SCIAW: Chapter 380/381

Chapter 380: Unusual Gift

The Hakuo Student Council entered the annex.

Despite it being a birthday party, everyone quickly noticed that the atmosphere in the annex was unusually quiet, as if not many guests had been invited.

"Miss Hinagiku."

Just as curiosity was spreading among the group, Maria appeared before them.

"Miss Maria."

It had been a while since Hinagiku Katsura had last seen Maria. She felt a wave of familiarity but was more focused on her curiosity at the moment.

"Miss Maria, weren't there supposed to be more people invited to today's birthday party?"

"Yes. This time, Miss Sakuya, Miss Hayasaka, and Miss Sonoko only invited people close to them. This birthday party is meant to be a relatively private gathering."

"A private birthday party?"

At first, Hinagiku was confused. The scene in front of her felt a bit different from what she had expected.

"Indeed. Miss Kaguya and Miss Hayasaka don't have any friends at Shuchiin they felt the need to invite. As for Miss Sonoko and Miss Ran from Teitan High, they also have no one beyond each other to invite. Only Miss Sakuya and Miss Nagi invited friends from Hakuo."

Is their social circle really that limited? Hinagiku couldn't help but complain inwardly.

Looking around, she still felt like Nagi had a surprisingly large number of friends within Hakuo.

"This time, since the birthday parties of three people were merged into one, rather than going for a large celebration, everyone felt it would be better to simply gather with close friends."

No wonder it felt so subdued. Hinagiku understood now. This party was indeed structured differently from previous ones—more intimate and subtle.

"Miss Maria, besides us, who else is attending this birthday party?"

Kasumi Aika was curious about the other guests. It was clear this party had Miss Sakuya's touch on it.

"In addition to you, there's Miss Isumi, Master Tachibana Wataru, and Miss Saki. Also, friends Nagi met at her new school—Miss Shinomiya Kaguya, Miss Hayasaka Ai, Miss Fujiwara Chika, Miss Suzuki Sonoko, Miss Ran Mouri, and Mr. Amamiya Ren."

The number wasn't large—only six new friends. Hinagiku quickly memorized the names Maria had listed.

"Miss Maria, is Nagi's sudden school transfer related to one of those people?"

Asakaze Risa suddenly threw out the question.

"Hmm. I'm afraid I can't answer that."

"So in other words, it is related, right?"

Risa narrowed her eyes slightly.

The others also showed expressions of realization.

They had always suspected there was a reason behind Nagi's sudden transfer. She was doing perfectly well at Hakuo, so what prompted the sudden change?

Clearly, there had to be a cause.

Did Nagi manage to convince her grandfather with that reason? Aika didn't believe her grandfather would allow Nagi to transfer that easily—unless Nagi had already lost her status as heir.

But based on what Aika knew, her grandfather had recently confirmed Nagi's position as the heir.

She had found that decision baffling at the time. If he had already planned to make Nagi the heir, why did he allow her to face so many dangerous kidnapping attempts?

So perhaps he had been persuaded. And for the sake of Nagi's safety, he finally acknowledged her as the heir.

"Hmm... It must be because of a man!"

Yukiji suddenly spoke up. And with that one sentence, the room seemed to collectively awaken.

Yes. Among the names Maria listed earlier, aside from Tachibana Wataru, there was only one other male.

The one called Amamiya Ren.

Maria offered no comment, simply leading the group toward the side hall where the birthday party was being held.

Since this was a private celebration, the main hall wasn't necessary.

Maria brought them into the side hall, where the invited members of the Hakuo Student Council were already present, and the scene was just unfolding.

"I'm telling you, Sakuya, how could you forget your own birthday?"

Sanzenin Nagi was scolding Aizawa Sakuya.

Forget your own birthday? Kasumi Aika paused in surprise. Now she understood why there had been no news of Miss Sakuya's birthday this year—because the girl herself had forgotten.

"Well, birthdays happen every year. Honestly, I'm a little tired of them. Sometimes I just don't want to think about birthdays."

Aizawa Sakuya, dressed in a dark blue gown, shifted the conversation toward her general indifference to birthdays in an attempt to deflect attention from the fact that she had forgotten her own.

"You..."

"Alright, alright. Birthdays follow the same script every year. All they do is remind me I'm one year older."

Sakuya clearly didn't want to dwell on her forgetfulness. After shutting down Nagi's complaint, her eyes turned to Ren, who stood just behind Nagi.

"But birthday presents are non-negotiable."

She extended her hand toward Ren.

"Ren, where's my gift?"

Ren, being addressed, raised his hand and a gift box materialized in his palm.

"I did prepare a birthday gift, but I hope you won't expect too much from it."

"Something ordinary?"

Sakuya looked at Ren expectantly, but he shook his head lightly.

"I know Miss Aizawa isn't very interested in regular gifts. And since she's also the one among us who's not... gift-easy, I added a bit of extra effort within the bounds of normality."

"Oh!!!"

Hearing that it wasn't just an ordinary gift, Sakuya's eyes lit up instantly. Her gaze sparkled with anticipation.

"Can I open it now?"

"Of course. But if you want to test it, wait until you're home and talk to me first."

"Naturally."

Testing it at the party would be inappropriate.

Sakuya opened the box. Inside was a silver ladies' wristwatch. Judging by its design, it wasn't particularly expensive. But Sakuya seemed very satisfied with the gift.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 381: "Water Meter"

The scene before them left the members of the Hakuo Student Council speechless for quite some time.

Especially when they saw Nagi sitting on a boy's lap, a gift box seemingly conjured from thin air, and Aizawa Sakuya beaming as she received a watch—like it was the most precious treasure.

Their earlier suspicions were confirmed on the spot.

It was because of that man.

Anyone with a functioning pair of eyes could tell. It was obvious.

Kasumi Aika's gaze landed on the new watch now adorning Aizawa Sakuya's wrist.

Sakuya wouldn't be this happy just because of a simple gift, right?

The memory of last year's birthday party was still fresh in her mind.

Back then, many guests had offered expensive, luxurious gifts. Yet Sakuya had merely thanked them politely and didn't bother wearing any of them.

But this year?

While the Hakuo members stood silently by the door, Aizawa Sakuya wore that modest watch with a delighted smile.

Even Sanzenin Nagi couldn't help but feel curious.

"So? What Sequence is that watch related to?"

"Oh, right. What is it?"

Prompted by Nagi's question, Aizawa Sakuya also looked curious.

"Sailor, Sequence 9 of the Tyrant Pathway," Ren answered calmly. "It's a prop I created using the gifting ability."

In truth, Ren had been pondering this for a while—if he could grant abilities to others through gifts, could he also use that same ability to craft an extraordinary item?

That idea had led to this experiment, resulting in the watch now in Sakuya's possession—he called it the Water Meter.

"Wearing this watch grants the user traits of a Sailor: the ability to maintain perfect balance even on a stormy deck, the ability to glide and slip through tight spaces, increased resistance to damage and minor injuries, immunity to mosquito bites, and underwater breathing for up to ten minutes. You'll also be able to move underwater as fluidly as a fish and dive up to fifteen meters freely."

"But I think the most practical uses are its balance enhancement and phantom movement."

"Underwater breathing and swimming agility are great, but for someone who doesn't often go to sea, those might not be essential."

The Sailor Sequence also had strong land-based survivability. Its damage resistance was a very practical trait.

Balance had its uses on land as well, though not as impactful.

Honestly, the most useful trait was phantom movement—that slipperiness that made you nearly impossible to catch or restrain.

Ideally, props should have personalized ability sets.

But since this was Ren's first time attempting to create a mystical item via gifting, he hadn't yet mastered the art of selectively binding abilities. He would need further experiments.

For now, he simply transferred the entire ability set of the Sailor Sequence into the item.

As she listened to Ren's explanation, Aizawa Sakuya showed no sign of disappointment. In fact, her eyes lit up even more.

"That's already amazing."

Underwater breathing, seamless movement, damage resistance—this was practically a dream item, both in concept and execution.

The powers of the Sailor Sequence matched its name perfectly. This watch fully satisfied her craving for the mystical.

"My family has a deep pool meant for diving training. I've always wanted to try it out... and now I finally can."

Until now, Sakuya didn't have the physical ability or the courage to attempt it.

But with this new gift, this extraordinary tool, there was no excuse not to give it a shot.

You're really that happy? Nagi glanced at Sakuya's glowing expression and muttered inwardly.

A sudden breeze swept through, and she turned to find a group of people standing at the entrance, completely stunned.

Nagi quickly climbed down from Ren's lap.

Ren, of course, had already noticed their arrival.

His eyes immediately focused on the student council president.

Katsura Hinagiku... the most popular heroine in Hayate no Gotoku. Unfortunately, she lost not only to Tennos Athena but also to Konagi...

His gaze swept across the members of Hakuo's student council before settling on Kasumi Aika.

Ren lightly tapped his fingers against his leg. Activating his clairvoyant vision, he peered into her internal state.

He detected a murky black aura deep in her organs. It wasn't intense, but it was persistent.

Her body wasn't in good condition. A chronic illness. The etheric body was slightly disturbed. Within a few days, a minor illness would likely manifest.

"Miss Aizawa."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Do you know the identity of that young lady?"

"Hm?"

Following Ren's line of sight, Sakuya quickly spotted who he was referring to.

"That's Kasumi Aika. I have a pretty good relationship with her. Our family owes hers a favor. In fact, my name, Aika, includes a character from the Aizawa name."

"What about her?"

Ren shook his head lightly.

"She's been suffering from chronic illness for years. Her physical condition is not much better than Nagi's used to be. I noticed the black aura around her body growing slightly. She'll probably fall ill again soon. After the party, you might want to check on her."

Aizawa Sakuya glanced at Kasumi Aika, then turned back to Ren in disbelief.

"You can see something like that?"

"That's how the Extraordinary Path works. Certain Sequences that grant clairvoyance also allow you to evaluate a person's physical condition. In some ways, Extraordinary individuals can make the best doctors."

Sakuya nodded slightly, committing the information to memory.

"Can you cure her illness?"

"Yes, I can. But have you thought about how you'd explain it?"

Curing the illness wasn't hard. Ren, with his multiple Source-level powers, had plenty of ways to completely eliminate Aika's condition. The problem was the aftermath.

How do you explain it? How do you justify it? Those were not questions an outsider like him could answer.

"No worries. She and I are close. I'll talk to her after the party and let the facts speak for themselves."

Aizawa Sakuya turned the watch on her wrist, her smile glowing with confidence.

So, she's going to reveal it... Ren silently noted it but didn't object.

It would be foolish to apply ordinary logic to girls like her. These were not average people. They'd stood above others since the beginning. They saw farther and clearer than most adults.

Ren believed that Aizawa Sakuya would handle this much better than an outsider ever could.

"Alright then. You can handle it. Contact me once it's settled. You can reach out through Hayasaka too."

Aizawa Sakuya understood immediately and flashed an "OK" gesture with her hand.

(To be continued.)