The night before the expedition.
Tiona and Tione Hiryute showed up at Loki's room—only to run right into Tsuna, who had come for a status update of his own.
"Tsuna, you're here for Loki too?"
"Yeah. I've been researching my abilities these past few days—mainly stuff related to exploration, weapon and armor creation, and physical training. Before heading out on the expedition, I wanted to update my Status and check where I'm at."
Besides creating functional and support-type beasts, Tsuna had started working on defensive ones as well—equipment meant for survival in the Dungeon. Defense was essential for an Adventurer; armor could mean the difference between life and death when monsters attacked.
As for weapons, Tsuna didn't need to rely on blacksmiths at all. Thanks to his Annihilation Maker, he could forge whatever he needed on the spot—temporary weapons with all kinds of unique abilities.
His gaze shifted to the two Amazoness sisters standing before him, particularly the metallic bands glinting on their wrists.
"So, you've been using them."
"Yep! This Gravity Bracelet is way heavier than I expected! Feels heavier than using Urga when I'm dead tired. After wearing it for a while, it's like my body's stuck in mud—I can barely move, and I tire out fast."
Tiona excitedly waved her arms as she described her experience.
"Even just keeping it at one times gravity without doing any actual training makes my whole body feel like lead. These past two days, just wearing it has been exhausting."
Tione nodded in agreement, though unlike her sister, her tone held no complaint—only a barely restrained thrill.
"Maintaining it at one times gravity is tough. The body takes time to adjust. But once you take it off… after the soreness fades, you feel light as air. The training effect is incredible."
Amazonesses were born warriors. Their hunger for strength burned fiercer than anyone else's—fighting and growing stronger were in their blood.
The straightforward nature of this training, and the tangible results it produced, had both sisters fired up. The fact that they could feel themselves getting stronger only pushed them to use the tool even more eagerly.
At that moment, something rare flickered in Tione's eyes—interest in a man. Not the kind of obsessive attraction she had for her captain, but a different kind—curiosity toward someone who might actually lead her and her sister down the path to greater strength. Tione could see more clearly than Tiona just how valuable Tsuna truly was.
"Tsuna, how should we train with these bracelets from now on?"
"It's mostly about habit," Tsuna explained. "You don't need to force special workouts while wearing them. Just live normally—keep the gravity active in your day-to-day routine. The longer you can maintain it, the better. Once your body adapts, raise the gravity level again. Training through habit like that will give you the best long-term results."
His gaze swept over the sisters again, curiosity flickering across his face.
"Tione, Tiona—do all Amazonesses hate wearing armor?"
"Pretty much. I don't know about all of us, but I've never liked it. When we train, armor just gets in the way. Most Amazonesses see it as a nuisance—it limits our movements in battle," Tione explained, folding her arms.
"Besides being inconvenient," she added, "our skills also play a part. The more damage we take, the more power we can unleash. Sometimes, Tiona and I won't even dodge attacks on purpose—taking hits directly can actually trigger greater strength."
"I see. So it's not just habit, but your whole fighting style. No wonder you both dress so... lightly."
Hearing that, the sisters exchanged amused glances before bursting into laughter.
"Yeah, it's partly for convenience and fighting style," Tione said with a grin. "But honestly, it's also part of our way of life. We Amazonesses respect wild, primal combat. Showing off our strength and wildness—it's also a way of attracting mates. We don't have males of our own race, so our courtship tends to be… well, wild."
"That's definitely… primal," Tsuna said with a small smile.
He didn't judge. Different races had different cultures, and those shaped their instincts and ways of life. The Amazonesses' approach was just another expression of survival through strength.
"But still," he added, "going into battle without any protection seems risky."
"True. In certain situations, it can be a pain. But armor that suits us usually ends up too heavy, and light armor barely helps at all," Tiona said, frowning.
Before she could keep sulking, Tione smacked her on the butt, earning a startled yelp.
"Idiot. If Tsuna brought it up, that means he's already planned something."
Tiona blinked, then gasped with excitement.
"Wait, wait! Tsuna—you made new gear for us!?"
"Something like that."
Tsuna extended his hand, and a piece of crimson cloth appeared in midair.
"This is something I made recently, taking safety into account. I call it the Shroud of Saint Remains. The name means 'the burial cloth of a saint.' It's got powerful physical and magical resistance, it's hard to tear, and it can protect against abnormal status effects."
"So many functions!?"
Tiona's eyes sparkled, and even Tione looked impressed.
"A fabric this thin with that kind of protection? That's insane. I've only heard of something like that—Riveria's royal cloak supposedly has similar properties. But why didn't you tell Captain Finn about this?"
"Because it's still in testing," Tsuna replied. "I'm not sure how long the effect will last yet. When I made your Gravity Bracelets, I confirmed I could stabilize creations without needing to include monster cores. Now I need to test how long defensive gear can hold up."
"Ah, so this is a test," Tione murmured, studying the red cloth with keen interest.
"In that case, Tiona and I will test it for you," she said finally. "But after that… all our future gear's on you. Deal?"
"Of course." Tsuna smiled. "I'll take care of it."