SCIAW: Chapter 201/202

Chapter 201: Changing Destiny

[Then, according to your prayer, I will grant you the corresponding power to change this fate.]

The boy's voice suddenly echoed in Natsue Hatamoto's ears.

Immediately after, a surge of extraordinary power flowed into her body, and a massive amount of information flooded her mind.

At that moment, when Natsue Hatamoto focused again, she felt as if she instinctively knew exactly what to do.

There was no need to think—once her body could move, time would resume.

Click!

Suddenly, a strange sensation surged through her chest, and she instantly realized that the frozen moment in time was about to restart.

With that mysterious feeling, her body also began to move, though the world around her remained in slow motion.

She understood it was only due to the unknown power that had just entered her.

Natsue's gaze sharpened, and without wasting a second, her body sprang into action.

She moved swiftly, accelerating as fast as she could in a single step.

As the tip of the blade neared her grandfather's body, she planted her foot and leapt into the air, speeding up once more.

Her body spun midair, delivering a powerful kick to Ichiro Hatamoto's hand—the one gripping the kitchen knife.

At the exact moment fate was about to be rewritten, the slowed time snapped back to normal.

Crack!

Gozo Hatamoto was still frozen in shock at the sight of Ichiro drawing a knife when a foot came flying in, slamming directly into Ichiro's wrist.

All he heard was the crisp sound of bones breaking, and then Ichiro's hand was violently smashed into the doorframe by the impact. Gozo Hatamoto remained dazed.

But with a shrill, guttural scream, Gozo finally snapped back to awareness.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream—like a pig being slaughtered—rang throughout the entire cruise ship.

When he came to, Gozo saw his granddaughter standing tall, one foot still raised as she pinned Ichiro's hand to the doorframe. He even noticed that the wooden panel had caved inward under the force of the blow. He couldn't even begin to imagine how much strength Natsue had used.

The sharp heel of her high-heeled shoe had pierced through Ichiro's hand, pinning it—and the knife he held—firmly into the doorframe.

Blood streamed down the panel.

Natsue removed the heel that had pinned Ichiro's hand, then quickly grabbed her grandfather's arm and pulled him away from the source of danger.

Her heart was racing.

It had been close, far too close.

If I hadn't been here… if I hadn't had that power… Grandpa might have been stabbed to death by Ichiro…

The thought of that outcome filled her with dread.

And then, after the fear, came the anger. She glared at Ichiro, who was now slumped against the wall in agony, his hand still dripping blood.

At that moment, Natsue finally understood why her grandfather looked down on people like him.

They really were trash.

After experiencing something so terrifying, all of Natsue's remaining compassion toward those relatives was shattered. These people didn't deserve sympathy.

Looking at Ichiro howling at the door, all she felt was cold indifference.

Soon, the Hayasaka family's bodyguards arrived from the adjacent room.

"Help me… save me…"

Bang!

Without hesitation, one of the bodyguards kicked Ichiro, who was still pinned to the wall by his hand.

"AAAAAGHHHHHH!"

The blow knocked Ichiro straight to the floor.

Because his hand was still embedded in the panel, the sudden pull on the wound caused him to let out another scream. His tears flowed uncontrollably, and he writhed in pain.

"So noisy."

A calm, emotionless female voice echoed behind the bodyguards.

It was Hayasaka Ai, dressed in her maid uniform, approaching slowly.

She looked down briefly at Ichiro, who continued to cry and scream on the floor, but didn't spare him a second glance. Instead, she turned toward the two still-shocked people in the room and gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt in a polite curtsey.

"Good evening, Miss Hatamoto."

"It seems things have unfolded just as we expected."

Hayasaka didn't seem surprised at all by Ichiro's attempt to murder. It was something she had foreseen.

Everything Ichiro had done was simply a consequence of his own choices.

"Before assigning the rooms, we had already installed surveillance in the area. Our bodyguards were filming nearby just now. Based on his actions, I believe the judge will charge him with attempted murder. Ten years would be a reasonable sentence."

"Mr. Gozo, do you have any objections?"

Gozo, who had now recovered from the chaos, looked around at the scene and at the maid's arrangements.

This was indeed the best way to handle the situation.

"…No."

Hayasaka nodded slightly.

"In that case, Mr. Ichiro Hatamoto will be placed in our custody. Once we disembark, we will notify the authorities and allow the police to take over the investigation."

After saying this, Hayasaka turned her gaze back to the half-conscious Ichiro.

She waved her hand.

"Send him to the confinement room."

"Treat his wounds. He still has ten years of prison to face."

"Yes, Miss."

The Hayasaka bodyguards immediately carried out the order.

Of course, their handling was anything but gentle—rough, even brutal.

After all, the only instruction was not to let Ichiro die. Pain, however, was not off the table.

When they forcibly removed the hand that had been nailed to the doorframe, Ichiro let out another miserable scream. But none of the bodyguards reacted to his cries.

They were all trained professionals, ruthless and unbothered.

Once Ichiro Hatamoto had been dragged away, the source of noise was finally eliminated, and the room grew quiet again.

Hayasaka glanced at the bloodstained doorframe and the smeared floor, then gave a slight bow.

"Mr. Gozo, this room has become unsuitable. Please move to the room directly across the hall."

"I don't believe anyone else will come to disturb you tonight."

Gozo Hatamoto exhaled and nodded with a rare bit of gratitude.

"…Thank you very much."

"Then I'll take my leave."

With that, Hayasaka departed, leaving the room in silence.

Now that everything had quieted down, Gozo Hatamoto could only feel a dull ache in his head.

A weakling like him actually dared to try something like that… I really underestimated him.

But more than anything, what truly surprised him was Natsue.

Now that he had calmed down, Gozo realized that her explosive strength and sudden reaction earlier were completely abnormal.

After some thought, he realized…

He needed to have a proper conversation with Natsue.

"…Natsue, let's take this opportunity to talk."

"It seems it's finally time I handed the Hatamoto family over to you."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 202: Rigorous and Caring Maid

Hayasaka had no interest in the restrained Ichiro Hatamoto.

Attempted murder carried a long sentence. With enough evidence, it could even warrant the maximum penalty.

And those hands… According to what Hayasaka knew, Ichiro had graduated from a professional art academy. For an art student, one's hands were everything but Natsue Hatamoto had nailed his hand to the doorframe with a high-heeled shoe.

Judging from the dented panel, Hayasaka could say with near certainty that if his hand were only given basic treatment, it would be permanently ruined.

But she didn't care.

For the next ten years, Ichiro would rot in prison. With both hands crippled, he might end up in a psychiatric facility after release.

Was there any point in caring about someone like that?

What Hayasaka cared about more was Hatamoto.

A seemingly weak and ordinary young lady had just demonstrated power far beyond expectation.

Was this the power Ren had given her?

It was hard to believe Ren had granted such power even when he wasn't physically present.

Suddenly, Hayasaka paused, straightened her posture slightly, and gave a formal bow to the air in front of her.

"Good evening, Ren."

In the darkness, a figure slowly emerged.

"Good evening, Hayasaka," Ren replied.

"Thank you for your help with the Hatamoto family."

Ren returned the greeting politely and expressed his gratitude for her handling of the Hatamoto incident.

"Think nothing of it."

Hayasaka didn't consider this situation troublesome at all. Compared to the young lady she served, this was trivial. Dealing with the Hatamoto family was nothing more than a small matter.

"But Amamiya-san, did something happen on your end?"

"Ah…"

Ren hesitated slightly when it came to his own situation.

"Chika got the diary. After drawing her reward, she came to ask about it. I explained what it was, including the side effects. I also told her I could suppress them if needed."

"But right after she drank it, the side effects erupted."

"Is Miss Fujiwara alright?"

Hearing that the side effects had flared up, Hayasaka frowned, unable to suppress her concern.

Ren shook his head lightly.

"She's fine now."

"But during her initial loss of control and corruption, she saw some terrifying images. Her emotions were completely out of control until just now. That's why I couldn't leave—I had to calm her down."

I see.

Hayasaka fully understood that Fujiwara encountering such an unexpected issue would explain Ren's delay.

She didn't know what Chika had seen but knowing how emotionally resilient she usually was, the fact that she'd fallen apart made Hayasaka not want to know.

"Hayasaka-san, you received the diary too, right?"

"Yes."

"In that case, Maria and Saginomiya should have also received one."

"It seems the spread of the diary still centers around you, Ren-san. The people who come into contact with you first or the key characters in our narrative are gradually being chosen."

Ren agreed with her assessment.

The distribution of the first batch of diaries wasn't easy to analyze, but the second batch had shown a clear pattern.

"We can probably make that conclusion for now. As for the rest, we may need to wait until the third wave."

Ren didn't linger on the topic. Instead, he turned his attention toward the cruise ship's layout.

"The soundproofing on this cruise ship is excellent. The screams earlier echoed through the halls, but no one from the other rooms came out."

"Of course. This is a private ship designed for exclusive banquets. If a wealthy client's event lacks proper soundproofing, it can lead to a lot of trouble."

"Besides, we also need to be prepared for situations like this one."

Hayasaka had specifically considered these factors when selecting a ship designed for private events.

"In the future, we'll probably need to account for unexpected disruptions whenever we go out. That means extra prep for our club activities."

To this, Ren could only offer sincere appreciation.

"Thank you for all your work, Hayasaka-san."

"Not at all."

Hayasaka smiled and shook her head.

"If it were in the past, it would've been exhausting. Back then, Oko placed constant pressure on me. I had to report Kaguya-san's daily life to that bald man every day. The guilt weighed me down and became an invisible burden."

"But since breaking free from Oko's control, I no longer have to carry that guilt day after day. I'm finally out of that constant state of explosive stress."

"Now, the maid work I do daily actually feels like the least stressful part of my life."

Her work was still just as busy as ever—but mentally and physically, she no longer felt overwhelmed.

Everything moved smoothly. Aside from the occasional chaos caused by Kaguya, almost nothing truly stressed her out anymore.

These days, her daily tension stayed well below the danger line. She hadn't had a breakdown in ages—and honestly, she was quite content with this life.

"Besides, I've had the chance to follow Kaguya-san into a magical world I'd never imagined. For me, that's been a wonderful experience."

Having mastered the Door-Door Fruit, she had come to understand how meaningful and unique power could be.

For that, she was deeply grateful to Kaguya for bringing her into such an extraordinary world and allowing her to see beyond her former life.

And then, there was Ren.

She was even more thankful to him, for giving Kaguya the opportunity to break her chains, and for giving her the chance to escape the endless betrayal that once caged her.

Only someone who had descended into that kind of hell could understand how suffocating it was.

But she had escaped it, almost effortlessly and all thanks to Ren.

To her… Ren was truly someone irreplaceable.

(To be continued.)