🎉🎉🎉SCIAW: Chapter 566/571

Chapter 566: “Mind-Reading Detective”

"Still the same question. How do you plan to continue your acting?"

After getting a general understanding of the Telepathist specialization, Sakuya once again brought the topic back to acting.

"Let me say this first. If you keep doing mind reading, I'm not going to be your guinea pig anymore."

"No, I won't."

Chika quickly waved her hand, feeling that if she were a moment slower, her reputation would really be destroyed.

"This time, the acting definitely won't be like before. The previous experience already taught me that extraordinary abilities must be restrained. Otherwise, serious problems will arise."

"Having learned from that lesson, I plan to act from an observer's perspective this time. Through daily observation, I'll read people's inner thoughts and complete the Telepathist's acting."

"Also, to prepare for the next stage as a Psychiatrist, I plan to start reading psychology books. My mom said she can help arrange internal psychological counseling work for civil servants later, which would count toward my Psychiatrist acting."

"That's pretty good."

Sakuya also felt this was a fitting arrangement after hearing it.

Starting preparations for the next Sequence this early was ideal. The Psychiatrist acting required interacting with people suffering from mental health issues. Sakuya knew that many civil servants in government offices genuinely needed help like this.

Even as a young lady, she understood that the stress on regular people in this world was steadily increasing.

If ordinary people were like that, then the hardworking gears in national institutions were under even more strain.

She also knew how terrifyingly high the work pressure for Japanese civil servants was.

However, this was a good opportunity for Chika. At least during the Psychiatrist stage, she wouldn't have to worry about lacking "patients" for her acting.

"But if not us, then who else can be the guinea pigs?"

The Telepathist ability was quite specialized, and the mind-reading method had become more refined. It could even detect four layers of auras invisible to the human eye.

It could see the color of physical health and emotional state, further strengthening its ability to judge people's thoughts.

So, the question now was, how should the acting continue?

"Aren't there still others?"

Kaguya suddenly spoke up.

"That online magic chat group that Sonoko joined before, didn't they have an offline meetup at the villa on the mountainside?"

"Ah."

Only then did everyone remember that something like that existed.

But their expressions also turned a bit strange, and Chika directly asked:

"Kaguya, didn't you say before that something would happen at that offline gathering Sonoko mentioned in the group?"

Kaguya nodded.

"That's what I said. If something does happen to them, you can use your ability to read their thoughts. If nothing happens, then just read their minds to let everyone see the dangers of meeting strangers from online."

"We don't want to be guinea pigs because we know, but they don't, so naturally, there won't be any problem."

Those who were aware would feel uncomfortable. But those who weren't aware, how could they feel uncomfortable?

Then, the smile on Kaguya's face deepened, especially as she recalled Chika's old title.

"And I've also come up with a great idea to help with your acting. We can tie it to our situation and go out more often."

"For example, Chika, you could become a high school girl detective."

"Eh?"

Chika, who was suddenly suggested, had already turned into dot eyes at this point.

"That's right!"

After a few seconds of being stunned, everyone showed an expression of realization.

Indeed, as a Sequence 8 Telepathist, if Chika wanted to maximize her ability and progress her acting, the best route in this world would be to become a detective.

"Telepathist Detective, how does that sound?"

Kaguya suggested with a smile in her eyes.

"Hmm... forget the name. My previous title was Love Detective, and I'm not that into cases."

Chika seemed a bit troubled now.

Kaguya didn't continue asking for Chika's opinion and turned to Ren.

"Ren, what do you think?"

"I think... the suggestion is pretty good. When the people around you aren't suitable as targets, focusing on others might be the best path."

Ren thought it through carefully. This arrangement really might suit Chika.

The target of a Telepathist is the client, allowing insight into the direction of a case and the ability to intervene in different stories.

On one hand, she would observe cases and witness the emergence of stories. On the other, she could alter them as needed.

There was potential here.

Though Ren didn't like standing in the spotlight or seeing people around him in it either, being a detective didn't necessarily mean drawing attention.

Besides, sometimes the brightest spotlight hides the deepest darkness.

Moreover, after reaching Sequence 7, Chika would also become a Psychiatrist.

Not just Chika. Even Shiho would follow the same path. After reaching Sequence 8, she would begin her acting as a physician, another profession requiring close contact with others.

A Psychiatrist and physician could work together perfectly.

Just like Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

And if you go out with Sherlock Holmes, then Watson's professional skills can also be utilized.

At this point, Chika wasn't so resistant anymore, but she had another concern.

"Then where would the cases come from?"

"As for cases, start with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. As an Inspector in Investigative Division One, Miwako can bring you into cases she's working on and have you act as a psychological consultant."

"You don't need to be in the spotlight at all. Just credit everything to Miwako. She was just promoted to Inspector, and even if she racks up achievements, she won't be promoted again right away."

"These achievements won't create too much pressure for Miwako."

"And when catching criminals, you can also support Miwako's acting."

"After all, we only have about a year of normal growth left."

The problem of confronting a deity in a year was already looming.

It was indeed time to get serious, especially when it came to enhancing their strength.

"Of course, proper disguises are still necessary. Just like with Shiho and the others."

Once a decision was made, it was impossible to completely discard identity concealment.

Ren then offered his solution: cognitive interference.

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 567: The Body in the Snow

Crossing the dimensional gate and following Hayasaka's footsteps, they arrived at the snow mountain villa where the offline gathering was being held.

"!?"

Everyone's pupils shrank the moment they arrived.

It wasn't due to the scenery, but because there was a corpse lying flat in front of the villa.

The body was deathly pale, its eyes wide open, as if filled with unresolved resentment.

"This isn't exactly unexpected."

Ren, who had already predicted this outcome, didn't show any surprise.

As he had mentioned before, many cases were triggered by Sonoko's various invitations.

"It's like Final Destination."

Kaguya shook her head slightly, her gaze toward Sonoko changing subtly.

She scanned the surroundings. There were no footprints near the body, and the corpse wasn't buried in snow. From what she recalled, the snowfall on the mountain had stopped just before dusk yesterday. Which meant this person likely died before that time.

"There are no tracks around the body. It's hard to imagine how it ended up in the middle of this snowy area."

"Yeah, it really is hard to imagine."

Nagi nodded lightly and quickly began her analysis.

"There's no sign of disturbance around, and no snow has settled on the corpse. This means it was moved here after the snow had stopped."

"There are no trails nearby, and there's no large equipment like a crane either. Under normal circumstances, moving a body more than ten meters from the villa without leaving a trace would be nearly impossible."

"An adult male weighs around 70 kilograms. For an average person, tossing such a weight more than three meters would already be pushing it. Throwing it over ten meters is simply impossible, even from a higher elevation."

"Also, the body is laid out cleanly on the snow. If it had been thrown, there would be obvious marks or rolling indentations."

"Unless it was someone like us, this would be an impossible crime."

After finishing, Nagi turned her gaze outward.

Roughly thirty meters away from the snow villa was a dense forest, but there were still no footprints between the trees and the villa.

"The surroundings are all forest, and judging from how dense it is, I doubt they could have brought in any large equipment like a crane."

"And something that obvious would have stood out anyway."

Ren's gaze swept across the distant forest. His fingers tapped lightly on his thumb. In this spiritually active area, he detected two abnormal black points, their positions rather delicate.

He turned to look at the highest window of the snow villa, the one directly aligned with the corpse.

In his mind, he connected those two points and the window, forming a triangle. Including the corpse's position, he roughly deduced how it had been moved there without leaving any footprints.

"What if it was like this?"

"Bang!"

Several colored lines appeared in the air, connecting the two forest points with the villa's window, forming a stacked triangle. Two thin lines at the pivot points intersected precisely at the spot where the body lay.

The clear layout instantly made everyone understand the method used.

Hayasaka immediately went to where the lines connected. Following the direction, she found two arrows still embedded in the trees.

"The arrows are still here, and there are no footprints around. They probably didn't get a chance to retrieve them."

By now, everyone had a clear idea of how the corpse had been transported.

"There's no visible trace of ropes here... Could it have been carried while flying?"

Sakuya glanced toward the thick forest.

"This method would explain how the body got here, but those arrows are the most damning evidence. Leaving them behind would be risky, wouldn't it?"

"Sakuya, I noticed there's a gorge along the road leading to this snow villa. Judging from the layout, directly opposite the villa is that very gorge. If someone aimed in that direction when firing the arrow, they were probably targeting the far end of the suspension bridge."

Maria reminded her.

"You mean... the suspension bridge was destroyed?"

Sakuya immediately caught on.

"To plan and prepare something like this, the intent was clearly murder."

Then she turned to look at Sonoko with a complicated expression.

"Sonoko, don't tell me you joined that chat group because you knew something was going to happen?"

She hadn't forgotten that Sonoko had nearly attended the offline gathering of that so-called magic chat group.

"???"

Sonoko blinked, full of confusion.

"Sakuya, do you think I'm someone who doesn't understand the basics of danger?"

"It's exactly because I know there are unknown risks when dealing with strangers online that I don't join offline meetups. I think chatting online is fine, but going offline is unnecessary."

"If I had known something like this would happen with that group, do you think I'd have stayed involved?"

"Fair enough."

Sakuya scratched her head. She had received similar risk education and understood that logic.

"It really just comes down to bad luck, Sonoko. You casually joined a chat group and something like this happened."

Yeah... even Sonoko was beginning to suspect her luck. She had only chatted online for a bit, and now the group's offline meetup had turned into a murder scene.

Looking at the corpse frozen in the snow, it was hard to imagine what kind of hatred or madness had led to someone setting up such a scheme.

"Don't overthink it. Sonoko encountering this isn't a coincidence."

Ren flatly denied the idea that this was just chance, defining the situation as an inevitable result of fate.

"Even if the choices differ, similar fates will crash into us eventually. That might be the exact nature of the Key of Light I'm seeking through destiny."

"Still, that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially for us right now."

Everyone nodded slightly in agreement.

They could no longer afford to relax like before. Now that they knew they would face a quasi-deity in the future, they had to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 568: The Thief and the Witch

"Ah!?"

A startled scream suddenly rang out from inside the villa, and the next moment, a slightly plump man burst through the door and rushed out.

He quickly knelt beside the body, placing his hand on its neck. It was cold as ice, the body completely frozen. The man had clearly been dead for a long time.

The plump man turned sharply and shouted, "Don't come any closer!"

His words caused the others who had followed behind him to freeze in place.

"It's no use. Mr. Hamano has been dead for some time."

He scanned the people behind him, their expressions grim, then turned back to the body.

"Besides, if you step any closer, you'll disturb the scene."

"What does that mean?"

In the end, most of the people here were ordinary. Faced with such a sudden situation, their minds were under heavy strain, and they couldn't immediately grasp what was happening.

The plump man pointed to the snow-covered ground and the area surrounding the body.

"Mr. Hamano's body is ten meters away from the villa. Before we ran over, there weren't any footprints in the snow."

"I was the only one who reached the body."

"In short, this is an impossible crime."

The others finally took notice of the scene outside.

Just as the man said, only one person was near the corpse. Other than his footprints, there was just one set of tracks around the body.

The snow was too clean. So clean it didn't look like something natural.

"On the snow, so pristine it had almost no disturbance, a body suddenly appeared. There's no heavy piling or drag marks around it either, meaning the body wasn't thrown."

"In simple terms, this isn't something an ordinary person could pull off."

Just then, a red-haired girl leaning casually against the villa's door, standing at the very back of the crowd, added with a calm voice.

"What's the condition of the body?"

The plump man examined it again. The purplish-blue ligature marks on the neck were very obvious, indicating asphyxiation by strangulation. Apart from the neck, the clothes were neat, and there were no signs of a struggle.

"There are clear ligature marks. He was strangled to death. No other visible wounds."

"Ligature marks… that means this was done by someone close. If the killer wasn't someone the victim trusted, he wouldn't have allowed them to get close. But because it was strangulation, even we girls could've done it."

The red-haired girl calmly included herself among the potential suspects.

The atmosphere grew heavier.

However, after making her point, the girl shifted her gaze toward the open snowy field with a hint of doubt.

Strange… why do I feel like we're being watched?

The plump man slowly backed away, retracing his steps, using his own footprints.

The others followed suit, carefully retreating into the villa.

In the alternate dimension, Chika was watching in spectator mode, silently observing everyone's reactions.

Though it was only for a brief moment, she had already completed her observation and captured the most crucial, abnormal behavior.

"The culprit is the woman with the mole at the corner of her mouth."

She exited spectator mode as she spoke. Her once still eyes began to ripple again.

"Everyone else reacted normally, but that woman… her reaction wasn't fear. It was joy."

"In that kind of situation, only the murderer would feel joy. That proves her resentment toward the deceased ran deep. My judgment is that it was an act of revenge or something similar."

Her analysis stunned those around her.

"So fast."

"Hehe~"

Chika happily accepted the praise.

"Because I can see auras, I can discern someone's emotions through their Astral Body. In such shocking circumstances, it's even easier to identify a person's true state of mind."

"That red-haired girl… she seems to have noticed us."

Chika also noticed it. She hadn't expected anyone to be aware of their presence in the alternate dimension.

"Koizumi Akako. A person with special abilities."

Ren had already noticed the girl standing at the back and immediately identified her.

"Koizumi Akako... Ah, she's the one you mentioned before, Ren."

Chika remembered. Back at the Suzuki Zaibatsu banquet, Ren had brought up her name.

She quickly recalled seeing a girl in a red dress that day, a very striking figure.

Her thoughts immediately shifted to the man who had rushed out earlier.

"Ren, was that guy just now Kaito Kid? The one we saw before?"

Being able to see auras meant being able to see through appearances. Spiritual vision could easily expose a simple disguise.

The man who had rushed forward... the internal organs in his Astral Body didn't match his external features.

His hidden emotions also carried a trace of sorrow.

"It's him."

Ren nodded.

"His presence here is probably related to this case."

"As for Koizumi Akako, she's also good at divination. She must've predicted something about Kaito Kid, which is why she came along."

"Though we're in an alternate dimension, she likely sensed something. She shouldn't be able to detect our presence, but her perception is sharp enough to sense our gaze."

A gaze could be detected, but existence itself was harder to grasp.

After all, this was an alternate dimension. No matter how strong Koizumi Akako's abilities were, they couldn't affect the dimensional plane.

Ren knew her powers leaned toward divination, charm, potion-making, and memory alteration. None of these allowed her to breach spatial boundaries.

"This is an interesting situation. Judging from the scene, though, he didn't manage to stop what happened."

"That woman's act of revenge probably wasn't something Kaito Kid wanted to see."

Ren didn't care to understand what hatred had driven the woman to commit murder.

Whether she would be apprehended or not, that was Kaito Kid's decision to make.

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 569: Sequence 7 'Magician'

[Akira Kurusu, resides in Kamakura…]

[After returning home, news from Chika arrived quickly. The information was very detailed, including a photo. That face truly resembled mine, with only subtle differences in a few features.]

[In addition, the identity of the person responsible for getting him into trouble was also confirmed. Shido Masayoshi—this man indeed exists, and quite a bit of explosive information has already been uncovered about him. It appears he doesn't yet have traitors in his circle, and not many people are helping him cover things up.]

[It was the right call for Akechi Goro to not make a move. He should still be observing for now, but within the original story, his activity was confined to a certain scope. Until the seal is broken, he can't deploy too many eyes from the inside.]

[Aside from Akechi Goro, Akira Kurusu is the only one.]

[Hmm. For a story that's playing out closely according to the original script, it actually works in our favor. Some stories don't need intentional interference, but certain outcomes can still be changed.]

[And if Akechi Goro hasn't awakened his power yet, then the scientist who conducted deep research into cognitive psychology should still be alive.]

[Futaba Sakura's fate can be changed. If her research and data are relocated ahead of time, it could directly disrupt Shido Masayoshi's influence. Yes, it seems proper arrangements should be made.]

[That story hasn't fully unfolded yet. Wakaba Isshiki could potentially be brought in as a believer. Her daughter, Futaba Sakura, is one of the heroines in the story, possessing an extraordinary intellect and elite-level hacking abilities.]

[That story is set in a world where computers are commonplace. But it's only 1990 right now. Could technology really develop so fast within a year?]

[Tsk~ It's not entirely impossible. I recall Nagi once saying there's a company in the U.S. starting research into virtual reality and artificial intelligence. I vaguely remember it being part of a story from some elementary school detective movie. Either way, the emergence of VR and AI came more suddenly than expected. If something like that can appear, then the popularization of computers in one year isn't so far-fetched.]

[It's exactly this explosive leap in tech that always feels tied to the Knowledge Moor.]

[Seems that story should also be brought into the fold.]

[As for the case at the Magician's offline gathering—Kaito Kid indeed contacted the police. He gave them a full account of the case, including information about the vengeful woman.]

[Not exactly a surprising outcome.]

[That woman's backstory had already been discovered through divination. Her grandfather died during a dangerous magic performance. Two people mocked his death online, and their words were seen by the granddaughter. It's not hard to imagine the development of homicidal intent.]

[Of course, that's from the perspective of the person involved. From another point of view, those two might not have deserved death. At most, they were just disrespectful and sharp-tongued.]

[But sometimes, it's better not to leave that kind of message online. One should maintain a basic respect for the dead. Otherwise, one day someone might really follow the network cable and come for your life.]

Ren had nothing further to say about the murder case that took place at the snow mountain villa.

In his opinion, the granddaughter of the magician who died on stage had simply acted on impulse.

But maybe she had a deep bond with her grandfather. Seeing him die during a performance, then witnessing others mock him afterward, might've triggered emotions she couldn't suppress, ultimately leading her to kill.

Unless you personally experience something like that, you can't truly understand what the killer went through mentally.

Ren had no desire to go through that.

He just felt a faint sense of pity for the vengeful woman. Because of the cruel words of two strangers, the rest of her life was ruined. Would her grandfather feel grief if he knew?

Shaking his head, he set that case aside.

Shido Masayoshi's identity was now fully confirmed. A politician from a rising party, currently with limited status. That made sense—Akechi Goro hadn't yet obtained his power.

It was only after gaining Akechi Goro's help that Shido began to rise rapidly in the political world. After all, he used extraordinary means to eliminate his political enemies. If he couldn't rise even after that, it would be pure incompetence.

Akira Kurusu's imprisonment took place after Shido had already climbed to power. From now until April of next year, there was nearly a full year left. So Akira Kurusu's incarceration would happen around six months later.

This six-month period would mark Shido Masayoshi's rise. In other words, this is when Akechi Goro is likely to obtain his power.

There was still time.

However, matters regarding Wakaba Isshiki had to be handled as soon as possible.

Wakaba Isshiki's situation definitely needed to be arranged. The cognitive psychology research being done by those scientists provided too much assistance to Shido. She had to be removed from the picture ahead of time, along with her genius daughter.

That story required a lot of preparation. In addition, arrangements related to the Knowledge Moor also needed to be made.

Unlike the Key of Light, the Knowledge Moor was relatively easier to locate.

Places experiencing sudden technological booms were likely linked to its influence or presence.

Hmm, the next six months were going to be packed.

But before diving into that storm, he still had to finish something now.

Like the gift this trip had unexpectedly brought him.

The Compass of Fate began to spin again.

Watching the rotating compass, Ren felt certain that this time, fate would offer a worthy response.

[Lord of the Mysteries]

[Acquired Sequence 7 Potion: Magician.]

A vial shimmering with starlight-like particles appeared in Ren's hand. The specks within glimmered like magic.

Looking at the potion, a rare smile surfaced on Ren's face.

"Finally got the key potion."

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 570: Three Levels Up

Looking at the Sequence 7 potion in his hand, Ren was genuinely pleased.

After all, he had been waiting for this potion for quite some time.

Calming himself slightly, Ren pulled out the cork and drank the potion in one gulp.

As the liquid slid down his throat, before he could even register any distinct taste, it had already transformed into pure nourishment, instantly beginning to strengthen his body.

Without needing to deliberately summarize any acting principles, the Magician potion was fully digested the moment it entered.

This result didn't surprise Ren at all.

Many of his past behaviors already contained the essence of acting. With the Fool's Uniqueness, he had further perfected his performance as a Faceless Man.

On top of that, he had frequently used blessings to adapt to the Magician's abilities in advance. In truth, the acting for Sequence 7 had long been complete.

If he wasn't mistaken...

Ren directly retrieved the Sequence 6 Faceless Man potion from Sefirah Castle.

Without hesitation, he uncorked the bottle, tilted his head back, and drank it all.

"Hiccup~"

He drank a bit too fast. It was slightly carbonated, with a sharpness to it. Gulping it all down at once left him with hiccups.

He felt the effects of the second potion almost immediately. It was quickly absorbed into his system, transforming into further nourishment. The Beyonder traits of a Faceless Man began to manifest within him.

The abilities of a Magician and a Faceless Man were quite similar. The Faceless Man's illegal abilities were essentially an enhancement of the Magician's, with the addition of a shapeshifting ability.

This was extremely useful for concealing one's identity.

But after downing two potions in a row, even Ren's body started showing minor discomfort.

An overly abundant spiritual state meant his spirituality was overflowing.

Yet physically, he felt no discomfort at all. Even after two consecutive advancements, both his body and mind were in top form.

He was still in excellent condition.

After checking his physical state and confirming he could handle more, Ren retrieved the last potion: Marionettist.

He uncorked it and drank.

This time, the carbonated texture was even more stimulating. The sensation on his tongue was enjoyable. It just lacked some ice. If it were served chilled, the taste would have been even better.

It felt as though his entire body was immersed in bubbling soda.

The potion circulated through him, gradually slowing until only about a third had been digested.

As expected, unlike Magician and Faceless Man, Marionettist was harder to process.

Spirit Body Threads hadn't been used much—if at all.

After all, once someone was controlled through Spirit Body Threads for too long, they irreversibly became a Marionette.

Even though Marionettes were useful, Ren couldn't go around casually using Spirit Body Threads on just anyone.

Naturally, the Marionettist potion couldn't be fully digested right away.

Still, this result was more than impressive.

The Fool pathway had now jumped three full Sequences from Sequence 8 to Sequence 5, just one step away from the threshold of demigodhood.

And Marionettist, due to its unique Spirit Body Thread abilities, was considered one of the most dangerous Sequences below demigod.

To perceive and manipulate Spirit Body Threads—that was the essence of a Marionettist. Once bound by them, an individual would move steadily toward becoming a puppet. Once that process was complete, they were no longer human.

No Beyonder below the level of demigod was an exception.

As for who this power would be used on...

A certain figure flashed through Ren's mind.

There was no one more fitting.

He took a moment to adjust himself and prepared to lie down for some rest. It was already late.

But then he heard a knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Ren instinctively glanced toward the entrance, activating Spirit Vision, and saw the figure standing outside.

Miyano Akemi.

It was late. Shouldn't she be asleep?

Ren was a little surprised but still walked over and opened the door.

Just as expected, Akemi stood there in the hallway.

Tonight, she wore a simple set of split pajamas, blue in color. Nothing flashy. But even with such modest sleepwear, her figure was more apparent than usual.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I sensed a strong spiritual fluctuation from Lord God's side, so I came to ask if you were alright."

Akemi's eyes were filled with genuine concern.

Ren slapped his forehead.

...He forgot someone else lived here.

He hadn't gotten into the habit of setting up spiritual shielding at home. And this time, caught up in excitement, he had completely overlooked it.

"I forgot there are still two others in the house. I didn't shield the room's spirituality during my advancement."

Hearing this, Akemi finally let out a small breath of relief.

"So that's what it was."

No wonder she'd sensed such unusual fluctuations from his room earlier. She had forgotten that Lord God was preparing for an advancement.

Just thinking about it, Akemi hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Lord God, I think my potion has been fully digested too."

"That fast?"

Ren looked at her in surprise.

"Mhm. Maybe it's because I've been following you around lately. It helped with digestion."

Akemi offered a possible explanation.

"Indeed. The Secrets Suppliant potion digest faster the more contact one has with their worshiped deity. The class itself is highly prone to madness. Hearing the ravings of a god often leads to mental instability, and it's not uncommon for one to lose their mind."

"But if the one you worship is me, then the chances of madness or corruption are far lower. And living under the same roof certainly helps speed things up."

Ren nodded in agreement with her reasoning.

"In that case, your choice of path was indeed excellent."

But right after he said that, something clicked in his mind.

"You're preparing to advance too?"

Exposed, Akemi blushed slightly and nodded, pulling a potion vial from her pajama pocket.

"Come inside first."

Ren smiled, seeing her momentary hesitation.

To fully digest a Secrets Suppliant potion in just a few weeks, Akemi's talent was remarkable. Without true devotion, this speed wouldn't have been possible.

And he fully approved of her desire to grow stronger and gain more power.

(To be continued.)

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Chapter 571: I Like You Guys Too

"The Listener's abilities are more specialized than those of the Secrets Suppliant. By listening to the ravings of high-Sequence deities within their pathway, they gain powerful abilities at the cost of contamination and madness."

"A Secrets Suppliant can still choose when to listen to a deity's ravings. But a Listener is constantly exposed to those ravings, which is why many in this pathway eventually go mad or become corrupted."

"However, Beyonders at this stage also possess extraordinary power. A Listener doesn't just hear the ravings themselves, they can also transmit those ravings to others. This is one of their most dangerous abilities."

"A deity's ravings often contain madness and corruption. Even Beyonders one Sequence higher can be affected by them, let alone those on the same level."

"And to ordinary people, these ravings are essentially a death sentence. Without a Beyonder characteristic, they have only one outcome—madness and corruption. So, while the Listener themselves exist in a dangerous state, they can also bring others into that same danger."

Ren gave a simple overview of the Listener's characteristics.

Akemi listened attentively and engraved every word into her memory. After all, this was the power she would soon come into contact with.

But she suddenly thought of something and raised her hand slightly.

"Then... Lord God, if you don't actively speak ravings to me, can I still use this ability?"

"Of course you can."

Ren nodded.

"My voice is considered ravings to my believers. Every sound I make carries a certain power. So, even my daily conversations with you are considered 'ravings'—the kind with mosaics, even."

"Any high-level being, any form of expression, carries inherent power. That power contains traces of madness and corruption. To unaffected people, it might sound like normal speech. But to those influenced, they can't understand a word of it, and just hearing it drives them mad."

"So when you use this ability, you don't need to do anything special. Just use it normally and it will take effect."

Akemi nodded in understanding.

"But correspondingly," Ren warned seriously, "those affected by the ravings will become extremely dangerous. When you use this ability, you must ensure you're in a safe position."

People who go mad from ravings lose their ability to reason. You can't expect a lunatic to know who they should or shouldn't attack.

If they could still judge that, they wouldn't have gone mad in the first place.

"I understand."

Akemi took the warning to heart, carefully noting how to protect herself when using this power in the future.

"Alright, you now know everything important. Next is the advancement."

"Of course, if you're feeling anxious, I could hug you if that helps."

Ren's tone softened slightly, the teasing remark easing the nervous atmosphere a little.

"Then... I'll trouble you."

"Huh? You're actually scared?"

Ren looked at her in surprise. He had assumed she wouldn't be that nervous.

Seeing his reaction, Miyano Akemi gave a faint bitter smile.

"Lord God... I'm still a girl. I'll get scared when I should be."

She thought of her past self, and of Shiho. Her so-called "fearlessness" had never been real courage. It was merely sacrificing her own emotions so Shiho could live more freely.

Now that she had a peaceful life and could be together with Shiho again, breathing freely, she began to feel fear again.

Fear that it might all be taken away. Fear that she and Shiho would once again be separated by death.

Her shoulders trembled faintly, but Ren could see that even she didn't notice how shaken she truly was.

"Lord God has given us many reassurances... but I'm still scared that one day, I might close my eyes and never open them again."

"Shiho and I are both blessed by fate. But I'm afraid... that if we ever lose your favor, we'll go right back to how we were before."

Listening to her worries and watching her trembling form, Ren hadn't expected this strong woman to carry so many hidden fears.

Maybe not just Akemi—perhaps even Shiho was secretly anxious.

These sisters hadn't experienced much peace in life. Maybe with more time, they would gradually find a sense of security. But right now, they still hadn't truly accepted that this peace could last.

Ren couldn't make Akemi trust him completely in just a few words. But he could at least help her calm down.

He opened his arms and gently embraced the uneasy woman in front of him.

Her ears reddened from the sudden gesture, but Ren leaned closer and whispered softly beside her ear.

"Don't be so anxious. Right now, I don't plan on letting any of you go."

"Eh...?"

Her shoulders stopped trembling. His words clearly touched her heart.

"Originally, I kept some distance between myself and Sonoko, and the others. It was a conscious decision. I didn't know if there'd come a day when I'd want to leave."

"But then Sonoko confessed. And after that, Kaguya did too. With those confessions, I found it harder to keep planning for an easy exit. Maybe that's what the diary wanted—to push me into forming more bonds, to let those connections tie me down."

"With things as they are now, I can't just leave whenever I want anymore."

"So you can relax. I've already changed how I think. I won't just let go of any of you so easily."

"Yeah... maybe building emotional connections is a good choice too. After all, I quite like you all."

"Quite like us...?"

Akemi was stunned.

But as her mind processed what he meant, her cheeks turned bright red.

She realized then.

So...Ren was prepared to accept everyone.

That realization filled her with surprise and her blush only deepened.

So... does that "like" include me too?

(To be continued.)