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Chapter 94: Military Police (Ganesha Familia)
The day after the toast, Hestia and the others had arrived at the Apollo Familia's home base.
By winning the War Game, they hadn't just secured the dissolution of the Familia and reparations, but they had also acquired the Apollo Familia's home base. Say what you will about them, but as a mid-tier Familia, their home base was a three-story mansion with a massive garden.
"You're still not done?"
"You help out too!!"
Currently, they were cleaning the inside of Hearth Manor, the new home base of the Hestia Familia.
Amidst that, only Reborn wasn't helping with the cleaning work at all, instead leisurely drinking coffee. Tsuna urged Reborn to help.
"What does it matter? I'm not a member of the Hestia Familia."
"Even if you're not a member, you're freeloading under Hestia's roof, so help out!!"
"Geez, I've got no choice."
Just as Tsuna thought Reborn might actually help upon hearing his words, Reborn pulled his beloved gun from his suit and pointed the muzzle at him.
"If you don't want a new breathing hole, hurry up and finish the work."
"That's not helping, that's a threat!!"
"I am helping. I'm motivating you to finish faster."
"I'm telling you to help with your own hands!!"
"Move your hands, not your mouth."
"Gah!?"
And, as always, Tsuna was kicked away by Reborn's unreasonableness.
"Lady Hestia... Do you really intend to let that baby join the Hestia Familia?"
"No, he's not joining. According to Reborn, he has a master he serves, so he has no intention of serving under a God. So he's practically just a freeloader."
"It's as if he's an adult on the inside..."
"Just who in the world is Lord Reborn...?"
I can't exactly tell them he's a hitman...
Hestia answered Welf's anxiety and doubts. Hearing about Reborn's future plans, Mikoto and Lili felt their sense of incongruity regarding Reborn grow even further. Bell technically knew that Reborn was a hitman, but given the circumstances, he couldn't reveal Reborn's true identity.
"Oh? Looks like someone's here."
"I'll get it."
Meanwhile, the doorbell of Hearth Manor rang, alerting Hestia to a visitor. Tsuna headed to the entryway to answer it.
"Yes, who is it?"
Opening the front door, the person who entered Tsuna's vision was a tall woman with short indigo hair.
"Sorry for the sudden visit. Are you Sawada Tsunayoshi?"
"U-Um... you are?"
"My name is Shakti Varma. I serve as the Captain of the Ganesha Familia. I have business with you, so I've come to visit."
"Eh? Me?"
Never having imagined that someone would come with business for him, Tsuna was slightly surprised.
"Tsunayoshi. Who is it?"
"It's... the Captain of the Ganesha Familia, she says she has business with me..."
"The Ganesha Familia!?"
"Tsuna!! Did you do something!?"
"Eh!? Eh!?"
The moment they heard Tsuna's words, Lili and Welf started panicking. Unable to understand why the two were panicking so much, Tsuna was bewildered.
"The Ganesha Familia acts as the city's military police, maintaining public order!!"
"And the Captain of the Ganesha Familia is a Level 5 adventurer holding the alias Ankusha!!"
"Ehh!?"
Hearing the details about the Ganesha Familia and Shakti from Bell and Mikoto, Tsuna started to panic, thinking he might have done something wrong.
"You got sloppy. I always tell you not to leave a trail when you're pulling shady jobs."
"Don't say things that make the situation more complicated!!"
"At this point, we have no choice but to wipe out the Ganesha Familia and destroy the evidence."
"We are NOT doing that!!"
In a situation where Tsuna feared he might be arrested, Reborn started saying things that added fuel to the fire, causing Tsuna to be dragged around by him as usual.
"No... I came here because I wanted to borrow his power..."
"Eh?"
"Tsunayoshi's power?"
When Shakti said she wanted to borrow Tsuna's power, Hestia narrowed her eyes and went on guard.
"I cannot disclose the details, but I wish to borrow his power to apprehend a certain organization."
"What do you mean by that?"
"As I said earlier, I cannot reveal the details. I know I am making an unreasonable request, but I ask for your understanding, God Hestia."
Shakti was fully aware that Hestia was a divine figure, yet she resolutely refused to reveal the reason why she wanted to borrow Tsuna's power, implying the matter was of grave importance.
"Of course, I am not forcing you, so it will not be an issue if you decline. However, if you do accept, we will prepare a reward. I won't demand an answer right this moment, but please, I hope for a favorable response."
"Sure."
"Don't answer for me!!"
Tsuna retorted at Reborn, a third party, for answering immediately on his own despite Shakti seeking confirmation from him and Hestia.
"So that's how it is, take this guy with you. You can even work him to the bone until he can't stand anymore."
"Listen to people!!"
Tsuna retorted again at Reborn for advancing the conversation on his own without listening to him.
"Lord Tsunayoshi. It might be selfish of me, but could you please accept this request...?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"With the Hestia Familia's recent Guild rank increase and this sprawling mansion as our new home base, we'll be facing substantial taxes moving forward. Even though we acquired the reparations, with the remodeling fees for the home base, those funds will be almost completely depleted."
"But won't we be fine with the money I earned..."
Actually, after the War Game ended, Tsuna had received his reward for the expedition to the 59th Floor. Therefore, he felt they wouldn't have to worry about money for a while, but...
"Under the influence of this War Game, we expect a flood of applicants to join from now on. If that happens, we will incur even more expenses of all kinds... Therefore, currently, no matter how much money we have, it's a situation where it won't be enough."
"I see..."
It was true that before winning the War Game, the Hestia Familia's Guild rank was low, and taxes weren't that high, so there would have been no problem with just the expedition reward. However, now that their rank had risen and their taxes had increased, if a situation arose where members flooded in, it was inevitable that the costs for weapons, potions, food, and repairs would surge significantly. Therefore, Lili thought she wanted Tsuna to accept the request from the Ganesha Familia.
"...Alright, I guess I'll accept it."
Given that it would put pressure on the Familia's finances, he couldn't exactly refuse, so Tsuna decided to accept the request from the Ganesha Familia.
"Are you truly certain? You may take your time to consider it."
"It's fine."
Not having expected to receive an answer so quickly, Shakti was considerate, but Tsuna's resolve did not waver.
"Understood. We will have you come to our home base at a later date to explain the details of the request. Will that be alright?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
"I will come to pick you up again once the date is decided. I will excuse myself for today."
Shakti gave a light bow and left Hearth Manor.
.....
And so, a few days later. Tsuna arrived at I Am Ganesha, the home base of the Ganesha Familia, but...
"I AM GANESHA!!"
(What is with this God!?)
Before Tsuna's eyes was a muscular God wearing an elephant mask and striking a bizarre pose. Faced with a God possessing far too strong a personality, Tsuna had no choice but to scream internally.
This man's name was Ganesha, the head deity of the Ganesha Familia. Gods generally tended to have strong personalities, but even among them, Ganesha's personality was overwhelmingly intense, widely known as an eccentric deity among Gods and mortals alike. Yet at the same time, he loved the children of the lower world from the bottom of his heart and was also known as a highly respectable deity.
"U-Um..."
"I AM GANESHA!!"
We can't have a conversation at all!!
Tsuna tried to initiate a conversation with Ganesha, but Ganesha only strongly asserted his presence, leaving Tsuna utterly perplexed as to what to do.
"Enough already, Ganesha. The conversation isn't progressing."
"Hmph. Right."
When Shakti, unable to watch any longer, threw out a lifeline, Ganesha stopped posing.
"Allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Ganesha, the head deity of the Ganesha Familia."
"I-I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi..."
"Sawada Tsunayoshi, is it. Your performance in the recent War Game was splendid. The masses may focus entirely on Bell Cranel, but I highly commend your efforts to save those who were subjugated by Apollo. I was deeply moved."
"T-Thank you..."
Not having thought he was being evaluated so highly, Tsuna felt a little embarrassed. The development of causing the enemy to betray them was certainly shocking and unprecedented, but as expected, Bell's overwhelming speed of growth and his victory over Hyakinthos were far stronger topics, drawing the world's attention toward Bell. Though, as far as Tsuna was concerned, it was much more helpful for Bell to be the center of attention, so he was rather relieved.
"Now then, let's get down to business... You have likely already heard from Shakti, but I wish to borrow the power of your illusions."
"You have an organization you want to apprehend, right?"
"Exactly. However, we cannot apprehend them as we lack evidence, and furthermore, we are troubled as we cannot resort to forceful measures. Thus, I hit upon the idea of borrowing your power."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know of the Grand Casino in Santorio Vega?"
"Santorio?"
"It is a bustling entertainment district boasting Orario's largest recreational facilities. Built with the aid of foreign nations for an Orario lacking in entertainment, it is Orario's largest recreational facility, and at the same time, an extraterritorial zone where even the Guild cannot easily interfere."
"A place like that exists..."
"The truth is, we have obtained information that Terry Cervantes, the owner of El Dorado Resort, the premier casino in Santorio Vega, has been acquiring women behind the scenes through coercive methods. However, because it is an extraterritorial zone, and because we are entrusted with the casino's security, and furthermore, because there is even a possibility of it escalating into a diplomatic issue, the investigation is proving extremely difficult."
"So you need my illusions to..."
Hearing the series of explanations from Ganesha, Tsuna understood his intention to use Tsuna's illusionary powers to investigate under the surface.
"Of course, we cannot place the burden solely on you... That is why I must ask, can you cast illusions on others?"
"I haven't tried it, but I think I can. However, my illusions can only be created close to me right now, so if I cast an illusion on someone else, I have to be right next to them. Also, I can't use illusions to turn invisible."
Tsuna explained his illusions in response to Shakti's question. Tsuna was not a proper illusionist. At his current stage, he could still only create illusions around himself. He couldn't operate them remotely, make them perform complex actions, or blend them into the surrounding scenery to make it look as if no one was there.
"That is sufficient. With that, we might be able to enter that room."
"That room?"
"There is a room inside the casino that ordinary guests and even we, the Ganesha Familia, cannot enter. It seems only VIPs and a select few among the casino affiliates are allowed inside. Rumor has it that it is not only a place for exceedingly high-stakes games, but also a tasteless venue where the owner introduces his mistresses."
"So we're going to infiltrate that place and grab the evidence, right?"
"Precisely. That said, we do not know what will happen. Due to the nature of this operation, only you and I can infiltrate. And Terry has most likely hired soldiers behind the scenes. More than anything, we do not know how much military strength Terry possesses. Of course, we will have you concentrate on creating illusions, and I will handle the combat. But I cannot guarantee it is absolutely safe. Will you still undertake this undercover investigation? You can still turn back now, you know?"
Shakti told Tsuna it was fine to refuse this undercover investigation.
"No, it's fine. I'll do it."
"I see. Thank you."
And so, Tsuna ended up going undercover at the Grand Casino. However, at this time, Tsuna did not know. He did not know that through this undercover investigation, he would learn a certain unexpected truth.
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