Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

"Amamiya Ren... a boy I don't know very well."

Sitting in her classroom, Ran pondered over the information she had gathered.

She didn't know much about him.

But according to the diary, it seemed like Sonoko had taken an interest in him. That meant she could ask her.

Just like how Sonoko always gossiped about people at school, Ran figured she could approach this casually, as if she were simply curious.

With that in mind, as soon as class ended, Ran went straight to Sonoko.

"Sonoko, are you going on a date with a boy tomorrow?"

"???"

Sonoko looked at Ran, her face full of surprise.

"Ran, what's up with you today? Since when are you interested in my dates?"

"You usually don't care much about these things."

"Did you hear someone talking about it?"

Sonoko thought back to the moment she had invited Amamiya.

There had been quite a few students around at the time.

She had been so focused on his presence that she hadn't paid attention to whether others had noticed.

After all, it wasn't every day that she spotted a hidden gem like him.

"Ran, why are you suddenly curious?"

"I heard some people say that the guy you're seeing isn't very handsome."

"Who said that?!"

That sentence hit Sonoko like a dagger to the heart.

"That's an insult to my instincts as Suzuki Sonoko!"

"You think I—I—can't tell if a guy is handsome or not?!"

She immediately recalled Ren's usual appearance—unkempt curls, thick-rimmed glasses, and a deliberately ordinary demeanor.

No wonder people underestimated him.

Sonoko clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Those blind fools!

Only she, Suzuki Sonoko, had seen the truth!

With a mixture of smugness and excitement, her voice lowered slightly as she spoke.

"Listen, Amamiya isn't just 'not bad looking'—he's easily on par with that show-off, Shinichi."

"That high of an evaluation?"

Ran was surprised.

Sonoko had once said, "Shinichi's good looks are the only thing saving his personality."

That was the highest praise she had ever heard Sonoko give Shinichi.

"Of course!"

"Ran, you don't get it. Amamiya looks 'average' on purpose—he hides his face."

"Half of his face is covered by those plain, thick glasses."

"Then there's his curly bangs, they block part of his features."

"But if you see his full face, he's a total knockout."

Sonoko was completely confident in her judgment, betting on the flawless track record of her "handsome guy radar."

Plus, there was another bonus detail she had discovered.

"Also, I noticed that Amamiya doesn't seem to interact with girls much."

"I think I might be his first date."

"That does seem likely."

Ran knew that Sonoko had a tendency to exaggerate things.

But when it came to Amamiya, everything she had said so far aligned with the diary's records.

If Amamiya wasn't lying in his diary, then he really had never dated before.

Ran then recalled something else Sonoko had once said:

"That clueless detective is going to get himself in serious trouble one day."

And that statement had turned out to be 100% accurate.

Until now, Ran had never given much thought to Sonoko's ability to judge people.

But with so many of her past remarks proving true, she was starting to reconsider.

"I never realized how sharp Sonoko's observations actually were."

For the first time, Ran saw her best friend in a new light.

"So, you only just now noticed Amamiya's hidden charm?"

"Do you need any other reason?"

"…No, I suppose not."

Ran had known Sonoko for years.

She knew full well that Sonoko would absolutely pursue a guy based on looks alone.

"Right now, I know that Amamiya isn't good at dealing with girls."

"But there's still a lot I don't know."

She frowned slightly.

She didn't have many sources to gather more information.

But if she needed help…

Ran's eyes landed on Sonoko.

"That's it!"

If she couldn't do something alone, wasn't that what friends were for?

"Sonoko, come with me for a moment."

"Hm? Okay."

Sonoko felt that Ran was acting a little strange today.

But she followed her out of the classroom without question.

And then, Sonoko's worldview was completely shattered.

"…"

After listening to everything Ran told her…

She was speechless.

Especially when Ran mentioned Shinomiya Kaguya, Sanzenin Nagi, and the world-altering effects of the diary…

Her mind needed time to process.

But the first thing that truly sank in?

"Wait… Ran is actually the heroine of a story?!"

That was her first realization.

She turned to look at her best friend.

Ran was gorgeous, had a perfect figure, was kind, smart, and athletic.

The only flaw was her complicated home life, but other than that, she was practically flawless.

"Yeah… you do seem like the protagonist type."

"And if you're the heroine, then Shinichi is obviously the male lead."

Sonoko nodded to herself.

It all made sense.

"Ugh. I think I understand why Shinichi's like this now."

Sonoko sighed.

She could picture it perfectly, the classic overconfident, reckless protagonist.

Talented, intelligent, and totally oblivious to danger.

Which was exactly why he ended up getting knocked out and poisoned.

"He was just too overconfident."

"That's why he got careless and ended up in this situation."

Ran looked at her.

"What do you think now that you know Shinichi's situation?"

"Me?"

Ran fell silent for a moment.

Then, she shook her head.

"I can't accept it."

"If he had told me the truth, I would have kept his secret forever."

"I would have even helped him hide his identity."

"But instead, he lied to me."

"He used 'protecting me' as an excuse… while doing something purely out of selfishness."

"I can't accept that."

"Then it's over."

Sonoko made her conclusion.

After hearing Ran say that so decisively, she knew there was no going back.

Yes, Shinichi was a textbook male protagonist.

But once he made that choice, to lie and manipulate Ran instead of trusting her—

It didn't matter what kind of "story" this was anymore.

Because in reality, he had already lost.

**

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