SCIAW: Chapter 277/278

Chapter 277: The Decision of the Road to the List

"???"

Nagi stared blankly at the empty hot spring inn, a strange feeling of dissonance nagging at her.

"Nagi, why are you still here?"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Nagi turned around.

"What do you mean 'still here'?"

"Come on now! We're all getting ready to go home. Are you still half-asleep?"

Nagi was slightly stunned. She looked down to see herself still wearing the bathrobe from the hot spring inn, while Sakuya had already changed into her regular clothes. It was clear who was out of place.

"You're heading back already?"

Confused, she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 10:23 AM.

Did she doze off again after breakfast?

It certainly felt like a typical weekend—hard to get up no matter what. Even now, she still felt a little drowsy.

Yawning, Nagi felt the haze lift somewhat, probably thanks to that nap. Her mind was much clearer now.

"Of course. Tomorrow's Monday. We need to catch the bus home today. I was talking to you earlier, but instead of sleeping on the ride back, you dozed off after breakfast?"

"…Ugh, it's totally the weekend's fault. Weekends just make me want to fall asleep the moment I touch a pillow."

Nagi pouted, blaming the weekend entirely.

Aizawa Sakuya rolled her eyes.

"Don't blame the weekend. You've always had trouble getting up on weekends, but you've been getting better recently. Who would've thought you'd regress today."

"…"

Nagi couldn't argue. She had indeed fallen asleep after breakfast, and it was clearly her fault.

"Did you get enough sleep now?"

"Yeah."

"Then don't fall asleep again."

"Huh?"

Her vision blurred again, and when she opened her eyes, she realized she was still seated at the breakfast table. Everyone around her was still eating.

"???"

Nagi was completely confused.

Hadn't she already eaten breakfast? Why was everyone still eating?

"So strong!"

Half-conscious, Nagi heard Sakuya exclaim with excitement. She turned to see Sakuya looking absolutely thrilled.

"Nightmare's ability is incredible. It can drag people into dreams so easily. And the person pulled into the dream doesn't even realize it. If I hadn't said anything, Nagi wouldn't have realized she was still dreaming."

Even the slowest person would get it by now.

Sanzenin Nagi's expression twitched. She had just been used as a guinea pig for some supernatural ability experiment.

"That's what makes Nightmare so powerful. At Sequence 7, they're not opponents ordinary people can handle anymore, especially since Nightmare's abilities can activate when someone's consciousness is at its weakest. Under the effect of supernatural abilities, people might not even realize they're being manipulated."

Ren spoke calmly, fully understanding the implications. After obtaining the River of Everlasting Darkness, he had often studied the abilities of neighboring Sequences and realized that each had unique characteristics.

The Sleepless Path, in particular, was impressive for support, intelligence gathering, and covert operations.

Nightmare's ability was incredibly strong.

Even other supernaturals could be affected if they couldn't tell dream from reality. Once they were trapped, Nightmare could toy with them.

The closer dreams were to reality, the harder it was to distinguish between the two. That blurred boundary was what made it truly dangerous.

It was hard enough for extraordinary people. For regular people, it was practically impossible.

"It has support abilities, enhances physical strength, and can even force people into dreams. Don't just focus on how hard it is to enter a Sequence—the Sleepless Path is genuinely well-suited."

Now that she had experienced its power firsthand, Sakuya had clearly made up her mind.

Ren watched quietly. He could tell that Aizawa Sakuya had made her decision.

Sakuya turned to him with a strange expression.

"Amamiya, aren't you going to stop me?"

Ren shook his head slightly.

"Miss Aizawa has made up her mind. Trying to stop her would be meaningless. Once she obtains the diary, it will grant her what she desires most."

"If Miss Aizawa is set on walking the path of the Sequence, then no one can stop her."

The right to choose always lies with you, even if the road ahead is covered in thorns.

Ren believed that what Sakuya wanted right now wasn't someone to stop her, but someone to support her.

"Although I won't stop Miss Aizawa from walking the path she chooses, I hope that during the initial stages, you'll remain under my supervision."

"If you begin to show signs of losing control, at least I'll be able to intervene."

Sakuya laughed at that.

"Of course."

Even if she did get the diary and the potion needed to advance through the Sequence, she wouldn't dream of drinking it in secret.

What happened to Chika was enough of a warning.

Even though Ren had said that it might have been because of his influence that she lost control, was that something anyone could be certain of?

So under no circumstances would Aizawa Sakuya drink the potion alone. That would be suicide.

"Ren!"

Just as Sakuya's discussion wrapped up, Sonoko suddenly raised her hand.

"Can you explain the Sequence path to my sister?"

"Your sister wants to walk that path too?"

"No, she doesn't know about it yet. Actually, my dad is really into this stuff. He's always been fascinated by the supernatural. Lately, both he and mom have been focusing a lot on my sister's education. I think... for my sister's safety, she really should gain some power."

Sonoko had always thought this way. Especially after her sister had been pushed into the spotlight instead of her, the idea had only grown stronger.

Ren nodded slightly. He understood Sonoko's concern.

"In that case, go ahead and tell your sister. You've saved up plenty of lottery draws already. If you truly want to help her, you just might be able to."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 278: Why Not Take the Opportunity

In the afternoon, the Shinomiya family's RV dropped everyone off at their respective homes.

Outside the Suzuki residence, a maid was already waiting.

"Miss Sonoko."

"Mm. I'll leave the luggage to you. I need to go find Father, Mother, and Ayako."

The maids quickly took the suitcase from Suzuki Sonoko's hands, then bowed and said,

"Miss Sonoko, the master, madam, and Miss Ayako are waiting for you in the main hall."

Sonoko nodded slightly. She had already expected her parents to be home waiting for her.

It just so happened that her sister was also present. She needed to tell her what had happened today, though she wasn't sure whether her sister would choose to walk the Sequence path.

Shaking her head slightly, Sonoko didn't know what her sister would decide, but she was certain that Ayako wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by.

With that thought, Sonoko quickened her pace.

The Suzuki family villa was quite large. Walking from the front gate to the central courtyard took some time.

There was an internal shuttle that usually handled this distance, but today, anxious to speak with her sister, she ignored it.

After a brisk ten-minute walk, Sonoko finally stepped into the villa.

A maid had already opened the door for her.

Upon entering, she saw her father, mother, and sister sitting on the living room sofa.

Her mother and sister were deep in conversation, while her father was reading the newspaper.

Sonoko hurried over and jumped directly toward her mother and sister.

"I'm back!"

The sudden burst startled both Suzuki Tomoko and Suzuki Ayako, their shoulders visibly jolting. After a few seconds, they gradually relaxed.

Ayako gave her energetic sister a helpless look and said,

"Sonoko, how old are you? Why are you still pouncing like that?"

Sonoko grinned without a care.

"Well, you were chatting so seriously with Mom. Opportunities like that aren't common. Were you talking about business?"

Ayako smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Since weekends are slower, I was summarizing this past week's work and planning for next week. Mom says the future belongs to the Internet age, so we must take it seriously."

"The Internet age, huh? Yeah, technology always pushes the era forward. That's nothing surprising."

Sonoko wasn't surprised. She wasn't some sheltered flower in a greenhouse. After being exposed to certain things, she had an understanding of future trends.

Just look at mobile phones. Who would've thought such a small device would replace bulky landlines?

Isn't that technological advancement?

"Let's not talk about business. I'm not good at that stuff anyway. I won't be dealing with the family business in the future."

Looking at her sister's carefree attitude, Ayako was somewhat amused.

Children from other conglomerate families were all fighting for inheritance. Yet, in their family, her little sister had decided to pursue the path of the supernatural, leaving her, the elder sister, to shoulder the family responsibilities.

"I came back today with good news. Well, it'll only be good news if you decide to accept it, Sis."

That statement instantly grabbed the attention of Suzuki Shiro, Suzuki Tomoko, and Suzuki Ayako.

The implication was clear.

An opportunity to enter the world of the supernatural.

"Actually, I got a chance to enter the mystery. But whether or not to accept it depends on you, Sis."

Suzuki Tomoko quickly picked up on the implication and looked at Sonoko.

"You got a chance to enter the mystery? Or is it a chance to delve deeper?"

Sonoko paused.

Seeing this, Ayako calmed her nerves and began to talk her sister down.

"Sonoko, if you got a chance to go deeper, then take it. Compared to giving me the opportunity to enter, I think you should use it to advance yourself further."

"That's right," Suzuki Shiro chimed in, sharing the same view as his wife and eldest daughter.

"Sonoko, if you really got such an opportunity, don't waste it. Your ability to channel items is already excellent. If you can go deeper, then do it. Splitting opportunities like that isn't good for either you or the family."

As a father, Suzuki Shiro naturally hoped his daughter could go deeper into the world of the supernatural.

Sonoko understood where her family was coming from, but she still couldn't help sighing softly.

"Well… he's my boyfriend."

"..."

"..."

"..."

All three family members froze for a few seconds. Finally, Suzuki Tomoko cleared her throat and quickly shifted her tone.

"Ahem, in that case, Sonoko, can you tell me what exactly this opportunity is?"

If it had been something her daughter earned through her own efforts, Suzuki Tomoko would have encouraged her to pursue it further. The stronger Sonoko became now, the greater the support she could offer the family later on.

Compared to short-term benefits, Suzuki Tomoko valued the long-term opportunities her daughter could create in the future.

But if this opportunity came from Sonoko's boyfriend, then that changed things.

Watching how quickly her mother changed her tone, Sonoko rolled her eyes.

"Mom, your attitude flipped too fast."

Suzuki Tomoko didn't mind at all.

"That's because I care about the future, not the present. The more success you achieve now, the more it'll benefit the family later."

"Of course, that's only true if the opportunity you got is a rare one."

"But if this is something our son-in-law gave you, then why should I be polite? Being overly polite to a son-in-law is hypocritical. That kind of fake formality only happens between families that don't get along."

"If our son-in-law is competent and wants to support our family, why should I reject that?"

Hearing her mother refer to him so intimately as "son-in-law," even Sonoko blushed slightly.

Although she did receive the opportunity herself, it was undeniable that the opportunity came from Ren.

She really couldn't say her mother was wrong.

(To be continued.)