SCIAW: Chapter 335/336

Chapter 335: How Many People's Fates Changed?

[Today was even more exciting than I expected.]

[At noon, I accompanied Sanzenin to meet Tachibana Wataru, the boy who had a crush on Saginomiya in the original story.]

[As it happened, an explosion occurred in Shinjuku—right across from the video store run by Tachibana Wataru.]

[The blast was even stronger than I imagined. I could clearly feel the ringing in my ears.]

[That bomb not only ruined what should have been a pleasant afternoon, but it also dragged in the name of a known bomber, Moriya Teiji.]

[A madman who turned to bomb-making after experiencing setbacks in his career.]

[Even the explosion he orchestrated was just a means of taking revenge on Kudo.]

[It's just that his luck was truly awful. He actually ran into Sanzenin and me while executing his plan. He had no idea his bomb was about to be thrown in my face, so I couldn't exactly just smile and let it happen.]

[Unlike a detective, I'm not that clever. But as a Seer, my divination ability is still quite decent.]

[It would be a poor decision for someone like me, who relies on divination, to go head-to-head with detectives who specialize in using their intellect.]

[After using divination, the whole conspiracy and the setup behind Moriya Teiji's plan unfolded before me. Given how vile the plan was, I didn't want to insert myself into the chaos.]

[Well~ I wasn't that interested in the situation to begin with. I only enjoy changing the fates of people I care about. When it comes to people bent on self-destruction, I usually just watch from the sidelines. But because of this bombing, many people died, and even Sanzenin seemed to resent me, so I decided to shift gears a bit.]

[I went ahead and called the police.]

[But I didn't notify the entire Metropolitan Police Department. I only contacted Officer Sato and let her handle it.]

[Officer Sato is also quite interesting—a female officer with a bit of an idealistic streak. She chose not to expose my identity and worked hard to save as many people as possible.]

[Her ideals are naïve, but I don't dislike people like her.]

[Still, through Officer Sato, I used this opportunity to test the response of the Metropolitan Police Department.]

[I confirmed some things about the top brass. As expected, they do have knowledge of certain mysterious matters. Back during Miss Ayako's class reunion incident, the higher-ups also deliberately covered up some things.]

[This event also allowed the senior officials to recognize that there's someone mysterious backing Officer Sato.]

[Of course, that's not a bad thing. It'll make future reports to the police much easier.]

[Officer Sato will also gain more authority and her words will carry more weight. That should pave the way for less hassle for me in the future.]

[Moriya Teiji had three plans. The first was a simple outburst of rage. The second was to provoke the Metropolitan Police Department by placing a bomb between the train tracks. The third was what he considered his "artistic masterpiece," an attempt to immortalize himself in a twisted way.]

[Since fond memories don't last, Moriya Teiji chose pain.]

[The third bomb was planted in the Beika Municipal Building. If things had gone the way Moriya Teiji envisioned, his name might've actually been engraved in history as a crazed artist.]

[In blood and sorrow, Moriya Teiji's name would have been remembered for a long, long time.]

[Unfortunately for him, his plan fell apart. Aside from the initial explosion, none of the other two schemes had a chance to succeed.]

[His plan failed. I really want to see what Moriya Teiji looks like right now. Officer Sato should have apprehended him by now.]

[I may not have seen him today, but since Officer Sato is meeting me tomorrow, she should be ready to open up. That'll be a good chance for me. I can also try to let her experience that power tomorrow.]

Shinomiya Kaguya closed her diary.

So many things had happened over the weekend.

Ren had also encountered the bombing in Shinjuku.

Kaguya sat up straight in bed.

"Hayasaka, how much do you know about the bombing in Shinjuku?"

"Miss Kaguya, please don't think of me as some omnipotent maid. I spent the weekend exercising and resting. I didn't pay much attention to anything going on outside."

In truth, Hayasaka had just found out what was happening outside through the diary.

She had spent the entire day training her powers at home, along with physical conditioning.

Mastering the Six Styles had become her top priority now.

The Door-Door Fruit had given her an edge in mobility, but truth be told, her offensive capabilities were still lacking. What she needed most was the combat strength offered by the Six Styles.

Because of how much she pushed herself in training, Hayasaka had been completely drained all day, so much so that she had no energy left to care about outside news.

"Ren also mentioned in his diary that he left the matter to the Metropolitan Police Department. I think he handled it wisely. It wouldn't have been appropriate for him to intervene personally. Letting the police handle it was the best choice."

"Also, I think there's another reason Ren let a female officer handle it. Besides saving himself trouble and testing the Metropolitan Police Department... I believe it's related to the female officer herself."

"You mean... she's a believer?"

Hayasaka nodded slightly.

That was the only explanation she could think of as to why Ren would go out of his way to support a female officer.

"There's a tacit understanding between the senior officials and Ren. The higher-ups know Ren's stance, and that female officer acts as a sort of liaison."

"Rather than full exposure, perhaps maintaining this ambiguity is the smartest move."

At the same time, Hayasaka lowered her voice a little.

"I believe this female officer will play a significant role in the story. Changing other people's fates through her will likely bring considerable benefit to Ren."

"Although it was the female officer who handled the bombing, its root cause still points back to Ren. So... how many people's fates do you think changed because of this bombing?"

Indeed... Kaguya listened quietly and nodded slightly. She, too, felt that this was one of the main reasons.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 336: "The Nation of Disorder"

"Destiny has its own weight."

At this moment, Ren sighed, resting his elbow on one side of the throne, his cheek resting against the back of his hand. He sat upon the throne with the posture of a king.

From this vantage point, the throne offered a sweeping view. Ren's gaze could span across all things.

Above, the Nation of Disorder floated. Below stretched the endless River of Eternal Darkness, flowing into the Chaos Sea. Even the earth's core was included in this vast domain, and Sefirah Castle sat like the throne of a ruler by the riverside.

It was a world that seemed to contain only one person.

"The Nation of Disorder…"

He lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest of the throne.

"I was just thinking about Officer Sato's gift, and such a surprise dropped into my lap."

"Moriya Teiji still played too large a role."

In truth, when Ren had guided Officer Sato into action, he had already begun to sense that altering the fate of those doomed to die could bring substantial benefits. As it turned out, the reward from fate was immense—it directly granted him the Nation of Disorder.

This generous gift made Ren want to personally thank fate.

"I've acquired four Sefirots and mastered more than half of the Pathways. If I set aside my personal strength, I could cultivate an organization on my own right now."

"Unfortunately, there are no creatures with Beyonder characteristics in this world."

What a pity.

Still, Ren only felt it was a slight waste that he couldn't use those resources just yet. He didn't feel greed.

After all, he already had the Sefirot. He didn't need to personally gather potion ingredients. They could simply be obtained steadily from the diary. Wasn't that far easier than searching blindly for them?

"With the Nation of Disorder in hand, Officer Sato's future power will be indescribable. There's probably no one more suited for the Arbiter Pathway than her."

As he spoke, Ren stretched out on the throne, then slumped down lazily.

Surprisingly, despite its grand appearance, the throne was actually far more comfortable than it looked. Its design wasn't bad at all, and it felt pretty nice to sit on.

But no matter how comfortable it was, he couldn't stay here long. It was already night outside, and it was time to sleep.

After coming down from the high of excitement, he remembered that someone else was waiting for him—Sanzenin.

He calmed his mind, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in his room.

Knock, knock, knock.

The moment he returned, he heard a knock on the door.

Ren chuckled softly, shook his head, and got up to open it.

"I'm coming."

When he opened the door, he saw a girl standing there in nothing but a nightgown. Her long golden hair was untied, and she held a pillow in both arms, her face slightly flushed.

Ren had already expected Nagi to appear at his door.

"You still haven't gotten used to sleeping alone?"

"…"

Nagi puffed up her adorable face in a pout.

Though she had matured in many ways, she still wasn't quite at the stage where she could fall asleep alone. It would take a little more time to adjust to that.

"Alright, alright. Don't puff up like that."

Ren grinned and gently poked her cheek, pulling the sulking Nagi into his room.

He closed the door behind her and led Nagi to the bedside. She quickly placed her pillow beside his, pulled up the blanket, and slipped into bed in a hurry.

Seeing her cute yet shy actions, Ren couldn't help but chuckle and walked around to the other side of the bed before sitting down.

"So, shall we sleep now?"

"Yeah."

Nagi nodded softly, hiding under the blanket with only half her face peeking out.

Ren didn't say anything more. He turned off the light, closed his eyes, and began to rest.

Not long after, he felt someone inching closer.

His pajamas were gently tugged, followed by a small, soft voice.

"If… If you want to hug me now, I… I'd be okay with it…"

The nervous and slightly trembling voice allowed Ren, with his eyes closed, to imagine Nagi's face, red and on the verge of tears.

He could guess the kind of courage it took for her to say something like that.

Suppressing a smile, Ren turned to the side and gently wrapped Nagi in his arms.

"Better now?"

The girl's trembling body slowly calmed down.

She wasn't really scared. It was more of a psychological issue—one that still needed time to heal.

This wasn't Nagi's fault. There were just too many people in the world eyeing her inheritance.

No matter how mature Nagi might act, she was still just a 13-year-old girl.

Even boys ten years older often fear turning off the lights at night.

Ren herself had experienced that kind of fear firsthand.

"...Yeah."

Nagi felt that the anxiety within her had lessened considerably.

She didn't know how she would eventually grow into someone truly independent, but she did understand that she must have made many efforts to become that way. Otherwise, how could she become like the girl she saw at the end of the story—confident, composed, and able to sleep alone?

She still had a long journey ahead.

Resting her face against Ren's chest, wrapped in a quiet sense of security, Nagi's heart slowly calmed.

As for the future… she would think about that later. For now, this was enough. Nagi closed her eyes in silence. That peaceful warmth seemed to invite sleep. Her drowsiness came naturally.

While the Amamiya household had already fallen into a peaceful slumber, the entire Metropolitan Police Department had no time to rest.

The events of the day had sparked waves of unrest across society, especially due to the bomber who had openly challenged the Metropolitan Police Department.

But in the end, the bomber was successfully apprehended by nightfall.

Bang!

The handcuffed Moriya Teiji slammed his fists onto the metal table before him. His bloodshot eyes were filled with humiliation.

"Why?! My plan was perfect! How could useless cops like you have caught me?!"

The officer conducting the interrogation stared at him coldly. He was well aware of this man's crimes and felt nothing but satisfaction seeing him break down.

"Perfect? That's just your delusion. If your plan was so perfect, why are you sitting here in an interrogation room?"

"You were too arrogant. That was your mistake. You underestimated the Metropolitan Police Department. Did you think everyone here is an idiot?"

"A perfect plan? Hmph. You're just a clown."

Moriya Teiji's blood pressure spiked from the rage. His eyes rolled back—and he fainted.

(To be continued.)