Chapter 74: Comrade

Tsuna's lips twitched as he stared at his father.

"Dad..."

Ichiro stood proudly by the car, dressed head to toe in what looked like expensive, branded clothes. His sunglasses gleamed under the sunlight, hiding his eyes as he flashed a confident grin.

Tsuna's gaze narrowed. He could tell—those things, including the supercar, were definitely rented.

Tsuna frustratedly asked, "What did I tell you about spending my investment wisely?" 

Ichiro waved a hand dismissively with a chuckle, "What are you talking about? I'm utilizing it efficiently. Look at me!"

He struck a pose, spinning slowly as if he were on a runway.

The Aoba Johsai players, who happened to be around had their eyes widened as they took in the scene.

"Is he actually a celebrity?"

Kunimi whispered toward Kindaichi who nodded along as he rubbed his chin before commenting, "Must be. Look at that car! And his outfit... no normal person dresses like that..."

Their murmurs were loud enough for both Tsuna and Ichiro to hear.

"..."

Tsuna's expression darkened while Ichiro puffed out his chest, clearly enjoying the attention.

"Efficiently? Efficiently?"

Tsuna hissed, stepping closer, "Do you even remember how much I gave you? Ten grand! That was supposed to be for your video and basic marketing, not... this!"

He gestured wildly at Ichiro's rented outfit and the flashy car. Ichiro had promised to use the money wisely. They'd agreed on a plan:

The first step was to create a professional video.

The second step was to run some ads.

The third step was to see if his music career would take off.

But now, standing here, Tsuna wondered if he'd made a mistake as he shook his head, "How much did you spend on renting all this—" 

"Hold up, son!"

Ichiro grabbed Tsuna's arm and pulled him aside, away from the curious stares of the Aoba Johsai players.

He lowered his voice to a whisper, "Don't say that out loud! I have an image to maintain. I'm going to be famous soon, you'll see!"

"Famous?"

Tsuna rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Your song on Spicyfy has three listens. Three! Me, you, and Keishin-san! That guy only listened because you forced him to download the app!"

"Uh..."

Ichiro looked away, whistling innocently. "Once the video's ready and I start marketing properly, I'll blow up. Just wait and see!"

"Right..."

Tsuna facepalmed.

He hadn't even told Ichiro about his own plans to help with promotion. But now, seeing his father's action, he wondered if he should keep it to himself.

If Ichiro found out, he'd probably start renting yachts or private jets for his "image."

Meanwhile, the Aoba Johsai players exchanged confused glances. They shrugged, deciding not to get involved.

Whatever was going on between the two, it was none of their business.

"Ugh, whatever," Tsuna sighed deeply, shaking his head. "Go park that car somewhere. You can't just leave it here. I've got another game today, so... do whatever you want."

"Hahaha, of course!"

Ichiro laughed heartily before sliding into the Lamborghini as the engine roared to life.

The sound echoed loudly as the car sped off, leaving Tsuna standing there, staring blankly as the flashy vehicle disappeared around the corner.

"Tsuna-chan, is your dad... uh, a celebrity?"

Oikawa asked, walking over with a curious smile.

"...?"

Tsuna glanced around and noticed the rest of the Aoba Johsai team lingering nearby. Kunimi was still waiting for his drink, so they hadn't left yet.

Tsuna shook his head. "Nah, he's not."

"Eh? Really?"

Oikawa tilted his head, his eyes wide with surprise. "But his style... it's so flashy. I thought for sure he was famous or something."

He glanced in the direction Ichiro had driven off, then turned back to Tsuna. "If you don't mind me asking, what does your dad do for a living?"

"..."

The entire Aoba Johsai team froze, their ears perking up. Even Iwaizumi, who had been about to drag Oikawa away for being too friendly with the "enemy," stopped in his tracks.

Everyone was curious.

"..."

Tsuna's lips twitched and after a long pause, he flatly answered, "He's a rapper."

"P-Pardon...?"

In Japan, rappers often carried a certain stereotype—free-spirited, rebellious, and sometimes associated with drug addicts and gang member stuff.

"..."

That was why they fell into silence as Oikawa's face stiffened, and he immediately regretted asking.

Even the rest of the team exchanged uneasy glances.

"Ah... I-I see..."

Oikawa stammered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"You idiot!"

Iwaizumi smacked Oikawa on the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"Sorry about that, Matsumoto," Iwaizumi said, shooting Oikawa a warning look. "This guy is quite dumb..."

Tsuna shrugged. "It's fine. I don't really care."

The Aoba Johsai players blinked in surprise. They hadn't expected Tsuna to be quite calm and approachable off the court.

"I saw your game earlier. Congrats on the win," Iwaizumi said, giving a small nod. He crossed his arms and added, "You'll be facing Date Tech next since they won their match too. But you seem pretty calm about it. Confident, huh?"

"Yeah," Tsuna replied casually.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa exchanged surprised glances. Tsuna's lack of concern about Date Tech was unexpected.

The Iron Wall of Date Tech was known for their strong defense, and most players would at least show some level of caution or excitement.

But Tsuna seemed disinterested.

"..."

To Tsuna, their reaction wasn't surprising. He had heard about Date Tech's reputation, especially the fact that they crushed Karasuno right after he went to the hospital.

But since he had never played against them or even seen them in action, he didn't feel much pressure.

He was curious, but that was all.

"I'm more looking forward to playing against you guys," Tsuna said, his eyes shifting to Iwaizumi and Oikawa.

"...!"

Both of them blinked, caught off guard by his words.

Tsuna didn't seem to mind their reaction as he asked, "Do you have a game today?"

"Yeah," Iwaizumi replied, still a bit stunned. His mind raced. 'Huh, he's actually pretty easy to talk to off the court.'

It was strange.

On the court, Tsuna was quite hard to approach. But here, he seemed like a normal, laid-back guy.

The kind of guy Iwaizumi wouldn't mind hanging out with.

"But don't worry," Oikawa chimed in, flashing his usual confident smile. "We're definitely going to win this one!"

Iwaizumi shot Oikawa a glare before wondering, 'Has he talked to Matsumoto off the court before?'

That might explain why Oikawa was so friendly to Tsuna.

But then—

Oikawa suddenly tilted his head, his smile turning mischievous. "So, make sure to wash your neck, because I'll be the one to—ack!"

Before Oikawa could finish, Iwaizumi's fist slammed into his stomach. Oikawa doubled over, clutching his stomach as tears welled up in his eyes. 

He groaned in pain, "Why?!"

Iwaizumi sighed, his expression blank. 'Okay, maybe I shouldn't have punched him, but that came out of nowhere. And I'm not apologizing.'

"Shut up. Be polite..."

"But you're usually the one telling me to trash-talk!"

Oikawa whined, still holding his stomach.

Iwaizumi shrugged at this and shook his head, "I'm a changed man."

"I'd rather believe the moon was made of cheese!?" Oikawa protested, but Iwaizumi ignored him.

"Keke..."

Tsuna chuckled softly as he watched Iwaizumi and Oikawa bicker.

It reminded him of his own teammates back in Karasuno. His laughter caught their attention, and both Iwaizumi and Oikawa turned to look at him.

"I know you guys will win," Tsuna said, "Don't worry about that."

"T-Tsuna-chan..."

Oikawa's voice trembled dramatically. He clutched his chest as if deeply moved, his eyes shining with exaggerated emotion. "As expected, you understand me better than Iwa-chan ever could!"

"..."

Tsuna's expression darkened instantly. Oikawa's remark sounded... weirdly gay. He glanced at Iwaizumi, who looked equally uncomfortable.

Without a word, they exchanged a nod, a silent agreement passing between them.

"Uh, guys...?"

Oikawa tilted his head, confused, as Tsuna and Iwaizumi stepped closer to him.

But before Oikawa could react, they both lunged at him. Tsuna grabbed one arm while Iwaizumi grabbed the other, and together, they started roughing him up.

Oikawa's screams echoed across the entrance.

"W-Wait! What's happening?! Stop! Iwa-chan! Tsuna-chan! This is betrayal!"

Oikawa flailed, trying to escape, but it was no use.

The rest of the Aoba Johsai players stood frozen, staring at the scene in stunned silence. Their captain was being ganged up on by their rival and their own ace.

"G-guys, shouldn't we try to separate them?" Kunimi whispered nervously.

"Uh, no," Hanamaki replied quickly. "I'd rather sacrifice our captain than get dragged into their mess."

"Agreed..."

"Yeah."

Kindaichi and the rest just agreed, as, in the end, they all decided to stay out of it.

Before long, Oikawa's figure was sprawled flat on the ground. His life and death situation was unknown.

Tsuna and Iwaizumi stood over his "corpse," looking down at him with matching expressions of satisfaction.

"...I wasn't expecting a day I'd beat him up with someone else," Iwaizumi said with amazement.

He looked at Tsuna with fondness.

Tsuna admitted while equally surprised, "I wasn't expecting I could beat someone up so casually." 

They turned to each other, their eyes meeting. Slowly, they reached out and shook hands, their expressions turning stony.

Divided by teams, united by violence...

"I'm glad we met, comrade," Iwaizumi said with a smile.

 Tsuna nodded firmly, "Same here."

"..."

The rest of the Aoba Johsai team watched in silence, still processing what had just happened.

After a moment, they decided it was best to safely transport Oikawa's "corpse" away from the scene. A few players carefully picked him up, his limp body draped over their shoulders as they carried him off.

Iwaizumi glanced at his team and then at Tsuna.

"We've got a match coming up soon, so I'll head out now..."

"Good luck."

With that, Iwaizumi turned and walked away, joining his team as they left the area.

Tsuna watched them go for a moment before turning in the opposite direction. He had his own teammates to get back to.