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Chapter 76: Rampage
Bell's trauma had resurfaced, making him see things he never should have seen, but after some time passed, he finally managed to regain his composure.
"Chomp, chomp! Munch, munch! Gulp, gulp!"
"..."
Currently, Bell and Tsuna were at the Hostess of Fertility. Bell was wolfing down massive amounts of food and drinks one after another, leaving a veritable mountain of empty plates stacked on their table.
He normally wasn't this much of a heavy eater, so Tsuna completely forgot about his own meal, watching Bell's voracious display in sheer dumbfoundment.
"Excuse me! Another steak, please!"
"Just how much are you gonna eat, white-hair, nya!?"
Anya couldn't help but interject as Bell casually ordered yet another steak. His appetite was truly a sight to behold.
"A-Are you okay, Bell...?"
Syr watched him with a worried expression. His appetite was so blatantly abnormal that she feared he might actually make himself sick.
"I was training outside the city to prepare for the War Game. We were camping the entire time, so I didn't get to eat any proper food, and I just..."
Because the training had been so incredibly grueling, Bell's body was utterly exhausted—even with Tsuna's healing—and he had been struck by an intense, ravenous hunger. Coupled with the fact that they were roughing it, they hadn't been able to secure satisfactory prey or rations. Let alone seasonings, they didn't even have a proper place to cook, meaning he hadn't eaten a decent meal in days.
"Even so, you're eating way too much!"
"Thanks to you, we're working our tails off over here, nya!"
"We don't have time to stand around chatting. Move your hands, not your mouths."
Lunoire and Chloe complained as they carried massive stacks of plates, while Ryuu cleared the tables in silence.
Fortunately, it was lunchtime. The fact that the pub was less crowded than it would be during the evening dinner rush was their only saving grace.
"You guys open?"
"Ah, welcome i— Nya!?"
Reborn, who had gone to Hestia's part-time job to report their return, finally arrived. Anya went to greet him out of habit, but let out a yelp of surprise the moment she saw him.
"T-The baby is standing on two legs and talking, nya!?"
That kid... from that time...
Anya was entirely taken aback by the bizarre sight of a baby speaking so fluently. Syr, on the other hand, seemed to recognize him for some reason. Ryuu and the others also noticed Reborn's presence and couldn't hide their astonishment.
"Bring me some booze first."
"What are you trying to drink, Reborn!? You're a baby!"
As Anya and the others stood frozen in shock, Reborn casually ordered alcohol as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Tsuna immediately yelled at him for trying to drink when he was not only underage, but a literal infant.
"Hey. This ain't a place for a little brat like you."
Suddenly, a large, thuggish-looking adventurer approached Reborn from the side. The man's face was flushed red; he was clearly drunk.
"I'll go wherever I damn well please. I don't take orders from you."
"Don't you talk back to me!! Who the hell do you think I am!?"
"Like I care. I don't waste my time with weaklings. Get lost."
"What was that!? Don't get cocky, you little shit!!"
The man raised his fist and lunged at Reborn. Ryuu and the others moved instantly to stop him.
"Gah!?"
"""""What!?"""""
But Reborn was faster. His foot shot up, kicking the man squarely in the jaw. The adventurer flew backward, his body slamming hard against a wooden pillar.
None of the waitresses had expected a baby to send a grown man flying. Anya, Chloe, Lunoire, Ryuu, and Syr stared in wide-eyed disbelief.
"You little...!"
The moment the man tried to counterattack, a gunshot echoed through the pub. Something zipped inches over the man's head at a terrifying speed. Reflexively, the man reached up to touch his scalp, only to find a patch of his hair missing. He looked back and saw a bullet embedded deeply in the pillar behind him.
In an instant, he sobered up. The color completely drained from his face.
"You started this fight. You won't complain if I kill you, right?"
"H-Hiiiiiiiiiiieee!!"
Reborn pointed his gun directly at the man, his voice dropping to a low, menacing rumble. Realizing his drunken bravado had just picked a fight with a genuine monster, the man let out a pathetic shriek, foamed at the mouth, and passed out.
"Good grief. Don't act tough when you're weak."
Reborn blew the rising smoke away from the barrel and calmly tucked the gun back into his suit.
"Reborn!! What are you doing!?"
"He's right!! You could have killed him!!"
"He started it. It's his fault."
Tsuna and Bell immediately reprimanded him, but Reborn didn't look the least bit remorseful for the chaos he'd just caused.
Those movements...
To accurately strike the jaw, one of the human body's vital points...
Just who is this baby...?
Watching the scene unfold, Ryuu, Lunoire, and Chloe instantly realized that Reborn was no ordinary infant.
And then—
"What the hell do you think you're doing, you little shit!?"
"Hieee!!"
Mia appeared right behind Reborn, absolutely furious. She brought her massive fist down toward him. Her iron hammer of a blow struck the floorboards, cracking the solid wood into a V-shape.
It was the first time Tsuna had ever seen Mia's terrifying wrath, and he shrieked in fear. Bell and the others, who were well aware of how scary she could be, were rendered speechless.
"...!?"
Mia, still fuming, suddenly blinked in surprise when she realized Reborn was no longer beneath her fist.
"You. You're no ordinary woman."
"!?"
Reborn's voice came from behind her. Mia quickly turned around to find Reborn standing on the table where Tsuna and Bell had been sitting, looking down at her with an amused grin.
Tsuna and the others were equally shocked, wondering when he had managed to slip away and climb onto the table.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I could ask you the same thing. Who are you?"
"I'm Reborn. The world's strongest hitman. Believe me?"
"A hitman, huh..."
"And what about you? Who are you?"
"I'm Mia. The owner of this pub."
"I see. My bad for making a ruckus. But that guy started it. Besides, protecting defenseless women is just what a gentleman does."
You've got some nerve saying that when you knew exactly what you were doing.
Mia understood perfectly. Reborn had sensed that Ryuu and the others were more than capable of handling the drunk, yet he had deliberately chosen to step in and kick the adventurer himself.
"I'll let it slide as self-defense this time. Seems it's true he picked the fight, anyway. But remember this: in this pub, my word is law. If you break my laws, I won't show you any mercy."
"Right. Seems like it'd be a pain if I made an enemy out of you."
Leaving him with that warning, Mia turned and walked back to the kitchen.
A pain, you say...? Don't make me laugh. That's my line.
From that brief exchange, Mia had sensed it. Reborn spoke casually, but she knew that even if the heavens and earth flipped upside down, she would never be able to beat him.
This is the first time I've ever seen Mama Mia back down, nya...
Just who in the world is this kid...!?
If it were the usual Mia, no matter if the other party swung first, she had never once forgiven someone for causing such a violent scene. Anya and Syr couldn't hide their absolute shock.
"That was entertaining."
"How is that entertaining!? That almost turned into a disaster!"
While everyone else was still shivering from Mia's terrifying aura, Reborn alone wore a delighted grin. Tsuna, having just experienced Mia's wrath firsthand, trembled as he yelled at his carefree tutor.
"Still, your owner is pretty damn strong, and quite the eccentric to boot. Considering she hired people like you."
"""!?""""
Ryuu, Lunoire, and Chloe flinched at Reborn's pointed words.
"Relax, I ain't planning on blabbing to anyone. I'm basically from the same side of the tracks as you."
From the moment Reborn laid eyes on the three of them, he had sensed that they were inhabitants of the underworld, just like him.
"Well, you're the one who's hardest to read."
"Eh?"
The one who caught Reborn's interest the most, however, was Syr. Having no idea why he was singling her out, Syr pointed a finger at herself and tilted her head in confusion.
"Who are you?"
"Reborn, Syr is just a normal Human. You're overthinking it."
"You think so? From where I'm standing, she's a hell of a lot scarier than that Mia woman."
"Eh!?"
Reborn, who hadn't been afraid of Mia in the slightest—and had even laughed at her—was making absolutely no effort to hide his vigilance toward Syr. Bell was stunned to see Reborn so completely on guard.
"Girls are scary, you know. Especially maidens in love."
"...You can say that again."
Even under Reborn's intense scrutiny, Syr never lost her smile. She gave him a playful wink. Hearing her response, Reborn smirked and finally dropped his guard.
This girl... she really isn't normal. Just who the hell is she?
This kid... he really isn't normal. Just who the hell is he?
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