The utterly disastrous canal cruise finally ended, and Tsuna and Daphne were at long last freed from their aquatic prison of humiliation.
"I-I'm really sorry… Cassandra completely overdid it…"
"I-It's fine. I don't really mind."
"…I'm going to give her a very, very stern talking-to later."
"Hiiieeee!!"
A prominent vein popped on Daphne's forehead as she clenched her right fist with terrifying intensity. Seeing her exude such a murderous aura, Tsuna let out a pathetic shriek.
Knowing full well she was about to face Daphne's wrath, Cassandra had wisely chosen to slip out of the café and vanish while they were distracted by the parfait.
"H-Hey… do you have any plans after this?"
"Not really, why?"
"S-Since we're already out, do you want to keep going?"
"Eh?"
Originally, the plan was just to get tea. But deciding it would be a waste to end the date so early, Daphne twirled a strand of hair around her finger and invited him to stay longer.
"D-Don't get the wrong idea!! I just thought it would be a good idea to hang out more so we can build a friendly relationship between our Familias…!!"
"Sure, sounds good to me."
"Eh!?"
Feeling guilty for inviting him without a solid reason, Daphne hurriedly slapped together a diplomatic excuse, just like she had when asking him out for tea. However, Tsuna agreed so effortlessly she let out a sound of pure surprise.
"So, where are we going?"
"E-Err… Oh, right! How about a canal cruise!?"
"A canal cruise?"
"Yeah! You can take a boat ride through the waterways and see all sorts of places in Orario!! What do you think!?"
"Oh… That sounds like fun. Let's do it."
T-Thank goodness… It was an idea she had blurted out in a panic, but seeing Tsuna smile and agree so readily made Daphne sigh in relief.
Following Daphne's lead, they made their way to the docks. Boarding a small wooden gondola, Tsuna and Daphne sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the passenger bench alongside a handful of other tourists.
"Alrighty, is everyone securely seated? It's going to be a short trip, but our sightseeing cruise is officially departing"
After the guide finished her checks, the oarsmen at the front and rear pushed off the dock, and the gondola glided smoothly down the canal.
"I'll be your guide for today! My name is Enna, and I'm from the Sobek Familia. Eh? You've never heard of us? Yep, figured as much. We're the Familia that got way too cocky a long time ago, teamed up with Set-sama and Osiris-sama, picked a fight with the absolute monster squads known as Zeus and Hera, and got completely annihilated in a faction war. So yeah, you can just think of us as a washed-up, bottom-tier faction~!"
Did she really just weave a traumatically depressing backstory into her casual introduction!? Tsuna stared at Enna in shock as she cheerfully delivered her heavy, self-deprecating lore with a breezy customer-service smile.
"But hey, because anything can happen, an adventurer like me is here to protect you all! This is Orario, after all! You never know what's lurking around the corner. Anyway, enough chatting, let's get back to work~!"
With that, Enna began brightly narrating the history of the various tourist attractions they drifted past.
"Wow, Orario really has a lot of amazing places, doesn't it?"
"You really did just get to the city recently, didn't you?"
"Yeah. And ever since I got here, I've pretty much spent all my time diving into the Dungeon for cash."
Ever since arriving in this world, Tsuna had worked himself to the bone to fix the Hestia Familia's abysmal financial situation. He hadn't had a single moment to relax and actually look around the city.
"So I've never actually had the free time to just go sightseeing with someone like this."
Looking back, his life in Orario had been non-stop chaos. Between being obsessively hunted by Ais, fighting Allen and the Gulliver Brothers, diving to the 59th Floor, the War Game, and investigating the Grand Casino, he hadn't had a single second to catch his breath.
"Hmm… Is that so."
"What's wrong, Daphne? You're grinning. Did something good happen?"
"H-Huh!? N-No way!! I am absolutely not grinning!!"
Called out for her shifting expression, Daphne frantically averted her eyes. Learning she was the very first person Tsuna had ever gone sightseeing with filled her with such intense, bubbling joy she hadn't been able to keep her lips from curving upward.
W-What the hell am I doing!? I can't be getting this happy over something so trivial!! Daphne slapped both hands against her burning cheeks, mentally scolding herself to regain her composure.
And then, it happened.
"Eh!?"
Without warning, a massive, grotesque fish erupted from the water, launching itself high into the air directly toward the gondola. Under normal circumstances, Daphne would have sensed its approach instantly, but because she was entirely distracted by her own embarrassment, she failed to notice the monster's intent.
The creature was a Raider Fish. While the canals were completely separate from the Dungeon, monsters that managed to escape and breed in the sewers occasionally breached the surface. Enna's earlier warning hadn't been a joke—it was precisely for moments like this that an adventurer rode along.
The Raider Fish unhinged its massive jaws, hurtling straight toward Daphne to swallow her whole.
"[X-Laser]."
Before the monster could even cast a shadow over her, a concentrated beam of brilliant orange light pierced straight through its core. The Raider Fish was instantly incinerated into ash mid-air. The other passengers on the boat, along with the tourists watching from the canal banks, were left with their jaws hanging open in stunned silence.
"Are you okay, Daphne?"
"Y-Yeah… but, why…?"
Daphne was completely bewildered. There was an active adventurer on the boat whose literal job was to handle situations like this. She couldn't understand why Tsuna had intervened.
"My body just moved on its own. I wanted to protect you."
"Y-You idiot!! You can't just say things like that in public!!"
Tsuna had simply stated the honest truth without a second thought, but the devastating romantic impact of his words caused Daphne's face to violently erupt into flames as she shrieked at him.
"Woooow!! We had a sudden monster attack, but thanks to the power of love, this boyfriend awakened his true strength and effortlessly eradicated the threat! Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a massive round of applause to bless this wonderful couple~!!"
"Wha!?"
"!?"
Prompted by Enna's enthusiastic announcement, the surrounding passengers and onlookers erupted into cheers and applause.
Being publicly declared a boyfriend caused Tsuna to blush furiously, the shock instantly snapping him out of Hyper Dying Will Mode. Daphne was equally devastated, her face burning as she buried her head in her hands, unable to look anyone in the eye.
"So, when are you two planning the wedding?"
"We are not getting married!! And for the record, we aren't even dating!!"
"Aww, you don't need to hide your embarrassment! We all know the truth! You wanted to catch her attention, so you made that grand speech during the War Game, right? And the moment you claimed victory, you finally made the Laurus Fuga yours"
"T-That's completely wrong!!"
Enna wildly misinterpreted the events of the Siege War, assuming Tsuna had deliberately sparked a rebellion to free Daphne from Apollo's grasp just to claim her for himself. Tsuna frantically denied the absurd narrative, his face as red as a tomato.
"Alright everyone, due to unforeseen circumstances, we will now be changing our itinerary to host these two lovebirds' wedding ceremony~!!"
"Give me a break!!"
S-Somebody save me…!! Enna completely abandoned her actual job to spontaneously ordain a wedding. Tsuna desperately shouted retorts, while Daphne, her face and ears burning with agonizing humiliation, could do nothing but pray to the Gods for the boat ride to end.
For the remainder of the tour, the two of them were trapped on the water, ruthlessly teased by Ena and subjected to a relentless barrage of public shame.
---
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