SCIAW: Chapter 396/397

Chapter 396 Illness Similar to a Curse

Pain.

Endless pain.

For Kasumi Aika, this was nothing short of a hell made of suffering.

There might have been a little pain.

She had been deceived…

While enduring this agony, Aika couldn't help but recall the warning Ren had given her at the beginning.

Not just a little pain, but intense, unbearable pain.

She could not suppress the screams torn from her throat.

After an unknown amount of time, the pain gradually subsided.

But by then, Aika was in such agony that she could not even open her eyes.

"Open your eyes and look."

The voice at her ear made Aika, who had barely been able to force her eyes open, use the last of her strength to do so.

Before her eyes floated a dark mass that seemed to radiate malice.

"What is this?"

She opened her mouth, and a hoarse voice came out. Even she was startled by how rough her voice had become.

But even so, her attention was still locked on the black mass before her.

"This is the cause of your illness. That congenital illness has been eating away at your life, making your body weak. If it isn't cleared out, your lifespan will be greatly shortened."

Listening to the voice beside her, Aika finally realized this was the thing that had always been inside her body.

"These lesions have been lurking in various parts of your body. Fortunately, their positions have shifted slightly, so we were able to pull them out."

"This thing is a manifestation of a chronic disease. And because it has been eating away at your life, removing it will naturally have a serious impact on you."

"But being able to remove it will still be far more beneficial to you."

Kasumi Aika understood this clearly.

Looking at this black mass, a chill went down her spine when she thought about how it had always been inside her.

After seeing this, she finally understood. Such an unusual method, as expected, this person was anything but ordinary.

"In the coming days, as long as you undergo normal recuperation, your body will slowly return to normal. At the very least, you will not be as frail as before, always worried about falling ill…"

Aika bit her lips slightly, and a hoarse voice came from her throat.

"Thank you."

"Well, I accept your thanks."

At this moment, Ren had already withdrawn his spiritual vision and deliberately kept his gaze from wandering in Aika's direction, focusing instead on the lesion.

The so-called lesion was like a curse. No, more precisely, it was practically a curse.

A disease was just another form of curse.

His hands slowly closed, and the dark lesion was compressed little by little until it finally became a pitch-black crystal.

As expected, diseases and curses were almost the same kind of existence.

No wonder the Demoness Pathway was tied to disease and curses. Both diseases and curses were collectively referred to as disasters.

After collecting the crystalized disease, Ren turned around.

"Ms. Aizawa, thank you for your help with this matter."

"No problem."

Aizawa Sakuya agreed immediately.

Ren gave a slight nod and walked toward his study.

The remaining Aizawa Sakuya squatted beside the sofa, tightly holding Kasumi Aika's hand.

"How are you feeling? Does it hurt?"

"Mm…"

Aika's voice was hoarse, and the pain in her body had almost made her lose control. Her strength had been drained completely, leaving her unable to even raise her hands.

"The peeling process was more painful than I imagined. It hurt so much I couldn't stop myself from screaming."

"I heard it. That high-pitched note you hit just now was even higher than the screams in horror movies."

How could Sakuya, who had been watching the entire time, not know how much pain Aika had endured?

Especially during the peeling process, the voice had grown higher and higher, from sharp and piercing to hoarse. Anyone who heard the entire process could tell exactly what the person was going through.

Kasumi Aika's dry lips curved faintly. Her weak body wouldn't let her squeeze back, so she could only try her best to hold on to Sakuya's hand.

"I'm troubling you again."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Aizawa Sakuya didn't mind at all.

The two had grown up together, and naturally, she did not want Aika to remain so weak if there was a chance to help her.

Now that there was such an opportunity, of course she would speak up for her.

"It's mainly because Ren was willing to help. If it were anyone else, I really wouldn't know what to do."

Kasumi Aika also nodded slightly.

Even now, it was hard for her to imagine that kind of supernatural ability.

"So are you in the same situation as Ms. Nagi?"

"Not exactly."

Aizawa Sakuya thought about Nagi and the others, then shook her head slightly.

"Nagi-chan and the others have already obtained the power they wanted, but I still lack some opportunities. It's just because I am close to Nagi-chan that I knew about some things ahead of time."

"I am just a stand-in right now."

I see.

Kasumi Aika finally understood why Miss Sakuya had joined that group, and she also finally understood why Miss Nagi and Miss Isumi had transferred to other schools.

The reasons were clear.

"You don't need to think about anything else. You will remain weak for a while. For now, what you need to focus on is adjusting your body."

"After this period, your body should no longer be as weak as before."

Once the lesions were removed, the patient would definitely be a completely different person compared to their previous fragile state.

"Wait until you recover, then go thank Ren."

"Mm."

Aizawa Sakuya had already contacted her family, and she had also contacted the Kasumi family. Today was her birthday, and to celebrate, she had invited Aika to stay overnight at her home. Given her relationship with Aika, the Kasumi family had naturally agreed.

But after sending the weakened Aika home tomorrow, there would likely be a lot of turmoil in the Kasumi household.

Ah, her family was bound to be thrown into chaos.

Her father would probably insist on knowing exactly what had happened to her.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 397 Final Preparations
[The birthday party for the three of them is over.]

[This was the first time that Hayasaka, Aizawa, and Sonoko's birthdays coincided.]

[Ah, it cannot be said to be completely on the same day, there was still a day between them.]

[Today's birthday party also invited many guests, and of course, they were all friends from Sanzenin and Saginomiya. It can only be said that Hayasaka really only has Chika as a friend in Shuchiin.]

[However, at this birthday party, I met Katsura Hinagiku, whose popularity in the story has always been higher than that of the heroine.]

[It should be said that she truly lives up to being the student council president who has always been very popular. I can understand why she could become the student council president at Hakuo. She is a girl, but surprisingly boyish. Even her friends around her see her as a girl like a knight, and some even change their preferences.]

[In a sense, Hinagiku really is amazing.]

[Although in the story, she first lost to Athena Tennousu, and then to Sanzenin. The person she has always liked always keeps avoiding her.]

[Of course, I suddenly remembered something afterward. I vaguely recall that a lot of the credit for Katsura Hinagiku becoming the student council president came from Miss Kasumi Aika.]

[It seems that the vice president suggested that Katsura Hinagiku become the student council president because they knew that she was afraid of heights, as the Hakuo student council office is located in a clock tower more than ten meters high.]

[Speaking of this vice president, just as I got home, Miss Aizawa called me. I know that Miss Aizawa wants me to help remove the lesions from Miss Kasumi Aika.]

[I had already agreed, but I did not expect her to bring Miss Kasumi Aika so soon. The birthday party had just ended, and Miss Aizawa brought her over.]

[Miss Kasumi Aika's physical condition was indeed much more serious than what I had seen before.]

[Now that the lesion has been removed, I noticed that the disease has many similarities with a curse. The lesion can also be considered a kind of curse, but it is relatively easier to remove compared to a true curse.]

[After the lesions are removed, Miss Kasumi Aika will need to recuperate for a period of time.]

[Also, regarding this birthday party, it seems to have attracted a great deal of attention. I wonder what will happen at the 60th anniversary of the Suzuki conglomerate.]

With that in mind, Ren also began his usual daily routine.

This birthday party allowed him to meet members of Hakuo's student council, and it also changed Miss Kasumi Aika's fate. He did not know how much he had gained in return.

[Lord of Mysteries]

[Obtained Sequence 7: Astrologer.]

Upon seeing that it was a Sequence 7 potion from the Door Pathway, Ren raised his eyebrows.

The sequence that truly strengthens the Fool Pathway in the early stages is Sequence 7, while both the Door Pathway and Error Pathway have their critical stage at Sequence 6. So, are they still in the preparation phase?

Ren was unsure whether his guess was correct.

But he knew that he had obtained the Faceless Man potion a long time ago, and had stayed at the Clown sequence for quite some time.

After that, a Sequence 7 Magician would most likely be absorbed very quickly, and might even allow a double advancement similar to the Error Pathway.

After all, the traits of the Master of Tricks are also those of a Magician.

As he often takes out Tarot cards to shuffle and display magic tricks, this can be seen as him unconsciously performing the role of a Magician.

As for astrology, Ren had studied it as well.

Because of the qualifications given by the Seer, he can study various divination techniques and receive corresponding feedback from them.

Although astrology is not used very often, the invisible bonus to divination is probably significant.

Well, whether this was his subconscious influencing him or not, it still placed the Fool Pathway in front of him.

Ren rubbed his brow, picked up the Astrologer potion, and drank it in one gulp.

Mmm, vanilla. The taste was not bad, just a little strange.

A vanilla-flavored drink, not carbonated, but like a fruit drink… it just felt strange.

While carefully savoring the flavor, the potion also began to digest rapidly as soon as it entered his mouth.

"...Already digested?"

Ren looked at the bottle in his hand in surprise.

He had never studied astrology in depth before, and in his daily life, he rarely had the chance to use astrology. Usually, he only used astrology in the morning to check his fortune.

But Ren had not expected that even so, the magic potion of the Sequence 7 Astrologer was completely absorbed.

"So, the Cryptologist potion was not absorbed directly. Is it because I do not like using my brain?"

In a sense, this was quite ironic.

Ren shook his head and tossed the thought aside.

The main reason was not that he did not use his brain, but that the subsequent potion, the Prometheus potion from the Cryptologist sequence, had not yet been obtained. So there was no need to be in a hurry to absorb the potion.

After sorting out the abilities of an Astrologer, Ren had a general understanding.

It is an advanced substitute for a Seer.

The results of its divination are not as comprehensive as those of a Seer, but an Astrologer can perform simple divinations, positional divinations, and crystal ball divinations, and can also interfere with divination.

Astrologers are not bad in terms of abilities, but unfortunately, their power does not increase substantially. They only gain more methods of divination.

This is a regret for Astrologers.

However, Ren had already been prepared for this.

Moreover, advancing to Astrologer means that all the preparatory sequences are now complete. Any subsequent advancement will greatly increase one's strength.

In particular, Sequence 6 of the Door Pathway and Error Pathway are the core and the key. Sequence 7 of the Fool Pathway also adds a lot of abilities, making it the strongest among Sequence 7.

After sorting everything out, Ren was a bit too excited. The next stage was finally the time to become truly stronger.

Moreover, the support that will accompany him next will not just be from an external source, but from his own strength as well.

(To be continued.)