"Daydreaming, are we?"
"!?"
That face suddenly appearing right in front of her startled Hephaestus so much she almost jumped.
Once she saw who it was, she let out a slow breath and shot the visitor an exasperated look.
"Loki, could you at least knock before you come in?"
"How do you think I got in?"
Loki pointed over her shoulder toward the door.
It had been opened normally—not kicked down or forced. In other words, she'd entered perfectly properly.
"I used the front door, fair and square. But you, on the other hand, seem a little off—that lovestruck look on your face... are you still floating in the clouds over Tsuna's proposal yesterday?"
"???"
Hephaestus froze, staring at her in disbelief.
"You knew?"
That response, however, made Loki tilt her head with a sly grin.
"What do you think?"
"That kid's first proposal was to me. He told me the moment he got back yesterday—after all, we had an agreement from the start. No matter who he falls for, he has to tell me."
"There was such an agreement?"
Hephaestus blinked, a bit taken aback.
"Of course. You think I'd just let some bad woman get close to Tsuna?"
"'Bad woman'? Meaning?"
"Those indecent, self-indulgent types. Like that greedy Freya or that lustful Ishtar."
Loki didn't hesitate to name names.
"Anything connected to 'beauty' tends to be trouble, if you ask me."
It was a sweeping statement—but Hephaestus found herself nodding in agreement.
"True enough. Whether it's Freya or Ishtar, neither has a good reputation. Still, I doubt it. Tsuna's taste isn't that bad."
"...That, I'll agree with."
Both goddesses relaxed, a quiet sense of relief washing over them. The boy they both cared for clearly had better judgment than that.
Once the conversation began to flow, the awkward tension between them eased considerably.
"So, does your side have anyone else? I only have Tsubaki."
"..."
"Mine's just Tiona and Tione. They've always been close with Tsuna, around his age too. Since he's shown them more of himself than most, it's natural they've gotten attached."
Hephaestus nodded slightly. That did make sense.
Thinking about it, Tsubaki and the Amazon sisters were indeed the ones who'd spent the most time with him.
And since Tsuna never hid his power from those he trusted within the Familia, his brilliance—combined with that closeness—made it unsurprising that feelings might grow.
The Amazons and Dwarves weren't exactly subtle about such things. When they liked someone, they said it—and they pursued it.
As for herself and Loki... well, she'd been on the receiving end of a sudden, heartfelt proposal. She had no idea about Loki's exact situation, but it was probably similar.
"There've been plenty of mortals who've fallen in love with gods before," Hephaestus mused, "but two goddesses being proposed to by the same child... that's rare."
"Yeah, well, gods and mortals have different clocks ticking. The flirty ones don't care—they move on fast, even after watching lovers die. But for some of us, it's... different."
Loki spread her hands, gesturing between herself and Hephaestus.
"When it comes to feelings, we only get serious once. This is it."
She knew herself well enough—and she knew Hephaestus was the same.
Receiving that kind of understanding from another goddess brought a small, genuine smile to Hephaestus's lips.
"But... are you sure Tsuna's okay?"
Hephaestus's tone grew more serious. She knew what made that boy special—and how heavy the expectations placed upon him were.
"Putting so much hope on his shoulders... won't it be too much?"
"I used to think so too."
"Used to?"
"That's right—used to. As in, before this morning."
Loki nodded and sighed helplessly.
"I thought he'd slowly chip away at the limits of mortality... but it turns out his ability is absolutely absurd. He's already made a 'Backup Plan.'"
"Huh? A Backup Plan? For immortality?"
Hephaestus stared, stunned.
"He created a Holy Grail that can reverse life and death—and even interfere with space and causality."
"I knew his power could help him reach longevity faster, but I didn't think he'd already prepared for every possibility."
Loki spread her hands. Even she hadn't known about that.
"Basically, if he can't achieve immortality himself, he can fall back on the Backup Plan."
"No wonder..."
Hephaestus exhaled softly, reassured rather than alarmed.
If he had a Backup Plan, then pursuing immortality through other means wasn't reckless at all—it was practical.
"Anyway," she added after a pause, "what did you come here for today?"
Loki's lips twitched.
"We had an appointment to discuss the Joint Expedition. Don't tell me you forgot?"
Hephaestus froze, resting her chin on her hands and answering with feigned confidence:
"Of course not. I was just about to ask—since you came straight here, what exactly did you want to talk about?"
You totally forgot! Loki pouted, but she let it slide.
"Besides the Joint Expedition, there's something else. It's about traveling to the other world."
"Tsuna's already synchronized the time flow between both worlds," Loki continued. "He's ready to explain everything to his mother."
"Tell her directly?"
"Yeah. Right now, the two worlds are mostly still in stasis. But once they start interacting more, their times will begin to align. So while Tsuna's here, his Puppet will stay there. His mother's bond with him is too deep—she'd see through it immediately. That's why he plans to tell her the truth."
"..."
"And about us, too."
Hephaestus nodded quietly. That wasn't something easily hidden.
"So, I was thinking—shouldn't we send his mother a gift? Since Tsuna will be staying here for quite a while, it's only right to give her some assurance."
"That's true."
Hephaestus nodded again. A gift was appropriate.
"Luckily, I don't have much else to do right now. I'll handle it."