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KHRween 2021: Mirror/Lost In The Woods
When Tsuna asks Reborn where they are, he's not really expecting his teacher to say, way too casually, "Oh, this is the Demon World."
Tsuna also can't say he's really surprised, either - at least not at the kind of answer it is, even if he never would have said that specific one.
"Oh," he says, kind of in a daze as he just stares up at a sky where there is more than one moon hanging. A part of Tsuna wants to just lay on the ground and scream, because what does that mean?! The Demon World!? That's just the work of fiction, that's not a thing in real life!
...Except he would have said that about being forcibly drafted into being a mafia don, too, once upon a time. Or magic powers born from one's life force that takes the form of specific flames. Or time traveling. Or ghosts from long dead illusionists with a grudge to pick. And that's just the noticeable stuff. If Tsuna started counting on his fingers and toes for every weird thing in his life, he'd quickly run out of both.
So sure. Sure! They're in the demon world, because of a weird thing they of course once again got wrapped up in! Great! All Tsuna can do is sink his face into his hands, a gesture that one Shoichi Irie is mimicking not too far off. When Tsuna looks up again, he counts the eleven other people that are here with him as well.
Well. Ten. Almost immediately, he can tell that Mukuro has vanished off to go do whatever weird nonsense Mukuro is wont to do. That leaves just... Tired, and feeling like the eternal babysitter he's pretty sure he really is (mafia don who), Tsuna counts up everyone. There's Gokudera, of course, practically vibrating all over as he looks at this place with stars in his eyes, and Yamamoto who is laughing things off in that way too easy manner of his. Lambo is picking at his nose, unconcerned with everything besides whenever his stomach grumbles. There's Kyoko and Haru, their heads bowed together as they discuss something quite seriously, and Ryohei of course quite nearby. Chrome observes everything with that distant expression of hers, including Dino patiently doing God's Work as he convinces Hibari to not go tearing off to wherever.
So, you know, with the exception of a couple of civilians that Tsuna feels really guilty about, all of the usual suspects.
Tsuna sinks his face back into his hands. "What are we supposed to do now?" he groans. "Are we going to get eaten?"
"Well, a demon would eat you if they knew you were human," Reborn says casually as he hops a couple of boulders to get a good view of wherever they are. Around them, all Tsuna can tell is a.... surprisingly simple clearing, with trees that don't look at all murderous. You know, unlike their apparent demon residents. Tsuna isn't sure if that is just good luck on their part, however. "It's fine. I know a guy."
Reborn knows a guy. In the Demon World.
Tsuna, for not the first time, gives up on understanding how Reborn knows or does anything. Instead, all he does is push himself up onto his feet, and begin the arduous task of herding all of his friends together so that they can get going. Ideally before someone tries to eat them.
The guy that Reborn knows is an apparently very important and powerful demon named "Lord Sullivan". Reborn, already with a pair of Leon-horns and wings, just greats him with a casual, "Ciao, Sully."
"Ciao, Reborn~!" says the dapper looking old man with a very bald head and very noticeable horns. That's not the only thing noticeable about him either, and Tsuna is left gaping a little bit as Lord Sullivan steps further into the large dining room area. Maybe it's just because he's Japanese, but that this Lord Sullivan is so tall is incredible... And the ink-black tail that flows behind him is something else as well. "Ha ha, I see you have gotten yourself into trouble once more~. And you seem to have brought even more people with you into it!"
If the majority of them weren't sitting down at the table - with the exception of Hibari, having found his own perch far away from the crowded dining table - Tsuna suspects that Reborn would do one of his light and ""fond"" kicks. "This is my student, Tsuna Sawada, and a few others, including a former student of mine." Down the table, managing to look way more relaxed than Tsuna feels, Dino waggles his fingers in greeting. "We're going to need somewhere to stay while we get our return sorted out."
Lord Sullivan laughs, sweeping down into his chair his feline-like butler pulls out for him. "You know, Henri is still in charge of the border patrols between our two worlds. I'm sure he could help you out, if you simply went to him."
"That sounds like a great idea," Tsuna says, relieved that all of this could be solved so quickly.
So of course Reborn has to shoot down his hopes and dreams with a simple nudge up of his hat. "The problem with that is that they'd erase everyone's memories of this place," he says, which Tsuna doesn't exactly find a problem with. "And I'd rather use this all as a fine learning experience for them."
Of course. The face Tsuna makes is probably obvious, all distaste and exhaustion and incredulousness. With Reborn, it all comes down to "learning experiences".... And sometimes, Tsuna is pretty sure he's just making up things to torment him with using "learning experience" as a handy excuse. Tsuna didn't think that such a simple two words could be used in so versatile a way, but Reborn is the kind of guy who is an overachiever, or something.
Lord Sullivan just nods wisely, like this makes all the sense in the world. Maybe it does, to a demon. "I see... So you finally took my advice, and really did become a teacher. Well, if it's in the name of education, then I cannot fault you for wanting a little more freedom. I'll have Opera prepare some rooms for all of you, since we're certainly not lacking in them." Behind him, the feline-like butler gives a simple nod of their head. "Still, in exchange..." And Lord Sullivan tilts his head just enough for the light's reflection to clear from his eyes, showing a warm but cunning gaze. "Since we are talking on the subject of education, could I have you and your companions there help me with something at my own school?"
"You own a school!?" Tsuna blurts out at the same as Gokudera, and Shoichi too.
"Of course he does." Reborn looks back at them, with that very particular expression of his where he's saying something like it's the most matter of fact thing in the world, and yet taking complete pleasure in how he knows everyone else is caught off guard. "While he might be a demon lord, he's the principal of one of the Demon World's finest schools, you know."
Of course. The stupidly tall old man with the horns also runs a school in the demon world. Is that in the bible? Tsuna kind of wishes he'd actually read it more. It's just, yeah he knows that he should probably understand more about Catholicism than whatever is shown on Evangelion, since Italy is all about that, but it's just that, like many things to do with moving to Italy and becoming a mafia don at some point in his future, he's sort of been putting it off.
Tsuna resolves to figure out how many bibles there are in existence - he thinks there's, like, at least three? - and read one of them.
That's a thing for future-Tsuna. For now, he looks back to the old man who is apparently a demon, and also apparently a principal. Lord (Principal??) Sullivan puffs up, quite pleased. Surprisingly, it's not about his position. "And you know, Reborn, since the last time you've seen me, I've gotten just the most darling little grandson!" From out of nowhere, he whips out a book that looks thicker than the dictionary, and slams it down on the table to start flipping through the pages. "Look! His name is Iruma, isn't he just the most devi-kyuuuuuutest!?"
Reborn leans over to take a look. Tsuna, well, he can't help it, he leans over to take a look... right as there's the sound of a door opening further in the mansion, and a voice calls out, "Grampa, Opera-san, I'm back home!"
And that's how Tsuna meets one Iruma, a completely normal human living in the Demon World because one old dude decided he REALLY needed to be a parent.
So what Sullivan wants them to do, it turns out, is just spend some time at his school with his grandson's class, helping them out in various little assignments, or even being a part of those assignments. And, of course, spending time with his precious grandson, who might be a little happy to see some fellow humans after so long.
It's not exactly a hard thing to do, in all honesty. Iruma is easily flustered, polite, and the kind of person who seems to draw the spotlight to him even when he's really not trying. Tsuna sees something similar to himself in Iruma, and he's fairly certain Shoichi and Enma do, too. The others, maybe not as much, especially since Hibari apparently runs off to go spar up against the Sullivan butler... But that doesn't stop people like Gokudera from hounding Iruma about all the different things in the Demon World, or Haru and Kyoko from excitedly talking to him about some sort of... Idol trophy???
Needless to say, it's a really busy night... And it only gets busier when Reborn comes back from his private conversation with Principal Sullivan. "So have you all thought about what kind of demon you'll be when you go to attend the school of Babyls tomorrow?"
Oh yeah. Because that's still a thing, apparently.
Mukuro would never have helped them with this kind of thing in the first place, so the person they'll all be relying on now is... Tsuna looks over to Chrome. "Have you thought about how you'll look yourself, Chrome... Ah." He doesn't even have to finish that question, because Chrome has definitely already chosen her very simple look. Following Sullivan's example, she's just given herself a pair of simple black horns that slightly follow the curve of her skull, and are straight besides that. It's nothing flashy, just simple and unassuming. Much like Chrome herself, he guesses.
Well, that's the dream, he supposes. If only he could be so simple and unassuming all of the time. Although he guesses if that's how it is... "Can you do something simple and not flashy at all for me, too, Chrome?" he asks, pointing at himself and ignoring the usual blustering from Gokudera about how everyone deserves to know about his majesty and whatever. Tsuna appreciates the, uh, thought and care, but it's just not for him.
Chrome just nods, a quiet affirmation leaving her lips, and Tsuna can feel the gentle chill of her flames washing over him. While Tsuna doesn't always understand why the flames were all given the names they were, he has to at least admit that 'mist' is spot on for illusionists. That's exactly what it feels like as it rolls over him, concentrating around his head.
He figured he'd get horns like hers: simple, no nonsense, just enough to get him through this weird stay. Instead, when Haru squeals and Kyoko smacks her hands together delightedly, he suspects he's been given something entirely different... and a quick look in the mirror proves him right.
"Rabbit ears?" he asks, exasperated just a little bit. Does that count? Isn't this just someone's fetish?
Chrome just tilts her head to the side, blinking. "It's not noticeable," she says, and, ugh, maybe she's right?
At least Yamamoto and Dino's relaxed laughter shows someone is having a good time. In the meanwhile, Kyoko steps forward with her brother's hand in her own as she tugs him along. "Chrome-chan! That looks so fun, match up me and my brother, too!"
And so that's how it goes on, with Chrome mostly being left to have her own fun free reign making up appearances for everyone. Kyoko, of course, looks the cutest with a pair of white horns that curl forward like a ram's right from her temple, with a pair of pointed ears right underneath them and adorable little fangs. While hers are tightly wound, her brother's have an arch that goes on a bit longer as they go back, and then curl underneath two pairs of ears - pointed ears that match Kyoko's, and then, right above those, furry and pointed ears like a fox or something that match the color of his natural hair. Adding to that, his eyes are made all black, save for now-white pupils that stand out shockingly. He seems happy enough with them, at any rate.
Yamamoto seems as though he could be good with anything, but it isn't horns that Chrome focuses on for him. Instead, what unfurls when he rolls his shoulders would be a pair of brilliant green wings that remind Tsuna of some sort of insect. It seems more delicate than what he'd associate with the rambunctious and active Yamamoto... but he seems to like it enough, laughing as he practices spreading them out while Chrome's illusions still lay over him.
Unlike Tsuna, Dino seems to get exactly what he wants with a pair of short and simple white horns that peek out from that hair of his. Shoichi manages to get similar, although... With dark horns that curve out and then around to point down, Tsuna can't help but think of some sort of evil overlord from a fantasy game. Just... the most tired and overworked demon overlord ever.
....That might actually fit Shoichi really well, now that Tsuna thinks about it, or at least one future version of himself that Tsuna got to meet.
Enma also decides that he doesn't really care of what he gets; maybe he senses that it's honestly all up to whatever Chrome wants to do anyway. For that reason, his normal human ears end up replaced with a pair of long black-and-white spotted ears that remind Tsuna of a cow, and tiny white demon wings that poke out from his back. It's an unusual choice, much like Yamamoto's was... but, of course, Chrome offers no answer when she's questioned about it.
With Hibari being AWOL, there's no telling what he'll look like until maybe the day of, assuming that they can convince him to even show his face or go along with this whole facade... So there's only two people left: Haru and Gokudera.
It's probably a good thing that the two of them were left for lass, both of them fidgeting until the very last second. When it's clear that everyone else has finished choosing their disguise, they both practically lunge forward in an attempt to beat the other. Haru is the winner in the end, with her hands just a little quicker on the draw to shove Gokudera's face ruthlessly out of the way. "Chrome-chan!" she gushes, clenching her fists in front of her eagerly while Gokudera recovers from the winning blow. "I have a really specific idea in mind for myself! I think dark brown horns curving up like a steer's horns would look really nice and elegant! But! I was also thinking of a pair of fins that replace my ears - if you could transition them from my normal skin color to a light green, that would be great! Oh, oh, and maybe some scales scattered around, to match the fins?" She starts to gesture, fingers flicking back behind her ears. "And maybe, behind the fins, some sort of feathered extension as well...? It can be just white, that's fine!"
That.... is quite a specific feature to ask for. Otherwise, Tsuna would have thought she was asking to be a mermaid - a kind of tail befitting one which extends from the base of Haru's spine, courtesy of Chrome. Well, at least Haru seems happy, with how she bounces around to admire herself.
Gokudera is obviously a little less pleased as he sends some sort of thuggish glare over at her, clearly displeased with having been beaten to the punch. Fortunately, he doesn't let himself dwell on it for long. Instead, with stars practically sparkling in his eyes, he whirls on Chrome next. It's a good thing she's been with them all long enough, and been tempered by whatever nonsense the Kokuyo gang gets up to, that she doesn't even flinch or blink.
"Chrome! You've got to make my skin pitch black as night, to start with, alright? That's the most important part! But I want a few tiny patches across my cheekbones, like freckles or spots, that are pure white in contrast. If I could have a single black horn spiraling out from my forehead, that would be the most ideal, and.... Of course, I have to match the Tenth! So.... Give me a pair of ears, just like his! Then, as the finishing touches... A pair of fangs that curve from my upper set downwards, like a pair of oni fangs!"
And, well. It's Chrome. Of course she doesn't disappoint.
That only leaves Lambo, of course, but, well... With his little cow onesie, and the horns he never stops wearing, well... Can anyone say he looks like anything less than a tiny little mischief making demon on his own?
Kalego never looks particularly happy when he's teaching their class, unless he's doing something with the express purpose of tormenting them, but he looks a little more annoyed than usual when they all step into Royal One that morning. "Take a seat," he says to them promptly. "Your lessons for today are going to be different than usual. We have guests from another school here to observe and take part in your studies."
Sure enough, there is a small group that's situated not too far away from the blackboard, a group that is almost exactly the same number as all of them. It's Asmodaeus who is the first to puff up about it, and he looks over to Iruma. "Of course, they must have come over to see Iruma-sama's majesty! Anyone wanting to be a true demon would."
"You know, there are the rest of us too, Azz-Azz," Lied points out, not pouting while definitely kind of pouting. It's clear what's got him so annoyed as he points to himself. "I'm one of the young kings, so it wouldn't be too out of place for me to be showed off too!"
"I've told you all to not call me by that name-"
"You know, with how our resident big sis was the star of the show not that long ago, it wouldn't be unusual if they wanted to come here because of her..."
"Ara~. But then Purson was a star right alongside me~."
"Hrk-! Elizabetta, is that kind of person your type!?"
So. As often happens. Kalego has to intervene and force calm and quiet since they're all often incapable of it. After a couple of people have been strung upside down, and the rest of them have finally retreated to their seats, their teacher takes his position at the front of the class with a huff and a scowl. "Honestly, this is how you're going to act when we get visitors... You have the name of this class to live up to, Misfits. It's not only the students who are here, after all, but their teacher."
Unsaid: So if you make me look like a poor teacher in return, I'm going to make the remainder of your school year a living hell.
In contrast, the visiting teacher looks quite respectable and relaxed in comparison to that ultra-strict Kalego. He's about the size of Camui, wearing a dapper suit so that his bright green tail can swish about easily. With pitch black eyes that go straight through people, he must be quite a person if his presence matters to Kalego.
"They're guests of that meddlesome principal, after all."
Or, you know, it's all the Principal's fault, as per usual.
Of course, in all matters related to the principal, there's one person they have to look at, and so all their heads turn towards their infamous Iruma. All he does is give an embarrassed little laugh, scratching one cheek. "Ah, that's right... Everyone was so excited this morning, that I didn't have the chance to squeeze it in. But, um... They're definitely guests of my grampa! They've even been staying at our place."
Jazz lets loose a low whistle from between his teeth. "Oooh~. Then they really must be something special... Hey, hey, calm down, you two..."
That, of course, is directed towards Asmodaeus and Clara, who are both glaring over at the new group of visiting students with some pouty glares of their own. Well, with Clara, it's the kind of thing that could be called a pout. For Asmodaeus, it's no surprise that he's practically boiling over with jealousy. All it takes is a few pats from Iruma, fortunately, for them to settle down. Team Iruma really is quite something...
After that, Kalego manages to get things explained in fairly quick time, as expected of a Babyls' teacher. He explains that they'll be tagging along on their studies, and that they'll all be partnered up with a different exchange student. It's up to them, he explains, to show them what it truly means to be demons of their standing.
Lied decides this means playing video games, obviously.
"You can't let Teacher Kalego know we're doing this, but it's obviously the best way to go about things~," Lied fills in his exchange student, leaning in with a finger to his widely grinning lips. "You can learn all sorts of things from video games! In fact, it's actually how I've done really well on a couple of assignments!"
He thought that would liven up his partner a little bit... But jeez, what a really morose guy. He just stares at him with those droopy eyes of his, which match his equally droopy white and black ears. Then again, maybe Lied should have expected this sort of response from someone who radiated an aura of droopiness... He can't tell if he's reminded of Iruma at the start of his year, or Agares, who just wanted to hide away and sleep away all obstacles.
Right as Lied is starting to wonder if this is one of those mute demons, the other student - Enma - finally gives a slight shake of his head. "I'm... no good at video games. I'm not sure if it would exactly be fun for you to watch me fail a bunch..."
Yeesh! Laughing, Lied smacks his hand a few times against this Enma kid's back. "Wow! You could definitely get a bunch of tips from confidence from the rest of us! No wonder your school sent you over here to learn." Grinning, he raises up one finger with a wink. "Don't worry, I even taught that fussy and stubborn Azz-Azz how to be great at video games! Besides, as long as you're having fun, it's not bad to play games while sucking at them!" Leaning in close, he nudges Enma's sides a couple of times. "Of course, you'll want to aim for victory one day~."
Enma blinks at him, in a completely inscrutable way, but he agrees to playing a few games inbetween classes - and sometimes during them, when teachers aren't looking and Lied can steal some of their senses away.
In all honesty, he's not actually that bad at video games. He's pretty average. Nothing great like Lied and Iruma are, of course, but he's at least better than Asmodaeus is... Although is that a particularly high bar to clear or not? The jury is out on that. What's a lot more relevant to Lied is that he has a new gaming buddy... And when he grins a little bit, those droopy ears of his twitching upwards, he's not that bad to be with.
"Tsuna's been my only friend for a while now, outside of my family," Enma says at some point, and, oh right, that's the guy with Iruma, right? "And my family doesn't have a lot right now.... This is pretty nice, Lied-kun."
Jeeeez, if he's going to say something like that, what else can Lied do but take him under his wing and ruffle his hair? It'd be better if he was a cute girl, but Lied doesn't mind this, either, exactly.
"Aren't you lucky, Kyoko!" Elizabetta gushes, taking her exchange student's hands in hers as the two of them hop in place. Due to how much taller Elizabetta is compared to the other demon, she can't exactly hop very high, but it's fine, it's fine! The intent is what matters. "Miss Raim was really impressed with you! I haven't had someone else who's ranked around me in a while~."
Kyoko smiles back and, wow, she really does have the cutest smile! Elizabetta never quite understood what it meant to be so impressed with another girl before, although that will soon change, but now she understands what her teacher Raim meant when she gushed about her and Clara making her heart skip. "Thanks, Elizabetta! This is the first time that I was ever ranked for my appeal like that, but it was a lot more simple than I thought it would be! I'm glad I followed your advice to go and see her during our break, Elizabetta."
So she's never taken a class in seduction before? Elizabetta raises a hand to her mouth. "Oh my! So you're a pure natural at being so charming... Well, I was too, you know." She grins, fingers pressing along her cheek delicately. "But fresh foods are made all the better in a skilled chef's hand~. Or at least that's what my father used to tell me. So you should definitely take one of my classes along with me!"
It just makes sense to her, after all. If she has to watch over and take along an exchange student, isn't going to her classes just one of those things? It's two demon birds in one stone!
Kyoko considers it for a moment, her hand curled underneath her chin, before she smiles. "You know... It actually sounds a little interesting! It can't hurt to try it, right?"
"That's the spirit!" Elizabetta gushes, before she leans forward, her hands pressed together where they are against her legs. This squishes her boobs together a little, but, well, that's just something that can't be helped with how her body is made. "You know, I was a little bit worried, because we're starting some of our curriculum on charming girls next, and I didn't have a partner for that yet... You'll really be helping me out, Kyoko!"
Her new partner seems a bit dazed a moment, no doubt from how Elizabetta had to lean over to lessen the height distance between them, but soon enough her eyes snap back up to her. "Eh?" she says with a squeak, face going flushed. "Charming girls?"
"And that," Kamui finally says, gesturing towards the blackboard he's opted to use for his impromptu lesson, "is how you successfully charm girls!"
Lambo, the small demon child that was left in his care "because you guys are around the same height, right", just blinks up at him looking utterly bored with everything. "Are we done yet?" he asks, sniffling hard to yank up a bit of snot that was dribbling out of his nose. "This is sooooo boring! I thought this would be so much more exciting, because it's a big BOOM! BAM! demon school, but this is more boring than when Tsuna-nii tries to make me pay attention on trips!"
Tsuna-nii... That guy with the messy hair who reminds Kamui distantly of their own patient and trouble-attracting Iruma. Really, if he has the patience to deal with a little kid like this, Kamui has to admit the similarities are striking enough to knock someone dead. Why is a kid like this even attending the school? More importantly...
"Aaaah, why must I have been partnered with such a little kid like yourself," Kamui sighs dramatically, wiping at one eye. "Jazz really would have been the best person here for this instead. And then, I could have potentially have been partnered up with those pair of lovely ladies who were a part of your class... Or maybe even the mysterious third! And yet, here I am, left to babysit a child..."
All he gets for his woes is a big fat raspberry blown at him. "Well, if you're going to keep being boring and thinking about dumb stuff, I'm going to just go find Kyoko and Haru-nee, and have a bath together! They're a lot more fun to play with too!"
...Did that kid just say what he think he said?
Did he just see what he think he saw?
Purson would normally be pretty confident in his assessment of the things he's seen. As someone who has, for the vast majority of his life, never been allowed to be a participant and instead just a bystander, well, watching has really all he's had. And it's been all pretty funny, too, if he's honest. Certainly he's had plenty of things to watch that occupy his time well enough, and that was even before he became a part of the Misfits class. Now, with them - now, as a part of everything that they're doing instead of just some strange outside observer - well.
It's better, is what he guesses he'll say.
Like, even that stingy and too strict Kalego made sure he partnered this time, but he honestly did Purson a favor - at least, that's what he thought at first, since his exchange student partner was one of the cute girls that came as a part of the group. She wasn't anything flashy with simple horns and a tail, but there's something nice about that too, you know? And her skull eyepatch was actually pretty stylish, so he could be into that too.
The only problem is that she's sort of gone missing. And that would be a little worrying on its own, because Kalego would give him a million years of homework to make up for it, and who knows what that visiting teacher is up to, except the difference in how he saw her just vanish into nothing.
Honestly, it kind of reminds him of how he's seen his mother disappear, when he's been able to see her do it, instead of her just popping in and out of nowhere. Probably it's how everyone in his clan disappears, including himself, but he's never had a chance to see his father or his brother do it, and he hardly looks in mirrors when he himself does it. He thought that there was no one else in his clan who was as good as hiding as some of them... Is she some sort of distant relative? That would sure be a surprise, to have someone that cute in his clan, but maybe it's something else, and he's sure that his father would have heard of her if that was possible, and, anyway.
Anyway. She's missing. And so Purson has to find her, because he doesn't want to give Kalego more of an excuse to torment him with extra homework.
But it's surprisingly difficult... And while he doesn't hear any snickering, or laughter, like he would give, he could swear that he occasionally hears the brief note of a hummed song. Is she messing with him? Something about that... stirs up something in his heart. Something exciting. Well, he is a part of the Misfits class. What else can he do but rise to the challenge?
"Oh, so you also like a challenge," Allocer says approvingly, rubbing his fingers along the lower jaw of his muzzle. Normally, he has his mouth covered, but it aches a little bit, and, anyway, he really should clean it now and then. It's nice to be able to move his teeth around like this, too, and he thinks it makes his new friend, Shoichi the exchange student, feel a little more comfortable too.
It wasn't easy to tell, at first, of course. The poor guy practically had shriveled up with a stomach ache that kept him on the floor for a while, and he looked like he was going to only get worse with every class that they went to.
But it's a lot better now, with the two of them leaning their heads together during their free study, pouring over only the latest book on magic theory. It's quite the complex thing, honestly, and Allocer had honestly sort of given up on going over it with most of his classmates. Some of them are pretty smart in their own way - Sabro and Asmodaeus aren't a surprise to anyone - but no one is quite smart in the way he's looking for. Even Jazz, his partner in crime (literally, probably, he suspects, with what their ""dear"" teacher does daily) isn't really smart, but more cunning.
So to have someone with him, a fellow student instead of a teacher who has their own duties to go over... It's nice. Nicer than he would have expected.
Of course, it'd be great to spend his time with a pretty girl, like that one he's been trying to figure out through texts, but he has to say, Shoichi is pretty good company all on his own in more ways than one.
There's a brightness to his eyes as he goes over the different formulas and theories in front of him, glasses having slid down to the bridge of his nose. "Well, I am aiming to be an engineer... These kinds of things are kind of right up my alley in a way. If anything, they're really similar to... Hmm..." He starts to mumble to himself, words that Allocer can't quite hear, and maybe even in a different language. It's sounds a little similar to old demonic languages, actually...
Before Allocer can really think too much more on that, decipher this little mystery all out, Shoichi suddenly gives a sharp shake of his head and makes that anxious and exasperated expression like he's just swallowed a trick candy that he should have known would be a trick.
"Ugh, wait, wait, wait." He shakes his head, raking his fingers up into that warmly colored hair of his, narrowly managing to avoid smacking into his own horns. "I just know that if I get wrapped up in researching this kind of thing, it'll bring nothing but so much trouble! I've got to be responsible here!"
During times like this... Allocer poses his hand underneath his jaw, thumb up and pointer finger, well, pointed. "Isn't it the duty of students to get into lots of trouble for the point of fun?"
"When you talk like that, you remind me of a guy I know! Not in a good way!"
Ugh. Agares' partner is starting to remind him of a guy he knows, and not in a good way.
Honestly, if it were up to him, he wouldn't be doing this kind of exchange student partner thing in the first place. Just coming to school and staying the bare minimum of awake is enough for him. This isn't even one of his preferred activities, where he's working along with the rest of the Misfits - at least they make waking up worth it. But this guy...
At his command, another surge of earth bursts up to shield him from another attack of his apparent partner - some guy called Kyoya Hibari? Apparently, he had to be really coaxed into attending this whole school trip. Ugh... One of those beast-type demons, in more ways than one, as his multiple tails swish out behind him as he surveys the latest shield between him and Agares. With those spiraling horns sticking out from his hair in a nice elegant pair, he's the kind of guy who probably gets bugged as much as Agares does.
Or maybe he doesn't, considering how freakin' rowdy he is, making another go at Agares with a pair of tonfa. With his familiar tugging him out of the way, Agares lets out a frustrated groan. "Aaaaaaah, I just want to sleep! Why do you have to be such a nuisance!? At this rate, my nap spot will crumble away!"
He's expecting to have to raise up another wall, maybe try to guide his pain in the ass partner with it if the jackass doesn't just bust through like a demon bulldozer. However, instead, there's actually a beat of silence, and Agares carefully lowers down one wall so that he can squint and glare at this Kyoya guy properly to see just what's up. What meets his gaze is a look of cool consideration, with his head tilted thoughtfully to the side. Between his horns, his deceivingly tiny and cute familiar just lets out a little peep.
Finally, Kyoya deigns to speak. "This nap spot of yours... Just what exactly is it like? This journey has been annoying to sleep through..."
"Fu fu fu... So this is where your own particular hideaway is like. And here I thought that I wouldn't get anything truly entertaining on this little detour..."
Kerori's first response, of course, is to let burst a series of ice pillars from the floor out of sheer panic, because shit shit shit she didn't mean to let anyone sneak up on her while she was taking a break and going over idol details! If there is one small blessing, it's that she at least is careful enough to never unleash her true idol charisma and charm while she's at school. The glasses always stay on, even if she might be thinking about her next song, or helping figure out the EXACT details on Irumi and Lindy's debuts.
It's just, maybe this time, she was getting a little too into it while she had Royal One all to herself while the rest of her classmates were out either attending their classes in the rest of Babyls, or chasing after their exchange partners for this whole project. Apparently there was supposed to be one more student with the visiting class, but even the teacher hadn't seem to known (or be particularly worried about) the location of one of them.
Of course, while she'd been interested in hunting him down, she'd had some more important things on her mind, like the upcoming idol event... And she was positive that, at the end of the day, she could use her familiar to track him down for being such a pain in her rear.
As it turns out, she doesn't need to worry about that. He's shown up right in Royal One, somehow when she wasn't looking, and Kerori has to press her hand against her chess for the heart attack she's still feeling. "So you're the one that's been missing," she grumbles, tail snapping a bit behind her. Carefully, as she does with every demon she runs across, she does a quick scan of his appearance. Decent leg length on him, long dark hair that shimmers although it looks terrible in that style, and a pair of white horns that curve back with his skull only to tip upwards again at the end. Well, he wouldn't be bad looking, except for that stupid hair style of his. "And I wasn't hiding anywhere. Isn't that you?"
It's not easy to see the entirety of the guy's expression considering he has a short veil drawn across his face that is tied to his horns. But there's no denying how smug he looks. "Was I truly hiding, or were people simply not seeing, Great Idol-chan? Although I'm hardly seeing anything great about the idols that you seem to have taken under your wings..."
Kerori's heart stops for a brief moment at the realization that this guy has figured out Her Secret despite all her carefulness. It promptly restarts again, fueled by below zero rage. "What did you say-"
They're interrupted by a ball crashing through an apparently open doorway, and making direct contact with the blackboard.
"So you want to make 100 friends as your ambition?" Takeshi says, before he starts to laugh - and in a good way that's full of warmth and encouragement. Garp has heard it a couple of times in the Misfits class, especially since they've moved their classroom to Royal One, but it's always a delight to hear it from other demons as well. And Takeshi definitely has that kind of bright laugh that lifts a demon by the wings. "That sounds great, Garp! I hope you get to it!"
It's always good to have encouragement towards one's own personal ambition. Garp beams as much as he possibly can, although he's not always certain how easy it is for people outside of his family to tell. Although something about what Takeshi said... "Ah! Are you from a similar kind of place like Iruma, Takeshi?"
That's a word and concept, after all, that he'd never heard about before. At least, not until Iruma apparently shared it with Azz-Azz and Clara, who were then extremely quick to spread it amongst all of them... Although, of course, only when Azz-Azz and Clare got promoted to soulmates, while the rest of them were friends. It's a rather pleasant kind of word, to Garp. Mundane and pleasantly simple, but more satisfying than anything else. If Takeshi is from the same place, it would explain why the class came here to visit Babyls - who wouldn't want to see one of their own succeeding so splendidly?
With a pleasant breeze going through the air, Takeshi grins right back at him. "Yeah! Although maybe not the exact same place, but, roughly, yeah!" So the same area, but not the same neighborhood? Something like that. Maybe even the difference between demons who live in the forest, and those who live down in the valleys. "Speaking of friends... It seems like you would do great with baseball, Garp!"
"Baseball?" he echoes, leaning closer with clear interest. "Is that something from your homeland, then?"
"And it's a team sport!" Takeshi explains further, eyes dark and bright at the same time. Garp can recognize that kind of look, no problem. "But everyone has their own part to play that not everyone can interfere with. I actually always have a baseball right on me, so if we can find some sticks..."
A team sport, that works well with demons? Well. Garp can't stop himself. He goes full throttle into it, of course.
Sabro often used to go into life full throttle, before he ever calmed down after Iruma inspired him on what a demon king should be. He never really thought that he would meet another demon with exactly that same kind of fire in them... But this Ryohei Sasagawa sure does fit the bill. It's definitely just out of a nostalgia for how he used to be that Sabro has gotten mixed up into a simple fist fight.
It's definitely just that, and not because he got wrapped up in another person's infectious and unstoppable energy.
But it's come to a stop now, with both of them flopping down onto the ground together. It's hard, and not particularly pleasant, and yet it feels absolutely great to just lay there as Ryohei laughs boisterously. "I knew it! Great boxers can recognize each other from across the room!" He grins widely, all teeth, and his split lip has left a smear of blood along his mouth. He looks like a whole mess, which Sabro is quite pleased to say he's a part of, and he's equally pleased to say he probably looks like just as much of a mess. "That was a super awesome match, Sabro-kun!"
Sabro puffs his chest up, as much as he can while he's laying flat on his back. "Of course! That much is expected from the future Demon King! While all the other stuff is super important, you've gotta look cool in a fight if you take up the crown, right!?"
All Ryohei does is laugh. "I don't know anything about looking cool!" he says. "All I love is boxing - but that's definitely the coolest and most exhilarating sport! Nothing else, just bare fists against bare fists!" There's a pause between them, just a moment to catch his breath. "Well, of course I love my precious little sister, too!"
Right... One of the other demons in the class had shared a part of Ryohei's name. Sabro thinks of his own little sister, how elated she'd been to see him the last time he'd visited, how eager she was to come attend the same school as him. Maybe he should call her up again, just to see her. It might be nice, to just do something like that, and Sabro smiles a little. "Yeah. But the little sister of the future Demon King is cuter."
"As a big brother, I won't let those words stand!"
"You know, as something of a big brother myself, I have to say that this whole thing has been pretty interesting to see."
Deep in Jazz's gut, something sort of twitches. He can't help it, honestly. Whenever he hears the word 'big brother', something in him just reacts - whether it's that strong urge to be a big brother himself, or, twisted around that sentiment, the shitty memories of his own douchebag brother who he'd love to just shove into a lake at some point.
Honestly, he should just calm down about it. Dino clearly doesn't know anything about his own circumstances, because why would he, and it's hard to be too annoyed at the guy.
After all, he's kind of being taking care of his accident-prone ass for the past couple of hours.
"You're a big brother?" Jazz asks, unable to stop from sounding too incredulous. It's just hard to imagine, with this klutz practically tripping over air and nearly spilling a whole vat of poison right onto his head. "Are your family back home or something?" And, more importantly, are they just as disaster prone as Dino, or what?
Scruffed up from all the stupid shenanigans that Jazz has had to pull him out of, Dino taps his finger along the side of his head, a little under his temple. "Well, an adoptive one of sorts! Or maybe that's the wrong way to put it... But that scary teacher of ours, with the green wings, taught me a long time ago. Now, he's teaching Tsuna, and, well, that makes us brothers of a sort, right? Although we're not a part of the same Famiglia..."
Jazz had kind of assumed that, going by a few of the exchange students' names, that the group was somewhere similar to wherever Iruma was from before he came to live with his grandpa. But that weird term, Famiglia, what does that even mean? He's not heard of it before... Unable to stop himself, Jazz reaches over to start cleaning some dirt off of Dino's brow. It's just... so hard to ignore! What else is he supposed to do? "So you like that Tsuna that much to come along on this sort of weird field trip, huh?" he asks, as Dino obediently and befuddledly holds still.
Dino grins at him. "My little bro Tsuna is the best!"
"Our Iruma-chi is the very best!" Clara tries to clara-fy to her new super fun exchange friend, both of their hands hard at work as they hide away from all of their classes and responsibilities. It's important that Haru knows just how great Iruma is! It's a worry to Clara that these exchange students won't know how fun and loveable her Iruma-chi is in the short amount of time that they're here at Babyls. Sure, it should be obvious from the get-go, but it sounds like Haru wasn't even aware of Harvest Festivals or school music performances or even watched the Devidol Games! She doesn't know how cute Irumi is!
There are some things in the world that are just terrible tragedies, really!
Haru just rubs the back of her neck with one hand. With the other, she spreads out the fabric that's on the ground before them. Clara had been secretly nervous about being partnered with someone, if she's honest. After all, so many people thought she was secretly a bother before she was made a proper part of the Misfits class... And somehow, that old fear she thought she'd conquered had bubbled up in the corner of her stomach when this new class had been injected into the whole thing.
But Haru-ru isn't bad at all! If she was bad, then the two of them wouldn't be excitedly making new costumes together, with fun colorful fabric and glittering thread, of various monsters and cute demons! As it turns out, Haru-ru is very handy with this sort of thing. Maybe as much as Clara herself!
"Well, you know, maybe he is the best...." Pulling her hand away from her neck, Haru-ru taps her cheek with one finger and gives a wink. "But our Tsuna-kun can't be beat! He's the cutest, and bravest, and everything!"
Clara's jaw drops open in shock. A contender! "But our Iruma-chi is super cute too!" she insists, leaning forward with her hands clutched upwards in little fists. "And he's super brave! And everything else, too! He even knows how to dance and sing!" That's around the time when Clara puffs out her cheeks, all to stop herself from talking. Irumi's true identity is supposed to be super top secret! But nnnnngh, if only she could show Haru-ru all the super cute dances Iruma has done-!
Haru-ru puffs out her cheeks, too. "I've never seen Tsuna-kun dance, but I'm sure he's fantastic at it! And he can do a lot of other great things, too, and his little lion is the absolute most adorable!" A pause, and then that pout turns into a sly grin. "But you know, it's not only him who's super great... But Kyoko can't be beat when it comes to a girl friend!"
Gasp. Fingers splayed out, Clara presses her palms out along her cheeks. That's right! While Iruma is her best friend - her and Azz-Azz being his Ultra Best Friend Soulmates - there are other things to take into consideration too! Kerori, Elizabetta, and Amelia are all friends too, going by Iruma's definition! And they're girls! That Kyoko seems really fun and bright and energetic... But Clara won't let herself be beaten there, either!
There is absolutely no way that Asmodaeus plans on letting himself be beaten by anyone else. Definitely not some random demon whose rank nor name he doesn't even know!
Alright, that is something of a lie. He does know this demon's name, because he was formally introduced to him when everyone was matched up with their exchange student partners. At the time, he'd been a bit annoyed. Why did he have to babysit after some random demon, all while being separated from Iruma and even that stupid Clara? His feelings of aggravation had only grown when he'd been introduced to the punk, chewing on some foul-smelling stick and glaring at him with all the elegance of a two-bit punk.
Words might have been said. Honor might have been offended. Apparently that brat Tsuna is something impressive, even moreso than Iruma, and, well.
There might be active explosions happening now.
It's probably fine.
"So you still won't take back your filthy words, will you!?" Asmodaeus snarls as he leaps back from another string of explosions. If he were a little more honest, he'd have to admit they're impressive. As someone whose talent lies within fire, he can see the carefully calculated strength behind each one, and how the danger isn't in just the burns, but in the shrapnel and light that they emit as well. And that some of those little magical tools seems to shoot straight for him, or in strange jerking patterns...
He's never really fought against a demon that uses magical tools like this, in a way that's a little more complex than just a simple weapon. As someone from the Magical Item Batra, Asmodaeus.... can't say it's bad.
Of course, he'll say anything he wants about the rest of this Hayato Gokudera, and the feeling is quite clearly mutual. Even as Asmodaeus sends out a burst of fire towards the dark-furred demon, he rolls out of the way while using the momentum to light up more of his magic items. Even if he didn't have that cigarette clenched between his teeth, no doubt he'd be baring those fangs at Asmodaeus regardless. "Shut up, you prancing asshole! Eat what you said about the Tenth, and maybe then I'll listen to a single word you say-!"
Before Asmodaeus can rage at him more... There's a flurry of red that suddenly bursts between them, something that isn't fire or explosions. With one elegant and brutal sweep of her leg, Ameri smashes Hayato Gokudera down to the ground. Asmodaeus doesn't have much time to celebrate. Before he knows it, Ameri is whirling around, and his own fangs dig into the inside of his cheek when he hits the floor.
It's always dizzying to be on the receiving end of Ameri's disciplinary methods. It's been long enough that he'd forgotten.
As the fires around them die down, both of them dizzy as they stare up at the towering demon before them, Ameri sends down her sharpest glare. "If you're going to run riot, do it quietly, or do it in the appropriate place!"
So all their friends are running riot in Babyls, and, honestly, Iruma isn't sure if either he or Tsuna can really stop them. He's not even entirely sure if they should stop them.
"I mean, well..." Jeez, how to explain this? Iruma scratches his cheek, even as he glances over at Tsuna from the corner of his eye. Tsuna looks like how he feels sometimes, eating his bento with an absolutely exhausted and deadpan expression to his eyes. That was a lot more common when he first started attending Babyls, and everything just seemed so much. Still, if he can maybe reassure Tsuna a little bit, it'll help a lot. "It's just that everyone in my class has a lot of energy, so I don't think they always get to have so much fun with school assignments. Mostly because it's, well, you know." School assignments. "So having people to mess with or talk to is pretty rare like this. Usually it's just us, together."
And that's fine in its own way, of course. Everyone in the Misfits class is incredible, and they're all super fun in their own ways, too.
Kerori is full of energy and passion, her true self shining like nothing else when she is up on stage. Lied is super fun to be with, knowing all sorts of games while feeling like a real reliable little brother, too. Elizabetta's friendliness and amiable personality are the real things that make her so beautiful, and Sabro really might one day make an incredibly cool Demon King with his passion that's channeled itself towards more than just fighting. Kamui has all sorts of fun gossip.
And then there's Purson, whose music is enough to lift up anyone who hears it into an entirely different world. Jazz is an excellent big brother, with clever fingers that match his clever brain, plus Allocer, whose smooth confidence and knowledge is unparalleled. Even though Agares is stand-offish when it comes to anything that isn't sleeping, he's still really determined and clever, and Iruma thinks he's actually a really good listener. In every ways that Agares is stand-offish, Garp is a breath of fresh and cheery air, and he makes Iruma feels relaxed.
And then, of course... Where would he ever be, if he didn't have the good fortune to meet his soulmates, Asmodaeus and Clara, at just the right time in just the right places?
"I always wanted everyone to realize what great demons they are," Iruma laughs, heaping up his own spoonful of food as high as it can possibly go. As a celebration for getting to meet some more humans for the first time in a while, Opera really made him a huge lunch to help supplement what he'd get from the school cafeteria. "And these days, most people think they're great! But they just think they're so great that they're unapproachable, you know?"
So to have someone that Clara can bond with while making costumes, or that Lied can watch over while playing video games, and someone with enough energy to match up against Sabro...
Taking in a particular hot piece of chicken, Tsuna tucks it into his cheek and puffs out some air to help cool it. "If I'm really honest, I've always felt separate from a lot of stuff... So I honestly wouldn't mind if everyone else just stayed close with me forever." He makes a face, in a way that clearly has nothing to do with the chicken he ate. "I guess that makes me pretty greedy..."
Greed... That's right. While he'd never really absorbed such message properly, with his reckless and every-hungry parents, Iruma can remember other people lightly scolding or joking about being too greedy. What a difference from here in the Demon World... In some ways, what a pity, although Iruma can't help but think of the difference between his parents and someone like his grandfather, Sullivan. Well, regardless.
Iruma knows what's made him happy, and he grins over to Tsuna.
"I don't think being greedy is a bad thing."
Tsuna also can't say he's really surprised, either - at least not at the kind of answer it is, even if he never would have said that specific one.
"Oh," he says, kind of in a daze as he just stares up at a sky where there is more than one moon hanging. A part of Tsuna wants to just lay on the ground and scream, because what does that mean?! The Demon World!? That's just the work of fiction, that's not a thing in real life!
...Except he would have said that about being forcibly drafted into being a mafia don, too, once upon a time. Or magic powers born from one's life force that takes the form of specific flames. Or time traveling. Or ghosts from long dead illusionists with a grudge to pick. And that's just the noticeable stuff. If Tsuna started counting on his fingers and toes for every weird thing in his life, he'd quickly run out of both.
So sure. Sure! They're in the demon world, because of a weird thing they of course once again got wrapped up in! Great! All Tsuna can do is sink his face into his hands, a gesture that one Shoichi Irie is mimicking not too far off. When Tsuna looks up again, he counts the eleven other people that are here with him as well.
Well. Ten. Almost immediately, he can tell that Mukuro has vanished off to go do whatever weird nonsense Mukuro is wont to do. That leaves just... Tired, and feeling like the eternal babysitter he's pretty sure he really is (mafia don who), Tsuna counts up everyone. There's Gokudera, of course, practically vibrating all over as he looks at this place with stars in his eyes, and Yamamoto who is laughing things off in that way too easy manner of his. Lambo is picking at his nose, unconcerned with everything besides whenever his stomach grumbles. There's Kyoko and Haru, their heads bowed together as they discuss something quite seriously, and Ryohei of course quite nearby. Chrome observes everything with that distant expression of hers, including Dino patiently doing God's Work as he convinces Hibari to not go tearing off to wherever.
So, you know, with the exception of a couple of civilians that Tsuna feels really guilty about, all of the usual suspects.
Tsuna sinks his face back into his hands. "What are we supposed to do now?" he groans. "Are we going to get eaten?"
"Well, a demon would eat you if they knew you were human," Reborn says casually as he hops a couple of boulders to get a good view of wherever they are. Around them, all Tsuna can tell is a.... surprisingly simple clearing, with trees that don't look at all murderous. You know, unlike their apparent demon residents. Tsuna isn't sure if that is just good luck on their part, however. "It's fine. I know a guy."
Reborn knows a guy. In the Demon World.
Tsuna, for not the first time, gives up on understanding how Reborn knows or does anything. Instead, all he does is push himself up onto his feet, and begin the arduous task of herding all of his friends together so that they can get going. Ideally before someone tries to eat them.
The guy that Reborn knows is an apparently very important and powerful demon named "Lord Sullivan". Reborn, already with a pair of Leon-horns and wings, just greats him with a casual, "Ciao, Sully."
"Ciao, Reborn~!" says the dapper looking old man with a very bald head and very noticeable horns. That's not the only thing noticeable about him either, and Tsuna is left gaping a little bit as Lord Sullivan steps further into the large dining room area. Maybe it's just because he's Japanese, but that this Lord Sullivan is so tall is incredible... And the ink-black tail that flows behind him is something else as well. "Ha ha, I see you have gotten yourself into trouble once more~. And you seem to have brought even more people with you into it!"
If the majority of them weren't sitting down at the table - with the exception of Hibari, having found his own perch far away from the crowded dining table - Tsuna suspects that Reborn would do one of his light and ""fond"" kicks. "This is my student, Tsuna Sawada, and a few others, including a former student of mine." Down the table, managing to look way more relaxed than Tsuna feels, Dino waggles his fingers in greeting. "We're going to need somewhere to stay while we get our return sorted out."
Lord Sullivan laughs, sweeping down into his chair his feline-like butler pulls out for him. "You know, Henri is still in charge of the border patrols between our two worlds. I'm sure he could help you out, if you simply went to him."
"That sounds like a great idea," Tsuna says, relieved that all of this could be solved so quickly.
So of course Reborn has to shoot down his hopes and dreams with a simple nudge up of his hat. "The problem with that is that they'd erase everyone's memories of this place," he says, which Tsuna doesn't exactly find a problem with. "And I'd rather use this all as a fine learning experience for them."
Of course. The face Tsuna makes is probably obvious, all distaste and exhaustion and incredulousness. With Reborn, it all comes down to "learning experiences".... And sometimes, Tsuna is pretty sure he's just making up things to torment him with using "learning experience" as a handy excuse. Tsuna didn't think that such a simple two words could be used in so versatile a way, but Reborn is the kind of guy who is an overachiever, or something.
Lord Sullivan just nods wisely, like this makes all the sense in the world. Maybe it does, to a demon. "I see... So you finally took my advice, and really did become a teacher. Well, if it's in the name of education, then I cannot fault you for wanting a little more freedom. I'll have Opera prepare some rooms for all of you, since we're certainly not lacking in them." Behind him, the feline-like butler gives a simple nod of their head. "Still, in exchange..." And Lord Sullivan tilts his head just enough for the light's reflection to clear from his eyes, showing a warm but cunning gaze. "Since we are talking on the subject of education, could I have you and your companions there help me with something at my own school?"
"You own a school!?" Tsuna blurts out at the same as Gokudera, and Shoichi too.
"Of course he does." Reborn looks back at them, with that very particular expression of his where he's saying something like it's the most matter of fact thing in the world, and yet taking complete pleasure in how he knows everyone else is caught off guard. "While he might be a demon lord, he's the principal of one of the Demon World's finest schools, you know."
Of course. The stupidly tall old man with the horns also runs a school in the demon world. Is that in the bible? Tsuna kind of wishes he'd actually read it more. It's just, yeah he knows that he should probably understand more about Catholicism than whatever is shown on Evangelion, since Italy is all about that, but it's just that, like many things to do with moving to Italy and becoming a mafia don at some point in his future, he's sort of been putting it off.
Tsuna resolves to figure out how many bibles there are in existence - he thinks there's, like, at least three? - and read one of them.
That's a thing for future-Tsuna. For now, he looks back to the old man who is apparently a demon, and also apparently a principal. Lord (Principal??) Sullivan puffs up, quite pleased. Surprisingly, it's not about his position. "And you know, Reborn, since the last time you've seen me, I've gotten just the most darling little grandson!" From out of nowhere, he whips out a book that looks thicker than the dictionary, and slams it down on the table to start flipping through the pages. "Look! His name is Iruma, isn't he just the most devi-kyuuuuuutest!?"
Reborn leans over to take a look. Tsuna, well, he can't help it, he leans over to take a look... right as there's the sound of a door opening further in the mansion, and a voice calls out, "Grampa, Opera-san, I'm back home!"
And that's how Tsuna meets one Iruma, a completely normal human living in the Demon World because one old dude decided he REALLY needed to be a parent.
So what Sullivan wants them to do, it turns out, is just spend some time at his school with his grandson's class, helping them out in various little assignments, or even being a part of those assignments. And, of course, spending time with his precious grandson, who might be a little happy to see some fellow humans after so long.
It's not exactly a hard thing to do, in all honesty. Iruma is easily flustered, polite, and the kind of person who seems to draw the spotlight to him even when he's really not trying. Tsuna sees something similar to himself in Iruma, and he's fairly certain Shoichi and Enma do, too. The others, maybe not as much, especially since Hibari apparently runs off to go spar up against the Sullivan butler... But that doesn't stop people like Gokudera from hounding Iruma about all the different things in the Demon World, or Haru and Kyoko from excitedly talking to him about some sort of... Idol trophy???
Needless to say, it's a really busy night... And it only gets busier when Reborn comes back from his private conversation with Principal Sullivan. "So have you all thought about what kind of demon you'll be when you go to attend the school of Babyls tomorrow?"
Oh yeah. Because that's still a thing, apparently.
Mukuro would never have helped them with this kind of thing in the first place, so the person they'll all be relying on now is... Tsuna looks over to Chrome. "Have you thought about how you'll look yourself, Chrome... Ah." He doesn't even have to finish that question, because Chrome has definitely already chosen her very simple look. Following Sullivan's example, she's just given herself a pair of simple black horns that slightly follow the curve of her skull, and are straight besides that. It's nothing flashy, just simple and unassuming. Much like Chrome herself, he guesses.
Well, that's the dream, he supposes. If only he could be so simple and unassuming all of the time. Although he guesses if that's how it is... "Can you do something simple and not flashy at all for me, too, Chrome?" he asks, pointing at himself and ignoring the usual blustering from Gokudera about how everyone deserves to know about his majesty and whatever. Tsuna appreciates the, uh, thought and care, but it's just not for him.
Chrome just nods, a quiet affirmation leaving her lips, and Tsuna can feel the gentle chill of her flames washing over him. While Tsuna doesn't always understand why the flames were all given the names they were, he has to at least admit that 'mist' is spot on for illusionists. That's exactly what it feels like as it rolls over him, concentrating around his head.
He figured he'd get horns like hers: simple, no nonsense, just enough to get him through this weird stay. Instead, when Haru squeals and Kyoko smacks her hands together delightedly, he suspects he's been given something entirely different... and a quick look in the mirror proves him right.
"Rabbit ears?" he asks, exasperated just a little bit. Does that count? Isn't this just someone's fetish?
Chrome just tilts her head to the side, blinking. "It's not noticeable," she says, and, ugh, maybe she's right?
At least Yamamoto and Dino's relaxed laughter shows someone is having a good time. In the meanwhile, Kyoko steps forward with her brother's hand in her own as she tugs him along. "Chrome-chan! That looks so fun, match up me and my brother, too!"
And so that's how it goes on, with Chrome mostly being left to have her own fun free reign making up appearances for everyone. Kyoko, of course, looks the cutest with a pair of white horns that curl forward like a ram's right from her temple, with a pair of pointed ears right underneath them and adorable little fangs. While hers are tightly wound, her brother's have an arch that goes on a bit longer as they go back, and then curl underneath two pairs of ears - pointed ears that match Kyoko's, and then, right above those, furry and pointed ears like a fox or something that match the color of his natural hair. Adding to that, his eyes are made all black, save for now-white pupils that stand out shockingly. He seems happy enough with them, at any rate.
Yamamoto seems as though he could be good with anything, but it isn't horns that Chrome focuses on for him. Instead, what unfurls when he rolls his shoulders would be a pair of brilliant green wings that remind Tsuna of some sort of insect. It seems more delicate than what he'd associate with the rambunctious and active Yamamoto... but he seems to like it enough, laughing as he practices spreading them out while Chrome's illusions still lay over him.
Unlike Tsuna, Dino seems to get exactly what he wants with a pair of short and simple white horns that peek out from that hair of his. Shoichi manages to get similar, although... With dark horns that curve out and then around to point down, Tsuna can't help but think of some sort of evil overlord from a fantasy game. Just... the most tired and overworked demon overlord ever.
....That might actually fit Shoichi really well, now that Tsuna thinks about it, or at least one future version of himself that Tsuna got to meet.
Enma also decides that he doesn't really care of what he gets; maybe he senses that it's honestly all up to whatever Chrome wants to do anyway. For that reason, his normal human ears end up replaced with a pair of long black-and-white spotted ears that remind Tsuna of a cow, and tiny white demon wings that poke out from his back. It's an unusual choice, much like Yamamoto's was... but, of course, Chrome offers no answer when she's questioned about it.
With Hibari being AWOL, there's no telling what he'll look like until maybe the day of, assuming that they can convince him to even show his face or go along with this whole facade... So there's only two people left: Haru and Gokudera.
It's probably a good thing that the two of them were left for lass, both of them fidgeting until the very last second. When it's clear that everyone else has finished choosing their disguise, they both practically lunge forward in an attempt to beat the other. Haru is the winner in the end, with her hands just a little quicker on the draw to shove Gokudera's face ruthlessly out of the way. "Chrome-chan!" she gushes, clenching her fists in front of her eagerly while Gokudera recovers from the winning blow. "I have a really specific idea in mind for myself! I think dark brown horns curving up like a steer's horns would look really nice and elegant! But! I was also thinking of a pair of fins that replace my ears - if you could transition them from my normal skin color to a light green, that would be great! Oh, oh, and maybe some scales scattered around, to match the fins?" She starts to gesture, fingers flicking back behind her ears. "And maybe, behind the fins, some sort of feathered extension as well...? It can be just white, that's fine!"
That.... is quite a specific feature to ask for. Otherwise, Tsuna would have thought she was asking to be a mermaid - a kind of tail befitting one which extends from the base of Haru's spine, courtesy of Chrome. Well, at least Haru seems happy, with how she bounces around to admire herself.
Gokudera is obviously a little less pleased as he sends some sort of thuggish glare over at her, clearly displeased with having been beaten to the punch. Fortunately, he doesn't let himself dwell on it for long. Instead, with stars practically sparkling in his eyes, he whirls on Chrome next. It's a good thing she's been with them all long enough, and been tempered by whatever nonsense the Kokuyo gang gets up to, that she doesn't even flinch or blink.
"Chrome! You've got to make my skin pitch black as night, to start with, alright? That's the most important part! But I want a few tiny patches across my cheekbones, like freckles or spots, that are pure white in contrast. If I could have a single black horn spiraling out from my forehead, that would be the most ideal, and.... Of course, I have to match the Tenth! So.... Give me a pair of ears, just like his! Then, as the finishing touches... A pair of fangs that curve from my upper set downwards, like a pair of oni fangs!"
And, well. It's Chrome. Of course she doesn't disappoint.
That only leaves Lambo, of course, but, well... With his little cow onesie, and the horns he never stops wearing, well... Can anyone say he looks like anything less than a tiny little mischief making demon on his own?
Kalego never looks particularly happy when he's teaching their class, unless he's doing something with the express purpose of tormenting them, but he looks a little more annoyed than usual when they all step into Royal One that morning. "Take a seat," he says to them promptly. "Your lessons for today are going to be different than usual. We have guests from another school here to observe and take part in your studies."
Sure enough, there is a small group that's situated not too far away from the blackboard, a group that is almost exactly the same number as all of them. It's Asmodaeus who is the first to puff up about it, and he looks over to Iruma. "Of course, they must have come over to see Iruma-sama's majesty! Anyone wanting to be a true demon would."
"You know, there are the rest of us too, Azz-Azz," Lied points out, not pouting while definitely kind of pouting. It's clear what's got him so annoyed as he points to himself. "I'm one of the young kings, so it wouldn't be too out of place for me to be showed off too!"
"I've told you all to not call me by that name-"
"You know, with how our resident big sis was the star of the show not that long ago, it wouldn't be unusual if they wanted to come here because of her..."
"Ara~. But then Purson was a star right alongside me~."
"Hrk-! Elizabetta, is that kind of person your type!?"
So. As often happens. Kalego has to intervene and force calm and quiet since they're all often incapable of it. After a couple of people have been strung upside down, and the rest of them have finally retreated to their seats, their teacher takes his position at the front of the class with a huff and a scowl. "Honestly, this is how you're going to act when we get visitors... You have the name of this class to live up to, Misfits. It's not only the students who are here, after all, but their teacher."
Unsaid: So if you make me look like a poor teacher in return, I'm going to make the remainder of your school year a living hell.
In contrast, the visiting teacher looks quite respectable and relaxed in comparison to that ultra-strict Kalego. He's about the size of Camui, wearing a dapper suit so that his bright green tail can swish about easily. With pitch black eyes that go straight through people, he must be quite a person if his presence matters to Kalego.
"They're guests of that meddlesome principal, after all."
Or, you know, it's all the Principal's fault, as per usual.
Of course, in all matters related to the principal, there's one person they have to look at, and so all their heads turn towards their infamous Iruma. All he does is give an embarrassed little laugh, scratching one cheek. "Ah, that's right... Everyone was so excited this morning, that I didn't have the chance to squeeze it in. But, um... They're definitely guests of my grampa! They've even been staying at our place."
Jazz lets loose a low whistle from between his teeth. "Oooh~. Then they really must be something special... Hey, hey, calm down, you two..."
That, of course, is directed towards Asmodaeus and Clara, who are both glaring over at the new group of visiting students with some pouty glares of their own. Well, with Clara, it's the kind of thing that could be called a pout. For Asmodaeus, it's no surprise that he's practically boiling over with jealousy. All it takes is a few pats from Iruma, fortunately, for them to settle down. Team Iruma really is quite something...
After that, Kalego manages to get things explained in fairly quick time, as expected of a Babyls' teacher. He explains that they'll be tagging along on their studies, and that they'll all be partnered up with a different exchange student. It's up to them, he explains, to show them what it truly means to be demons of their standing.
Lied decides this means playing video games, obviously.
"You can't let Teacher Kalego know we're doing this, but it's obviously the best way to go about things~," Lied fills in his exchange student, leaning in with a finger to his widely grinning lips. "You can learn all sorts of things from video games! In fact, it's actually how I've done really well on a couple of assignments!"
He thought that would liven up his partner a little bit... But jeez, what a really morose guy. He just stares at him with those droopy eyes of his, which match his equally droopy white and black ears. Then again, maybe Lied should have expected this sort of response from someone who radiated an aura of droopiness... He can't tell if he's reminded of Iruma at the start of his year, or Agares, who just wanted to hide away and sleep away all obstacles.
Right as Lied is starting to wonder if this is one of those mute demons, the other student - Enma - finally gives a slight shake of his head. "I'm... no good at video games. I'm not sure if it would exactly be fun for you to watch me fail a bunch..."
Yeesh! Laughing, Lied smacks his hand a few times against this Enma kid's back. "Wow! You could definitely get a bunch of tips from confidence from the rest of us! No wonder your school sent you over here to learn." Grinning, he raises up one finger with a wink. "Don't worry, I even taught that fussy and stubborn Azz-Azz how to be great at video games! Besides, as long as you're having fun, it's not bad to play games while sucking at them!" Leaning in close, he nudges Enma's sides a couple of times. "Of course, you'll want to aim for victory one day~."
Enma blinks at him, in a completely inscrutable way, but he agrees to playing a few games inbetween classes - and sometimes during them, when teachers aren't looking and Lied can steal some of their senses away.
In all honesty, he's not actually that bad at video games. He's pretty average. Nothing great like Lied and Iruma are, of course, but he's at least better than Asmodaeus is... Although is that a particularly high bar to clear or not? The jury is out on that. What's a lot more relevant to Lied is that he has a new gaming buddy... And when he grins a little bit, those droopy ears of his twitching upwards, he's not that bad to be with.
"Tsuna's been my only friend for a while now, outside of my family," Enma says at some point, and, oh right, that's the guy with Iruma, right? "And my family doesn't have a lot right now.... This is pretty nice, Lied-kun."
Jeeeez, if he's going to say something like that, what else can Lied do but take him under his wing and ruffle his hair? It'd be better if he was a cute girl, but Lied doesn't mind this, either, exactly.
"Aren't you lucky, Kyoko!" Elizabetta gushes, taking her exchange student's hands in hers as the two of them hop in place. Due to how much taller Elizabetta is compared to the other demon, she can't exactly hop very high, but it's fine, it's fine! The intent is what matters. "Miss Raim was really impressed with you! I haven't had someone else who's ranked around me in a while~."
Kyoko smiles back and, wow, she really does have the cutest smile! Elizabetta never quite understood what it meant to be so impressed with another girl before, although that will soon change, but now she understands what her teacher Raim meant when she gushed about her and Clara making her heart skip. "Thanks, Elizabetta! This is the first time that I was ever ranked for my appeal like that, but it was a lot more simple than I thought it would be! I'm glad I followed your advice to go and see her during our break, Elizabetta."
So she's never taken a class in seduction before? Elizabetta raises a hand to her mouth. "Oh my! So you're a pure natural at being so charming... Well, I was too, you know." She grins, fingers pressing along her cheek delicately. "But fresh foods are made all the better in a skilled chef's hand~. Or at least that's what my father used to tell me. So you should definitely take one of my classes along with me!"
It just makes sense to her, after all. If she has to watch over and take along an exchange student, isn't going to her classes just one of those things? It's two demon birds in one stone!
Kyoko considers it for a moment, her hand curled underneath her chin, before she smiles. "You know... It actually sounds a little interesting! It can't hurt to try it, right?"
"That's the spirit!" Elizabetta gushes, before she leans forward, her hands pressed together where they are against her legs. This squishes her boobs together a little, but, well, that's just something that can't be helped with how her body is made. "You know, I was a little bit worried, because we're starting some of our curriculum on charming girls next, and I didn't have a partner for that yet... You'll really be helping me out, Kyoko!"
Her new partner seems a bit dazed a moment, no doubt from how Elizabetta had to lean over to lessen the height distance between them, but soon enough her eyes snap back up to her. "Eh?" she says with a squeak, face going flushed. "Charming girls?"
"And that," Kamui finally says, gesturing towards the blackboard he's opted to use for his impromptu lesson, "is how you successfully charm girls!"
Lambo, the small demon child that was left in his care "because you guys are around the same height, right", just blinks up at him looking utterly bored with everything. "Are we done yet?" he asks, sniffling hard to yank up a bit of snot that was dribbling out of his nose. "This is sooooo boring! I thought this would be so much more exciting, because it's a big BOOM! BAM! demon school, but this is more boring than when Tsuna-nii tries to make me pay attention on trips!"
Tsuna-nii... That guy with the messy hair who reminds Kamui distantly of their own patient and trouble-attracting Iruma. Really, if he has the patience to deal with a little kid like this, Kamui has to admit the similarities are striking enough to knock someone dead. Why is a kid like this even attending the school? More importantly...
"Aaaah, why must I have been partnered with such a little kid like yourself," Kamui sighs dramatically, wiping at one eye. "Jazz really would have been the best person here for this instead. And then, I could have potentially have been partnered up with those pair of lovely ladies who were a part of your class... Or maybe even the mysterious third! And yet, here I am, left to babysit a child..."
All he gets for his woes is a big fat raspberry blown at him. "Well, if you're going to keep being boring and thinking about dumb stuff, I'm going to just go find Kyoko and Haru-nee, and have a bath together! They're a lot more fun to play with too!"
...Did that kid just say what he think he said?
Did he just see what he think he saw?
Purson would normally be pretty confident in his assessment of the things he's seen. As someone who has, for the vast majority of his life, never been allowed to be a participant and instead just a bystander, well, watching has really all he's had. And it's been all pretty funny, too, if he's honest. Certainly he's had plenty of things to watch that occupy his time well enough, and that was even before he became a part of the Misfits class. Now, with them - now, as a part of everything that they're doing instead of just some strange outside observer - well.
It's better, is what he guesses he'll say.
Like, even that stingy and too strict Kalego made sure he partnered this time, but he honestly did Purson a favor - at least, that's what he thought at first, since his exchange student partner was one of the cute girls that came as a part of the group. She wasn't anything flashy with simple horns and a tail, but there's something nice about that too, you know? And her skull eyepatch was actually pretty stylish, so he could be into that too.
The only problem is that she's sort of gone missing. And that would be a little worrying on its own, because Kalego would give him a million years of homework to make up for it, and who knows what that visiting teacher is up to, except the difference in how he saw her just vanish into nothing.
Honestly, it kind of reminds him of how he's seen his mother disappear, when he's been able to see her do it, instead of her just popping in and out of nowhere. Probably it's how everyone in his clan disappears, including himself, but he's never had a chance to see his father or his brother do it, and he hardly looks in mirrors when he himself does it. He thought that there was no one else in his clan who was as good as hiding as some of them... Is she some sort of distant relative? That would sure be a surprise, to have someone that cute in his clan, but maybe it's something else, and he's sure that his father would have heard of her if that was possible, and, anyway.
Anyway. She's missing. And so Purson has to find her, because he doesn't want to give Kalego more of an excuse to torment him with extra homework.
But it's surprisingly difficult... And while he doesn't hear any snickering, or laughter, like he would give, he could swear that he occasionally hears the brief note of a hummed song. Is she messing with him? Something about that... stirs up something in his heart. Something exciting. Well, he is a part of the Misfits class. What else can he do but rise to the challenge?
"Oh, so you also like a challenge," Allocer says approvingly, rubbing his fingers along the lower jaw of his muzzle. Normally, he has his mouth covered, but it aches a little bit, and, anyway, he really should clean it now and then. It's nice to be able to move his teeth around like this, too, and he thinks it makes his new friend, Shoichi the exchange student, feel a little more comfortable too.
It wasn't easy to tell, at first, of course. The poor guy practically had shriveled up with a stomach ache that kept him on the floor for a while, and he looked like he was going to only get worse with every class that they went to.
But it's a lot better now, with the two of them leaning their heads together during their free study, pouring over only the latest book on magic theory. It's quite the complex thing, honestly, and Allocer had honestly sort of given up on going over it with most of his classmates. Some of them are pretty smart in their own way - Sabro and Asmodaeus aren't a surprise to anyone - but no one is quite smart in the way he's looking for. Even Jazz, his partner in crime (literally, probably, he suspects, with what their ""dear"" teacher does daily) isn't really smart, but more cunning.
So to have someone with him, a fellow student instead of a teacher who has their own duties to go over... It's nice. Nicer than he would have expected.
Of course, it'd be great to spend his time with a pretty girl, like that one he's been trying to figure out through texts, but he has to say, Shoichi is pretty good company all on his own in more ways than one.
There's a brightness to his eyes as he goes over the different formulas and theories in front of him, glasses having slid down to the bridge of his nose. "Well, I am aiming to be an engineer... These kinds of things are kind of right up my alley in a way. If anything, they're really similar to... Hmm..." He starts to mumble to himself, words that Allocer can't quite hear, and maybe even in a different language. It's sounds a little similar to old demonic languages, actually...
Before Allocer can really think too much more on that, decipher this little mystery all out, Shoichi suddenly gives a sharp shake of his head and makes that anxious and exasperated expression like he's just swallowed a trick candy that he should have known would be a trick.
"Ugh, wait, wait, wait." He shakes his head, raking his fingers up into that warmly colored hair of his, narrowly managing to avoid smacking into his own horns. "I just know that if I get wrapped up in researching this kind of thing, it'll bring nothing but so much trouble! I've got to be responsible here!"
During times like this... Allocer poses his hand underneath his jaw, thumb up and pointer finger, well, pointed. "Isn't it the duty of students to get into lots of trouble for the point of fun?"
"When you talk like that, you remind me of a guy I know! Not in a good way!"
Ugh. Agares' partner is starting to remind him of a guy he knows, and not in a good way.
Honestly, if it were up to him, he wouldn't be doing this kind of exchange student partner thing in the first place. Just coming to school and staying the bare minimum of awake is enough for him. This isn't even one of his preferred activities, where he's working along with the rest of the Misfits - at least they make waking up worth it. But this guy...
At his command, another surge of earth bursts up to shield him from another attack of his apparent partner - some guy called Kyoya Hibari? Apparently, he had to be really coaxed into attending this whole school trip. Ugh... One of those beast-type demons, in more ways than one, as his multiple tails swish out behind him as he surveys the latest shield between him and Agares. With those spiraling horns sticking out from his hair in a nice elegant pair, he's the kind of guy who probably gets bugged as much as Agares does.
Or maybe he doesn't, considering how freakin' rowdy he is, making another go at Agares with a pair of tonfa. With his familiar tugging him out of the way, Agares lets out a frustrated groan. "Aaaaaaah, I just want to sleep! Why do you have to be such a nuisance!? At this rate, my nap spot will crumble away!"
He's expecting to have to raise up another wall, maybe try to guide his pain in the ass partner with it if the jackass doesn't just bust through like a demon bulldozer. However, instead, there's actually a beat of silence, and Agares carefully lowers down one wall so that he can squint and glare at this Kyoya guy properly to see just what's up. What meets his gaze is a look of cool consideration, with his head tilted thoughtfully to the side. Between his horns, his deceivingly tiny and cute familiar just lets out a little peep.
Finally, Kyoya deigns to speak. "This nap spot of yours... Just what exactly is it like? This journey has been annoying to sleep through..."
"Fu fu fu... So this is where your own particular hideaway is like. And here I thought that I wouldn't get anything truly entertaining on this little detour..."
Kerori's first response, of course, is to let burst a series of ice pillars from the floor out of sheer panic, because shit shit shit she didn't mean to let anyone sneak up on her while she was taking a break and going over idol details! If there is one small blessing, it's that she at least is careful enough to never unleash her true idol charisma and charm while she's at school. The glasses always stay on, even if she might be thinking about her next song, or helping figure out the EXACT details on Irumi and Lindy's debuts.
It's just, maybe this time, she was getting a little too into it while she had Royal One all to herself while the rest of her classmates were out either attending their classes in the rest of Babyls, or chasing after their exchange partners for this whole project. Apparently there was supposed to be one more student with the visiting class, but even the teacher hadn't seem to known (or be particularly worried about) the location of one of them.
Of course, while she'd been interested in hunting him down, she'd had some more important things on her mind, like the upcoming idol event... And she was positive that, at the end of the day, she could use her familiar to track him down for being such a pain in her rear.
As it turns out, she doesn't need to worry about that. He's shown up right in Royal One, somehow when she wasn't looking, and Kerori has to press her hand against her chess for the heart attack she's still feeling. "So you're the one that's been missing," she grumbles, tail snapping a bit behind her. Carefully, as she does with every demon she runs across, she does a quick scan of his appearance. Decent leg length on him, long dark hair that shimmers although it looks terrible in that style, and a pair of white horns that curve back with his skull only to tip upwards again at the end. Well, he wouldn't be bad looking, except for that stupid hair style of his. "And I wasn't hiding anywhere. Isn't that you?"
It's not easy to see the entirety of the guy's expression considering he has a short veil drawn across his face that is tied to his horns. But there's no denying how smug he looks. "Was I truly hiding, or were people simply not seeing, Great Idol-chan? Although I'm hardly seeing anything great about the idols that you seem to have taken under your wings..."
Kerori's heart stops for a brief moment at the realization that this guy has figured out Her Secret despite all her carefulness. It promptly restarts again, fueled by below zero rage. "What did you say-"
They're interrupted by a ball crashing through an apparently open doorway, and making direct contact with the blackboard.
"So you want to make 100 friends as your ambition?" Takeshi says, before he starts to laugh - and in a good way that's full of warmth and encouragement. Garp has heard it a couple of times in the Misfits class, especially since they've moved their classroom to Royal One, but it's always a delight to hear it from other demons as well. And Takeshi definitely has that kind of bright laugh that lifts a demon by the wings. "That sounds great, Garp! I hope you get to it!"
It's always good to have encouragement towards one's own personal ambition. Garp beams as much as he possibly can, although he's not always certain how easy it is for people outside of his family to tell. Although something about what Takeshi said... "Ah! Are you from a similar kind of place like Iruma, Takeshi?"
That's a word and concept, after all, that he'd never heard about before. At least, not until Iruma apparently shared it with Azz-Azz and Clara, who were then extremely quick to spread it amongst all of them... Although, of course, only when Azz-Azz and Clare got promoted to soulmates, while the rest of them were friends. It's a rather pleasant kind of word, to Garp. Mundane and pleasantly simple, but more satisfying than anything else. If Takeshi is from the same place, it would explain why the class came here to visit Babyls - who wouldn't want to see one of their own succeeding so splendidly?
With a pleasant breeze going through the air, Takeshi grins right back at him. "Yeah! Although maybe not the exact same place, but, roughly, yeah!" So the same area, but not the same neighborhood? Something like that. Maybe even the difference between demons who live in the forest, and those who live down in the valleys. "Speaking of friends... It seems like you would do great with baseball, Garp!"
"Baseball?" he echoes, leaning closer with clear interest. "Is that something from your homeland, then?"
"And it's a team sport!" Takeshi explains further, eyes dark and bright at the same time. Garp can recognize that kind of look, no problem. "But everyone has their own part to play that not everyone can interfere with. I actually always have a baseball right on me, so if we can find some sticks..."
A team sport, that works well with demons? Well. Garp can't stop himself. He goes full throttle into it, of course.
Sabro often used to go into life full throttle, before he ever calmed down after Iruma inspired him on what a demon king should be. He never really thought that he would meet another demon with exactly that same kind of fire in them... But this Ryohei Sasagawa sure does fit the bill. It's definitely just out of a nostalgia for how he used to be that Sabro has gotten mixed up into a simple fist fight.
It's definitely just that, and not because he got wrapped up in another person's infectious and unstoppable energy.
But it's come to a stop now, with both of them flopping down onto the ground together. It's hard, and not particularly pleasant, and yet it feels absolutely great to just lay there as Ryohei laughs boisterously. "I knew it! Great boxers can recognize each other from across the room!" He grins widely, all teeth, and his split lip has left a smear of blood along his mouth. He looks like a whole mess, which Sabro is quite pleased to say he's a part of, and he's equally pleased to say he probably looks like just as much of a mess. "That was a super awesome match, Sabro-kun!"
Sabro puffs his chest up, as much as he can while he's laying flat on his back. "Of course! That much is expected from the future Demon King! While all the other stuff is super important, you've gotta look cool in a fight if you take up the crown, right!?"
All Ryohei does is laugh. "I don't know anything about looking cool!" he says. "All I love is boxing - but that's definitely the coolest and most exhilarating sport! Nothing else, just bare fists against bare fists!" There's a pause between them, just a moment to catch his breath. "Well, of course I love my precious little sister, too!"
Right... One of the other demons in the class had shared a part of Ryohei's name. Sabro thinks of his own little sister, how elated she'd been to see him the last time he'd visited, how eager she was to come attend the same school as him. Maybe he should call her up again, just to see her. It might be nice, to just do something like that, and Sabro smiles a little. "Yeah. But the little sister of the future Demon King is cuter."
"As a big brother, I won't let those words stand!"
"You know, as something of a big brother myself, I have to say that this whole thing has been pretty interesting to see."
Deep in Jazz's gut, something sort of twitches. He can't help it, honestly. Whenever he hears the word 'big brother', something in him just reacts - whether it's that strong urge to be a big brother himself, or, twisted around that sentiment, the shitty memories of his own douchebag brother who he'd love to just shove into a lake at some point.
Honestly, he should just calm down about it. Dino clearly doesn't know anything about his own circumstances, because why would he, and it's hard to be too annoyed at the guy.
After all, he's kind of being taking care of his accident-prone ass for the past couple of hours.
"You're a big brother?" Jazz asks, unable to stop from sounding too incredulous. It's just hard to imagine, with this klutz practically tripping over air and nearly spilling a whole vat of poison right onto his head. "Are your family back home or something?" And, more importantly, are they just as disaster prone as Dino, or what?
Scruffed up from all the stupid shenanigans that Jazz has had to pull him out of, Dino taps his finger along the side of his head, a little under his temple. "Well, an adoptive one of sorts! Or maybe that's the wrong way to put it... But that scary teacher of ours, with the green wings, taught me a long time ago. Now, he's teaching Tsuna, and, well, that makes us brothers of a sort, right? Although we're not a part of the same Famiglia..."
Jazz had kind of assumed that, going by a few of the exchange students' names, that the group was somewhere similar to wherever Iruma was from before he came to live with his grandpa. But that weird term, Famiglia, what does that even mean? He's not heard of it before... Unable to stop himself, Jazz reaches over to start cleaning some dirt off of Dino's brow. It's just... so hard to ignore! What else is he supposed to do? "So you like that Tsuna that much to come along on this sort of weird field trip, huh?" he asks, as Dino obediently and befuddledly holds still.
Dino grins at him. "My little bro Tsuna is the best!"
"Our Iruma-chi is the very best!" Clara tries to clara-fy to her new super fun exchange friend, both of their hands hard at work as they hide away from all of their classes and responsibilities. It's important that Haru knows just how great Iruma is! It's a worry to Clara that these exchange students won't know how fun and loveable her Iruma-chi is in the short amount of time that they're here at Babyls. Sure, it should be obvious from the get-go, but it sounds like Haru wasn't even aware of Harvest Festivals or school music performances or even watched the Devidol Games! She doesn't know how cute Irumi is!
There are some things in the world that are just terrible tragedies, really!
Haru just rubs the back of her neck with one hand. With the other, she spreads out the fabric that's on the ground before them. Clara had been secretly nervous about being partnered with someone, if she's honest. After all, so many people thought she was secretly a bother before she was made a proper part of the Misfits class... And somehow, that old fear she thought she'd conquered had bubbled up in the corner of her stomach when this new class had been injected into the whole thing.
But Haru-ru isn't bad at all! If she was bad, then the two of them wouldn't be excitedly making new costumes together, with fun colorful fabric and glittering thread, of various monsters and cute demons! As it turns out, Haru-ru is very handy with this sort of thing. Maybe as much as Clara herself!
"Well, you know, maybe he is the best...." Pulling her hand away from her neck, Haru-ru taps her cheek with one finger and gives a wink. "But our Tsuna-kun can't be beat! He's the cutest, and bravest, and everything!"
Clara's jaw drops open in shock. A contender! "But our Iruma-chi is super cute too!" she insists, leaning forward with her hands clutched upwards in little fists. "And he's super brave! And everything else, too! He even knows how to dance and sing!" That's around the time when Clara puffs out her cheeks, all to stop herself from talking. Irumi's true identity is supposed to be super top secret! But nnnnngh, if only she could show Haru-ru all the super cute dances Iruma has done-!
Haru-ru puffs out her cheeks, too. "I've never seen Tsuna-kun dance, but I'm sure he's fantastic at it! And he can do a lot of other great things, too, and his little lion is the absolute most adorable!" A pause, and then that pout turns into a sly grin. "But you know, it's not only him who's super great... But Kyoko can't be beat when it comes to a girl friend!"
Gasp. Fingers splayed out, Clara presses her palms out along her cheeks. That's right! While Iruma is her best friend - her and Azz-Azz being his Ultra Best Friend Soulmates - there are other things to take into consideration too! Kerori, Elizabetta, and Amelia are all friends too, going by Iruma's definition! And they're girls! That Kyoko seems really fun and bright and energetic... But Clara won't let herself be beaten there, either!
There is absolutely no way that Asmodaeus plans on letting himself be beaten by anyone else. Definitely not some random demon whose rank nor name he doesn't even know!
Alright, that is something of a lie. He does know this demon's name, because he was formally introduced to him when everyone was matched up with their exchange student partners. At the time, he'd been a bit annoyed. Why did he have to babysit after some random demon, all while being separated from Iruma and even that stupid Clara? His feelings of aggravation had only grown when he'd been introduced to the punk, chewing on some foul-smelling stick and glaring at him with all the elegance of a two-bit punk.
Words might have been said. Honor might have been offended. Apparently that brat Tsuna is something impressive, even moreso than Iruma, and, well.
There might be active explosions happening now.
It's probably fine.
"So you still won't take back your filthy words, will you!?" Asmodaeus snarls as he leaps back from another string of explosions. If he were a little more honest, he'd have to admit they're impressive. As someone whose talent lies within fire, he can see the carefully calculated strength behind each one, and how the danger isn't in just the burns, but in the shrapnel and light that they emit as well. And that some of those little magical tools seems to shoot straight for him, or in strange jerking patterns...
He's never really fought against a demon that uses magical tools like this, in a way that's a little more complex than just a simple weapon. As someone from the Magical Item Batra, Asmodaeus.... can't say it's bad.
Of course, he'll say anything he wants about the rest of this Hayato Gokudera, and the feeling is quite clearly mutual. Even as Asmodaeus sends out a burst of fire towards the dark-furred demon, he rolls out of the way while using the momentum to light up more of his magic items. Even if he didn't have that cigarette clenched between his teeth, no doubt he'd be baring those fangs at Asmodaeus regardless. "Shut up, you prancing asshole! Eat what you said about the Tenth, and maybe then I'll listen to a single word you say-!"
Before Asmodaeus can rage at him more... There's a flurry of red that suddenly bursts between them, something that isn't fire or explosions. With one elegant and brutal sweep of her leg, Ameri smashes Hayato Gokudera down to the ground. Asmodaeus doesn't have much time to celebrate. Before he knows it, Ameri is whirling around, and his own fangs dig into the inside of his cheek when he hits the floor.
It's always dizzying to be on the receiving end of Ameri's disciplinary methods. It's been long enough that he'd forgotten.
As the fires around them die down, both of them dizzy as they stare up at the towering demon before them, Ameri sends down her sharpest glare. "If you're going to run riot, do it quietly, or do it in the appropriate place!"
So all their friends are running riot in Babyls, and, honestly, Iruma isn't sure if either he or Tsuna can really stop them. He's not even entirely sure if they should stop them.
"I mean, well..." Jeez, how to explain this? Iruma scratches his cheek, even as he glances over at Tsuna from the corner of his eye. Tsuna looks like how he feels sometimes, eating his bento with an absolutely exhausted and deadpan expression to his eyes. That was a lot more common when he first started attending Babyls, and everything just seemed so much. Still, if he can maybe reassure Tsuna a little bit, it'll help a lot. "It's just that everyone in my class has a lot of energy, so I don't think they always get to have so much fun with school assignments. Mostly because it's, well, you know." School assignments. "So having people to mess with or talk to is pretty rare like this. Usually it's just us, together."
And that's fine in its own way, of course. Everyone in the Misfits class is incredible, and they're all super fun in their own ways, too.
Kerori is full of energy and passion, her true self shining like nothing else when she is up on stage. Lied is super fun to be with, knowing all sorts of games while feeling like a real reliable little brother, too. Elizabetta's friendliness and amiable personality are the real things that make her so beautiful, and Sabro really might one day make an incredibly cool Demon King with his passion that's channeled itself towards more than just fighting. Kamui has all sorts of fun gossip.
And then there's Purson, whose music is enough to lift up anyone who hears it into an entirely different world. Jazz is an excellent big brother, with clever fingers that match his clever brain, plus Allocer, whose smooth confidence and knowledge is unparalleled. Even though Agares is stand-offish when it comes to anything that isn't sleeping, he's still really determined and clever, and Iruma thinks he's actually a really good listener. In every ways that Agares is stand-offish, Garp is a breath of fresh and cheery air, and he makes Iruma feels relaxed.
And then, of course... Where would he ever be, if he didn't have the good fortune to meet his soulmates, Asmodaeus and Clara, at just the right time in just the right places?
"I always wanted everyone to realize what great demons they are," Iruma laughs, heaping up his own spoonful of food as high as it can possibly go. As a celebration for getting to meet some more humans for the first time in a while, Opera really made him a huge lunch to help supplement what he'd get from the school cafeteria. "And these days, most people think they're great! But they just think they're so great that they're unapproachable, you know?"
So to have someone that Clara can bond with while making costumes, or that Lied can watch over while playing video games, and someone with enough energy to match up against Sabro...
Taking in a particular hot piece of chicken, Tsuna tucks it into his cheek and puffs out some air to help cool it. "If I'm really honest, I've always felt separate from a lot of stuff... So I honestly wouldn't mind if everyone else just stayed close with me forever." He makes a face, in a way that clearly has nothing to do with the chicken he ate. "I guess that makes me pretty greedy..."
Greed... That's right. While he'd never really absorbed such message properly, with his reckless and every-hungry parents, Iruma can remember other people lightly scolding or joking about being too greedy. What a difference from here in the Demon World... In some ways, what a pity, although Iruma can't help but think of the difference between his parents and someone like his grandfather, Sullivan. Well, regardless.
Iruma knows what's made him happy, and he grins over to Tsuna.
"I don't think being greedy is a bad thing."