SCIAW: Chapter 488/489

Chapter 488: The Third Time

After breakfast, everyone temporarily returned to their rooms.

Ren also went back to his, but the next moment he appeared in Sonoko's room.

"Hoo… hoo…"

Her breathing was steady and light, her body completely relaxed, a happy smile lingering on her face.

Looking at her like this, Ren reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

She didn't look bad with a headband either.

A faint smile crossed his lips.

He didn't disturb her rest. After confirming her condition, he quietly returned to his own room.

Sitting by the coffee table, he took out a pen from the Sefirah Castle, summoned the diary, and began to write.

[Second day of vacation in Izu. A lot happened yesterday.]

[Just by coming here and walking outside with Sonoko and the others, I ran into a man trying to pick up girls. His target was Sonoko.]

[That same man, who killed someone in the woods yesterday, instead of focusing on avoiding police investigation, was preparing to commit a second crime. I don't know what this culprit was thinking.]

[But this reminded me of something. The story of a hero saving a beauty in the original timeline.]

[I don't think this is the rhythm of the original story adjusting. It should just be fate intervening suddenly.]

[Is it because of the Miyano sisters? Tsk, the Key of Light controls the authority of fate. With my current abilities, I can't conduct a reverse investigation.]

[Even though both are Sefirot, the authorities they control are different, and their specialty areas differ as well. Reverse investigation is still troublesome.]

[But I seem to understand something. Fate should have acknowledged me.]

[If not, the events of yesterday wouldn't have been so simple.]

[Although I don't think the Key of Light's influence will cause me trouble, it still exists. It's just that fate doesn't seem to be forcing anything.]

The involvement of a Sefirot would inevitably cause a huge impact. Ren, as its wielder, understood this more than anyone.

The corruption of the Sefirot itself was naturally not a problem for him. But once it spread to others, things could become very troublesome.

The authority of a Sefirot could achieve many outrageous feats, especially those tied to fate, which could only be described as absurd.

It was just that the Sefirot hadn't acted directly.

Of course, Ren didn't believe the Key of Light had done nothing. On the contrary, it had likely already done everything.

Its goal had been achieved.

Although this was his own guess, Ren still felt that the Key of Light's purpose was to find him.

[Next, fate shouldn't intervene casually.]

[But next, I should look for the Key of Light.]

[I can already foresee it won't be an easy task.]

[Of course, this is mostly my conjecture and personal feeling.]

He stopped writing here.

After adjusting his state slightly, it was time to verify his conjecture.

The participation of a Sefirot would certainly create a substantial effect on the diary.

[Lord of the Mysteries]

[Obtain the Fool pathway's Uniqueness.]

A translucent mask emerged from the void and landed on the coffee table.

Looking at the Fool pathway's Uniqueness, Ren took a deep breath.

So my guess was right.

It's not the Die of Probability, it really is the Key of Light.

The influence from Uniqueness wouldn't manifest in the diary—the Fool's Uniqueness.

Only the influence of the Sefirot could bestow a lower-grade Uniqueness.

But this raised another question.

Is the Key of Light from that side, or from the diary's side?

That was something he'd have to ponder and explore.

But clearly, it wasn't a question he could answer right now.

Shaking his head slightly, Ren set the thought aside and turned his gaze back to the translucent mask of the Fool pathway.

This is the second one.

The first Uniqueness came from the Door pathway.

Now there's only one Error left.

He picked up the mask and placed it over his face.

In an instant, the mask melted like thin ice, seeping directly into his skin.

His entire face lost its original features in that moment, resembling a Faceless.

But the phenomenon didn't last long, and his facial features quickly returned to normal.

The Door's eyes emphasize space, the Fool's mask emphasizes change.

Then the Error's lens should emphasize theft.

This makes things much more convenient for me.

Even though he hadn't yet reached the Faceless stage, he had already acquired the ability to change his outward appearance, the perfect trait for someone who disliked attention.

But this also made Ren mutter in complaint, resting his chin on his hand.

I haven't even reached Faceless, yet because of the Fool pathway's Uniqueness, I've experienced its traits ahead of time.

The Magician hasn't even arrived, but I've already completed all the acting for the higher Sequence… I really am peculiar.

Ah, when will my Magician finally arrive?

It's hard to imagine being stuck at Magician for so long.

But precisely because of this, Ren had a growing premonition.

Perhaps the moment he gained the Magician would be the day his Fool pathway advanced directly to Sequence 5.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

Ren paused, then got up to open it.

Aizawa…

Hehe~

Before he could finish speaking, Sakuya pulled out a diary and held it to her lips.

Now, I finally know the secret you've all been hiding.

Ren felt a wave of disorientation, then he realized.

This was the third dispersal of the diary.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 489: The Fortunate Two Sisters

Villa living room.

The new recipients of the diary were Sakuya, Miyano Shiho, Miyano Akemi, and Hinagiku.

"…Hmm, I'll explain it to you on Monday."

Ren hung up the phone. Yoko and Miwako both received the diary in this round.

And the four people in front of him.

The second round had three people; this round surprisingly had six.

Without exception, the people who received the diary were all those around him, either his friends or his believers.

So it can be confirmed that, apart from the initial distribution, the subsequent two distributions of the diary were within his sphere of knowledge and among the important characters in the story.

He refocused his gaze on the four people in front of him.

"This is the third round, and a total of six people received the diary in this round.

Besides you, the other two are Okino Yoko, a current idol star, and Sato Miwako, one of the current police inspectors at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

Counting this way, only Hatamoto, Chikako, and Suzuki Ayako haven't received the diary yet.

I wonder if it will extend to the next round.

Regarding the diary, it's just as I explained a moment ago.

And the content of the diary is just as you've seen."

The sudden appearance of the diary was a huge shock for all four girls present.

Driven by curiosity, the four who read the diary's content all saw the words "original story." The four girls were sharp-minded, and after a simple thought, they understood the meaning.

"So, the meaning of 'original story' is that Amamiya has seen our story?"

"Yes."

Ren simply nodded slightly in response to Hinagiku's question.

Hinagiku took a deep breath after getting her answer.

"So that's why you seemed to have known me for a long time when we first met, and you could clearly know my sister's experiences and thoughts."

Ren merely nodded apologetically in response.

"This is also the biggest reason why Nagi and Isumi transferred schools."

Hinagiku now truly understood the fundamental reason for Nagi's transfer. Looking at the diary in her hand, she could also understand why Nagi did what she did.

"To get what one desires based on one's own wishes.

So, is Nagi's desire something that cannot be obtained through conventional means or methods?"

Ren immediately spoke, stopping Hinagiku's habitual thought.

"One's own wishes can only be realized by oneself. You cannot help with this."

Hinagiku also stopped her subconscious thought. She understood that there were some things others couldn't help Nagi with.

Moreover, the diary doesn't provide unconditional help. Instead, it requires Ren and the holder to have more contact with fate in order to receive the greatest assistance.

Therefore, whether Nagi can realize her wish, the crucial point lies with Ren.

This also made Hinagiku realize immediately that the rewards given by this diary were actually deducted from Ren.

The reason is very simple.

Just by reading the diary, one can gain extraordinary power. The effort and reward are not equal. If Ren had not unconsciously shared his portion, those who read the diary would definitely not have such gains.

Therefore, this can be seen as a gift from the diary, or it can be said to be unconsciously bestowed upon them by Ren.

Understanding this point also made it clear why Nagi was so close to Ren.

It shouldn't just be Nagi, but everyone present who is close to Ren for this reason.

Connecting threads were drawn when there was no existing connection, and only then did more connections arise.

Because the power obtained from the diary originated from Ren, to gain more, one needed to be closer to Ren.

"It's almost like a role-playing game mode."

Of course, while she was complaining, Hinagiku didn't think Ren did this on purpose.

According to her guess, Ren unconsciously shared that unique power, which then caused the diary to react accordingly.

Seeing that Hinagiku had no more questions, Shiho also raised her hand.

"So, god, all of us have original stories. We are all important characters in the story… Is that right?"

"That's right."

Ren nodded slightly.

"You and your sister, Sonoko, and Ran are from one story.

Then, Kaguya, Chika, and Hayasaka are from one story.

And then, Sanzenin, Saginomiya, Maria, and Miss Katsura are from one story."

Shiho nodded slightly. "A hodgepodge of three stories, with everyone mixed together in one large framework world."

Shiho wasn't very concerned about the content of the story; she only needed to know that everything now was no longer in the script of the original story.

Moreover, if it were the script from the original story, her sister would already be dead, wouldn't she?

Shiho glanced at her sister beside her, and she involuntarily confirmed this answer in her heart.

"So, in the original story, my sister died, and I turned into a child because of that drug, and I also developed a relationship with Kudo Shinichi, right?"

"Yes, just as you said."

"…Thankfully, it's not the original story script."

Shiho felt no regret whatsoever; in fact, she only felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

Fortunately, it wasn't the original script.

She could not accept the outcome of her sister's death under any circumstances.

"That's good then."

Relieved, Shiho smoothed away the anxiety in her heart. From now on, she just needed to continue living at the current pace.

Of course, at this moment, she also became more aware of the importance of power.

According to the original story script, she and her sister were fish on a chopping board. Once they lost their value, they would be slaughtered by that organization.

If the story's script hadn't been fundamentally changed, her and her sister's fate would definitely have been much more tragic than it is now.

If their father and mother hadn't researched extraordinary characteristics, giving the two sisters a chance, then she and her sister would now be two corpses.

"Yes. This is the best outcome now."

At this moment, Akemi was also extremely relieved.

She was fortunate that reality had changed and that her and Shiho's fates were not arranged as they were in the story. Otherwise, according to the original story, both she and Shiho would have been killed by her foolish actions.

Thinking of that ending, Akemi was also extremely relieved.

Her death would have plunged Shiho into an endless nightmare, which she could not accept.

(To be continued.)