Chapter 50 – Uneasy
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*
֍֍֍
After Shoichi’s appointment, the handover of tasks proceeded smoothly. Compared to Tsuna’s situation back in the day, Shoichi was much more easily accepted by his colleagues. This made Tsuna somewhat nostalgic for those difficult times and he found himself chuckling at his past self.
Time is indeed a magical thing. What seemed unbearably painful at that time, after so long has passed, is now seen as amusing.
Work matters were in order. But issues in his personal life were troubling Tsuna. With Mukuro, he still found himself in a half-hearted situation. Neither refusing nor taking the lead. Yet in the eyes of the world, they could be considered as being together, couldn’t they?
—- “Mukuro, I don’t like men.”
—- “Hmm, I don’t like them either. But I don’t like women as well.”
Saying this, the guy leaned in for a passionate kiss. He then revealed a smile with genuine emotion on a face that would undoubtedly make people dizzy.
—- “I just like you, that’s all.”
“Staring at me with such an intense gaze, are you implying something?”
The pen rolled on the desktop, making a clattering noise. Tsuna stiffly lifted his gaze and couldn’t help but shout loudly, “Reborn?! When did you get here?!”
Reborn’s expression was one of ‘I’ve had enough of you’. He smiled slowly and twisted his lips in a very distorted manner, immediately sending a chill down Tsuna’s spine. He suddenly remembered that he was the one who had called Reborn here. “Ah! Sorry! I zoned out just now! That’s all!”
As he spoke, Tsuna hastily handed over a stack of reports on the side to Reborn with both hands, “I did indeed have something to talk to you about!”
Impatiently taking the reports, Reborn casually flipped through them and remarked, “Handing over work ended so soon?”
The handover of Shoichi’s work went unexpectedly smoothly. This was probably because Tsuna had intentionally or unintentionally started delegating his own tasks to him earlier. Besides, Shoichi himself had built a solid foundation in the department. Taking over the role of deputy department head was like sailing with the current.
“Yeah, it’s much faster than I imagined. We’ve already handed over more than half now. So I think I should be able to leave for Italy ahead of schedule, right?”
Thinking that this proactive attitude would earn praise from Reborn, Tsuna was taken aback when Reborn simply read through the handover process and plans, without agreeing to his statement.
“The work there also follows a timeline, considering coordination with others. Going there now would probably just create more trouble for them,” Reborn said as he put the documents back on the table.
“Huh?” Tsuna leaned back, looking somewhat disappointed. He ruffled his hair and said, “Reborn, you’re really too strict.”
“Oh? I was actually thinking that since you have this time available, I might as well arrange some time off for you.”
Tsuna froze for a moment, his whole body stiffening. He looked up at Reborn’s face in disbelief and asked, “Did you just say…”
“Huh—?!” He slapped the table and stood up suddenly. His face filled with ecstatic joy. “Vacation! Did you say vacation?!”
Reborn looked at him mockingly and said, “But since you said I was being strict, I can’t just let you off without some additional work to fulfil your praise, right?”
Due to being overly excited, tears were about to spill out. A vacation like this was something from a previous lifetime! Tsuna grabbed onto Reborn’s arm in excitement. Due to the distance of the table, his body leaned forward so much that it almost blended with the surface. He seemed ready to affix the words ‘I am sincere’ on his forehead. “I’m really sorry! About saying you were strict on my own! Actually, I’ve always appreciated your good intentions, aah!”
“Really unsightly.” Reborn turned his head away as if unable to bear looking at that foolish face. He casually adjusted his hat. “Wipe your tears. Starting the day after tomorrow, you’ll have a five-day vacation. Any issues?”
“None!” Tsuna answered loudly. A tremendous sense of happiness filling his heart for a moment. This happiness lingered even after work. He answered the phone with a more excited tone than usual. “Muku? Have you arrived? Yeah? Where? Oh that… Okay, I know which one it is.”
It took about ten minutes to walk to the café that Mukuro mentioned. As he entered, he immediately spotted Mukuro sitting by the window. He was just closing his laptop. As he took a seat, the waiter promptly handed over the menu. Tsuna ordered a cup of milk tea.
“Sorry. I had some matters to attend to.” Mukuro smiled. There was only half a cup of coffee left in front of him and it had gone cold.
“Is your preferred working method through the computer?” Tsuna tilted his head. He was reminded of the website and phone tracking. He sighed and said, “The internet is really powerful.”
“It’s because this way, I can coordinate with your schedule.” Mukuro said naturally, glancing at the time. “Ready to go?”
“Since we’ve ordered, let’s sit for a while longer.” While feeling slightly uneasy about Mukuro’s previous statement and avoiding his gaze, Tsuna suddenly heard him ask, “Oh, do they have a piano here?”
As he said this, Tsuna also turned his head towards the centre of the café, where a black grand piano stood quietly. The waiter who had brought the milk tea responded, “Yes, during dinner hours, there’s a live piano show. Guests can request songs.”
“Huh? Is that so…” Although this café was close to the company, Tsuna only came here when someone else arranged it. He never had dinner here. So he had always thought that the piano was just for decorative purposes.
“Can I use it?”
Both the waiter and Tsuna were taken aback. The waiter scrutinised Mukuro’s expression, repeatedly confirming whether he was serious about what he had just said.
“Is there a rule in the restaurant that guests can’t use the piano?” Mukuro asked with a smiling face. After a brief pause, the waiter replied, “There’s no such rule. Of course, you can use it. But if there’s any damage, you’ll need to pay compensation.”
“Alright, thank you.” Saying this, Mukuro held Tsuna’s hand, completely ignoring the surprised expression on the waiter’s face. He leaned over and left a kiss on the root of his ring finger. “This is for you.”
Before Tsuna could react, he stood up and walked directly to the centre of the café. With a composed expression, he sat down at the piano. Even just this series of movements drew the attention of the other customers in the café.
After a few trial notes, his hands gracefully began to play. The soft yellow light cast a gentle glow on the pianist as the melodious yet slightly melancholic sound flowed from the instrument. At the centre of this beauty, Mukuro’s slightly lowered eyes gave the impression of a prince charming, exactly as any girl would imagine.
Without exaggeration, Tsuna was utterly amazed.
A beautiful modulation concluded the performance and Mukuro stood up. Unexpectedly, applause filled the café. Perhaps one stunned customer had started clapping, rousing others to join in. Mukuro was momentarily taken aback. But then he assumed a flawless smile and slightly bended his body with one hand behind his back. This poised elegance probably captivated the hearts of many ladies in the room.
As he approached, Tsuna could clearly feel the gazes following him. “How was it?” Mukuro tapped the table. “Did you zone out?”
Caught off guard, Tsuna turned his head. He resolutely decided not to show any response to the question as he mumbled, “You can actually play the piano…”
Mukuro chuckled softly as he leaned towards Tsuna and said in a low voice, “Don’t mind it. Actually, I only know how to play this one piece. Just putting on a show.”
After saying this, he even winked at Tsuna. But suddenly, he furrowed his eyebrows and even covered his right eye with his hand.
“What’s wrong?!” Tsuna was startled and worried. Without thinking about anything else, he grabbed Mukuro’s hand. The light from above illuminated Mukuro’s face. At the moment when he looked up, perhaps due to the lighting, Tsuna vaguely saw the shape of a cat’s eye pupil in his right eye.
It was an ominous sight.
Mukuro’s face also revealed pain. But he tried to soothe Tsuna by placing his hand on his and using a casual tone to say, “I probably strained my eyes from looking at the computer screen for too long today. A little rest and it’ll be fine.”
Tsuna stared at him. A deep unease surging within him. “Muku, why don’t you go to the hospital?”
Mukuro’s face immediately displayed a look of disdain. “Hospital?”
He knew that this person had a strong aversion to places filled with the smell of disinfectant and the overwhelming white surroundings. However, whenever Tsuna even remotely recalled Mukuro’s recent discomfort with his eyes, he couldn’t relax his mood at all.
He held Mukuro’s hand in a reverse grip. His nervousness was evident. “Just go for a check-up, I’ll be with you. I’m worried if you’re like this.”
Unknowingly shivering, Tsuna tightened his grip and repeated firmly, “I’m worried.”
Mukuro was surprised by his persistence. If going to the hospital could make this person feel better, he could endure it for a while.
He let out a sigh and closed his laptop properly. “Alright. Let’s go.” Originally, Mukuro wanted to finish dinner first before going. But Tsuna, feeling uneasy, dragged him straight to the hospital. True to form, as soon as he stepped into such a place, Mukuro felt uncomfortable all over. He allowed Tsuna to handle the registration and queueing while he lazily sat in a chair in the waiting area. It looked as though he hadn’t entered the situation.
When the attending doctor shone a flashlight directly into his eyes, he restrained himself from throwing a punch. He thought it would end there. But the doctor asked them to undergo further tests.
“Come on. Can’t he see anything from just looking? These tests are just a way for the hospital to make money,” Mukuro stood by the elevator door, refusing to go in. Tsuna had to step out as well, letting others go first.
“Just some tests,” Tsuna was actually quite nervous the whole time. He felt that the doctor’s expression wasn’t too good just now. Maybe they had noticed something but didn’t confirm it, which is why they didn’t say anything. Nevertheless, he tried to make a joke, “Can I at least keep you from paying?”
Seeing him like this, Mukuro sighed. “I’m not talking about that kind of issue.”
Facing these medical instruments, he always felt like he was being treated as a test subject. But despite his protests, Mukuro still put on a sulky face and obediently went through the tests one by one. It was all because of Tsuna’s insistence. They returned to the doctor’s office holding a stack of test results.
The doctor carefully examined the test results, pondering for a while before looking up at the two of them.
“While we can’t confirm the diagnosis at this point, there’s a very high possibility that this gentleman has retinoblastoma.”
֍֍֍
*Author’s Note: Regarding this eye condition, it does exist. However, for the sake of the plot, I’ve altered some of its details ←←., so please kindly overlook them… -YXF
֍֍֍
*Translator’s Note: I will not find any info regarding this eye condition for you guys in order to respect the author’s alteration. 🤣-K
☝🏻Fanart of MukuroXTsuna
֍֍֍
