Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World-Chapter 233: A Week of Symptoms

After stepping through the space gate, Hayasaka placed her hands on her lower abdomen and bent forward slightly.

"Good evening, Amamiya-san."

"Good evening, Hayasaka-san."

Since Chika was holding onto him tightly and he couldn't move freely, Ren could only nod slightly in greeting.

"Sorry for troubling you with Fujiwara's situation."

"It's part of my job."

"No, I mean... you might not be able to go back tonight."

Realizing Hayasaka had misunderstood him, Ren quickly gestured to Chika still clinging to him. Clearly, she wouldn't be returning home to rest tonight. This aftermath could last through the night.

Looking at Chika still holding onto Ren, Hayasaka let out a long sigh.

"Amamiya, is the situation Fujiwara encountered really that serious?"

"Yeah, it's quite serious. In that world, loss of control and corruption are practically irreversible. Fujiwara suffered psychological trauma after experiencing both. It's like facing the detonation of Little Boy and walking away with only a scratch."

Ren gave an example that, while not entirely appropriate, perfectly captured Chika's current mental state.

Hearing that, Hayasaka's face twitched.

She had known Chika had gone through something terrible, but she hadn't expected Ren to use such an extreme analogy. What unsettled her more was that Ren's tone was serious—he wasn't joking.

Looking at Chika now, Hayasaka could understand why her condition was so bad. Given something equivalent to a nuclear blast and escaping with only psychological trauma, it was practically a miracle.

"Fujiwara needs time to adjust. If she were a Sequence 7 Telepathist, she could sort herself out. But she isn't there yet, so I have to help her stabilize emotionally."

"If I soothe her mental turbulence a few more times, she'll gradually gain the courage to face it herself. The psychological shadow will fade over time, rather than settle as trauma."

"But... it takes time and patience."

As he spoke, Ren gently stroked Fujiwara's soft hair.

"I originally thought she wouldn't have an episode so soon. But now it seems she's been experiencing similar symptoms every night recently. Things are better during the day, but at night, she needs someone to calm her before she can settle down."

That was indeed troublesome... Hayasaka agreed. Chika's condition clearly required time and consistent care—and more importantly, it required Ren to provide comfort.

"Hayasaka-san, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Please go ahead."

"I've noticed Chika's condition tends to flare up in the evenings. So, I'd like to ask you to bring her over to my place each night."

That request genuinely caught Hayasaka off guard.

However, given Chika's current state, she understood why Ren asked. Her condition was visibly poor, and only Ren's presence could help her stabilize.

I'll bring her over after Miss Kaguya falls asleep... Just thinking about it made Hayasaka feel like Kaguya was being tricked.

But it should be fine.

Kaguya could accept Sonoko, so she likely wouldn't mind Chika. Besides, Chika was suffering from serious psychological trauma. If Kaguya knew that, she wouldn't object. She might look cold, but she was warm-hearted.

After weighing it, Hayasaka nodded slightly.

"I understand. I'll contact Fujiwara after Miss Kaguya falls asleep and bring her here."

"Amamiya, in that case... should I stay too?"

She remembered something similar happening on the last day of the cruise, when she stayed with Chika the whole night. The current situation was clearly close to that.

"It's necessary. Just like now. Hayasaka, stay with her for a bit. I need to change into pajamas."

Hayasaka glanced at Ren, who was currently wearing only a towel. She immediately stepped forward and pried Chika's arms off him.

"Miss Fujiwara, please compose yourself for now."

"Mmm..."

Right now, the last thing Chika wanted was to leave Ren's side. The trauma and his ability to soothe her emotions made her feel secure only when near him.

But Ren couldn't stay like that, dressed in just a towel.

Reluctantly, she nodded and tried to control her emotions.

Taking the opportunity, Ren returned to his room to change into pajamas.

Once he came back, Chika immediately walked up and, just like before, threw her arms around him, burying her face into his chest.

Ren held her gently, walking to the sofa step by step and sitting down with her still clinging to him.

Watching all of this, Hayasaka couldn't help asking,

"Amamiya, is Miss Fujiwara becoming dependent on you because of the trauma?"

Ren nodded without hesitation.

"Yes. What she went through left a deep imprint. Fear stems from cognition. She saw and recognized things that defy human understanding. And when she resists that recognition, fear surges up."

"The corruption and loss of control affected her deeply. She witnessed too many scenes that shattered her perception of reality. Those memories hit her like mental shrapnel, triggering stress reactions whenever the pain resurfaces."

"This is actually quite normal. Anyone who experienced what she did would react similarly."

"But last night's episode wasn't even the worst. This coming week, her reactions will peak. After that, things should gradually settle down."

A week? That's not long at all... Hayasaka nodded. If it was just a week, she could handle that much.

(To be continued.)

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