Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World-Chapter 249: I’ve Always

Everyone who came on this hot spring trip was now soaking in the hot spring, casually watching Ren seated between Kaguya and Sonoko with gossipy eyes.

A cool breeze blew down from the mountainside, dispersing some of the fog lingering over the spring. The sudden chill refreshed everyone, preventing them from feeling stuffy after soaking too long.

"Amamiya, your favorite character from that story you just talked about is Hayasaka? Is it because she's a maid?"

Sanzenin Nagi asked bluntly, her face filled with curiosity and gossip.

"I won't deny that a lot of people like the maid archetype when reading stories, but I don't think that's the only reason for me."

Ren acknowledged that the maid setup had its charm, but when he first read the story, it wasn't solely that aspect of Hayasaka Ai that drew him in.

"In fact, Kaguya's story is more of a slice-of-life comedy. I mean the original part where the idea is that whoever confesses first loses—it had a strong comedic vibe."

"The plot's your typical young lady romance setup. But because the male and female leads keep playing mental games to get the other to confess first, it turns into a kind of romantic battle comedy."

"And Hayasaka's the one who carries out Kaguya's ridiculous plans, always stuck playing the role of the exasperated spectator. Her face every day is just screaming, 'How are these two even dating?' But she still works hard to follow Kaguya's instructions."

As he spoke, Ren couldn't help but laugh.

"She's a popular, sociable girl at school, but in front of Kaguya, she's the textbook kuudere maid. Sometimes she even mocks others, and she bottles up so much pressure from work every day. Her only joy is watching hydraulic press videos online."

"The cat-and-mouse between the main couple is fun, but Hayasaka's story is actually pretty deep too."

After hearing Ren's description, everyone's eyes turned to Hayasaka, suddenly intrigued by her.

Even Kaguya looked at Hayasaka with a strange expression.

"Hayasaka, what Ren said is pretty much spot-on with your situation. But I haven't seen you watching hydraulic press videos lately."

"Miss Kaguya, did you forget? Oko retired, remember? Without him stressing me out anymore, the daily pressure isn't nearly as bad."

Hayasaka calmly reminded Kaguya of Shinomiya Oko.

Back then, her biggest source of stress was Kaguya's betrayal and the suffocating pressure from Oko. That combination was what wore her down the most.

"Plus, you don't even like President Shirogane's personality, so I don't have to go around acting like in the story and constantly execute your plans. The daily stress is way more manageable now."

"Crushing Oko's pride really was the right move."

Kaguya now felt more justified in her past decisions.

She had stomped all over her older brother's pride and confidence, leaving him unable to recover. She uprooted every nail he had planted inside the Shinomiya conglomerate, promoted the Hayasaka family in full, and sent all the termites that infested the group to prison. She thoroughly severed his ability to stage a comeback within the Shinomiya group or family.

Hayasaka also agreed with this.

"Oko was rigid to his bones. His methods were brutal, always exploiting weaknesses, stomping directly on people's sore spots so no one could resist him."

"I think the trauma from what Miss Kaguya did that day will haunt him for life."

Even now, Hayasaka couldn't help laughing whenever she recalled the image of Shinomiya Oko's retreating back.

Watching from the side, Nagi felt she could understand why Ren liked Hayasaka so much just from that short explanation.

Maid + aloof + tsukkomi + stress + sarcasm + loyalty—it made sense why someone would like her.

As a full-blooded otaku, Nagi also thought Hayasaka was a really fun and charming character.

But then, Nagi became curious about something else.

"Then, who do you like most from my story?"

"Saginomiya."

"Huh?"

Saginomiya Isumi blinked, stunned, her whole face turning red a second later.

She was dressed modestly in the same two-piece swimsuit as Nagi. After all, she was still a child, so it was better to wear something age-appropriate.

The soft lavender swimsuit made her look like a delicate violet, her shy smile like a flower just beginning to bloom.

"Being cute is one thing. But even though she's scared, she still bravely faces danger for her friends. She's often confused, but never hesitates when it matters most. She can do so much for Nagi, and her pure friendship with Nagi is something really touching."

Ren didn't hold back in explaining why he liked her.

The more Isumi listened, the more flustered she became, especially since Ren's compliments sounded way too flattering.

"Actually, it's not just Saginomiya."

"When faced with temptation, Sanzenin chose to give up for the sake of her butler. She may be a bit tsundere, but she's always true to herself. Her words can be sharp, but she's incredibly kind at heart."

"Miss Aizawa is also very attentive to her siblings. Whenever Sanzenin's in a bad mood, she notices right away and does whatever she can to cheer her up. She's a really good big sister."

"It's the same with Ran and Sonoko. They always understand each other without words, and their friendship is incredibly pure. When Ran's in trouble, Sonoko always stands by her side. Ran does the same in return."

"Fujiwara Chika also values her bond with Kaguya a lot. When she sees injustice, she speaks up. Even though she's always smiling and cheats during games, she still really looks out for her juniors."

"And then there's Miss Maria. She left on her own to help Sanzenin grow, completely out of selfless love. She's always been caring and considerate. Honestly, she's just like the Virgin Mary."

"Seeing all of you like this, I've always liked you very much."

(To be continued.)