Chapter 30 – Coaxed Promises
Novel Title: 跨越千万星辰 (Across Thousands of Stars)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 泽田纲吉 (Sawada Tsunayoshi -MC), 六道骸 (Rokudo Mukuro -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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“Muku? Why are you here?” Tsuna’s eyes fell on the plastic bag in his hand. He then heard Mukuro approaching while saying, “The paper towels are finished.”
The answer was for Tsuna. But he was looking at the man in the car as he answered.
There was a very strange atmosphere in the air.
On the outside, there are some traces of the man being a foreigner. But the pure black hair with the eye colour that wasn’t black also made Mukuro unable to tell where he was from for a moment.
This is the colleague who sent Tsuna back? After a quick filter in his mind, he really couldn’t retrieve any information that matched the appearance of this man. In other words, Tsuna never mentioned this person to him. But looking at the interaction between the two of them just now, it doesn’t seem like they had just met each other.
Mukuro narrowed his eyes slightly. The expression on his upright face was somewhat blurred.
The other party also turned his head. He caught his sight firmly through the window and the distance. Inexplicably, the two just stared at each other for more than ten seconds, each with a probing look and they were sizing each other up.
It was Reborn who looked away first. He then briefly greeted Tsuna who wasn’t aware of what happened but clearly sensed the strange atmosphere, “I’ll go first. Don’t be late tomorrow.”
Compared to a serious reminder, it sounded more like teasing.
“Hey…Reborn, you can go and ask anyone. I have been working for so long and I have won the perfect attendance award every month, okay?” Knowing that it was the experience of the university that made Reborn say such words, Tsuna felt slightly embarrassed. He didn’t even want to think about the past. But if it wasn’t for the fact that he had to stay up all night in order to complete his extra tasks, how could he not have gotten up so late?
Smiling lightly and looking indifferent to his justification, Reborn withdrew his hand. He bid farewell as the car window was gradually raised, “See you tomorrow.”
“Aa… See you tomorrow.” Tsuna stepped back a few steps as he watched the black car drive away quietly and smoothly. Only then did Tsuna set foot on the side of the street, “Let’s go home.”
As he spoke, he reached out his hands to take the plastic bag. But Mukuro easily dodged him. Tsuna didn’t insist anymore. They walked side by side to the apartment with Mukuro leading the way.
“Was that a new colleague just now?” Mukuro seemed to ask unintentionally. But he only received a somewhat ambiguous “hmm” from Tsuna.
“But I can see that you two are very familiar. So it shouldn’t be the first day you guys meet?”
Surprised by the boy’s observation skills, Tsuna suddenly remembered the boy’s strange insistence on wanting to know of the people around him. He corrected his attitude and explained seriously, “Yes. Reborn was my college classmate… Well, although this is true in terms of identity, I think he is more like my tutor rather than a classmate.”
“Oh?” Mukuro smiled just enough, “What a wonderful way to put it.”
“Right? I think so too.” Tsuna talked endlessly about the bitter history that Reborn had given him. They were rich in content with variety. It was not until the two of them returned home that he finished talking about the first half of their sophomore year.
Mukuro inevitably became awkward again. But as soon as he realised his own unhappiness, his mood became even worse. This kind of self is really childish. He would be shaken just because of some trivial things.
Also, the feeling was pretty ugly.
No matter how precocious and smart he is, Rokudo Mukuro is only an 18-year-old high school student. Not to mention that he had missed 12 years of his life before. Compared with Tsuna, who is about to celebrate his 28th birthday, he will always lack the taste of adulthood that can only be given by time.
The distance of ten years is sometimes very frustrating and makes him feel powerless.
He watched Tsuna separate the packaged toilet paper and put them one by one in the living room, the bathroom and the bedrooms of the two. He then put the rest in the pantry in the kitchen and started to reheat the meal. The appearance of him being familiar with what to do in the house is the posture that Mukuro was used to.
“You know.” He said suddenly. But after successfully attracting Tsuna’s attention, he looked to the side instead, “I just saw a flyer in the convenience store. At the end of this month, there will be a fireworks show.”
He didn’t finish his sentence yet. But it already surprised Tsuna.
Mukuro doesn’t like places with many people. Although the repulsion is not obvious, he really doesn’t take the initiative to go to such places. When Tsuna took him to participate in these activities as a child, he always showed a lack of interest. Tsuna also vaguely noticed that instead of saying that Mukuro felt uncomfortable with ‘a lot of people’, it was better to say that he felt uncomfortable with ‘people’ in general. To eradicate this, even the passage of time so far has not been successful. But he should be thankful that at least, Mukuro has not grown into a distorted character to retaliate against society.
So it was the first time that the kid took the initiative to bring up the topic of fireworks shows.
“At the end of this month?” Tsuna pondered for a while. But the other party immediately said, “It’s okay if it’s inconvenient for you. I’m just telling you casually.”
“Uh, it’s not that it’s inconvenient–” Looking at Mukuro who stubbornly rolled his eyes to the side in surprise, Tsuna habitually agreed, “I’m just counting the date. Since it is rare for us to have this opportunity, then let’s go together.”
It was only after he finished speaking that he remembered; Oops, I don’t know if it will conflict with anything at work.
But he could clearly see that the sharp jawline of the young man softened in an instant. Although he still tried his best to maintain a tight expression, the corners of his eyes and brows still leaked a bit of happiness. Tsuna’s slight worries just now disappeared immediately. Forget it, the company can’t fire me anyway.
That’s how the matter was settled.
Time always flies by when you’re engrossed with your job. Rather than improving his own abilities, Tsuna needs to learn how to allocate work to improve the efficiency of the entire department. Reborn told him that his time is not his own anymore. So he needed to cherish time. And that is to be responsible for his own identity. In addition to the guidance of various things in the company, Reborn also sends Tsuna home every day.
Although Tsuna was very pleased that Reborn could finally do something that an assistant would do, at the same time, it gave the other party a reason to instruct him to work overtime. Other than that, Reborn began to arrange for Tsuna to attend some business gatherings. This was something Tsuna had never had to think about before.
He often feels that Reborn is too strict.
However, this is the way of education that Tsuna was familiar with in the past. In the midst of complaining, he occasionally feels nostalgic.
In a blink of an eye, August 31st happened to be on Friday.
He got off work punctually, trembling as he got into the assistant’s car and hurried home before it was too late. After having a simple dinner with Mukuro, the two of them went to take a walk along the Namimori Commercial Street. It was so that they could take their time to wait for the fireworks show.
They both wore ordinary short sleeves and slacks. The only yukata at home was bought by Tsunayoshi for Mukuro when he first indulged in the excitement of dressing up children. Bamboo leaves are scattered on it like dragonfly wings. The purple colour gradually deepens from top to bottom. It is completely rich and colourful at the base of the skirt, which is a gorgeous type that Tsuna would never choose to wear for himself. But with Mukuro’s ceramic doll-like appearance, it looks really pretty on him. But that can only be put on the 13-year-old Rokudo Mukuro.
“The last time we went to see the fireworks show was five years ago, right?” Tsuna sighed, “Since you looked disappointed, we went back without even seeing the fireworks.”
Originally, Tsuna said this for ridicule. But what he received in exchange was the other party’s silence. Mukuro even stopped walking. Since his stop was so sudden, Tsuna had walked a few steps ahead before realising it.
“That’s right. There were many things that you liked that I couldn’t understand.” Mukuro looked at Tsuna who turned around. His eyes were so focused on him that they looked a little gloomy, “It’s not that there was anything especially wrong with it. But there was definitely something wrong with me.”
Pedestrians walked back and forth around them. Some of them would look strangely at the two people who were standing in a stalemate a few steps away. But Tsuna had no time to care about what others think at the moment. He was stunned by Mukuro’s sudden confession.
“Actually, you have noticed it too. You just never said it.” Raising his chin slightly, Mukuro displayed a beautiful but strange smile, “If it is according to the official statement, it should be called PTSD. They can say it in several different ways with several different names. And they can say that there are a hundred ways to cure it. But I experienced it myself. And we all know that there is no absolute cure for this.”
He stretched out his index finger and pointed to his right chest. It was unknown if the arc of his smile was too raised or not since his lips are too thin. That smile reveals a trace of merciless cruelty.
“Muku… what are you talking about…” Like being struck by lightning, Tsuna was shocked in place by the unexpected words. He has seen the well-mannered Mukuro, the awkward Mukuro, the imperceptibly gentle and worried Mukuro, and also the childish Mokuro.
But he had never seen Mukuro like this before. He didn’t know that this child would be able to show such an expression, express such a tone, and say such words.
Did I overlook something? Tsuna wondered.
Tsuna was anxious. He showcased a look on his face of wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. He seemed a bit pitiful. Mukuro walked over quickly without any warning. Within a few seconds, the distance between them was reduced to zero.
It was indeed zero.
Tsuna’s eyes widened when he was hugged. The other party was taller than him and he would still hug Mukuro from time to time. But now this boy hugged him around his shoulders and covered him with his height. He was already almost half a head taller than him. There is a feeling that his whole body was covered by him.
A strange emotion rose in Tsuna’s heart.
“It’s similar to you having 22 years of experience that I don’t know about. I also have experiences that you don’t know about.” The boy’s voice rang in Tsuna’s sensitive ears. The warmth of the breath caused Tsuna to want to dodge. But because of this, he instead fell even more into Mukuro’s arms.
“Muku, let me go first.” What’s the matter with two men hugging on the road?! Tsuna faintly heard the sound of a shutter next to him. What the hell?!
But Mukuro completely ignored his slight resistance. He continued on his own, “If you see that part of me, you might probably feel disgusted.”
Tsuna was stunned. The hands on both sides of his body moved, “You…”
He doesn’t know why Mukuro’s remarks triggered him. But Tsuna immediately let himself think carefully of his words. Although he feels that it is best not to deceive family members, everyone wants to keep a part of themselves private. We can’t pry into other people’s secrets just because that person is close to us.
“…I don’t know what part of you that you are hiding from me. But if one day you are willing to share with me, I will listen carefully.” Saying this, he felt Mukuro’s body stiffen while hugging him. Tsuna hesitantly wrapped his hands around Mukuro as well, “Me feeling disgusted by you…that won’t happen.”
“Really? No matter what I do?”
What else can you do?
Tsuna found it comical, “If it’s too much, I’ll still be angry. So then, you just have to apologise… Muku?”
Gradually, the strength that was holding him relaxed. The hand around his shoulders slid down to hold his hand. Tsuna looked at Mukuro again. There was no more of that gloom that he wore on his face just now. He was looking completely different from before.
“Plus the previous promise, you have to remember. Now there are already two promises.” It was the same face that was smiling now. But it was so bright that it had nothing in common with his disturbing smile from before.
“What was the promise before?” Tsuna asked suspiciously. But obviously Mukuro’s mind no longer revolved around this, “Okay~ If we don’t go now, it’s going to be too late.”
“Hey, wait. Don’t drag my left hand with your left hand!!
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*Author’s Note:
[This is serious question and answer time (serious face)]
Author: The audience seems to be looking forward to the meeting between the two. So what is your impression of each other when you meet for the first time?
Mukuro: The hypocritical Uncle
Reborn: A little brat not worth talking about
Author: …囧 doesn’t seem to be a good impression of one another….
-YXF
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*Translator’s Note: I also don’t remember the first promise that Tsuna made. Might be during their first meeting somewhere. I’ll check later. -K
Next update: 2023.09.06
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