Another crisp morning.
Even though it was just as hot outside as usual, the room remained pleasantly cool—so when Tsuna opened his eyes, it was in comfort, not heat.
Lying in bed, Tsuna turned his head toward the door with a puzzled look.
"What's going on lately? Why's someone waiting outside my door every morning?"
Yesterday, it had been Tiona, Tione, and Ais.
The day before that—also Tiona and Tione.
He sighed, shaking his head. Still, he got up and walked straight to the door.
"Ais?"
Standing outside was Ais Wallenstein, dressed in her usual white bodysuit.
She stood there quietly, blank expression as ever, making Tsuna momentarily unsure what to say.
"You're here early again?"
"Mm. Yesterday, things were busy. I thought you might be free today."
That answer caught Tsuna off guard.
"Ais, next time, just tell me if you need something. You don't have to wait at my door every morning."
"Oh."
She nodded obediently.
"I wanted to ask about the Strengthening Plan. Loki said... I'm not included."
Her tone was calm, but Tsuna could tell—her desire to grow stronger hadn't faded one bit. Still, the anxiety that used to gnaw at her had softened.
There was a different kind of light in her golden eyes now—reflected figures of two people dear to her. Her lips parted slightly.
"And... the World of Dreams. I want to go there again."
"Strength" and "the World of Dreams."
Tsuna understood immediately why she'd been standing at his door so early.
Still, he had to explain.
"The World of Dreams isn't something you can just enter freely," he said gently. "Even though I've set it up so people won't confuse dreams with reality, going in too often can make someone addicted to the peace and beauty there."
"So I can't let you enter casually."
The disappointment in Ais's expression was plain as day.
Becoming stronger was important—but being able to see her parents again in the World of Dreams meant even more.
Unfortunately, the only one who could send her there refused to do so. Just like Loki had warned her.
"Then... what should I do to get in?" she asked softly.
"Ais, the World of Dreams was meant to ease your anxiety about your strength," Tsuna explained. "Back then, your mental state was fragile, so I sent you there to help you find balance—to ease that fear."
"But I never intended for you to stay there."
"If you immerse yourself too deeply in that dream, you'll get stuck in the past. And what about the people waiting for you in the real world?"
Riveria...
The first person Ais thought of was Riveria.
Ever since she'd been rescued, Riveria had been the one taking care of her, watching over her with a calm strength Ais couldn't quite comprehend.
And not just Riveria—she had friends waiting for her too.
The mother and father in her dreams were frozen in time. But the people outside... they were living now.
I can't stay in the World of Dreams forever.
Ais realized that on her own.
"Maybe... occasionally? Just once in a while?" she asked hopefully.
"Occasionally is fine."
That small permission was enough to lift her spirits.
She wasn't sure what "occasionally" meant, but it was better than being shut out completely.
"As for the Strengthening Plan," Tsuna continued, "you were always included. That plan was made for all of you."
Ais blinked, staring at him blankly for a few seconds before her expression flattened again.
"Loki... bad."
The one who'd told her she wasn't part of the plan had been Loki.
If Tsuna said otherwise, then Loki must've lied.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No."
"Then wait for me. Let's eat together."
"Mm."
Tsuna went back inside, changed out of his sleepwear, washed up quickly, and returned. Together, he and Ais headed for the dining hall.
They were early, but the kitchen had been up even earlier.
After ordering breakfast, the two of them sat at an empty table.
"So," Ais began, "what exactly is the Strengthening Plan?"
"Loki didn't tell you anything about it?"
"No."
Tsuna sighed, thinking for a moment before explaining.
"The Strengthening Plan is designed to target each person's current weaknesses."
"Finn, Gareth, and Riveria each have their specialties. When the three of them fight together, they can exceed their theoretical limits. But if they're forced apart, each one becomes vulnerable in specific ways."
"So this plan focuses on that—on specialized training to cover those weaknesses."
Ais listened carefully this time, her brows slightly furrowed in concentration.
"So it's to strengthen what we're bad at... to handle more complicated fights," she murmured.
"Exactly." Tsuna nodded. "Your situation's actually better than theirs."
"You specialize in enhancement-type magic. You can precisely control your mana output, amplify your enchantments, and your chant time is extremely short. That means you can switch between ranged and close combat freely—that's your biggest advantage."
"But your weaknesses are physical strength and endurance. So your training will focus on improving both."
Tsuna pointed to her wrist.
"The Gravity Bracelet I gave you is key to that. It applies full-body pressure, forcing your muscles to adapt and grow stronger. The rest of your regimen will revolve around weighted training."
"And it's not just you—Riveria, Finn, even Gareth have areas they need to patch up."
"Gareth too?" Ais tilted her head, surprised.
"Yeah. For him, it's about pushing his strength and endurance to the absolute limit, and then raising his agility and dexterity ceiling. Once adventurers reach a certain level, growth has to be balanced, not just focused on one field."
"The areas you're good at should be pushed to their limits. The areas you're weak in—you fill those gaps. That's what high-level adventurers must do."
That, Tsuna believed, was the essence of true advancement.
Low-level adventurers could afford to specialize. But once you climbed high enough, specialization just made you predictable—an easy target.
So when you reached that height, what mattered most was balance—patching your flaws until even your weaknesses could hold their own.
That was the real meaning behind the Strengthening Plan.