The sudden increase in her food expenses was a serious problem for Ran.

  After all, having lived frugally for more than a decade, she had developed strong habits of thrift and budgeting.

  But her stomach didn't care about financial s. When huruck, it showed no mercy.

  So, she o sider whether she should start w on weekends.

  She preferred earning her own money rather than relying on others to cover her meals.

  tally, there was someone else dealing with a simir problem, someone who also worked weekends.

  ---

  "Money is always an issue."

  After finishing another day of school aurning home, Ren sat down, lost in thought.

  For some reason, it felt like misfortune followed him when it came to finances, even in his previous life, money had ayed in his hands for long.

  Even though he lived in one of the cheapest apartment plexes, one known for being an "act property" he still struggled to save money because of his food expenses.

  Still, Ren refused to cut bauch when it came to food.

  He wasn't about to go to the extremes some influencers did, those who pushed themselves to their absolute limits just to save a few yen.

  So, he o find a new source of ine.

  "Maybe I should do a divination… see if there's an easy way to make money."

  Now that he had abilities beyond an ordinary person, he could explore options other than part-time jobs.

  The ditions of his apartment weren't great, but aside from its history of is, there weren't any actual problems.

  But beyond living expenses, he wao improve the quality of his food.

  And ideally, he'd like the freedom to stay at home, doing nothing, just like a zy hermit.

  So, with some free time on his hands, he decided to try a divination to predict his financial fortune.

  He pulled out a deck of tarot cards he had bought before heading home.

  After shuffling, he drew three cards.

  Ace of Wands (Upright), Judgment (Upright), The World (Upright).

  "Now that's some good news."

  All three cards signified wealth and a major financial opportunity.

  He focused, trying to divine more details.

  A vision formed in his mind.

  At dusk, along a riverbank, an abandoned building stood alone by the water's edge.

  "An abandoned building? Feels like someone deliberately hid something there."

  "…Yeah, this isn't an illusion. Someone definitely stashed something there."

  This might have been an unusual occurren other cities, but in a pce like Beika, it wasn't rare at all.

  A thief could have hidden stolen goods there.

  Ren thought for a moment before doing another reading.

  He focused on the ins of this hidden treasure.

  The Moon (Upright), The Sun (Reversed), Judgment (Reversed).

  "Hah… so it really is dirty money."

  "A betrayal among thieves… After pulling off a robbery, one of them turned on his partrying to take all the spoils for himself."

  The answer was clear.

  He then did another reading, this time about the one who betrayed his partner and hid the goods.

  Eight of Wands, Seven of Swords, The World (Reversed).

  "Greed never leads to a good end. He got caught ao the police station."

  "…So, the police are looking for this too?"

  If the traitor had been arrested, theolen goods might already be under iigation.

  But since his divination led him straight to the stash, it meant the police hadn't found it yet.

  And if they hadn't found it…

  "Well, that just means I take it for myself."

  As long as he didn't expose the stolen goods too carelessly, there wouldn't be any major problems.

  Of course, selling stolen items required caution, pawn shops and money exgers were often under surveilnce.

  Still, despite the risks, he wasn't about to give up on the idea of pocketing the cash.

  He wasn't sure exactly how much was hidden there, but sidering the situation, a pnned robbery, followed by betrayal there had to be at least ten millioashed away.

  "Guess I'll go check it out tomorrow."

  Since he had already determihe location, all that was left was to firm how much was actually there.

  He'd have to be careful not to be seen.

  Ste wasn't an issue.

  With Sefirah Castle, he could open a door at any time and simply toss whatever he found inside.

  Now, it was time for today's diary entry.

  ---

  [The newly transferred Shinomiya and Hayasaka have, as expected, bee instant celebrities in css.]

  [Not surprising at all.]

  [They were VIP members of the student cil at Shu Academy, after all.]

  [But what really caught my attention was the fact that Ran took the day off today.]

  [Hmm… This is actually more ing to me than Shinomiya and Hayasaka, who have already revealed their cards to me.]

  [This might be a major turning point iory. If so, it's also the key to figuring out whether Ran Mouri has the diary.]

  [Oh, there's one more thing on my mind.]

  [The "date."]

  [Yesterday, Suzuki Sonoko came to css looking for Shinomiya.]

  [She must have been suspicious about Shinomiya's sudden transfer and wao iigate.]

  [But instead, she ran into me at the door.]

  [Years of physical bor have strengthened my body, and girls don't weigh much to begin with. So when she crashed into me at full speed, I didn't even stumble.]

  [But when I helped her up… she seemed to take an i in me.]

  [First, she insisted oing to know me, exged taformation, and then invited me on a date this weekend.]

  [Also, isn't Suzuki Sonoko a notorious "face-"? Does she actually think I'm good-looking?]

  This was something Ren genuinely didn't uand.

  He had never put much thought into his appearance.

  He figured he wasn't bad-looking, but he wasly a model, either.

  ---

  Meanwhile, Kaguya was also reading today's diary entry.

  Whe to Ren's self-doubt about his looks, she paused, then turo Hayasaka.

  "Hayasaka, do you think Amamiya is attractive?"

  "Yes."

  Hayasaka answered without hesitation.

  "The thick-rimmed gsses he wears are pin, almost entirely meant to hide his face."

  "The messy curls in his hair are also deliberate—meant to cover him up."

  "This all points to low self-esteem."

  "It aligns with what we found in our iigation of his past."

  "If he ged his style even slightly, people's impressions of him would shift dramatically."

  "…I see."

  Kaguya gnced back at the diary.

  "…Amamiya seems to have caught Suzuki Sonoko's attention."

  "He's w why she took an i in him."

  "Hm. Cssic case of not having a clear perception of oneself. Ann of low self-esteem."

  Hayasaka's analysis was blunt and to the point.

  But this new information about Suzuki Sonoko was intriguing.

  Most people hadn't noticed anything unusual, yet Sonoko had picked up on something right away.

  So…

  "Miss Kaguya, do you think Suzuki Sonoko might also be a diary holder?"