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Chapter 23: Clown God (Loki)
Having forced Finn to surrender, Tsuna stood victorious.
"Can you stand?" Tsuna asked, offering a hand to the fallen captain.
"Sorry about that." Finn sat up, grabbing Tsuna's hand, and pulled himself to his feet.
"So? Am I good to join the expedition?"
"Of course. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better addition."
Watching the spar with Ais had given Finn a glimpse of Tsuna's power, but experiencing it firsthand blew his expectations out of the water. Tsuna was a flawless combatant.
"Well, everyone?" Finn turned to his stunned Familia. "Does anyone still object to him joining us?"
Silence answered him. No one in their right mind was going to object to a guy who had just systematically dismantled their captain. If anything, they were more worried about dragging him down.
"Hold it right there!!"
A single voice shattered the silence. It was Loki, marching straight toward them with a scowl on her face.
"Hey!! You there!!"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you!! Just what the hell are ya!?" Loki demanded, pointing an accusatory finger directly at Tsuna's face.
"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself before demanding names from others?" Tsuna asked flatly.
"Guh... Fine. I'm Loki. The head of the Loki Familia."
"I see. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. So? What do you want?"
"Word is, you're a brand-new adventurer who just rolled into Orario!!"
"What about it?"
"What about it!? Everything about it!! There ain't no way a fresh-off-the-boat rookie can beat Finn!! It's physically impossible!! Who the heck are ya!?"
In Orario, an adventurer's strength was dictated entirely by their Status, skills, magic, and Level. Defeating an opponent with a vastly superior Status was generally considered impossible.
Tsuna had barely been in Orario for any length of time. A Level 1 beating a Level 6 defied the laws of reality. Even if he had been part of a Familia outside the city, the monsters on the surface yielded minuscule amounts of Excelia compared to the Dungeon. The strongest adventurers outside Orario capped at Level 2 or 3. Winning was a mathematical impossibility.
"I'd rather keep that to myself," Tsuna replied calmly.
"Hah!? Why!?"
"I told you, Loki," Finn interjected. "One of the conditions for his cooperation is that we do not pry into his background. If we press the issue, he walks. Losing his strength right now would be a massive blow to our operation. Please, drop it."
"W-What kinda bogus rule is that!?"
Loki ground her teeth, immensely frustrated that the single most interesting mystery in front of her was legally off-limits.
"Fine! Then at least tell me which Familia you belong to!? That much ain't a secret, right!?"
"I'm in the Hestia Familia."
"YOU'RE WITH THAT PIP-SQUEAK!?" Loki shrieked, her face contorting into an ugly mask of pure hatred.
"I heard you didn't get along, but I guess the rumors are true," Tsuna deadpanned.
"Darn right it's true!! I hate her guts!! She's a cheeky little pip-squeak!! And yet, somehow, she's way bigger than I am...!!"
Loki's rage suddenly dissolved into despair. She slumped her shoulders, looking utterly defeated.
Loki had a severe inferiority complex regarding her chest. Compared to Hestia's notoriously massive proportions, Loki was completely flat. She could have all the wealth, fame, and power of the strongest Familia in the city, but she couldn't magically alter her own bust size.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tsuna said, tilting his head in genuine confusion. "How could she be? Anyone can see you're bigger."
"Hah!? Are you pickin' a fight with me, punk!?"
"Why would you think that...? It's an objective fact."
H-He ain't lying!? He seriously thinks I'm bigger!?
Deities could flawlessly detect the lies of mortals. She knew instantly that Tsuna was speaking the absolute, unvarnished truth from the bottom of his heart.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi, was it...?"
"Yeah."
"You... you're a really great guy!!"
"Huh...?"
Loki, who had been glaring daggers at him a second ago, suddenly beamed with a radiant, ear-to-ear smile, showering him with praise. Tsuna stood there, completely dumbfounded by the terrifying mood swing.
"Sorry 'bout earlier! Didn't mean to snap at ya!"
"U-Uh, right..."
"Listen, if you ever get sick of the Shorty's Familia, come join mine! The door's always open for a guy like you! See ya later!"
Humming a cheerful tune, Loki skipped happily back into Twilight Manor.
"Just to be absolutely clear," Finn whispered, leaning in close to Tsuna. "When you said Loki was 'bigger', you were talking about her height, correct...?"
"Obviously. What else would I be talking about?"
I knew it... Finn sighed internally.
Deities could detect lies, but they couldn't detect misunderstandings. Because Tsuna was genuinely referring to height, his words scanned as the absolute truth. Loki, thoroughly blinded by her own complex, naturally assumed he was talking about breasts.
"Hestia barely comes up to my chest. Obviously Loki is taller," Tsuna muttered.
You can read my mind in combat... so how can you be this dense out of it? Finn wondered, utterly baffled by the boy's social obliviousness.
"For a goddess, she seems surprisingly insecure. She should have a little more confidence in herself," Tsuna added.
"Please. I'm begging you. Never explain this to Loki," Finn pleaded, his face pale.
"Why not?"
"Please... Your very life depends on it..."
"O-Okay..."
Tsuna had no idea why clarifying the height difference was a matter of life and death, but the pure terror in Finn's eyes convinced him to take the vow of silence.
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