The bullet struck my forehead.
The pain was instantaneous.
Blinding.
As though flesh had been torn apart and my skull pierced clean through.
Then came nothingness.
A single breath ripped from my lungs.
The fall.
Brutal.
Irreversible.
I died.
For the span of a heartbeat, everything disappeared.
No bedroom.
No house.
Nothing.
Only darkness.
And one thought burned itself into my mind like a brand seared into flesh.
I refuse to be humiliated by those idiots at Namimori ever again.
I’m going to crush them.
The next instant, my eyes flew open.
I was breathing again.
But something had changed.
Every breath scorched my lungs like molten lava.
My body trembled—not with fear, but with pure, unfiltered rage.
I could feel a new energy coursing through my veins, crackling all the way to my fingertips.
Reborn sat calmly on my desk, observing the scene as casually as if he were reading the morning newspaper.
“Well,” he said evenly, “you survived.”
I stared back at him, panting, my eyes burning with determination.
“This isn’t survival.”
I slowly stood up.
“It’s an awakening.”
My hands clenched the bedsheets so tightly my knuckles turned white.
One thought became crystal clear.
If I was in this world, I had no intention of letting people walk all over me the way they had Tsuna.
I’d already spent twenty-five years enduring humiliation, disappointment, and pain in my previous life.
I wasn’t about to relive it all.
And there was one obvious battlefield.
Namimori Middle School.
The students who mocked Tsuna every day.
The humiliating nicknames.
The laughter.
The beatings.
The teachers who looked the other way—or worse, joined in.
The principal who did absolutely nothing.
This wasn’t bullying.
It was institutional abuse.
And I was going to put an end to it.
I shot to my feet, my movements amplified by the lingering effects of the Dying Will Bullet.
Reborn followed me with curious eyes.
“Where are you going?”
I didn’t answer immediately.
I slipped on my shoes, grabbed my school bag, and headed for the front door.
“To the police.”
He blinked.
Then an amused grin spread across his face.
“The police? That’s certainly original. Most people affected by the Dying Will Bullet want to run around, scream, or accomplish some personal goal.”
He tilted his head.
“You want to file a complaint?”
I turned toward him, my Dying Will Flame blazing in my eyes.
“Yes.”
“For bullying, intimidation, and gross negligence.”
Silence.
Then he burst into laughter.
“Kufufufu… I have to admit, I didn’t see that coming.”
He didn’t try to stop me.
Instead, he followed alongside me, perched atop Leon as always, watching with open curiosity.
I marched straight toward the Namimori police station.
Every step felt like a declaration of war.
⸻
The reception was almost ordinary.
A sleepy police officer looked up from behind the front desk, clearly expecting to brush off another middle school student.
Then he saw my expression.
My posture.
The precision of my words.
His casual attitude vanished.
“I’d like to file an official complaint.”
I set my bag down.
“For systematic bullying, intimidation, and abuse at Namimori Middle School.”
His eyes widened.
“Huh? But… aren’t you a student there?”
“Exactly.”
I met his gaze without blinking.
“Do you consider public humiliation, physical assaults, and organized harassment to be normal?”
“Do you think that’s school discipline?”
“It’s a crime.”
“And I expect it to be treated like one.”
I slammed my bag onto the counter.
The officer stammered before hurriedly calling his superior.
Within minutes, I found myself sitting across from an older inspector inside a private office.
Reborn had settled quietly in the corner of the room, invisible to every adult present as usual.
Even without looking at him, I could practically feel his amused gaze.
The inspector folded his hands.
“Sawada-kun… is it?”
“You claim you’ve been the victim of school bullying?”
“Not just me,” I replied sharply.
“The entire system is rotten.”
“Teachers ignore the abuse—or publicly humiliate students themselves. Some even accuse students of cheating and give them failing grades when they finally improve.”
“The most violent students are untouchable.”
“The principal allows it to continue.”
“This has been happening for years.”
“If you do nothing…”
I leaned forward.
“Then you’re accomplices.”
Each word landed like a blade.
The Dying Will Bullet fueled my anger, but this wasn’t blind rage.
It was strategy.
Back in my old world, I’d studied law in my spare time.
Not professionally.
Just enough to understand how to build a credible legal case.
I listed incident after incident.
The beatings.
The repeated insults.
The manipulated report cards.
The public humiliation in front of entire classrooms.
Everything Tsuna had endured became a concrete accusation supported by specific examples.
The inspector looked increasingly uncomfortable.
“Are you sure you want to take this this far?”
“I’m not sure.”
I slammed my fist onto the desk.
“I insist.”
“And if you refuse to act…”
I held his gaze.
“I’ll contact the local press.”
His face paled.
In a small town like Namimori, public scandal was the last thing the police wanted.
Behind me, Reborn began whistling softly.
“Interesting…”
“You’re using the law as a weapon.”
He chuckled.
“That’s a rather unconventional approach for a future Mafia Boss.”
I ignored him.
Eventually, the inspector sighed.
“…Very well.”
“We’ll open an investigation.”
A cold smile crossed my face.
“This is only the beginning.”
⸻
As I stepped out of the police station, I felt the Dying Will Bullet’s effects beginning to fade.
My breathing slowed.
The trembling in my muscles subsided.
But the decision I’d made didn’t disappear with the adrenaline.
It remained engraved in my heart.
Reborn walked beside me, looking more entertained than ever.
“I have to admit,” he said, “I’m impressed.”
“You turned the Dying Will Bullet into… legal proceedings.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” I replied flatly.
“Brute force changes nothing.”
“If I want to build something worthwhile…”
“I have to tear down the rotten foundations first.”
He looked at me thoughtfully.
“And you think the police… the law… will protect you in this world?”
I met his eyes.
“No.”
A faint smile touched my lips.
“But they can still be useful.”
His grin widened into something almost predatory.
“Kufufufu…”
“According to the reports I received, you’re far more dangerous than the Tsuna I was expecting.”
I shrugged, the exhaustion from the fading adrenaline finally catching up with me.
“I’m not Tsuna.”
“No,” Reborn agreed, a teasing glint dancing in his eyes.
“No…”
“Perhaps…”
He smiled.
“…you’re a real Boss.”