Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

The sudden increase in her food expenses was a serious problem for Ran.

After all, having lived frugally for more than a decade, she had developed strong habits of thrift and budgeting.

But her stomach didn't care about financial concerns. When hunger struck, it showed no mercy.

So, she needed to consider whether she should start working on weekends.

She preferred earning her own money rather than relying on others to cover her meals.

Coincidentally, there was someone else dealing with a similar problem, someone who also worked weekends.

---

"Money is always an issue."

After finishing another day of school and returning home, Ren sat down, lost in thought.

For some reason, it felt like misfortune followed him when it came to finances, even in his previous life, money had never stayed in his hands for long.

Even though he lived in one of the cheapest apartment complexes, one known for being an "accident property" he still struggled to save money because of his food expenses.

Still, Ren refused to cut back too much when it came to food.

He wasn't about to go to the extremes some influencers did, those who pushed themselves to their absolute limits just to save a few yen.

So, he needed to find a new source of income.

"Maybe I should do a divination… see if there's an easy way to make money."

Now that he had abilities beyond an ordinary person, he could explore options other than part-time jobs.

The conditions of his apartment weren't great, but aside from its history of incidents, there weren't any actual problems.

But beyond living expenses, he wanted to improve the quality of his food.

And ideally, he'd like the freedom to stay at home, doing nothing, just like a lazy hermit.

So, with some free time on his hands, he decided to try a divination to predict his financial fortune.

He pulled out a deck of tarot cards he had bought before heading home.

After shuffling, he drew three cards.

Ace of Wands (Upright), Judgment (Upright), The World (Upright).

"Now that's some good news."

All three cards signified wealth and a major financial opportunity.

He focused, trying to divine more details.

A vision formed in his mind.

At dusk, along a riverbank, an abandoned building stood alone by the water's edge.

"An abandoned building? Feels like someone deliberately hid something there."

"…Yeah, this isn't an illusion. Someone definitely stashed something there."

This might have been an unusual occurrence in other cities, but in a place like Beika, it wasn't rare at all.

A thief could have hidden stolen goods there.

Ren thought for a moment before doing another reading.

He focused on the origins of this hidden treasure.

The Moon (Upright), The Sun (Reversed), Judgment (Reversed).

"Hah… so it really is dirty money."

"A betrayal among thieves… After pulling off a robbery, one of them turned on his partner, trying to take all the spoils for himself."

The answer was clear.

He then did another reading, this time about the one who betrayed his partner and hid the goods.

Eight of Wands, Seven of Swords, The World (Reversed).

"Greed never leads to a good end. He got caught and sent to the police station."

"…So, the police are looking for this too?"

If the traitor had been arrested, then the stolen goods might already be under investigation.

But since his divination led him straight to the stash, it meant the police hadn't found it yet.

And if they hadn't found it…

"Well, that just means I can take it for myself."

As long as he didn't expose the stolen goods too carelessly, there wouldn't be any major problems.

Of course, selling stolen items required caution, pawn shops and money exchangers were often under surveillance.

Still, despite the risks, he wasn't about to give up on the idea of pocketing the cash.

He wasn't sure exactly how much was hidden there, but considering the situation, a planned robbery, followed by betrayal there had to be at least ten million yen stashed away.

"Guess I'll go check it out tomorrow."

Since he had already determined the location, all that was left was to confirm how much was actually there.

He'd have to be careful not to be seen.

Storage wasn't an issue.

With Sefirah Castle, he could open a door at any time and simply toss whatever he found inside.

Now, it was time for today's diary entry.

---

[The newly transferred Shinomiya and Hayasaka have, as expected, become instant celebrities in class.]

[Not surprising at all.]

[They were VIP members of the student council at Shuchiin Academy, after all.]

[But what really caught my attention was the fact that Ran took the day off today.]

[Hmm… This is actually more concerning to me than Shinomiya and Hayasaka, who have already revealed their cards to me.]

[This might be a major turning point in the story. If so, it's also the key to figuring out whether Ran Mouri has the diary.]

[Oh, there's one more thing on my mind.]

[The "date."]

[Yesterday, Suzuki Sonoko came to class looking for Shinomiya.]

[She must have been suspicious about Shinomiya's sudden transfer and wanted to investigate.]

[But instead, she ran into me at the door.]

[Years of physical labor have strengthened my body, and girls don't weigh much to begin with. So when she crashed into me at full speed, I didn't even stumble.]

[But when I helped her up… she seemed to take an interest in me.]

[First, she insisted on getting to know me, exchanged contact information, and then invited me on a date this weekend.]

[Also, isn't Suzuki Sonoko a notorious "face-con"? Does she actually think I'm good-looking?]

This was something Ren genuinely didn't understand.

He had never put much thought into his appearance.

He figured he wasn't bad-looking, but he wasn't exactly a model, either.

---

Meanwhile, Kaguya was also reading today's diary entry.

When she got to Ren's self-doubt about his looks, she paused, then turned to Hayasaka.

"Hayasaka, do you think Amamiya is attractive?"

"Yes."

Hayasaka answered without hesitation.

"The thick-rimmed glasses he wears are plain, almost entirely meant to hide his face."

"The messy curls in his hair are also deliberate—meant to cover him up."

"This all points to low self-esteem."

"It aligns with what we found in our investigation of his past."

"If he changed his style even slightly, people's impressions of him would shift dramatically."

"…I see."

Kaguya glanced back at the diary.

"…Amamiya seems to have caught Suzuki Sonoko's attention."

"He's wondering why she took an interest in him."

"Hm. Classic case of not having a clear perception of oneself. Another sign of low self-esteem."

Hayasaka's analysis was blunt and to the point.

But this new information about Suzuki Sonoko was intriguing.

Most people hadn't noticed anything unusual, yet Sonoko had picked up on something right away.

So…

"Miss Kaguya, do you think Suzuki Sonoko might also be a diary holder?"

---

Bonus for 100 PS, thanks for the support. Keep the PS coming.