Keeping his guard up around Freya was more than enough.
That, in Tsuna's mind, was the greatest form of respect he could give that goddess.
"How're you feeling now?"
After their little commotion, Loki had once again settled into the poise of a goddess.
Gentle eyes. A soft, patient tone. A faintly maternal smile that made her look nothing like the shameless flirt she usually was.
"I've learned a lot," Tsuna said as he sat up from Loki's lap. Her warmth still lingered on his face—though judging by the way her legs trembled, she might've been worse off than he was.
He frowned slightly and placed his hand over her thighs. A soft orange flame flowed out from his palm, spreading across her skin until the trembling began to ease.
"Mmm~"
A pleased hum escaped her lips. Loki glanced down at the hand resting on her leg and gave a small sigh.
"Let's just say you're... treating me," she muttered, choosing to let the moment slide.
"I never thought you'd go this far for me, Miss Loki."
Tsuna wasn't joking. He genuinely hadn't expected her to act this way for his sake.
"Honestly," Loki said, expression complicated, "neither did I."
She'd been a goddess who once scoffed at love—the kind who saw it as nothing more than a game, a fleeting amusement among the gods of heaven.
Who would've thought she'd come down to the lower world only to meet a child who caught her attention so completely?
One who made her not only descend... but stay.
And now, she was even thinking about how to keep him by her side longer—long enough that she'd gone so far as to make that kind of decision.
"Well, since I've decided, we'll do things my way," she said confidently.
That was the Loki everyone knew—the proud trickster goddess. Once she made up her mind, she never looked back.
Still, when her eyes drifted to Tsuna sitting in front of her, a spark of possessiveness flickered deep inside.
"Come to think of it," she said with a smirk, "you were the one who proposed to me, weren't you? You even gave me a wedding ring. Don't you think you've skipped a certain... step in the process?"
"...A step?"
Tsuna blinked, replaying the scene in his mind. Proposal, ring, declaration of love... and then... oh.
It hit him immediately.
He might not have much real-world experience, but he'd seen enough movies and stories to know what came next.
A kiss.
That was how people sealed their proposals—with emotion, passion, and physical connection.
Except... it really wasn't something the woman was supposed to hint at herself.
And if the guy still didn't get it after that? Yeah, that would be pathetic.
This is bad. I have zero experience with this.
He looked calm on the outside, but inside, Tsuna was a mess.
Something like this wasn't exactly the kind of thing you could improvise—get it wrong, and you'd look like an idiot.
But right now, there was no time to think, no time to learn.
Whatever. I'll just go for it.
He wrapped an arm around Loki and, without hesitation, pulled her close and kissed her.
So this is... what a girl's lips feel like.
That was the first thought that popped into his head as their lips met.
This idiot... definitely no experience at all, Loki thought immediately.
His movement was stiff, his kiss too still—just pressing his lips against hers with no sense of rhythm or depth. Definitely a first-timer.
But still...
Loki's arms slid around him in return. For once, she wasn't a goddess—just a woman caught up in the moment.
Neither of them broke away, simply holding the kiss for a while, letting the silence stretch.
When they finally separated, their gazes met.
Loki's cheeks were flushed, her face glowing like it was bathed in sunset light. But her lips still curved in that teasing, confident grin.
"Next time," she said softly, "come practice with me a little more. You really need it."
The "no experience" comment stung, adding a layer of awkwardness to Tsuna's already flustered mood.
Being told by her that he was bad at kissing... yeah, that was rough.
Still, the words "come practice with me" echoed in his ears—and, more importantly, she didn't sound displeased at all.
"I'll come by again," he said seriously.
Loki could only stare at him in disbelief. This idiot... a simple "yeah" would've been fine. Did he really have to sound like he was reporting to his boss?
She sighed and decided to change the topic before she lost patience.
"Besides confirming things about Tione, did you have anything else you wanted to talk about?"
"Oh—right!" Tsuna smacked his forehead. "I almost forgot. It's about Tiona and Tione—who's going to help me handle Amphisbaena?"
Loki blinked. "Ah, that."
She wasn't surprised. Both Tione and Tiona had already pushed their Status as far as they could go. Even their magic had reached its limit.
When you hit the cap like that, the next step was obvious—find a way to move forward.
She remembered clearly that the twins had already mentioned wanting to challenge Amphisbaena, the Floor Boss of the Great Falls.
"Yeah, they've had a string of bad luck lately. Haven't been able to find Amphisbaena at all."
"Come to think of it," she added, frowning slightly, "the Dungeon's been acting strange. Two months in a row without a Floor Boss showing up? That's not normal."
Normally, defeating Amphisbaena would be enough for both sisters to Level Up to Lv. 5. Unfortunately, despite two attempts, they'd failed to locate the creature each time.
It really was a shame.
"So this time, they're trying again. I just hope their luck's better," Loki said with a sigh. "It'd be annoying if they ran into the same issue."
Sitting across from her, Tsuna quietly wiped the sweat from his brow.