"I'm so bored..."
Tiona slumped over the table, looking like she'd lost all will to live—a once hyperactive amazoness reduced to a lifeless salted fish.
Seeing her this listless was rare, but honestly, she had every reason to be.
There was just... nothing left for her to do.
Her Status had already reached its limit.
Strength and Endurance both at 1001. Agility and Dexterity maxed out at 999. Even her Magic had been pushed to 999.
At this point, all that remained was gaining battle experience—and finally, the Level Up she'd been waiting for.
But Leveling Up required enough Excellia.
And without an Expedition, how were they supposed to earn it from the Dungeon?
"I've been fighting the Goliath that respawns every two weeks, but the regular version isn't even a challenge anymore," Tiona groaned. "If I just get the right angle and shatter its knee, it can't even fight back."
She sighed again, completely drained.
"But that black one never shows up, no matter what we do. I haven't had a single chance to fight it head-on."
"Yeah," Tione said, nodding in sympathy.
"We can kill the black Goliath inside the Challenge Space, but the one in the actual Dungeon just refuses to appear."
They'd prepared for it over and over again—only for the version that appeared to always be the normal one.
It was exhausting.
"Mm... mostly, it's because Tsuna's not here."
...Right.
Tione silently agreed with her sister.
Sure, the Dungeon was part of the problem. But the real issue was that Tsuna wasn't around.
As core members of the Loki Familia, they knew exactly where he'd been lately—spending most of his time with the Hephaestus Familia.
It made sense. He needed to stay out of sight from the other gods who'd started watching him.
She understood that. Still... it was lonely.
They'd just gotten close—then he'd had to vanish to another Familia for safety.
The distance between them felt huge all of a sudden.
Knock, knock, knock!
A sharp rap echoed through the room.
Tiona instantly flipped upright, bounced to her feet, and leapt toward the door with acrobatic grace.
When she opened it and saw who was standing there, her eyes lit up. She launched herself forward without hesitation.
"Tsuna!"
She threw herself at him like an octopus wrapping around its prey.
Tsuna froze for a second, instinctively catching her legs to steady her.
"Easy there, Tiona."
"Heehee~"
She just grinned, looping her arms around his shoulders. "It's been forever!"
"It's been over a month already! You've been holed up with the Hephaestus Familia this whole time—I almost thought you were switching over for real."
"No way. Hephaestus and Tsubaki were just busy experimenting with a new forging method, so I stuck around to help out," Tsuna explained quickly, shaking his head.
But before he could say more, a sudden chill prickled at his back. He turned his head—and there stood Tione, her face shadowed by her bangs, eyes glinting with a quiet, murderous aura.
What the hell...?
Tsuna instinctively set Tiona back on her feet and stepped toward her sister.
"Tione, I haven't seen you in a while. Are you mad I didn't visit?"
"Huh?"
Tione blinked, snapping out of her killing intent. When she looked up, Tsuna's face was right in front of hers. She quickly straightened up and waved her hands.
"N-No, of course not! I'm not that mad."
(I was just thinking about how to get rid of that clingy idiot, that's all.)
Her anger hadn't been aimed at Tsuna—it was all directed at Tiona.
The way her sister had jumped him so naturally—like she'd practiced it—made her blood boil.
And before she realized it, that ugly, unfamiliar feeling of jealousy started bubbling up inside her.
She hesitated, fingers twirling a strand of her long hair as her voice softened.
"B-But maybe... not completely not mad."
"If you gave me a hug, I might forgive you."
Tsuna blinked. "A hug? Are you sure?"
He clearly remembered that Tione had a thing for Finn. Why was she suddenly asking him for a hug?
Then he glanced at her face—cheeks slightly flushed, eyes darting away—and for a fleeting moment, an absurd thought crossed his mind.
Wait... could it be that Tione actually likes me?
He knew Tiona liked him—she didn't even try to hide it. Her behavior made it obvious.
But Tione? That had never occurred to him.
Maybe it was because everyone in the Familia knew she liked Finn. Maybe he'd just assumed that was still true.
Still... now he wasn't so sure.
(Guess I'll need to talk to Finn about this later...)
"I'm sure," Tione said firmly, her face even redder now.
Well, she seemed serious. Tsuna had no reason to refuse.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.
The tension melted from her body instantly. The jealousy and irritation she'd felt toward her sister just... faded away.
After a long moment, Tsuna finally let go.
When he looked up, he caught sight of her tanned face—bright red all the way to her ears.
Yeah... she really might like me.
That reaction wasn't just in my head.
"Hey, Tsuna."
Tiona's voice suddenly cut in from behind, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"You said Tsubaki and Lady Hephaestus were working on a new forging method. What kind of method is it, exactly?"
Tsuna turned back toward the sisters, slipping back into explanation mode.
"Well, it's basically a refinement in both technique and materials. The craftsmen in the Labyrinth City have never used this approach before."
"In simple terms, they're trying to forge weapons using a new additive—Excellia."
"???"
Both sisters stared at him, completely baffled.
Excellia? As a forging material?
That was a new one.