After hearing their young lady’s cold and absolute refusal, the maid stood frozen outside for quite a while.
In the end, she had no choice but to steel herself and go downstairs.
Butler William was in the main hall, receiving the uninvited guest—the Vongola boss.
The brown-haired young man, dressed in a tailored suit, was seated and waiting. When he saw someone coming down the spiral staircase, his warm brown eyes brightened instinctively.
But when he realized it was only the maid, the light in his eyes dimmed again, returning to their original unreadable darkness.
The maid didn’t dare look at him directly. Walking up to Butler William, she lowered her head and explained:
“Sir, the young lady is adjusting to jet lag and is not available to receive guests.”
“….”
So he wouldn’t be seeing Molly today.
Although he had expected it, Tsunayoshi Sawada still felt disappointed.
That morning, after letting her leave the Vongola estate, he had acted as if he didn’t care. But in truth, he had thrown himself into work just to numb his heart and stop thinking about her.
At five in the afternoon, when his assistant reported that the gift for the new head of the Phoenix family was ready, he suddenly came back to himself.
The suppressed longing erupted like a volcano—he realized he wanted to see her far more than he had imagined.
If he simply waited, given Molly’s personality, they might never meet again.
So, under the pretext of visiting the new family head, he came to the Phoenix estate.
On the way, he thought about many things. The more he thought, the more his boiling emotions cooled.
She probably didn’t want to see him again.
After all, that morning, in a fit of anger, she had returned the gift he gave her ten years ago.
But what mattered more to him was this—
She had kept that amulet with her for ten years.
Didn’t that mean… she still had a place for him in her heart?
The uneasy anticipation in his chest fell into complete silence after hearing the maid’s refusal.
Tsuna didn’t show it. He stood up with a polite smile.
“I came too abruptly today. In that case, I’ll visit again when Molly is willing to see me.”
The maid, still lowering her head, trembled in shock.
What did she just hear?!
The Vongola boss… called the young lady “Molly”?!
By all logic, as a Japanese man who valued honorifics, he should have addressed her as “Miss Phoenix” or “Miss Molly.” Calling her simply “Molly” implied familiarity—something only friends or close acquaintances would do.
Even if they had become friends at last night’s banquet, his tone was still too intimate.
And clearly, he could tell she wasn’t just jet-lagged—she simply didn’t want to see him.
Based on the maid’s years of gossip experience, something was definitely going on between these two.
Completely unaware of the maid’s wild thoughts, Tsuna took out a finely crafted gift box and handed it to Butler William.
“This is the gift I prepared. I had hoped to give it to Molly in person, but it seems I’ll have to trouble you to pass it along.”
From the corner, the maid secretly observed them. It was the first time she had seen the ever-composed Butler William look so stiff—and even a little guilty.
“I deeply apologize, Lord Sawada. The young lady has been exhausted from travel. After lunch, she has been resting in her room…”
He meant to say that she wasn’t deliberately neglecting him—just that it wasn’t a good time.
But Tsuna frowned slightly in surprise.
“She’s been resting since noon?”
That didn’t sound like Molly.
She was someone who cared deeply about appearances and was incredibly competitive. On her first day taking over the family, she should have been working tirelessly, even forgetting to eat and sleep.
She would stay up the latest, work the hardest—just to make it seem effortless in front of others.
Stubbornly adorable.
So his instincts told him something was wrong.
Worried that something might have happened to her within the Phoenix family, Tsuna concealed his concern, bid farewell to Butler William, and left the estate.
After driving some distance, he stopped the car and immediately entered Hyper Dying Will Mode.
This was his combat form—distinct from his normal state—where flames ignited on his forehead and fists, drastically increasing his strength.
The Dying Will Flames were a power everyone possessed—those with enough resolve could ignite them and draw out their full potential.
Tsuna’s flame attribute was Sky.
Orange flames ignited on his forehead and fists. With the propulsion from the flames emitted by his Vongola gloves, he launched into the air like a shooting star, heading back toward the Phoenix estate.
Since the previous head had died, many members had defected, leaving the estate’s defenses lax.
A bright streak cut across the sky and landed silently on the rooftop—completely unnoticed.
Earlier, when Butler William escorted him out, Tsuna had deliberately mentioned Molly. Sure enough, William had subconsciously glanced toward a room on the second floor.
That had to be her bedroom.
Under the cover of night, Tsuna landed quietly on the balcony outside that room.
He felt… nervous.
It had been a long time since he’d felt like this—since before he officially took over as Vongola boss.
Like he was doing something wrong.
But he wasn’t.
He was just worried about her. He only wanted to confirm she was safe.
If she was fine, he’d take one look and leave.
Really.
The room was dark. Through the window, everything inside was pitch black.
But his contact lenses had infrared night vision.
He saw her lying on the bed—
Her body temperature was close to forty degrees Celsius.
Molly… had a fever.
He gently pushed open the balcony door. It wasn’t locked. It creaked softly.
Moonlight spilled into the room, illuminating the silver-haired woman on the bed.
Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes tightly shut. Curled into herself under the blanket, she frowned even in her sleep, clearly restless.
Tsuna felt his heart clench.
She was still the same—stubborn and prideful, always wanting to show only her most perfect, capable side to others, never letting anyone see her weakness.
He could easily guess her thoughts.
She must have feared that falling ill would make her subordinates look down on her, so she hid it, using jet lag as an excuse.
She probably hadn’t even taken medicine.
Sleeping like this until tomorrow wouldn’t cure anything.
Tsuna sighed.
Carefully, he began searching the room for a medical kit, hoping to find fever medicine.
If he couldn’t, he’d have to go to the estate’s infirmary—even if it meant alerting others.
Either way, the consequences would be bad.
If people discovered the Vongola boss sneaking around at night, or if they discovered the new Phoenix leader’s hidden weakness…
Molly would definitely hate him even more.
After a few seconds of thought, Tsuna made the best possible decision.
He messaged his friend, Shoichi Irie, asking him to send fever medicine and healing ointment via drone—specifically one coated with stealth material that couldn’t be detected by cameras or Dying Will Flames.
Irie didn’t ask questions. He simply replied with an “OK” and, two minutes later, sent a video of the drone taking off.
Though due to its stealth coating, the video only showed a faint blur.
While waiting, Tsuna didn’t sit idle.
He soaked a towel, wrung it out, sat by the bed, and gently wiped the sweat from Molly’s forehead to cool her down.
This wasn’t unfamiliar to him.
It wasn’t the first time he had taken care of her.
Ten years ago, she had also fallen sick like this.
…
Back then, every morning, Tsuna would wait outside her house so they could go to school together.
That was Molly’s demand.
She had declared that as her “boyfriend,” he had to accompany her everywhere—school, lunch, clubs.
Tsuna knew the truth.
She didn’t really mean “boyfriend.”
She just wanted a follower—it made her look more imposing.
But he didn’t mind.
Being her follower was better than how others treated him.
Those so-called “friends” would take his money, tear his books, mock his grades, hurt him on purpose, and give him humiliating nicknames.
Because of them, he used to dread school.
But everything changed when Molly transferred in.
She always described herself as a terrible person, but because of her, no one dared bully him anymore.
The delinquents she beat up avoided him out of fear.
She also pushed him to study, forcing him to take notes and tutoring him after school.
She said that as her “boyfriend,” he couldn’t afford to have such poor grades.
She could be harsh with her words—but he understood.
She used sharp words to hide her sincerity.
In truth, she cared more than she admitted.
She was proud, dazzling—someone he could never become.
But just being near her, wrapped in her warmth, was enough to make him happy.
That morning, as usual, he waited for her.
But she didn’t come out.
That wasn’t normal.
She was strict with herself—never even a minute late.
No matter how he knocked or called, there was no response.
He thought she had finally abandoned him.
After all, he had angered her the day before.
He went to school dejected—only to discover she hadn’t come either.
So she hadn’t left him behind.
Something must have happened.
During lunch break, he snuck out, got the house key from his mother, and went to check on her.
That’s when he found out—
She had a fever.
He had never taken care of a sick person before, but he imitated what his mother did—using a damp towel to wipe her down.
Soon, she woke up.
Seeing him, she panicked, questioned him, and threw a soft rabbit plush at him.
Then she hid under the covers, trembling.
He thought she was crying.
When he tried to comfort her, she suddenly threw off the blanket to prove she wasn’t.
The girl in a silk slip dress, her silver hair messy and flowing, cheeks flushed, eyes brimming with stubborn tears—
She looked at him like that.
So… unbelievably adorable.
Even though he always thought she was cute—
This was different.
This was a vulnerable, unguarded version of her.
His heart raced wildly.
His face turned completely red.
“You’re blushing—you must be here to laugh at me!”
she accused, voice trembling like a pout.
Why was even her scolding so cute?!
“I mean… maybe ‘excited’ isn’t wrong—but it’s because you’re cute! I’m not laughing at you!”
he blurted, then panicked at how it sounded.
“That’s not what I meant by ‘excited’!”
But she didn’t seem to hear.
She collapsed again.
He reached out to check her temperature—
But she grabbed his hand.
Her hot breath brushed his palm.
His heart trembled.
Then he heard her whisper, like a dream:
“Don’t… leave me…”
…
…Strange.
He wasn’t sick.
And yet—
He felt like he might faint too.