Danmachi, Ch 76-80

Chapter 76: The Expedition Returns

A chill hung in the early morning air. The taverns that had stayed open all night were only just closing their doors, and the drunkards spilling out into the streets were met by the smell of fresh breakfast as the first shops opened. The cobblestone streets of Orario were unusually quiet.

Down one such street came a returning party — a massive formation of adventurers emerging from the Dungeon.

Their sheer numbers drew every pair of eyes around them.

“Wait, isn’t that the Loki Familia?”

“Yeah. Just looking at the three at the front, there’s no mistaking them.”

Everyone in Orario knew the three pillars of the Loki Familia — the city’s most famous Adventurers.

“Hold on! Are those members of the Astraea Familia?”

Someone in the crowd finally noticed the out-of-place colors mixed into the marching column — the crimson and white of the Astraea Familia.

"Scarlet Harnel... and Yamato Rindou? That's really them! But why are they returning with the Loki Familia?"

“That’s weird. The Loki Familia just left on their expedition. There’s no way they finished that fast.”

“Exactly. It’s way too soon.”

A Loki Familia expedition was never a short affair. Everyone knew their exploration reached as deep as the 50th floor.

For most Familias, that depth was far beyond their limit. Every additional floor meant exponentially more danger — and far more space to cover.

Even with their established route and markers down to the 50th floor, there was no way they could’ve gone and returned in under a week.

The people lining the streets couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this return was off.

A vague, nagging sense of wrongness — as if something vital was missing.

“Wait a second... where’s all their cargo? Didn’t the Loki Familia leave with a ton of supplies?”

That realization spread quickly.

Right — that was it.

The missing supplies. The Loki Familia had brought a huge stockpile into the Dungeon, and yet there wasn’t a single wagon or crate among them now.

There was no way they could’ve burned through all that material in just a few days.

So where had it gone?

The onlookers whispered and speculated, eyes tracking the long column as it passed, but even after the last of them disappeared down the street, no one had seen a single supply cart.

Strange. Very strange.

“Ha... just as I thought. The Loki Familia’s missing supplies mean they knew something in advance.”

Half-lounging against the railing of a second-floor tavern balcony, Hermes watched the tail of the column disappear from sight.

“Lord Hermes,” Asfi said beside him, ever the diligent aide, “according to our investigation, Lady Loki went to the Guild last night — and she also summoned Lady Astraea.”

“Oh? So that’s it.” Hermes chuckled. “Loki went to stir up trouble at the Guild. No wonder she left her supplies behind — she’s planning to make them take the hit. But Astraea’s involvement… that’s the strange part. So the Dungeon’s ‘abnormalities’ really were as bad as I suspected.”

Just from those few clues, Hermes could already guess the shape of Loki’s move.

“Asfi, has Astraea been in contact with Loki recently?”

“No, not even once.”

“That makes it even stranger. It’s not Astraea going to Loki — it’s Loki going to Astraea.”

Hermes frowned in amusement. The idea of those two deities working together sounded like a joke.

Astraea stood for justice, fairness, and order. Loki… well, Loki was none of those things.

The two had barely interacted in the past. So why the sudden connection now?

Hermes’s curiosity flared.

“What do you think, Asfi?”

Asfi adjusted her glasses and thought for a moment before answering.

“Normally, Lady Astraea wouldn’t accept an invitation from Loki. Their relationship has never been close. But last night, she accepted immediately — and she’s still at Loki Familia’s manor as of this morning.”

Hermes’s grin widened beneath the brim of his hat.

“So something happened in the Dungeon that left Astraea no choice but to agree, huh?” Asfi continued. “I believe it must have involved her Familia. That’s the only reason she would have accepted so suddenly.”

Hermes tilted his hat lower, that foxlike smile never leaving his face.

“The key lies in what exactly happened in the Dungeon,” he mused.

Asfi didn’t respond — she only nodded slightly.

“No,” Hermes corrected himself softly, “not just what happened down there — but how Loki found out so fast.”

He turned his sharp gaze toward his own captain.

After a long silence, Asfi finally shook her head.

“Lord Hermes, none of the Loki Familia’s members have entered the Dungeon in the past few days. No messengers, no scouts.”

Hermes hummed thoughtfully, his eyes drifting toward the distant direction of Twilight Manor.

“Then it’s even more intriguing. How did Loki get her information? To know what happened in the Dungeon so quickly — and to contact Astraea in time…”

He straightened up.

“Asfi, take a team to Rivira today. Ask around, find out what’s been going on down there recently. I want an overview of the situation.”

“Understood.”

—

At the gates of Twilight Manor, two goddesses stood waiting: Loki and Astraea.

The sound of approaching footsteps reached them long before the returning party appeared.

Astraea’s keen eyes swept toward the source — and her heart clenched when she spotted a familiar head of crimson hair among the crowd.

“Alise…”

At that exact moment, Alise Lovell looked up and saw her goddess waiting.

Her steps faltered — and then she broke into a sprint.

“Lady Astraea!”

She threw herself into Astraea’s arms like a child, tears spilling uncontrollably down her cheeks.

“It’s all my fault… everything was my fault…”

She’d led her Familia straight into the enemy’s trap. Nearly everyone had fallen. Their only hope of survival had come at the cost of Astraea’s own sacrifice.

The guilt had been eating her alive.

Astraea said nothing — she simply wrapped her arms around Alise and gently stroked her hair, soothing her like a mother would a grieving child.

None of it had been her fault.

The blame lay entirely with the Dark Faction.

Chapter 77: Astraea’s Change

Inside one of the rooms in Twilight Manor, Alise lay with tear-streaked cheeks, sobbing into Astraea’s arms like a child confessing after doing something wrong.

Astraea, gentle as ever, stroked the girl’s back — patient, motherly — her touch a quiet promise of forgiveness.

“Alise, this expedition wasn’t your fault.”

Her voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it.

“The ambush by the Dark Faction wasn’t something any of us could’ve predicted. Those rats and vipers that crawl through the shadows... they’ll always be waiting for a chance to bite. That’s what they are — vile, filthy creatures.”

Alise froze mid-breath, her tears halting as she lifted her head in shock.

In Astraea’s eyes, she saw something she’d never seen before — coldness. Murderous intent.

The goddess who had always embodied kindness and justice now radiated malice without hesitation, speaking of others as “rats” and “vipers.”

The Astraea of old would never have done that.

Not even when referring to the Dark Faction.

“Lady Astraea…”

Alise wasn’t the only one who noticed. The other members of the Astraea Familia had realized it too — their goddess, the one who had always placed justice above all else, had changed.

Astraea could feel their gazes and their unease, and she didn’t deny it.

She had changed — twisted by the despicable deeds of the Dark Faction.

“Alise… Kaguya… Lyra…” she said softly. “None of you were at fault for what happened on that expedition.”

“It was the Dark Faction’s doing. Their arrogance, their desire for revenge, their hatred for us — that’s what drove them to this. I should never have looked at them with hope. What they deserved wasn’t mercy — it was annihilation.”

Three years ago, Silence and Gluttony had joined forces with Erebus, and even then, the truth had been painfully clear.

A foolish kind of love — that was all it had ever been.

So Astraea had tried to extend that same compassion to the rest of the Dark Faction, giving them a chance to choose justice, to find redemption.

But this latest tragedy had stripped her of those illusions.

The ones who had been merely “twisted for the sake of good” had died three years ago.

What remained was pure evil.

They weren’t tainted by their actions — they were the taint.

“Lady Astraea, you once said…” Alise whispered, her voice trembling. “‘Not everyone in the Dark Faction is evil.’”

Astraea nodded faintly. “And I was wrong. This expedition proved that Silence, Gluttony, and Erebus were the only ones among them who ever gave Orario even a flicker of hope. The rest are nothing but animals driven by rage — destroying everything in their path without a thought for the consequences.”

She exhaled slowly. “I misjudged them. The only ones in that faction who could be called heroes are already gone. The rest... are insects.”

“But what about the low-ranked Adventurers in the Dark Faction?” Alise asked hesitantly. “You said before that they were just ordinary people led astray—”

“They were ordinary people who lost hope,” Astraea said coldly. “And when they chose to turn their weapons on the innocent, they ceased to be victims. From the moment they sided with the Dark Faction, they shared in its sins.”

She looked around the room, meeting the eyes of each of her children.

“We have no right to forgive them on behalf of the people they’ve hurt. The moment they made their choice, their fate was sealed — whether they die in battle or destroy themselves in a final act of madness, it’s all the same. They chose this road, and there’s only one way it ends.”

The inner conflict that had plagued Astraea for so long finally unraveled.

Her children had already died once. If she still refused to see clearly — if she dared to give those monsters another chance — she would be betraying them all over again.

Astraea had finally, truly made up her mind.

The Dark Faction deserved no mercy. No pity. No excuses. They had chosen evil — and so they would be erased, completely and without hesitation.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be the goddess of justice. She’d just be another naïve saint pretending to be one.

After venting her fury, Astraea held Alise tighter. The image of what she’d seen through that black box — the blood, the suffering, the screams — still clawed at her heart.

"This is my command," she said, voice trembling but resolute. "Next time you face those lunatics, don't hold back. Show them no mercy. They don't deserve sympathy."

"If you sympathize with them… who will sympathize with you?"

Her words fell heavy, crushing.

Every girl in the room went silent.

They all knew what their goddess had done to pull them back from the brink of death — and now, they finally understood why she spoke with such bitter conviction.

It wasn’t about whether some of the Dark Faction were “pitiful.”

It was about who had pitied them when they were trapped, broken, dying.

No one.

“And one more thing,” Astraea continued. “I’ve already spoken with Loki. She’s not going to let those bastards get away this time. She’s going to hunt them down with everything she’s got. And I share that goal — so I made her an offer.”

Her lips curved faintly.

“She’ll bear the political pressure. We’ll take the fight to them. In exchange, I’ll become her subordinate goddess — and you’ll all be partially integrated into the Loki Familia.”

Alise blinked in shock, guilt flashing across her face. “But becoming a subordinate goddess… Lady Astraea, won’t that mean losing your freedom?”

“It’s fine.” Astraea chuckled softly, already guessing what Alise was about to say.

“Loki’s terms were... surprisingly simple.”

She smiled — a wry, almost amused smile.

“She said she just wanted me to give her a lap pillow.”

“...Huh?”

“Lap pillow?”

Every member of the Astraea Familia froze.

That’s what all of this was for?

They looked at Astraea again — her stunning figure, her long legs, her graceful curves, her serene beauty that even many gods had once courted.

Then they remembered Loki’s well-known fondness for beautiful women.

Suddenly... it didn’t seem that hard to believe.

Chapter 78: The Reinforcement Plan

“As I thought… his growth rate’s even more insane than I imagined.”

Strength: H102 → E498

Endurance: H111 → D505

Dexterity: H148 → D598

Agility: H153 → C603

Magic: S905 → SSS2001

This was the first Status update after the expedition — and the numbers made Loki’s eyes nearly pop out of her head.

Strength and Endurance had both skyrocketed evenly, Dexterity and Agility were even sharper, and his Magic… his Magic had shattered every known limit.

"Tsuna, you only joined in on the cleanup during the first day, right?"

“Yeah.”

“And that was only up to the sixteenth floor? You were just using puppet synchronization for training?”

“Mm-hm.”

Loki asked again just to be sure — but the boy’s calm nod only made her disbelief deepen.

She glanced at the Status branded on Tsuna’s back and nearly laughed out loud in shock.

Unbelievable.

“Sure, the Dungeon’s ‘abnormalities’ made monsters multiply on every floor, but still… to reach this level of improvement in ten days is unreal.”

In all her time running the Loki Familia, Loki couldn’t remember a single child who had shown such explosive growth.

Even those stationed on the upper floors never gained this much — a few dozen points per stat was already considered excellent.

This was beyond that by miles.

The difference in talent between people… really could be monstrous.

But there was another issue.

“You’ve already gathered enough excelia to qualify for a Level Up.”

“Even if you ranked up now, you’ve met the requirements,” Loki said, leaning back. “But doing that right away would just waste your potential. You should keep pushing until every one of your stats hits its limit first.”

She smirked. “With your talent, that won’t take long.”

After copying his Status onto a sheet, Loki burned away the divine Falna marks on his back. Then she flattened the paper on his shoulder and grinned.

“Take a look — and try not to freak out over yourself.”

Tsuna took the paper and stared. The growth was so absurd that even he was stunned.

“All this… from just a few training sessions with synchronized puppets?”

“Exactly,” Loki replied.

He frowned slightly. “My Magic skyrocketing isn’t weird. It was already above nine hundred before, so breaking two thousand makes sense. But the rest of this… this shouldn’t be possible.”

“Loki, I don’t have some hidden ‘accelerated growth’ skill or anything, right?”

Loki tilted her head, lips pursing. “Can’t say for sure.”

She reached forward and tapped at the sections on the paper marked with “unknown” under Magic and Skills.

“You’ve got some sealed areas in your Falna — hidden traits or abilities I can’t read. It’s possible something in there’s boosting your growth rate.”

“Huh? You didn’t copy that part down?”

“Of course not. Your skills are your secrets.” She chuckled. “Stats I can afford to record — they don’t matter much, especially within the Familia. Tiona and the others aren’t blabbermouths.”

That was true. Within the Loki Familia, trust ran deep. But skills and magic were another story — some things simply couldn’t be exposed, especially that one.

“So,” Loki said, wagging a finger, “you’re not taking today’s paper with you.”

“I know.”

Tsuna gave the sheet one last glance before handing it back. Loki said nothing more — she stepped down from behind him and snapped her fingers, burning the paper to ash with a flicker of magic.

Then she looked back at him, still sitting on the bed.

“All right,” she said, giving his shoulder a pat, “you can put your shirt back on.”

Once she gave permission, Tsuna quickly dressed again. When he turned, though, he found Loki already lounging lazily — her long legs resting across his lap.

“Massage them for me, will you? Been standing out there for over half an hour.”

"You really should take better care of yourself, Miss Loki."

He sighed, but still placed his hands on her feet and began to knead gently.

As the tension eased from her calves, Loki let out a pleased, catlike sound.

“You kids get to storm through the Dungeon and show off,” she purred. “As the main goddess, I’ve got to show I’m supporting you somehow. Standing around outside’s the least I can do.”

Then her tone softened — all teasing gone.

“After an expedition, there’s always a lull — a quiet stretch before the next major push. What’s your plan for this downtime?”

Her question carried weight. For Loki, Tsuna’s development was now one of the Familia’s top priorities.

“I already have some ideas.”

He paused his hands for a second, eyes thoughtful. “One part’s about my personal growth. The other’s about Finn and the others.”

“Oh?” Loki leaned forward with interest. “Do tell.”

He nodded slightly, continuing to knead her feet as he spoke.

“This expedition made a lot of weaknesses obvious. Finn, Gareth, and Riveria are all too specialized. When they’re together, they can fight above their level. But once they’re separated, they can be isolated and overwhelmed.”

“They’ve basically divided their overall potential into three parts,” Tsuna went on. “Agility and Dexterity belong to Finn. Strength and Endurance to Gareth. Magic’s all Riveria. That kind of hyper-specialization works early on — it’s what let them grow so fast. But once they’ve reached the high levels, it’s a liability. Too easy to counter.”

Loki nodded slowly. “You’re not wrong. I’ve watched those three climb from scratch. Each picked a path and stuck to it — and it worked, until now.”

“So what do you plan to do about it?”

“I want to deliberately design training that targets their weaknesses. Force them to step out of their comfort zones — make them find other ways to solve problems.”

“Developing their blind spots, huh? Not a bad idea.”

Loki smiled approvingly. Finn and his two comrades had long mastered their specialties — they barely even needed effort to excel now. And though they’d only been at Level 6 for three years, they still had plenty of room to grow. Expanding into new fields would only make them stronger.

“The question is whether they can actually do it,” Loki mused.

Tsuna nodded. “Exactly. So I’m planning to run three separate trials — one for each of them. Each test will last a week.”

Loki thought for a moment, then grinned. “All right. I’m in. But we’ll add one more thing — bring Astraea’s girls into it too. Let’s see what they can do.”

Chapter 79 – A Way to Ease the Restlessness

"So, that's their plan. What about yours?"

"My own plan's a lot simpler," Tsuna replied calmly. “Just rounding out the rest of my Status.”

He leaned back slightly. “Training with the Gravity Bracelet’s been working really well. I plan to keep using it for a while.”

Tsuna had a clear grasp of where he stood. His growth had reached a balanced stage—no glaring weaknesses left, only room to raise his basic abilities.

“Just don’t overdo it,” Loki warned. “Especially since you’re still in the early stages of your growth.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tsuna nodded. “Given my base Status is still lower, I shouldn’t keep the gravity load on for too long. I’m aware of that.”

He caught the concern in Loki’s voice and smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, Miss Loki. I’m not gonna go to Ais’s extremes.”

“…She really did set a bad example,” Loki muttered with a sigh.

If anyone in her Familia gave her the biggest headache, it was definitely Ais.

From the start, Ais’s obsession with getting stronger bordered on fanaticism. Loki understood that deep down, the girl’s hunger for power came from something else—an old wound that hadn’t healed. That was why she’d never tried to stop her. Loki believed that, through the pursuit of strength, Ais would eventually learn restraint on her own.

Except Ais hadn’t learned that yet—while the newcomer, Tsuna, already had.

His desire for power was crystal clear, but unlike Ais, he knew how to temper it. He understood that strength wasn’t something you seized overnight; it had to be built, layer by layer, with patience.

Looking at him, Loki couldn’t help but feel a twinge of wistfulness.

“If only Ais were half as level-headed as you,” she said softly. “That kid’s desire for power has turned into impatience. I made Finn cancel expeditions for a whole year just to keep her safe, but she’s still itching to throw herself into danger…”

“Even if she’s a Level 5 Adventurer—yeah, that’s strong—but ambushes don’t care about strength. Remember Astraea’s kids? One ambush from the Dark Faction and they were nearly wiped out. Ais wouldn’t fare any better.”

She shook her head, the memory still bitter.

Astraea’s Familia had eleven children—nine at Level 4, two at Level 3. A lineup like that was more than enough to take down a single Level 5. And among them was Alise, who was already close to breaking through herself.

But even with that strength, they’d almost been annihilated when Evilus ambushed them.

If Tsuna hadn’t pulled them back from the brink, Astraea would’ve been mourning her children that very morning.

Loki couldn’t imagine Ais surviving something like that.

Even Finn, Gareth, or Riveria would’ve had no choice but to retreat if faced with the same ambush.

Yeah. Ais had definitely set a dangerous precedent.

Tsuna agreed with Loki’s take.

“Ais’s desire for power isn’t wrong,” he said thoughtfully. “But that anxiety of hers needs to be managed. And, honestly, just keeping her on a leash won’t work. Unless she can see that she’s improving, she’ll do something reckless sooner or later.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Loki nodded.

Ais was the kind of girl who needed tangible proof of growth to calm down. Otherwise, she’d spiral deeper into frustration. But that was only a temporary fix. After Level 5, every step forward became exponentially harder.

Finn, Gareth, and Riveria had all been stuck at that stage for years. It had taken the intervention of Silence and Gluttony—Alfia and Zald, those monsters from the old Hera and Zeus Familias—to give them the chance to achieve the “great deeds” needed to reach Level 6.

So Loki’s expression remained uneasy.

“Even so, that approach won’t hold forever,” she murmured. “Ais can never truly be satisfied with her strength. The moment she hits her limit, her first thought will be to level up—and the only way she’ll think to earn that ‘great deed’ will be by challenging Udaeus alone.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Tsuna almost laughed. Loki really does understand Ais inside and out. She’d even predicted what Ais would do years down the line.

When it came to knowing Ais Wallenstein, no one in the Familia could match Loki.

Tsuna thought for a moment, then said quietly, “Actually, calming her anxiety isn’t that hard. The best way’s also the simplest—give her a dream.”

“A dream?” Loki raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“The source of her restlessness appears in that dream,” Tsuna explained. “It might all be fake, but maybe… that illusion is exactly what she needs right now.”

Loki tilted her head, mulling it over. “A dream like that, huh… Ais, what do you think?”

It seemed Loki had already caught on to Tsuna’s idea. She actually found it clever—direct and effective at easing Ais’s inner turmoil, if only temporarily. The only problem was that the dream wouldn’t be real.

So before deciding, Loki turned toward the door.

“Come in, Ais.”

The doorknob turned.

Ais Wallenstein stepped inside, her golden hair shimmering in the light. But the eyes beneath her bangs burned brighter than ever—filled with that same desperate hunger for power.

This time, though, she didn’t look at Loki. Her gaze locked entirely on Tsuna.

Compared to strength, she seemed far more interested in what he’d just called “a dream.”

She knew it wasn’t real. He’d said so himself. But still—if there was even a chance she could see them again, those faces she remembered so vividly… she wanted it.

“How do I do it?” she asked simply, her voice quiet but steady.

Tsuna smiled faintly. “You don’t have to do anything. Just clear your mind.”

“The dream isn’t something I make,” he continued. “I’m just using a special method to let you enter the one you’ve been longing for. But remember—what you’ll see isn’t real. You have to keep that in mind.”

As he spoke, something manifested beside him—a floating eye with a strange, mesmerizing hue.

The moment Ais looked into it, her instincts screamed danger. She tried to move, to step back—but her body no longer obeyed.

Snap!

Her eyes fluttered shut.

And then, Ais collapsed softly to the floor.

Chapter 80 – A Beautiful Dream You Don’t Want to Wake From

When Ais suddenly collapsed, eyes closing as she fell to the floor, Loki didn’t look alarmed in the slightest. Instead, she watched the large floating eye beside Tsuna with growing curiosity.

“So, what does that eye do? You just stare at someone and it drops them into a dream?”

“Pretty much,” Tsuna said casually. “Its power is to pull someone into sleep—into a dream so vivid they’ll never want to wake up.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Not forced sleep, but… making them choose not to wake?”

Tsuna nodded. “Yeah. I came up with the idea after seeing the Dark Faction.”

The eye glowed faintly violet, its iris encircled by rings of light, each adorned with a single black magatama.

“The grunts in the Dark Faction—most of them were deceived by the gods into joining. They were already broken, mentally. Losing everything made them desperate to escape reality. Joining Evilus was their way of running away.”

He continued, voice calm but steady. “So I thought—if they want to escape, why not let them? Let their consciousness fall into the dream they long for most, and meet the person they miss the most.”

“People with holes in their hearts… they always try to fill them in dreams.”

“And beautiful dreams,” he added softly, “are the hardest thing to say no to.”

Tsuna glanced down at Ais. Even lying on the floor, her lips had curved into the faintest smile. She’d fallen fast—almost instantly.

“The dream feels more real than any drunken haze,” he said quietly. “Some people even know it’s fake, but they still choose to stay.”

“That was fast,” Loki murmured.

She could sense the change immediately. Ais’s emotions—once sharp and turbulent—had softened, smoothed out. The anxious energy that had been clawing at her was fading.

“I just hope she doesn’t get addicted to it,” Loki said with a sigh.

“She won’t,” Tsuna reassured her. “There’s a safeguard. Even the sweetest dream can’t hold you forever. As long as someone inside the dream tells her it’s time to wake up, she’ll come back—no matter how much she doesn’t want to.”

“Hmm. Still, it’s only a temporary fix,” Loki said. “A way to ease her emotions, not cure them.”

“Exactly,” Tsuna agreed. “Ais has been bottling up too much for too long. If she keeps suppressing it, it’ll turn into something worse.”

Loki nodded thoughtfully. Using dreams to ease someone’s mind… it was an impressive approach. And clearly, Tsuna knew what he was doing—Ais’s obsession with strength had crossed a line long ago.

“That kid’s been overdoing it since the start,” Loki muttered. She knew Tsuna was right—there hadn’t been much she could do before now.

“But just once, all right? Don’t let her make a habit of it.”

“I know,” Tsuna said. “Once in a while is fine, but too often would be bad for both body and mind.”

He understood perfectly. There was a line that couldn’t be crossed.

“By the way, Miss Loki,” Tsuna asked suddenly, “how’s your leg feeling?”

“Much better.”

Loki flexed her foot experimentally. The soreness had almost completely faded, replaced by a pleasant lightness that spread through her body.

“Tsuna, you ever study medicine or something?”

He had already conjured small water clouds to rinse his hands, and a faint breeze from a spirit spell whisked away the remaining droplets.

“Not really. I just used to massage my mom’s shoulders sometimes.”

“Oh~ no wonder you’re so good at it.”

“If you’d like, Miss Loki, I could make a monster specifically for massage.”

“Nope,” Loki said immediately.

“For massages, I’d much rather have someone do it personally.”

The look she gave him left absolutely no room for misinterpretation.

Tsuna hesitated, then exhaled. “If it’s after dinner.”

“Deal!” Loki beamed, instantly perking up.

That topic settled, Tsuna glanced at Ais sleeping peacefully on the floor. “Should I move her back to her room?”

“No need,” Loki said, waving it off.

“She’ll just break into mine again tomorrow morning anyway. Better to let her sleep here—it’ll save me the trouble of being startled at dawn.”

Loki knew Ais’s habits too well. If she hadn’t updated her Status tonight, she’d definitely be hammering on Loki’s door first thing in the morning. Letting her sleep on the floor was easier—for both of them.

“There’s a blanket in the cabinet. Just throw it over her. A Level 5’s body isn’t that fragile.”

Tsuna nodded, took out a blanket, and gently draped it over Ais’s shoulders. Once done, he straightened and headed for the door.

“Good night, Miss Loki.”

“Night, Tsuna.”

When the door closed, Loki let her gaze linger on the boy’s back for a moment before looking back down at Ais.

“Let it all out in your dream, kid,” she murmured softly. “Just don’t cling too hard when you wake.”

She chuckled under her breath, already imagining tomorrow morning’s chaos. Then, with a yawn, she stretched and stripped off the excess layers of her clothes before sliding under the covers.

“Ahh… sometimes this body really is a hassle,” she muttered sleepily.

“Tomorrow’s problems can wait until tomorrow.”

Her lips curved in a faint smile. “Having a capable kid around really is a blessing…”

And with that, Loki drifted off to sleep.

“Mom… Mom…”

In her dream, Ais was a child again. Her expression—usually blank and stoic—was now bright and full of life, her smile dazzling as she clung to her mother’s clothes with tiny hands, unwilling to let go.

She’d forgotten where she was when her mother suddenly spoke.

“Ais, it’s time to wake up.”

“Wake up?”

Little Ais tilted her head in confusion.

Her mother smiled gently and tapped her forehead. “This is your dream, sweetheart. I’m just your memory. Don’t mix dreams with reality.”

The smile on Ais’s face faltered, her shoulders slumping.

“I don’t want to go,” she whispered. “There’s no you or Dad out there.”

Her mother stroked her hair tenderly. “Dreams are just the past, Ais. You still have to keep moving forward.”

“Your father and I will always be here, waiting for you in your dreams. But there are people outside waiting for you too.”

“If you want to see us again, you can always come back here. But for now…” She smiled softly. “You need to wake up.”

Before Ais could answer, the world around her began to blur.

And when it cleared again—

She was staring up at a familiar ceiling.

“…I’m awake.”