Chapter 99: Reunion!

Once inside, Murasakibara made a beeline for the kitchen and promptly located Tsuna's snack stash.

Tsuna shook his head at the sight. It was clear that Murasakibara didn't remember the house's layout very well, yet he had no trouble pinpointing the snack collection. He was indeed an oddball.

Tsuna entered his office and said, "Well, make yourself at home. I'll give the others a call. Feel free to hang out..."

"Alright..."

Murasakibara mumbled with his mouth full of snacks.

Upon entering, Tsuna instructed Sebas to clear his schedule for the day, citing a small reunion as the reason. Sebas didn't offer any objections and carried out the order.

Tsuna pondered aloud, "Well, who should I contact first?"

As he started making individual calls, most others readily accepted his invitation.

Then, a familiar voice chimed in, "Tsuna! Let's have a one-on-one!"

The first to arrive, naturally, was Aomine.

He appeared quite excited and greeted everyone with a loud shout. However, his enthusiasm earned him a swift smack on the head from Momoi, who was puffing her cheeks in exasperation.

She scolded, "You can barely walk, let alone play one-on-one, you idiot!"

Tsuna observed the scene with a stoic expression.

Meanwhile, Murasakibara lounged in front of the TV in the living room, a bucket of snacks at his side. Turning his attention to Aomine and Momoi, Murasakibara casually said, "Oh, welcome, Momochin. Just make yourself at home..."

It was usually the homeowner who used those words. Tsuna shook his head with a light chuckle at Murasakibara's remark. He then turned to Momoi, offering her a warm smile.

He motioned for her to enter and said, "Well, as Atsushi mentioned, make yourself at home."

Momoi blushed slightly and smiled, stepping into the room to catch up with Tsuna.

Aomine, meanwhile, was left bewildered as he watched. He muttered, "...Did they just ignore me?"

He sighed in frustration and sat on the sofa next to Murasakibara.

Eyeing the towering pile of snacks in front of Murasakibara, Aomine grumbled and reached out to snag one.

But, in a sudden shift, Murasakibara's bored expression sharpened, and he quickly shielded the snacks with his wide hand, giving Aomine a chilly look.

Intense pressure from Murasakibara made Aomine break into a sweat, causing his hand to halt awkwardly in midair. He sighed and withdrew his hand, opting for the TV remote instead, saying, "Okay, fine, I won't ask for one..."

Tsuna and Momoi shared a chuckle at Aomine's expense just as the door unexpectedly swung open.

Tsuna greeted the new arrivals with a smile.

It was Kuroko and Midorima who walked in.

Observing Aomine grumbling and Murasakibara contentedly munching on his snacks, Midorima adjusted his glasses and remarked, "...Feels like a blast from the past."

"Indeed."

Kuroko smiled and added.

"...Arghh!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Tsuna was about to tell everyone to take their seats when a sudden, piercing scream tore through the air.

Confusion and curiosity swept across the faces of those in the room, and they shared puzzled glances before rising from their seats in unison. They ventured outside, their gazes sweeping the area in search of the disturbance's origin, only to discover a blond teenager being held by Sebas.

Momoi's eyes widened in surprise as she said, "Kise?"

"Uncle, uncle, they know me. Please, let me go, it hurts!"

Kise screamed for help. Sebas's grip was no laughing matter, and Tsuna understood this very well.

Sebas frowned slightly, then quickly released Kise and stood up. He turned to Tsuna and offered an apologetic bow. "I apologize, Young Master. He was sneaking around, and I mistook him for a thief..."

Tsuna shook his head and motioned for Sebas to leave. Sebas respectfully bowed once more and retreated in silence.

"I'm already a celebrity. Why would I need to be a thief..." Kise grumbled, shooting a dissatisfied glance in Sebas's direction.

Midorima adjusted his glasses and asked, "Well, it's not exactly Sebas's fault. So, why were you sneaking around?"

Startled by Midorima's direct question, Kise averted his gaze and mumbled, "I saw you and Kuroko walking together, and I got curious..."

"Kise, I knew you weren't very good in the head, but I didn't realize it was this bad..." Aomine sighed in disappointment.

Kise felt stung by Aomine's comment, knowing he was academically better than Aomine. "Look who's talking! And why are you here, too?"

"Tsuna invited me..."

Aomine replied with a nonchalant shrug. Then, Kise realized that everyone except for him seemed to have received an invitation.

So, he turned to Tsuna and asked with a pitiful gaze, "Why am I not invited as well, then..."

"Kise, he didn't know you well enough, so..."

Kuroko said with his usual calm expression.

"...You're not wrong, though," Kise reluctantly admitted, realizing the truth in Kuroko's words.

Tsuna sighed as he spoke, "Well, that's alright. Since you're already here, you might as well come in."

"Really?"

Kise's eyes brightened at this as he confirmed.

Tsuna shook his head as he walked inside, "Don't make me repeat myself."

The others also nodded in agreement before following Tsuna into the house. Kise hurriedly joined them with a laugh and exclaimed, "Haha, you're the best, Kazamacchi!"

"...Kazamacchi?"

Tsuna paused and turned to Kise, puzzled by the nickname.

"Oh, Kise calls anyone he acknowledges with 'cchi' behind their name," Momoi explained.

Kise flashed a wide smile and gave Tsuna a thumbs-up.

Tsuna shook his head, slightly exasperated. At this point, he couldn't be bothered by such peculiarities.

But just when he thought things had settled down, Kise surprised everyone by asking, "Kazama, want to play one-on-one?"

While sneaking around the house, Kise had spotted a proper basketball court in the backyard, so he knew they could also play there.

Hearing this, everyone, except Aomine, who had a sly grin on his face, turned their attention to Kise. Still wearing a speechless expression, Tsuna looked at Momoi for another explanation.

Momoi awkwardly explained, "He's a bit like Aomine. He loves challenging people one-on-one..."

Tsuna let out a weary sigh and turned to Kise, "You haven't even fully recovered from your match against Aomine. You'd be pushing yourself too hard."

Kise scratched his head with a sheepish expression as if he had suddenly remembered his own injury.

Midorima maintained his usual stoic expression and asked Tsuna, "Tsuna, is he going to show up today?"

A hushed silence filled the room as everyone turned their attention to Tsuna, eager to hear the answer. Tsuna recognized that Midorima was referring to Akashi. He shook his head and replied, "No, he mentioned he had other commitments..."

Midorima nodded in understanding.

The room's atmosphere grew more somber when Akashi was mentioned. Tsuna noticed this shift and commented, "He's changed quite a bit, hasn't he?"

The others fell silent at this.

They understood that if Akashi were still the same as during Tsuna's time at Teiko, he might have canceled his plans to join them.

---

Do you want to read 15 chapters ahead of the schedule? Here's where you can find them:

p@treon.com/mythoast