"???"
Nagi stared blankly at the empty hot spring inn, a strange feeling of dissonance nagging at her.
"Nagi, why are you still here?"
At the sound of the familiar voice, Nagi turned around.
"What do you mean 'still here'?"
"Come on now! We're all getting ready to go home. Are you still half-asleep?"
Nagi was slightly stunned. She looked down to see herself still wearing the bathrobe from the hot spring inn, while Sakuya had already changed into her regular clothes. It was clear who was out of place.
"You're heading back already?"
Confused, she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 10:23 AM.
Did she doze off again after breakfast?
It certainly felt like a typical weekend—hard to get up no matter what. Even now, she still felt a little drowsy.
Yawning, Nagi felt the haze lift somewhat, probably thanks to that nap. Her mind was much clearer now.
"Of course. Tomorrow's Monday. We need to catch the bus home today. I was talking to you earlier, but instead of sleeping on the ride back, you dozed off after breakfast?"
"…Ugh, it's totally the weekend's fault. Weekends just make me want to fall asleep the moment I touch a pillow."
Nagi pouted, blaming the weekend entirely.
Aizawa Sakuya rolled her eyes.
"Don't blame the weekend. You've always had trouble getting up on weekends, but you've been getting better recently. Who would've thought you'd regress today."
"…"
Nagi couldn't argue. She had indeed fallen asleep after breakfast, and it was clearly her fault.
"Did you get enough sleep now?"
"Yeah."
"Then don't fall asleep again."
"Huh?"
Her vision blurred again, and when she opened her eyes, she realized she was still seated at the breakfast table. Everyone around her was still eating.
"???"
Nagi was completely confused.
Hadn't she already eaten breakfast? Why was everyone still eating?
"So strong!"
Half-conscious, Nagi heard Sakuya exclaim with excitement. She turned to see Sakuya looking absolutely thrilled.
"Nightmare's ability is incredible. It can drag people into dreams so easily. And the person pulled into the dream doesn't even realize it. If I hadn't said anything, Nagi wouldn't have realized she was still dreaming."
Even the slowest person would get it by now.
Sanzenin Nagi's expression twitched. She had just been used as a guinea pig for some supernatural ability experiment.
"That's what makes Nightmare so powerful. At Sequence 7, they're not opponents ordinary people can handle anymore, especially since Nightmare's abilities can activate when someone's consciousness is at its weakest. Under the effect of supernatural abilities, people might not even realize they're being manipulated."
Ren spoke calmly, fully understanding the implications. After obtaining the River of Everlasting Darkness, he had often studied the abilities of neighboring Sequences and realized that each had unique characteristics.
The Sleepless Path, in particular, was impressive for support, intelligence gathering, and covert operations.
Nightmare's ability was incredibly strong.
Even other supernaturals could be affected if they couldn't tell dream from reality. Once they were trapped, Nightmare could toy with them.
The closer dreams were to reality, the harder it was to distinguish between the two. That blurred boundary was what made it truly dangerous.
It was hard enough for extraordinary people. For regular people, it was practically impossible.
"It has support abilities, enhances physical strength, and can even force people into dreams. Don't just focus on how hard it is to enter a Sequence—the Sleepless Path is genuinely well-suited."
Now that she had experienced its power firsthand, Sakuya had clearly made up her mind.
Ren watched quietly. He could tell that Aizawa Sakuya had made her decision.
Sakuya turned to him with a strange expression.
"Amamiya, aren't you going to stop me?"
Ren shook his head slightly.
"Miss Aizawa has made up her mind. Trying to stop her would be meaningless. Once she obtains the diary, it will grant her what she desires most."
"If Miss Aizawa is set on walking the path of the Sequence, then no one can stop her."
The right to choose always lies with you, even if the road ahead is covered in thorns.
Ren believed that what Sakuya wanted right now wasn't someone to stop her, but someone to support her.
"Although I won't stop Miss Aizawa from walking the path she chooses, I hope that during the initial stages, you'll remain under my supervision."
"If you begin to show signs of losing control, at least I'll be able to intervene."
Sakuya laughed at that.
"Of course."
Even if she did get the diary and the potion needed to advance through the Sequence, she wouldn't dream of drinking it in secret.
What happened to Chika was enough of a warning.
Even though Ren had said that it might have been because of his influence that she lost control, was that something anyone could be certain of?
So under no circumstances would Aizawa Sakuya drink the potion alone. That would be suicide.
"Ren!"
Just as Sakuya's discussion wrapped up, Sonoko suddenly raised her hand.
"Can you explain the Sequence path to my sister?"
"Your sister wants to walk that path too?"
"No, she doesn't know about it yet. Actually, my dad is really into this stuff. He's always been fascinated by the supernatural. Lately, both he and mom have been focusing a lot on my sister's education. I think... for my sister's safety, she really should gain some power."
Sonoko had always thought this way. Especially after her sister had been pushed into the spotlight instead of her, the idea had only grown stronger.
Ren nodded slightly. He understood Sonoko's concern.
"In that case, go ahead and tell your sister. You've saved up plenty of lottery draws already. If you truly want to help her, you just might be able to."
(To be continued.)