Yamamoto didn't even look back; he thrust his sword to the side, the short boss, who had appeared at some unknown moment, was stabbed through the heart and left hanging on the wall.
So this is the difference between us. To be honest, I'm getting a little angry.
The scene was momentarily bloody; for people in the Hidden World, it was a common occurrence, but for ordinary people, it was far too cruel.
The World Consciousness seemed to intentionally protect the worldview of children and ordinary people; in their eyes, blood was nothing more than a blur of mosaics. Although they knew rationally what it was, as long as they didn't see it, they felt a bit better.
In Yamamoto Takeshi's own eyes, the scenes were authentic, unexpectedly, he adapted well.
Do you know? There was a time when I thought baseball was everything, that it was my whole world.
“Do you know why I could break free from the dream so quickly, without being affected by it?”
The final move was also destroyed, the boss's life or death was unknown, leaving only himself, a non-combatant. The light in Skinny's eyes was completely extinguished; he looked at Yamamoto as if he were a non-human, his mouth twitching as he muttered, "Why?"
Because you were a step too slow. I've experienced all of this myself, you know. Just jumping off a building—I did that back in middle school. It was for the same reason, because of an arm injury; I thought I had been abandoned by the gods.
Yamamoto dropped a bombshell casually.
Skinny's eyes twitched for a moment before he forced out a stiff smile: "Then why aren't you dead yet? Am I facing a ghost here?"
What a shame. The reason I survived is because Tsuna saved me.
"That's a shame," Skinny said with hatred.
Yamamoto stretched, while the short man had already lost his breath.
It is quite a pity for you all. Your boss is dead; aren't you grieving?
What's there to be sad about? I'll go back to be with him in a bit. Hehe, don't be such a hypocrite; if I were sad, wouldn't you kill me?
Yamamoto answered seriously, "That won't happen."
Skinny roared in fury, "Then just tell me straight, if you're a man!"
Having possessed so little in his youth, the young boy believed that certain things were his entire world, which is why he felt as if the sky were falling when he lost them.
Yamamoto's hands were already stained with a great deal of blood, as he moved, the ring slipped from his collar and fell.
Yamamoto Takeshi stopped, grasped the ring, gently kissed its texture.
I'm saying this for no other reason than because you've made me angry. This incident is a part of my past, a memory I will never forget in my lifetime. Actually, I am quite petty; I don't want others to know about this, I may view your casual reenactment of it as a provocation.
Mm-hmm, there's no harm in telling you. Tsuna jumped off the building with me too; he wanted to save me. So I swear, he is someone more important than baseball, more important than life itself.
A pity, I can't say these things to him; he'll get shy.
A flash of cold light, dawn broke.
Chapter 14: Day 14 of the Live Stream (Transition)
Good heavens, a sudden wave of heat surged across Sawada Tsunayoshi's face. This, this, this.. what Yamamoto said was so embarrassing.
It must be because it's too hot here. That's it, it's too hot, that's why he is blushing.
However, he strongly agreed with Yamamoto on one point: being in the same class was indeed the most important thing. This was wonderful; the person he held so dear also valued him.
Yamamoto was dejected, his heart filled with conflict.
With his current self having been suddenly abandoned by baseball, could he truly move on?
Will the future truly be like what the images show? Will he find friends to play with, friends like Sawada Tsunayoshi who would risk everything for him, will he truly find another hobby?
If he joins the Mafia, can he give up baseball?
Yamamoto didn't know; his mind was in a mess right now.
However, one thing could be confirmed: Sawada Tsunayoshi was indeed a very interesting person.
He truly wanted to get closer and get to know the other person, to truly enter this person's heart; it would surely be a soft and interesting soul.
Someone who could jump off a building with him and experience death alongside him—what reason would he have not to get closer, not to become intimate?
If—and this is a hypothetical—having someone like that by his side in that strange place in the Hidden World, it seemed like it wouldn't be a bad thing.
Moreover, Yamamoto noticed that his self-swordsman persona possessed a confidence and high spirits that were in no way inferior to his passion for baseball.
So, my future self loves swords that much?
World Consciousness said: [The video of the Vongola Rain Guardian is about to end. Similarly, there is a gift for Yamamoto Takeshi, so please pay attention.]
With the experience from last time, Yamamoto realized that this was undoubtedly the beginning of the bond between himself and Sawada Tsunayoshi.
High above, a black-haired youth lay on his back in mid-air, one arm wrapped in white gauze. His eyes were wide with shock, as if he hadn't expected that he would actually jump.
Students surrounded the top of the high-rise and the ground below, everyone either terrified or astonished, some covering their mouths, others covering their eyes.
Below, the teachers were all in a panic; some reached out their hands as if to catch him, while another teacher pulled them back.
Looking up, many students could be seen peeking down from the edges.
Why the edge? Because the center had been forcefully occupied by a single person.
It was a young boy with a youthful face, his thin, muscleless arms stretching downward, his expression even twisted into a grimace as he grit his teeth, his eyes still filled with undissipated fear.
Sawada Tsunayoshi was also afraid, afraid of high buildings and afraid of falling to his death. But he jumped down regardless.
Scared? Of course I was scared. At that time, I didn't even know if Yamamoto had jumped down on his own or if he had fallen in the chaos. But I only had one thought back then, that was to save him. If I hadn't been able to save him, I wouldn't have been able to rest in peace even in death.
The young Sawada Tsunayoshi shyly rubbed his head, then finally crouched down, his eyes fixed on the tiny infant opposite him, a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you, Reborn. If it hadn't been for your Death Bullet, that would have just been a reckless act; maybe both of us would have died then."
Oh no, so if Reborn hadn't fired that Death Bullet, I would have died! Aaaaah, that's so scary, Reborn! If I join the Mafia, will I have to face death threats every single day?
I don't want to be in the Mafia!
Reborn looked at his immature student and delivered a direct flying kick that sent Sawada Tsunayoshi crashing to the ground, his buttocks sticking up in the air. Reborn then jumped up and stepped on him once more. "Hmph, you don't have a choice. My mission is to train you into a qualified Vongola Tenth Generation heir; you're not getting away."
I don't want this!
Sawada Tsunayoshi ran away crying.
Reborn, standing in the same spot, gave a cold snort. "A person hit by a Death Bullet is nothing more than a target for an ordinary bullet if they don't approach their task with a determination to die."
Wind smiled faintly and said to Reborn, "It seems Sawada Tsunayoshi is your disciple."
That's right, for the big shots, observing people through the smallest details is the most basic skill; even though they only saw Sawada Tsunayoshi's teenage self for a brief moment, they could still profile his personality.
He must have been timid, lacking confidence, a loner.
One can only imagine the amount of energy required to train an ordinary, self-conscious boy who resists becoming a member of the Mafia into a Godfather of the Hidden World.
Suddenly, Reborn felt a sense of amusement; how to train an ordinary person to become a Godfather would be far more rewarding than mentoring Dino. Dino didn't want to be a boss either, but he was born in Sicily, a place steeped in Mafia atmosphere, had been in contact with all sorts of big shots from the Hidden World since he was a child.
Dino was a challenge, but Sawada Tsunayoshi was an even greater challenge.
Reborn was calculating a series of inhumane special training packages in his mind, a smile as lovely as an angel's gradually appearing on his face.
Dino's exuberant voice rang out as he said in pleasant surprise, "So that means the Vongola Tenth Generation is my junior! That's wonderful; I won't have to endure Reborn's Spartan training all by myself anymore. I feel like my junior and I will definitely get along famously."
He spoke animatedly to Romario, with Dino already thinking about how he would get along with his junior; he would just need to show him Reborn's ruthless methods.
Haha.
Romario said seriously, "Boss, please allow me to say one thing, look behind you."
Dino asked innocently, "Is there something dirty on my back?" He turned around.
There was no dirty thing, but Reborn certainly had one. The infant revealed a toothless, adorable smile and said in a baby voice, "Dino, once we're out, let's go swimming in the Misumi River."
I'm going to die.
Dino closed his eyes, a peaceful expression settling on his face.
It doesn't matter, Reborn thought happily; whether it was one disciple or two, he would certainly give them both a proper welcome.
The junior needs training from scratch, while the senior should take some time to savor the old curriculum.
Give Dino's former regimen a thorough upgrade before giving it to Sawada Tsunayoshi, otherwise it would be a disservice to the intimacy they showed in the video.
Hehe.
Skull trembled, while the dark aura surrounding Reborn was deeper than the night itself; he was terrified!
Sawada Tsunayoshi!!
Who pissed off Reborn! He's radiating such a dark aura, it's terrifying!
So that's how it is, so that's the case.
Tsuna, you really have given me too many surprises. Yamamoto clenched his fist in secret; only he knew exactly what kind of person he was. Yamamoto was the type of cold person who required twelve times the passion to melt his heart.
He was an almost passive person; as long as the other party took 99 steps, he would take 999.
That reckless courage of Sawada Tsunayoshi, fueled by a passion that leaves everything on the line, was enough to almost melt Yamamoto Takeshi; he felt it from the bottom of his heart.
Yamamoto Takeshi, you're finished; you've truly become infatuated with Sawada Tsunayoshi.
That's why I play the Mafia game, that's why I fight with everything I have, why traveling through the future isn't scary—what's scary is that you aren't by my side.
The image vanished, finally turning into a photograph that fell into Yamamoto's hands; he etched the photo deeply into his heart and carefully put it away.
As usual, the World Consciousness let everyone take a short break.
Squalo couldn't wait to walk over and say, "Hey kid, have you changed your mind yet?"
Yamamoto laughed, "Yeah, I suddenly feel like swords are quite good; I should study them in the future."
Kid, do you even know what you're talking about?
“Yes, I know. I have always known exactly what I am doing.”
Byakuran boredly used marshmallows to form the Eiffel Tower. "Sigh, how boring. Vongola subordinates again, familiar faces too. Sometimes I feel Sawada Tsunayoshi is quite terrifying; whether it's ten thousand worlds or a hundred thousand worlds, the people surrounding him are always the same."
Sigh, when can I go out? I really want to go rule the world.
Irie Shoichi carefully observed the rambling Byakuran, subtly shifting to the side.
This person is terrifying, filled with an overwhelming aura of resentment.
He also thought about heading over to Yamamoto's side, wondering why he had ended up all alone in the middle of these freaks.
Reborn told Skull to shut up again and meditate with his eyes closed.
The Ninth Generation and the Guardians were discussing matters.