NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: 10
The door slid shut behind Sagiri, leaving a tense silence in the room. Nonko, still flushed and breathless from the unexpected intimacy, looked at Ren, her eyes wide with a lingering confusion.
"Ren-kun," she began, her voice a soft murmur. "Why was Sagiri-chan so surprised before she attacked first? And why did she not stop her second attack?"
Ren, still processing the rapid-fire events, decided to be direct. "Sagiri-san fell for my genjutsu."
Nonko blinked, her brow furrowing. "Genjutsu? Is that some kind of ninja move?" She tilted her head, clearly trying to place the term.
Ren's mind screeched to a halt. Ninja move? He stared at her, then a slow, dawning realization hit him. Naruto doesn't exist in this world. The idea of a global phenomenon like Naruto being absent from this reality was jarring. A mischievous thought, a spark of authorial ambition, ignited within him. I could create Naruto here. I could be the author of a new global sensation. He filed that thought away for later, a potential grand project for a future Reality Ticket.
"No, not exactly a ninja move," Ren clarified, choosing his words carefully. "It's a spiritual power. I used my 'Real Illusion' ability to make her perceive something that wasn't there. From her perspective, I stopped her kunai with two fingers. In reality, she just froze for a moment, and her second attack was her genuine one, which Nonko-san stopped." He emphasized the word "real" in "Real Illusion," but Nonko, still fixated on the "illusion" part, simply nodded, assuming it was a fancy term for a trick of the mind. She didn't grasp the true, tangible nature of his power.
He explained how he could concentrate his Real Illusion on a single person, making it consume far less spiritual power. It was a useful trick, a subtle way to manipulate perception without draining his reserves.
Soon, the awkwardness faded, replaced by a comfortable familiarity. Ren realized he hadn't eaten breakfast. He went downstairs and found Chitose preparing food, including reheating Nonko's portion, which she still hadn't touched. He looked at the clock. He had about an hour before he needed to leave for school.
Nonko joined him at the table, and they ate together, the conversation flowing easily. They talked about the years they hadn't seen each other, Nonko recounting snippets of her difficult life in the Yoinozaka House, and Ren, carefully, sharing sanitized versions of his own experiences, omitting anything about his past life or the System. As they talked, Nonko slowly, almost imperceptibly, shifted closer to him, their bodies occasionally brushing. Ren didn't move away, letting the warmth and closeness linger. The conversation was lively, filled with shared laughter and a growing sense of connection, until they finally finished their meal.
After breakfast, Ren took a quick, warm shower, enjoying the luxury of the hot spring water, then put on his school uniform. As he left the inn, he found Sagiri already outside. They walked together for a few steps, but as soon as they hit the main street, Sagiri quickened her pace, leaving him behind. Ren simply smiled to himself. One Ticket of Relationship, and her opinion of me will change. He mentally added her to his list. If he acquired another Relationship Ticket, Sagiri would be his next target.
At school, in his classroom, Ren found himself observing Kogarashi Fuyuzora and Chisaki Miyazaki. The story of Yuragi-sou might have been altered by his presence, but some core elements remained. Kogarashi and Chisaki were still classmates, meaning the events that would draw them closer were likely to unfold. Since Kogarashi wasn't living in Yuragi-sou, Yuuna wouldn't be around to accidentally expose his psychic abilities to everyone. "Psychic" was the common term here for spiritual users, Ren noted.
He recalled the specific trigger for Chisaki's supernatural troubles. One night, while she was taking a shower, she would discover her favorite stuffed toy in the bathtub. This would be the beginning of a series of increasingly strange phenomena involving her stuffed animals, culminating in them floating around her room, clearly indicating a supernatural problem. This was Chisaki's core "problem" in the original story, the catalyst that would bring her into contact with Kogarashi and the supernatural world.
Ren pondered his options. He could try to steal Kogarashi's role, becoming the one Chisaki relied on to solve her problem. Or, he could simply use his Real Illusion to stop the phenomena before they even began, effectively removing the trigger for the plot entirely.
Why do I need to do that? The question popped into his mind, and the answer came immediately as his gaze drifted to Chisaki Miyazaki's pretty face. Her bright eyes, her cheerful smile, her natural beauty… she was undeniably captivating. He wanted her.
He decided. He wouldn't eliminate the problem entirely. Instead, he would use it to his advantage. He would try to obtain her curiosity first, drawing her attention to him, before gradually making her fall in love. And if, by some chance, his attempts failed, he still had his Reality Tickets as a backup. For now, he would observe, waiting for the opportune moment to make his move when school ended.