Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

"Ugh…"

Nagi bit her lip tightly as she stared at the diary.

Short stature, fiery temper, and, well, her unimpressive figure—those words stung deeply.

Glancing down at her own body, which didn't even obscure the view of her toes, her anger only grew.

"There's still room for growth. Definitely. No question about it," she muttered to herself.

Unconsciously, she thought about her mother.

Her mother didn't seem to have any particular strengths, aside from her singing, her absurdly good luck, and her excellent figure.

Taking a deep breath, Nagi clung to the faint hope provided by her genes.

"Yes, there's no problem. The genes I got from my mom won't leave me stuck at this level."

It was a very blind kind of confidence.

So blind that Maria, who stood nearby, couldn't hold back a sigh.

"Not all genes are passed down perfectly," Maria pointed out calmly.

"Besides, Miss Yukariko gave up almost everything else in exchange for that 'perfect figure.'"

"Honestly, the nutrients in your body seem to have all gone to your brain. You've got an extraordinary mind, Nagi, but that means the rest of your body couldn't develop as much."

From a purely genetic standpoint, this was actually a reasonable theory.

The body allocates its resources selectively. If you gain something, you often lose something in return.

Miss Yukariko's luck and physique may have come at the expense of other attributes.

To Maria, this was simply an obvious case of equivalent exchange.

Once Nagi had calmed down a little, Maria walked over and stood by her side.

"Nagi, did you get your answer?"

"…Yeah, I got it," Nagi replied, closing the diary with a sour expression.

"As we suspected, the rules of the diary are airtight. There's no room to exploit any loopholes."

"I really thought I'd find a way around it. What a waste."

The test results were in, but they were nothing like what she'd hoped for. Instead of success, all she had was a headache.

"I didn't even participate in a draw, and all I got was a 'thank you for participating.'"

"Then there's Shinomiya…"

With a sigh, Nagi picked up her phone and made a call.

"My result? Just a 'thank you for participating.'"

"Same here," Kaguya replied on the other end of the line. "All I got was a bottle of strong liquor."

"Seriously? Not even offline arrangements are allowed? These diary rules are way too strict."

"Seems like we'll have to stick to playing along with it normally," Kaguya said, her tone resigned.

To properly interact with the diary, it was clear that direct involvement was necessary.

But that meant attending school.

And Nagi, to put it bluntly, wasn't exactly a fan of physical activity.

Although she was considered a genius and could easily transfer to a regular high school, her stamina and energy levels left much to be desired.

When she thought about having to go to school regularly in the future, her entire face twisted in resistance.

After hanging up the call, Nagi flopped onto her bed like a deflated balloon, resembling a lazy slug.

"Maria, what am I supposed to do? Does this mean I actually have to go to school?"

"And how is that a bad thing?" Maria said with a wide smile.

"Nagi, didn't you tell your grandfather that there was something you wanted to do?"

"So, what's your goal now? Do you have the motivation to work toward it?"

"I…"

"Nagi, think carefully about what you want."

Maria didn't push her too hard. Instead, she guided her gently, allowing her to reach her own conclusions.

Deep down, Nagi already knew the answer.

Maria's so-called "guidance" was more about helping her clarify her own goals.

If she was only driven by short-lived enthusiasm, then nothing would change.

But if she truly wanted to achieve something, she would push herself to make it happen.

"…"

Nagi remained silent for a while before reluctantly pulling out her phone.

Her face was filled with hesitation, but she finally dialed the number.

"Grandpa."

"Well, well! My adorable little granddaughter! What brings you to call your grandpa so late tonight?"

"…Grandpa, I want to transfer to Teitan High School."

"What???"

Nagi could hear the shock in the old man's voice loud and clear.

To be fair, even she was surprised that she'd made this decision.

"Why would you leave Hakuo Academy to go to Teitan, a poor man's high school?"

"Besides, you don't even attend Hakuo regularly, you spend all your time at home. What's brought on this sudden change?"

Mikado, her grandfather, wasn't entirely clueless.

Even without Maria's input, he could tell something was different about his granddaughter.

After all, the stubborn girl he knew wouldn't just call him "grandpa" so easily.

Still, hearing her address him like that did warm his heart.

But her decision to transfer schools was baffling. Why leave Hakuou, one of the top schools, for some random public high school?

Mikado had to wonder if this was part of some elaborate plan. Was she trying to reform her bad habits?

"And transferring to a regular high school…"

"If you stay at Hakuo, at least I can keep an eye on you. But if you go to a school like Teitan, especially in such a high-crime area, there are safety concerns to consider…"

"It seems I'll need to make a few adjustments to my plans."

If she stayed at Hakuo, he wouldn't need to worry so much about her safety. The environment there made it hard for her to encounter any serious trouble.

But if she transferred to Teitan, a school in such a dangerous area, he'd need to take extra precautions.

"Nagi, even if you transfer, are you actually going to attend classes?"

"I will."

That was… unexpectedly firm.

Mikado was taken aback.

Could this actually be a good thing?

Perhaps it was worth a shot. The cost of letting her try wasn't particularly high.

At the very least, he could observe her and see if she was serious or just playing some new game.

"Alright, if you've made up your mind, Grandpa will help arrange it."

For now, he'd adjust his plans and watch carefully to see what Nagi was up to.

"I must admit, I'm curious."

"Well, next week, then."

"Next week? Not now?"

"I… I just need a little time to mentally prepare myself."

…Yep, that sounded much more like the Nagi he knew.

It felt strange a moment ago, but this procrastination suited her usual character.

Still, even though she needed mental preparation, she was actually planning to attend school?

What exactly was driving his granddaughter to take this step?

Mikado's curiosity about her motives was growing stronger by the minute.