🎉🎉SCIAW: Chapter 563/565

Chapter 563: Chika Only Wants To Be Spoiled Today

In Ren's embrace, Chika pulled out the cork, aimed the mouth of the bottle, and poured the entire potion into her mouth in just a few gulps.

The moment the potion entered, a chemical reaction immediately surged through her body.

Her spiritual body was the first to react, starting from her senses.

The world before her eyes began to turn vividly colorful.

"..."

Chika gripped Ren's clothes tightly as the multicolored world came into view.

Her sense of smell and touch remained unaffected. She could still clearly sense that Ren was right beside her.

Understanding this, she quickly calmed her turbulent emotions.

Letting her spirit settle and find its own color in this colorful world.

Gradually, the vibrant hues she saw began to return to normal.

Then suddenly, the world in front of her expanded incomparably. It felt as if her eyes could now perceive information that had previously been inaccessible.

The colorful world slowly receded, returning to its original state.

An inexplicable sense of enlightenment washed over her, bringing Chika a wave of comfort.

"Restrain your emotions. A Telepathist doesn't need to be overly subjective."

The voice in her ear brought her back, helping her rein in the hint of pride that had just risen.

Chika immediately adjusted her mindset according to Ren's words.

As the feeling of enlightenment faded, she realized it had been a side effect from the sudden spike in spirituality.

As that hypersensitive perception waned, normal sensations slowly returned to the shore of her heart, like a tide gently receding.

She reined it in this time.

Instead of becoming addicted to the spiritual surge of advancement, Chika allowed her emotions and spirituality to reach a fine equilibrium.

As her spirit calmed, the faint glow of blue in her eyes gradually faded.

"Huff..."

The agitation and turbulence began to settle. Only a faint layer of moisture remained on the shore of her heart—a reflection of her spiritual presence.

As her breathing evened out, the steady rhythm resumed.

Her vision, too, returned to normal.

Chika blinked slowly, as if dispelling a vague dryness, then focused her bright eyes on Ren.

In that instant, her heart stabilized.

That sense of attachment, which had started as a need for safety during a crisis, now took root deeply in her heart as something far more significant.

It felt like even the wildest waves couldn't shake her now, not as long as this pillar stood.

But that attachment made her not want to leave, even a little.

Sorry, Kaguya.

I think I've really become dependent on Ren.

The apology to her best friend swelled in her heart, but after a brief moment of guilt, she threw herself into Ren's arms without hesitation.

"Ren~"

A sweet, clingy voice spilled from her lips, as if she wanted her tone alone to express everything in her heart.

"I'm scared~"

"What are you scared of?"

There was no trace of fear in that sugary tone, only a thick layer of coquettish teasing.

Ren sighed and flicked her pink cheek.

"Rather than fear, you're just in full kitten mode right now."

Chika, her face poked, just smiled with wide eyes and pushed her cheek into his palm. Then, like a spoiled cat, she nestled back into Ren's chest and rubbed her face against him.

She even made up a blatantly obvious excuse:

"This is a side effect of advancement. Right now, I need Ren to let me act spoiled as much as I want to ease the emotional aftershocks."

Looking down at the girl rubbing against him like a clingy kitten, Ren thought to himself, this was even more direct than Ran had ever been.

You could say she wasn't even bothering to pretend anymore.

Ren glanced at the clock.

11:21. Definitely bedtime.

"It's fine to let you act spoiled. But are you sure you really want to stay the night? It's pretty late."

"Ugh~ Chika doesn't want to care about the time right now. Chika just wants to be spoiled~"

Chika completely dodged the question of whether she should stay and simply leaned into her willfulness.

The normally well-mannered and sensible Chika had no intention of playing that role tonight. She just wanted to be a little spoiled devil, staying in Ren's room... just like that night.

"...Alright."

At that moment, Chika's ears twitched, and her whole body relaxed in Ren's arms.

And so, tonight became the second time she spent the night alone with Ren.

She knew she was being unreasonable.

It was the first time she had acted so selfishly in front of a boy.

But she really liked this feeling.

Ren looked at the girl snuggling close to him.

To be honest, no boy could refuse a cute, quirky, well-figured girl taking the initiative like this.

Well... he was a relatively greedy boy.

Holding Chika in his arms, Ren turned and lay down on the bed.

Pa.

With a snap of his fingers, the lights in the room went out, and the entire space was swallowed by darkness.

The blanket was pulled over both of them.

"Sleep."

Ren's voice had a calming power greater than any lullaby.

Chika immediately felt her eyelids grow heavy.

She hadn't noticed it while she was excited, but after that excitement faded, and with the toll of the potion sorting out her emotions and mind, her energy had been thoroughly drained.

With a sense of security filling her chest, drowsiness swept in.

Her eyelids drooped, and slowly, Chika drifted off to sleep.

Ren, feeling her breathing settle into a peaceful rhythm, nearly chuckled.

He gently patted her back like coaxing a child, helping her drift deeper into sleep.

Sure enough, she really was just a spoiled little girl right now.

As Chika entered dreamland, Ren's thoughts gradually quieted, and a trace of sleepiness began to creep in.

After confirming that Chika had fully fallen asleep, he finally closed his eyes too.

But just before he nodded off, a random thought popped into his mind.

Speaking of which, is Hayasaka going to come over tomorrow morning?

Feels like she's always the one who ends up seeing this kind of situation...

With that, Ren finally drifted off to sleep.

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to paladar blade for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉🎉

Chapter 564: As Expected, She Came Again

The next morning, Ren had an uninvited guest in his room.

Just like during the last weekend trip, Hayasaka's first action after waking up was not to rouse her good friend and mistress, but to head straight for Ren's room.

Sigh... After running into Miss Sonoko last time, this time she ran into Miss Chika.

Ren, is your room a respawn point for young ladies?

Sniff~

Hayasaka took a deep breath through her nose.

No deodorant scent, no hint of daphne in the air.

This time it was relatively clean. At least, different from last time.

She shifted her gaze to Chika, who was currently sleeping beside Ren in the same bed.

I knew it.

Miss Kaguya, if you don't take the initiative, someone else will.

You're supposed to be Ren's official girlfriend, yet Miss Sonoko already overtook you, and now Miss Chika is ahead too.

What are you even doing, Miss Kaguya?

While silently criticizing her mistress, Hayasaka shook her head in exasperation.

With a lady this unmotivated, how was she supposed to help her win?

Suddenly, a wild thought flashed through Hayasaka's mind.

If it were me, I would've already made it to home base with Ren.

But that impulsive thought made her flinch.

Before she realized it, she'd already substituted herself for Miss Sonoko, who had entered Ren's room last time.

And now, seeing Miss Chika lying peacefully in Ren's arms, she couldn't help but picture herself there too.

Those overlapping images in her mind made her swallow unconsciously.

A faint blush crept across her fair face, a mix of Eastern and Western features blending beautifully.

The imagined scene had quite an impact on her.

Even though it had shocked her, Hayasaka remained firm in her self-awareness. If it really were her, she'd have already reached home base.

After all, her acting ability and assertiveness weren't remotely comparable to Miss Kaguya's hesitancy.

Miss Kaguya, you should be grateful I don't harbor those kinds of thoughts.

Otherwise, Ren would've already been mine.

Still... how did Miss Chika end up in Ren's room?

Shaking off the hazy thoughts, Hayasaka's mind shifted gears swiftly.

She and Ren didn't interact much outside of group settings. Their closest contact had been back on the cruise.

Could it be the suspension bridge effect?

Hayasaka mulled over the idea.

But just as she lowered her head again, she saw that Ren, who had been sleeping with his eyes closed, now had his eyes open and was calmly staring at her.

Those eyes clearly said: As expected, you came again.

Hayasaka offered a polite smile, gave a small bow, and pointed silently at Chika, who was still sleeping in Ren's arms.

Ren, who hadn't done anything improper this time, showed no hint of guilt. Instead, he lifted his hand and pointed toward a bottle lying on the floor.

Following his gesture, Hayasaka spotted it.

Ah, so it was for advancement.

That explained everything.

She immediately understood why Miss Chika had come to Ren's room.

It was likely the psychological trauma from the last time she drank the potion was still lingering. And Ren, being the only one capable of safely guiding others along the Sequence Pathway, had become her obvious choice.

Still, even if that explained the situation...

Her staying overnight could only mean one thing: she liked him.

Conclusion:

Miss Kaguya, I told you yesterday. If you didn't knock on Ren's door, someone else would. Why are you never worried?

Once again, Hayasaka lamented her young lady's "background character" behavior.

She leaned down beside Ren and whispered quietly.

"Ren-san, do you need my help this time?"

"Though you probably don't need to worry too much, Miss Chika might pose some challenges later."

"...What do you mean I don't need to worry too much?"

Ren's mouth twitched.

He had a hunch last night that Hayasaka would show up again this morning. Sure enough, here she was.

He had a nagging feeling that every time a girl spent the night in his room, Hayasaka would be the first one to show up the next day.

And at this moment, he really couldn't refute it.

"I'll leave it to you, Hayasaka."

"Not a problem."

Hayasaka smiled as she accepted Ren's request.

She reached out, placed her hand on Chika's shoulder, opened an interdimensional door to Chika's room, and gently sent her through with a light touch.

This time, she didn't accompany Chika back to take care of her, unlike last time with Miss Sonoko.

After all, Chika hadn't ascended like Miss Sonoko had. Sending her back to her room was enough.

Hayasaka turned her gaze toward Ren, who was now sitting up in bed, and smiled teasingly.

"Ren, every time you go out, it turns into a great encounter."

"...You might as well just say I'm lucky with women."

"Not at all. That term is just something average men use to justify randomly forming connections with girls. In your case, Ren-san, this is more like fate."

"Besides, Miss Chika definitely acted of her own will. If she didn't like you, with her personality, there's no way she would have been that forward."

Hayasaka was teasing him, yes—but she was only referring to the fact that every trip of his seemed to result in a girl sleeping in his room.

This wasn't "luck with women." It was just everyone expressing their feelings in their own way.

"At the core, Ren isn't a bad person."

"Even before getting the diary, you weren't someone who caused trouble. You just had trouble expressing yourself, focused on school and work, and lived quietly. Your personality and values weren't bad either. You worked hard to improve yourself. I find that kind of man very charming."

"After all, Miss Sonoko liked you even before you got anything. Maybe it started because of your looks, sure. But if it were only that, there wouldn't have been so many follow-up interactions."

Hearing Hayasaka speak so earnestly, Ren became a little flustered.

He hadn't even realized his so-called "virtue and conduct" were worth praising.

"Hayasaka, if you say things like that, it's going to go to my head."

Seeing Ren's serious yet awkward expression, Hayasaka let out a real laugh.

"That's exactly what makes you so likable."

But she didn't say that part out loud.

(To be continued.)

Special thanks to paladar blade for sponsoring this extra chapter 🎉🎉🎉

Chapter 565: Further Specialization in “Telepathist”

Saturday morning.

"...Because I was overly immersed in the ocean of open cheating and couldn't pull myself out until Ren reminded me, and I finally realized I was only working hard to digest the potion."

After hearing yesterday that Chika had advanced to Sequence 8, Telepathist, Kaguya casually asked a question, only to receive that kind of response.

She looked at Chika, who had her head lowered like a child who'd been caught misbehaving, and didn't know what to say.

"Then, if Ren hadn't reminded you, would you have just kept fooling around and been unable to pull yourself out?"

Kaguya had no doubt that Chika was fully capable of doing that.

"Ren reminded you that the Sequence path is extremely dangerous, and that you must never treat the acting lightly. Once you lose the awareness that you're acting and become absorbed in the role, you'll lose control."

Kaguya's tone unconsciously became stern.

"Ugh… I'm sorry."

Facing her friend's reprimand, Chika lowered her head and pouted, letting out a small animal-like whimper, like a child admitting fault.

"Honestly..."

Seeing her like this, Kaguya's strict demeanor quickly softened.

This girl had clearly made a mistake, but no one could bring themselves to scold her harshly.

Especially when she admitted her mistake so sincerely, there was a strange sense of helplessness that caused even rising anger to melt away.

"If all the playing around you did before was your acting, then now that you've advanced to Sequence 8, does that mean your acting has to change again?"

ASakuya suddenly asked.

"Yes. But the approach to acting needs to change a little. My earlier Spectator acting had a huge problem—I didn't follow the orthodox style of the pathway, which led me to make a big mistake."

Chika nodded slightly and explained the acting error she had made during her Spectator phase.

"As a Spectator, I shouldn't have drawn so much attention to myself. I should've observed people from an objective standpoint, analyzing their behavior, expressions, habits, and the emotions they unintentionally revealed. That kind of acting requires more time spent watching others and understanding that I'm just an audience member, not the main character."

"My earlier approach was completely backward, which is why I lost myself in the pleasure of using my powers."

Chika tapped her head in frustration.

After realizing her mistake, she had already reflected on the reasons behind it.

But it was difficult for her to adapt to being a Beyonder so quickly. After all, she had been a normal person for so long. The moment she gained power, she couldn't help but want to experiment with it.

She understood that this came down to her lack of self-control.

That was why she was reflecting deeply now. She would take her acting seriously moving forward and wouldn't let her impulses derail her again.

"The Telepathist's ability is more specialized and penetrating than the Spectator's. It doesn't just observe surface behavior but can also read the... inner colors that lie beneath?"

Chika tilted her head and looked at Ren, unsure how to describe it.

"Everyone's inner being is made up of the spiritual body, astral body, mental body, and etheric body."

Ren picked up the explanation, taking the opportunity to give Chika a basic lesson in mysticism.

"Humans, animals, even plants all have spiritual bodies. That's the meaning behind 'all things have spirits.' But whether they can be perceived or used is another story. Each Sequence pathway interacts with these layers differently, and their powers are tied to these four components."

"The spiritual body refers to a person's soul or core spirit."

"The astral body is an external projection of the spiritual body. It's how the spiritual body interacts with the spiritual world or the stars. These two are closely connected. If your astral body suffers serious damage, your spiritual body will be affected too. It can even lead to death."

"Of course, the kind of 'death' I mean isn't physical, but rather something like becoming comatose."

"Also, the colors shown by the astral body represent emotional states."

"That's why both the spiritual and astral bodies are extremely important."

"The mental body is the next outer layer. It relates to cognitive functions—your thoughts, insight, and analytical capabilities."

"The outermost layer is the etheric body. It connects directly with the physical body. By reading the etheric body, you can perceive the physical condition of someone—its colors reflect physical health."

"The so-called aura, or spiritual vision, allows someone to interpret this hidden information."

"In other words, Chika, now that you've become a Sequence 8 Telepathist, you have a more advanced ability to 'read.' That includes spiritual vision, the emotional colors of the astral body, and the physical condition via the etheric body. It makes it much harder for people to hide their true feelings or state of health from you."

"Of course, in exchange, Sequence 8 Telepathist doesn't offer much improvement in terms of personal combat capability."

"Both Spectator and Telepathist mainly enhance mental faculties and observation. Telepathist greatly boosts those, but Chika's actual combat ability is still about the same as Sonoko's."

The early stages of the Spectator pathway barely offered any boosts to physical strength or combat prowess.

But in Ren's view, even with her current physical condition, Chika's power as a Spectator was already bordering on overpowered.

Its lack of early combat ability was simply to build the foundation for what would later become a truly abnormal power level… or rather, the mid-stage.

Even now, the Spectator pathway was already showing signs of being broken.

Especially in the mid-Sequence phase, where simple imagination could manipulate reality. It was downright absurd.

Not a single one of the five pathways tied to the Chaos Sea was easy to deal with. Not one.

"Specializing in reading minds, but no boost to personal combat... Still, knowing how disgusting the Spectator's abilities become in the mid-Sequences, I don't think the early weakness is much of an issue."

Sakuya didn't think there was a problem at all. Especially since the mid-stage Spectator could become like a slippery loach, impossible to catch and endlessly irritating.

"Agreed."

The others nodded in understanding.

"???"

However, Hinagiku and the Miyano sisters, who had joined the team later, looked confused.

"Actually..."

Maria, noticing their puzzled expressions, smiled and began to explain.

Once they heard about the mid-Sequence abilities of the Spectator pathway, the three finally understood why Sakuya had reacted that way. Even if it didn't boost physical stats, its auxiliary and evasion abilities were overwhelming.

(To be continued.)