Chapter 103: Improving the basics

In a quiet mountain behind the prestigious Kunugigaoka Junior High, a seemingly abandoned school building stood still. Gentle breezes carried fallen leaves across the grounds.

The sunlight that bathed the building was slowly obscured by gathering clouds, casting a shadow over the area.

However, contrary to the quiet and seemingly peaceful atmosphere...

"Yay, let's go!"

In the main classroom of the building, clearly labeled Class E on the door, a loud exclamation echoed from the excited students inside.

They were initially confused by Tsuna's sudden appearance, as they hadn't noticed him entering at all. Korosensei's startled response only added to their bewilderment.

However, the confusion quickly gave way to excitement.

The girls, in particular, were eager, their faces lighting up at the prospect of cooking delicious food.

Many of them were used to helping their mothers in the kitchen, and the idea of learning new recipes thrilled them.

The boys, while not as openly enthusiastic, couldn't help but anticipate the tasty rewards of the cooking lesson. The thought of tasting delicacy made their eyes light up and their mouths water.

"Just follow his instructions... that's all we need to do," they thought, already imagining the flavors that awaited them.

Following Tsuna's instructions was quite simple since they had someone who could memorize practically anything she saw once.

All eyes turned to a rectangular robotic casing with a video screen, Ritsu, an Autonomously Intelligent Fixed Artillery.

Ritsu was a machine from Norway created to kill Korosensei and was currently registered as a student at Kunugigaoka Junior High School to prevent Korosensei from counterattacking her.

"Hehe, with Ritsu, we're pretty much guaranteed to catch up with his instructions," one student said with a confident grin.

"We'd be fools if we can't even follow such clear instructions!"

"Right. Though, I'm actually more interested in knowing what we're going to cook today."

Their murmurs spread across the classroom, eyes twinkling excitedly as they stared at Tsuna.

Seeing their enthusiasm, Tsuna chuckled and shook his head before saying, "Alright, let's go..."

Tsuna then made his way out toward the corridor, heading toward the culinary room already prepared for his class.

The others immediately followed suit. Korosensei vanished with a whoosh and reappeared at the front of the classroom, his tentacles quietly moving around, his expression returning to normal. Yet, his eyes seemed quite lost in thought.

However, the same couldn't be said for some of the students in the class.

"..."

Nagisa was one of them, falling into a thoughtful silence while watching Korosensei. He couldn't help but mumble, "Even Korosensei was surprised?"

"What do you mean, Nagisa?"

Kaede, who overheard Nagisa, looked puzzled. 

Nagisa shook his head slightly. "It's just... Tsuna-senpai. His presence is almost like a shadow. Even Korosensei didn't sense him until he was right behind him."

"You're right."

Kaede's eyes widened in realization. "I didn't notice him either until he spoke..."

It had to be noted that they were not exactly normal students. They had been trained as assassins, their senses honed by experience with seasoned killers. Though their overall skills might not be the best, they had survived encounters with experienced assassins.

Their senses were far sharper than the average person's.

Sneaking around them was pretty hard, much less sneaking around Korosensei himself.

"...Is he truly just a student like us?"

Nagisa couldn't help but wonder. Korosensei wasn't the type to get easily caught off guard. His senses were far better than most of them.

The fact that Tsuna could approach him undetected was both impressive and unsettling.

Though, someone among them seemed to have a different perspective.

"Oh? This is actually getting more interesting," Karma murmured quietly, his eyes narrowing sharply as he watched Tsuna lead them to the culinary room.

"Please group up like last week..."

Once they arrived in the culinary room, Tsuna instructed the students to form the same groups as before. The students quickly scattered, reuniting with their previous teams and gathering around their assigned tables.

They noticed that the utensils on the tables were the almost the same as last time—cutting boards, pans, and various cooking tools.

But there was one additional thing that was a bit confusing...

"What is this big box is for?"

There was a few box on the side of the each of the table beside them as they couldn't help but look at it curiously.

And turning to the front side, at Tsuna's table, there was only a cutting board and a single knife, which puzzled them.

"...Ano, Tsuna-senpai, what are we cooking today?"

Rio asked, raising her hand hesitantly.

The confusion was evident in the room as all eyes turned to Tsuna. His answer was unexpected.

"We're not cooking anything today," he replied, shaking his head with a calm smile.

The students exchanged surprised glances, wondering what Tsuna had planned if they weren't going to cook.

The silence in the room was thick with curiosity.

"I know you all enjoyed what we did last week," Tsuna began, his tone a mix of bluntness and patience.

"And I'd love to be part of another exciting class as usual. However, I've noticed that your basics are a bit lacking. While it was great that you managed to keep up and didn't mess up the recipe, I'm sure that if you strengthen your foundation, it'll work wonders for the texture and overall quality of your dishes in the future."

Tsuna's words, though straightforward, were meant to guide rather than criticize. 

After all, he was being paid handsomely for his time, so investing in their growth was a win-win.

As he spoke, Tsuna's mind wandered to a lesson he had taught earlier in the semester at Totsuki.

It was a class focused on mastering basic knife skills—something that would be crucial for his current students as well.

Just as he was about to continue, the classroom door burst open, and in walked Karasuma and Korosensei, each carrying loads of fresh vegetables.

"We're going to work on those basics today!" Tsuna declared, a hint of enthusiasm in his voice as he pointed to the vegetables. "We'll be cutting these to make kimchi. It's the perfect way to improve your knife technique!"

The students' initial excitement quickly faded as they processed his words.

"What? Just cutting vegetables?" one of them mumbled, clearly disappointed.

"Is it really going to be just that?" another asked, sounding less than thrilled.

"It sounds boring..." a third student muttered under their breath.

The energy in the room noticeably dimmed as the students reluctantly helped Karasuma and Korosensei unpack the vegetables, placing them on their desks with far less enthusiasm than before.

"Hah, you're full of shit," Terasaka grumbled, his goons nodding in agreement as they exchanged knowing glances.

Nearby, Itona, the student with short, spiked platinum blond hair, silently observed the scene, his sharp eyes locked on Korosensei's back.

In his hand, he held a doll knife, a weapon specifically designed to kill their teacher. His gaze was intense, calculating, as he weighed his options.

"Huh? Itona, wait a minute..." Terasaka's eyes lit up with a cunning gleam as he noticed the knife in Itona's hand.

"Yo wtf? I'm about to use it!"

"Just use it another time."

Seizing the opportunity, he snatched the knife from Itona's grip, ignoring the other's quiet protest.

"You said our knife skills are lacking? That's because we don't use it to cut veggies but to assassinate, you dumbfuck," Terasaka sneered, turning to Tsuna with a look of pure hostility.

He still vividly the agony he'd gone through last week after tasting those disgusting food Soma had prepared.

The thought of tentacles completely torturing him had been a nightmare everytime he fall asleep, making him unable to get a good sleep for couple of days.

"And it's your fucking fault!"

Without warning, he swung his arm, hurling the knife straight toward Tsuna's face with all the force he could muster.

The lively atmosphere in the room came to an abrupt halt as the knife flew through the air. Gasps of shock echoed throughout the classroom as the students watched in horror, their excitement replaced by fear and disbelief.

"Tsuna-senpai! Watch out!"

For a split second, time seemed to freeze.