"S-So big…"
Tiona stared wide-eyed at the towering treehouse before her, stunned. She had just watched it open from a metal zipper stuck to the wall like it was a sliced-out pocket of space.
"Is this a forest? There's even a moon in the sky?"
She could breathe in the scent of trees; the grass underfoot gave off a fresh, green aroma. In moments, Tiona concluded this place was utterly safe—no hint of danger. Part of her wanted to throw herself onto the lawn and roll.
"Yeah. It's a place I imagined would be nice: a treehouse in a forest, with natural scenery but also livable space. There are many floors inside. I don't know the exact number of girls in the Familia, so I imagined the treehouse tall enough to fit a lot. Once I know the headcount, I can adjust it."
Listening to Tsunayoshi's explanation, the three looked up—and couldn't even see the top. A treehouse like this could probably hold the entire Familia.
So this is the 'imagination creates beasts' ability's true gold content? For the first time, Tiona grasped just how over-tuned Tsuna's power was. With imagination alone, he'd crafted a space like this.
"Newbie, if someone's locked in here, is there a way to get out?"
"Practically none—unless they have space magic, and even then they'd better know how to fix spatial coordinates, or they might dump themselves who-knows-where."
Tsuna's first thought flashed back to his own sudden brainwave yesterday—opening a door to transit on purpose—only to fall from the sky and almost die for it.
"That dangerous?"
"Space-type powers are risky without control. With control, I doubt any monster could withstand a single 'cut' from spatial force. Once confined here, I don't think any creature could escape."
Space and time both fall under 'taboo' because they are terrifyingly strong. Anything that brushes against them is never weak. Tsuna wasn't sure if anyone in Orario wielded something like that.
For now, at least, no one should be able to flee this place—or break in. He couldn't be certain, so he left it at "for now."
"Let's check inside. I don't really know what environment girls prefer, so I'll need to make some adjustments."
Adjustments…? Tiona and Tione exchanged a look with the colossal treehouse before them. With safety and comfort both solved, they couldn't imagine what still needed changing. If the rest of the Familia saw this, they'd go mad with joy.
"I have a request!"
Ais sprang to her feet.
"I want a place to train. Finn won't let me go to the Dungeon—can we have a training ground here?"
Her eyes sparkled. If Finn, Gareth, and Riveria wouldn't let her grind in the Dungeon, then she'd just train somewhere safe. She'd never figured out how to get a practice field that met her standards—until now. The 'someone' who could build it stood right in front of her.
"A dedicated training space? That's not too hard."
This rest space didn't require that much extra imagination; adding a training element was doable. After thinking it through, Tsuna nodded.
"Ais, do you want combat experience, or raw physical stats?"
"There's a difference?"
"A big one. If it's experience, I'll pit you against an opponent you can't easily overcome—then layer on traits like mana-devouring or magic reflection. With those, you'd be fighting under a built-in disadvantage."
Mana-devouring? Magic reflection? Tiona and Tione's eyes flew open. Enemies like that were already nightmare counters for adventurers. If you didn't take them down fast, even an entire Familia could buckle under their assault.
"Want!"
Ais's eyes shone like two lamps. Her craving for strength had hardened into obsession. Until now, she'd been tormented by the lack of suitable opponents; presented with one, she was nothing but thrilled.
"Hold it, Ais!"
"Yeah—wait!"
Jolted from their daze by Ais's reaction, Tiona and Tione hurried to stop her. This wasn't a joke.
"Ais, listen. If the newbie makes monsters like that, you won't be able to beat them. Your magic is your greatest weapon; if it's countered, you'll barely scratch his constructs. And a mana-devouring beast? If your mana gets eaten, how do you fight? With your mana dry, it could become life-threatening. Do you want to die?"
In that moment, Tione fully felt how dangerous it was to create monsters custom-countered by intel. Just the two traits Tsuna mentioned could overturn Orario's balance.
Let either of those loose in the city and any mage-type adventurer would despair: one bounces spells, the other absorbs mana—an apocalyptic memo addressed to all casters.
If the newbie started rolling out monsters that countered common adventurers, the whole of Orario together might not match him. Tione also understood why the captain had slammed a gag order on anything about Tsuna yesterday. Without that, before he even grew up, the entire Loki Familia would become a target for all of Orario.
"But—"
"No buts!"
Tione shut down Ais's objections with force. Leaning to her ear, she whispered:
"Ais, what face do you think Riveria would make if she heard you say that?"
Riveria! Ais's waver and frustration froze over. In her mind's eye, Riveria's image—complete with devilish horns—swelled until it filled her pupils. Ais paled and shook her head hard.
"No more, no more."
Phew… Riveria never fails. Only after Ais relented did Tione finally exhale. With Ais handled, she turned to Tsuna.
"Newbie, you be careful too. Your power is special—don't spoil Ais. When it's about training, she only has one track in her head. You can't be like her."
"And run your actions by the captain first. If he's busy, go to Loki, Riveria, or Gareth. Just don't cater to Ais's every ask. That's how accidents happen."
"Got it. I'll be careful."
Good grief. When this newbie teams up with Ais, we'll need to keep both eyes open. His destructive potential is way above Ais's. Tione wiped the cold sweat that had sprung on her brow.
(End of Chapter)
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