Chapter 181: Whether it was pity or any other emotion, the brothers and sisters...
Of course, Sawada Tsunayoshi had no idea what his junior sister was thinking - if he knew, he would probably spill all the tea he had just drunk on the table, and all the documents that had not been put away would also be ruined.
He just looked at his junior sister gently, his clear brown eyes reflecting the hem of her skirt that was lifted up when she spun, like a deep purple iris blooming in the dark night.
The outfit she was wearing was clearly the one Reborn had given her; she'd posted a photo of it in the group chat. At the time, Sawada Tsunayoshi simply thought it was very... Reborn-esque, but also a bit too complicated, perhaps restricting and difficult to move around in, and perhaps not suitable for her.
But now it seems...
Although he had grown up having seen countless magnificent jewels, the young leader's eyes were still instinctively drawn to the sparkling beads and gems on her body. It was the first time he had seen his junior sister, who usually wore sober clothes and cared little about her appearance, so glamorously dressed. His first impression was a bit surprising, but then he felt...she was born to be adorned with sparkles, naturally meant to glitter.
"Brother, look! What do you think of my new look?" Noticing his attention, Chaomu stopped in front of his desk, lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands, and spun around proudly, showing off to him. "Isn't it very handsome and impressive? And the attributes are also very good—they can't even recognize me!"
Her spin brought up a breeze, and the velvet skirt rippled like waves. The pearls on the skirt reflected a warm and restrained brilliance under the soft light of the office, as if she was wearing a small piece of the starry sky on her body.
Sawada Tsunayoshi knew that what she meant by "unrecognizable" was the special properties of the clothes. Reborn's cosplay was just like that, which was against common sense. Although it looked like there was no change, other people couldn't recognize him, which made him always want to complain.
Perhaps it was his intuition that always allowed him to spot Reborn—and now he could spot his own junior sister, too, and felt she was no different from before. Her underlying qualities were always like this; even if she seemed unremarkable, she was actually incredibly special, mysterious, and captivating.
"Very handsome...suits you very well." He finally praised sincerely, "This outfit suits you very well, Kogure. Of course, your usual outfit also suits you. You look handsome no matter what you wear."
This compliment delighted Chaomu. After all, players should look good in anything they wear! If she were in raccoon form now, she'd probably be wagging her tail.
"You always manage to reveal your poor English proficiency at moments like these, stupid Tsuna." She was satisfied, while Reborn's reaction to his students was rather grudging. "However... after all these years in Italy, your ability to compliment women has improved. Although it's not much."
Realizing that his compliment was a bit poor, Sawada Tsunayoshi sighed helplessly, "I'm so sorry..."
The seemingly mature and gentle mafia social animal brother would occasionally reveal this helpless look like a lop-eared rabbit with drooping ears, which was non-aggressive and even a bit cowardly. Chaomu felt a sense of sympathy and pity every time he saw it.
"I think it's great that you're praising me like that—it's so sincere." She stood up decisively to support her senior. "It's Reborn-sensei, you're being too demanding. Senior is already excellent in every way! He's gentle, thoughtful, and... in short, he's practically perfect. There's nothing wrong with him except for not letting me rummage through the trash can."
Although the latter part of his speech about the trash can was completely revealing to everyone, Sawada Tsunayoshi was still very moved by his junior sister's defense: "Junior sister...!"
Junior sister is still the best, she knows how to protect senior brother...
Chaomu also looked at him affectionately: "Senior Brother——"
"Alright, let's stop your elementary school complimenting each other on our essays and get back to business," Reborn coldly interrupted the touching scene of the senior and junior holding hands and looking at each other with tears in their eyes. "You must have something important to say when you came back today."
That's the feeling - Chaomu always feels that Reborn knows everything.
She had wanted to show off her genius, but after being glanced at twice with a half-smile from Reborn, she pursed her lips, became serious, and honestly told her everything that had happened today, emphasizing how she had fought against the fate of seeing a ghost and heroically rescued Hagiwara-kun and his companions... Teacher R probably wouldn't praise her, but her senior brother would probably praise her, right?
"...Anyway, I finally came up with a brilliant idea. I stuffed them all into the trash can card pool. When the explosion happened, they would no longer exist in this world." At this point, the little raccoon couldn't help but lift his tail. "I think this should be the correct solution to cheating fate. What do you think, brother?"
Sawada Tsunayoshi was stunned when he heard this: "...Hmm..."
Although he had long known that his junior sister's abilities were quite special, that she could use a trash can as a medium to copy the abilities of others and enhance her own strength, and that she could also use her miraculous cooking skills to turn others into small animals...
...But reloading...backtracking? What kind of ridiculously powerful skill is this? An unlimited rocket launcher? And the final solution...
Even though he had learned to control his facial expressions after becoming the leader, at this moment, the young leader still couldn't hold back his expression. His eyes were full of complaints, and he glanced at Reborn: "Speak up, Reborn! What kind of outrageous freak is your junior sister?"
The young tutor whom he secretly glanced at seemed quite calm. He took a leisurely sip of his coffee cup, as if he had anticipated Chaomu's abilities.
Even though it seemed outrageous, Sawada Tsunayoshi didn't doubt that Asagure was lying. He simply took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, and briefly reorganized the information in his mind: "Anyway, what happened is... Kogure knew the bomb would explode and injure a small team of police officers. To save them, you conducted several... backtrackings."
"In retrospect, you realized that the bomb explosion was an unstoppable, predetermined 'fate,' and that you weren't the only one who observed this pattern... Finally, after several attempts, you successfully circumvented fate through a special method and saved the innocent police officers."
"That's about it." Chaomu clapped his hands for his senior brother. "Senior brother, you have a very strong ability to understand."
This light compliment did not make Sawada Tsunayoshi feel any joy. His heart swelled up into a ball with a sour feeling. Looking at her heartless expression, he opened his mouth but said nothing.
Repeated several times... fighting against an irreversible fate. She was still so young, yet she had to bear such great pressure...
How many times did she come back? Each time, she watched blood and flesh fly everywhere, watched the wheel of fate mercilessly crush the mantis's limbs under the car...
He himself had faced heavy burdens since his youth, and he had a strong sense of empathy for such experiences. If it happened to him, Sawada Tsunayoshi would naturally feel that he should shoulder everything, no matter how great the pressure; but looking at his junior sister, he felt differently...
But whether it was pity or any other emotion, Sawada Tsunayoshi didn't express it. He was silent for a moment, adjusted his expression, and praised gently and solemnly: "Well done, Kogure...very impressive."
She doesn't need pity or worry, she just needs to welcome the glory that belongs to her.
Chaomu felt relaxed and comfortable after hearing his simple compliments - mainly because his senior brother seemed honest and his compliments were sincere, which was a great experience.
She glanced eagerly and expectantly at Reborn, who had remained silent. Reborn's lips curled slightly, and after a long moment of unresponsiveness from her gaze, he puffed up his cheeks before slowly speaking, "You've done well indeed. Your mission reward... will be generous. Once your stats are calculated, I'll give you a new reward, including everything you desire."
New reward! Everything she wants!
Chaomu was finally satisfied: "Great!"
"But the aftermath is a bit troublesome," she said, feeling happy for a moment before remembering the important matter. She leaned back in her seat, casually pinching the straps and playing with them with her fingertips. "Because I used my special abilities to save people, the few ordinary passersby and police officers who were rescued are considered witnesses... Teacher, Senior Brother, how do you usually handle things like this?"
"Hmm..." Sawada Tsunayoshi fell into a brief thought, "Generally speaking..."
"The Mafia has its own way of dealing with things," Reborn said.
The words were concise and plain, as if he was talking about what to eat in the evening, but when he said it in his tone, it revealed an unspeakable smell of blood.
Almost immediately, Chaomu quickly grasped the underlying meaning. She straightened her back abruptly, her voice rising sharply: "Killing to silence him? How can that be! I finally saved him!"
She had wasted several whole weeks trying to get this happy ending where everyone survived! If everyone except Hagiwara-kun could have died, she would have saved Hagiwara-kun in the first round. Why would she have gone through all this trouble?
Sawada Tsunayoshi pressed his solar plexus with a headache, accustomed to Reborn's malicious desire to deliberately scare people. He soothed him gently, "I'm not trying to silence you, Kogure. Don't listen to the teacher's nonsense... cough."
He pondered for a moment and offered a more "civilized" solution: "We have a more reliable method. Vongola has a very professional illusionist who can quietly dispose of those unnecessary memories and put everything back on track...without causing any harm to anyone."
Although this unreasonable plan of erasing the memories of relevant personnel is not very civilized, it does appear frequently in dramas where relevant organizations protect ordinary people, so it is not too bad.
The player accepted this plan without any burden - mainly targeting the other passers-by NPCs in Hagiwara's team. After all, she was not very familiar with them, and their memories were irrelevant to her.
She was more interested in the "Illusionist" than them. After the main quest involving stealing the chip and Yun Que was over, she seemed to have a buff called "Illusionist's Favor." Was the "Illusionist" the one her senior brother mentioned? She'd have to research that later.
Besides the illusionist issue, the only thing Chaomu cared about was, "Then the memories of Hagiwara-kun and the others can be preserved, right? I only want to delete some of the memories of those insignificant people, mainly the part about them that I stuffed into the trash can. The rest doesn't matter."
"Insignificant people." Sawada Tsunayoshi raised his eyebrows slightly: This means that in her heart, there are indeed some people who are "important".
That's great. Chaomu should make more friends... friends who can understand her uniqueness. Although she often comes to the Italian headquarters, she actually stays more in Japan. It would be nice to have some people who care about her there... I think I heard before that she has some police friends.
Regarding the memory erasure issue, Sawada Tsunayoshi originally had his own plan: rather than completely erasing it, he preferred to modify it, only allowing them to lose their memories of Asami's special abilities, eliminating the sense of dissonance and preserving her achievements. She was a good child who had done good things and deserved to be recognized.
However, her friend... as a senior, he really did need a little attention. Especially the "Hagiwara-kun" she mentioned specifically. Although he was just an ordinary person, he actually made her willing to expose her specialness...
He paused, holding the teacup, and looked at Chaomu with an inquiring look: "Chaomu, is that police officer named Hagiwara important to you?"
Chaomu answered without hesitation: "Of course it is important. He has already promised to marry me!"
Although it was also important to her that Hagiwara-kun did not marry her, its importance now was undoubtedly even greater.
"cough--"
Tsunayoshi Sawada choked after taking a sip of water, and Reborn's eyebrows were rarely raised by a few millimeters.
"W-what?" The mild-mannered mafia leader coughed, "Promise yourself to me? Kogure, you...you guys..."
Why so sudden... How could they be so careless?! My junior sister is still so young, and that police officer must be several years older than her... Then again, what's with that police officer? Is it okay to say something like that? The love that blossomed after being rescued doesn't necessarily mean love. What is this, the suspension bridge effect?
In just a few seconds, countless terrible images flashed through his mind: Chaomu in a pure white wedding dress (although she would probably dislike the dress because it would make it inconvenient to rummage through the trash can), Hagiwara Kenji kneeling on one knee to propose (wait, who is this guy, and what does he look like), the two of them walking down the aisle... No, how could this be possible? How could Junior Sister be so careless...
And it wasn't just about his sister's premature marriage... that was a police officer! How would Reborn "educate" the police officer who dared to kidnap a Vongola girl? How would he explain this to the other Guardians? The others didn't know, but I had a feeling Gokudera would just blow up the entire Metropolitan Police Department, saying that an evil cop had kidnapped a young lady... And it wasn't just them, Sawada Tsunayoshi himself found it completely unacceptable...
...unacceptable.
Those thoughts were fleeting, and worry washed over his mind like a wave. The young leader, stroking the bone china cup, skipped over the thought process and came to the conclusion that Mr. Hagiwara was a bit too frivolous to say such words to the young girl's lifesaver after being rescued so recently.
But of course, he couldn't directly comment on someone Chaomu mentioned as "very important" in this way. He just smiled gently and said tactfully, "Isn't this... a little too fast? Xiaomu is still young. How long have you known that man... and what kind of relationship do you have?"
The senior brother's reaction was greater than expected. Chaomu blinked and summarized his encounter and interactions with Hagiwara-kun, simplifying the details: "We've known each other for... a few months? Hagiwara-kun is very nice, and I'm living in his house now. As for our relationship? Hagiwara-kun will become my pet in the future - but also a friend, of course."
Living together, pets…?
Sawada Tsunayoshi squeezed the porcelain cup in his hand, creating several cracks.
He suddenly recalled what Yusi had said to him before, saying that Chaomu liked to treat men as pets... Hmm? Wait?
The young leader's breathing suddenly calmed down.
"When Kogure said... to pledge oneself to him," his voice became much softer, "does that mean you want to turn him into your dog?"
"That's right." Chaomu said matter-of-factly, "If Hagiwara-kun turned into a dog, he would probably be a Samoyed. It's so cute just thinking about it."
The big dog should also be working very hard, and her little animals' mission of rummaging through the trash cans is about to take a step forward!
Sawada Tsunayoshi exhaled slowly, as if he was spitting out some inexplicable emotions that had been pent up in his internal organs.
So that's it... that kind of "pet." He should have known that his junior sister had that kind of personality.
Although the "committing oneself to him" that man said was obviously not what she understood, it didn't matter what the other party thought - as long as the junior sister didn't care.
"Samoyeds... are indeed a very cute breed of dog." He said gently, echoing her words, "Since you, Junior Sister, have made up your mind and trust them enough, then it's okay not to erase their memories."
"Just...if this Mr. Hagiwara does anything...that makes you feel uneasy, remember to tell me, and I will help you resolve it."
As he spoke, the young leader's brows curved slightly, like a gentle, reliable brother. But Chaomu felt a chill at the back of his neck, as if his proposed solution was similar to what Reborn had described as "the Mafia's way of handling things"... like he was about to sink Hagiwara into Tokyo Bay.
...This must be an illusion, right? My senior brother is a pretty good person, he wouldn't do something like this, right?
After thinking it over, she finally defended Hagiwara-kun, saying that such a thing should not happen. Then, she swallowed her words in the smiling eyes of her senior brother. She was also stuffed with a plate of cookies in her hand, saying that it was to calm her down.
Well, the cookies are delicious.
The memory erasure issue was resolved. As Chaomu munched on biscuits, another question surfaced in her mind: the man in the cassock whom she had seen in the reincarnation, and the name he had uttered, always concerned her.
She could ask Xia Youjie about this person later, but as for that Bai Lan...
"By the way, Senior Brother," Chaomu chose to ask directly since he was already here, "Do you know someone named 'Bai Lan'?"
The moment she finished speaking, the gentle air in the office seemed to stagnate.
The gentle smile on Sawada Tsunayoshi's face slowly faded, and something sank deep into his brown eyes. He frowned slightly, his expression more serious than ever before.
"Bylan Jesso," he said the full name slowly, "where did you know this name? Kogure? In this... flashback? Was he involved in this?"
Judging from the expression on my senior brother’s face, this Mr. Bai Lan is indeed the big boss behind the scenes.
Asami told him everything about her conversation with Geto Suguru, skipping only the question of whether she suspected they knew each other. "That's about it. He seems to know something about fate, and he wants to unite others... Who is he? Is he very powerful?"
Even the leader of the Vongola showed fear. That Byakuran looked very dangerous.
Her report contained a wealth of information, and Sawada Tsunayoshi briefly exchanged glances with Reborn. The latter nodded slightly, indicating that she should know this.
Well, the young leader thought. His sister was already deep in the vortex, so hiding it was pointless.
He introduced him briefly: "Bai Lan Jesuo, leader of the emerging Jesuo family. Their influence has been expanding rapidly recently, and their methods... are quite unique."
"In just a few years, they've swallowed up many small and medium-sized families, but there's been almost no fighting... The leaders of those families seemed to have their souls sucked out, swearing allegiance overnight. As a leader, Bai Lan must possess some extremely dangerous special ability that allows him to control people's hearts."
[Congratulations to the player for triggering the new main clue: Bailan Jiesuo]
Chaomu took this clue to heart and said thoughtfully, "Then I probably know. I will keep an eye on this person... Is he my brother's enemy?"
"...I guess so," Sawada Tsunayoshi replied gently, "But Kogure, these matters will be with you for the time being..."
He instinctively wanted to exclude his junior sister from these murky disputes, but he swallowed his words and said briskly, "Don't you have a late-night snack appointment with someone else tonight? It's almost time, shouldn't you go home?"
"Right." Chaomu was reminded. He glanced at the time, performed a big transformation into a raccoon in front of his senior and teacher, and quickly turned and ran to the trash can. "Then I'll be leaving first! Hagiwara-kun is still waiting for me!"
"Well, see you tomorrow." Her brother said goodbye to her in a gentle tone, "Be careful when you go out at night."
"I know."
The little raccoon swung its big tail, slid into the trash can at the door, and disappeared from their sight.
After she left, the young leader's face finally revealed a trace of fatigue that was difficult to conceal. He closed his eyes slightly, supported his forehead, and fell into thought.
Fate...Bylan Jesso. That strange expansion had actually been going on for quite some time, the connected forces causing a precarious situation for the dark forces of Italy and indeed the entire world. Passion, the Black Organization, and some other forces that should have kept their distance from each other were all brought together by some unseen force.
They were shaking the foundations of the ancient fortress of Vongola...shaking the order he had built with his own hands.
"The situation is worse than the report says, right?" He opened his eyes and looked at the teacher in the shadows.
Reborn was silent for a moment. "Yesterday, three more small northern families announced their joining Jesso without any warning."
"What about France?"
"Valya's people are investigating. Xanxus is very unhappy. He said that if this continues, he will meet Bai Lan in person."
Sawada Tsunayoshi smiled bitterly: "Given XANXUS's temper, I'm afraid he won't be able to wait too long."
"This might not be a bad thing." Reborn played with Len in his hand, "At least it can test Bai Lan's true strength."
After a brief conversation, both of them fell silent.
They all knew that the real threat wasn't Bai Lan's force, but his uncanny ability to see through everything. No family would peacefully "merge" with another family for no apparent reason. Smaller families were a different story, but for a mafia as powerful as Zeal to be included in the alliance, Bai Lan's methods were definitely extraordinary.
Plus the so-called fate...
The brown-haired young man asked softly, "Teacher, do you really want her to be exposed to Bai Lan's affairs so soon?"
Reborn was still sitting in his gorgeous and comfortable armchair.
"We didn't let her touch it," he said, playing with the pistol that Len had transformed into. "It was 'fate' that chose her, and also chose Bai Lan... and you and me."
"Especially you, Tsuna. No matter what Byakuran wants to do, he can't avoid you. You are his most important target."
This "game" had been going on for so long, and only now was it about to reach its grand finale. He could sense his students growing at a rate exceeding all others, inheriting the "legacy" of fate... or rather, the gift, as if in preparation for the finale.
Just as predicted.
Reborn didn't say it directly, but Sawada Tsunayoshi could still feel that the former knew a lot about Asamura and had concealed a lot of information...about the prophecy of the Rainbow Child of Ozora, and some other things.
"...In any case," after a brief silence, he raised his head, his tone still gentle but firm, "Before he does anything to Junior Sister - he must face me first."
No matter what role his junior sister plays in Reborn's plan, no matter whether she is the chosen "savior" who carries destiny, he will not let her face everything alone.
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Author's note: Emergency DDL completed - may be revised later.
Don’t worry too much about which timeline it is. This world is a purely fictional fusion world, and the plot will be very different from the original.
Fixed it.
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