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Chapter 98: Promise
The day following the casino incident.
Thanks to Tsuna and the others, Terry's horrific crimes were brought to light. He and his accomplices were successfully arrested, and the women he had abducted were safely rescued and placed under the protection of the Ganesha Familia.
"So, Ryu—wait, uh..."
Having deactivated his Hyper Dying Will Mode, Tsuna returned to his usual self. He started to call out Ryuu's name, but caught himself since Shakti, a military police officer, was standing right there. He frantically tried to remember her alias, Maximilian, but drew a complete blank.
"…You can address me normally, Mr. Sawada. Shakti already knows who I am," Ryuu said gently.
"Wait, really?"
"Yes. Lion and I are comrades-in-arms who fought together during the Dark Age," Shakti explained. "Strictly speaking, it is my duty to arrest her. But thanks to Lion's actions back then, peace returned to Orario. I have no intention of putting her in chains."
"I see…"
"But I must admit, I'm surprised you knew Lion's true identity."
"That's because Mr. Tsuna is a very special person to Ryuu!" Syr piped up happily.
"S-Syr!? Please, do not say unnecessary things!!" Ryuu shrieked.
"Special?" Tsuna blinked, completely missing the implication.
"Lion… you…"
While Tsuna tilted his head in confusion, Shakti instantly understood exactly what Syr meant, and her eyes widened in profound shock.
"By the way, I've been wondering," Tsuna said, oblivious to the tension. "Why were you dressed as a man?"
"The invitation to enter this suite was given to us by an acquaintance of Syr's… But since the invitation was for a married couple, I had to dress as a man for us to get in."
"Actually, she originally planned to go with you, Mr. Tsuna!" Syr teased relentlessly. "But when we went to your home, you weren't there, so I went as her substitute instead!"
"P-Please, Syr! Stop revealing things you shouldn't!!"
Ryuu's face flushed violently red in her panic as her secrets were mercilessly dragged into the light.
"Wait, you were going to invite me?" Tsuna asked.
"I-I do not have many acquaintances... And since you are stronger than me, Mr. Sawada, I thought you could handle anything if a situation arose…"
"Well, in the end, it's a good thing you went with Syr. I have absolutely zero talent for poker."
Terry's true, violent nature had only been exposed because Syr humiliated him at the card table. If they had needed to fight their way out, Tsuna could have handled it, but at a poker table? He would have been nothing but a dead weight.
"So… what should I do now? Is there anything else I can help with?" Tsuna asked.
"No, you've done enough. We will handle the cleanup," Shakti assured him. "You're free to go home. I'll deliver your reward to your Familia's headquarters at a later date."
"Got it. I'll head back, then."
"U-Um! Mr. Sawada!!"
"Hm? What is it?"
Deeming his job done, Tsuna turned to leave the casino, but Ryuu's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"T-The truth is, lately I've been practicing my forms in the tavern's courtyard every morning…"
"Okay, and?"
"I-I find myself lacking a suitable sparring partner… So, I was hoping you might be willing to spar with me… Training alone simply isn't enough anymore… Of course, I won't force you if you're busy…"
"She even tried asking Anya and the others, but Ryuu went way overboard, and now none of them will spar with her anymore!" Syr added helpfully.
"Just what did you do to them!?" Tsuna sweatdropped.
"I… have a difficult time holding back… I always end up going too far…" Ryuu admitted, looking genuinely guilty.
Given Syr's testimony, Ryuu's remorse seemed entirely genuine.
Come to think of it, Lunoire mentioned something about that… Tsuna had been slightly surprised to learn that Anya and the other waitresses could fight, but he remembered Lunoire mentioning that she routinely beat up rowdy adventurers who caused trouble in the tavern. For them to casually toss around adventurers with Falnas meant that Anya and the rest of the Hostess of Fertility staff also possessed Falnas.
"Please, Mr. Tsuna! If you don't want Anya and the others to suffer, you have to spar with Ryuu!" Syr begged, clasping her hands together with watery eyes.
"That's not a favor, that's a threat!" Tsuna retorted.
"Hmm… Well, if it's just sparring…"
"T-Truly!?"
"Yeah, I don't mind."
Honestly, Tsuna wasn't particularly thrilled about waking up early for combat training, but he owed Ryuu for helping out so massively during the War Game. He accepted her request.
"I'll come by the tavern tomorrow. See you then."
With the promise made, Tsuna left the suite and headed back to Hearth Manor.
"…To think you would make a cross-faction sparring promise right in front of me," Shakti sighed.
"T-This is a misunderstanding, Shakti! I was just—!"
Ryuu had just casually organized an inter-faction spar—a major Guild taboo—right in front of the city's top military police officer. Realizing her blunder, she scrambled to explain, but her fluster tripped up her tongue.
"It's fine… Thanks to you two, we managed to arrest Terry. I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"Forgive me, Shakti…"
"Still, I'm surprised. To think you would harbor such special feelings for a man."
"W-What are you saying, Shakti!?"
"It's true!" Syr chimed in again. "Ryuu is just absolutely head over heels for Mr. Tsuna. Earlier, she coincidentally saw Mr. Tsuna walking with you, Shakti, and completely misunderstood! She thought you two were dating! It took forever to calm her down!"
"Stop it!!"
Exposed completely by Syr, Ryuu grabbed her head, her face burning so hot it felt like it might actually melt. Watching the normally stoic elf writhe in absolute embarrassment, Shakti had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud.
"You've changed, Lion… But I'm glad. I'm sure Alise and the others… and Ardi, too, would be overjoyed to see you like this."
"Shakti…"
Seeing Shakti's melancholic, gentle smile, Ryuu's own expression softened into something bittersweet. Ardi was Shakti's younger sister. She had been a bright, deeply kind girl, but she had lost her life during the Dark Age seven years ago. She had been a member of the Ganesha Familia, and to Ryuu, one of her dearest, irreplaceable friends.
"I need to return to my duties. Thank you both for your help in arresting Terry."
With a brief nod, Shakti left the suite to oversee the post-incident cleanup.
"…Shall we return as well?" Ryuu asked.
"Yes."
With Anna safe and their mission accomplished, there was no reason to linger. The two of them headed back to the tavern.
And with that, the incident at the Grand Casino finally came to a close.
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