"Miss, I may not know much, but I'm not an idiot. Just looking at how this bath is set up, I can tell you're no ordinary woman. You've definitely got guards in this house. Yet despite all that noise just now, not a single one of them came rushing in. I seriously doubt they just… didn't notice."
Still facing away from her, Tsuna glanced toward the bath's doorway.
"If I'd made any suspicious move, someone would've already come in and taken my head off, wouldn't they?"
From the very start, Tsuna's pulse had been pounding in his ears—as if warning him not to make the wrong move.
He didn't know why his body was giving him that instinctive alert, but he chose to trust it.
"Oh~ your danger sense isn't bad at all."
The girl sounded amused. Then she called out toward the door.
"We're fine now, Finn. Call off the alert. Have everyone back off a bit."
"Loki… when this is over, you'd better give us a full explanation."
A youthful boy's voice came from outside—gentle but tinged with exhaustion, clearly the result of following her whims.
Tsuna didn't hear footsteps retreating, but he could feel the tension in his veins easing. At least for now, there didn't seem to be any immediate danger.
Just as he let out a quiet breath—and started wondering why she'd dismissed her guards so quickly—he suddenly felt the girl move closer. Her voice brushed against his ear.
"Hehe~ wondering why I called them off so fast? If I attacked you right now, you could easily overpower me, couldn't you?"
"Then why do it?"
Her tone was light, fearless. There was even a hint of curiosity—excitement, maybe.
That only made Tsuna more confused. What was this girl trying to do? He couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
"Hmm~ why? Because your behavior tells me you have a strong moral code."
That caught him off guard.
"If you were dangerous," she continued, "you wouldn't have turned around the instant you saw me. You'd have rushed me, taken control of the situation. The fact that you looked away right away—that's instinct, not thought. Your own sense of morality kicking in."
Her warm breath grazed the back of his ear, making him shiver a little. But what really got to him was her sharp insight.
She was… perceptive.
"A traveler from another world with a sense of ethics," she said softly. "Your upbringing built a wall inside you. Even now, when you're surrounded and outmatched, that wall still stops you from crossing certain lines."
Tsuna took a deep breath. She was right—he had been raised that way. And that same upbringing was what bound him now.
Still, being seen through so easily left him deflated.
She really pegged me that fast.
"So," the girl said cheerfully, "can we talk properly now?"
Tsuna hesitated, glancing around.
"Here?"
"Mm~ I think here's fine. Unless, of course, you'd rather talk face-to-face."
Me? Face-to-face? Tsuna's expression twitched. No way.
"This works just fine."
"Great. Then let's start with introductions. I'll go first. My name's Loki."
Loki? So this was a Western world after all? Tsuna thought silently.
"Tsunayoshi Sawada."
"Mm-hmm, got it. Now that we know each other's names, let's move on."
Her voice came closer again, softer this time.
"So, can you go back?"
The question made Tsuna pause.
"Lady Loki… if I could go back, I would've already done it."
"Oho~ now that's a lie."
How the hell did she—? Tsuna almost turned around on reflex.
"Thinking, 'how did she know'? Hehe~ your reactions are even better than I expected."
Loki's tone was pure mischief, brimming with delight at toying with him.
"But you did lie, didn't you?" she continued. "My question was, 'can you go back?' But you emphasized now. Which means you can't go back yet. Am I right?"
Her tone didn't change at all, but it still sent a ripple of tension down Tsuna's spine.
She'd read him perfectly.
He realized he couldn't win in a battle of wits against her. Every reaction he gave was like an open book.
And that ability of hers—to sense lies—it reminded him of the Vongola bloodline's Hyper Intuition. Maybe she had something similar.
"…Not exactly," he said at last. "I don't know if I can go back. I just hope I can find a way."
"Mhm. That wasn't a lie."
So it really was a lie-detecting ability. Tsuna was convinced now.
He hadn't lied—he'd spoken the truth as he saw it. And Loki had confirmed it instantly. It was the same kind of power that let someone feel the truth behind words.
"So right now, you can't go back. It'll take time to fix whatever's stopping you. But you're stuck in another world, and even if you can survive on your own… stability's another matter. This world has plenty of dangers."
Her tone turned sweetly persuasive—too smooth, too practiced. Tsuna didn't even need to look to picture the sly grin on her face.
"Lady Loki, you already have enough guards, don't you?" he asked.
"Finn and the others? Sure, they're strong. But none of them are as interesting as you." She laughed softly. "I'm very fond of unique people. And of course, I'd love to see whether you can actually find your way home… or maybe uncover what you're hiding."
Then her voice dropped, almost a whisper.
"Besides, if you leave here now, and anyone troublesome learns how different you are… well, let's just say they'd make me look harmless."
Her words were playful, but the warning beneath them was sharp enough to cut.
Tsuna's mind raced.
He didn't know anything about this world—only that the woman behind him was named Loki, and from the name alone, it sounded like a world modeled after Western mythology.
Which meant there were likely plenty of people here with power—and danger—to spare. Leaving Loki's domain could easily get him killed. The throbbing in his veins since his fall seemed to confirm as much.
So really, there was only one option left.
Tsuna took a long breath.
"Can I… set a few conditions?"