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Chapter 13: City Girl (Syr)
Having thoroughly defeated Ais, Tsuna had unwittingly painted a massive target on his own back.
After wrapping up their grueling early morning training session on the wall, Tsuna and Bell returned to the church to rest. Once they had recovered, it was time for their daily Dungeon dive, so the two of them set out into the city.
"You really are incredible, Tsuna."
"Eh?"
"I mean... you actually beat Ais-san..."
"Umm... is Ais really that big of a deal?"
Tsuna obviously knew firsthand that she was incredibly strong. But when Bell talked about her like she was an untouchable legend, Tsuna couldn't quite grasp the full scope of her reputation, having no real knowledge of Orario's hierarchy.
"Ais-san is a core executive of the Loki Familia, the largest and most powerful faction in Orario. She's a Level 5 adventurer famous across the entire city under the alias 'Sword Princess'."
"Eh!? She was that famous!?"
Tsuna gasped, genuinely shocked to learn he had just beaten up a local celebrity.
(While she was actually a Level 6 adventurer, that information hadn't been made public yet, so Bell wasn't technically wrong).
O-Oh crap, am I going to be okay!? Are they going to think I was picking a fight with their entire faction!?
Even if it was just training, completely humiliating a high-ranking executive of the city's strongest syndicate could easily be interpreted as an act of war, inviting massive retaliation.
Ais had explicitly told him to keep their training a secret because she would be in trouble if her Familia found out, so he knew she wouldn't leak the information herself. Even so, Tsuna swore to himself to be incredibly careful not to let slip what had happened.
"Compared to you, I'm completely useless..."
Instead of landing a single strike on Ais, Bell had spent the entire morning getting repeatedly concussed. Even knowing that Tsuna had a completely different background, witnessing that overwhelming display of power had inevitably planted a deep seed of inferiority in Bell's heart.
"Hmm... I think you're plenty strong, Bell. Even when we were fighting, I could tell you were adapting and growing during the clash."
"Y-You really think so...?"
"Yeah. Like I said before, your issue is entirely mental."
"..."
Tsuna gave his honest assessment, but it wasn't enough to completely wipe away Bell's lingering feelings of inadequacy.
"What kind of training did you do, Tsuna?"
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Well... I wanted to use it as a reference for my own training."
Seeing Tsuna wield enough power to casually dismantle the Sword Princess, Bell figured that if he followed Tsuna's training regimen, he might be able to reach those same heights.
"Honestly... I'd rather not tell you."
"Eh...!?"
"I only got this strong because I had to. My friends were in danger, and I needed to get incredibly strong in a very short amount of time. Because of that, my training methods were... completely insane."
Tsuna recalled the sheer hell he had endured. When the Vongola's elite assassination squad, the Varia, had challenged him for the rings, Reborn had forced him to climb a sheer cliff face without a safety rope, subjected him to lethal sparring matches, and forced him to master the Zero Point Breakthrough while constantly on the verge of death.
During the Future Arc, in order to combat Byakuran, he had been trapped in a sealed, oxygen-deprived spherical room and forced to endure the Vongola Trials—a horrific mental assault where he was forced to witness the bloody, unforgivable sins his Familia had committed throughout history. It was a trial that could easily kill a man or leave him permanently insane.
"I want you to get stronger using proper, normal methods, Bell. Honestly, even if you wanted to copy my training, you probably couldn't."
Tsuna's training regimen had essentially been a continuous series of near-death experiences. It was the only way to force explosive growth in a ridiculously short timeframe. He didn't want Bell to emulate that suicidal path; he wanted him to grow steadily and safely.
"Bell-san~."
Suddenly, a cheerful voice called out to Bell. The two of them turned to see a young woman with silver hair, wearing a white and green apron and a white headdress, standing outside a nearby tavern.
"Ah. Syr-san."
"Are you heading to the Dungeon today?"
"Yes. We're on our way there right now."
"I see. Umm... is this person a member of your party?"
"Y-Yes. He arrived in Orario recently and joined our Familia."
"Oh, really? I'm sorry for the late introduction. My name is Syr Flova."
"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Feel free to just call me Tsuna."
Tsuna and Syr exchanged polite introductions.
What is this? Just like Lili, I don't get a bad vibe from her, but something feels... off... And it's a completely different kind of 'off' than what I felt with Lili...
Tsuna's Hyper Intuition flared, picking up a distinct, unnatural anomaly surrounding Syr. But because it was so radically different from the illusionary disguise Lili wore, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
"Goddess...?"
The word slipped out of Tsuna's mouth completely unconsciously. He had absolutely no idea why he had said it.
"Tsuna. Syr-san isn't a Goddess, she's a human," Bell quickly corrected him.
"R-Right... Sorry about that... I don't know why I said something so weird..."
"Fufu. It's quite alright. Honestly, being mistaken for a Goddess is quite the compliment."
Tsuna quickly apologized for his bizarre outburst, but Syr didn't seem offended in the slightest. In fact, she looked rather pleased.
"But just because you flattered me doesn't mean I'll give you a discount, okay?"
"A discount?"
"Yes. I work here at this tavern, the Hostess of Fertility. I hope you'll come by and become a regular customer."
"Ah... sure..."
Caught off guard by her seamless transition into a sales pitch, Tsuna gave a vague, noncommittal nod.
"Ah, I almost forgot. I prepared a lunchbox for you today as well, Bell-san. Please wait right here."
As if suddenly remembering her original purpose, Syr quickly ducked back inside the tavern to retrieve the food.
"She seems like a really nice person, making you lunch and all."
"Y-Yeah... I guess..."
While Tsuna was genuinely impressed by her kindness, Bell's face had gone slightly pale.
"Thank you for waiting. Here you go."
"Thank you as always, Syr-san."
"It's my pleasure."
Syr returned and handed Bell a wrapped lunchbox. Despite his earlier pallor, Bell forced a bright smile and accepted the package.
"I included an extra pair of chopsticks for you, Tsuna-san. Please feel free to share it with him."
"Eh? I can have some too?"
"Of course. But in exchange, you have to promise to come eat at our tavern, alright?"
Ah, I see... She's basically giving away free food as a hook to guilt-trip us into spending money at her restaurant...
Tsuna quickly realized that the lunch wasn't an act of pure, selfless charity. It was a calculated business move. He couldn't help but be slightly impressed by her shrewdness.
With the lunchbox in hand, the two of them left the Hostess of Fertility and resumed their trek toward Babel and the Dungeon entrance.
I can't believe there's someone else who says things exactly like she does...
Watching Tsuna and Bell walk away, the image of a certain red-haired woman flashed through Syr's mind.
The lower world really is fascinating...
.....
Bonus
"Eh...!? Are you sure you're okay, Tsuna!?"
When it was time to eat, Tsuna and Bell sat down to share Syr's lunchbox. Watching Tsuna casually chew and swallow the food without immediately collapsing, Bell was absolutely horrified.
The truth was, Syr's cooking skills were catastrophically bad. It was a well-known fact among the tavern staff that anyone who ate her cooking was gambling with their life. Bell only managed to choke down her daily lunches through sheer willpower and a high pain tolerance.
"Yeah. I mean, the taste is definitely pretty awful... but compared to what my acquaintance makes, this is practically gourmet... At least this won't instantly melt my internal organs..."
"I-Is that so..."
Learning that there was actually someone out there whose cooking was significantly more lethal than Syr's, Bell was both terrified and deeply awed by Tsuna's ironclad stomach.
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