"She's like a fire burning up the debris

Oh, I need to loosen up my collar to breathe

And there's no window here to let in the breeze

But she can give me all the air that I need."

- "Bottle of Jack" by Mikey Wax

Sunday passed by way too quickly.

After Haru returned from Tokyo Sunday afternoon, she crashed at Tsuna's house. Other than some tired mumbles that Tsuna couldn't catch, Haru barely spoke throughout dinner. The kids did most of the talking and their words went over Tsuna's head as he served them teriyaki salmon with rice and mixed green vegetables. Haru gave him a tired smile that he returned before digging in her meal. Thankfully, there were no crazy incidents other than I-pin and Lambo fighting over the last salmon. The bunkasai was never brought up, neither was Varia. Tsuna guessed Haru was too tired to ask or remember.

"Big Brother," I-pin whispered in the dark, her soft breath barely brushing against Tsuna's neck.

Tsuna turned over, his blankets rustling, to face his sister. He couldn't make out most of her face, which was black from shadows, other than the sliver of light slipping through the crack of the door, highlighting some of her long hair. Fuuta's and Lambo's quiet, even breaths sounded in their room, seemingly louder in the peaceful night. Outside, Haru mumbled something in her sleeping, her words muffled by her pillow.

"What's wrong, I-pin?" Tsuna said.

There was brief moment of silence then. Tsuna only knew I-pin didn't fall asleep from the way her breathing slightly hitched, nervous. Her blankets rustled a bit while she moved closer to him, careful not to wake the others.

"Do you think…everything will be okay?" she said.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

I-pin shrugged. "I don't know."

She paused, her hand unconsciously reaching out for Tsuna's, who gently squeezed it for encouragement. I-pin rarely talked about what she was struggling with; she'd suffer quietly alone until her doubts and worries went past the breaking point. Rather than forcing them out of her, Tsuna had to learn how to be more patient. When they first met, she had bitten him after he tried coaxing her into playing with the other kids. It wasn't a fun day but they made progress through lots of broken Chinese, days spent on morning walks, and cooking some hot gyoza.

"Are you worried about the trip?" Tsuna said mildly. "I can still cancel it."

I-pin gasped. "No!" She quickly lowered her voice. "You wouldn't."

Tsuna smiled slightly. "I could but if you don't want me to, I won't. What's been on your mind?"

Quietly, I-pin fiddled with a strand of her hair and twirled it around her finger. While Tsuna's eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see I-pin's face more clearly. She didn't meet his gaze, focusing on the sheets, her brows deeply furrowed. Having been with her long enough, Tsuna knew that the trip was far from her mind and something else was bothering her. But he didn't push.

"Do you think I'm weird, Big Brother?" I-pin whispered. "Like, not normal?"

Tsuna hummed softly under his breath as he propped his arm up on his pillow to support his head. He rubbed his thumb soothingly over I-pin's slightly colder hand. "No, I don't think you're weird, and you're not normal either." I-pin tensed. Tsuna smiled gently, hugging her closer. "There's no such thing as normal. You're fine the way you are. Don't let anyone else tell you different."

Breath quivering, I-pin buried her face against Tsuna's chest. "Okay."

I'll try lingered in the air, unspoken but present. Tsuna stroked her soft hair to soothe her, and the tension eventually disappeared from her small body. "And I don't doubt that you'll charm Fon-san tomorrow," he said.

I-pin gave him a sleepy giggle. "I hope so… Thank you, Big Brother…"

Slowly but surely, she fell asleep in Tsuna's arms, her breathing evening out, while Tsuna continued humming a small lullaby his mother had sung to him long ago until he soon surrendered to slumber.

"You have the tickets, right?"

"Yes."

"And all of your stuff? I don't know if only one suitcase will be enough."

"It's just four days, not four weeks. This is enough for us."

"Are you sure? We could always go back and pack another bag or something? Oh, wait! They sell some stuff here so we can get some later!"

"Haru, calm down."

All five of them had arrived at Namimori International Airport at 10:45AM before their flight departure, which was at 12:15 PM, in case there was a wait. Since it wasn't peak season, there weren't too many people in Terminal Two and the line wasn't that long. Businessmen and locals were mixed in the crowds, purchasing tickets from machines and saying goodbye to friends and loved ones. An automated female voice spoke over the loudspeaker among the bustling air with flight times and gate numbers.

Haru, who had woken up with a sparkle in her eyes and a skip in her step, fiddled with the black button on her long green coat. "Calm? I'm perfectly calm, Tsuna. I'm the master of zen at this point." She slapped her cheeks with a squeal. "Oh my god, we're actually going to meet them and sleep with them and see their gorgeous faces in like, three hours!"

Bouncing on the balls of her feet and grinning wildly, I-pin quickly joined in on her enthusiasm, which was the last thing Tsuna needed. "We are, we are, we are!"

"Do you think I look okay?" Haru looked down at her clothes. "Maybe I should've worn that other sweater instead."

"I think you look pretty, Big Sister!" I-pin said. "Green always looks nice on you!"

Haru giggled, pinching I-pin's cheek endearingly. "Aren't you a sweetheart?"

Tsuna and Fuuta shared a look while the girls doted on each other in the background. Yeah, it seemed like there was one other person who wasn't all that excited about the trip. Lambo rolled his eyes. "Girls," he grumbled, fixing the straps on his green backpack. "Are they going to be like this the whole time?"

At this point, I-pin and Haru were fantasizing about the future meetings with Arcobaleno, which constituted mostly giggles and squeals. Tsuna shook his head but couldn't help a small smile. "Let's just check-in our bags. Come on."

After getting through security and checking in their luggage, the group found their terminal and waited until they could board the plane. Lambo and I-pin exclaimed in awe as they dashed over to the large windows that overlooked some parts of the runway. Their plane was already parked at the gate but the doors were shut and the jetway wasn't pulled out yet; still, the kids were overwhelmed from looking at the aircraft up-close.

"It's so big," Lambo said, his eyes wide. "We're gonna go in there? How many people can it fit?"

"Probably 80 to 100 people," Fuuta said, eyeing the plane warily. He had told Tsuna before that he had flown on a plane once when he was younger but never liked it. He didn't say anything more than that either.

Lambo tilted his head. "Oh, that's not a lot."

"It's a domestic flight so there's no need to fly too many people. International flights have bigger planes."

I-pin chewed on her lip. "What if…something happens to the plane?"

Haru laughed reassuringly. "Nothing's going to happen. It'll go by really fast, promise! Besides, the flight will take half an hour or so."

"30 minutes?" Lambo said.

Tsuna ruffled his hair. "Yeah, 30 minutes. We'll be landing before you know it."

"Plane crashes are like one in a million," Fuuta said. "I think we'll live."

Tsuna squeezed his shoulder in comfort. "We'll be fine. You can sleep on the plane and I can wake you both up when we land."

"I want to see the sky!" I-pin said. "Oh, and the town from high up! I want to see it shrink!"

"Then you can take the window seat," Haru said. "You can see better from there than looking over someone's shoulder."

"I'm sitting next to Tsuna-nii!" Lambo said.

Before Fuuta could say anything, the gate agent announced that the flight was now boarding, and to have the passes ready for the flight attendants to take. It didn't take long for Tsuna and the others to board the plane. Lambo was hesitant at first to enter the jetway but managed to be coaxed by Haru and the others. The flight attendant that greeted them at the entrance smiled courteously and pointed them towards the direction of their seats.

When they arrived in the business section, there weren't many people in their seats. A formally-dressed elderly couple sat two rows ahead of Tsuna and the kids while a businessman sat in the far corner, typing something on his laptop. There were three rows of plush brown seats in twos that had a small divider in-between. A white cushion rested on each seat along with a packaged sleep mask, slippers and earbuds with the airline's logo, and a water bottle.

Haru and Tsuna shared a look. One of them would have to sit alone. "Fuuta and I-pin can sit together," Haru proposed. "I'll sit across from them. You can sit with Lambo."

"Alright."

I-pin quickly jumped on the window seat and peered outside with Fuuta following suit to sit next to her. Lambo and Tsuna sat behind them and Haru sat across the other two kids in an aisle seat. After they were settled, a few more passengers trickled in the section.

"Here, Lambo," Tsuna said, handing him a grape candy. "When we go up, your ears might feel uncomfortable so chew on that, okay?" He handed I-pin and Fuuta some candies, too. "Haru, do you need gum?"

Haru grinned, raising a yellow pack. "Got 'em already! Want one?"

"Yeah, thanks."

When the plane started to move, Lambo reached out to hold Tsuna's hand. Tsuna squeezed back comfortingly, making the boy relax. Turbulence soon rattled inside and everything tilted. They were off.

Fuuta and Haru had dozed off at some point while I-pin stared out the window in quiet awe for most of the flight. Lambo hadn't appreciated the uncomfortable sensation of his ears popping from the cabin pressure but admirably held back tears and squeezed Tsuna's hand until his fingers turned blue. The rest of the passengers were relatively quiet, either sleeping or reading a book, and the flight attendants were more than accommodating, offering I-pin and Lambo some orange juice after doting on how cute they were.

When the flight finally landed, Lambo was more than eager to get off. Giggling, I-pin held Haru's hand and poked her brother's cheek. "Flying is fun! You should've seen the clouds. They were so pretty."

"Yeah, if you don't think about falling out and smashing onto concrete," Lambo grumbled, tugging Tsuna's hand.

"Chances of falling out are nearly impossible," Fuuta said, rubbing his eyes. He paused. "Unless you're an idiot."

Lambo and I-pin laughed as the small group left the plane behind the elderly couple. The flight attendants waved goodbye and smiled beside the pilot.

Haru stretched her arms out in the air with a sigh. "Please tell me I'm still not dreaming."

Tsuna rolled his eyes playfully. "You're not. We're here, aren't we?"

Haru snorted. "You're clearly the life of the party."

"Where are we supposed to go now, Tsuna-nii?" Lambo said.

Tsuna surveyed the crowd while he adjusted Lambo's bag over his shoulder. The email with the tickets said that there would be a ride waiting for them outside the airport after they landed; though it didn't specify the car's model or license plate, which was something that they'd need if they were going to find the driver at such a busy airport. Restraining a sigh, Tsuna tugged Lambo's hand and gestured his head to a pick-up area near a shuttle station. "We can wait over there," he said, pulling his suitcase. "I can try to see if—"

"Excuse me," a sweet voice said.

Tsuna turned to see the elderly couple who had sat in the same business class seating as them. The woman had kind eyes while her husband seemed like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"Yes?" Tsuna said. "Is there something you need?"

The old lady waved him off. "Oh no, dear. I just wanted to say hello. We were sitting in the same section and I couldn't help but notice what a lovely family you are."

Tsuna flushed. "Haru and I aren't married."

Haru nodded vigorously. "Yes, we're just friends!"

The old man grunted. "Well, you know how women can be, boy. She seems like the one." He protested when his wife smacked his arm. "Oi!"

"Anyways," his wife said, "I just wanted to say that your children are so well-raised. You should be proud." She smiled at them as she grasped her husband's arm. "Thank you for sparing an ear to this old woman's ramblings. Have a wonderful day now, and take care."

Haru smiled. "Thank you. You too!"

Nodding, the elderly woman led her husband the other way and disappeared in the crowd. Lambo tilted his head while he watched them go. "What was that all about?"

"She means that you're probably a decent boy," I-pin said.

"Hey!"

"Let's not do that," Fuuta said, keeping I-pin to her spot. "There's a lot of people around and you might get lost."

Haru snickered. "Well, she was pretty nice. I think we're gonna have to wear something that says 'friend zone for life' or something. Oh, I was thinking about getting that 'I'm Next to Stupid' shirt, too. It'll be wonderful."

"Can I get that too, Tsuna-nii?" Lambo said.

Tsuna moved out of the way of a rushing businesswoman who barely acknowledged him. "I don't think so, Lambo."

"Which car are we looking for?" Fuuta said.

Tsuna flipped his phone open and checked his inbox again, re-reading the brief and cheery email. "They never said."

"Should we move over?" Haru said, dodging a family of three nimbly. "It's getting crowded and I'm pretty sure they didn't rent out a whole shuttle for us. That's a little much."

I-pin widened her eyes. "Are we not going anymore?"

Fuuta shook his head. "No, we just need to wait. We're still going. Don't worry."

Tsuna spotted a relatively empty area and pointed there. "We could go there and wait."

As the others followed his lead, his phone shortly then buzzed in his hand, making everyone pause. Haru tilted her head. "What is it?" she said.

It was a message from an unknown number. Skeptical, Tsuna opened it and read: stay there.

He blinked before doing what the message said against his better judgment while moving out of others' ways. Lambo stuck close to his side and looked around with wide, curious eyes, careful to not make himself too noticeable. Eyes parsing the throngs of people, Tsuna didn't know who he was looking for or who sent the message until a gray Honda van pulled up in front of them, slowing down when the small car in front stopped for a couple of passengers.

The driver's door popped open before a man in a white parka walked out, clad with a black ski hat and a face mask. As soon as their eyes met, brown clashing with blue, Tsuna just knew.

"Yo!" Colonnello said, gesturing to the back of the van. "Let's get your stuff in quick and move out of the way. It's pretty packed here."

Haru and the others didn't have time to react—none of them seemed to catch on who it was yet—when Tsuna ushered them quickly to follow Colonnello to the back. Opening the trunk, Colonnello helped Haru and Tsuna load their bags and suitcases inside. The inside, which looked almost brand-new, smelled faintly like mint and citrus.

"Heads up!" Colonnello said, closing the trunk. His eyes crinkled a bit when he met Tsuna's gaze. "Alright! I got four seats in the back so one of you will have to sit in the front with me. Don't worry, I don't bite. Perfectly harmless."

I-pin giggled shyly behind Haru's legs while Fuuta looked at him skeptically, smiling more out of politeness rather than good humor. Lambo furrowed his brows, trying to figure out who the man was.

"I'll sit with the kids in the back," Tsuna said. "You can take the front, Haru."

As soon as the seats were arranged, they quickly filed in the car. Lambo sat next to Tsuna in the backseats while I-pin and Fuuta sat in the middle two.

"Sorry about that," Colonnello said, closing the door. "Was I rushing you guys too much? Anyone missing?"

Haru waved her hands. "Oh no, it's fine! We wouldn't want to get in anyone's way."

"Yeah, people can get nasty." Colonnello strapped on his seatbelt and switched the gear lever from "park" to "drive". He peered through the sideview mirror. "I hope you have your seatbelts on 'cause I'm only one guy and I don't think I can catch every one of you if something happens. I mean, I could, but better safe than sorry."

I-pin and Haru giggled behind their hands. Lambo just snorted. Fuuta still looked like he'd rather be at home than here but smiled politely nonetheless. Tsuna quickly made sure the kids had their seatbelts on before Colonnello drove out onto the busy road.

"Alright," he said, tugging off his ski hat and ruffling his blond hair. "First things first, the name's Colonnello but"—he winked in the rearview mirror, making Haru and I-pin let out a strangled squeak—"you probably knew that, kora. I'll be your driver and host for the next hour or so but that's enough time for us to get cozy, right?"

"I knew it!" Lambo said before covering his mouth when I-pin gave him a look.

Laughing, Colonnello drove around another long line of cars. No one recognized him through the tinted windows. "I was the best option, you know. Like, seriously." He shuddered. "You don't want to drive with Fon behind the wheel. Ever. He did it once, I think, in Shanghai? It was like a few years back when we did the Asia Tour. Okay, I never even knew that the streets he drove in even existed, but damn, it's like he's stuck in Fast and Furious mode all the time. No one knows how he got his license in the first place. I still don't."

I-pin squeaked at the mention of Fon. Still shell-shocked from Colonnello's reveal, Haru just sputtered out, "O—Oh my God, you're so hot." She immediately blushed when Lambo burst out laughing. Tsuna coughed awkwardly in his hand and looked out the window, hiding a small smile. Leaning forward, Haru buried her face in her hands. "I said that out loud, didn't I? Kill me, please."

Colonnello just grinned in good nature. "Why, thank you. I didn't catch your name by the way."

Haru blushed harder. "H—Haru. Miura Haru!" She cringed when her voice rose at the end and covered her face again. "Tsuna, kill me please."

Tsuna just laughed, drawing Colonnello's eyes briefly on him through the side mirror. He smiled at Haru in good humor. "I won't. You're doing fine, much better than I thought actually."

Haru groaned into her hands. "You're no help."

"You two seem really close," Colonnello said, leaning on the wheel and looking both ways. The traffic light was red above them as cars drove past by. He grinned at Haru, making her blush again. "If Luce hadn't told us that Tsuna had siblings, I would've thought you two were married or something."

"Big Brother and Big Sister aren't married!" I-pin said before realizing what she just said. She flushed and sank back against the leather seat, mortified.

Tsuna's lips quirked into a half-smile. "We're just good friends since middle school. Besides, I don't think Haru would even accept a proposal from me anyways."

Haru scoffed. "Yeah, no. Too much of a leap there. I like us fine now."

Colonnello seemed to sag a bit, grinning almost to himself, and turned left when the light changed to green onto a local highway. Small white buildings whizzed by, mostly catching the children's attention who had never went outside of Namimori before. Although Tsuna didn't either, he had visited Tokyo twice, courtesy of Professor Hoshino. Even though he was in Chiba now, which he had never visited before, his chest ached with a bit of nostalgia when he watched sparse greenery and low white bridges that appeared every now and then. Everything seemed so distant.

"And what are your names, kora?" Colonnello said. "I got Haru here and you are…?"

I-pin squeaked pitifully and pointed at herself. "Me…?"

Tsuna had to hand it to her though. He thought that she'd malfunction once she met the idols but that probably wouldn't happen until she met Fon later. He had to watch out for that later, more for her sake. Same with Haru when she meets Reborn. Tsuna still couldn't understand how anyone could like that man but let the matter rest because he didn't want to know.

"Yeah!" Colonnello continued to maintain a safe speed on the local highway. At least he wasn't ramming into other cars and was actually a decent driver unlike some people, Tsuna thought. "Don't worry. I'm sure your name is as pretty as you."

Finally, I-pin spoke up, "My name is I-pin! And I really, really liked your solo stage Maximum!" With a red face, she sank back to her seat again.

Haru widened her eyes. "Oh my God, yes! That stage—The rain machine malfunctioned and everything but you still danced! Like, how?"

Tsuna had no clue what they were talking about and his face indicated such. Lambo tugged his sleeve while the girls gushed over Maximum and leaned in to whisper in Tsuna's ear, "It's some special stage thing. I-pin made me watch it with her." He made a small face. "Well, I guess Colonnello has muscles. I mean, he ripped his shirt off and I-pin wouldn't stop talking about it."

Tsuna's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "What?"

"—f the others are going to do a special stage?" Haru continued on. "Ah wait, I shouldn't have asked."

Colonnello laughed. "It's fine." He turned right onto a local road. "Don't worry about it, seriously. You can ask whatever you want within reason, of course. I'll try my best to answer but you know, sometimes company policy can get in the way. It sucks but I'm not the CEO." The light turned yellow, prompting Colonnello to slow down. He drummed his fingers against the wheel. "First things first though, what are your names? I got Haru, I-pin, and Tsuna down."

Fuuta glanced at the back of the driver's seat. "I'm Fuuta."

"Yo, Fuuta! Nice to meet ya!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Colonnello-san."

Colonnello waved him off. "Nah, you can just call me by name, kora. We're all friends here. I've always thought that Japan took the respect thing a little, well, I mean, no offense or anything but it gets stuffy sometimes. It took a while to get used to but honestly, I'm not that into it. That cool with you, buddy?"

Fuuta smiled slightly. "Yes."

The light switched to green. "Awesome. So Haru, I-pin, Fuuta, and…?"

Lambo smiled. "I'm Lambo!"

Colonnello paused for a second, glancing to the side to check if a car was nearby, before changing lanes. "Lambo, nice.

"You're really good at Japanese now though," Haru said.

Colonnello laughed. "Oh God, I was absolute trash. I think there are still videos out there around our debut for that. I mixed up so many words. I kept thinking kawaii was kowaii. Fon told me the difference. I think him and Reborn were the only ones fluent enough back then." [cute; scary]

Haru bent over in giggles. "I remember when you were talking about your grandfather and you said he had 12 mushi instead of ushi." [bugs; cows]

Colonnello groaned into his hand. "Yeah, exposed and guilty. Hey, it's not my fault that Japanese has so many words that are almost the same." He snickered. "I think Verde tried saying ningen but he called them ninjin instead. The host looked so done with us." [human; carrot]

Tsuna tilted his head. "How old were you then?"

Colonnello hummed to himself thoughtfully. "We debuted in 2010, so…"

"April 3rd!" Haru said. "Oh my God, your first album Luminous is still legendary."

"Yup. So I was like, what, 15, 16?"

Tsuna widened his eyes. "Fifteen? You were so young. Then…that means you're 23 now?"

Colonnello grinned. "Why're you so surprised? I'm young, my friends, young and handsome with the world in my hands. This is my prime and I am ready to fu—I mean, shine. Yeah, that."

I-pin and Lambo giggled at the save while Haru looked like she was on the moon. Still, 15 seemed too young to get whisked away in a world full of glamor and lights. Tsuna wasn't sure about the whole idol business—well, there were child actors so he couldn't really judge. "Can I ask why you wanted to join…so early?"

Haru opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it, and stayed quiet. Colonnello hummed to himself in thought as he slowed down behind a stopped car. "I used to be a total clown in school," he said. "Never thought much of my future. I just figured that I'd join the army if worse comes to worse. It seemed cool and my dad's a captain anyway, wanted me to join, too." He laughed. "I mean, my name literally means 'colonel'. It fits. Then one of my good friends got me to rap with him for a talent show in middle school. Corny, yeah, but it was pretty fun. I think Vongola had an audition like a year later? I tried that one out, nothing too serious, but I got rejected."

The light turned green. Fuuta wasn't looking out the window anymore and Haru had her gaze on Colonnello, less shy than before. "One of the judges told me that I had talent though," he continued, turning the car smoothly left. "She told me I could tryout again next year if I practiced more. So that's what I did." He snickered. "But I didn't audition for Vongola. I felt petty about the whole rejection thing so I went for Trinisette. And here I am. I guess that woman's words got to me. I wasn't a good student and corporate jobs are just, no. I'd rather be some sad sack on the side of a road than a zombie."

I-pin and Lambo laughed quietly at the small joke, making Colonnello smile. And okay, Tsuna couldn't really imagine the blond in an office setting. It was pretty comical actually. "Life lesson, kids, don't become a zombie. Do whatever you want—minus breaking the law and spoiling the next episode for Immortal Nemesis."

"You watch Immortal Nemesis?" Lambo said, bouncing in his seat.

"Hel—Heck yeah!" Colonnello said, pumping a fist in the air. "Isamu is awesome."

I-pin wrinkled her nose. "I don't like him. He was mean to Rika after she saved him."

Lambo rolled his eyes. "Well, if she didn't try to drink that potion when he told her not to, maybe none of that stuff would've happened anyways."

"She wanted to save her brother!"

"Her brother's the bad guy!"

"I feel like I walked into a Reddit thread," Colonnello told Haru, who laughed. "Now, now, children, let's talk it out like the good people we are—except the recent episode. I haven't watched that yet."

Tsuna was utterly lost while the three chattered about monstrous strength, dark magic, demons and monsters, and cool weapons. It sounded like a show. Fuuta sighed softly before gesturing Tsuna to come closer. "It's a pretty popular anime," he said. "I-pin and Lambo watch it every Tuesday when you go to work."

"Ah," Tsuna said, nodding slowly. "I see."

He leaned back in his seat and caught himself smiling despite himself. He had never seen Lambo talk so much before. The boy was mostly shy and rarely spoke whenever he was around strangers. Seeing him so open and carefree was comforting. Tsuna glanced at Colonnello who was talking excitedly about some fight scene and relaxed. He didn't know why he had been nervous about the idol being here; though he could be hot-headed, there was a sort of calm to Colonnello that Tsuna couldn't quite explain, but it was really heartening. The kids clearly enjoyed him and he was pretty good at handling them.

"Can I ask a question?" I-pin said.

"Sure!" Colonnello said, looking both ways in a busy street. "Hit me."

I-pin blushed and fumbled with one of her braids. "Um, never mind. It's a stupid question."

"Don't say that! You didn't even ask yet. Come on, you can hit me. What is it?"

"Erm, would you rather be a mermaid or a sea animal?" I-pin rushed the words out quickly before sinking in her seat. She blushed when Lambo laughed.

"What?" he said, snickering. "Seriously?" He immediately became quiet when Tsuna gave him a stern look.

Colonnello grinned in the rearview mirror. "That's one of the best questions someone asked me. Believe me, some people shouldn't have a job for that. I think you'll beat 'em out of the water." I-pin blushed even harder. "Hmm, it's a no-brainer for me. Mermaids are cool but I know my true calling. I"—he raised a finger in the air for dramatic effect—"will be a clownfish."

Haru laughed. "A clownfish?"

Colonnello winked. "Yes, ma'am. I'm being serious! I really want to be a clownfish in the next life! Hey, ever watched Finding Nemo?"

"Yeah!" Lambo said. "I liked the seagulls! When they were like mine, mine, mine, mine, mine!"

Everyone laughed at his uncanny mimicry of the seagulls' funny cries. Thankfully, the light turned red before Colonnello leaned on the wheel, roaring in laughter. "Oh God, kid. You're probably the best seagull I've ever heard."

Lambo grinned proudly. "Mine!"

Colonnello beamed, his cheeks flushed red from laughing. "It's all yours. Oh hey, have you guys seen that hilarious seagull meme?"

Haru burst out into giggled. "The one where it leans back and then screams?"

Colonnello banged a hand on the wheel. "Yes. Oh my God, it's just—Have you seen it, Tsuna?"

"Big Brother lives under a rock," I-pin said mournfully.

Tsuna flushed. "I—I don't!" It didn't make it any better that…it was true. He had no idea what they were talking about.

"Oh my God, someone show him," Colonnello said, still laughing. "I think my favorite is this one." He cleared his throat dramatically. "Alright, Tsuna, get ready. It's like the Holy Grail in the music world. You can never go wrong with this song."

Haru and the kids, minus Fuuta and Tsuna, clapped and cheered in encouragement. Colonnello flashed them all a wild grin. The light turned green. "Some—"

Tsuna watched in apprehensive curiosity when Colonnello suddenly inhaled deeply. What was he—

"—body once told me the world is gonna roll me!

I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed!"

I-pin and Lambo doubled over in squeals of laughter while Haru covered her face and leaned against the window, her hands not enough to muffle her cackling. Colonnello didn't lose the flow of the song though and continued singing in a purposely screeching voice:

"She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb

In the shape of an 'L' on her forehead!"

Tsuna covered his mouth, snorting a laugh when I-pin and Lambo suddenly joined in, their English accented cutely, "Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming!"

Colonnello widened his eyes and grinned in awe. "'ey!"

"Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running!

Didn't make sense not to live for fun!

Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb!"

Bobbing her head to the invisible beat, Haru piped up:

"So much to do, so much to see! So what's wrong with taking the back streets?"

All four sang: "You'll never know if you don't go! You'll never shine if you don't glow!"

"Here we go!" Colonnello whooped.

"Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play!

Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on get paid!

And all that glitters is gold!

Only shooting stars break the mold!"

At some point, Colonnello backed the others up with some beatboxing and excited whoops, encouraging the kids to sing louder and faster. Haru could barely keep up after laughing too hard. Fuuta and Tsuna just watched them, not joining in the impromptu singing, but they laughed along at the outrageous spectacle.

"Oh God," Colonnello said, wheezing for breath. "You guys are awesome." He drove out onto a long highway, passing underneath bridges with ease. "Wait, do you know this one?"

I-pin and Lambo leaned forward with eager grins, then burst out laughing when Colonnello belted out in a hilarious falsetto: "Take on me! Take me on!"

The two kids joined in: "I'll be gone! In a day or two!"

All of their voices cracked as they sang at a higher pitch with some effort, making Haru and Tsuna burst out laughing. Even Fuuta grinned. Colonnello and Lambo vocalized the instrumentals comically while I-pin giggled. They continued singing their hearts out until their throats went raw from laughing and screeching. Tsuna thought it was entirely too precious, and when Haru looked his way with a grin, he knew everything was going to be alright.

"Alright, we're almost there!" Colonnello said, thumping his palm lightly against the wheel. His voice had been hoarse from all the singing before Tsuna passed him an extra water bottle he took from the plane. The idol's eyes had brightened up and he grinned like a goof on the rest of the trip. "So right, thanks for taking the obviously awesome Colonnello Express. Nobody's dead or missing so that's great. Five-star reviews all around, right?"

Haru clapped her hands together. "Of course!"

I-pin beamed. "Why not 10?"

"10?" Colonnello laid a hand over his heart. "This pleb doesn't deserve such praise." He winked at I-pin who blushed. "But hey, I'll take it—graciously, of course. Thanks, princess."

Eyes wide, I-pin whirled around to look at Tsuna, stretching as far as her seatbelt would let her. "He called me princess," she whispered.

Tsuna held back a small laugh and patted her cheek. "I heard. Sit back, okay? You might hurt yourself."

Lambo suddenly piped up, "Tsuna-nii, look!"

When the others looked to where he was pointing at, they widened their eyes. Three large curved buildings soon appeared in the distance to their left. They were clearly part of the high-end hotel, with its sleek white-blue walls and balconies, that had a green "Sheraton Grande" sign on the side. There were some fake palm trees and vividly green shrubs along the driveway, and a rocky alcove of water that trickled down in white foam, glimmering under the bright sun.

A shuttle bus parked in front of the large entrance soon left after dropping off its occupants, which were mostly small families and young couples. Colonnello slowed down just a few feet away from the entrance and slipped on his ski hat, tucking his blond hair in. "Sorry," he said, grabbing his mask. "Just a moment, kora." He put it on, covering his mouth, and fished his phone out of his pocket. "Let me shoot Lal a quick text to let her know we're here."

Haru widened her eyes. "L—Lal Mirch-san is here, too?"

Colonnello chuckled as his phone's keyboard created quick clacking noises. "Yeah. She's Luce's proxy, you know, making sure everything goes right. But don't worry, she's nice, kind of." He snorted. "Okay, as long as you don't make a mess, you'll be fine. If you get on her bad side then, well, I've always wanted to die with honor, no biggie." Haru and even Tsuna laughed a bit. Colonnello's eyes flickered to the rearview mirror. "But yeah, don't worry about it, kora. She's cool-ish. Big emphasis on the '-ish'."

"What about the others?" Tsuna said.

"Oh yeah, everyone's here except for Skull and Viper. They're driving in from Tokyo but they'll be here in"—Colonnello glanced at his phone—"an hour or two." A small trill sounded from his hand. "Okay, time to go." He drove the car forward where three men clad in clean black uniforms stood at the main doors. "'ey, we're here! Don't forget anything."

When Tsuna and the kids unbuckled their seatbelts and stepped out of the car, the smell of fresh air greeted them kindly. Tsuna inhaled, savoring it, then exhaled. Everything still felt strange, not in a bad way, but he couldn't tell if it was good either. It was like…he was walking in a dream, a very long, very real dream.

I-pin exclaimed in awe as she nearly bent backwards looking up at the tall hotel. "It's so big and pretty!"

Tsuna quickly supported her back with a steady hand when she almost tripped. "Be careful, I-pin."

She smiled at him sheepishly. "Sorry, Big Brother."

Colonnello popped the trunk open and pulled out the suitcases, setting them down carefully on the ground. "Is that everything?"

Tsuna quickly perused over the kids and checked his bag. "Yes, that's all. Thank you."

Two of the suited men, who were bellhops Tsuna realized, stepped forward and bowed. "We can take your luggage for you, sir," one of them said.

They took a hold of their suitcases after Tsuna hesitantly gave his answer and patiently waited for them to the side while Colonnello talked with the valet and handed over the car keys. Soon, the valet departed for the van as Colonnello walked over to them. "Alright, let's go!" he said, leading them inside. "Oh hey, cool backpack, buddy!"

Lambo grinned and puffed up his chest a little proudly. "Tsuna-nii got it for me! Do you like dinosaurs, too?"

"You kidding? Who doesn't love dinosaurs?"

Tsuna couldn't help but be tugged along by Lambo as he chattered excitedly about all the different dinosaurs he learned from class. His lips slightly twitched into a small smile when Colonnello easily reciprocated the enthusiasm; then I-pin joined in too, at some point, not willing to be left out. Fuuta stayed close to Tsuna's other side, looking around the spacious, bright-lit lobby in wonder. The walls were a soft, glowing brown and there were several lounge chairs and sofas around short pillars and small tables. Some parts of the ceiling were concaved in squares, emitting a blue light; the carpets were beige with some patterns of colored-tiles.

"We don't have to check-in," Colonnello said, steering them away from the reception desks. No one on the line gave them more than a glance. "We're on the 10th floor."

"10th floor?" Lambo said, his eyes wide. "How many floors are there?"

The elevator dinged open for them and the bellhops before they clambered inside. Colonnello chuckled, his eyes lighting up with mirth. "12," he said. "I think there's around 1,000-something rooms here."

"There are 1,016 rooms in the hotel," one of the bellhops said. He gave Lambo a friendly smile, making the boy shy away behind Tsuna's legs. "There is also a video game room and a playground corner for the children to play in. I'm sure they'll enjoy it."

Tsuna smiled at the bespectacled man. "Thank you." It was more out of politeness than anything but the bellhop seemed pleased at the response.

The elevator ride was short, and had felt like nothing as it zoomed several floors up, before the doors opened again with a small ding. The kids oohed and aahed when they stepped out, looking around the wide hallways and cream-colored walls with bright lamps. The carpets were blue now, and softened I-pin and Lambo's running steps as they inspected the new environment in awe. Colonnello dismissed the bellhops with some thanks and told them that they'd be able to handle things from here. They bowed before stepping back inside the elevators.

"There's so many rooms, Big Brother!" I-pin said, dashing back to hug Tsuna's arm.

He hushed her gently. "There might be people here so you'll have to keep your voice down."

She immediately deflated. "I'm sorry."

Colonnello laughed, tugging down his mask. He gestured at the long hallway. "Don't worry about making too much noise. This is all ours. Have at it. Walls are actually pretty thick."

It took a short moment for the meaning to sink in. Tsuna widened his eyes, barely believing what he had just heard. "Wait, you mean that this whole floor is…?"

Colonnello grinned when Haru gasped. "Oh yeah, welcome to our kingdom. You can pick whichever rooms you want when Lal comes out." A door opened a few feet behind them before Lal Mirch walked out, wearing black sweats and a grey hoodie. Haru squeaked quietly behind Tsuna. "Speak of the devil."

Drawing closer, Lal Mirch narrowed her eyes. "Devil, huh."

Colonnello's grin never faltered. "She-devil. Also, we got kids here."

Lal Mirch's gaze flickered to an awestruck I-pin and Lambo, to stone-still Haru, then a slightly calculative Fuuta, and finally, Tsuna, who just gave her a polite smile. They last time they had seen each other was back at the restaurant before the chaos had happened. Lal Mirch seemed to study him for a moment behind a blank gaze. "You look be—"

Tsuna slightly shook his head, his wide eyes flickering down to the kids. I-pin and Lambo didn't know what happened, including Haru, and he preferred it to stay that way. Thankfully, Lal Mirch got the message and smoothly changed the topic. "I'm Lal Mirch, the Keeper of Idiots." She slightly grimaced, obviously not knowing if that was appropriate for kids or not, but relaxed when they giggled. Even Fuuta couldn't help a small smile. "Right, so this is Idiot Number 1." She jabbed a thumb at Colonnello, ignoring his "Hey!". "What should I call you?"

"I'm Miura Haru," Haru said, bowing slightly. "It really is an honor to meet you, Lal Mirch-san!"

Lal Mirch waved her off. "Lal Mirch is fine. I think it's best if you refer to the others without the '-san', but that's up to you. We just want you to be as comfortable as possible." She glanced down at the kids. "And you guys?"

Lambo looked down at his sneakers. "L—Lambo."

"I'm I-pin," I-pin muttered. "And…I—I think you're really pretty, Lal Mirch-san."

The woman's cheeks turned red, making Colonnello laugh. "S—Shut up, idiot!"

"Aww, how precious," he cooed dumbly, poking Lal Mirch's cheek. "Princess has a way with words, I'll give her that." He gave I-pin a wink, making her squeak.

Lal Mirch shoved him away. "Princess?"

Colonnello gestured grandly at I-pin like a medieval guard. "This right here is Princess, you heathen."

Regaining her composure, Lal Mirch just sighed. Tsuna glanced at her twitching fingers. Any longer and she would've socked Colonnello in the face. "Okay, yeah, have fun with that."

Fuuta smiled politely at her when she looked at him. "My name is Fuuta."

"Alright, now that's done, you can go pick your rooms." Lal Mirch took out a black card key from her pocket. "First things first, I have the master key for"—she narrowed her eyes at Colonnello who beamed innocently—"security purposes but I'm not gonna go around snooping in your rooms. Your privacy and safety are our top priorities." She paused. "And fun. You'll have lots of fun."

Colonnello snickered at the utterly dry delivery and quickly darted away before Lal Mirch could smack his head. She didn't seem amused when the kids laughed. Tsuna was just bracing himself for a fight and thinking of ways to keep everyone out of the crossfire.

"Moving on," Lal Mirch said, "we have a list of activities and whatnot you guys can choose from, but we'll go over that later. For now, we'll get you settled and comfortable. Follow me."

She led them down the hallway, pointing out rooms that had double or family beds. Tsuna gave Haru a comforting look before saying, "Haru and I aren't together, Lal Mirch-san. We're just good friends."

Lal Mirch didn't even blink. "I know. This side just has most of the doubles and family rooms."

Tsuna flushed. "Oh."

Haru jabbed his side with an elbow, smirking. "Told you the shirt was a good idea."

Colonnello tilted his head. "Shirt? What shirt, kora?"

Haru couldn't meet his eyes, still a bit shy. "Oh, we were just talking about getting a 'friend zone for life' shirt, something like that anyways."

Tsuna huffed. "You were, not me."

"Hey, look who's talking."

"She has you there, Tsuna-nii," Fuuta said.

Tsuna looked at him as if he'd just cut his heart out. "Fuuta, whose side are you on?"

Fuuta shrugged. "Just pointing out the obvious."

"Traitor." Still, Tsuna ruffled Fuuta's hair affectionately, making the boy jump.

Colonnello and Lal Mirch watched the interaction from the side, their eyes a little wide with something akin to wonder. Lambo pouted. "I want the 'I'm Next to Stupid' shirt."

That seemed to snap the two out of their stupor. Colonnello grinned. "Hey, I have one! It's really comfy."

Lambo perked up. "Really? Can you ask Tsuna-nii if I can get one? Please?"

Colonnello looked at Tsuna and flashed a charming grin that had Haru and I-pin blushing. "Can he?"

Tsuna deadpanned. "No."

Lal Mirch snorted while Colonnello patted Lambo's dejected back. "I'll try again next time, buddy."

"Anyways," Lal Mirch said, stopping at the end of the hall that converged into two different paths. A small table with a vase of flowers rested by a white window. She pointed to her left. "This way is basically just single and double beds. Reborn, Viper, and Fon are staying in some of those rooms." She gestured to her right, raising a brow when I-pin squeaked and tightly hugged Tsuna's leg. "This way has some family rooms too. Verde's down there somewhere."

"Hey, I'm in one of the rooms back the way we came," Colonnello said. "Wanna be neighbors?"

"For the sake of your brain cells, don't," Lal Mirch deadpanned.

"The hel—heck is that supposed to mean?"

Tsuna pursed his lips to keep a smile from forming. "How do you deal with all of this, Lal Mirch-san?"

"Whiskey," Lal Mirch said. "Lots of whiskey."

Lambo wrinkled his nose. "Isn't that alcohol? How much can you drink?"

Tsuna widened his eyes. "Lambo!"

Colonnello burst out laughing. "Oh, buddy, you are a riot."

In the end, Tsuna chose a family room across from Haru's own room that was somewhat close to the elevators. Tsuna wasn't going to admit that it would be a fast escape route—just in case. Lal Mirch was just a couple of doors down with Colonnello and Skull farther away. Lambo shouted in glee, immediately jumping on a large white double bed and messing up the white sheets. The room was spacious with two large double beds and two twin beds underneath an expanse of white walls and a light brown headboard. Long yellow drapes were pulled back from the windows, which overlooked Tokyo Bay, letting in bright sunlight; the carpets were coffee brown and there was a small table with two sofa chairs in the corner beside a lamp.

"Be careful!" Tsuna said, rolling the suitcase nearby the bed.

Lambo jumped higher and higher on the bed, giggling in delight. "It's so bouncy, Tsuna-nii!"

I-pin quickly tossed her shoes to the side and leapt to join Lambo's side. She laughed, her braids flying up and down. "Big Brother, look!"

Fuuta frowned. "Guys, you might fall."

"We came here to have fun!" Lambo said. "Don't be a party-pooper! Tsuna-nii, catch!"

Arms already outstretched, Tsuna stepped back just as Lambo bounded towards him and caught him with a soft grunt. "You shouldn't have done that," he said, smiling nonetheless. "You could've gotten hurt."

Lambo grinned cheekily. "I knew you were going to catch me though!"

"Well, what if I wasn't there?"

Lambo nuzzled Tsuna's forehead, his eyes bright. "You'll always be there anyways. I know it, Tsuna-nii."

With a warm, fuzzy chest, Tsuna could only grin and hug Lambo close, basking in his warmth. Someone cleared their throat behind them. Tsuna widened his eyes when he turned around. "Colonnello-san!"

The idol grinned sheepishly from the doorway. "Sorry, but the door was open. You might want to be careful next time. Keep the doors and windows locked and all that."

"Big Brother!" I-pin said. "Catch me, catch me! I want a hug, too!"

Fuuta tore his gaze away from Colonnello and gaped at his sister. "I-pin, don't!"

Tsuna widened his eyes. "Wait, d—"

I-pin squealed, leaping high in the air and flying towards Tsuna with a big grin. He barely caught her with his other arm and stumbled from the overwhelming weight of two growing children. Suddenly, two strong hands firmly pushed against his back to keep him upright. The kids laughed as they clambered out of Tsuna's arms and dashed off to explore the room more. Tsuna peered over his shoulder to see Colonnello grinning behind him. "T—Thank you, Colonnello-san."

"No problem, kora!" the idol said. "Can't have you breaking your back." His hands still didn't leave from Tsuna's back. Fuuta stared at the contact with blank eyes, which was honestly a bit terrifying.

Tsuna stepped away, feeling Colonnello's hands slip away with the movement. "Right," he said, laughing sheepishly. "That wouldn't go well for anyone." He tilted his head. "Did you need something?"

"Oh right." Colonnello handed a dark blue card from his pocket. "Lal wanted me to give this to you. It's your room key. Don't lose it! I gave Haru hers. I'm just gonna head down to the lobby and give the other keys back. See ya in a bit, kora!"

"Oh, um, okay," Tsuna said.

After the idol left, Lambo poked his head out of the bathroom. "Tsuna-nii, the towels here are so fluffy!"

"Don't make a mess," Tsuna said, following him inside.

The bathroom was large, well-lit, and had a bathtub, a separate shower stall, and a toilet. There were two sinks underneath a large mirror with small hand towels draped over metal racks on the drawers. The tile floors were white but clean. I-pin pulled open a drawer. "There's a hairdryer in here!"

Tsuna nodded. "Yeah, hotels usually have hair dryers." He hummed to himself before opening a small brown closet and smiled as he took out a fluffy white bathrobe from the rack. "And these, too."

I-pin and Lambo immediately crowded around him and touched the bathrobe, feeling its fluffy cover. "It's so soft!" I-pin said, her eyes wide.

"Can I wear it?" Lambo said.

Fuuta appeared at the door, curious of the commotion, when Tsuna turned around. The boy blinked when he saw the fluffy bathrobe. "A…bathrobe?"

"Touch it, Fuuta-nii!" I-pin said. "It's so fluffy! And the soap here smells really good! Like peaches!"

"Come on," Tsuna said, putting the robe back in the closet. "Let's go and unpack a bit for tomorrow."

I-pin widened her eyes. "Are we really here? I'm not dreaming right, Big Brother?"

"We just had Colonnello drive us here and met Lal Mirch," Lambo said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, I didn't wake up yet."

Tsuna tilted his head. "You must really like Colonnello."

Lambo perked up. "Yeah, he's really funny and nice and he knows a lot about dinosaurs. Oh, and he watches Immortal Nemesis."

I-pin cupped her cheeks. "He's really handsome, too. And Lal Mirch-san is so pretty!

Tsuna couldn't help but laugh. Ruffling both of their heads, he gestured to the room. "Let's go and get settled, okay? How about you, Fuuta?"

Fuuta shrugged. "He's okay. Lal Mirch-san seems funny though."

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Tsuna walked over and opened it, blinking when he saw Lal Mirch and Haru standing outside. "Yes?" he said.

"Sorry, am I bothering you?" Lal Mirch said.

"Oh no. Is there something you need?"

"I was gonna go and introduce you to the others and tell you what to expect for the next few days but I can come back later. We have enough time before dinner anyways."

Haru gave Tsuna a pleading look over Lal Mirch's shoulder, something akin to "please come with me and do this so I don't end up jumping out the window". Glancing back at the kids, Tsuna opened the door wider. "I guess it won't hurt. What do you think?"

I-pin flushed, most likely thinking about meeting Fon, which might go well or…not. She nodded and held onto Tsuna's leg like a shield. Lambo pouted. "Is Colonnello here?"

"He went down to the front desk," Tsuna said, holding his hand. "He'll be back soon."

"Oh, okay."

Fuuta quirked a brow at that but didn't say anything. The small family then followed Lal Mirch down the hall. Haru laid her forehead on his shoulder. "Do you think I can handle this, Tsuna?"

Tsuna's face didn't betray anything, even though he was laughing a bit on the inside. "You'll pass with flying colors. You handled Colonnello-san and Lal Mirch-san so far. You're doing fine."

"You don't have to use the '-san'," Lal Mirch muttered.

When she turned the corner for the right hallway, a very familiar figure stood by the window, his back turned against them with a hand in his pocket, while talking lowly on the phone. Tsuna suppressed a sigh and wondered how long it'd take for him to get a headache. A very miniscule part of him hoped that nothing like that happened, but a large, more telling part of him said, "Nope."

"Those pants make his legs look so good," Haru whispered in Tsuna's ear. "And his hair—Oh my God, he let it down."

He hummed vaguely in response. Lal Mirch just stared at Reborn for a moment, likely debating on whether or not to interrupt, when the man soon hung up. "Reborn," she said. "They're here."

Tsuna blinked when Reborn finally turned around. The man's hair was…different, more casual. Some portions of it were swept to the side of his head like bangs but still spiky. It just made him look younger. He wore slim-fitting khaki pants and a white dress shirt with folded sleeves, showing off a very expensive watch on his wrist. His gaze met Tsuna's and a gleam flashed in his dark eyes. "Pleasure to meet you," he said, walking closer to the group.

Haru let out a strangled squeak. I-pin seemed like she was on cloud nine and Lambo hid behind Tsuna's legs, somehow detecting a bit of danger behind Reborn's casual front. Tsuna was a bit relieved at that—he still didn't know how anyone would like Reborn at all—though he wasn't sure how to feel when he saw Fuuta somewhat sizing up the idol. No one seemed to make the first move, leaving it all on Tsuna this time. This time, he sighed softly and gave Reborn a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you again, Reborn-san."

Oh, Reborn could tell how much Tsuna didn't want to be here, the jerk, but didn't miss a beat. "Tsuna, was it?"

"Who else?" Tsuna said dryly. Inside, he cringed. That wasn't how he was supposed to act, especially in front of others, but there was something impulsive about him whenever he was around Reborn. He didn't like it.

Reborn slightly smirked. "Of course, who else indeed."

Lal Mirch crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you two need a r—" She caught herself in time when she looked over at the kids. "Never mind."

Haru gaped at them. "How do you know each other? Wait." She blinked. "Even Colonnello seemed to know you. Oh my God, Tsuna, what didn't you tell me?"

"They came to Big Brother's restaurant!" I-pin said, beaming. "A lot of them!"

Haru widened her eyes. "A lot of them." Tsuna sweat-dropped when she directed a fiery gaze at him. "What does she mean, Tsuna?"

"Ah, um, well, it was a coincidence really," he said, taking a small step back. "It's really nothing, Haru."

"Where are my manners?" Reborn said, standing a little too close behind Tsuna. He brushed past him and took ahold of Haru's hand before kissing it in a gentlemanly—prudish, Tsuna thought—way. Haru's face instantly transformed into a tomato. "And you are?"

Lal Mirch rolled her eyes. "Better let go before she sues you," she mumbled.

Tsuna coughed lightly into his fist to hide a laugh. They shared a glance and nodded their heads in brief solidarity. Reborn was just on a league of his own.

"M—Miura Haru, desu," Haru squeaked out. "I—I'm really a big fan, Reborn-san! And you look so handsome with your hair down! You always have it up all the time and just, gosh."

"I'm flattered to receive such a compliment from a beautiful lady," Reborn said smoothly.

Haru's soul simply slipped out of her mouth as she fell back. Fuuta and I-pin knelt down to fan her face. Tsuna huffed a laugh before helping her up. "This is Fuuta and I-pin," he said, placing a hand on their shoulders. "And the little one here is Lambo."

Lambo pouted. "I'm not little!" He shrank when Reborn glanced at him and stepped behind Tsuna's leg again.

"Great, we're all friends now," Lal Mirch deadpanned. "Let's move on." She led the group to a room a couple of doors down before knocking on it. "Fon? You decent?"

I-pin squeaked and gripped Tsuna's leg tightly. Her eyes flitted to the door and to the ground several times, unsure of whether or not she had the heart to look at one of her favorite idols in the face. Haru was still in a daze, stealing glances at Reborn, who caught one and returned it with a charming smile, making her squeak. Tsuna just patted her head like she was a terrified child. There really was nothing he could do about it but act as the only sane rock among the sea of chaos. The thought was becoming more normal than he would've liked.

Lal Mirch knocked on the door again. "Fon? You in there?"

A muffled voice spoke through, "Yes."

I-pin was almost hyperventilating. "Big Brother," she said. "Big Brother…"

Tsuna patted her head, too. "You'll be fine, I-pin. I'm here."

Lal Mirch crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you decent? What are you doing?"

"I'm almost finished," Fon said. "Ah, well, not quite. This might take a bit."

Lal Mirch raised a brow. "What are you…?" She clicked her tongue and scanned her master key against Fon's door before pushing it open. "If you broke something again, I'm going to ki—"

I-pin and Haru let out a strangled gasp before Lal Mirch quickly closed the door. Lambo's jaw dropped while Fuuta and Tsuna just blinked. Fon was inside the room…with his forearms and palms planted on a black yoga mat…legs together and in the air, curved slightly over his head…and shirtless. At least he was wearing pants.

Lal Mirch muttered something under her breath before jerking her head towards the other hall. "We're going to Verde when you're done. And next time I ask if you're decent, answer yes or no." She looked at the group. "That's Idiot Number 3."

She led them to the other side of the hallway when Haru tapped Tsuna's shoulder. She glanced at Reborn who sauntered behind them and made some strange symbols with her hands as subtly as she could. Tsuna levelled her with a blank stare before she gave him a pleading look. She wasn't mute for Christ's sake, but Tsuna was a better friend than he would've liked. His spine was practically nonexistent when it came to her and the kids.

With a soft sigh, Tsuna peered over his shoulder, immediately catching Reborn's gaze. "Reborn-san, Haru would like to know when you got that watch."

Reborn raised his left hand, looking down at the clearly expensive silver accessory. "Three weeks ago." He slightly smirked before smoothly slipping it off from his wrist. "Would you like to see it?"

Tsuna gently pushed Haru forward, who looked at him in alarm. "You'll be fine. He doesn't…bite." The brunet ignored the way Reborn's eyes gleamed. "Happy friend making."

Haru let out a muffled squeak when Tsuna left her to the man. He didn't stray too far though, making sure to keep an eye out if Haru really couldn't handle it. Lambo tugged his shirt, making Tsuna lean down, and whispered in his ear, "He's scary."

"I know," Tsuna mumbled, patting Lambo's back. "We'll be fine. Don't worry."

Lal Mirch stopped outside a door and knocked on it. "Verde, company."

Silence.

Tsuna and the others, except Reborn, jumped when Lal Mirch suddenly banged on the door with her fist. "Verde!"

There was no response. Lal Mirch pounded on the door again. "Verde!"

She gave Reborn a questionable look. The man shrugged. "He was here."

"Was?"

"I last saw him 3 hours ago."

Lal Mirch groaned in exasperation. "This fu—idiot."

She swiped her master key over Verde's door and didn't bother to yell out another tasteful greeting. The room was quite cluttered with only the double beds untouched. The brown window drapes were closed and there were some shirts and pants strewn about near a green suitcase. With his back turned, Verde, clad in a worn gray T-shirt and sweatpants, sat at a table with his laptop out and big headphones over his ears. The sides glowed with neon green lights.

Lal Mirch stalked over to him and promptly yanked them off his head. "Verde, what are you doing?"

The man didn't even flinch and continued clicking his mouse over the screen, which showed some sound program. There was some heavy bass that boomed through the headphones. "Working."

"I told you not to bring your laptop," Lal Mirch said, her eyes narrowed.

Verde deadpanned. "And here it is."

"Don't be a smart as—guy." Tsuna winced sympathetically when Lal Mirch pinched the bridge of her nose. He slightly felt bad that all of them would have to be PG around the kids, just slightly. "Forget it. Stand up and say hi. They're here."

Closing his laptop, Verde stood up and turned around, making Haru almost drop Reborn's watch from her hand. Tsuna didn't really interact much with the man before at the restaurant. Actually, he thought that Verde was a bit strange but didn't want to judge. Besides, Verde looked exhausted with the way he slouched, not standing fully to his true height, and had dark circles under his eyes. He fixed his glasses a bit. "Hello," he said blandly.

"It's nice to see you again, Verde-san," Tsuna said after a beat of silence. He smiled politely to assuage the awkwardness but it didn't do much.

Verde tilted his head when he saw Tsuna. "You look like you've recovered well," he said before Lal Mirch could stop him. "Do you—"

"Yes, yes!" Tsuna said, laughing awkwardly. "I'm fine, Verde-san. Just"—he gestured at a confused Haru—"this is my friend, Haru, and these are my siblings, Lambo, Fuuta, and I-pin."

Verde's blank face never changed. "Pleasure."

Lal Mirch ushered the others out the door. "I'm coming back for your laptop! What part of 'don't bring work' don't you understand?"

"Most likely all of it," Reborn said flippantly, making Haru and I-pin giggle.

"You're quite the comedian," Verde deadpanned. "It's unfortunate though that you never see yourself as a joke."

Lambo snickered underneath his breath but clammed up when Reborn stepped forward, his eyes glinting under the light. Haru and I-pin were still laughing, but Tsuna honestly didn't know if this was supposed to be funny or not. He had a feeling that blood could be shed at any moment and was pretty sure that that wasn't funny in the slightest. "Oh? Care to repeat that?"

Verde didn't blink. "You're imprudent, not deaf."

Lal Mirch yanked Reborn back and shut the door, effectively cutting their posturing match short. "Alright, back off. Don't even think about going there, Reborn."

Reborn stepped away from her gracefully, barely looking miffed. "Whatever do you mean?"

Tsuna opened his mouth but closed it quickly, holding himself back when he remembered that the kids were there. Reborn met his eyes with a knowing look and there was a challenging smirk on his stupid face. Tsuna bit his tongue and just followed Lal Mirch to the end of the hallway.

"I'm so sorry!" Haru said behind him. "I probably got this dirty."

"Never," Reborn said, not missing a beat. Tsuna almost rolled his eyes, almost. "You have good taste in accessories."

"Oh, but this is really a beautiful watch. It must've cost a fortune."

"The purchase was worth it."

"Yes, I think so too. This can go really well if you wore something black or even blue, maybe even gray. Black really suits you well though. A—Ah, I'm sorry." Haru laughed embarrassingly. "I talk too much."

"Are you a stylist?"

"Oh wow, how did you know?"

Tsuna could sense the smirk on Reborn's face without even looking at him. "You seem to have the expertise for it. You also design on the side. Your hands are artist's hands. It's quite noticeable."

Okay, Tsuna could kind of see how Reborn was popular. However, picking the right words to say was probably another sign of a sociopath. The elevators suddenly dinged open and Tsuna heard Colonnello's bark of laughter and thumping footsteps.

"I swear to God, if you eat my chips, I will murder you in your sleep!" Vasya screamed. "Colonnello!"

Lambo burst out laughing while Lal Mirch groaned and sprinted ahead of them. "Colonnello, Skull!"

Tsuna quickly ran after Lambo who seemed way too eager to see what was going on with the others right behind him. They arrived just in time to see Vasya lunge for Colonnello and tackle him to the ground. Lambo giggled when the men wrestled on the ground for the bag of chips, grumbling and pulling each other's hair. With impressive strength, Lal Mirch lugged Vasya off of Colonnello by the back of his hoodie and easily separated the two, standing between them. "Are you kidding me?" she said, scowling.

Colonnello grinned and raised the bag of chips in the air. "I called first dibs, kora!"

"First dibs my as—" Vasya blinked when he noticed Tsuna and immediately lit up. "Tsuna, hey!" He glanced at the kids and laughed awkwardly. "I was so not going to say that word by the way."

"And what were you going to say?" Tsuna said, unable to hide his amusement.

"Uh, I'll get back to you on that."

"You know him, too?" was all Haru said, making Tsuna chuckle sheepishly.

Vasya grinned and gave them a wave. "Yo, I'm the great and totally awesome Skull-sama!" Lambo laughed, making Vasya grin wider. "What's your name, buddy?"

"Hey, he's my buddy!" Colonnello said, tearing the green bag open. "Get your own."

"I don't see your name on him anywhere, dumba—" Vasya caught himself by speaking gibberish, making the kids giggle. "Backtrack, backtrack, my bad. Anyways, what's your name, buddy?"

"Dude, did you even hear what I said?"

"Who listens to you anyway?"

Lambo snickered when Colonnello jerked forward as if he was going to throw a punch. Vasya just stuck his tongue out. "You better fu—freakin' give my chips back! I paid for those!"

Mammon suddenly appeared behind him, catching almost everyone off-guard. His sunglasses covered his eyes as usual and he wore a large hoodie. "I paid for it."

Colonnello cackled when Vasya wilted. "Can't you let me off?" Vasya said. "It was just 250 yen!"

Mammon deadpanned. "250 yen that has been added to your debt."

Vasya let out an aggravated groan. "It's not my fault I forgot my wallet!"

Colonnello snorted, munching on some spicy chips. "You sure you're not getting some kind of dementia or something? It's becoming a problem."

"I'll knock your head so hard you'll get fu—freakin' Alzheimer's."

Colonnello gasped mockingly. "Aww, when did our wittle baby learn such a big word?"

Reborn smirked. "Truly an achievement."

"Can I kill them, Lal?"

Lal Mirch narrowed her eyes. "No."

Vasya groaned. "Why is the world against me? Why?"

"You're just unfortunate," Reborn said, meeting Tsuna's narrowed eyes with a smirk.

Colonnello snickered, crunching on another chip. "God has spoken." He held out the bag of chips to Lambo. "Want one, buddy?"

"Hey, my chips!" Vasya said.

Tsuna shook his head. "Oh no, Lambo can't handle spicy very well."

Lambo pouted, his cheeks red in embarrassment. "Tsuna-nii!"

"Why'd you buy spicy chips, you heathen?" Colonnello said. "My buddy can't eat them."

I-pin perked up. "Can I have one, please? I like spicy!"

She giggled when Colonnello held out the bag of chips to her with a grand bow. "Ask and ye shall receive, princess."

Vasya snorted. "Okay, first off, Prince Hans, those are my chips, and second"—he jabbed a thumb at Colonnello's direction—"he's a troll, and not the nice ones that sing and dance."

"Excuse me, dirt bag, but I'm Prince Charming. Get your facts straight."

"The truth hurts, peasant. Deal with it."

Laughing, I-pin munched carefully on the chip she took from the bag and lit up. "This tastes good!"

Lambo huffed. "I wanna try it!"

"You can't handle spicy, Lambo," Fuuta said.

"Just a nibble? I'll take a really, really small bite."

Vasya perked up. "Oh hey." He dug through his purple duffle bag that was draped over the handle of his suitcase. "Aha!" He pulled out a strawberry KitKat. "You like chocolate, buddy?"

"Not your buddy," Colonnello said, offering I-pin more chips.

"Shut up."

Lambo brightened up and tugged Tsuna's jacket. "Can I have it, Tsuna-nii?"

Tsuna smiled slightly. "If Vasya's offering, you can. Remember what you have to say."

Haru stared at him. "You call him by his real name?"

Tsuna flushed. "Oh, um—"

Lambo walked forward to take the KitKat from Vasya with two hands. He bowed. "Thank you, Skull-sama! Oh, and I'm Lambo! I think you're really, really cool! Like when you go all whoosh and vroom on TV!"

Vasya grinned. "Thanks, buddy! You know what, screw that guy." He snickered at Colonnello's indignant face when he ruffled Lambo's hair. "You'll be Skull-sama's best friend!"

"Really?" Lambo said, his eyes wide. "Then can I ride on your motorcycle, too?"

"Heck yeah!"

Lal Mirch folded her arms over her chest. "No. You don't even have it here."

Vasya smiled mischievously. "But we have the van."

Lambo perked up. "Oh, oh, can you drive like you did in Daredevils? When you went through that course with the fire and everything?"

Tsuna blinked. Fire…? Placing his hands on his hips, Vasya threw back his head and laughed triumphantly. "You got it, buddy!"

"You're not taking the van," Mammon deadpanned.

"Or my buddy!" Colonnello said through a mouthful of chips.

"Hey, listen," Vasya said. "I have an infinitely better chance of bringing the car back in one piece than anyone else here." He shuddered. "And Fon. Definitely better than Fon." The other Arcobaleno, and even Reborn, grimaced at that.

"This is the only time I'll ever agree with you," Colonnello said.

Mammon pursed his lips. "Agreed."

"Better than me in what?" a voice said.

Everyone turned to see Fon heading towards them, this time wearing a plain white T-shirt. I-pin promptly froze. Tsuna could already hear the warning bells in his head. Thankfully, Fuuta held I-pin's hand for comfort, even if she didn't properly register it.

"Ah, Tsuna," Fon said with a smile. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"

Haru looked torn between gushing over Fon and interrogating Tsuna for answers. Tsuna just reciprocated Fon's gesture with a small smile of his own. "I'm fine, Fon-san. Thank you for asking."

"I apologize for not meeting you sooner. I was a bit preoccupied."

Tsuna flushed, remembering the man's impressive yoga posture. "Ah, yes. That's fine, really. Um, this is my friend, Haru."

Haru snapped out of her internal struggle and smiled at Fon. "I'm Miura Haru! It's really nice to meet you, Fon-san."

Fon smiled, making her blush. "The pleasure is all mine. And please, you can call me Fon."

"These are my siblings," Tsuna said, gesturing at the kids. He took Lambo's KitKat to open it for him. "He's Lambo, that's Fuuta, and here is I-pin."

Fon offered the kids a pleasant smile, which just made Haru swoon. "Hello, it's very nice to meet you all."

Lambo shifted on his feet, unsure on whether to speak or not until Tsuna patted his shoulder in encouragement. "Is it true that you can break rocks?"

Vasya snickered, appearing at Tsuna's side. "Rocks—ah, buddy, you don't know the half of it. Me and Colonnello tried to teach him how to fist bump before and let me tell you, it was a freakin' riot."

Colonnello sputtered. "Oi, don't you dare!"

Even Lal Mirch smirked. "That was fun."

"Lal!"

"What happened?" Fuuta said slowly.

"Fon almost broke Colonnello's wrist," Vasya said, cackling. "Punched his fist so hard that—Oh god, it was great. His knuckles were bruised too." He dug his phone out of his pants. "Wait, I think I have a picture!"

Lambo burst out laughing while Fon had the decency to look embarrassed. "I didn't intend to," he said.

"Don't even think about it, Skull!" Colonnello said, shoving the bag of chips in Fon's hands and leaping for the cackling man. "Why do you even have it?"

Laughing, Vasya dashed away. "For all my precious memories!" His voice rose to a higher pitch at the end in jest, making Lambo giggle.

Lal Mirch groaned before running after them. "Get back here, you idiots!"

Mammon clicked his tongue, muttering something about property damages and numbers that were far too high for Tsuna's taste, while Reborn just scoffed under his breath. Tsuna looked down at I-pin who continued staring at Fon in stunned silence. Alright, that wasn't a good sign. "I-pin, you can say hi."

She responded with a small whimper and hid behind his leg. Well, at least she was still functioning, kind of. Her movements drew Fon's attention to her, making her squeak. He smiled at her. "I-pin, was it?"

I-pin's grip tightened on Tsuna's jeans. Tsuna leaned down with an encouraging smile. "What do you say, I-pin?" She just buried her red face against his knee. Tsuna smiled at Fon apologetically. "I'm sorry, Fon-san. She's just really shy."

Haru chuckled. "She's your number one fan."

Fon walked forward, making I-pin tense, and crouched down to her height. "It's very nice to finally meet you, I-pin," he said gently. "Tsuna told me about you."

Haru gave Tsuna a questioning look, which he just returned with a weak shrug. Oh, they were definitely going to have a talk later. I-pin still didn't move. Fon chuckled. "Don't worry," he said. "Tsuna told me only nice things. You went quite beyond my expectations. You're very cute."

Haru muffled a squeal behind her hand while Lambo made a face. "The pinhead isn't cute."

He yelped when I-pin suddenly jabbed him in the arm before Tsuna could stop her. "I-pin!" She deflated back to his side but still glared at Lambo who went to Fuuta for comfort.

Fon blinked before his lips curled into a smile. Tsuna wasn't sure what to make of the small gleam in his eyes as he offered I-pin the bag of chips Colonnello shoved in his hands. "Would you like some?" he said.

Everyone waited for a moment for I-pin to do, well, something. Before Tsuna could move things along to save his sister from her embarrassment, she finally moved, slowly at first, before sneaking a hand in the bag and taking a chip. Fon beamed.

Haru fixed her hair multiple times in the bathroom and asked Tsuna several times if her green blouse was okay or if jeans were good enough or not. He shook his head with a small smile. "Haru, it's just dinner, and Lal Mirch-san said casual's fine."

Haru looked at him, like actually gave him a look. "Oh my God, Tsuna, you just don't say that. It's not just dinner. It's dinner with Arcobaleno."

"I don't see why that's a problem," Tsuna said as he braided I-pin's hair. "They're people too, you know."

Haru groaned. "I know but, hello? Arcobaleno—one of the hottest groups in the world? I still think I'm dreaming. I was waiting to actually wake up at some point but I'm still here." She swooned. "Reborn is so dreamy and handsome up-close. I can't."

Tsuna wrinkled his nose. "I don't understand what you like about him."

Haru gasped. "Are you serious? You saw him! He was so sweet and acted like a true gentleman."

Tsuna calmly refrained himself from retorting the theory that Reborn was probably a closeted hitman or something. He tied I-pin's bun in place and smiled. "Done," he said.

The little girl grinned. "Thank you, Big Brother!" She had decided that changing into a dress wasn't a good idea and stuck with her red flower sweater and jeans instead to be more comfortable, though Tsuna could tell how much she really wanted to impress Fon so he offered to do her hair in a braided bun, which she eagerly agreed with.

Haru gave her the ok-sign. "You're so pretty, I-pin! Fon will love it!"

I-pin blushed and tugged the hem of her sweater. "R—Really?"

"Well, he might want to hear your voice, too," Tsuna teased.

Snickering, Lambo hopped on the bed to sit next to him. "You couldn't say anything." He squeaked when I-pin reached out to pinch his arm before Tsuna blocked her hand. "Tsuna-nii, she tried to hit me again! You saw that, right?"

"I-pin," Tsuna said, "you can't hit Lambo like that. That's not nice. Instead of using your fists, you need to stop and think. Say you're sorry."

Frowning, I-pin looked down at her shoes. "Sorry," she muttered.

Tsuna sighed but pinched her cheek endearingly anyways. "Don't do it again, okay?"

When dinnertime came around, Lal Mirch was the one to knock on Tsuna's door this time. She hadn't changed her clothes. The kids seemed pretty excited, though I-pin still shied away when Fon appeared, who had changed into a gray sweater and tucked his braid underneath a baseball hat. Without it, he looked more like Hibari, but his eyes were still kinder. Verde simply wore a zip-up sweatshirt over his shirt.

"Yo!" Colonnello said, raising a hand for Lambo. "Up top, buddy!" Lambo's eyes brightened while he jumped and gave Colonnello a high-five. "Nice!"

Fon smiled at I-pin. "Your hair is very beautiful, I-pin."

The girl blushed and just hid behind Haru's legs. Vasya shoved Colonnello out of the way, making Lambo laugh. "Hey, hey, hey, he's my buddy." He gave Lambo a grin. "Wanna sit next to me for dinner?"

Lambo looked like Vasya just handed him the world. "Really?"

"Heck yeah! It's an honor to sit next to the great Sku—Ack!"

Colonnello pushed him back. "He's sitting next to me, kora!"

"Let him decide!"

Lambo looked back at Tsuna, a bit hopeful and anxious. He clearly wanted to sit next them, but didn't think he'd really stand it if Tsuna wasn't beside him. Tsuna held his hand when the elevator doors opened and squeezed it comfortingly. Lambo relaxed then. Whatever Verde was scribbling in his little notepad, Tsuna didn't want to know. Fon gave I-pin a smile, making her hide behind Haru's legs.

"Christ, you can both sit next to him," Lal Mirch said, stepping inside. "Just have him in the middle. There, problem solved."

"Ah, Lambo doesn't really like it if I'm not with him, Lal Mirch-san," Tsuna said, stepping to the side when Reborn entered. He blinked when the man stood on his other side, his mask covering his mouth.

Verde pushed up his glasses. "Does he have sepa—"

He shut up when Lal Mirch jabbed him in the ribs. "That's fine," she said. "There's no fixed seating arrangements so you can sit wherever you want."

Tsuna smiled. "Okay." He wasn't sure about the idea but he wanted Lambo to be happy, and this was the most his brother ever stepped out of his comfort zone. He hadn't expected him to open up like this; maybe it was just because how Colonnello and Vasya were just really good with kids and made them feel comfortable. Either way, he was grateful for it. "Who do you want to sit next to you, Lambo?"

His brother looked up at him with wide eyes. "What about you, Tsuna-nii?"

"I can sit next to you. Just you can only have one of them with you. Like if we're sitting together, Colonnello could sit next to me and Vasya can sit next to you. That way they can be close to you unless you want it to be something else."

"Oh," Lambo said. "Hmm, I don't know."

Something in the air shifted when Colonnello and Vasya met eyes. A few silent words were exchanged before they smiled, showing teeth. "Nothing bad if you lose," Colonnello said.

"Coward," Vasya said.

"Best of three?"

"Oh, yeah."

Suddenly they shook their fists in the air. "Rock, paper, scissors, and shoot!"

Haru and I-pin laughed when Colonnello groaned. He had rock while Vasya threw out paper.

"Rock, paper, scissors, and shoot!"

Vasya clicked his tongue when Colonnello got scissors against his paper.

"Rock, paper, scissors, and shoot!"

Vasya pumped his fist in the air. "Ha! Take that, ba—uh, jerk."

Colonnello snorted. "Blockhead."

"What did you just call me?"

"Butt-face."

With barely a twitch, Tsuna stepped on Reborn's foot before he could lift his leg and kick Colonnello in the shin. He didn't care if he was ruining his Italian leather shoes and shot Reborn a deceptively pleasant smile. "Is there a problem?"

Before Reborn could say a word, the elevator stopped and opened. Lal Mirch sighed. "Thank God," she muttered, stalking out while Colonnello and Vasya continued yelling childish insults at each other.

Fuuta looked back and forth between Tsuna and Reborn curiously before tugging Tsuna's shirt. "Tsuna-nii, let's go."

Tsuna didn't know which floor they were on but it was well-lit with a lounge area that had some people relaxing about. A few looked their way but no one approached them, except for a hotel staff who led them through the brown hallways and through a door that led inside to a restaurant. The smell of smoky meat and sound of sizzling grills greeted them. The hotel staff lady bowed after she led to them a private room with a long sleek table for a party of 12. Lamps lit the room with a warm glow from the rocky walls.

"Sit next to someone you won't stab with a fork," Lal Mirch deadpanned.

I-pin giggled at that. Soon everyone pretty much arranged themselves accordingly. On the left side, going down from the end of the table, were Lal Mirch, Fon, Vasya, Tsuna, Lambo, and Colonnello. On the other side were Reborn, Viper, Verde, Fuuta, I-pin, and Haru. A waiter dropped by to pass around tall menus and told them to ring the buzzer underneath the table if they needed him.

Tsuna perused through it quickly, finding the prices alright but still hefty with this many people.

"You can order whatever you want," Lal Mirch said. "Everything will be paid for."

Haru widened her eyes. "I don't think I'll be eating a lot. What do you think, Tsuna?"

Tsuna pursed his lips. "You should eat more, Haru. You actually look like you lost weight."

Haru flushed. "Tsuna!"

Colonnello laughed. "Wow, you're a real lady-killer, Tsuna." He snickered. "I still remember you shoving food in Reborn's mouth."

Vasya cackled. "What a legend."

"I wish I recorded it."

"Same."

They ignored the daggers Reborn were sending them across the table. Haru gaped. "Tsuna, you did what?"

Even the kids stared at him like he grew three heads. Tsuna tried to wave it off with a half-hearted shrug, keeping his eyes on the menu. "It's nothing."

"That's not nothing," Haru said. "When did that happen?" She leaned forward to address Reborn at the end of the table. "I'm sorry for anything Tsuna did to you, Reborn-san! He can be too much sometimes!"

Reborn just flashed her a charming smile, making her blush. "There's no need to apologize on his behalf, Haru."

Lal Mirch inclined back on her chair, sending Vasya and Colonnello a blank look they seemed to strangely understand. Taking advantage of Haru's momentary distraction with Reborn, Tsuna showed the kid's menu to Lambo. "Do you want hamburger steak or something else?"

"Steak!" Lambo said.

"Can I get the steak too, Big Brother?" I-pin said.

Tsuna nodded. "Fuuta?"

"I'd like udon."

"Haru," Tsuna said, catching her attention, "what are you going to get?"

Furrowing her brows, Haru flipped through the menu. "I might get the goose liver," she said. "What are you going to get?"

"I'll get the sirloin steak," Tsuna said, closing his menu.

Haru nodded, closing hers too. "Okay. I think we're good to go."

"Do they have ice cream, Tsuna-nii?" Lambo said.

I-pin perked up. "They have sherbet, too!"

"If you have the stomach for it, we can order it," Tsuna said.

Lambo and I-pin beamed. Colonnello coughed lightly in his fist. "You know, you two actually seem like a married couple. No offense, kora."

Tsuna raised a brow. "I thought we went over this."

Colonnello grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, but still."

Before Vasya could say something, Tsuna said, "Well, are you and Lal Mirch-san married?"

Lal Mirch and Colonnello choked on their water. "What the—No, we're not!" Colonnello said, looking aghast. "Who'd marry her?"

"That idiot is far below my standards!" Lal Mirch said, thumping her chest.

"Since when did you have standards, kora?"

"So there we go," Tsuna deadpanned. "Girls and guys can be friends. Assuming that they're married is just that—an assumption. It doesn't give you any concrete facts, which are important in any situation. Long story short, Haru and I are just friends."

Haru nodded vigorously. "We really are, Colonnello-san!"

Vasya snickered by his side. "Good one, Tsuna. How long did you know each other by the way?"

"Since middle school," Haru said. "Namimori is a pretty small town so really, everyone knew everyone."

Vasya leaned forward with a grin. "Then that means you know some dirty secrets."

Tsuna didn't like the mischievous smile on Haru's face. "Oh, yes I do," she said.

The waiter returned to take their orders and after he left, Colonnello and Vasya started interrogating Haru for details Tsuna would've never told them. What was even worse was that the others seemed to listen in, too.

"So was Tsuna a good student?" Colonnello said. "Maybe a teacher's pet?"

Haru laughed. "He was alright. Pretty average."

"Did he do any sports?" Vasya said. "Join any clubs?"

"Oh, Tsuna's horrible at anything physical. The only thing he could do was cook. Well, he can still do that now. You should try his pasta; it's really good! Oh, and his steaks!"

Tsuna flushed. "Haru!"

Haru just shrugged, smile still in place. "It's true. Oh! There was this one time in a Sports Festival when Tsuna tripped on his face in a relay. He was running first though so others could pick up the slack and his class still won."

Lambo stared at him wide-eyed. "Did that really happen, Tsuna-nii?"

Tsuna took in a deep breath. "Well, I wasn't the one who walked in the guy's shower room and used a stall."

Haru blushed. "T—That was an accident!"

Colonnello laughed. "Wait, did you actually do that?"

"She knew what she was doing and where she was going," Tsuna said dryly.

Cheeks red, Haru groaned. "No one was even there when I went in! The girls took too long and I thought, you know, I could make it quick." She huffed before a gleam shone in her eyes. "Oh yeah? Did you know how good of a friend Tsuna is? Well, in the 9th grade I was in charge of the costumes for a play and—"

Tsuna widened his eyes. "Don't you dare."

He gaped when Vasya hushed him. "Shh, I wanna hear."

"Y—You're supposed to be on my side!"

Vasya grinned cheekily. "Come on, Tsuna, friends should know everything about each other, the good and the bad. I'll tell you some embarrassing stories too."

"You better not," Lal Mirch said. "Half of what you say aren't even about you."

Vasya just cackled. "I never said they'd be about me anyways."

"2014 in Shibuya," Reborn suddenly said.

Vasya nearly choked. "Oh my God, don't you fu—Reborn, I swear, if you—"

A Cheshire grin spread across Colonnello's face. "Oh yeah, that's a good one."

Haru gasped. "Is that when—" She stopped herself short with a giggle.

I-pin perked up. "Is that when Skull-san's p—"

Vasya laughed out loud awkwardly. "Alright, playtime's over. Let's just—"

He widened his eyes when Tsuna shushed him. "I want to hear." The brunet smiled pleasantly. "Friends should know everything about each other, Vasya."

Colonnello barked out a laugh. "Oh my God, you're an idiot."

"S—Shut up!" Vasya said.

Tsuna tilted his head. "What happened in Shibuya?"

Colonnello grinned as Vasya protested loudly in the background. "So we were performing Equinox and there was this one part where Skull had to knee slide onstage." He paused to catch his breath from laughing. "Holy crap, he does it and—" He covered his eyes with his hand, too far gone in his hysterics.

"His pants ripped," Lal Mirch said with a smirk. "Right over his crotch."

"It was quite amusing," Fon said, not helping at all.

Colonnello laughed uncontrollably into his arm, joined in by the kids and Haru. Vasya groaned into his hands. "I'd like to die now," he said, his voice muffled.

"I think—I think it's online," Colonnello gasped out. "Let me—" He burst out laughing again while he took out his phone and swiped through the screen.

"Don't fu—do it!" Vasya said, standing up.

Colonnello cackled. "I will! Ah, good times, good times. Oh, found it!"

Before Vasya could walk over and snatch Colonnello's phone away, Tsuna grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his seat. "Playtime's not over yet, Vasya."

Vasya widened his eyes but didn't speak. Colonnello propped his elbow on the table and turned his phone sideways before the video, recorded by a fan, started playing. Loud booming bass accompanied by some electric beats suddenly started playing through the speakers. Screams echoed everywhere in the large stadium as the phone zoomed in on Vasya who was dancing in the front of Arcobaleno's formation with Colonnello to his right. They wore some kind of black uniform with silver chains dangling from their shoulders in loops. Their dance was pretty intense with body pops and even some hip rolls that got the fans screaming louder.

"Wait for it, wait for it!" Colonnello said.

And then, it happened. Vasya stepped out of the formation, flicking his hair in what Tsuna guessed was supposed to be a sexy move, before sliding on his knees towards the audience. His black pants ripped open, revealing gray boxers. The fans went absolutely wild along with Colonnello, who entered another fit of hysterical laughter, and the others, including Tsuna. In the video, Vasya seemed to know something was wrong and looked down. Immediately he covered the tear and scrambled into a fetal position, bowing over like he was in pain. The others onstage dashed over, with Reborn, Mammon, and Verde standing a few feet away and the music still going. Fon kneeled by Vasya's head, asking if he was alright, while Colonnello leaned over his knees before staggering away in laughter. The video ended then.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the amazing Shibuya incident," Colonnello said, snorting.

Haru snickered. "Twitter went nuts."

The waiter returned with their food then while Vasya pouted and grumbled under his breath. Smiling, Tsuna patted his arm. "It's okay. It happens."

"Oh, yeah," Vasya deadpanned, "people just go around ripping their pants. It happens." He perked up. "Wait, you said something about a play, Haru?"

Haru grinned as the waiter placed her plate in front of her. After thanking him, she wriggled her eyebrows at Tsuna who scowled at her. "Yes, sir," she said. "So there was this play in the 9th grade for—I think it was an original play but anyways, that's not the point. There was this one scene at the end where the main girl, who's a peasant, sneaks into the prince's ball. Th—"

"Haru," Tsuna said, narrowing his eyes.

"The girl who was acting her part had to leave town for a bit so I couldn't do a fitting. But, Tsuna here was actually pretty much her clone aside from their gender. Really, he was so small and petite back in the days, I'm amazed he even hit a growth spurt."

Colonnello laughed. "Oh my God, tell me you have pictures."

Tsuna gaped when Haru took out her phone and shook it in the air. "Definitely. Wanna look?"

"Haru, don't!"

Haru did.

And now, the image of a younger, more petite Tsuna in a red evening ball gown, back and shoulders bare, was ingrained in everyone's head. Tsuna cut their laughs short when he stabbed a knife in his steak and they wisely moved on.

(But they still thought about it—quietly, of course.)

Stomachs full, everyone left the restaurant and snuck onto the elevator. Vasya somehow roped Fon into coming with him to the hotel convenience store with Colonnello tagging along. Mammon pursed his lips and told them that the snacks would come out of their own pockets, which they shrugged off before stepping out onto a different floor.

When the others arrived at their floor, Lal Mirch led them to a lounge area that had several brown sofas and cushion chairs. The lights were low and golden, offering more warmth to the wooden walls, and the sky was already dark outside the overly-large windows. Tsuna tilted his head when Lal Mirch re-arranged the sofas and table around to make a large space in the center. She plopped down on the taupe carpets and gestured the others to join. "Take a seat. I'll just go over some things about our schedule and what to expect, some ground rules, all that."

Sighing, Verde sat down to Lal Mirch's left and Mammon sat on her other side. Reborn, surprisingly, sat next to Haru who had Fuuta and I-pin to her left. And as always, Lambo was in-between Tsuna and I-pin. They formed a wonky circle at best but better than nothing. Lal Mirch took out her phone, which had a dark blue case and a worn white sticker of a dance company, and unlocked the screen.

"So there's a lot of things to do here," she said, running a hand through her hair. "The hotel has a complimentary breakfast service for club guests from 6:30 to 10:00. We're all registered in the club so you don't have to worry about not being able to go in. That's on the 12th floor. There's also a gym and a pool, an onsen that's open from 3 PM to midnight. There's a kids corner too for…the kids. That's basically the gist of the hotel's services. If you have questions I'm just down the hall from you." Lal Mirch frowned. "If I'm not in my room, you can ask…" She looked around the room and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, no. I guess you could ask Fon then."

"Don't you trust me?" Reborn said in a sickly sweet voice.

"No," Tsuna and Lal Mirch deadpanned.

Haru didn't know whether to smile or not. "Why are you so mean to Reborn, Tsuna?"

"I think he's pretty justified," Lal Mirch said. "The only person you could trust here besides me is Fon, but that's still kind of pushing it."

Reborn propped an arm over his raised knee. "You wound me."

Lal Mirch rolled her eyes and scrolled through her phone again. "Yeah, great. Okay, so for tomorrow, there are some options to choose from. There's a lot of shopping outlets in the area so we could go there. The Imperial Palace isn't too far either. There's the Ghibli Museum and some science museums if you're interested in that. Additionally, this hotel is a Tokyo Disney Resort so Disneyland is an option, too."

Lambo perked up. "Disneyland? Can we go there, Tsuna-nii?"

Sparkles glimmered in I-pin's eyes. "Yes, can we?"

Tsuna laughed as they clambered onto his lap. "We should wait for the others and decide. Fuuta?"

Fuuta smiled at him. "I don't mind."

"Disneyland sounds fun!" Haru said.

"Then we can go there tomorrow," Lal Mirch said, typing something in her phone. "It opens at 8 AM so we could probably get there at around 10 or 11 depending on when we all wake up."

"Anything you buy there is out of your own expenses," Mammon said.

Lal Mirch rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, scare 'em off now, will you?"

Mammon frowned. "Do you know how much money we spent on th—"

"Anyways, I guess that'll do for now. We can plan the other days as we go along."

Reborn glanced at I-pin, tilting his head. "Fon mentioned it before but your hair is lovely."

I-pin blushed and looked down at her hands on her lap. "T—Thank you, Reborn-san."

Reborn slightly smirked. "Can I ask who did it?"

I-pin beamed proudly. "Big Brother did it! He always does my hair for me and makes it really pretty!" Her cheeks reddened more when she realized how loud she was and she hugged Fuuta's arm to try hiding herself.

Lal Mirch raised a brow. "You did that? That's pretty good."

Tsuna shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I couldn't let I-pin go around with her hair down forever so I figured that I should learn. It took a while though to get the hang of it."

"How long have they lived with you?" Verde said.

"Three years, but I've known them for longer."

"That's really something," Lal Mirch said, skeptical. "Taking in three kids. On top of that, you work and go to school—how can you manage all of that? I can barely manage one of these idiots."

Embarrassed, Tsuna scratched his cheek while Lambo made himself comfortable on his lap. "Ah, well, I dropped out to take care of the kids."

Lal Mirch blinked. "You dropped out? Wait, how old are you again?"

"20."

"20? The he—What made you want to take them in?"

Haru shook her head fondly. "Tsuna was always good with kids. It just kind of happened. He really can't say no to them."

Lal Mirch tilted her head. "Still, that's a huge responsibility, and you're so young too. Didn't you have plans for the future?"

Tsuna wrapped his arms loosely around Lambo's stomach. "I did, but you know how it is." He smiled slightly. "Life can throw large curveballs when you least expect it. I learned to go with the flow. Besides, I don't regret taking them in. I love them."

A bout of soft silence fell in the room. Lambo grinned up at Tsuna. "I love you too, Tsuna-nii!"

"Me too, me too!" I-pin said, beaming.

Fuuta smiled. "Me three."

Haru clutched her chest dramatically. "They're just so precious. I can't."

Lal Mirch flushed and busied herself with her phone. Mammon seemed to hum to himself in thought while Verde scribbled something in his notepad. Tilting his head, Reborn regarded Tsuna with unreadable eyes. Soon, familiar shouts and footsteps sounded down from the hall before Vasya and Colonnello entered the lounge area with several bags of snacks.

"Dude, you need a freakin' leash!" Vasya said, heading towards the group. "How much sh—stuff did you get?"

Colonnello snorted. "You got more than I did."

Vasya plopped down next to Tsuna before Colonnello could. "I'll pay you back, Fon!"

Fon appeared sooner than later with long, smooth strides, unhurried. "It's no problem."

Colonnello was about to kick Vasya's back when Tsuna gave him a look. The blond gave him a tight grin. "I was just going to sit, kora."

"Right," Tsuna said, unimpressed.

"So what'd we miss?" Vasya said, digging through the plastic bags. "Oh, there's these weird crackers I found. You can pick whatever you want. I just grabbed random stuff." He snatched the spicy bag of the chips that he had bought before from Colonnello's hands. "This is mine!"

"Sharing is caring, kora."

"I don't care about you."

Fon sat down gracefully between Verde and Reborn while Colonnello and Vasya bickered in the background, making the kids laugh. He smiled. "Is there an agenda for today?"

Lal Mirch pocketed her phone. "Oh right. So, icebreakers. Since this is the first day, we thought that we could play a game or something to know each other more. Something like that."

"If anyone suggests Two Truths, One Lie, just leave the room," Vasya said, passing around the bags of snacks. "We don't need your vanilla as—uh, boring-ness."

"Truth or Dare?" Colonnello said, opening a box of chocolate crackers.

"No," Lal Mirch and Mammon said.

Colonnello shrugged, but his grin didn't disappear. "I tried."

Vasya munched on a spicy chip. "Charades?"

Lambo shifted through the bags with wide eyes before settling on some grape candies. Tsuna passed them on to I-pin who looked through them with little noises of awe.

"Oh, wait!" Colonnello said. "Mafia!"

"There are kids here," Lal Mirch deadpanned.

Colonnello pouted. "We can keep things PG."

Haru perked up. "Mafia sounds fun."

"What's that?" Lambo said.

"It's a game that'll wreck friendships and help us find out who's an actual criminal," Vasya said in a comically solemn fashion. "But hey, it's pretty fun. Some people play it differently but the gist is that we have to figure out who's in the mafia. There's a moderator who can keep things in check. You can get the hang of it while we play."

Colonnello pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket. "I got this!"

"How many should be mafia?" Vasya said. "There's 12 of us."

"Eh, 2 can work. Makes it more fun." Colonnello tossed the deck of cards to Verde. "Do your thing."

Sighing, Verde shuffled through the cards, taking out 12, and tossed the rest to the side. "I'm not playing," he said.

"Thanks for being the moderator in the first round, bub," Vasya said, munching on more chips. "So he's gonna pass out the cards and if you get a heart, you're mafia. If you don't, then you're innocent. Don't show anyone what you got until the end. It's a whole interrogation guessing game. If you get killed by the mafia, you'll sit out but you can't talk."

After the cards were passed around, everyone took a quick peek before setting their cards down. Tsuna got 4 of spades. Verde sighed. "Close your eyes and put your heads down."

Lal Mirch grimaced. "We should've done this on a table."

"Too late!" Colonnello said. "Just go!"

Everyone except Verde bowed down, though Reborn seemed slightly miffed at doing it. Lambo moved from Tsuna's lap to the floor.

"Mafia, wake up," Verde said.

There was some rustling and shifting bodies. Tsuna remembered playing Mafia back in university with large groups of people while they drank. One game lasted almost 7 hours when no one could agree on a suspect but they were mostly drunk at that point.

"Mafia, sleep." After a few minutes, Verde blandly said, "Everyone, wake up."

Tsuna straightened himself along with everyone else. Verde had his arms crossed over his chest. "During the night, Tsuna is killed by a blow to the head while walking h—"

"Hey, keep it PG," Lal Mirch said.

Verde sighed. "Tsuna trips over a rock purposely left on his path by a mafia member and falls. Sma—Hurts his head. Brain swells. He ceases to exist."

Haru snorted a laugh while I-pin and Lambo giggled. Lal Mirch rolled her eyes and gestured at a spot to the side. "I guess you can go there."

Tsuna honestly didn't expect to be killed first but stood up and sat in the Dead Corner nonetheless.

"You can start your arguments," Verde said.

Vasya immediately pointed at Reborn. "This guy."

Reborn raised a brow though a smirk danced on his lips. "Oh? But I'm innocent."

"The ba—jerk is going to end up playing mind games with everyone and I think we already established the fact that he's probably a closeted serial killer."

Tsuna snorted behind his hand, ignoring Reborn's piercing stare. That sounded too true. Colonnello raised a hand and deadpanned. "I second that notion."

"Why do you guys always end up blaming Reborn for everything?" Haru said. "Maybe he is innocent."

Vasya raised a brow. "Oh? Are you two in on it together? I bet you chose to kill Tsuna because he exposed you."

Haru widened her eyes. "I wouldn't kill Tsuna over something like that! And I'm innocent!"

"I mean, you defending Reborn is pretty suspicious," Colonnello said.

"Why don't you just think about this seriously?" Lal Mirch said.

"I am, kora!"

"I still think we should get rid of Reborn whether he is mafia or not," Vasya deadpanned.

"Hey, that's two nominations!" Colonnello said. "Alright, majority vote!"

"You didn't even let Reborn try to defend himself!" Haru said.

"Okay, never mind, it's probably Haru."

Haru flushed. "I'm innocent."

Vasya crossed his arms over his chest, nodding gravely. "That's what they all say."

"Besides, you didn't even ask the others."

"Why would the kids kill their brother?"

"Why wouldn't they? It's the mafia. Anything can happen. And the cards are random, too."

Colonnello smirked at Reborn. "Are you just going to sit there and let her keep defending you, kora?"

Reborn returned the gesture. "It's nice to have someone to trust."

Haru blushed at that. "I—I'm just trying to keep things rational here."

"So do you have some doubts about my innocence?"

Haru looked at Tsuna in alarm. The brunet just shrugged. He couldn't speak and he already knew that Reborn wasn't lying about being innocent, which was pretty unfortunate, but what could he do? He had some suspicions about who the mafia might be, though he'd have to observe more. The others didn't speak up yet.

"Oh, no," Haru said, laughing sheepishly. "I just think that, you know, innocent until proven guilty and all that."

"Okay, okay," Vasya said. "Then let's do it this way. Fon, are you mafia?"

Fon blinked at the sudden question but remained calm nonetheless. "No." He was telling the truth.

"Lal?"

Lal Mirch scoffed. "No. Everyone's just going to end up saying no anyways. I don't know what you're trying to do." She was also telling the truth.

Vasya threw his hands up in the air. "Okay, whatever. I nominate Reborn anyways."

"And what if you end up killing an innocent civilian?" Reborn said.

"Don't even try."

"I'm simply posing a question."

"Your questions are insanely complicated no matter how simple they sound."

"You're overthinking this."

Lal Mirch huffed. "You know, Reborn has a point. Maybe you're mafia."

Vasya gaped at her. "Why would I kill Tsuna?"

"You could've killed him to make yourself seem less suspicious," Fuuta said, drawing all eyes on him. "I know you like Tsuna-nii."

Vasya flushed while Colonnello laughed, smacking the other man's back. "What a beast. He got you there!"

"I—I'm innocent!"

Reborn smirked. "That's what they all say."

Tsuna could only pat Vasya's arm sympathetically after the others voted to kill him off. He took an extra bag of snacks and took out some green tea-flavored KitKat. After tearing the wrapper off, he snapped it in two and offered the other half to Vasya, who brightened up at the silent offer. They munched on the wafers—Vasya had 6 of clubs—while Verde told the mafia to "wake up". Vasya almost choked. "The l—"

Tsuna quickly covered his mouth, making him blush. After the mafia picked their next victim, Verde told everyone else to wake up. "Distracted by a butterfly freed by a mafia member, Reborn slips into a pool and drowns. He ceases to exist."

A scatter of snorts and giggles sounded across the room. Reborn narrowed his eyes at Verde who didn't spare him a glance before moving to the Death Corner and sitting on Tsuna's other side. Vasya just snorted when Reborn showed them his card: an ace. "Still don't like you," he mumbled under his breath.

With each round, the amount of people in the Death Corner grew and there was still no signs of who the mafia was. There were only Fon, Fuuta, I-pin, and Haru left. At some point, Colonnello almost punched Reborn in the face after he stole his crackers and Tsuna had to sit between them to make them act like their age.

"Fon is hit by a car," Verde said dryly, eliminating the last person. "Mafia wins this round."

Vasya bolted up and pointed at Fuuta. "You little sneak!"

Fuuta just smiled at him. "Welcome back from the dead, Skull-san." He laughed when Vasya pulled him into a headlock and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"You're a terrifying squirt," Vasya said. "You even killed Viper."

"I can't believe you killed off Tsuna first, kora," Colonnello said, returning to his spot in the circle.

Fuuta shrugged. "Tsuna-nii would be trouble." He didn't elaborate any further.

"Another round?" Vasya said.

"Sure!" Haru said.

Lambo giggled. "This is fun."

Vasya grinned. "I told you it'd be fun! Okay, we need a new moderator. If I hear 'cease to exist' one more time, I'm going to freakin' flip."

After returning the cards to Verde who shuffled them again, he distributed it down the line. This time Haru was the moderator. Tsuna got 7 of clubs. When everyone closed their eyes and bowed, Haru suddenly muffled a snort and tried to cover it up with a cough. Several minutes passed before Haru said, "Okay, wake up, everyone! So, unfortunately, Lambo was hurt in an accident and has to go to the Death Corner."

Lambo pouted but walked over there anyways, not straying too far from the group. Colonnello raised a hand. "I nominate Reborn."

Vasya deadpanned. "Seconded."

Lal Mirch sighed. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Hey, he literally made you think that Lambo was some kind of kid hitman that threw grenades around for fun," Vasya said. "I don't know about you but even I couldn't believe it."

Lal Mirch flushed as Lambo giggled from the Death Corner. "Shut up, idiot!"

"I'm not the idiot, you are. Who the heck uses dumplings as weapons anyways?"

"There is a bun that helps you perform something called the Gyoza-Kempo," Fon said. "It's a technique that numbs the brain with a wave of garlic scent. If an ordinary person eats the special bun they'd most likely die." He paused. "Actually, they will die."

Vasya and Colonnello stared at him strangely. "Okay," Vasya said, "thanks for the…really unnecessary killer dumpling lesson. Anyways, who votes for Reborn?"

"I nominate Fon," Mammon suddenly said.

Lal Mirch groaned. "No, please don't. Don't start."

Fon smiled. "And why do you accuse me, Viper?"

"You're too obvious."

"Obvious? How so?"

"F—Fon-san isn't guilty!" I-pin suddenly squeaked out. She flushed when everyone looked at her and deflated by Tsuna's side. "He isn't…"

Vasya grinned. "Hey, no problem. Let's hear him out."

Mammon sighed. "You're idiots."

"What did you say?"

"Fon-san wouldn't kill anyone!" I-pin said, looking anywhere but the man. "He—He's really nice and—and he would protect people, not kill them!"

Tsuna bit back a smile when he saw a flash of guilt across Fon's face. "This is just a game, I-pin," he said, patting her back. "I'm sure Fon-san really wouldn't kill anyone but they're just trying to figure it out." When he met the other man's gaze, he nearly laughed at the stunned look on his face.

I-pin frowned. "Still…"

"It's him," Mammon said.

"I mean, Princess has a point," Colonnello said. "Fon probably wouldn't hurt a fly."

Mammon clicked his tongue. "This is just a game. Just vote him off and get this over with already."

"Woah, dude," Vasya said, "are you mafia?"

"Don't kill Fon-san!" I-pin said. "He really isn't mafia!"

Colonnello raised a brow. "And how would you know that, princess?"

I-pin flushed. "I—I—He just isn't!"

Vasya rubbed his chin. "That's really not a good reason."

"You're overwhelming her," Fon said, making I-pin flush.

"I'm just asking questions." Vasya squinted. "So, what's it going to be? I still nominate Reborn."

"One might think you're obsessed with me," Reborn said.

Vasya scoffed. "Whoever's obsessed with you is probably just brainwashed."

"Possible," Verde said. "With Reborn, the probability might as well increase by 37%."

Tsuna didn't know whether he was joking or not. Lal Mirch sighed. "Okay, moving on, we're not really getting anywhere. Who are we accusing?"

"Reborn!" Vasya and Colonnello said.

"Fon," Mammon deadpanned.

I-pin widened her eyes. "But—"

"Is it possible to nominate myself?" Fon said, making everyone stare.

"Wait, are you offering to kamikaze yourself?" Colonnello said.

Vasya blinked. "Uh, is that a thing? I mean, okay, we get it, Fon. You're not guilty. I think it's actually Viper at this point. He hasn't talked this much before."

Mammon pursed his lips. "I'm just saving time."

"Okay, guys, guys," Haru said. "No, Fon, you can't nominate yourself. That's just—I don't think that's allowed, I'm pretty sure."

"It just means that there's one less person to worry about," Reborn said.

"Okay, see?" Vasya said. "When you say things like that, I'm pretty sure that you're a closeted hitman or something."

"So does that mean you won't vote for Fon-san?" I-pin said hopefully.

A bout of silence passed before Colonnello groaned. "Oh my God, you two, it's just a f—freakin' game. Just go to the corner already!"

"What time is it?" Vasya said, opening another bag of chips.

Lal Mirch checked her phone but Verde beat her to it, "8:12 PM." He didn't even have a watch.

Colonnello shuddered. "How do you that? Actually no, I don't want to know."

"One more round?" Vasya snickered, offering Lambo some chips. "I mean, the last one was like five minutes."

"Last one, kora!" Colonnello said, sipping an energy drink.

Lal Mirch sighed. "Fine. Are you okay with it?"

"We're fine with it," Tsuna said.

Verde ended up shuffling the cards again and Lal Mirch was designated as the moderator. When Tsuna received his card, he simply turned it over and tucked it in his pants: 6 of hearts. "Go to sleep," Lal Mirch said. Everyone ducked their heads. "Mafia, get up."

When Tsuna quietly sat up, he just blinked when he met Reborn's gaze. Okay…great. Lal Mirch stared at them while they somehow got their messages across. Smirking, Reborn pointed at Vasya. Tsuna paused and actually thought about it. Frowning, he shook his head. Reborn tilted his head when Tsuna pointed at I-pin instead then back at Mammon. Reborn pondered on it for a second before nodding.

After everyone was up, Lal Mirch said, "Sorry, I-pin. You're out."

I-pin pouted but went over to the Death Corner, blushing when Fon offered her a bag of candy. Before Vasya could say anything, Tsuna said, "I nominate Mammon-san."

Colonnello blinked. "Eh?"

Tsuna shrugged. "I'm just going to guess that I-pin must've gotten on his nerves in the last round."

He could see Mammon's brow peeking above his sunglasses. "She didn't," he said.

"Tsuna has a good point though," Vasya said, scratching the back of his head.

"There are outlying probabilities," Verde said.

"Whatever."

Mammon was promptly voted to be killed. Tsuna perused the remaining members quietly when Reborn pointed at Colonnello. When Tsuna raised a brow, Reborn just shrugged and gestured vaguely at Vasya with a smirk.

"Get out, Colonnello," Lal Mirch said when everyone was up.

Colonnello gaped. "What?" He squinted at Vasya. "What'd you do to me, man?"

Vasya snickered. "I didn't do anything. Go to the corner, heathen."

And after that, Tsuna and Reborn systematically "killed" everyone off until Lambo was the only one left, unable to vote against his brother. Lal Mirch sighed. "Mafia wins."

Colonnello stared at them. "You two are probably the scariest mafia duo I've ever seen. Seriously, what the heck?"

Tsuna smiled pleasantly. "It's just a game, Colonnello-san."

Lal Mirch shook her head. "I don't want to know how you managed to even communicate with him." She jerked her thumb at Reborn who just smirked.

"I should've known," Vasya moaned. "You were protecting Reborn the whole freakin' time, too."

Tsuna's brow twitched at that. It took careful words and some sweet-talk to get everyone off Reborn's back at one point and he was pretty sure Reborn did that on purpose after he said, "I enjoy killing off idiots."

Now that was done and over, Tsuna was just relieved. Reborn would've been an extremely difficult client. Verde fixed his glasses in place. "What did you study in university?"

Tsuna's lips twitched into a smile. "Law."

And when Mammon slipped a company card in his hand on the way back to their rooms, no one said anything, but Tsuna stared at it for a moment before looking up. "Um, Mammon-san, what is this…?"

"In case," Mammon just said. "Good night."

With that, he left for his room. Tsuna stared at the white card in his hand: Trinisette Legal Department.

…what the hell?

Little Notes and Fun Facts

1) Since Namimori is in the Hyogo Prefecture in this story, the flight from Hyogo to the Chiba Prefecture takes around 30 minutes or a little more depending on external factors.

2) The Narita International Airport is a real airport along with the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel. It takes 1 hour and 6 minutes to drive from the airport to the hotel. Thank you, Google Maps. :'^)

3) Oh yeah, there was a very long "discussion" about who should pick up Tsuna and co. from the airport.

4) Uhh, Colonnello got Tsuna's number through normal means. I swear. :^)

5) Colonnello is a nerd. We still love him though.

6) The Arcobaleno debuted on April 3rd, 2010. April 3rd is also Rainbow Day, or National Find a Rainbow Day, lolol.

7) ImmortalNemesis is a made-up anime show. Daredevils is also fake. I'm really sorry for the sucky titles. :'^)

8) Mammon v. Luce on buying out a whole floor—Luce won.

9) The yoga position Fon was doing is called Pincha Mayurasana, or the Feathered Peacock Pose. :^))))

10) Japan has more than 200 flavors of KitKat, hot damn.

11) Uh-oh, the Ranking List is now forming…

12) Sure, Arcobaleno have their own way of communicating with each other. 7 years of being stuck together does that. And yeah, Lal Mirch pretty much told Colonnello and Vasya to keep their mouth shut about the whole "fainting-oh-noes-we'll-make-it-up-to-you-with-lunch" thing. :^)

13) Shibuya 2014 – another incident in the books. :^D

14) Maybe Vasya might've been turned on when Tsuna said playtime wasn't over, maybe not. You decide.

15) Yeah, Vasya wanted Fon to pay for the snacks. Poor boi.

16) Round 1 of Mafia: Fuuta and Viper were mafia. Round 2: Fon and I-pin. Round 3: Tsuna and Reborn.

A/N Oml…peeps, we made it…longest chap so far…first day…*collapses*

The poll is still ongoing on my profile. I promise it'll be worth it! For guests, you can drop a vote in the comments if you haven't yet: Viper, Verde, Reborn, Lal Mirch, Fon, Colonnello, and Skull.

This…took a while and I know how much you peeps wanted the show to hit the road so here it is! The first day is now complete. Everyone has met…well, everyone. I crammed in so much shiz here for y'all to enjoy. Hopefully it worked out. :'^D

I'm not sure if I portrayed the Mafia game correctly so sorry about that. :'^)

Seriously, a million thanks to my amazing beta, nico, for helping me get through this and keeping me sane.

Next: DISNEYLAND! LET'S GO AND WISH UPON THE FUCKING STAR, PEEPS!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny