"Ha~~~"
Still half-asleep, Tsuna sat up from bed. His drowsy mind took a while to catch up before he fully woke.
"You're up?"
He turned toward the voice on instinct and saw Tsubaki standing nearby, already dressed neatly, holding a steaming cup of tea in one hand.
"You really wore me out yesterday. And yet you're the one who's sleeping like a rock. Here, have some milk to wake yourself up."
"Thanks."
Tsubaki sat down beside the bed and offered him the wooden cup. Tsuna took it and drank. The cold, sweet milk cut through his lingering haze and brought the memories of last night flooding back. When he remembered what Tsubaki had just said, he realized what exactly he'd done.
"Tsubaki, I went a little overboard yesterday."
Seeing the apology in his expression, Tsubaki burst into laughter. She pulled him straight into her arms and planted a kiss on his face.
"I should be the one saying that. If Lady Hephaestus ever finds out what happened last night, she'll die of jealousy. And really, the one who went overboard was me."
Thinking of their age difference made her laugh even harder. She was clearly the older one—the "old cow eating young grass," as they say. For her first time, she'd poured out more than thirty years of pent-up frustration in a single night. Saying he wore her out wasn't entirely fair; she'd been the one to start it.
"So, should we tell Lady Loki and Lady Hephaestus about this?"
"Yeah, we probably should. If Loki finds out afterward on her own, she'll definitely explode."
Just imagining Lady Loki's possessive glare was enough to make Tsuna's skin crawl. He could already feel the daggers in her gaze.
"Then that's on you. You're the one who decided to tease two goddesses and charm half the girls around you. You'd better be ready to pay the price. I just hope Loki doesn't eat you down to the bones when you get back."
Tsuna gave a helpless smile at Tsubaki's mischievous grin. He knew she wasn't wrong. If Loki's jealousy really flared up, she might very well devour him whole. All he could do was hope his apologies would calm her fury—at least a little.
Pushing gently out of her embrace, Tsuna drained the rest of the milk in a few gulps. His body, still a bit dehydrated after the previous night's exertion, felt much better as the cool drink soothed his throat.
"Tsubaki… it's not exactly early anymore, is it?"
He glanced at the bright sky outside the window. It was well past dawn.
"Breakfast is already done," Tsubaki said. "Finn used the morning meeting to announce what you told him about the Dying Will Flame. Everyone was fired up. They finished eating and went straight to the forge to check their weapons and gear. Looks like they're planning to challenge the deeper floors head-on."
She summarized the morning's events in a few words.
"That should serve as good motivation for them," Tsuna said. "If it gets them to take the next expedition seriously, they'll crave Excellia all the more. Still, I doubt Finn and the others will have the same leisure as before. Some of the deep-floor monsters can't be handled by Level 2 Adventurers."
He didn't seem surprised—it was something they'd already discussed. Tsubaki understood that as well.
"They're not worried?" she asked.
"Not really. It was a concern before, but we've checked things thoroughly now. Unlike the Hephaestus Familia, Loki Familia doesn't have spies hiding among its members. I'd say Loki's… reputation probably has something to do with that."
"Her bad reputation, you mean?" Tsubaki chuckled. "Yeah, I've heard Lady Hephaestus complain plenty about the things Loki used to pull in the heavens. Stirring up trouble, playing factions of gods against each other—she's quite the instigator."
She remembered the stories well.
It made sense that Loki Familia had no spies. Loki's antics in the heavens had earned her more enemies than allies—no one wanted to get too close. By contrast, Hephaestus had always been calm and well-respected among the gods, which made her Familia a perfect target for infiltration.
"The reason I decided to reveal my power so openly," Tsuna said, "was partly to inspire them. But also to bind the Familia—and the Adventurers—to me more tightly. Once they realize that their benefits depend on me staying hidden, they'll protect that secret with their lives."
There was a calculating edge to his tone. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he understood that shared interest was the strongest glue between people.
"Mutual benefit," Tsubaki said, nodding. "If their gains depend on you, they'll instinctively defend you. It's a smart move—Adventurers won't risk losing what profits them."
She knew Adventurers well enough to agree completely. Only a web of shared interests could keep them loyal.
"At your growth rate," she added, "you'll surpass the rest in no time. Slowing your progress down on purpose—it's a smart strategy."
Tsuna's growth had outpaced every Adventurer she'd ever seen. It had been less than half a year since he'd started, and he was already brushing against the limits of Level 2. If he could stretch that time out for a few more years, Tsubaki had no doubt he'd reach Level 5.
Still, what she looked forward to even more wasn't just Tsuna's individual growth—it was the growth of the entire Loki Familia.
"Hey, Tsuna~ do you think, in a few years, the Familia's lowest-level members can rise by at least one Level?"
"Definitely."
He answered without hesitation.
"I don't know how many of them will make it to Level 4, but I'm sure most will reach Level 3. After the news Finn dropped this morning, I can't imagine any of them missing the chance. No Adventurer would let something like that slip away."
Tsubaki nodded. "Exactly. It'd be hard not to take advantage of this opportunity."
Every Adventurer dreamed of growing stronger. With conditions this favorable, no one would willingly stay stagnant.
Her gaze slid back to Tsuna, his bare upper body still marked with traces of last night. The faint red marks on his pale neck made her smirk.
"You'd better put your clothes on," she said with a teasing glint in her eye. "If you keep looking like that, I might not let you out of bed again."
"...What?"
Was that really something a woman should say? Tsuna blinked, noticing the mischievous green gleam in her eyes. He shrank his neck like a startled cat—yeah, getting dressed right now was definitely the right idea.