"But, Tsuna, starting out with a first-tier weapon won't really benefit you much. It'll make you overestimate yourself. It's easy to mistake what the weapon does for your own ability."
The moment Tione said it, everyone's eyes turned to her. Sawada Tsunayoshi understood perfectly well. An overly sharp weapon easily gives the wrong impression—especially when judging one's own strength.
"Yeah. Tione, I'm fully aware of that. I understand 'dependency' deeper than any other adventurer. My ability is simply too convenient—more convenient than a first-tier weapon. So I know that relying too much on a certain power leads to a warped assessment of myself."
"It's just that, right now, what I need to do is quickly adapt to this power. I can't pretend I won't 'rely' on it for the time being. Still, there are things I'm very clear about."
"This power is bounded by my imagination. And that imagination isn't arbitrary—it follows a certain logic. My own height is the horizon of that imagination. If I don't reach that height, my imagination—and therefore my power—stays capped at that level. You could say my ability comes from how rich my imagination is, and my imagination is enriched by the height I stand at."
"So, in the end, this ability gives me convenient access to a higher stage; if I want to make the most of it, I have to put myself at a higher vantage point. There's nothing to worry about—I know my own weight. I won't do things beyond my current capacity."
Tsuna recognized his power clearly and knew his limits. As for whether that power would become a "crutch," he was confident he could keep his mindset in check.
"If I ever lose control, I'm sure you'll wake me up."
"Mhm mhm. If something goes wrong, I'll definitely wake you up."
"Then I'll be in your care, Tiona. Just… go easy when you 'wake' me. With your strength, one slap might send my face flying."
Nine-nine-nine in Strength would really hurt. Tsuna could already feel phantom pain on his cheek. If Tiona actually slapped him, he felt like his whole life might just say goodbye.
Feeling trusted, Tiona smacked Tsuna on the shoulder, eyes sparkling. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle when the time comes."
"With your brute strength? One slap and Tsuna's headed straight into a wall."
Tione couldn't stand that mysterious confidence of her sister's. As the elder twin, she understood better than anyone how terrifying Tiona's raw power could be. A super-heavy weapon like Urga swung in her hands like a common stick. Saying she had no sense of 'light' and 'heavy' wasn't far off.
"Tiona, how about you sit out when that time comes. Leave waking Tsuna to me. The last thing we need is you really slapping him into the afterlife."
"Do you think you're any better, Tione? When you snap, your outburst is way more over-the-top than mine. What gives you the right to say that to me?"
"Because I stay rational a lot longer than you do. When I'm in my right mind, I'm much better at controlling my strength than you are."
Tione was quite confident in her control—at least far more than Tiona's.
Your strength is the same problem, Tione. One slap from you might take half my life too. Tsuna's phantom cheek pain flared even worse.
What's wrong with these two idiots? Bete stared oddly at the twins as they glared at each other. Tiona could get along with anyone; that he expected. But Tione? Wasn't this woman usually fixated on Finn?
If Bete could tell, so could the others.
"Finn, looks like Tiona, Tione, and that kid get along pretty well. Rare sight—Tiona's quick to befriend people, but it's unusual to see her hit it off this well with a newcomer."
Gareth was a little surprised. Tiona got along with most people, but this close was indeed rare. Tione's case was stranger still—she didn't usually get close to men, yet she seemed rather close to Tsuna.
"Tiona, Tione, and Ais all gravitate toward Tsuna. Ais has made herself a mess, thinking only about getting stronger. Otherwise, she'd be even closer to Tsuna by now—it's only a matter of time."
Ais would definitely try to approach Tsuna; Finn was almost certain. The power Tsuna possessed was exactly what Ais coveted most. On top of that, she'd already tasted the sweetness of growth from him; she wouldn't let that go.
"In the future, Tiona, Tione, Ais, and Tsuna often moving together would be a good thing. With Tsuna around to help Ais, she'll at least stop running to the Dungeon whenever she has nothing better to do."
"Agreed. That kid tends to overdo things. As long as she doesn't make the Dungeon spiral out of control, it's fine. Tiona and Tione get along well with Ais; the twins should be able to rein her in a little. Tsuna will be the buffer, and the big commotions those three cause should go down."
"Mhm. The question is whether Tsuna himself will start making big waves. With that ability of his, the ruckus he could cause would be far worse than the three of them combined."
"Same thought."
Riveria felt much the same as Finn. Right now, Tsuna looked like the most reliable of the four—but that was only because his power hadn't been dug into yet. Once he began to explore it, the tests alone might trigger incidents more severe than the other three put together.
Gareth looked over at the three and summed it up:
"So, putting the four of them together is actually a good thing. Ais gets held back by Tsuna. Tiona and Tione can hold back both Ais and Tsuna. And when Tsuna develops his power, he'll keep Tiona, Tione, and Ais's safety in mind. Four-way mutual defense—at least it keeps things safe."
"Same thought." *2
Riveria and Finn both agreed with Gareth's conclusion.
(End of Chapter)
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