SCIAW: Chapter 192/194

Chapter 192: Grandpa, I Want to Be Willful for Once

After sending Natsue Hatamoto out, Hayasaka closed the door and turned her attention back to Ren, who was still sitting in the room.

"Amamiya, are you planning to start a society?"

"Of course not."

Ren shook his head. He understood why Hayasaka had that kind of suspicion.

"I want her to believe in me because the power system I follow requires the faith of believers to act as an anchor, something to stabilize my humanity after ascending to a higher position."

"I possess special characteristics. I'm not sure whether the anchor of belief is truly necessary, but given my personality, I have no issue testing it out."

Hayasaka understood why Ren was doing this—it was a form of preparation for what was to come.

"Amamiya, does Miss Hatamoto's fiancé harbor murderous intent?"

"Yes. Just like Takasugi Toshihiko, this Zaiki Takehiko is also pursuing her out of revenge."

"But sometimes, hatred can be diluted over time. Especially when you're looking at such a beautiful, kind-hearted girl, it's enough to shake that hatred."

Ren's words helped Hayasaka understand that Takehiko had, in fact, lost his desire for revenge.

"If that's the case, then why mislead her?"

"Mislead? No. I didn't mislead her."

Ren took out a tarot card, the reversed Lovers card.

"When you went to get help, I performed a divination on Miss Hatamoto's future. It wasn't too far ahead, just three months after her marriage."

"Her married life would be filled with boredom and arguments. She wouldn't even be able to resist temptation."

"While divination isn't absolutely accurate, it's generally reliable when based on personal context."

Having said that, Ren put away the tarot cards.

"Her fiancé may have temporarily forgotten his hatred, but that doesn't mean he's let go of it. The moment it resurfaces, it'll strike their marriage like a thunderbolt."

"Because when it returns, all the dissatisfaction in their marriage will be projected onto her identity, as the daughter of the man he seeks revenge on."

Ren held the Wheel of Fortune card between his fingers.

"Miss Hatamoto's prospects for marriage are grim, but her career luck is quite good."

"If she devotes herself to her career and cuts off the parasites in her family, she might be able to reclaim her ancestral glory piece by piece."

"No wonder..."

Hayasaka was surprised. So it wasn't the fiancé who had acted out, then why had Ren brought him up?

After learning what Miss Hatamoto's future marriage could look like, Hayasaka finally understood why Ren had framed the discussion that way.

In that kind of marriage, this path was indeed better for her.

"Let's go watch the drama unfold."

Ren stood up, confident that something big was about to happen.

"Hayasaka, have the bodyguards keep an eye on the Hatamoto family. Make sure they don't stir up trouble."

"Also, assign one or two guards to live beside and across from Hatamoto Gozo's room."

"Make sure any disturbances can be immediately handled."

"As for evidence..."

"There are plenty of surveillance cameras near the guest rooms on the cruise ship. Add more. Use high-definition, night-vision-capable cameras that can clearly capture faces even in the dark."

Hayasaka efficiently described the surveillance equipment and emphasized the night-vision function.

"Very good."

Ren gave her high praise. As expected of a professional maid, everything was handled perfectly.

The two walked out of the private room and entered the main hall.

The main hall was bustling with activity.

After leaving the room, the gloomy-faced Natsue Hatamoto made her way to the main hall.

At that moment, nearly all the Hatamoto clan members had gathered in the hall, naturally including Hatamoto Gozo.

The first person Natsue spotted was Takeshi, but she didn't even spare a glance at her fiancé.

Instead, she quickly walked over to her grandfather.

"Grandpa."

"Natsue."

Hatamoto Gozo noticed that his granddaughter looked distraught and frowned. He remembered a maid had called her away earlier.

But he also knew the maid's master was from the Shinomiya family, so he couldn't say anything rash.

"Grandpa... You've known for a long time, haven't you?"

Looking at him, Natsue felt tears welling in her eyes.

"Knew… for a long time?"

Gozo was stunned for a moment. Then, seeing his granddaughter on the verge of tears, he understood what she meant.

He instinctively glanced at Takeshi.

That glance didn't escape the notice of Natsue, who had been watching closely.

There was no need to say anything more. The answer was clear.

The urge to cry grew stronger, but Natsue still held back.

"Grandpa... I want to be willful just this once."

"..."

Hatamoto Gozo could faintly guess what his precious granddaughter was trying to say.

"Natsue, things like this... you have to decide for yourself."

"I've already decided."

This was the first time Natsue Hatamoto had ever made such a request of her grandfather. Everything that happened after this would be her willful decision.

After saying that, she steeled herself and slowly walked up to Hatamoto Takeshi.

Takeshi sensed something was wrong when she formally approached him, but he still stood up.

"Natsue?"

Facing the man before her, Natsue took a deep breath.

"Takeshi, our engagement has changed. Let's call it off."

Her sudden declaration struck like a bolt from the blue.

Takeshi instinctively tried to grab her hand, but she stepped back, avoiding his touch.

That was when he realized, this wasn't a joke.

"Natsue, why... why is this happening?"

Still unwilling to give up, Takeshi stared at her in disbelief.

Clenching her teeth, Natsue replied:

"Zaiki Takehiko… Do I really need to say that name before you'll let go?"

Zaiki Takehiko... Takeshi froze, his face turning pale as he looked at her tear-filled eyes.

At that moment, he knew.

He knew why Natsue had canceled the engagement.

And he also knew, his identity had been exposed.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 193: You Meets My Criteria for a Partner

The two who had just stepped out of the room happened to witness the whole scene, bloody drama and all.

"Tsk tsk~ What a show."

Ren watched the drama unfold with rare schadenfreude.

"Amamiya-kun, your image is falling apart~"

"Sometimes I like watching drama too, especially when it doesn't involve murder cases."

Hayasaka's reminder was promptly ignored as Ren smiled.

He wasn't the kind of person who cared much about appearances anyway.

In the past, he hardly talked in front of others, but he'd still talk to his TV and computer when he was alone.

Watching Ren enjoying the show, Hayasaka shook her head slightly. Boys will be boys, after all.

But honestly, she thought it wasn't bad for guys to laugh like this from time to time—as long as they weren't the type to torment people like Kaguya.

So, she too watched the drama unfold.

"A revenge-driven young master falling in love with the daughter of his enemy... That kind of plot is entertaining no matter the setting."

"Yeah, no doubt."

Ren nodded in agreement. This kind of melodrama was universally appealing.

"But if this were a drama series, the ending would feel rushed."

"The male lead fell too quickly, and the female lead's resolve shut down any chance of a twist."

Hayasaka had to pull Ren back from overanalyzing the drama.

"Ren, Miss Natsue isn't a bird in a gilded cage like Shinomiya. She has freedom and she has boundaries."

"Family."

"Natsue lost her parents young. Her grandfather, Gozo Hatamoto, doted on her and became her everything. He's her bottom line."

"And once that bottom line's crossed, even a fiancé is no exception, especially now that she knows his intentions weren't pure."

Ren gave a light nod.

Yeah, following this narrative logic, once you know the fiancé is basically a time bomb for your grandpa, you'd cut ties without hesitation.

Totally reasonable to break things off on the spot.

"So, Ren, who's the one trying to kill Gozo Hatamoto?"

Hayasaka was genuinely curious.

Sure, they'd find out the truth later that night but who watching a mystery doesn't want to guess it ahead of time?

"Besides Zaijo Takehiko and Miss Hatamoto, there's one other suspect in the Hatamoto family."

One more?

With the hint, Hayasaka mentally flipped through the family tree and locked onto a name.

Ichiro Hatamoto.

"Kind of gloomy, doesn't talk much, hair covering half his face... Looks just like you a month ago."

Ren didn't even bother to deny it, he agreed.

"That probably was me back then. But my hair wasn't that long."

"Plus, I didn't have the same 'resources' as him, and I definitely never confessed to my cousin."

"There's no way he actually likes her. He's just lusting after her. What a creep."

Ren's harsh take on Ichiro made Hayasaka glance at him suspiciously.

"Amamiya, you and him have a lot in common... so you're not..."

That sentence brought Ren to a halt.

"…Wait, I don't have a cousin."

"What if the target were Miss Kaguya, Sonoko, or Fujiwara?"

He imagined Kaguya, Sonoko, and Chika in his mind—and even a saint would've wavered. Ren wasn't a saint.

Saying he wasn't tempted would be a flat-out lie.

He wasn't some monk who cut himself off from all worldly desires, he didn't want to be incomplete either.

"Hey~ Doesn't that mean you're greedy for my body too?"

A voice suddenly interrupted.

Ren and Hayasaka both froze.

They turned around to find Chika standing nearby, face flushed and hand over her mouth, clearly startled by what she'd just overheard.

Ren stared at the blushing Chika. He hadn't expected her to suddenly appear like this.

"Fujiwara… how long have you been listening?"

Ren asked the crucial question.

"Hehe~"

Chika gave a sweet giggle, cheeks still rosy.

"Since I saw you and Ai-chan whispering."

So… basically, she heard most of it.

Ren covered his face with his hands.

"It's fine. It's normal to overhear stuff like that."

Seeing Ren cover his face, Chika thought she had upset him and quickly tried to explain.

"I hear people talking behind my back all the time, saying they're obsessed with my sister's body."

Fujiwara Toyomi?

The one who always wore crop tops?

No doubt she had plenty of admirers. But still, Ren had to internally snark:

A bunch of pervs ogling someone else's sister…

Though to be fair, he wasn't exactly innocent either.

He was all about face and figure too. Who was he to judge?

Still… who had the guts to talk like that in front of Chika?

Curious, Ren asked:

"Fujiwara, who'd you hear that from?"

"My dad."

…Yeah, that tracks.

Ren instantly understood.

Only a father would dare say something like that to his daughter, as a warning.

A subtle way of saying, "Be careful—men are all the same."

"Fujiwara, listen to your father. Aside from your dad, there aren't many decent men out there."

Feeling awkward that his inner thoughts had slipped out, Ren still tried to caution her seriously.

"Nope."

Chika still wore that bubbly smile.

"I think you are pretty interesting. You totally meet my criteria for a partner."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 194: Long-Lasting Hatred Is Uncommon

At that moment, Ren was a little shocked.

Even Hayasaka, standing beside him, was a little caught off guard by the sudden confession.

"Fujiwara-san, are you being serious?"

"Of course I'm serious."

Chika smiled sweetly. She wasn't the type to go with the flow, nor someone who would like a person simply because of power or status.

"I like people who work hard and keep pushing toward their goals, even if they're not particularly good at expressing themselves."

"Well~ I know that sounds like a simple requirement, but in reality, it's not."

"At the very least, I have to actually meet someone like that."

Her words were grounded in realism.

She knew full well that, no matter her own preferences, her final choice would have to be someone more suitable, just like Kaguya's.

Her father wouldn't allow anyone unqualified to get close to her. Just like with her sister.

And within the scope of what her father permitted, she saw very few people who truly worked hard.

"Well~ President Shirogane is one of them."

"But compared to Ren, President Shirogane still gets some support from his father. Ren, on the other hand, has no one backing him. He relied entirely on himself to succeed."

"Kaguya isn't the only one who's looked into that—I've done some digging too. And my father's investigation was even more thorough than I expected."

As someone from an elite government family, it was actually easier for her to dig up that kind of information than it would be for a conglomerate heiress.

So she knew exactly how hard Ren had worked before he revealed any of his current special qualities.

That was true, grueling effort just to survive.

She admired people like that.

Raised in a wealthy household, she hadn't experienced any real hardships. She'd heard about families who struggled, sure but Ren's situation had genuinely shocked her.

Even Shirogane's family wasn't poor from the start. It was only later, when his family's company went bankrupt, that they truly fell into poverty.

But Ren? He had started at rock bottom.

No parents. No family. Just sheer will to support himself through school.

Given that, she found his lack of social skills completely understandable.

Who has time to socialize when you're that busy just trying to survive?

So when she looked at a guy like Ren, who worked so hard, she realized she genuinely liked him. He fit her criteria for a partner completely.

"Then why not choose Shirogane?"

Hayasaka asked bluntly.

Fujiwara rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a while, before answering.

"It's because of his face."

"President Shirogane's eyes look like my dog, Pes. I love Pes, but I can't like President Shirogane the same way I like Pes."

"And the other reason is probably just… a feeling."

It was vague, but that was the kind of answer girls often gave.

Even Chika herself didn't really know how to describe it properly.

"After being in the student council together for a whole year... I still never got the urge to date President Shirogane."

"But I think I could with Amamiya."

"I think it's probably because of his face and mysterious vibe."

That answer was surprisingly honest.

Even Ren had to admit it was likely due to his looks and his aura of mystery that he earned extra points.

So appearance and mystery really did hold a lot of weight.

Even Ren found it hard to believe.

But he wasn't about to complain. After all, this was his second life and it made sense that his genetic luck was better this time around.

Aside from that and the diary that appeared when he was fifteen, he didn't have much going for him.

"Turns out it's pretty normal for both guys and girls to care about looks."

At this point, shouldn't Ren be thanking the parents he never met for giving him these good genes and this face?

"Obviously."

Chika nodded without hesitation.

"These days, people judge each other based on appearance first. Who would even bother to get to know someone without first seeing their face?"

"But there are exceptions. Sometimes you get interested after learning about someone's character, and if the meeting goes well, then the looks just become a bonus."

"…True."

That was pretty accurate.

In this day and age, you at least needed to pass the face-check before anyone would try to understand your inner self. If you didn't meet the visual standard, people wouldn't even want to try.

Even Ren had to admit, when it came to beautiful faces, he wanted to understand those girls better.

Well, his standard for a "cute" girl was about a six, but the girls around him?

They were all nines or above. Top-tier.

"Hey! Fujiwara-san, why don't you go watch the big drama over there instead?"

Ren made a desperate attempt to shift the topic from love interests back to gossip.

"That was a very awkward transition."

Chika smiled as she pointed it out, but she still followed along with the shift in topic.

"That scene was pretty intense, but things like that aren't all that rare in this country."

"Among the people I know, a lot of families connected to Shuchiin's students have bankrupted others in business deals. President Shirogane's family is just one example."

"When people go bankrupt, some can't handle the pressure and end up hanging themselves or jumping off buildings."

"And usually, behind those families, there's at least one person who harbors thoughts of revenge. But it's rare for anyone to actually go through with it."

"Because revenge that drags on for too long rarely holds up."

She hadn't seen anything like that happen at Shuchiin or among the social circles she knew.

"That's true. Hatred that lasts more than ten or twenty years is pretty rare."

Ren agreed with her.

But right now, something like that had happened—twice—in a very short period of time.

"Well, I'm going to record it later."

(To be continued.)