"He wasn't affected."
Soma had seen too many children fall under the influence of his divine wine, Soma. Yet this was the first time he'd seen something like this—Loki's child merely complained about its strong taste and burning aftereffect, but showed no sign of intoxication.
He glanced at Loki.
The faint blush on her cheeks told him that even she hadn't escaped its effects completely—slightly tipsy, faintly dazed.
But if even Loki was affected, then how could her child be completely immune?
He truly couldn't understand it.
Still, Loki's words had been clear enough.
"I gave guidance," Soma insisted stubbornly.
"No, you didn't give your children any guidance at all."
Loki shot down his excuse without mercy.
"If you really had guided them, then the moment you noticed your children becoming drunk on Soma, you should've stepped in."
"Your children didn't understand what that divine wine meant for them. You never once investigated or warned them—you just handed it out as a reward."
"They trusted you so much that they drank without question."
"And when they fell into that stupor, where were you? Why didn't you do anything?"
Loki's voice cut like a blade. Soma's gaze shifted to the side, and he muttered almost defensively,
"They should've sobered up on their own."
Loki snorted. "If they could do that on their own, then what the hell do they need a god for?"
That single question silenced him completely.
"They might have been able to recover eventually," Loki continued, "but they still needed their god's help. If you'd intervened, maybe they wouldn't have spiraled so far out of control. Maybe after the first time, they could've woken up sooner."
"But what did you do?"
"No guidance, no warnings—just that stubborn belief that it was their problem to fix themselves."
Her words were harsh and direct, stabbing right through his composure.
"…"
Those simple, brutal truths left Soma speechless.
But this time, instead of brushing it off, he actually began to think.
Maybe Loki was right. When his children had first shown signs of addiction, he should've stepped in—offered guidance, offered help—instead of just watching from the sidelines as the Familia he once worked so hard to build rotted away under the influence of his own creation.
Loki studied his silence. For a moment, she thought this shut-in god wasn't as hopeless as he looked—just… stuck. A man with a one-track mind who couldn't change direction once he'd picked a path.
"Hey, shut-in. Do you still think your children are worthless?"
"If you really do, then give that kid to me. If you don't want them, I'll take them."
Soma's brow furrowed.
The word worthless stung in his chest now, and for a second, he wasn't sure he could take it back even if he wanted to.
He looked at Loki's child. The boy had drunk the divine wine and hadn't been affected at all—not even slightly. Soma even found himself wondering, absurdly, does this kid not have taste buds?
But even if that were true, a mortal's body should still react to the alcohol.
And yet, he didn't.
That single exception made Soma start doubting his own conclusions.
"Worthless. They haven't proven themselves worthy enough for me to retract those words."
"The way they looked—drunk and lost—that image is still burned into my eyes. Just because your child wasn't affected doesn't mean everyone else will be the same."
Loki pouted but didn't push the point.
"Fine, then hand your kids over to me."
"…I refuse."
Unlike earlier, this time Soma's tone was firm.
That answer caught Loki off guard. Her disinterest vanished as her sharp eyes refocused on him.
"Oh? The same kids you called worthless—you won't even let me take them?"
"I only said they haven't given me reason to take those words back. I need to confirm something."
"Confirm? With the mess your Familia's in right now? You don't even have control over your own people. What gives you the right to talk like that?"
As always, Loki went straight for the jugular.
Soma was still the god of the Familia, but the authority within it no longer lay with him—it rested in the hands of the Familia's captain.
The chaos tearing the Soma Familia apart had all started with that very captain.
That child had been the one Soma personally guided. But the one who'd made them drink the divine wine… wasn't him. It had been someone else.
Back then, Soma had simply assumed that if even his chosen child couldn't resist Soma's temptation, then no mortal ever could. From that moment on, he'd lost all faith in the children of the Lower World.
But Loki's words sparked a new thought in him.
If given proper guidance… could that child have resisted the wine's temptation?
For the first time in ages, Soma felt a flicker of genuine interest in something other than brewing.
Maybe he could test it. Maybe he could find out if his children still held value—enough to make him take those words back.
That thought alone stirred a strange impulse within him—to reclaim control of his Familia.
So he met Loki's gaze and said flatly,
"My Familia is mine."
Whether or not he currently held command didn't matter. The Familia itself still belonged to him.
The captain was just a caretaker. Soma could take back authority whenever he wished.
Loki chuckled. "Heh~ Then I'll just wait and see how that turns out."
Hearing those words from him, Loki knew something had changed inside this shut-in god.
"Looks like I won't be taking that kid today, huh?" she said, sighing in mock disappointment. "Fine. I'll leave them with you for now. But when you decide they're 'worthless' again, come talk to me. I'll be taking that one with me."
"Tsuna, let's go."
"Yeah."
Tsuna didn't comment. He simply had his Rabbit pull both him and Loki back into the Alternate Dimension.
The Puppet vanished, leaving the room silent.
Only Soma remained.
He stared at the spot where Loki and her child had disappeared, his expression unreadable.
Then, without a word, he turned and left.
There was something he needed to do—talk to the Guild about reassigning the Familia captain.