-san!" Tsuna cries.
"Huh? Hibari, didn't you graduate?" Kouga asks.
"I can choose to be in any year I wish." He answers. "Nobody can retrain me with logic."
"That doesn't make any sense!" Both teens mentally scream.
"So allow me to," He takes out his tonfa. "begin acting like a member of the discipline committee."
"You wanna fight?!" Gokudera yells at the skylark when cherry blossoms blow passes them as the wind blows. Hibari then notices the pink flower petals.
"Who's responsible for planting sakura here?" He asks.
"It always has been here…" Tsuna tells him.
"Let's not." He says. "I just can't get in the mood for it here." He then walks away.
"Hibari-san…" Tsuna trails off. "Does he hate sakura since he got infected with the Sakura-Kura disease?"
"Say," Hibari stops and looks at the black-haired teen. "have you consider my offer, Kouga Lanceford Mitsurugi."
"Sorry, but I rather not involve myself with your committee." Kouga replies to him. "So I have to decline your offer."
"Is that so…" Hibari says and walks off.
"Eh? What does he mean?" The brunette asks.
"Hibari had invited me to become part of the discipline committee." Kouga tells them.
"Eh?! Kouga-san part of the discipline committee?!" Tsuna shrieks, picturing Kouga in the committee's uniform. "I can't imagine…"
"Anyway, the interloper's gone!" The silverette says excitedly. "So can I go ahead?"
"No!" Tsuna and Kouga yell.
"What are you all shouting about it?!" They turn around to find a teacher walking up to them with a stern look on his face.
"Ah! Sumimasen, sensei!" Tsuna apologizes.
"Grr…" Gokudera walks up to the teacher and grabs his shirt. "What is the meaning of this?!" he yells. "Why are Juudaime and I in separate classes?!"
"What do you mean?" He asks. "All the teachers had thought long and hard for selecting classes."
"Stop it, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna tells his friend.
"Let sensei go!" Kouga tells him.
"If you don't like these classes, we can give you one chance." A squeaky voice says.
"That voice…" Tsuna trails off.
"It has to be…" Kouga adds.
They turn around to find Reborn in a Russian outfit and dancing one of its many traditional dances. "I am the special class distributor," He introduces himself. "Vongolavsky!"
"Reborn!" Both teens mentally shout.
"Who the hell are you?!" Gokudera shouts. "Using a name that sounds almost like out Family's…!"
"You don't recognize him, Gokudera-kun?!" Tsuna mentally cries.
"Here is a blank class distribution form." Reborn tells them as he holds up a black cylinder tube. "If you can take it from me, you can fill it as you see fit."
"Huh?"
"Oi, what are you saying?" The teacher says to him. "That can't be allow-"
"Hold on." A hand taps his shoulder as he turns around.
"Principal."
"Vongolavsky-san was recommended by a certain person." The principal explains. "Let's leave it to him and see what comes of it."
"R-Recommended?" He asks. "By whom?"
"Someone I have the upmost respect for." He's never been wrong."
"So there." Reborn says. "Shall we?"
"Of… Course!" Gokudera shouts as he lunges at him in hopes of catching him, but the disguised hitman just jumps up and avoid the capture. "What?!" The hitman then jumps down onto Gokudera's head before he jumps up to the school building. "Don't run away! Stop!" The silverette just runs after him.
"Mou… This always happens to Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna sighs.
"Well, this is Gokudera we're talking about." Kouga tells him. "He is pretty serious on the right-hand man thing."
"Sounds like fun." Yamamoto says. "Let's go to, Tsuna, Kouga."
"Yamamoto?" Both teens call.
"It's better if we are all in the same class!" He adds.
"Yamamoto…" Tsuna thought.
"Then what are we waiting for!" Kouga yells as he runs after the silverrette. "We need to catch him!"
"Y-Yeah!" They shout as they run after the silverrette and into the gym. They immediately catch up to Reborn who is running while still dancing.
"How can he be so quick if he runs like that?" Tsuna questions through panting.
"Well, this is Reborn…" Kouga adds.
"Yamamoto, let's catch up." Gokudera tells the baseball ace.
"Yeah!" He agrees as they dash up towards the dancing Reborn. The hitman sees this and jumps up into the basketball net.
"Baka! You got caught on your own!" Gokudera mocks but is short-lived as the bottom section of the wall opens and many basketballs just come rolling and run over everyone except Kouga who jumps up towards the net.
"You're mine!" He cries as he reaches his hands to catch the hitman. Reborn, who is standing on the rim, then jumps away to the top floor. Kouga swings his body after him but soon given a kick in the face and crashes down onto the already toppled-over brunette. "Ah! Gomen!"
"Sugoi!" Yamamoto comments.
"You're still too naïve…" Reborn says as he runs off.
"Hahaha." The baseball ace laughs. "he got us good."
They run out and follow him to the science room.
"I think he ran in here." Tsuna says as they scan the place and finds the hitman's hat. They nod each other as they slowly walk up to him, not wanting to alert him. Gokudera then jumps on him.
"I got him!" He cries as he holds up what to be the health-education dummy.
"Ah!" Tsuna and Kouga shout.
"He got us again!" Yamamoto laughs.
"Damn it! Falling for a childish prank like that…" Gokudera trails off.
"You're still too naïve." The statue talks, scaring the daylights off the students as the silverrette throws it away. The head opens to reveal Reborn inside as he runs off. Everyone just stares with a poker face on and Yamamoto laughs as Gokudera swears under his breath and Kouga just sighs.
"It's like we're playing with that kid at Tsuna's house." The baseball ace says.
"I won't let that counselor get away with this!" Gokudera shouts as he runs after him, with the rest following to the hallway."
"Stop!"
Gyahahahaha!" Lambo suddenly appears from behind Kouga and Tsuna. "Matte! Matte!" He cries.
"Lambo?" Tsuna calls in surprise. " What are you doing here too?"
"If I get the hold of that," Lambo says. "I can be in the same class as you guys!"
"But you're not a middle schooler!" Kouga tells him.
"Lambo-san's not worried about that!" The cow kid says as he takes out pink grenades from his hair, but the trips and falls with the grenades activate and drop on the floor. An explosion then occurs on the entire floor, causing Tsuna and Kouga to be cover in soot.
"You stupid cow!" Gokudera grumbles.
The kid stands up as he tries to fight back his tears. "Gotta… stay… calm…" He chants but then the bomber picks him up.
"How can I be calm, you idiot?!" He yells at him and slams him in the ground before they start to run after the disguised hitman.
Meanwhile, Kyoko is still standing in front of the announcement board when an explosion catches her attention before she runs after the boys.
Back to Tsuna's group, they manage to corner Reborn at the rooftop.
"We finally have him cornered!" Gokudera says. "There is nowhere else to run!"
"All at once!" Yamamoto shout as the four teens lunge at the hitman.
"Ciao!" He calls out as he jumps up, resulting in a four-way head-butt accident. They all are clutching their heads and grumbles in pain.
"Damn that bastard…" Gokudera swears.
"Ah! He is getting away!" The baseball ace says out loud as Reborn runs all the way to the door.
"You still have a lot to learn…" He states and turns around, only to be captured by Kyoko who is by the door.
"I got you." She says as she picks him up.
"You win." Reborn admits defeat and gives the young Sasagawa the class slip before he jumps and runs off.
"Take that!" Gokudera shouts.
"Arigatou, Kyoko-chan!"
"It'd be nice if we were all together, right?" She says as she waves the cylinder in the air.
They quickly open it and file down their names. They then walk around, asking people if they want to write their names in the slip, which they did and that includes Kyoko's friend Hana. They later assemble in the class they picked: 2-A. Reborn then jumps on the table that the group has gathered, back to his regular suit.
"It seems like everyone was able to advance together." He comments.
"It's a pain!" The silverrette tells the hitman. "A weird counselor tried to separate me and Juudaime!"
"He still hasn't noticed?!" Tsuna and Kouga mentally yell.
"But, I'm glad that everyone is all together." Kyoko says cheerfully.
"These members really do have to be together." Yamamoto says.
"We don't need you…" Gokudera says to the baseball ace.
"But it seems better for all of us to be together…" Kouga speaks up.
"Tsuna, they wished to be with you." Reborn tells the brunette. Tsuna looks at his tutor before smiling and nods. "You need to meet their expectations as the Family's boss." He adds.
"Like I've been saying!" Tsuna yells at the hitman. "I'm not a boss!"
"Excuse me! Is this class 2-A?" A girls voice asks.
The group looks up at the doorway.
"Yeah, that's right." Tsuna answers who then realizes who he is speaking. "Ruki-chan!"
"What?!" Kouga shouts. Certainly, it's Ruki now wearing the Nami Middle uniform but what surprises them is that she should be in the First year class.
"Do you know her?" Hana asks.
"Yeah. Ruki-chan is Kouga-kun's little sister." Kyoko replies.
"Little sister?!"
There, Ruki explains how she is placed in the second year classroom after taking the placement test. As a result, her grades were too well for the first year middle school and so she is placed as a second year.
A few days later, Kouga is staying at his home in the dojo, training during the weekend while Ruki is out shopping with Kyoko, Haru, and Yuuri. Only him and Haruka are left at home. After swinging down a bamboo practice sword a hundred times, Kouga about to go to his next training program when he hears his grandma calling for him.
"Kou-chan! Your mother is on the phone for you!" She announces.
"Kaa-san?" He blinks in wondering why his mother is calling him.
Going to where his grandma is at, Haruka passes the phone to him.
(At this point will be speaking in English)
"Mom?" Kouga speaks through the phone.
"Kouga! It's been a while since I heard your voice!"
It's only half a year. So why did you call? Isn't it night over there?" Kouga asks as Haruka leaves the teen alone with a smile.
"That's right. Your father and I were thinking of visiting over at Japan soon to see you and Ruki."
"Huh? What are you saying? Don't you and Dad have your jobs to do?"
"Yep. Right now we're squeezing our schedules to have a lot of time to be with you two. And along with that, we might bring my dad with us."
"Gramps too?!"
"What kind of reaction is that? Are there any more reasons to see my two babies over at Japan?"
Kouga sweat drops hearing his mother's question.
"But really I was worried for you two being over there. I know that your father's, Souha's parents are taking care of you but…"
"Mom…" Kouga mutters and smiles. "Don't worry a thing. We're doing just fine. And get this, Ruki skipped a grade when I was moving up a grade in middle school."
"Really! Hahaha. As expected from Souha's daughter."
With that Kouga continues to talk to his mother and by the time they finish, Kouga hangs up the phone and Ruki comes back home.
(English ends here)
"Tadaima!" Ruki announces and walks down the hall to see her brother there. "Why are there, Onii-sama?" She asks.
"Aah. Kaa-san called to check up on us." Kouga replies.
"Mama did? What did she say?"
"Nothing important just that she, Tou-san, and Gramps are coming over soon."
"Eh…? E―H?! Mama and Papa and even Grandpa are coming over?!"
"Yeah. Right now, they're going to be busy for a while but as soon as they're done, both of them are coming here. Of course with Gramps."
"I see." Ruki says with a smile.
"Anyway, I'll tell Baa-chan about this before going back to the dojo. I was middle of my training menu."
"It's fine, Onii-sama. I'll tell Obaa-chan about this."
"All right. Then I'll be in the dojo." Kouga says and walks back to the room.
"Okay." She nods and goes to the kitchen where Haruka is cooking for dinner.
The days have gone by quickly, there are times that things just go out of hand. Like the time, Nana was supposed to have won a free cruise, which turns into a crazy hide-and-seek game when Reborn, Bianchi, Lambo, I-pin, and the rest of the gang boarded the boat illegally. Kouga and Ruki have boarded on the tickets from mail that their parents sent so they are fine.
It was later that the little hitman claimed to have tickets and that the boat is heading towards an amusement park called Mafia Land, an entertainment park that was built on the dirty-money poured in from the allied families to have legal fun. Kouga then heard from Reborn that Tsuna was dragged to the backstage of Mafia Land and had to be trained by another infant, an Arcobaleno like Reborn called Colonnello with a blue pacifier, in order for him to have fun.
Later, the enemy attacked the amusement park and everyone was evacuated to the castle stronghold, though Nana thought that it is an event. It was then, another Arcobaleno appeared, the one called Skull with the purple Pacifier, with his pet octopus. It was later that Reborn appeared and took control of the situation and defeated him.
There is another time that Tsuna need to learn how to swim and everyone came to teach him. Of course, Kouga came along and taught him how to swim properly, like how his mother had taught him as he said. The brunette immediately got the hang of it, with Gokudera yelling that he should be the one that teaches the brunette and Kouga retorted at his method won't work as Tsuna won't understand. But Reborn had to ruin it by introducing a shark/dolphin and it chased them around the pool until later Lambo blowing things up with his grenades.
They eventually went to the beach to work part-time to pay off the damage done to the water-slide, by working as lifeguards with Ryohei. The senior lifeguards there are lazy to really perform their duties and even tried to hit on the girls who came with them. This nearly turned into a fight when one of the elder lifeguards decides to deal with this with a swimming contest. They immediately accepted and the contest went on the way.
The rules are simple, swim to the small rock/island in the ocean and back, best two of three wins. Yamamoto starts first and immediately takes the lead but didn't swim back, with the senior lifeguard saying that he got a leg cramp and take a rest in that rock. Gokudera went next and he too never came back. The remaining senior gave him a deal that if he wins, he wins the whole thing. Kouga immediately got suspicious and warns Tsuna to be careful. The third round was on its way, but then a young girl was being swept away but the lifeguard refuses to help, leading to the brunette to went and save her.
He managed to reach her but he ended up unable to move. Kouga then immediately got there almost instantly and save him from drowning before dragging them back to the shore just as fast while knocking the lifeguard in the face, shocking the senior lifeguards and it was more shocking when Yamamoto and Gokudera got back with a bunch of beaten men before going to 'take care' of them.
They returned from the beach before Kouga was invited by Tsuna and his friends to go to the summer festival with them and Ruki was invited as well. Kouga came along to find Tsuna and his friends running a chocolate banana stand. Kouga decided to by some to help them out, but then they run into Hibari who demands Kouga to have their match. The black-haired teen tries to think of a way to convince the skylark not to have their match right now.
However, they notice a large group crowding there near the shrine. They turn out to be thieves in the festival and they decided to crash the party and beat them up. They then were allied with Yamamoto, Gokudera, and the Dying-Will Tsuna and defeated all the delinquents in the area. Hibari took the money from the leader and was about to take the profit box on the floor but Tsuna along with Kouga and two other students stopped him. Hibari then just walks away, saying that they owe him one and Kouga should be ready to settle their score once and for all. The day ended with the gang watching the fireworks.