"One week to finish some emergency contingencies."
Back in his room, Sawada Tsunayoshi mulled over the assignment Loki had given him. He had one week to prepare for this Dungeon expedition, and most of that prep would be support-oriented.
"The contingency plans have to address the 'abnormalities' in this expedition… and I still don't even know what's going on down there."
This was Tsuna's first time running into something like this. If even the upper floors were seeing a surge of monster births from nothing more than the aftershocks, it was hard to imagine what kind of upheaval the Dungeon itself was going through. Nothing in the memories he had contained any story that happened four years early like this.
"I can only make preparations based on what's in front of me now."
To be precise, it wasn't that he'd forgotten what happened—it was that he'd never seen a version of the story set at this time at all. Authors don't waste pages on 'nothing-happens' chapters. If they do, that's just 'padding.' Padding doesn't sell, and it wouldn't even pass an editor.
Support work wasn't exactly easy, either. Twirling his pen a bit clumsily, Tsuna reminded himself that, unlike the adventurers who charged the front, a supporter had a lot more angles to think through.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Newbie, we came to play!"
Tiona. From that bright, bubbly voice alone, Tsuna knew exactly who it was.
He set down his pen and opened the door. It wasn't just Tiona; Tione and Ais were standing with her.
Come to think of it, Finn had told Tiona and Tione to keep an eye on Ais and not let her into the Dungeon. That explained why the three of them were moving together—and it also explained why Tiona would come find him.
"Good evening, Tiona."
"Evening~"
Tiona's face always wore a smile—her cheerful, lively energy made everyone around her feel that the smile was real. Yet Tsuna could always sense there was… something else tucked beneath that grin.
Tiona glanced left and right, then quickly leaned in close.
"Newbie, you were gone all day. Did Mama drag you off for cram lessons?"
"Mama… you mean Riveria?"
The nickname made Tsuna chuckle. Because Riveria was so composed and reliable—always able to handle the Familia's problems—people jokingly called her "Mama." She herself wasn't fond of it, probably because it made her sound… old.
"It wasn't Riveria tutoring me about this world today. I went to the Dungeon with Finn."
"Eh?"
Ais's eyes went wide. Those yellow-green eyes brimmed with a strong emotion as she stared straight at Tsuna.
"Finn told me to stay home, but took someone else into the Dungeon. Unfair."
Even on a deadpan face, it still came across as obvious displeasure tinged with envy. With those eyes on him, Tsuna could feel it more keenly than anyone.
"Ais, if you didn't charge straight downward the moment you enter, the captain wouldn't have to put limits on you."
"Mm…"
Tione's single sentence hit Ais right where it hurt; the momentum of her indignation collapsed on the spot. It wasn't like Ais didn't know she caused trouble sometimes—but some urges were hard to resist.
"And if he took the leash off, you'd probably go on a spree. The captain put those limits on you because he's worried you'll do something outrageous. Besides, if you break the rules, he'll have Riveria give you a little 'reminder.'"
"!?"
Ais froze. Just thinking about the deep impression Riveria had left on her made certain parts of her feel hot. Whatever ironclad resolve she'd had was thoroughly extinguished.
Riveria really was the most effective. Tione knew better than anyone that Riveria was the person Ais feared most; bringing her up at times like this worked wonders. See? No matter how unruly Ais could be, she turned docile. Tione then looked over at Tsuna.
"Newbie, did the captain take you down today so you could acclimate?"
"That's one reason. Besides getting used to the environment, he wanted to see my initial growth and what I'm best at."
"That figures."
Tione nodded slightly. Of course there had to be a reason if the captain brought a newcomer into the Dungeon. But that raised another question for her.
"So how's your growth? No need to give numbers—just tell us your specialty."
"I'm good at a lot of things. But my strongest area is probably mana."
"Mana, that tracks."
Creating beasts from imagination—an ability like that was basically magic. Tione also felt Tsuna's strongest suit should be "mana." She reached out and patted his shoulder lightly.
"Work hard, newbie. You'll definitely become one of the Familia's linchpins. But before that, you need to raise your Level. You're someone who still needs protection; until you reach a certain threshold, the captain won't let you go alone. Once you've leveled up, you should be able to join our expedition team and push deeper together."
"I don't think it's going to be 'later.'"
"Eh?"
Tione wasn't the only one; even Ais and Tiona let out startled little sounds.
"I'm actually going to participate in this Dungeon expedition."
"This soon?"
Tiona's eyes nearly popped.
"No way. Your abilities would be useful even at Lv.1, sure—but knowing Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, I can't see them letting you join the expedition that early."
Tsuna's power was the kind that skewed above the curve; even at Lv.1 he could contribute beyond expectation. But Tiona knew that before Tsuna raised his Level, Finn was unlikely to add him to a major expedition team.
Did something happen? A spark of realization flashed through Tiona's mind.
"Did something happen?"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]