Chapter 13: Rindo Kobayashi

Rumors started to spread that Tsuna was isolating himself, and indeed, he was often avoided by his classmates.

He seemed to welcome such treatment, and sometimes, despite the professor requiring them to team up, he would work alone.

Chef Chappelle was initially quite skeptical, as he was one of the strictest professors at Totsuki and rarely smiled.

However, after hearing surprising praise from Chef Bora about Tsuna's abilities, he let go of his skepticism and allowed Tsuna to complete his assignments on his own.

From then...

Everyone was shocked to see him smiling every time Tsuna was around.

The other chefs followed suit, allowing him to work independently even on the most demanding assignments.

However, the pattern remained the same...

After tasting what Tsuna had done or cooked, they allowed him to attend their classes solo throughout the semester.

He was now called...

"Ah, that's the Lone Wolf!"

Everyone was pointing at Tsuna as he walked out of the classroom. However, Tsuna just ignored them as he continued to walk out of the building.

"Let's head back home, then..."

While most students hung out after class, Tsuna preferred to spend his time either going for a run or training his body to familiarize himself with his movements and earthbending.

As he jogged down the hill, surrounded by trees on both sides, Tsuna noticed someone attempting to climb a tree.

His eyes narrowed when he saw the brittle twig she was about to step on, and with a swift movement, Tsuna darted towards the trees.

"Kyaa!"

As expected, the twig cracked under her foot, causing her to lose her balance and fall. She shut her eyes, bracing for impact.

However...

"Eh?"

She felt someone catch her, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at Tsuna's face, just inches away.

Feeling safe in his arms, she noticed the strength in his muscles despite his lean appearance.

She unconsciously grabbed onto Tsuna's bicep and squeezed it, murmuring, "...So tight!"

"Are you alright?"

Tsuna asked, his lips twitching slightly as he noticed her lack of response.

A blush crept onto her cheeks as she realized she seemed to be preoccupied with his muscle.

Tsuna gently set her down on the ground without waiting for her response, then spoke, "Alright, that's it. I'm about to continue running...."

"Ah! Wait!"

She exclaimed, realizing what was happening.

She turned sharply towards Tsuna, who had already turned his attention back to her with a tilt of his head.

"...?"

"Ahem... You're Tsunayoshi Ito, the transfer student, right?"

"You know me?"

"Fufu, of course! Who doesn't know the transfer student who declared war on the entire academy..." she chuckled.

Tsuna nodded in understanding, "I guess you're right. So, what's up?"

"My name is Rindo Kobayashi..."

Rindo introduced herself, but her expression suddenly shifted to something almost predatory as she looked at Tsuna.

She couldn't help but notice his firm muscles and athletic movements, and a determination flashed in her eyes.

"You... I want you...!"

"...Huh? You want what?"

"You! I want you to join my club!"

Rindo exclaimed excitedly, extending the invitation.

"Oh... No, thanks..."

Tsuna nodded as he finally got what she was on about, but he flatly rejected it. He immediately turned around and was about to continue running.

However...

"No! I want you! You have to join my club!"

Rindo suddenly latched onto him, gripping his arm tightly against her chest.

Tsuna frowned at the unexpected gesture, but Rindo seemed unfazed, grinning mischievously, "I won't let go!"

"...I'm a man of gender equality, you might want to let go," Tsuna suggested, trying to gently pry himself free.

"Not going to!"

Rindo defiantly puffed out her cheeks, her eyes gleaming with mischief as if she were challenging him.

Tsuna sighed, starting to feel annoyed by the situation. "Listen here, I don't want to be part of any club since it's going to be a hassle for my current—"

"I'll promote your restaurant!"

Rindo interjected eagerly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"...Look, as tempting as that sounds—"

Tsuna began, but Rindo cut him short again.

"I'll do the promotion, and you don't have to regularly come to the club," she proposed, her voice filled with determination.

"Where's your club?"

In a flash, Rindo found herself lifted into a princess carry.

"Fufu... You're very decisive! I like it!"

She looked surprised for a moment before breaking into a grin and giggling.

"It's that way!"

Rindo shouted excitedly, pointing in a direction as Tsuna carried her while running.

"She's one of the Elite Ten Council members. Despite still being a student, she definitely has the connections to promote my business," he thought to himself, glancing at the seemingly excited Rindo in his arms.

He was surprised by her insight into what he needed at the moment.

"And she's quite sharp as well. I guess I should have expected that from the Elite Ten Councils..."

Tsuna had expected the Elite Ten Council members to hear what he had said at the Inauguration Ceremony.

It should be quite clear that he wanted a flow of customers from his shameless promotion, "But my promotion doesn't have any impact at all. I need a better way to promote my business!"

Social media wasn't a thing right now, so Tsuna's channels were quite limited.

That was why Rindo's offering was like a godsend!

As they made their way, Rindo explained her club, the Totsuki Basketball Club.

"Basketball? In a culinary academy?"

"Well, formally, our club is called the Totsuki Sports Drink Club. But instead of hiring athletes to test our drinks, we decided to become the athletes ourselves."

"Hmm? You play basketball?"

"Not really..."

"...Then why are you even in the club?"

Tsuna was speechless as he looked at Rindo and rolled his eyes.

"Why? Because I felt like it? It looked fun, so I joined in..."

"So you basically just joined on a whim?"

"Hehe, you could say that. But if you don't want to, we can play football, volleyball, any sport, really. It's just that the members wanted to play basketball this time..."

"..."

Tsuna couldn't help but feel his decision to agree might be a problem, considering all the members seemed to share a common personality trait...

...they did things on a whim!

"...and we need one more person to meet the requirements for the team so we can join the Interhigh this year."

"Interhigh..."

Tsuna blinked, finding the terms strangely familiar. But he shrugged it off and asked the most important question, "But why me though?"

"Hmm?"

Rindo tilted her head cutely, blinking innocently before smiling, "Because why not?"

"..."

Tsuna looked at her while shaking his head, "She really does things on a whim, huh?"

He could guess she was putting herself in danger a while ago, just on a whim as well, based on her character.

Still, as Rindo stayed in Tsuna's arm she could clearly feel Tsuna's firm muscles and endurance.

"He's definitely the perfect member for the club," Rindo thought, her eyes sparkling as she glanced back at Tsuna.

Eventually, they arrived at a large building situated on the hill of Totsuki Culinary Academy.

Tsuna set Rindo down, and she led him inside the building.

As Tsuna looked at the structure before him, he was taken aback. He had expected a modest club given that they must have made it on a whim as well.

"...!"

However, his eyes widened in surprise as he spotted a logo he hadn't anticipated seeing there.

"...You guys already have a brand?"

"Ah? Of course! Our brand name is quite well known in Japan at the moment and about to go international..."

Rindo proudly spread her arms wide to the logo above the entrance, which read "PRIME"!

With a wide grin, she declared, "...Prime your senses, prime your life!"