"But Tsuna, starting out with a first-class weapon isn't really a good thing for you," Tione said, drawing everyone's attention the moment she opened her mouth. "It'll make you overestimate your own strength. People might mistake the weapon's power for your own."
Tsuna understood that perfectly well. Using a weapon that was too sharp could give you the wrong impression—especially when it came to judging your own abilities.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, Tione. The problem of dependency—I understand that better than anyone. My ability is way too convenient. Honestly, even more so than a first-class weapon. I know how easy it is to start relying on power and lose sight of my true limits."
He paused for a moment, his expression calm but resolute.
"But right now, my priority is getting used to this power as quickly as possible. I can't just say, 'I'll avoid relying on it,' because that's not realistic at the moment. Still, I'm fully aware of what I can and can't do."
"This power is bound by my imagination. But imagination isn't some limitless thing—it's guided by logic and understanding. My personal growth defines how far that imagination can go. If I can't reach a certain height myself, then my imagination—and by extension, my creations—will never surpass it. You could say my ability depends on the breadth of my imagination, and my imagination depends on how high I can climb."
"So in the end, my power gives me the means to reach a higher stage. To use it properly, I have to keep pushing myself upward. There's no need to worry about me—I know my limits. I won't cross a line I can't handle."
Tsuna's tone was firm, his self-awareness clear. He understood his ability and the responsibility that came with it. As for the risk of dependency—he was confident he could manage that.
"If I ever lose control," he added with a small smile, "I trust you guys will knock some sense into me."
"Mhm! If you start losing it, I'll definitely wake you up!" Tiona declared proudly.
"I'm counting on you, Tiona. Just... maybe go easy on me when you do? With your strength, one slap from you might send me flying."
Even as he said it, Tsuna could already feel phantom pain on his cheek. A single hit from someone with a power level of 999? Yeah, that'd hurt—a lot. He was pretty sure he'd be waving goodbye to his life before he hit the ground.
Tiona laughed and smacked him on the shoulder, eyes sparkling. "Don't worry! I'll be gentle when I do it!"
"Gentle, huh?" Tione snorted.
As Tione glared at her sister, everyone could see the annoyance written all over her face. As the older twin, she knew better than anyone just how terrifying Tiona's strength really was. That massive blade, Urga, weighed more than most people could even lift—yet Tiona swung it like a wooden stick. "Gentle" wasn't really in her vocabulary.
"Tiona, maybe just sit back when that happens. I'll be the one to knock some sense into Tsuna. I'd rather not see you accidentally send him to heaven."
Tiona's brows shot up. "Like you're any better, Tione! When you lose it, your strength goes completely off the charts. You've got no right to lecture me!"
"That's because I actually stay rational most of the time," Tione shot back smugly. "When I'm calm, I can control my strength a lot better than you can."
She said it with such confidence that Tsuna couldn't even argue—but the thought alone made his phantom pain worse. Honestly, your slap would probably kill me too, Tione...
Watching the sisters bicker, Bete just stared blankly, tail flicking in disbelief. What the hell was wrong with these two? Tiona arguing with someone wasn't weird—but Tione getting riled up like this? That was new. Wasn't she supposed to be the one always pining for Finn?
Apparently, everyone else noticed too.
"Finn," Gareth said, raising an eyebrow, "looks like Tiona and Tione get along with that kid pretty well. Not something you see every day. Usually, it's rare for them to take such a liking to a newbie."
"Yeah," Finn agreed with a small chuckle. "Tiona gets along with everyone, but it's rare for her to actually click with someone like that. And Tione's case is even stranger—she's never been this close with any guy before. But with Tsuna, it's… different."
"Not just them," Finn continued. "Ais, too—she's close with Tsuna. Well, she would be, if she weren't such a mess right now, obsessing over training. Otherwise, she'd be right there with them. It's only a matter of time."
Finn was certain of it. Ais would definitely draw closer to Tsuna. His ability was exactly the kind of power she longed for—and she'd already experienced the benefits firsthand. There was no way she'd let that go.
"In the future, having Tiona, Tione, Ais, and Tsuna together isn't a bad thing," Gareth said thoughtfully. "If Ais has Tsuna to help her, she won't keep running off to the Dungeon just because she's bored."
"True," Riveria nodded. "That girl tends to overdo things. As long as she doesn't cause chaos in the Dungeon, I'll consider it a win. And since Tiona and Tione get along with her too, they can help keep her grounded. Tsuna will act as the stabilizer—if he's around, the three of them will probably cause less trouble."
Finn smiled wryly. "Yeah. Though honestly, the real problem might be Tsuna. His ability could cause way bigger incidents than anything those three could manage combined."
"Agreed," Riveria said, sighing.
Gareth folded his arms, summing it up neatly. "All the more reason to keep the four of them together. Ais will be anchored by Tsuna. Tiona and Tione can restrain both Ais and Tsuna. And when Tsuna experiments with his powers, he'll be careful because he won't want to endanger them. Mutual restraint—mutual protection. Four-way balance."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Both Finn and Riveria voiced their agreement in unison.