Chapter 1
Tsunayoshi Sawada has a crush. It's nothing new for a middle school kid like him to have a crush on the school's idol. Many people do. It's just that he has a crush on a different school Idol than people may think.
There are two popular students at Namimori middle school that could be considered the School's idols.
First was Sasagawa Kyoko, the innocent flower, the prettiest girl in their school. Now others would think that this particular idol was who Tsuna liked but sadly no.
The one that Dame-Tsuna had the audacity to like was Kuro Hari. A foreigner who transferred to the school last year. Who was also very much male.
If the male students fawn over Kyoko-chan like she was their kind goddess then the female half would cheer out loud for their prince charming.
Kuro Hari was everything that Tsuna was not. He was smart, handsome, confident, and very good at sports. They couldn't be more opposite.
Not to mention that both of them were male, Tsuna would dare utter his crush even in his death. That would be too embarrassing and he would rather kill himself than have Hari-kun's emerald eyes turn on him with disgust, he just can't.
Backpaddling as to how his crush manifested for the male idol rather than the female started just after the other boy's enrollment in the school.
At first, Tsuna had an appreciation for Kyoko-chan like the rest of the males. Especially since she never called him Dame like the majority of the school and made fun of him.
Then Hari-kun arrived at class with his handsome and foreign looks that made the girls in class squeal.
At first, he was jealous of the handsome and smart new foreign student. He also feared as to how this Gaijin would react to Dame-Tsuna. If his lead would just make the bullying worst.
But then the day passed and Tsuna was able to breathe in relief when the foreigner took a look at his clumsy self and didn't start a bullying campaign as Mochida-senpai did.
Then one day, early in class. While Nezu-sensei was reaching as always. He knew it would be another bad day. The older man just had it out for Tsuna and did his best to humiliate him.
Oddly enough, unlike normally, the beady-eyed sensei didn't try to test or bully the Gaijin as per his personality. But actually seems to fawn over the new student.
Tsuna would then learn later that the Kuro family was a rich old blood family that had a lot of connections. Many people lusted and fawned over the family name. Including Nezu-sensei.
Then as expected, the man zeroed on Tsuna on a particularly hard question and made to effort to hide his sadistic glee at asking him.
When he stuttered out the wrong answer, he didn't even have it in him to flinch at Nezu-sensei's scathing remarks as to how 'this I what happen when you don't study and turn into a useless mess like Dame-Tsuna. Don't copy him'.
The rest of the class laughed as usual but Hari stayed silent in his seat.
Just when Tsuna was about to melt into his seat in shame, a loud thud interrupted and surprised everyone.
They looked towards the sound and saw that Hari had used his fist and slammed it on his table to create the noise. His face was pulled into a sneer and a dark look flitted on his emerald eyes.
"Pathetic", he bit out. Everyone's eyes landed on him. The aura that he always carried with him that charms people turned cold and demanding.
It was silent enough to hear if a needle fell to the ground. Everyone was stiff and speechless including Tsuna.
"If what strokes your overinflated ego is to abuse your position as an educator to humiliate and target a student rather than correcting them and actually teach like you're paid to do then the world is better off having your gene pool wiped from this earth to save everyone else the trouble"
Tsuna heard quite gasps around them as he himself couldn't believe what Hari-kun was saying. That Hari was actually defending the Dame-Tsuna.
"And to everyone else", those jeweled eyes scanned the room with sheer disgust. "If you get a kick out of all of this and enjoy causing pain to your own classmates then I can say the same to all of you. I'm very disappointed in this school. And here I thought that moving into this place was a good idea. All of you disgust me"
He then stood up from his seat and walked towards the stunt Tsuna who was too shocked to move or speak.
Hari then grabbed his wrist and gently led him out of the room. Tsuna could hear loud chatters erupt as well as Nezu-sensei's shouts that appeared as they left the room.
Tsuna looked at the other boy with stars in his eyes and he could feel his heart beating so loudly that he could hear it.
He didn't need to have a mirror to know that he must be red as a tomato right now.
"T-thank y-you—Hari—I mean Kuro-san!", he stuttered out while looking down at his shoe in embarrassment. He can't even properly thank someone. He really was Dame-Tsuna.
Hari then turned his head to him and gave him a kind smile.
"You're welcome Sawada-san, I was only doing what was right. It was horrible of them to treat you that way", they replied earnestly. Tsuna swore that this was the moment that he knew he liked the other boy.
Hari then brought him to the cafeteria to 'let him cool off and get away from that dreaded classroom' as he called it.
Tsuna was then coaxed into a small talk by the nice older boy and soon became comfortable enough to ask questions.
The fluffy-haired boy was curious as the what ticked the Hari about the event itself. The foreigner's reaction seems a little more extreme than normal.
Then Hari replied that he had a similar experience in his old school as well much to Tsuna's surprise. How could somebody like Hari-kun be treated like Dame-Tsuna? They were nothing alike.
But Hari just laughed and said that the victims were never to be blamed. If a person wanted to hate someone then they will always find a reason why.
The best he could do was to stand up and don't let himself be turned into their personal doormat.
"The world is a shitty place you know. Not because of the evil assholes around. But because of the people who see and know, yet doesn't do anything about it. That's what makes a bad place"
Hari had explained with eyes looking at the air as if seeing a memory.
Tsuna could vaguely understand what the other boy meant and nodded along.
When Tsuna went home early at the insistence of the other boy, he told his mother that he was sick and needed to rest.
The next day when he nervously went to school he heard from the gossip around him that Nezu-sensei had been fired for abuse of authority and fraud.
Many people came and faked apologies to him, Tsuna just stood there with an equally faked smile and nodded.
Things got better for him but not by much. Thankfully, rather than open disdain and ridicule, people opted to just ignore him instead.
Hari-kun was still popular as always and he was still Dame-Tsuna.
The foreigner still tried to invite him and spend time with Tsuna but with this awful feeling on his chest, Tsuna didn't dare unless Hari figured it out. So he kept a distance between him and the other boy.
He knew that he hurt his classmate's feelings but Hari thankfully seems to accept it and kept being polite to Tsuna. He doesn't deserve to have Hari-kun as a friend.
Now things were going to be thrown into the proverbial window ever since that chaotic baby claiming to be the world's greatest hitman and was trying to push him into becoming a mafia boss appeared.
He was lucky that Hari-kun arrived very early at school and Tsuna who managed to only be barely late thanks to Reborn didn't meet up.
Tsuna didn't want to know what the little devil would do when he manages to sniff up his crush on the other boy.
But it seems that his prayers are for nothing when he was about to leave for lunch and quietly eat his bento outside when Reborn appeared and snatched off the fried chicken he was about to eat.
"Dame-Tsuna, a mafia boss should always be aware of his surroundings", the baby said before eating the fried chicken in one bite when they landed on the ground right beside he was sitting.
"Hieee! Reborn what are you doing here! Go away!"
He shrieked louder as the baby hitman shot at him and he was barely even able to dodge.
"Shut up Dame-Tsuna. You're too loud. It's unbefitting a mafia heir"
That was when they heard footsteps coming to their location. Leon shifted back into a chameleon and Reborn sat beside him like he didn't just shoot him.
Kuro Hari arrived with a couple of books in his hands and his eyes widened a bit in surprise upon seeing him.
"Oh, hello Sawada-san. Good afternoon, I see you are about to eat your lunch. Have a nice meal", they smiled at him and Tsuna couldn't help but blush.
"T-Thank you Kuro-san! H-have a nice meal too", he stuttered again and stuffed his face with the rice to avoid looking at Hari and making more of a fool out of himself.
Tsuna sighed in relief and longingless when Hari finally walked passed him and out of sight.
"Oh, not what I expected. But looks like Dame-Tsuna has a crush", the devil in the form of a baby giggled beside him.
He screeched louder and almost dropped his lunch.
"Eh! What are you talking about Reborn! I don't have a crush!!"
He denied it with all his heart and waved his hands in random motions while trying to hide his blushing face.
"Hoho, don't deny it Dame-Tsuna"
"No, you're wrong! Shut up Reborn!", he stilled as the demon baby pointed Leon who turned back into a gun towards him.
"If your so sure then how about you die. You'll understand it"
Then a bullet shot his head.
At that moment sudden regret filled him and he burst into flames.
"Reborn, I will confess my feelings to Kuro Hari with my dying will!!!"
His clothes burst into shreds and left him in his underwear. Tsuna was filled with such will and single-mindedness that he couldn't even tell when he ran in Hari's direction.
And as a moment Tsuna will list it down as the most embarrassing moment of his life. In front of the school building, in only his underwear, he confessed to Hari-san.
"Kuro Hari please go out with me!"
The crowd went still and silent as everyone eyed at the scene that looked like it went out of a shitty comedy movie.
The sudden burst of confidence disappeared soon and Tsuna was left confused and morbidly ashamed as he took in the scene as well.
Hari-kun had dropped the books he was carrying on the ground and was looking at him with sheer disbelief.
Tsuna felt that he could die at the moment and wished could just turn around and run. He didn't understand just how this could happen. What the hell happened to him? What was inside that bullet? How come it didn't kill him?
"Ah–I guess okay? But Sawada-san, how about we get you some clothes and inside the building first"
Hari said before he unbuttoned his uniform which showed a white shirt underneath. He then places it over the frozen Tsuna's shoulders and pulled him over towards the direction of the nurse's building inside the school.
A moment of silence passed before loud shouts of disbelief spread to the area. Most people thought they hallucinated and packed their bags to go back home and rest. Some girls dropped to the ground in tears.
Reborn who watched the whole thing froze himself as his button eyes looked on with disbelief. But as the skilled hitman that he was, he quickly calmed down and compartmentalized those emotions for later. First, he needed to check on his students and find some information about this Kuro Hari.
But Tsuna? The fluffy-haired boy was too busy being in a daze of incredulity as his crush accepted his feelings.