Chapter 85: Two More Chocolates (BONUS)

"Amamiya, lend it to me!"

Fujiwara looked at Ren with sparkling eyes.

"Here you go."

Ren smiled and handed her the maple leaf gold coin.

Taking the gold coin, Fujiwara examined it closely.

It was surprisingly heavy.

She tossed it into the air, letting it land on the table naturally. It flipped over, revealing the flower side.

She tried again.

And again.

Each time, the results varied between the words and the flower, but the words never appeared consecutively multiple times.

"Hmm~ Is this some kind of magic trick?"

Fujiwara tilted her head in confusion.

"It's too random."

Kaguya immediately dismissed the idea.

"The angles at which the coin falls are always different, and the way it bounces off the table also changes the outcome."

"When Amamiya tossed it, the coin always landed in his palm."

"Fujiwara, try it again."

"Alright!"

Fujiwara attempted a few more times, but the results remained inconsistent.

Even when she tried to control the height and number of flips, it was impossible to get the same result consecutively.

"Then it can't be a magic trick."

Ren stepped forward, extending his hand beneath Fujiwara Chika's own, where she still held the gold coin.

With a light tap of his finger.

The coin phased straight through Fujiwara's palm and fell into Ren's open hand below.

"???"

"Ehhhhhh?!"

Fujiwara stared at her palm in shock.

There wasn't even a scratch.

Yet the gold coin had passed right through her hand.

She was absolutely certain, her eyes hadn't deceived her.

There was no trick to what just happened.

There had been no sleight of hand, no hidden mechanism.

The coin had simply passed through as if her hand didn't exist.

And it wasn't done at high speed either.

It had moved so naturally, so impossibly, that it felt surreal.

"This is just one of the abilities I've acquired."

Ren explained calmly.

"It's difficult to put into words."

"The best way to describe it is… my ability lets me be a charlatan, or perhaps a master lockpicker."

Fujiwara didn't quite understand, but her eyes were already sparkling with fascination.

"Is it the same kind of supernatural ability as Kaguya's?"

"How interesting!"

This was how normal people reacted when they encountered the supernatural.

"I really want to get a diary soon! I want to see what kind of ability I'll receive!"

Ren could understand her excitement.

Sonoko probably felt the same way.

But things weren't so simple.

"We still have to observe how it works."

"The method of acquiring a diary is still unclear, and understanding it will help us control its distribution in the future."

As he spoke, Ren paused briefly.

Perhaps the real key to the diaries was him.

As the host of the diaries, their distribution could be linked to him in some way.

The question was, did he control it consciously, or was it completely out of his hands?

That would require further investigation.

"Click!"

The door swung open once more.

"Oh~ You're here too."

The voice entered the room before its owner did.

Suzuki Sonoko.

She immediately noticed the chocolate placed next to Ren.

Her lips pursed slightly.

She was a little late.

Her gaze swept across the room, landing on a familiar face.

Her expression brightened.

She skipped over immediately.

"Chika! Long time no see!"

"Sonoko! You go to this school too?!"

Fujiwara looked just as surprised.

"You didn't know?"

"I thought you transferred from Shuchi'in because of me."

Fujiwara suddenly looked awkward.

"Uh… actually, I came here with Kaguya."

"Huh?"

Sonoko blinked in confusion before turning to look at Kaguya.

"You're friends with the Ice Queen?"

"...Excuse me?"

"The Ice Queen and Chika are friends?!"

That was more shocking than a horror story.

Sonoko knew Fujiwara well.

She was cute, easygoing, and impossible to hate.

More than that, she was genuinely sincere.

Which was completely different from Kaguya.

"Hehe~"

Fujiwara puffed out her chest proudly.

That stupid expression made Kaguya sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead.

Not long after, Ran and Sonoko entered the room, followed by Nagi, Isumi, and Maria.

With the full group assembled, Kaguya, as president of the Occult Research Club, called everyone to order.

"Alright, let's discuss our club's first official activity."

"Amamiya is the one who proposed it—"

"A weekend trip to a small island."

That immediately caught Sonoko's attention.

"Ooh, an island trip! Sounds like a great weekend getaway!"

"But why an island?"

"My intuition tells me something interesting will happen there."

"…Your intuition?"

Sonoko hesitated for a moment.

Then quickly nodded.

"Alright, I'm in."

"Ran, you're coming too, right?"

Ran thought for a moment.

She didn't have anything planned for the weekend.

"No problem."

"Actually, my parents have been telling me to go out and relax, so this is perfect."

With Ran's agreement, Sonoko turned to Nagi.

"And what about you, Little Miss Rich Girl?"

"Don't call me that!"

Nagi rolled her eyes.

"…But fine, I don't have any weekend plans, so I'll go."

Isumi and Maria exchanged surprised looks.

In the past, Nagi would never have agreed so easily.

She would have said something like.

"Go on a trip? On the weekend? Are you crazy? I'd rather stay home and play games!"

But now, even though she still sounded reluctant, she didn't refuse.

This was progress.

Kaguya scanned the group before finalizing the plan.

"Alright. Then it's decided."

"I'll arrange the boat to the island."

"The rest of the details will be decided the day before the weekend."

With that settled, Kaguya sat down once more.

"Sonoko-san, you have the floor."

"Thanks~"

Sonoko didn't waste time.

She walked over to Ren, handing over a small box of chocolates.

"Amamiya, this one's friendship chocolate. Next time, it'll be sincerity chocolate."

"Thank you, Suzuki-san."

Ren accepted it without hesitation.

Sonoko looked pleased, then nudged Ran forward.

"Alright, your turn, Ran."

"Uh, right…"

Compared to Sonoko's confidence, Ran seemed a bit shy.

She hesitated briefly before pulling out a neatly wrapped chocolate from behind her.

"Amamiya-san… because of your reminder, I was able to understand Shinichi's situation better."

"This is… a thank-you gift."

"Thank you, Mouri-san."

Ren smiled as he accepted it.

You shouldn't dismiss someone's gratitude so casually.

For the first time in his life, he had received chocolates from girls.

Even if the meanings were different, it was still better than nothing.

…Well, in a way, maybe his life was finally moving in the right direction.

***

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