Chapter 15: Training Camp!

"You seem to misunderstand, Sakamoto."

Tsuna could clearly see Sakamoto's eagerness to train him, which made him blink in confusion. Not noticing Tsuna's lack of honorifics, Sakamoto asked, "W-what do you mean by that?"

Sakamoto was a bit nervous, not wanting his excitement to die down.

However...

"...I won't be coming here often. I'll play in any tournament you're joining as long as you notify me in advance. But other than that, I'm only here in name."

He didn't want to spend his precious time training in a sport when he could use it to better himself for survival.

After all, he needed to prepare for the adventures ahead, knowing that the world of One Punch Man wouldn't be the only one waiting for him.

It was just a gut feeling, but he trusted it, as it had saved him so many times in his previous life.

Tsuna's words seemed to drain the life out of Sakamoto, leaving his eyes hollow and unfocused as if his soul had left his body.

"A-ahaha, it's fine, Sakamoto."

Rindo nervously laughed, knowing it was she who proposed such a condition.

Knowing her character well enough, Sakamoto also understood it was her doing. He sighed before turning to Tsuna, "Do you know the rules, Ito-kun?"

"The rules? I don't know, but I can learn as long as you point me to a book..."

"I'm glad to hear that..."

Sakamoto massaged his forehead tiredly, relieved that he wouldn't need to explain all the rules when the tournament began.

He then provided Tsuna with the title of a book containing all the basketball rules in Japan for him to read later.

"Don't forget your promise," Tsuna turned to Rindo, who shrugged and nodded before handing him her cell phone.

"Give me your number. I'll call you regarding the details later!"

"Sure. But don't ever call me on a whim..."

Tsuna frowned, recalling Rindo's character.

"..."

She just looked away and whistled, trying to avoid the topic.

"I guess I'll just hang up when there's nothing important," he sighed as he returned the phone.

After that, Tsuna left the club to prepare some things before opening his restaurant tonight.

His customers might still be just that yellow octopus and the agent from the Ministry of Defense, but it's still good money nonetheless.

He couldn't afford to be picky right now.

Still...

"Basketball tournament, huh? Interesting..."

Tsuna's lips curled up in a small smile.

He was looking forward to this new, unexpected experience that he got from just accidentally meeting Rindo.

With that, Tsuna officially joined the club.

However, despite Rindo's promises, Tsuna was yet to enjoy the benefits.

Why?

The main reason was simply that he had to close his restaurant for the next couple of days as he stood in front of a massive hotel nestled in the heart of a resort, surrounded by a crowd of students lining up to enter the hall.

"Whoa! Totsuki Culinary Academy sure is wealthy!"

"Look at that hotel. It's definitely a five-star!"

"Hey, we're not here for a vacation!"

"...Shit, you just ruined the mood."

Their excitement at the sight of the hotel quickly dissipated, replaced by nervousness once again.

"Training Camp... I heard a lot of students were expelled last year..."

"...Stop saying these things, you're stresing me out!"

Totsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp!

This training camp was a routine for Totsuki Culinary Academy, where students were sent to Totsuki Resort to face their first hurdle in the academy!

Unlike normal training, this camp was supervised by alumni who held massive influence in the culinary world, making the challenge even more difficult!

These were chefs who had made their name across the globe, with exceptionally high standards for culinary excellence.

Understanding all of this, the atmosphere was especially tense as Tsuna walked in. He could feel the students were nervous.

Although there were some exceptions...

"Oh! Tsuna! Yo, what's up, man? Damn, I didn't know we'd be staying in such a nice place. I'm looking forward to this, I'm sure we'd be having a good time, hahaha...."

A cheerful voice reverberated across the tense hall as they all turned to Soma, giving him annoyed side-eyes.

"...Yukihira sure don't have no fear, huh?"

"That's what I'm saying. I told him it's not a vacation already, yet he's still as fearless..."

"...It's so like Soma-kun."

"Don't be too loud, Soma. You might get scolded by the chefs," Tsuna chuckled, glancing at Soma and some others from the Polar Star Dormitory accompanying him.

"Haha, my bad! Anyway, they are..."

Soma scratched his head as he then introduced Megumi Tadokoro, Ryoko Sakaki, Yuki Yoshino, and Shun Ibusaki.

As Soma was about to introduce the last three, they suddenly greeted Tsuna first.

"Hey there, Ito!"

Aoki and Sato smiled and nodded at Tsuna, while Marui also gave him a nod, surprising Soma.

"You guys know each other?"

"Yeah, we are all in the same club."

Marui adjusted his glasses as he explained. Soma blinked in surprise, "Huh? I thought you were not interested in joining the club?"

"It's a long story..."

Tsuna then told him about what was happening, and they all listened intently since they were curious about him.

Meanwhile, at the stage where the alumni were standing and being introduced, Chef Chappelle spotted Tsuna at the end of the crowd.

Their gazes met, and he flashed Tsuna a smile, to which Tsuna responded with a nod.

"...!"

Some of the alumni caught a glimpse of their little exchange, and they all widened their eyes in shock.

"Oh my, did you guys just see what I saw?"

Hinako Inui blinked as she tilted her head in surprise.

Fuyumi Mizuha put her hand on her chin and nodded, "I think we all saw that..."

"Very interessante..."

Donato Gotoda looked totally intrigued.

"...This should be the first time this has ever happened, right?" Hitoshi Sekimori spoke, slightly opening his squinted eyes and narrowing his gaze.

"..."

Kojiro Shinomiya frowned at this, briefly glancing at Tsuna before scoffing and turning his attention back to the masses of students as he spotted someone wearing something he shouldn't as a chef!

"Chef Chappelle actually flashed a smile at that student?"

Gin Dojima raised his eyebrows in interest as he looked at Chef Chappelle.

He then turned his attention to the student Chef Chappelle greeted, his lips curling up.

"Interesting, to think there's a student who can make someone like Chappelle-sensei greet him and even flash a smile..."

Dojima could sense that this year's Training Camp would be quite interesting!

Shinomiya immediately singled out that student, walking down to the hall to expel him.

The other alumni followed suit, mingling with the residents of the Polar Star Dormitory.

Their interactions may have seemed casual, but in truth, they were all eager to meet Tsuna, whose actions had piqued their interest.

However, it seemed like Tsuna either didn't know them or simply didn't care.

As they left to get back on stage, the training camp abruptly began without giving the students time to rest after Dojima's opening speech.

"Immediately, huh? Damn, I was hoping for a quick nap!"

"...This training, I'm not sure if I can handle it."

The students murmured among themselves as they found their designated room, and Tsuna was also with them as he walked in.

Inside, he spotted Dojima, their examiner for the day, which caused the students' expressions to pale.

Meanwhile...

"Hey, you there..."

A voice called out to Tsuna, prompting him to turn his head and see a silver-haired girl with a longer strand of hair on her left side, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she leaned forward and blinked her eyes.

"Aren't you that arrogant transfer student?"

"Arrogant? I'm not sure who you're talking about," Tsuna shamelessly replied.

Their exchange caught Dojima's interest as he glared in their direction.