"Purely in terms of magic, your ability isn't inferior to anyone's—in fact, it's almost unfairly perfect."
"What's more, you can control your magic with exquisite precision."
In just a brief moment, Tsuna had driven his power to its limits. Not every mage could do that.
Incantations are a mage's key to casting. No matter how skilled, that step can't be skipped.
And yet here was Tsuna, a special talent who could freely command seven forces—same root, different elements, different functions.
Loki's appraisal of him didn't drop; it rose. Until now, Tsuna had been outstanding in talent and ability as an individual. Now, he was just as exceptional in magic and elemental control.
"But how did you do it?"
"You only just awakened this power. How are you already controlling it so perfectly?"
Tsuna answered honestly: "Honestly, I'm not sure."
It wasn't false modesty. He truly didn't know how he had done it.
"I just thought about what I wanted, and the power moved accordingly—like with 'Beast Creation.'"
That answer surprised Loki, but then she understood—the root was the development ability.
"I think I know why," she said. "After you leveled up, the development ability I selected for you was 'Dying Will Flame.' The reason you can handle it so freely should be thanks to that."
"It pushes your strongest field even further."
"You already had the power—just not the mastery. The development ability is digging out that control you were missing."
That explanation made sense to Tsuna, who had just been toying with seven flames as if it were natural. He had never truly mastered this power. Back there, he'd kept trying, and those efforts had shown no results.
But judging from now, the work hadn't been fruitless. Seven years of effort wouldn't have borne such fruit otherwise.
Everything had been waiting for this one "development ability."
Maybe, he thought, it was like the path fate had written—the Dying Will, finally called forth.
While Tsuna fell into thought, Loki stood quietly by. When she felt he had accepted the explanation, she stepped in and gently hugged the still-dazed boy, whispering by his ear:
"For now, don't crowd your head with complicated things."
"For you, the goal is to master more power and keep moving forward steadily."
"When you've gathered enough strength, you'll gradually understand the secrets in your body."
"I'm looking forward to the day they're revealed."
Only Loki's voice filled Tsuna's ears, and his mind settled, quieter than usual.
"Mm."
What a simple child, she thought again, fondly. Sometimes you can set complex problems aside for the moment—unlike Ais, who goes single-track the instant something happens. That single-mindedness gives everyone a headache.
"In the future, when things come up, mingle with people more," Loki said. "You can come to me anytime. And spend time with Tiona and Tione too."
"As for Ais… better not seek her out. If you stay around her too much, you risk getting 'assimilated.'"
She was dead serious. She encouraged Tsuna to interact with anyone—except Ais.
Ais was a walking incident generator. Tsuna, meanwhile, was a universal wish-granting machine. If Tsuna fulfilled Ais's wishes, Loki could already see a parade of troubles.
With that in mind, she had to limit their contact—special interactions led to special outcomes.
"The other day that girl used a gravity bracelet and left herself sore all over, lying in bed the whole day."
"Ais's body can take it; yours can't. Not yet."
Hearing the concern in Loki's voice—and the tale of Ais's latest mess—Tsuna couldn't help defending himself.
"Loki-sama, I'm not reckless enough to copy Ais."
"She wore the gravity bracelet through the night. People are most relaxed in sleep—and she still kept herself tense the whole time, for an entire night."
"I haven't reached that 'don't-care-if-I-die' level."
Tsuna admitted his hunger for strength. But it wasn't to the point of madness.
Besides, he knew his power needed steady growth. On this path, he faced almost no obstacles—why force it?
And now the problem of 'time' had a likely answer. That meant he didn't have to rush to a certain height in a short span.
Spending a few years to reach a level where he could return—or even bring Loki to the other world—was the best choice. Steady steps, no shaking his foundation: easing the body's load bit by bit to dig out potential, not wringing it dry.
"Mm. If you'd said that before, I wouldn't have believed you. But now I do," Loki said. "That faint anxiety you had eased a lot after learning about the time flow over there. I know what you were worried about."
Tsuna scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed. "I was worried I'd go out for a trip and come back so changed my mom wouldn't recognize me."
"Since that's not a concern, I'd rather slow my pace."
Loki understood. He'd arrived in this world without any mental preparation; worries were only natural.
"You can stop worrying now."
"Mm."
"In the future, come by often. With your attunement, I can sense that other world's state. If you're uneasy, stop by and confirm it."
"Mm."
Tsuna took that to heart.
(End of Chapter)
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