Chika was suddenly lifted into the air by an invisible force.
"Eh?"
At first, she didn't react. But when a sudden burst of warmth and humidity reached her senses, she realized something was wrong.
The sensation of being held vanished, and she found herself in an unimaginable place.
Looking down—
The abyss of her nightmares stretched beneath her.
She was standing on the ocean.
"!?"
Her body tensed, trembling uncontrollably. The shaking was accompanied by an inexplicable warmth spreading down her legs.
Chika froze, her entire body stiff.
Especially when she realized that she had been released and was no longer held in place, her muscles locked up even further.
But more than fear.
A crushing sense of shame threatened to overwhelm her.
She knew it.
If Ren and Kaguya ever found out that she had wet herself out of fear, she would never be able to show her face again.
No matter what, she could not let them find out.
Luckily, she was wearing a skirt today instead of warm leggings. It shouldn't be too obvious… right?
"Fujiwara-san," Ren's voice called out from a hundred meters ahead, standing casually on the water.
"Now, do you have the courage to move forward?"
"I…"
The terror surged again, paralyzing her limbs. Chika's body trembled violently.
But this time—
Ren didn't use the vast, crushing depths of the trench to instill fear in her.
Instead, he delivered something even more terrifying.
"You… didn't just pee yourself, did you?"
"!?"
In an instant, all her fear was buried beneath sheer, soul-crushing shame.
Her head shot up, eyes wide with disbelief.
Across the water, Ren stood calmly, watching her.
At this moment, she no longer cared about the dark abyss beneath her feet.
Her private embarrassment had been exposed—her dignity was on the line.
Step.
She took her first step forward.
Then the second.
Then—
She sprinted.
Her body wobbled as she ran, fueled entirely by panic.
Right now, Chika couldn't afford to dwell on her fear of the deep ocean.
She had far more pressing matters to worry about.
Like making sure Ren didn't tell anyone.
It took her just ten seconds to cross a hundred meters, while wearing a skirt and small leather shoes.
"Haa… haa…"
Panting heavily, Fujiwara Chika felt like her lungs were on fire.
But even then.
Her tear-filled eyes glared at Ren as she grabbed the front of his shirt in a desperate grip.
"Don't say it!"
The overwhelming shame was too much to bear.
But Ren only chuckled.
"You're too controlled by fear."
"Now… check for yourself—did you actually wet yourself?"
Chika's mind blanked for a second.
Then, she focused her senses, shifting her attention downward.
And—
She felt nothing.
No warmth.
No dampness.
Nothing at all.
"…W-What?"
Her brain short-circuited.
"What's going on?"
"Your senses deceived you."
"And that deception—"
"—was caused by my ability."
"When your ability to think independently weakens, your emotions become much easier to manipulate."
"By distorting your senses just slightly, I made you think you felt something embarrassing."
"And that overwhelming shame was enough to suppress your fear."
Chika trembled, then raised a small, trembling fist and lightly hit Ren's chest.
"Y-You scared me to death…"
For a second there, she had truly thought her life was over.
If it had been real, she probably would have jumped into the ocean out of sheer embarrassment.
But it wasn't real.
She had been tricked.
Ren, meanwhile, simply pointed downward.
"Now, do you still feel as scared as before?"
Chika hesitated—
Then looked down.
The sea below was still an endless, inky abyss.
The darkness stretched far beneath her feet, completely unfathomable.
Yet—
Though the fear still existed, it no longer controlled her.
It no longer threatened to paralyze her completely.
"…Much better."
She took a slow breath, calming her racing heart.
She had grown.
Even if it was through some… questionable means.
"Fujiwara-san," Ren spoke again, his voice even.
"You're afraid of the unknown, things lurking in the darkness that you can't understand or control."
"That trench beneath you is a place where light never reaches."
"The more imaginative a person is, the harder it is to suppress that fear."
"But—"
"What if you had enough power?"
"For example—Shinomiya-san's power."
Chika followed his gaze.
Kaguya stood calmly on the sea, completely unshaken.
The water beneath her feet had frozen over, spreading outward in all directions.
If she weren't deliberately controlling the spread of ice, the entire cruise ship would have been frozen solid by now.
Chika felt the cold even from a distance.
"Hiss—"
A shiver ran down her spine.
Looking at the vast, frozen surface beneath Kaguya's feet, she finally understood something.
Strength was everything.
"If I had power like that…"
"…Then I wouldn't be afraid anymore."
She was sure of it.
If she possessed strength like Kaguya's, she wouldn't feel so helpless.
"So," Ren said with a small smile.
"This is why so many people have… chuunibyou tendencies."
"The desire for power is simply an acknowledgment of one's own weakness."
"And an understanding of one's limitations."
"Power itself is a form of courage."
"It's the same as how money is often a man's source of confidence—"
"—because with money, men feel bolder, more capable of taking action."
"Power works the same way."
"It gives people the courage to face the impossible."
Chika's breath evened out.
Slowly.
She realized how much her mindset had changed.
"So, Fujiwara-san."
"I hope you remember this feeling."
"Power is the key to unlocking your own heart."
"But—"
"Don't just envy others. Desire it."
"Shinomiya-san's abilities aren't suited for you."
"But with that desire, you'll eventually obtain the power that you need."
Chika clenched her fists, exhaling softly.
For the first time.
She had a clear goal.
(To be continued.)