After Reborn and Tsuna had left, Ryuuji thought back to what he had just done. Trying to manipulate one of the strongest characters in the series? Sure, it might have sounded good in the moment, but in hindsight, he could have been killed at the pull of the trigger.

‘Was there a better way that I could have gone through that? Definitely. Was there a safer way? Of course! . . .Then why did I put myself through that gamble?!’

Ryuuji screamed internally as he pulled on his hair. After a short ‘solo comedy skit’ in front of the shrine, Ryuuji sat back down on the wooden steps. It was too late to take back what had already happened. He even felt a slight sense of relief, euphoric almost, that he was able to make it out of that situation alive.

“At least seeing Tsuna worried a bit when he came back was somewhat comedic.” Ryuuji chuckled. “Reborn said that he would contact me within the coming week, but he would still be keeping an eye out for me. I guess all I can do is wait…”

Suddenly, Ryuuji sprung up on his feet and jumped up, knees to chest.

“Stop that, Ryuuji!” Ryuuji yelled as he slapped himself on the cheek. “You’re better than this! Nana would scold you after seeing you crying last night! Gramps… Well, Gramps would probably beat my ass, but that’s to be expected! My back is healed and I’m healthier than ever!”

*growl*

“I guess I can leave the training and hyping for after I’ve had breakfast, I suppose.”

____________________________________________________________________________

“Fuaaa! That filled me up a bit!” Ryuuji exclaimed as he took the last bite of his onigiri. While it wasn’t the best food in terms of overall nutrients, a meal packed with carbs and some protein would hold him for a while at least.

“Let’s see… From the money that Tsuyoshi-san gave me.” Ryuuji said as he was calculating the bills in his hands. “I have 3500 yen remaining from the 4000 he gave me. This is not good. I would be spending 500 yen per meal, so at this rate, I would only have enough left for about 2 days, 3 if I really push it. Nevermind just food, I need a place to stay…”

As Ryuuji contemplated his next course of action, he decided to take a stroll along the main road of Namimori Town. It was a pedestrian road that went all the way from the Namimori Train Station in the south to the beach in the north. It was a straight path that surprisingly did not have many cars passing by, but rather a long pedestrian street housing many-a shops and restaurants alike.

It was a nice experience. Being able to walk after a light meal. Sun in the sky, bright but not too glaring. A peaceful day in a peaceful town. It had been a while since Ryuuji had experienced a day such as this one. Why, he wouldn’t mind living in a town like this if it weren’t for the mission that he was currently on.

And about 15 minutes into his stroll, another opportunity appeared before him. A small wooden storefront with a plain name caught his attention, but it was what was supposedly inside that drew him closer.

‘This can’t possibly work, could it?’ Ryuuji thought to himself as the sound of synchronized yelling could faintly be heard from inside the building. Having nothing to lose, Ryuuji took his chances, slid open the door, and walked inside Namimori Dojo.

As one would expect of a Dojo, the floors were lined with a sleek wooden finish. While the interior looked timeworn, one could tell that it was being pristinely maintained, save for the slight smell of sweat in the air, but then it couldn’t be called a dojo without it. The windows of the room were opened just enough to let the sunlight and a slight breeze flow into the room. Lined up in a couple rows, 10 practitioners in gis stood in front of an older looking man that was presumably the master of the dojo.

“Kuro obi no kata!” The master shouted in a boisterous voice, unfitting for his supposed age. Subsequently, the students replied in unison with a loud “Osu!” and began going through the movements of their kata. While it was not as smooth as professionals that Ryuuji had seen in his original world, it looked as if their heart, body, and spirit were giving it their all.

Having noticed Ryuuji at the door, the master left his position at the front of the practicing students and made his way over to Ryuuji. Up close, Ryuuji could get a clearer picture of the old man. White, balding hair. A timid, yet worn, face. And a body that was matched his age, but still in shape due to the exercise.

“Can I help you with anything, young man?” The man asked Ryuuji.

Minding his manners, Ryuuji gave a bow and replied with courtesy. “Yes. My name is Nakamura Ryuuji. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I presume that you are the master of this dojo?”

“Nice manners, young man. Yes, I am Namimori Dojo’s master, Teppei-Sensei.” The man said with a calm smile on his face. “So, what brings you here? Are you looking to join?”

“Uh… Not exactly. It’s a little bit more complicated than that. Would you be available to talk after your lesson? I would hate to keep you here while you're teaching.”

“Is that so? There’s about an hour left in the class, so if you’re keen on waiting, then have a seat to the side and I’ll get to you when class is finished.” Teppei-sensei said as he directed to an open space next to the wall of the dojo. “You’re more than welcome to watch.”

As Ryuuji went and took his seat, Teppei-sensei went back to teaching his class. As it was a Saturday afternoon, there were students of all ages, from a middle school student to a salaryman. While it was obvious that this class was not meant for competitions or matches, they seemed to enjoy the class and the workout that came along with it. For the rest of the next hour, Ryuuji watched with gleaming eyes as he reminisced his training days.

As the final movement of the kata came to an end, the students lined up once again in front of their master, waiting patiently for any remarks he might have had. Sweat trickled down their faces as they rested from what seemed to be a worthwhile workout.

“Everyone did very well. That will be all for today. Get to your homes safely. Osu!”

“Osu!!!” The students yelled in unison and scattered, picking up their belongings and heading out.

“Now, then.” Teppei-sensei walked up to Ryuuji, who immediately stood up as he saw the karate teacher walk towards him. “What did you want to talk with me about, young man?”

Again, with nothing to lose, Ryuuji was upfront with his request. “This might be sudden, but due to some circumstances, I need a place to stay. Would it be possible if I could stay here? I can clean the dojo, cook, do laundry, be the receptionist, file taxes-”

“Woah now. Take it easy, boy. No one is going to steal your words if you don’t say them fast enough.” Ryuuji’s request was cut off by Teppei-sensei, putting his hand on Ryuuji’s shoulder. “I take it that you can’t tell me these conditions?”

“I’m afraid not, sir.”

“I see.” Teppei-sensei said he stroked his chin. “Look, boy, I’m sorry to say this but I don’t think I can take you in. This is just a dojo; we don’t have a space for you to stay here. You’ll have to go look somewhere else.”

Visibly distraught, Ryuuji felt the weight crashing down on him as he failed a second time. ‘Maybe I should just try the Sawada household. Reborn will probably be breathing down my neck the entire time, but I probably don’t have a choice any more.’

“I see. Thank you very much, sir. I’ll take my leave now.” Ryuuji said as he bowed his head and was getting ready to leave. Just then, Teppei-sensei suddenly exclaimed.

“Ah! Boy!”

“Yes?”

“It would be difficult for you to stay here, but I think I know someone that might be able to help you out. Would you be interested?”

As cheesy as it may sound, Ryuuji’s frown turned up-side-down. “Please! I would be very grateful if you did.”

“Calm down, boy. Let me put on my shoes and I’ll take you there.” Teppei-sensei did just that. After putting on his sandals, he stepped outside and beckoned Ryuuji to follow up. Surprise, however, what Ryuuji expected to be a reasonable length walk turned out to be not even 20 steps away. Rather, it was right next door!

[Arashiyama Stable]

“A good friend of mine runs this stable. Maybe he’ll be willing to take you in.” Teppei-sensei said as he casually slid the door open and walked in.

“NOKOTTA!!!”

“URYAAAHHH!!”

“FFUUMMMM!!”

*BOOM!*

Collisions of giant bodies in every corner of the room. Dust flew up as one rikishi was slammed into the ground, only for him to get back up and do it again. On the other side of the room, another rikishi was repeatedly slapping a teppo. Although, rather than slapping, it looked more like a barrage of palm strikes. Next to him was another rikishi at the teppo. However, instead of slapping, he rushed head first into the pole; his buchikamashi made a loud thud that could be heard even amongst the surrounding chaos.

“Teppei-chan! What are you doing here?”

From the back, a man in a sweatsuit and sunglasses yelled out to his guests at the front door. While he was indeed much smaller than the active rikishi at the stable, he seemed to still have considerable meat on his bones. As soon as he called out to Teppei-sensei, the stable came to a halt, all wrestlers stopped in their tracks, turning towards the karate teacher, and greeted him with a synchronized “Good afternoon, Teppei-sensei!”. Although, immediately after, they hurried back to their training.

“Mon-chan, it’s been a while since I’ve been here. How are the new spouts this year?” Teppei-sensei grinned as he greeted his friend.

"Could be better! But I'll whip them into shape eventually." The sweatsuited man heartily laughed.

"So, who's the boy next to you?" He said, passing a glance at Ryuuji.

As if giving him a sign of confirmation, Teppei-sensei nodded his head at Ryuuji, as if he was letting him speak his mind.

“Stable master, my name is Nakamura Ryuuji, and due to some reasons that I can not go into detail, I would like to request that you allow me to stay at this stable. I can help cook, clean and any other tasks that you might have for me.” Ryuuji said as he bowed, eyes closed, afraid of what he would have to do if he was once again rejected.

“Ok. You’ll have to share a room with the other wrestlers. If you have any belongings, go put them into the second room to the right back there.” The stable master said without batting an eye, causing Ryuuji to question if he heard him correctly.

“Y-yes?”

“You heard me, boy. Or do you need me to show you the way?”

“No, but I’m just surprised. Why did you accept me so easily?” Ryuuji asked whilst trying to conceal his joy.

“Listen, boy. I was born in Mongolia, and let me tell you, it wasn’t as good as you would think. But then, the former yokozuna, Yamatokuni, gave me a chance and took me to Japan. He saved me and brought me to where I am today. He turned this humble Monkhbat Ganbold into the sekiwake rikishi, Asahiyama. So, why shouldn’t I give you a chance if you’re in need of help?” Stable master Monkhbat laughed as he told his short story. “Now, get going. You look tired.”

“Thank you very much!” Ryuuji exclaimed with sincerity in his voice as he bowed, turning to Teppei-sensei, bowing once again. “Teppei-sensei, thank you very much for bringing me here.”

“Don’t mind it, boy.” Teppei-sensei replied. “I’m only doing what seems right.”

“Now then, we have guests today! We’re having chanko nabe boys!” Stable master Monkhbat shouted.

“Yes!”

“Wooh!”

“Chanko nabe!”

The rikishi exclaimed their joy for the feast they were about to have, almost have if a bunch of starving animals finally caught their long-awaited prey.”

“... Don’t we have chanko nabe everyday?” A small voice said jokingly amongst the crowd and commotion.