Chapter 41 – The Photo
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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Estraneo’s conditions for cooperation with Vongola were friendly, expressing willingness to exchange Vongola’s 4% shares for priority purchasing rights of products from all veins and a 40% shares in veins that can produce diamonds.
This is clearly an action to step into the jewellery industry. It even appears a bit urgent. After investigation, Estraneo’s veins are indeed capable of producing high-quality diamonds. So, the board has allocated 4% of the shares.
“In this way, Estraneo also becomes part of Vongola. It really gives off a feeling that the company had been wanting to be immediately connected to Vongola.”
Not only Reborn. Even Tsuna noticed. However, considering the behaviour of acquiring the bank, he really can’t imagine that Estraneo just simply likes Vongola. After all, even if Vongola is the leader of the jewellery industry, Estraneo doesn’t need to stoop so low.
Making decisions is the board’s responsibility. But Tsuna still had Hitomi gather information about Estraneo for himself.
The experience of this company matches what Reborn said. It seems that this company has recently focused all its energy on the veins. If Vongola has such a partner, it’s beneficial without any harm.
The issue lies in Estraneo’s experience, which gives Tsuna a strange feeling. Its rise has been too rapid. The futures market is a place to create legends, where some become rich overnight while others fall into ruin. However, Estraneo’s growth trajectory has an impeccably flawless perfection. This company is too skilled in calculation. Initially, it was still about predicting the market. But later on, it faintly implies manipulating the entire market.
To this extent, they were capable of calculating the market. They would possibly be good at calculating their opponents as well.
A company like this, even as a partner, can’t put one at ease.
Tsuna called Iemitsu to inquire about how the board had considered this. In fact, Iemitsu had thought about Tsuna’s concerns as well. But businessmen are always exceptionally sensitive to the benefits presented openly. You can’t simply reject such a beneficial cooperation based on intuition alone.
“You’re becoming more and more like a manager now. It seems that Reborn has trained you well.”
Tsuna pulled the corner of his lips in a disapproving manner. But his voice still sounded very poised, “I’ll thank him for that.”
“To be honest, at least take over the CEO position quickly. After all, with you being the largest shareholder and being in the CEO position, the other shareholders are getting too uneasy.”
Tsuna spun his chair halfway and looked out at the bright sunlight, sighing softly, “Even if I take over, they won’t have it much easier anyway. Will they?”
At this point, he deeply felt that Estraneo’s shares might immediately make it a target for other shareholders to take hold of.
However, what truly shocked Tsuna again, more than the shares or the veins, was the selection of the advertising model. He looked at the list of candidates and their headshots. He immediately called the advertising department at the Italian headquarters, “I want to ask. What’s the story with this girl named Kuromu?”
Again, the model is related to Estraneo.
Regardless of whose connection led to this recommendation, Tsuna could clearly see that the image of that headshot was that of Dokuro. Tsuna typically didn’t pay attention to this kind of entertainment news. The only time he cared was when he made the front page himself. Now that he saw the information, he learned that Dokuro was already a somewhat famous Shibuya-style entertainer. Her sexy yet sweet and cute style unexpectedly suited the theme of the Rococo advertisement.
… But why had Ryo-nii never mentioned that Dokuro had any intention of entering the entertainment industry?
Tsuna hesitated for a moment before calling Ryo-nii. The response he got was, “Huh? You know about it too?”
“Is Dokuro really aiming to become a star? Previously, I only heard you say she was studying in college in Japan.” Well, that settled it. Tsuna glanced at Dokuro’s photo again.
“Well, it was just the kid’s whim at first. We never thought of her becoming so popular in the friend circle.” The voice on the other end was still casual and carefree, sounding like he had no concept of Dokuro’s fame. Tsuna felt a pang of empathy at this moment. There really is a generation gap between kids and adults.
“Has she ever mentioned Estraneo to you?” A new budding artist in Japan and a company from the US, how could they be connected? Tsuna was genuinely curious.
“Estoro-what?” It seemed like Ryo-nii couldn’t even pronounce the name properly in one go. His tone was full of confusion. “What’s that mouthful-sounded word supposed to mean?”
“Well, it’s a company that’s currently collaborating with ours.” Since it was clear Ryo-nii didn’t know, Tsuna casually ended the topic, “Anyway, Dokuro is likely going to be the advertising model for our company’s new product.”
“Huh?” Ryo-nii was so surprised he didn’t speak for a while. When he finally spoke again, his tone was more serious, “Tsuna, even though we’re friends, this has nothing to do with me. Vongola isn’t a small-time company either. To be honest, I wouldn’t be happy for Dokuro if you’re doing this.”
As soon as he heard Ryo-nii’s words, Tsuna knew exactly where his thoughts were headed. He silently chuckled. This time, it wasn’t about himself trying to create connections. But it was someone else. He wondered if Ryo-nii would get any results if he asked Dokuro about it.
Tapping through the results on the search engine, Tsuna lowered his gaze.
“It’s not like that. Even if I have the power, I can’t single-handedly influence this kind of thing. In fact, I only found out today that Dokuro is an entertainer. I was so surprised that it made me remember to ask you.”
After soothing Ryo-nii for a few more times, Tsuna hung up the phone.
If Dokuro had no intention of telling Ryo-nii, then asking her probably wouldn’t lead to any results as well.
There were too many possibilities in this matter. Tsuna felt it was best not to tell Ryo-nii for now. His only hope was that Dokuro wouldn’t get caught up in any unspoken rules. But since the girl he knew wanted this, Tsuna was more than willing to lend a helping hand. So he almost immediately replied to the advertising department on that end, informing them of his choice.
Closing the webpage, Tsuna absentmindedly clicked on his MSN homepage. He was casually browsing through his friends’ updates. The update from Lal, the head of the purchasing department at headquarters, was related to their current procurement. This woman, who appeared quite stern, was rumoured to show occasional tenderness and protective care towards her subordinates, which apparently had the female employees in her department infatuated.
Thinking about this, Tsuna smiled and clicked on the link. It seemed to be a repost of blog posts from the members of this business trip. The blog contained reflections and photos, almost treating the trip report as a travel diary.
Now recalling the previous business trip he took with Masaichi, that one seemed to be the most relaxed one so far he had ever had. They even managed to set aside a day for genuine sightseeing. Tsuna had brought chocolates as a gift for Mukuro back then too…
Tsuna’s movement paused for a moment, involuntarily thinking about that troublesome kid again.
If it weren’t for the regular emails that came in reporting his safety, Tsuna might have been tempted to alert the authorities for an international search and rescue. But the emails never mentioned where he was or what he was doing. And he never responded if asked.
Tsuna’s gaze fell to the wristwatch on his left hand. The silver casing wasn’t as shiny as when he had first had it. Of course, it wasn’t aged. But it had gained a subtle warmth from the passage of time.
It was only a year after Mukuro had started studying abroad that Tsuna had started wearing this watch. After all, just looking at this watch would put Tsuna in a very peculiar mood. That particular birthday was probably truly ‘unforgettable’.
Shaking his head, he refocused his attention on the screen. Among the group heading to Brazil, there were two girls from Italy, blending into the work schedule to leave their marks. They were captured on a small street that appeared to be not far from the hotel. They were wearing short sleeves and making the clichéd V-sign gesture with smiles so radiant that the entire photo exuded a sense of youthful exuberance.
Tsuna was about to scroll down when he suddenly froze. His eyes widened as he clicked into the album to view the original image in a larger size. His face was practically pressed against the screen. He couldn’t resist touching the screen with his finger, repeatedly confirming the background of the two people huddled together.
There were gem merchants peddling their wares and vibrant storefronts lining the numerous stalls, emanating a lively atmosphere. Among them, just like any other passerby, there was a person with a bag walking behind the main subjects of the photo. Due to the movement, the face wasn’t distinct. But to Tsunayoshi’s eyes, everything else faded and blurred. Only this person remained crystal clear.
It was like a sudden and unexpected encounter that caught one off guard.
Tsuna remained dazed for a long time. Although most of the person’s face was obscured and it was just a side profile, he was certain that it was Rokudo Mukuro.
How long had it been since he last saw him… Three years? No, it must be four years by now. In all this time, the other hadn’t even sent a single photo. Ironically, Tsuna also had never had a photo of him in the first place.
Tsuna’s memories revolved around that tiny teenager. He was a bit strange and incredibly beautiful. But he was stubborn to the point of being frustrating. Every time he gazed at you earnestly, his eyes seemed to radiate a profound light that made it difficult to refuse his requests.
This wasn’t the first time he had thought of him. When Mukuro had just left, Tsuna had felt incredibly uneasy. He used to send messages to Mukuro’s previous number about dinner plans and he would unconsciously find himself in the chocolate aisle at the convenience store.
But this feeling of longing had never struck him with such impact as it did now.
So, I missed him this much.
Tsuna’s fingers brushed over the person out of focus in the photo several times.
In the photo, Mukuro wore a grey vest with a light brown coat casually tied around his waist. His jeans were tucked into high-top boots, accentuating his long, straight legs. The profile view of his face with the oversized sunglasses appeared quite aloof, gazing straight ahead, giving off an air of haste. His slightly longer hair was even blowing backward.
Now, was he still in Brazil?
Tsuna withdrew his hand and covered his forehead. His palm partially obscured one eye, revealing a hint of despondency. Not knowing anything about Mukuro’s current circumstances and status, he was overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness and a bit of loneliness.
“You…,” he lifted his head. A wry smile formed as he saved the photo, “how long will it be until you come home?”
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*Translator’s Note: In anime, Dokuro’s full name is Kuromu Dokuro. So when I read the story at first, I suspected that Estraneo is related to Mukuro. And spoiler alert, yes. The company belongs to Mukuro and he brought along his Kokuyo High gang along with him to join his company. -K
Next update: Tomorrow
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