SCIAW: Chapter 270/271

Chapter 270: Wanting the Rights of a Maid

"Haki is for the future, at least until you and Kaguya improve your physical fitness, Devil Fruit abilities, and mastery of the Six Styles. Otherwise, there are too many things you haven't mastered yet, and you won't be able to handle what comes next."

"After all, it's only been a month since Kaguya obtained her Devil Fruit. And for you, Hayasaka, it's been less than half a month since you got yours. Right now, you and Kaguya shouldn't pursue power too aggressively."

The power system in One Piece mainly revolves around Devil Fruits, the Six Styles, swordsmanship, and Haki.

Upon careful analysis, the overall structure of the power system isn't particularly deep, but its capabilities can still reach very high levels.

These four categories of abilities can all be deeply cultivated. As long as one or more of them are pushed to the limit, that strength is enough to stand out at sea.

That's why Ren was confident that for now, what Hayasaka and Kaguya needed was to train their physical fitness, start learning the Six Styles, master their Devil Fruit abilities, and, after accumulating a solid foundation, move toward developing Haki.

"In that case, can Miss Kaguya and I accumulate draws?"

"Yes, that's right."

Hayasaka nodded slightly. She understood now that the direction for her and Kaguya's future efforts would be strengthening themselves step by step.

Devil Fruit abilities and the Six Styles required training. Physical strength could be enhanced by gradually consuming Sea King meat, thereby expanding their combat options.

While developing themselves, they could also accumulate draws, allowing them to earn greater rewards later and further enrich their methods.

It was a positive feedback loop.

Seeing that Hayasaka understood, Ren continued the discussion on rewards.

"Also, this diary is mostly based on my personal experiences. You weren't involved, so the rewards you get won't be substantial. Even if there's a draw, it's unlikely you'll get something valuable. It might even be useless."

Hayasaka nodded.

Everyone already understood how the diary's reward system worked. The key was how much participation one had in the events within the diary.

Only with significant involvement could one earn better rewards.

Even if the level of involvement was low, it was still possible to increase the quality of rewards by accumulating more draws.

Compared to pointless rewards, saving up for better ones was the smarter approach.

After addressing Hayasaka's curiosity, Ren returned to the main point.

"Besides the lottery?"

"Yes."

Hayasaka lowered her head slightly and leaned closer, resting her head on Ren's shoulder.

"Because of how you treated Miss Sonoko and Miss Kaguya today…. As your maid, perhaps I shouldn't ask this, but Master, do I have the right too?"

Ren was briefly stunned, but once his slow-processing mind caught up, he immediately wrapped his arms around Hayasaka, who was leaning against him.

"Of course."

Hearing that, Hayasaka smiled gently, then lifted her head a little, eyes filled with anticipation.

"Then, Master, do you want to... exercise?"

"…Can I?"

No one disturbed the quiet night.

The lovely maid, with the heart of someone willing to cross the line, began exercising her rights alongside her master.

As the sun rose on the horizon, it pulled back the curtain of night, pushing away the darkness and ushering in a new light.

The chirping of birds and insects in the mountains and fields offered warm morning greetings to those slowly waking from their dreams.

However, this morning, the sun had barely lifted the night curtain when it was quickly obscured by clouds. The entire sky turned gloomy, as if a downpour was approaching.

This further delayed...

"Hmm~"

Early in the morning, Kaguya woke from her sleep.

The moment she opened her eyes, she subconsciously reacted.

"Hayasaka…"

She called for her maid.

After a long silence, still hearing no response, Kaguya slowly opened her eyes.

Hm? A strange ceiling.

Her hazy mind gradually began to clear.

"Ah, right. I stayed at the hot spring hotel last night. Hayasaka's in the next room."

Yawning, Kaguya sat up in bed.

"Hayasaka is waking up later than usual today. Hmm, is it because of the hot spring hotel?"

Scratching her messy hair, she climbed out of bed and slipped on her fluffy slippers.

After a quick freshening up in the bathroom, she stepped out and knocked on the door next door.

Knock knock knock!

The door opened shortly after.

Hayasaka appeared, looking groggy and clearly not fully awake.

However, Kaguya felt something odd. Even though Hayasaka looked drowsy, she seemed strangely... energetic.

"Good morning, Miss Kaguya."

Hayasaka yawned as she greeted her, clearly still sleepy.

"Hayasaka, did you stay up late last night?"

Kaguya asked instinctively.

"Yes. I was planning to go to bed early, but then I saw that Ren updated his diary in the middle of the night, so I went to his room to ask about the lottery."

Hayasaka confessed honestly that she had gone to Ren's room the previous night.

"…???"

Kaguya was stunned. She quickly pulled up the diary and checked. Sure enough, the diary had been updated. It even detailed Ren's encounters from the previous night, including meeting certain individuals.

"Huh? Something like this happened last night?"

She had gone to bed early and didn't expect anything to happen.

"Yes, it was really sudden. I didn't want to wake you since you were resting. And Ren needed rest too."

"Right."

Kaguya nodded. Since it happened so unexpectedly and she was already asleep, it made sense that Hayasaka didn't disturb her.

Besides, if it wasn't urgent, they could always discuss it the next day.

"Hayasaka, go wake the others. I'll go wake up Ren."

"Yes."

As Kaguya turned around, Hayasaka finally let out a long sigh of relief.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 271: Pure Explanation

After watching Kaguya leave, Hayasaka returned to her room to tidy herself up.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

Back inside, taking advantage of the room's excellent soundproofing, Hayasaka couldn't help but cover her blushing face.

Just thirty seconds before Kaguya had knocked, she was still in Ren's room, even clinging to his arm.

She had stayed over at Ren's place every night during the past week, even sharing the same bed, and her growing attachment made her greedy.

And because of that greed, she had nearly been caught by Kaguya.

I have to be more careful next time. I absolutely cannot let Kaguya find out.

Hayasaka made a firm decision in her heart, she wouldn't indulge in that kind of greed again.

At least not while they were all away together on a weekend vacation.

Not just Kaguya. If anyone else had gone to Ren's room that early, her "greed" would've been exposed to Kaguya for sure.

Even though Kaguya already knew what had happened the past week, if she learned that Hayasaka had cuddled up to Ren and stayed the night again during the vacation, she'd definitely shoot her a resentful glare.

After calming herself and making sure she looked presentable, Hayasaka stepped out to gather the others.

Everyone eventually gathered at the dining area just in time for breakfast.

"Eh?!"

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Ren as he explained.

"Ren, are you saying that yesterday, through something called Sefirah Castle, you encountered a character from Lord of Mysteries?"

Sonoko asked in disbelief.

"That's right."

"Isn't that story set in another world?"

After Ren confirmed it, Sonoko was even more shocked.

She already knew Ren had the ability to leave this world, and he had hinted at it before. It was plausible that he'd someday travel to other worlds—but she didn't expect that day to come so soon.

All eyes turned to Ren, but after thinking for a moment, he shook his head slightly.

"You could call it another world, but it's only possible through the special nature of Sefirah Castle, which I maintain. I can't enter it freely. At most, I can attend gatherings there via Sefirah Castle's resonance."

"If I want to enter with my own power, I'd need to reach at least Sequence 4. But becoming a demigod is still a long way off for me."

"Besides, even if I reach Sequence 4, I wouldn't rush in. That place is too dangerous—even for Sequence 4s. Especially since I seem to carry secrets of my own. Unless I'm Sequence 0, I won't be going there just to die."

The world of Lord of Mysteries is unimaginably dangerous.

In a way, the true gods of Sequence 0 in that world are truly terrifying.

Not to mention, many foreign deities in that world are eyeing the sealed Source on the planet. If he lacked the strength to defend himself, he'd be nothing more than a fat lamb to them.

The girls all breathed a sigh of relief.

This development had been so sudden that they couldn't accept it right away.

But things weren't as bad as they imagined.

At least, Ren didn't have the power to go there yet, and more importantly, he had the self-awareness to know that his current strength wasn't enough and wouldn't recklessly set foot in that world.

Seeing their reactions, Ren touched his face with a helpless expression.

"Do I look like the reckless type?"

He was cautious, thank you very much.

"I know better than anyone how dangerous that world is. There are no friendly forces, only enemies. If I want to fulfill my wish, I need sufficient guarantees first."

"I want to meet the people in that story with my own eyes, not get myself killed in the process."

Ren was very clear on that.

To chase a dream by recklessly exposing yourself? Only a fool would do that.

Only by ensuring his own safety could he observe the story from a higher perspective, and gain the ability to change some things if necessary.

"Yeah, Ren! If you go, take me with you!"

Chika stared at Ren with shining eyes, putting him under pressure.

If he wanted to bring Fujiwara along, he'd need more than Sequence 0. He'd need to become something beyond even the True Gods—something on par with the Old Days.

At that moment, Ren's face twitched slightly, his throat moved.

"W-Well, we can talk about that later."

The girls who noticed his reaction nearly burst into laughter.

"Amamiya."

After their laughter, Sanzenin Nagi raised her hand.

"Can you explain Sequence 0 and the Source Castle? You didn't mention them earlier."

"The Sequence path is actually kind of complex."

Ren thought for a moment, then decided to explain it.

"The Source Castle is actually a form of Source essence. Each type of Source essence corresponds to a different pathway. When a Beyonder on a certain path reaches the top of the Sequence but still wants to ascend further, they need Source essence to move forward."

"Most Beyonders can't control Source essence. Only those with special characteristics can. But even then, most of those so-called 'special' Beyonders are actually just placeholders for former Sequence users who used them as vessels for resurrection."

"So, those who gain control over Source essence are basically consumables. Even if they manage to master it, once they try to transcend the Sequence, they're fated to be assimilated by those immortal wills. In the worst case, they get devoured completely."

Ren paused to emphasize his point.

"Of course, I'm not referring to myself here. I obtained the Source essence through the diary. Judging by Sefirah Castle's current state, it had already split and reformed. If that wasn't caused by the diary, then it means the split happened before those immortal wills appeared. That way, it wouldn't be under their control."

"What if it was the diary?"

Fujiwara Chika asked curiously.

"Idiot."

Sanzenin Nagi rolled her eyes.

"If it was the diary, then it's even less of a concern. A being that can fragment a Source Castle—something necessary for becoming a True God—is on a completely different level. You think just anyone can do that?"

"Right?"

Ren smiled and nodded.

"Exactly. If it was the diary, then there's no need to worry. If even the Source can be split, then those guys beyond the Sequence can't hope to manipulate the diary either."

(To be continued.)