Chapter 13

The damned shoe drops nine days after he's talked last with Mist-san; the same day he will go with Zaid and Chiara to see the stuntman's show.

That day Renato annoys him so much Tsuna goes out to his job a bit earlier than normal. He can't see the sun in the washed-out gray sky, but the leaves decorating the streets are yellow and orange. Considering the great number of trees in Italy it's really beautiful. He can feel his fingers almost frozen inside his gloves but he still pulls them off to take pictures with his phone when he's sure there's no one close.

That day is especially nice as it's not raining, but winter is almost around the corner so it's a bit colder than usual. Fog covers the windows of the stores he passes and the wind is so harsh it bruises his cheeks in a painful way. The weather is the one that makes him surprised to see a girl sitting on the bench outside the bar he works at, reading a newspaper with an anxious face and a thin coat, all while not wearing gloves.

He's also pretty sure the young female is actually Mist-san.

"Um, are you okay, Miss?"

She looks up at him, her eyes are a bit red and puffy but Tsuna thinks that's part of the illusion too. It doesn't stop him from hovering close to offer her his gloves. Tsuna is cheap like that.

"No, don't worry. I'm okay. I'm just—" She stares at her almost purple fingers and her voice trembles when she murmurs brokenly, "I'm not okay."

It's an act, Tsuna knows. His intuition even confirms it. He still kneels in front of her and offers a napkin.

"What happened?"

With a dry laugh, she waves a hand. "I got into the stock market. Won so much I got cocky and ran away from home." She sucks in a shuddering breath and holds it tight as if fighting a sob before she exhales. "N-now I barely have for a room in a shit motel and all the rest of my savings are on a company that will die by the end of the day."

Okay, he has a feeling of where this is going.

He looks over at the bar and points at it. "I work there, so how about we do this: Let's go inside and warm up, then I can invite you something to eat. I don't know much about the stock, but someone explained it to me once and Antonio-san is into it, too, so maybe we can help you, okay? I'm Natsu, by the way."

"Mona," she answers the silent inquire after a long pause, giving him a small smile, wobbly and wet but still beautiful on her pale face.

It fills him with a sense of foreboding.

(He blames Renato.)

- x -

Giorgio-san offers to give her a part-time job after hearing her sob story. Chiara-san is being taught the ropes of being a barista seeing that Antonio-san will soon leave because his sister will need some help when her son is born and she doesn't think herself able of handling a baby with her own father to care. So taking into account he's off to Calabria in two weeks, more hands to help is appreciated.

It's like one stock-loving person leaves and Giorgio-san needs another one to fill its post.

Thankfully, Mona-san refuses. Something about being allergic to cigarette smoke or something similar. She then spends the time on a small table located in the corner of the bar, far away from the other clients with Antonio-san, who seems happy to meet someone with whom he shares hobbies with. It's a bit weird seeing them talk, actually. Or discuss? He doesn't know, but it's likely that whatever role she was planning to wear is becoming thinner with every heated argument about why this company doesn't work and why the other one does.

He's not even sure if Mona-san has already left and it's a solid illusion what he sees.

On another note, he's never seen Antonio-san this worked up. Or any other strong Rain without a death situation hanging close, to tell the truth. Squalo-san doesn't count as he's always worked up.

... He probably needs to meet more flame users as to not fall into stereotypes.

"What do you think, Natsu?" she asks, pointedly ignoring a grumbling Antonio-san.

Tsuna should remind her he's in working hours and if Antonio is sitting in front of her at all is because there are not that many clients to start with. But he doesn't. He's still unable to refuse a request, so he sighs instead. He inspects the newspaper and lets his finger move between all the companies in the guise of trying to read better. He then points to the one his intuition recommends him before leaving to continue cleaning floors, which are dirtier than normal because it started to rain an hour ago.

Not that the change of weather affects Zaid. He probably hasn't noticed as he's been distracted all day, apparently. Constantly torn between looking to some furniture to space out and giddily serving coffee or alcohol.

Usually, this kind of action would be normal on a Friday, as Saturdays are the days one of them gets the day off and Zaid likes to spend the day before planning what he will do. But considering the date, Tsuna doesn't blame him.

This week is luckily Chiara-san's free day as she likes to take some time to prepare; she will return later for when their shift is over, earlier than usual but that's why Antonio-san is here. He'll cover so they can all leave because he's nice like that. And also the only one who can survive Giorgio-san's bitter grumblings about slacking off. With hope, Giorgio-san will mellow after half an hour.

Throwing a glance on Mona-san's direction makes him wonder if she came this day because of the Ninth or if she chose it because the next day he'll be only returning home the next morning and Fong and Renato don't usually visit on Sundays; their attempt at giving him some normal privacy.

The necklace tightens around his neck in silent comfort.

Or maybe in annoyance as she still is a boa and they like to constrict their victims from what he's read.