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Chapter 25: Memories (Trauma)
After wrapping up the training session, Tsuna and Bell headed back toward the abandoned church they called home.
However.
"I'm soooo sorry, Bell, Tsuna! I can't believe I dragged you into this!"
Currently, Tsuna and Bell were standing in the kitchen of the Hostess of Fertility, buried up to their elbows in suds as they furiously scrubbed dirty plates. Syr stood beside them, pressing her hands together in a pleading apology.
"You didn't 'drag' us! You literally kidnapped us off the street!" Bell cried indignantly.
He's not wrong... Tsuna sighed internally. On their way back to the church, they had bumped into Syr, who promptly grabbed them by the collars and hauled them into the pub to do hard labor.
"I skipped work without permission while chores were piling up, so Mama Mia got mad and dumped a mountain of extra grunt work on me!" Syr explained, completely unashamed.
"How is any of that our problem!?"
Yeah, you get zero sympathy from me, Tsuna thought bitterly. If there had been a legitimate emergency, he would have gladly helped, but paying for Syr's blatant truancy was just incredibly unreasonable.
"Hey now. Stop yappin' and wash the dishes, nya. White-hair and Spiky-hair."
"You got sold out by Syr, nya. Give it up."
Two Catperson waitresses stood behind them, arms crossed, monitoring the boys as if they were dine-and-dashers working off their debt.
The girl with the short brown hair was Anya Fromel. The girl with the black hair was Chloe Rollo. Both were coworkers of Syr at the Hostess of Fertility, and both notoriously competed for the title of 'Biggest Troublemaker' among the staff—whether by making idiotic comments or actively trying to slack off.
Having ensured the boys were securely chained to the sink, Syr and the others returned to the front of the house to manage the dinner rush.
"Oh, right. I heard Ais reached Level 6," Bell mentioned over the sound of running water.
"Eh? Really?"
"Yeah. Happened a little while ago. Apparently, she defeated a Floor Boss... Oh, a Floor Boss is a massive, super-strong monster that rules over a specific floor. Anyway, she defeated it completely alone to rank up."
With nothing but time on their hands due to the sheer volume of dishes, Bell recounted the rumors he had picked up at the Guild earlier that day. Hearing about Ais's feat, Tsuna was reminded once again of just how incredible she was.
So Ais was already a Level 6 when we started training. And she ranked up by soloing a massive boss monster. She told me she was bad at fighting people, but still... my attacks completely overwhelmed her.
Tsuna genuinely respected Ais's strength, but from Bell's perspective, the true monster was standing right next to him.
Also, Tsuna said I wasn't drawing out the full potential of my magic... What did he mean? Is there a way to boost the firepower of Firebolt? Since Tsuna's teaching style prioritized learning through combat rather than direct instruction, Bell had been racking his brain for an answer. But so far, he was drawing a blank.
"Allow me to assist you."
A new voice chimed in from behind them. An elf woman with a light green bob cut and cool, sky-blue eyes stepped up to the sink.
Her name was Ryuu Lion, another waitress at the Hostess of Fertility. She was calm, meticulous, and profoundly serious. Having been saved by Syr from the brink of death in the past, Ryuu viewed her as an irreplaceable friend and a savior, silently vowing to protect her life at all costs.
"I apologize. It seems Syr has caused you undue trouble."
Ryuu picked up a sponge and seamlessly joined the dishwashing rhythm.
"N-No, it's fine... She always looks out for me with the lunches, so..." Bell stammered, awkwardly trying to wave off the apology.
"You must be a member of Mr. Cranel's Familia, correct?" Ryuu asked, turning her sharp gaze to Tsuna.
"Y-Yeah. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. I recently came to Orario and joined up with Bell in the Hestia Familia."
"I see. I am Ryuu Lion. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She kinda reminds me of Lal... As they exchanged introductions, Tsuna couldn't help but notice that Ryuu's stiff, hyper-serious demeanor felt strikingly similar to Lal Mirch, an operative of the Vongola's external advisory network, CEDEF.
"Is there something on my face?" Ryuu asked, noticing Tsuna staring at her.
"Oh, no... It's just that your vibe really reminded me of someone I know."
"I see."
"Who is it? What kind of person are they?" Bell asked, leaning in with curiosity.
"Well, she's..."
Tsuna opened his mouth to explain, but suddenly, the memories flooded back.
Oh god, the trauma...!?
The moment he thought of Lal, his brain forcefully dragged up the agonizing memories of his training in the future. As a former instructor for the Italian Navy's elite COMSUBIN unit, Lal's training regimen was borderline torture. The sheer brutality of it drained all the color from Tsuna's face.
"Whoa!? Tsuna, are you okay!? You look sick!?"
"I-I'm fine... I just remembered some heavy trauma..."
"I highly doubt that qualifies as being 'fine'," Ryuu noted dryly.
Seeing his face turn pale white, Bell panicked, but Tsuna weakly waved him off. Ryuu, however, remained highly skeptical of his claim that he was perfectly okay.
"It's just... her training was way too strict. If you whined, didn't understand something instantly, or failed to produce results, she would just beat the crap out of you... And if you passed out, she'd wake you up by slapping you back and forth across the face..."
"T-That's a literal demon..."
"That sounds less like training and more like a gross violation of human rights," Ryuu frowned.
Hearing a description that far exceeded their worst expectations, both Bell and Ryuu recoiled in horror.
"Well, compared to Reborn's training, it was actually pretty tame..." Tsuna muttered, his eyes gazing distantly into the void.
"Okay, stop!! That's enough!! Don't think about it anymore!!"
Reborn's training had been so impossibly sadistic and life-threatening that just remembering it was actively causing Tsuna's soul to leave his body. Seeing his friend spiraling into a PTSD-induced panic attack, Bell frantically shut the conversation down.
Is he truly going to be alright...?
Watching the immensely powerful boy hyperventilate over a few bad memories, Ryuu couldn't help but feel a deep sense of concern for his mental well-being.
.....
Omake
"You eat Syr's cooking without getting sick!?"
"Y-Yeah... I mean, the taste is definitely questionable, but it's not like it's inedible..."
"I-Impossible... Do you possess some sort of rare Development Ability that grants you resistance to her food!?"
"I don't really have any skills like that, but..."
"T-This defies all logic... Even I nearly crossed the River Styx after consuming her meals...!"
(Later, upon discovering this terrifying truth, the rest of the Hostess of Fertility staff reportedly shared Ryuu's exact reaction.)
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