Chapter 21 – Handcuffs
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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Bringing a large bag of famous Shiroi Koibito chocolates from Hokkaido, Tsuna returned to Tokyo happily. To his surprise, Mukuro returned him with a gift as well. It was a pink plush toy of a rabbit. The long ears hang down. Since the fabric is too soft, the eyes made of buttons look flat and cute.
He said he was bored so he randomly picked it out from the claw machine in the game city. He just gave it to Tsuna since he has no one else to give it to.
His tone sounded a bit serious. His face was turned sideways when he handed it over. But Tsuna could see a little redness at the base of his ears. He didn’t expose the kid’s awkward way of showing favour and begging for peace. He just solemnly expressed his love for this little rabbit.
Then the relationship between the two returned to before the Cold War as expected. Tsuna was so happy that he was about to hum a song.
Family harmony is really important.
The promotion of the new series is also going smoothly. Tsuna thinks it is because of Shoichi’s competency. He has to say that working with him was a real pleasure. After the negotiation, the whole department will be responsible for the other affairs. Although the workload is still considerable, the mental pressure is not so great since the responsibility is now shared. Thus, the time arrangement is more or less more relaxed.
For Tsuna, the more troublesome problem now returns to the issue between Kyoko and Mukuro. Even if the turmoil caused by that invitation has subsided, it does not mean that the kid has accepted Kyoko. It is impossible for Tsuna to cut off contact with Kyoko completely. Tsuna implicitly speculates that the reason why Mukuro rejects Kyoko should be similar to that of ‘a child facing remarriage of single parents’.
What a headache.
Tsuna knew that he was not really thinking about dating. But he was considering the more serious option which is; marriage. Perhaps subconsciously, he also considers Kyoko as an object of consideration. After all, Kyoko is quite an ideal candidate for marriage in various aspects.
“Haaa………” Thinking of this, Tsuna couldn’t help but let out a sigh. He thought about such things with a less excited mood. He really has grown old.
“Damn it. Give me back my youth…” Tsuna really didn’t know where his view of love had been eroded. Tsuna followed the crowd to the subway. Perhaps because it was the weekend, there were more people than usual. He was squeezed against the wall of the train as he staggered. He finally arrived at his destination station only to find that it was raining when he got out of the station.
He stood there being speechless for a while. But he still hurried home while taking advantage of the light rain. This kind of foggy light rain is actually causing people to get even more wet. When he stepped into the apartment building, his hair was already wet and drooping. But this clammy and uncomfortable feeling was completely dispelled when he opened the door and smelled the aroma of rice.
“Was it raining?” Mukuro, who was sitting on the sofa with his laptop, shifted his gaze from the screen to Tsuna who was walking over. He frowned unconsciously when he saw that his whole body was wet.
“Well, yeah. I didn’t even take the umbrella with me when I went out.” The weather forecast last night said that the rainfall rate was only 37% so he didn’t think about bringing an umbrella with him. Tsuna took off his coat and put it in the laundry basket in the bathroom. He then pulled the towel and wiped his hair. If he hadn’t been in a hurry to eat, he would have taken a shower right away since he was not feeling comfortable.
After he had finished wiping his hair, he walked out of the bathroom. Mukuro had already been waiting at the dining table. The rich aroma of miso soup has been permeating the room. Under the warm yellow light, this aroma seems to have substance, which makes anyone feel comfortable.
Mushrooms and seaweed can be seen in the dark broth. It looks delicious. Tsuna picked it up and took a big sip. The slightly warm soup flowed all the way down the oesophagus. It tastes so good that he couldn’t help squinting his eyes, “Seriously… Has your cooking skills improved again?”
Mukuro on the opposite side also just put down a small bowl. He raised his eyes slightly to look at him. The complexities in his eyes flashed briefly. He then let out a chuckle from his throat, “Thank you for your compliment.”
Perhaps it was because the meal tonight was richer than usual. The meal time for the two of them was a bit longer. It was already past 8 o’clock when they’re done with dinner.
They wrapped plastic wrap around the mouth of the bowl of leftovers and put them in the refrigerator. Mukuro cleans up the table while Tsuna rolls up his sleeves to wash the dishes. The sound of this kind of movement is filled with a kind of comfortable laziness. The time after dinner becomes idle like this so it further relaxes the nerves after a day of running outside.
Tsuna sometimes really feel that this house is alive. This life comes from what two people did and said together in it. So the house can really be called ‘home’.
After everything was settled, the two sat on the sofa as usual and watched the TV to pass the time. Mukuro’s laptop is still on. He slides his fingers on the touchpad from time to time with his other hand resting on his chin, occasionally watching the TV distractedly.
“Don’t you want to take a bath?” Tsuna asked, calculating that it was almost time.
“No. I’ve already showered when I got home.” Mukuro typed something on the keyboard. He finally pressed the space key lightly. He looked up at Tsuna with a smile, “Remember to put the water in the bathtub.”
Tsuna, who had just been exposed to the rain, also thought it was a good idea to soak in the bathtub. He turned on the water while taking a shower. Once he had washed his whole body clean, he couldn’t wait to step into the bathtub filled with warm water. The warm and moist feeling immediately engulfed his body. Even the skin that was not soaked in the water felt good due to the water vapour in the air.
Tsuna leaned down and almost fell asleep. He waited until the water temperature became colder. White wrinkles appeared on his fingertips before he reluctantly came out of the bathtub.
After drying his body and hair, he changed into loose home clothes. When he walked back to the living room, Mukuro had already turned off his laptop. He was playing with something in his hands that was making the sound of metal collisions.
“Where did that come from?” Tsuna was slightly surprised after seeing the thing clearly. Mukuro seemed to think it was very interesting. He hooked the thing with his index finger and circled it around. He suddenly stopped and the handcuffs fell down, “I borrowed it from Uncle Ryo to play.”
“From Ryo-nii?” Tsuna frowned. This is a tool used for handling cases. No matter how carefree Ryo-nii is, he would not lend this real thing to children to play with. He looked closely at Mukuro who was breaking the spring on the handcuffs, “You…”
‘Kacha‘
With a click sound, Tsuna’s right wrist was firmly handcuffed. Before he had time to put on an embarrassed face, he heard another ‘click’.
“Oh? It really can be used like this.”
Tsuna looked at his hand that was handcuffed together with Mukuro with sweat on his forehead, “Stop playing around. Take out the key and unlock this.”
Mukuro, who was still smiling at first, showed a stiff expression when he heard the words. The reason was so obvious that Tsuna stiffened, “Don’t tell me…”
“Well, I really forgot about taking the key…” Although it was rare to see the child’s face showing annoyance, Tsuna was not in the mood to tease him at this moment. He just stared at him for a while and then suddenly stood up. With him standing up, Mukuro’s left hand was also pulled up.
“Let me take my phone.” The metal scraped on his hand and it hurt a little. So Tsuna had no choice but to hold Mukuro’s hand and pull him up together, “I can call him to get the key.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he was grabbed by Mukuro with his backhand. When he looked back, he saw a pair of moist eyes. He felt like being hit in the heart instantly.
“You know… I actually didn’t ask for permission when I took it because I was curious.” Mukuro seemed to be feeling guilty as he looked away. His voice lowered a lot with a hint of pleading, “If we tell Uncle Ryo, what will happen to me? Will I get scolded?”
If Tsuna is Ryo-nii himself, maybe he would have educated the child on this matter. But when Mukuro confessed with such an expression and tone, Tsuna couldn’t say anything.
“Maybe I can ask Dokuro to bring the key tomorrow…”
Helplessly looking at Mukuro who said this, Tsuna unconsciously sighed in his heart. This kid is obviously taller than himself but using this way of speaking carefully and begging for cover and forgiveness is really working on him.
In fact, even he himself didn’t realise that he had a weakness with this kid which he had gotten along day and night. Mukuro already knew this side of him. Once the opponent let out a sigh of relief, Mukuro immediately knew that he was about to retreat steadily.
Of course this time was no exception. Tsuna sighed greatly and habitually stretched out his right hand to flick the kid’s forehead. When he lifted his fingers up, he realised that there would be more force to his hit so he switched to his left hand halfway, “Don’t make this a habit. Should this kind of thing be taken randomly? This time it’s handcuffs, next time it could be a handgun.”
“I will absolutely not make it a habit.” The joy in the tone is obvious. It was as if he was really relieved. Mukuro raised his right hand in a dignified manner and made a gesture of ‘I swear’. Tsuna finally couldn’t help but relax his expression and then slumped his shoulders down, “Then what are we to do tonight?”
“What else to do?” Mukuro gave up all his strength and sat down heavily on the sofa. Because of the handcuffs, Tsuna was also pulled by him staggeringly. He almost fell onto the sofa as if throwing himself on top of Mukuro. Tsuna subconsciously wanted to stand up but fell down again because his right hand was handcuffed to Mukuro. This time, he fell on Mukuro heavily. His nose hit the opponent’s shoulder lightly, making his nose sore.
Tsuna glared at the culprit angrily but got an innocent smile in return. Mukuro even went out of his way to help him to get up by his shoulder, “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being handcuffed to you yet.”
This is what the nose and face should say… Tsuna thought bitterly.
Rubbing his nose, Tsuna said, “Are we going to sleep together tonight?”
“Can’t the bed fit the two of us?” Mukuro asked back in surprise. It was as if Tsuna’s question just now was very ridiculous.
But sleeping in handcuffs is really awkward.
Tsuna shook his right hand and led Mukuro’s left hand to dance together in the air a few times, looking quite depressed, “Fortunately, I have already taken a bath. Or else, it would be really nerve-wracking.”
“Yes.” Mukuro elongated his voice. His eyes narrowed with a smile which seemed a bit cunning. But it was immediately covered by him saying, “It’s really troublesome.” Although Mukuro had shared the bed with Tsuna once when they first met, they had lived in two separate rooms for so long. But even if the other party is no longer small and cute, Tsuna has no psychological resistance to sleeping in the same bed with this kid who is like a younger generation of his own family.
It was supposed to be like that.
Originally, it should be just that.
But now, at 2:03a.m. in the morning, Tsuna feels that he is currently facing a problem that ranks among the top three worst situations in his life.
He never knew Mukuro’s sleeping position could be so…‘disturbing’.
Unlike Tsuna who tossed and turned after eating too much at night before falling asleep, Mukuro fell asleep right away after his head touched the pillow. Tsuna thinks that this is a good thing. It proves that his quality of sleep is good. It’s no wonder this kid’s skin is so good. Tsuna thinks that he also needs his beauty sleep.
While he was still lost in thought, Mukuro unexpectedly leaned over.
The hands of the two were handcuffed together so they couldn’t turn over at all. They had to lie face to face. So when Mukuro leaned over, he was breathing directly on Tsuna’s face. The hot and humid feeling made Tsuna feel a little embarrassed. He turned his head slightly. Mukuro seemed to be disturbed in his sleep and moved a little more towards him.
Now, both of them are using the same pillow.
The other party’s breath blew directly on his earlobe. Tsuna couldn’t help but turn around again. Now, Mukuro’s face was so close to the tip of his nose. Under the dim light, the curves of the boy’s face were blurred a lot. There was an astonishing sense of indifference on his face which made Tsuna feel strange at this extremely close distance. He was about to turn around a little. Even if his hands were pulled uncomfortably, at least he would lie on his back instead. But at this moment, Mukuro’s legs suddenly pressed up on him. Usually, people who do this have the habit of hugging the blanket.
But the problem is that the kid’s knee just hit the key part of his crotch.
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*Author’s Note: [Question and answer time for dishonesty 3]
Author: Recently, people have commented that Mukuro is too difficult and arrogant. So what do those who are close to him think of this evaluation?
Chikusa: [Raises his glasses] He seems difficult just because he doesn’t easily show his inner thoughts. This kind of calmness that never changes before the eyes of others must belong to successful people. And his so-called arrogance is just the pride of Mukuro-sama, which is normal.
Author: =_=…..Are you wearing glasses or a blindfold, huh? Can you not look properly and talk less nonsense? So, what about you, Ken?
Ken: Mukuro-sama is very powerful! He is tough! He is perfect!
Author:=_=… His strength and perfection have surpassed contempt for you that it has reached the level of admiration. Also, if the chief accuses him of being sick in the mind, you must think he can definitely be cured. …Dokuro, Kokuyo’s students’ IQ and conscience have become distorted. You’re my last hope!
Dokuro: [blushes]… Don’t say that. So what if he’s difficult… Can’t he be difficult?
Author: T▽T What kind of novels have you all been reading…… I’m so tired of talking to you. I feel like I won’t love you guys anymore!
-YXF
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*Translator’s Note: Mukuro is really cunning. Lol. -K
Next update: 2023.08.16
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