21 Chapter 20: Running Down The Hill

Dojima truly wanted to give Tsuna a perfect score, but he would rather save it for later once he savored Tsuna's specialty, whatever it might be.

"I'm looking forward to tasting that, and I hope it will be better than your Yakitori..."

Once he confirmed it was better, then Dojima would gladly give Tsuna the perfect score he deserved.

"..."

Tsuna just shrugged his shoulders in response to those words as he turned to both Alice and Ryo, who were both clenching their fists tightly.

"..."

They thought it was about who was better among them, but they couldn't have been more wrong.

Tsuna then surveyed the whole classroom, which was looking at him with a mix of expressions, as he slowly opened his mouth, "That's about it. I won with a 98? I was expecting a 100, but I guess I have a lot of room to improve."

"..."

The room fell into silence. Tsuna appeared more casual than expected as if he had done nothing impressive.

This realization made them feel foolish for underestimating someone who could effortlessly dominate them.

They still harbored grudges over Tsuna's decision to initiate a ranking competition on the first day of the Training Camp, threatening expulsion for those who ranked below a certain level.

However...

"For whoever gets expelled today, just try harder somewhere else. But well, I made a lot of Yakitori, feel free to take one of each..."

Those words only intensified their frustration.

Yet Tsuna seemed unfazed, gesturing toward his countertop where the aroma of grilled meat wafted, tantalizing their taste buds.

He then smirked as he continued, "This is going to be the best Yakitori you'll ever taste, so don't rush it."

"And if you want to try the best fried rice ever, please come to my restaurant. It'll be open every day from 7 PM to 10 PM..."

Tsuna's eyes gleamed, revealing his other intention behind escalating the whole situation—a credible promotion backed by his overwhelming victory!

"Fried rice, huh? Is that his specialty? If so, then I should probably pay a visit to his place sometime..." Dojima looked on with interest while Alice felt slightly speechless at the shameless promotion she once again witnessed.

"Despite his questionable character, this guy is certainly a competent cook..."

However, she was now seeing Tsuna in a different light.

Alice now considered Tsuna to be on the same level as Erina, and she silently muttered, "...Just wait and see, Tsunayoshi Ito! I'm going to catch up!"

After the two hours were up, Dojima then expelled ten students who ranked at the bottom, just as he had said before.

He was a man of his word, after all.

Although those students felt frustrated, they now fully accepted their fate since they had tasted Tsuna's Yakitori and were utterly convinced of the vast disparity in skill levels between them.

And with that, they boarded the bus to return to the main hotel, which was about forty minutes away from the resort.

Similarly, the students from other classes also seemed to be boarding their buses.

"...She might not have decided yet, but why do I feel like I'm losing!?"

Takumi Aldini, a blonde student sitting in the aisle seat, frowned as he glanced at Soma.

He had issued a challenge to Soma, which Soma accepted, and their instructor, Hinako Inui, had yet to determine the winner.

"And he's just one of the transfer students I have to defeat to prove them wrong..." Takumi silently thought as he clenched his fist.

"Hmm...?"

However, he noticed Soma looking out the window in shock, mouth wide open.

Similarly, his brother, Isami, was doing the same, and Takumi realized that everyone was also staring out the window in shock.

"What are they looking at...!?"

As he turned his head, Takumi's eyes widened in shock, "What the heck!?"

"Tsuna!?"

Soma couldn't help but call out Tsuna's name as he watched Tsuna running right alongside their bus, which was traveling at a decent speed but certainly too fast for a person to casually keep up with.

However...

Tsuna seemed unfazed as he effortlessly caught up and then left the bus behind, leaving Takumi completely speechless.

"Should I just focus on Yukihira? That guy probably isn't even a human being..." He couldn't help but reconsider, as that Tsuna guy seemed a psychopath.

As Tsuna kept running down the hill, finally arriving at the main hotel after twenty minutes, he glanced at his drenched uniform with satisfaction.

"As expected, this place is perfect for me to train..."

Being at a higher elevation on a hill in a mountainous region, the lower oxygen in the air helped him push his body further, a challenge he couldn't replicate in lower altitudes where oxygen was more abundant.

"Hmm?"

As he walked in, Hitoshi Sekimori, who was in charge of their next assignment to cook for bodybuilders, was surprised to see him.

"The student over there..."

Sekimori raised his eyebrows, recognizing Tsuna as the same student who had impressed Chef Chappelle.

He greeted Tsuna with a smile and asked, "Where are the rest of your classmates?"

"Oh?"

Tsuna looked around, noticing the empty surroundings beside some of Totsuki's staff and a group of bodybuilders, then shook his head, "I guess I left them behind."

"You left them behind? How did you even get here without them?"

"I ran."

"...Huh? But that's like thirty kilometers from here?"

Sekimori stared at Tsuna's drenched figure, somewhat shocked.

"This student didn't seem to be lying...."

He almost scratched his head as he spoke, "Well, anyway, you're going to need to wait for the rest of your classmates since we have another assignment here today."

"Oh, I see. Then I'll make myself comfortable. Thank you for letting me know."

Tsuna's eyes lit up as he saw the bodybuilders. He walked up to them, borrowing their dumbbells to train while waiting for the others.

"...He's quite a unique individual, I see."

Sekimori observed how Tsuna effortlessly integrated into their group, surprising them with the strength hidden within his lean frame and quickly became friends.

After a while, the rest of the students finally arrived.

Sekimori then surprised them with another assignment: to cook 50 servings of Beef Steak for the hungry bodybuilders within an hour, which made them feel like giving up, especially after their exhausting journey to gather ingredients.

Nevertheless, they had no other choice but to press on.

Thirty minutes into the assignment, as the students were struggling to feed the bodybuilders, Sekimori loudly announced, "Tsunayoshi Ito completed 50 servings! You pass!"

"Huh!? Already?"

"How did he manage to finish them in just half an hour?"

The students grumbled loudly as the announcement pushed them to cook faster. Meanwhile, Sekimori observed Tsuna's departing figure with a pensive expression.

"He befriended them earlier, so naturally, the bodybuilders looked to him for the food. And his ability to cook multiple servings simultaneously is not to be underestimated either..."

He analyzed the situation, noting that Tsuna was the first to complete the assignment.

With a nod of satisfaction, he remarked, "Totsuki's future looks promising indeed!"

However...

"Sigh... What was the name of his restaurant again? Ito's Golden Fried Rice? I'll definitely have to visit sometime..."

"Yeah, if his steak tasted that good, his fried rice must be exceptional too..."

Tsuna seemed to be promoting his restaurant as usual, a fact that Sekimori had overlooked. Still, the bodybuilders appeared disappointed as they realized Tsuna had left.