Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

Ran moved out smoothly.

This time, it wasn't just a temporary escape, she had no intention of returning.

She couldn't accept Shinichi's secrecy, nor could she accept his "selfishness" toward her.

Even though she wouldn't expose his secret, she couldn't bear to live under the same roof as him.

"Ran, feel free to pick any room you like."

"Okay… Thanks, Mom."

"There's no need to thank me, sweetheart."

As she spoke, Kisaki Eri pulled her daughter into a comforting embrace.

"Don't think too much about that boy. He has nothing to do with you anymore, and you don't need to take responsibility for him."

"…He's not dead."

Ran knew she couldn't say that out loud, though.

Shinichi's situation was dangerous.

She didn't object to him moving into her home, but she also didn't want his presence to put her father at risk.

If he had to hide, then he had to keep hiding.

Just because she knew the truth didn't mean they could stop being careful.

In fact, now that she knew, she had to help keep his secret.

Realizing this, Ran sighed inwardly.

Her life wasn't going to be easy from now on.

"I understand, Mom."

She still had to go to school, but she couldn't bring herself to care today.

Her childhood friend had deceived her, kept secrets from her, and held selfish thoughts toward her. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

And then, there was the diary.

The diary she had received by chance…

Her mind drifted to Amamiya Ren.

Maybe she should talk to him.

Maybe she could find out if her life was only now starting to intertwine with something bigger, now that Shinichi had moved in.

After placing her belongings in her room, she listened to the sounds outside.

"Ran, I'm heading to work."

"Okay!"

Hearing the door close, she flopped onto the bed.

For a long moment, she just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Then, finally, she sat up and quickly flipped through the diary in her hands.

The records in the diary stretched back to the day before their visit to Tropical Land.

There were even details about what had happened there.

She vividly remembered the people in mascot costumes handing out balloons and flyers.

One of them had been that man.

The following entries even included a video, one that captured Shinichi, little by little, shrinking into a child.

Even seeing it a second time, the impact was overwhelming.

"A drug that can turn a high school student into a child…"

"I never imagined something like that could actually exist."

As an ordinary girl, her only notable skill being karate, Ran found it hard to comprehend the existence of such a bizarre poison.

And yet…

"…Shinichi, you're so selfish."

She let out a deep sigh.

"If only you could be this selfish in normal situations."

Now that she was alone, she couldn't help but voice her complaints.

The moment she learned Shinichi's life had been in danger, she had felt an overwhelming urge to punch the bespectacled boy who had tricked her.

To make him understand that she wasn't that easy to fool.

Of course, that was just a thought.

She knew doing something like that would be too reckless, it would expose Shinichi's identity immediately.

Still, now that she had time to reflect, she realized something.

"Maybe… Sonoko was right all along."

Love really does make people blind.

Had she always been blinded by her feelings?

Looking at the situation now, Shinichi had orchestrated his own disappearance, working together with Aunt Yukiko and Uncle Yusaku to erase his identity, just so he could remain by her side.

Would he ever be able to return to his normal life?

She had no expectations of that happening.

For Shinichi to go as far as to erase himself, it meant that whatever he had gotten involved in was far too big.

Something was lurking behind the scenes, and it was far from simple.

Even putting aside the organization targeting Shinichi, the mere existence of a drug capable of de-aging people was dangerous in itself.

Ran shuddered at the thought.

Even if no one were after Shinichi, just the fact that he had been turned into a child would be enough to turn him into a test subject.

No matter how she looked at it…

Shinichi wasn't coming back.

"…Honestly."

"Why do you always rush straight into danger?"

Ran sighed in frustration.

If Shinichi had just minded his own business, maybe he wouldn't have gotten hit that night.

Maybe he wouldn't have been poisoned.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention to something else.

"Oh, right… There's still the lottery."

A massive virtual roulette wheel appeared in front of her.

Ran, intrigued, reached out and placed her hand on it.

The wheel spun rapidly before slowing down.

Eventually, it stopped, and the indicator pointed to a section.

[How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?]

[Title Obtained: Imperial Sakura Fang]

[Imperial Sakura Fang: By consuming a large amount of calories, you can increase muscle density, enhance nerve reflex speed, boost explosive strength, improve endurance, and extend the duration of peak performance.]

[Note: This title cannot be removed. Upon obtaining it, you will immediately gain the traits 'Big Eater' and 'Digestion Monster.']

"…Big Eater? Digestion Monster?"

Ran stared at the description, momentarily stunned.

"No way…"

Gurgle~~~

A loud rumble echoed from her stomach.

"…So hungry."

For the first time in her life, she experienced an overwhelming sense of hunger in the morning.

There was no doubt about it now.

The lottery was real.

And the traits—Big Eater and Digestion Monster—were definitely real.

"…I'm really turning into a big eater, aren't I?"

Even though she wanted to resist the idea, the gnawing hunger in her stomach was unbearable.

She hurried to the kitchen.

Opening the refrigerator, she was met with a strange sight.

"…Mom, even if you're bad at cooking, why do you need so many seasonings?"

Aside from a bit of lettuce, the fridge was almost entirely filled with condiments.

Ran shook her head.

No time to complain.

She had to eat first.

She started cooking rice and preparing the lettuce.

In the end, she made some simple rice rolls.

The entire process took about fifty minutes.

But she devoured everything in less than fifteen.

"Hm… About seventy percent full."

Her stomach wasn't completely satisfied, but it was at a comfortable level.

Seventy percent.

Not stuffed, but not empty.

She placed a hand on her abdomen.

"…I ate so much, but my stomach doesn't even feel bloated."

Then, she realized something.

"…Wait."

"What am I going to do about my food budget?"

If her appetite had really increased this much…

That meant her daily expenses were about to go way up.

As someone who had always been mindful of money, Ran suddenly felt an impending sense of financial doom.

Her pocket money might not be enough to keep up.