Even after their healing was complete within the subspace, Tiona and Tione remained nestled in Tsunayoshi's arms—one on each side, resting their heads on his shoulders. Neither showed any sign of wanting to move away.
Tsunayoshi let them be. They had just finished a grueling battle against a floor boss. Even though their bodies had been restored, the exhaustion in their minds and spirits couldn't be healed so easily.
So, until they were ready to move, he didn't push them away.
Still, there was work to do outside.
Through the vision of his puppets, Tsunayoshi surveyed the aftermath at the Giant Azure Waterfall. The flood had nearly filled the lowest layer entirely.
"Looks like I went a little too far," he murmured.
He felt no real guilt about it. Few adventurers ever came to this part of the dungeon when a floor boss spawned—and certainly not after the "cleansing" of the dark factions that had infested the area.
Now, the only beings left here were monsters and the corpses of the black faction adventurers who had been wiped out before the sisters' battle even began.
In short, the flood had caused little real harm.
Looking up at the waterfall, Tsunayoshi nodded slightly.
"The water surge is dying down. It shouldn't take long before the flow returns to normal."
"The damage from the explosion seems to be repairing itself. The dungeon's self-restoration function is working well."
"Only a bit of trapped water remains at the base—but even that is draining quickly. This place will be back to normal soon enough."
Satisfied, he turned his focus elsewhere.
A massive magic stone glimmered faintly beneath the rushing water—too heavy to be carried away by the current. Everything else had been swept off.
"What a shame," he sighed.
Floor boss materials were incredibly valuable. Even a few scales from Amphisbæna could sell for a fortune. Considering how expensive it was to maintain Tiona's weapon, Urga, earning extra income would've helped.
But with most of it lost to the water, there wasn't much he could do.
He collected the surviving magic stone into subspace storage and guided his puppet toward home. The mission was over.
They had not only wiped out a major dark faction stronghold but also captured Valetta Greyti—the infamous "Killer Emperor." That alone made the expedition a complete success.
However, handing Valetta over would be tricky. Revealing the ambush inside the dungeon could expose too much about their true capabilities—a serious problem for maintaining Loki Familia's secrecy.
Tsunayoshi retracted his consciousness from the puppet network, returning his awareness to his real body.
Tiona and Tione were still leaning quietly against him, unmoving.
Taking advantage of the silence, Tsunayoshi finally voiced something that had been on his mind.
"Tione… do you like me?"
The question froze her completely.
Tiona, on the other side, widened her eyes and turned toward her sister in disbelief.
"Eh? Tione—you too?"
Tione blinked in confusion, caught off guard by her sister's immediate response.
"W-Wait, what do you mean 'too'?!"
"Huh? You mean you're surprised I admitted I like Tsunayoshi?" Tiona tilted her head innocently.
Tione was speechless.
"We Amazoness girls don't hide things like that," Tiona explained cheerfully. "If we like someone, we go after them boldly. That's just our way."
"Lady Kali said that herself!"
Tione blinked again. "Kali… said that?"
She didn't remember that at all. Back in those days, she'd been too busy struggling to survive to think about romance. Tiona, on the other hand, often hung around Kali—listening to her stories and teachings—so she must've picked it up from there.
Then Tiona looked back at her sister, her expression full of surprise.
"But wait, Tione—you used to like Captain Finn, didn't you?"
"That was before!" Tione blurted out quickly, her cheeks heating up.
"Amazoness women naturally submit to stronger men," she continued, trying to sound composed. "It's instinct. We're drawn to those stronger than ourselves."
Her affection for Finn had been a matter of instinct—respect and attraction born from defeat. An Amazoness's admiration for a victor often turned into that kind of emotion.
Tiona nodded approvingly. "That's true. That's how we are."
The Amazoness were a direct and passionate people—never subtle or shy about their feelings. To win an Amazoness's heart, one had to overpower her first. Of course, that was easier said than done.
"Tione liking me…" Tsunayoshi murmured with a soft smile. "Honestly, I only realized it recently."
He glanced at her. "If I'm not overthinking it, I'd say when a girl asks for a man's hug, it usually means something."
He had no doubt now—that was her way of showing affection.
"And I've known for a while that you liked Finn. So when you reacted that way before, I started to understand. Just in case, I even went to confirm it with Lady Loki."
"Eh?"
Tione's face turned bright red. Her mind went blank for a second.
"You… went to Loki to confirm it?"
"Yeah," Tsunayoshi replied casually. "She said my reaction was pretty slow—that most of the Familia already knows you like me."
"WHAT!?"
The words hit her like lightning.
Her jaw dropped, and Tiona burst out laughing beside her.
"Well, looks like it's official now, huh?"
(End of Chapter)
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