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Chapter 60: Turmoil (Turbament)
The day after the brawl at the tavern.
I wonder if Ryuu is around.
It was shortly before evening. Tsuna was currently making his way toward the Hostess of Fertility.
Earlier that day, Bell had received a formal invitation to a 'Banquet of the Gods'—an exclusive gala hosted by the deities—from the Apollo Familia. The attendance requirements mandated that the patron deity attend with exactly one Familia member. Because the Apollo Familia was the faction they fought at the pub yesterday, Hestia and Bell attended the banquet to formally speak with their deity, leaving Tsuna behind to watch the church.
Having not seen Ryuu since they parted ways in the dungeon, Tsuna had decided to check in on her and grab dinner at the pub while he was at it.
After a fifteen-minute walk, he arrived at the Hostess of Fertility. Standing outside the entrance, sweeping the front step, was a short-haired human woman wearing the tavern's signature uniform.
"Excuse me."
"Hm? Are you a customer?"
When Tsuna called out, the woman paused her sweeping and looked over.
This was Lunoire Faust, one of the pub's waitresses. At first glance, she looked like a perfectly normal woman, but she was notoriously rough around the edges, known for mercilessly physically tossing out unruly patrons. Despite her violent tendencies, she was one of the more sensible employees, often playing the exhausted straight-man to Anya and Chloe's endless antics.
"Is Ryuu working today?"
"You. Do you know Ryuu?"
The moment he asked for Ryuu, Lunoire's eyes narrowed into a sharp, threatening glare.
"N-No! We just sort of ran into each other in the dungeon recently, and she really helped out a friend of mine, so I wanted to say hi!"
"Oh. I see."
Realizing Tsuna wasn't a threat, Lunoire instantly dropped her guard and relaxed.
"Sorry 'bout that. I thought you might be one of the guys holding a grudge against her."
"G-Grudge?"
"Our pub caters specifically to adventurers, right? Which means we get a lot of hot-headed idiots. Sometimes when they start trashing the place, we have to beat the crap out of 'em and throw 'em out. I thought you might be a sore loser coming back for revenge."
She just said 'beat the crap out of them' with a straight face!?
Lunoire's casual admission of extreme violence sent a shiver down Tsuna's spine.
"Ryuu's around, yeah. But she's been acting really weird lately."
"Weird? Is she sick or something?"
"Not sick, exactly… It's just, ever since she got back from the dungeon, she's been tripping over nothing, spacing out constantly, and washing the same plate over and over again."
Did something happen to her?
Hearing Lunoire's report, Tsuna wondered if Ryuu had been affected by their battle, remaining completely and utterly oblivious to the actual cause.
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lunoire Faust. Nice to meet ya."
"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. You can just call me Tsuna."
"Wha—!?"
The moment she heard his name, Lunoire dropped her broom in pure shock.
"Y-You're him!?"
"W-What!?"
"Is it true you can eat Syr's cooking and survive!?"
"Uh…!? I wouldn't say I'm completely fine, but it's not like it's completely inedible…"
"No way… Even people with the Abnormal Resistance development ability get wiped out by her food!?"
"Development ability?"
Hearing an unfamiliar term, Tsuna tilted his head in confusion.
"Development abilities are specialized skills you can acquire when you Level Up. They vary from person to person. Abnormal Resistance, like the name implies, gives you resistance to poisons and other status ailments. Though, the level of tolerance depends on the person."
"Ah, I see. I'm only Level 1, so I don't have any of those development abilities."
"Even high-level adventurers with Abnormal Resistance drop dead from Syr's cooking… How the hell are you surviving it…?"
"I have an acquaintance back home who has a terrifying talent for turning any meal she cooks into pure poison… Compared to her, Syr's food is actually somewhat manageable…"
"What kind of cursed talent is that!?"
Lunoire couldn't help but shout a retort at the thought of someone possessing a culinary talent so lethal it made Syr's cooking look tame.
"How much longer are you gonna take sweeping the dirt, Lunoire? Get back to work."
The pub's doors swung open, and a middle-aged dwarven woman with earthy brown hair tied back in a bun stepped outside.
This was Mia Grand, the owner of the Hostess of Fertility. She had a fiercely tomboyish, fearless personality, possessing the overwhelming presence of a true 'boss lady'. While she was utterly terrifying when angered—striking fear into the hearts of her employees—she was also deeply compassionate and fiercely protective of her staff, earning their profound respect.
"Who're you? Haven't seen your face before."
"Umm… I came to see Ryuu, and to grab some dinner."
"Is that so? I'm Mia. The owner of the Hostess of Fertility."
Mia hooked a thumb at her own chest, introducing herself with a booming voice.
"I'll tell you this right now. This is my pub. In here, I am the law. I don't care if you're a human or a God—anyone who causes trouble in my place gets no mercy. Understood?"
"Y-Yes ma'am!!"
Crushed by her overbearing aura, Tsuna instinctively stood at attention and shouted his compliance.
"You said you came to see Ryuu, right? She's out doing some shopping. She should be back soon, so head inside and wait."
With that, Mia turned around and headed back inside to resume her duties.
"T-This is a pub, right?"
Mia's intimidating presence was so far beyond that of a normal tavern owner that Tsuna seriously questioned if he had walked into a military barracks.
"Mama Mia used to be an adventurer. But she always said that no matter how shitty the era got, she wanted to create a place where people could smile and eat good food. That's why she opened this pub."
"She's an amazing person."
"Yeah. But if you make her mad, she'll literally punch you through a wall, so watch yourself. At best, you get banned. At worst, she legitimately buries you…"
"B-Buries…!?"
Tsuna was horrified by the word "buries," but having just felt Mia's overwhelming aura, he knew Lunoire wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.
.....
Meanwhile, at that exact moment.
Just what is wrong with me?
Ryuu was currently walking through the city streets, carrying groceries back to the pub.
Ever since that day, I can't stop thinking about him…!?
Her cheeks were tinted pink as Tsuna's face repeatedly flashed through her mind. Lost in thought wondering why she was so fixated on him, she arrived at the Hostess of Fertility before she even realized it.
"Ah, Ryuu. You've got a visitor."
"Long time no see, Ryuu."
"!?"
The very boy she had just been agonizing over suddenly appeared right in front of her. Ryuu's face instantly flushed crimson. Without a sound, she completely short-circuited. She fell straight backward, slamming the back of her head against the stone pavement.
""Ryuu!?""
Shocked by her sudden collapse, Tsuna and Lunoire immediately rushed to her side.
"W-Whoa!? Are you okay!?"
"S-Stay away from me!!"
"Guh!?"
Tsuna crouched down and leaned in close to check on her. The second Tsuna's face entered her field of vision, Ryuu reflexively threw a devastating uppercut. Her fist connected cleanly with Tsuna's jaw, launching him into the air before he crashed unceremoniously onto the floor.
"It hurts!!"
Y-You've got to be kidding me!?
Tsuna scrambled right back up, clutching his jaw and groaning in pain. Lunoire stared in absolute disbelief. She couldn't comprehend how Tsuna was still conscious after taking a direct hit from Ryuu.
During her days as a bounty hunter, Lunoire was known by the alias [Black Fist], a Level 4 adventurer. After the Dark Age, she had fought Ryuu firsthand. Having worked alongside her for years, Lunoire knew exactly how monstrous Ryuu's strength was. Even if she wasn't serious, a Level 1 adventurer should have had their jaw shattered and been knocked out cold from an attack like that.
However, because Tsuna lived his life constantly brushing shoulders with death thanks to Reborn's Spartan tutoring, his body had become significantly sturdier than a normal human's. Ryuu's uppercut was painful, but it wasn't enough to put him down.
"Hah!? What did I just do!?"
Snapping back to reality, Ryuu scrambled to her feet, horrified by her own actions.
"You just sent that poor kid flying! Don't tell me you don't remember!?"
"I-I did that!?"
"Who else is standing here!? More importantly, how do you not remember!?"
"I-I… I remember seeing Mr. Sawada's face right in front of me… but my memory cuts out right after that…"
D-Don't tell me…!?
Hearing Ryuu's panicked explanation, the pieces finally clicked together in Lunoire's head. She slowly turned her gaze toward Tsuna.
Could the reason Ryuu's been acting so weird be... !?
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