9 A Restless Night

Tsuna remained in a daze, not quite understanding what was happening, even after his mother, Nana, called him into the living room and asked him to take a seat.

Nana, full of joy, had rattled on excitedly, saying things like, “In short, Kurama will be a member of our family from now on, Tsuna! You need to get along well with him, okay? Oh, and tonight, let’s throw a celebration for Kurama! Tsuna, you can invite all your other friends too. Our home is getting livelier by the day!”

After saying all that, she’d cheerfully picked up a basket and gone out shopping, leaving Tsuna still muddle-headed and not quite awake from this confusion. Bewildered, he turned to look at Reborn.

“What exactly is going on here?”

What on earth had Reborn and this Kurama person told his mother? Why was it that, after just a nap, this person had suddenly become part of his family?

Tsuna looked utterly lost.

Kurama, seeing Tsuna’s dazed and adorable expression, suddenly let out a soft laugh. That startled Tsuna at once, and his adorable face flushed bright red with embarrassment. He wished he could hide himself in Reborn’s hat!

“S-sorry…” he mumbled quietly.

Kurama’s smile softened.

He gazed seriously into Tsuna’s eyes. “Why are you apologizing? Tsuna—may I call you that?” After Tsuna nodded hastily in agreement, Kurama’s smile grew even gentler and warmer.

“You haven’t done anything wrong, so there’s no need to apologize. Is it because I laughed just now? Sorry, sorry—it’s just that your reaction was too cute for me to resist…”

With that, Kurama’s eyes crinkled in amusement, and when Tsuna glanced at him in surprise, he offered an even brighter smile.

“So actually, I’m the one who should apologize, right? Tsuna, you’ve got our roles reversed!”

Tsuna seemed even more startled by this. After a moment, his face still red, he lowered his head once more.

“Kurama, you have such a kind personality. This is the first time anyone’s spoken to me this way.”

Reborn was reliable and cared for him, but he often showed it in a harsh and sadistic manner. Yamamoto and Gokudera could be considered his friends, but Yamamoto was so easygoing he rarely noticed the finer details, and Gokudera, rather than a friend, seemed more like a vassal devoted to his “boss,” making it even less likely for him to concern himself with Tsuna’s small thoughts and emotions. Dino, his senior, could sometimes be attentive, but he wasn’t in Japan often and couldn’t always confide in Tsuna. As for his mother, Nana…

Her clueless and airheaded nature surpassed even his own; even if she truly cared for him, she would never express it in the way Kurama did.

So, this was the first time Tsuna had met someone like Kurama, someone who comforted and encouraged him in this way. For a moment, he was at a loss for how to respond. In the end, he mustered his courage, called Kurama by name, and uttered that heartfelt compliment.

Kurama looked older than him—would calling him “Kurama” sound disrespectful and make him angry?

Nervous, Tsuna stole a glance at Kurama’s expression—only to be caught in the act!

Kurama was smiling at him, and when their eyes met, his smile instantly became even more radiant.

“Just call me Kurama,” he said, his tone unchanged. “Thank you for your kind words, Tsuna. I also think you’re very gentle and easy to get along with! It seems I’ll be very happy during my stay with you all.”

Flustered by the straightforward compliment, Tsuna’s face turned red again. But this time, he didn’t lower his head or avoid Kurama’s gaze.

“I-I think so too,” he said, and, curling his lips into a slightly shy but genuinely beautiful smile, added, “And you can call me Tsuna, Kurama.”

***

“By the way, what exactly did my mom mean earlier? And while I was asleep, what did you and Reborn talk about, Kurama? Why did things turn out like this…?”

Having exchanged names and forged the beginnings of a friendship, Tsuna seemed much more at ease and asked his questions directly.

But it wasn’t Kurama who answered. Instead, Reborn, who’d been silently watching his disciple and Kurama interact, spoke up.

“I told your mother that Kurama is a distant relative of mine from Italy. His family is gone, so he’s come to Japan to stay with me. Your mother sympathized with his situation and offered to let him move in.” The black-haired infant recited his elaborate lie with a calm expression, while Tsuna could only retort inwardly (“Only Mom would believe something like that…”). “Of course, that’s not his real background, but I don’t think you need to know the truth, Tsuna.”

“Why not?!” Tsuna was far more open with Reborn—he even dared to complain and question the Demon Tutor.

Reborn shot him a cool glance, looking almost too lazy to respond.

Tsuna could only sigh inwardly—

He really felt like he was being looked down on by Reborn again… Surely, he wasn’t imagining things.

Pouting in frustration, Tsuna fell silent.

Kurama, seeing Tsuna droop and nearly turn blue with gloom, couldn’t help but laugh softly. Reaching out, he pulled Tsuna closer and gently patted his head.

“Reborn actually means well,” he said, defending the hitman who clearly cared for his disciple but struggled to express it. “Telling you might make you dislike me, so…”

“Why would I dislike you?” Tsuna was baffled.

Could it be that Kurama had some secret identity too—was he also part of the mafia?!

From Tsuna’s expression, Reborn could guess his wild imaginings and snorted.

“Don’t be stupid, Tsuna. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Then what is it?” Tsuna grew more frustrated. No one would give him a straight answer.

Kurama found his indignant pout amusing.

“Let it go, Reborn—why not let me tell Tsuna the real reason?” he suggested gently.

Reborn glanced at him but said nothing.

Kurama took that as tacit approval, so he turned to Tsuna with a smile.

“In fact, the reason Reborn wanted to keep it from you is because…”

“I… am not human.”

“!!!!!”

—This time, Tsuna was utterly stunned.

***

Kurama watched as Tsuna sat there, so shocked it was as though he’d forgotten how to blink or breathe. For some reason, it made Kurama want to laugh.

Perhaps it was because Tsuna’s first reaction was not fear, but simply surprise?

In a good mood, the fox spirit raised his hand and beckoned Tsuna closer. “Do you want to hear more details?”

Kurama’s voice and motion finally snapped Tsuna out of his daze. He hesitated, glancing at Reborn. Seeing that his teacher showed no sign of objecting, Tsuna edged over to Kurama’s side.

“Kurama, you just said… you’re not human. What does that mean?” he asked, summoning his courage.

Kurama smiled at him for a moment, then suddenly held out his palm to Tsuna.

“Actually, it’s just like this.”

With those words, he summoned his demonic energy. The seed lying quietly in his palm sprouted and grew in an instant, blossoming into a vivid, dewy rose.

Kurama casually placed the rose in Tsuna’s hand and met his incredulous gaze with a gentle smile.

“Do you understand now, Tsuna? This is not a power humans possess.”

***

Dazed, Tsuna sat there listening to Kurama recount experiences that sounded to him like something out of a fantasy tale.

The Demon World, the Spirit World, demons, the King of Hell…

The sudden crossing of worlds, the bargain with a witch, the determination to find a way home…

So Kurama had been through such painful (or was it?) experiences.

It was hard to imagine that, after everything, the person before him could still wear such a gentle, serene smile.

“Kurama, you’re amazing!” Tsuna couldn’t help but whisper his heartfelt admiration.

Unexpectedly, his quiet words were met with an equally sincere compliment—“So are you, Tsuna.”

Tsuna looked up to find Kurama gazing at him warmly.

“I think you’re gentle and strong, Tsuna. You really are the most adorably brave boy I’ve ever met.”

“N-no, not at all!” Tsuna waved his hands frantically, insisting he wasn’t as great as Kurama said, but under the kind gaze, he finally quieted down, his face flushed.

Lowering his eyes, Tsuna’s lips curved into a faint smile—even he didn’t notice.

To be acknowledged by someone he admired—it felt wonderful.

And so, as they chatted, the budding friendship between Kurama and Tsuna grew, and the two were soon engrossed in lively conversation.

Kurama regaled the wide-eyed Tsuna with stories of his adventures in the Demon World, leaving the boy—who’d grown up in the “scientific” world—in constant awe and amazement.

Reborn, sitting to the side with his ears perked up, listened to Kurama’s tales with a super-calm expression, as if saying, “There’s nothing amazing about this, Tsuna, you’re just ignorant.” Yet, not wanting Tsuna to notice his own curiosity, he fixed his gaze further away.

And so…

He happened to lock eyes with a pair of narrow, joyous slits—eyes belonging to an odd little white creature.

Reborn silently studied the bizarre being before him.

Although Kurama had said this little fellow (as if Reborn had any right to call someone small…) possessed extraordinary power, there was no sign of it from the outside.

Reborn thought this very deeply.

But in the next instant, he learned firsthand what it meant to be blindsided by reality.

The white creature suddenly bounced up to him, its curved eyes smiling even wider.

“Wow—you look just like Lambo!”

Reborn had no idea who or what “Lambo” was, but his instincts told him that being compared to this “Lambo” by the little creature wasn’t a good thing.

Before he could react, though, a sharp scream rang out from the doorway.

“Aaaah! It—it talked!”

Everyone in the living room turned toward the sound and saw a black-ponytailed girl roll her eyes and faint on the spot.

Behind her stood Yamamoto, Gokudera, Kyoko, Nana, and Bianchi, all wearing expressions that were a mix of shock and something else.

Kurama could only scratch his nose with a wry smile—

Tonight… was not going to be peaceful.

The author’s note: Such is the fate of Mokona—bringing both success and disaster… Ahem, but really, it’s not Mokona’s fault! Who could bear to keep such a lively, adorable little creature silent forever? And once it starts talking… Well, these are the consequences, for now.

On the bright side, Kurama and Tsuna have established the beginnings of a friendship! Their bond will only deepen as they spend more time together! [Quietly holds face]

And today, here’s a little gathering of the male lead characters from Reborn—covering his face, the adult Demon King’s aura is seriously overwhelming! Poor Mukuro beside him is totally outshone! [Thumbs up]

Finally, a preview for the next chapter: Mokona’s Sensing. After a burst of chaos, how will Kurama deal with the current confusion, and will the others be so easily fooled? And once the commotion settles, when Kurama can finally breathe a sigh of relief, Mokona tells him…? Stay tuned for the next chapter—“The Fox Spirit Kurama: Mokona’s Sensing!”

PS: Another year, another round of college entrance exams is over! Congratulations to all the seniors for escaping the sea of hardship—by the way, this year’s essay topics were really something; kudos to the exam graders for their hard work…

PPS: To everyone who showed up yesterday to say they love me—a big kiss to you all! I love you all the most! =333=