Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

"It's really hard for me to imagine Fujiwara sitting in that position," Kaguya said, her tone filled with disbelief.

To her, Fujiwara's defining characteristic was "chaos."

It was nearly impossible to predict her thought process. No matter the situation, Fujiwara's unpredictable behavior always threw everyone off balance.

"But since you transferred here, do you think she'll follow you?"

"I don't know."

"Then let me rephrase. If Fujiwara Chika does transfer here, will you be happy about it?"

"…I think I would."

Despite Fujiwara's constant chaos, Kaguya admitted that she would be happy.

In her limited social circle, Fujiwara was one of her few friends.

If Fujiwara transferred to Teitan High School for her, she would undoubtedly be happy.

"Then it seems like you have the best relationship with her," Ren observed.

Kaguya's response, after a moment of consideration, was honest and deliberate. It confirmed that she truly regarded Fujiwara as a friend.

Ren wasn't surprised.

Fujiwara was one of Kaguya's closest friends, someone who had earned her trust despite their contrasting personalities.

"Shinomiya, I think Fujiwara will find you sooner or later."

"You might want to prepare yourself for that possibility in advance."

"I understand," Kaguya replied, nodding slightly.

Ren shifted his attention to a different topic. He had been curious about Kaguya's sudden transfer.

"So, Shinomiya, does this mean you've managed to free yourself from the Shinomiya family's constraints?"

"No. I'm not free. I'm in control."

Her voice was calm, as if she had already accepted this reality.

"I gained control of the Shinomiya family through the power I obtained."

"Through power?"

Ren paused to consider her words before shaking his head slightly.

"I'm just an ordinary person, so I don't fully understand how deep the family's influence runs."

"But I do know that it's incredibly difficult to escape the control of a family as powerful as yours, even with extraordinary power."

"Even if the diary gave you that power, it wouldn't be enough to completely escape their influence."

"Unless… you chose to use your 'power' violently against the Shinomiya family."

"Now, Shinomiya, would you be willing to go that far?"

"…"

Kaguya fell silent.

Her lack of response was answer enough.

Ren nodded slightly, as if confirming his own thoughts.

"So, no matter what, even if you've gained power, you're still holding back to some degree."

"You've just obtained this power, and you haven't fully mastered it yet. It's only natural that you wouldn't resort to violence so easily."

"In that case, I assume the control you gained over the Shinomiya family wasn't through sheer force."

A girl who had only recently acquired power wouldn't be ready to act violently against her own family, unless she had endured years of abuse or had an antisocial personality.

But Kaguya wasn't that type of person. Naturally, she would hesitate.

"…"

Kaguya's continued silence confirmed his reasoning.

Ren decided not to push further. Instead, he pulled a 500-yen coin from his pocket, flicking it into the air before catching it in his palm.

"This is a test for me, isn't it?" he asked.

"…And if it is, would that make you angry?" Kaguya countered cautiously.

"Not at all. But that's not because I'm particularly open-minded, I'm just a lazy person," Ren said with a faint smile, shaking his head.

"You have the diary. Testing me and the diary's rules is only natural. You're in the same position as I am."

"In fact, I tested you and the diary first. So really, we're no different."

Testing was inevitable, and there was no reason to blame anyone for it.

"You were able to transfer from Shuchiin because someone helped you gain control over the Shinomiya family. In exchange, you came to Teitan to contact me and conduct these tests, right?"

"…That's correct," Kaguya admitted with a soft sigh.

Ren chuckled lightly, flicking the coin in his hand again and catching it effortlessly.

"Trying to uncover the diary's mysteries is certainly interesting," he said.

"Shinomiya, do you have any hints about the person who helped you? Or maybe their surname? If I know their name, they might be part of a story I remember."

Kaguya thought for a moment before replying.

"Their surname is Sanzenin."

"Sanzenin…"

Ren's eyes lit up in recognition. He couldn't help but laugh.

"So it was Sanzenin Nagi all along."

"Yes. If it's Nagi, then her grandfather certainly has the means to fully control the Shinomiya family."

Ren's thoughts drifted back to a little girl he had seen at Tropical Land, a girl with long purple hair dressed in a kimono.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

"I see now."

"That little girl with purple hair… I felt like I'd seen her somewhere before."

"Saginomiya Isumi."

"But the version of her in the story is a bit different from the one I saw in reality."

Ren smiled faintly, chalking up his initial failure to recognize her to the passage of time.

Sixteen years had dulled his memory, and details that once seemed vivid had long since faded.

"Memory fades over time," he muttered.

"I'll include this part in my diary later."

"But for now, I assume they're staying in Beika City. Do you think they'll come here eventually?"

"I can't say for sure," Kaguya replied, shaking her head slightly.

"We're all still testing the diary. We haven't yet confirmed whether those who read the diary need to interact with you to gain anything substantial."

"That's fair."

Ren nodded in understanding.

The diary's rewards were tempting enough to push people into action. If testing revealed that interacting with him was necessary for rewards, it wouldn't be surprising for Nagi to transfer schools as well.

"Well, I'll make sure to write a detailed entry in today's diary."

"After reading it, you should be able to confirm more of the situation."

"Understood," Kaguya said, nodding once again. This had been her primary purpose for coming today.

"Thank you, Amamiya san."

"You're welcome. We're mutually beneficial, after all."

***

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