Tsuna had already thought this through.
"For the next ones, I'll start with Finn and Gareth."
"Oh~? Not Riveria first?"
He shook his head. "No. I think Finn and Gareth are the better starting point. I can already imagine what kind of Dying Will Flames would suit them, but for Riveria… I'm guessing she'd fall under Rain or Mist."
"Rain might be manageable, but I'm not that great with the Construction trait of the Mist Flame," he admitted. "So I'll focus on Finn and Gareth first, then move on to Riveria later."
From the angle of what he was most comfortable with, that was the logical order.
Loki, who had a rough understanding of how Tsuna's power worked, didn't interfere. This was his domain, and she was content to just back him up.
"What about Ais?" she asked.
"Ais is still focused on raising her Status and improving her combat experience. She's not ready to dive into a completely new power system right now."
"The people I've chosen to receive the Dying Will Flames first are those who either don't urgently need to raise their Status anymore—or have already hit their limits. Right now, since Babel's 33rd floor still hasn't opened up, that pretty much narrows it down to Tiona, Tione, Finn, Gareth, Riveria, and Bete."
"As for Ais… she'll come after them."
He hadn't even considered putting Ais in the first group.
Not because of favoritism or neglect—it just wasn't what she needed. In terms of priorities, her turn naturally came later.
"Once the internal members are all lined up," Tsuna added, "I'll start working with Alise and the others from Astraea Familia."
Poor Ais.
Hearing his plan, Loki couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Ais wouldn't be getting any attention for a while.
But she approved of the order.
Ais had already reached Level 5. For her, the key right now wasn't acquiring some new kind of power—it was refining what she already had.
And that's exactly what she'd been doing.
Her daily routine revolved around strengthening her Status, and once a week, she entered the Challenge Space to face stronger monsters and build combat experience.
Given how full her schedule already was, Loki doubted Ais even wanted another distraction.
Letting her come later wasn't just fine—it was ideal. By the time everyone else had gone through their training, Ais would have honed herself to perfection. Then, and only then, would it be her turn.
Still, Loki couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
Ais-tan, this time it's your own fault for running too far ahead—not anyone else's.
She gave Tsuna's leg a light tap.
"Your lineup makes sense. Ais has plenty on her plate right now. Once she's done polishing herself and finally has some downtime, that's when you can toss her something new to chew on. Otherwise, she'll just start overthinking things again."
Keeping Ais busy was also Loki's way of securing her own peace of mind.
Back when Ais got fixated on power, the best way to handle her was always to redirect that obsessive energy. Otherwise, she'd end up trying to level the city out of boredom.
Well, that was then.
Now, Ais would probably just bury herself in the Training Space until she passed out.
"I'll talk with Astraea about it," Loki said. "She won't say no—not when it's something that strengthens her kids."
"If that's what you want to do, then go for it. I'll support you."
She'd always been supportive of Tsuna's initiatives. As far as she was concerned, spoiling him a little was part of her job as a goddess.
As for the rest of the Familia, Loki didn't even bother asking.
Since Tsuna already had the order set, everyone else would get their turn eventually. And she agreed with his reasoning—not everyone was suited to receive that power.
"By the way, Miss Loki," Tsuna asked suddenly, "what kind of ring do you like?"
"Hm~ you mean rings like the ones Tiona and Tione wear?"
Loki raised her hand, accepting the two rings he handed her. After a moment of thought, she picked the simpler one.
"I'll take this one."
She slipped it onto her finger without hesitation.
"So," she asked teasingly, "are we gonna test whether I can use this power too?"
"No need for a test," Tsuna said quietly.
He took her right hand—the one wearing the ring—and the next instant, a soft orange flame flared to life along its edge.
"The Sky's defining trait is harmony and acceptance," he said. "And if anyone embodies that, it's you, Miss Loki."
For a second, she just stared at the flame dancing on her finger—then laughed.
"Well, that's one hell of a cruel joke."
"If the gods up in Heaven saw this, they'd be laughing themselves stupid. Especially that little runt."
Her grin lingered, but the laughter faded into silence.
Then she tightened her grip on his hand, silently asking him to pull her up.
As soon as he did, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek lightly against his.
"You've got some guts," she murmured. "Giving me one of your rings like that."
"But you're lucky—I'm in a good mood. And I really do like this one."
"So from now on, this ring is officially mine."
Her tone softened—but there was a possessive edge beneath it.
"That means you're not allowed to put the same kind of ring on anyone else's hand. Got it?"
It was rare—startling, even—to hear that kind of possessiveness in Loki's voice.
Before Tsuna could respond, she picked up the other ring—the one with spread wings and a bright orange gem set at its center.
"This one will be for testing," she said, smiling. "No one else gets to wear my ring."
Then, glancing up at his slightly dazed expression, her lips curved in a playful smirk.
"But if you wear it yourself… then I'll let it slide."
"Uh… r-right."
Tsuna blinked, still processing her words.
For some reason, the weight behind them felt… a lot heavier than her usual teasing.
"Heh heh heh~"
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Note: HE'S 13 LOKI, THIRTEEN!!!!