Chapter 186: Constantly Catering to Others Only Makes You Hate Yourself; Just Be Your Truest Self.
...
Night, around 10:00 PM.
God Domain: 40th Floor, White Tiger Safe Zone.
Seito massaged his temples, feeling a dull ache behind his eyes.
Among all the materials he had spent the day grinding, only a single "Speed-type" component was actually usable for his build. The rest were predominantly defense-oriented—useful for others, perhaps, but not for him. Those leftovers had already been snatched up by the other Executives.
Seito was starting to seriously question if his legendary luck had finally run dry.
"Seito-kun, can you really strip Divine Power and transfer it to us?"
Beside him, Maple asked with wide, curious eyes. She, along with Sally and Lisbeth , had already seen the stats of Seito's Spatial Divine Raiment. It was precisely because Maple had shared those details with the group that the entire Executive roster had teleported over in a frenzy.
"Yeah, it should work," Seito nodded.
Although he hadn't conducted a live experiment yet, the equipment's description was explicit. A transfer was definitely possible.
"But not tonight. I'll take you all to farm some Divine Power tomorrow during the day."
It was getting late, and Seito planned to log off and get some sleep. Hearing this, the others immediately understood.
"No problem. Tomorrow it is. We've got plenty of time," Sora said with a relaxed smile.
"Then let's call it a day." Seito turned his gaze toward Sora and Shiro. "You two should turn in early too. Don't forget the event tomorrow."
"Got it."
"Seito-nii... I'll go to sleep now~"
The siblings responded in kind. One by one, the Executives began to log out.
Seito, however, didn't leave immediately. Instead, he opened his friend list, found Shizuka Hiratsuka and Sae Chabashira, and pulled them into a new private chat channel.
[Seito's Private Data Channel]
Sei: @Shizuka-sensei @Chabashira-Sae. Hey you two, why aren't you asleep yet?
Shizuka-sensei: We're in the middle of a quest.
Chabashira-sensei: It's a search-and-rescue mission. It's pretty time-consuming; probably another thirty minutes before we're done.
Sei: Alright. First, apply to join the guild. I'm giving the final Executive seat to Shizuka-sensei, and Sae-sensei will take an Officer position.
Shizuka-sensei: No problem.
Chabashira-sensei: Fine by me.
[Ding! 'Shizuka-sensei' has applied to join 'The Fatui'.]
[Ding! 'Chabashira-sensei' has applied to join 'The Fatui'.]
After clicking accept, Seito deposited an Executive Overcoat into the guild warehouse.
Sei: Shizuka-sensei, grab the coat first. Tomorrow, I'll get you both sorted with Unique Orange sets.
Shizuka-sensei: Understood.
With that settled, Seito exited the game.
Materializing back in his home, he headed straight for his bedroom. When he saw Kirukiru Amou already waiting there, he instantly understood her "intentions."
And so... the night passed in a blur of silence.
The Next Day, 5:00 AM.
Seito woke up early. Glancing at the still-sleeping Amou, he dressed quietly and left the room. After finishing his morning routine in the bathroom, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I think I'll head out and buy some breakfast this morning."
With a plan in mind, he opened his front door and stepped out. A short while later, he was strolling down the street, cradling the small fox-spirit Yue in his arms. During the school trip, he had kept Yue tucked away in the game world. If people in the real world saw her, it would leave too strong an impression—making it difficult to explain if they ever encountered her in-game.
Just then, a voice called out from behind him.
"Seito-kun? You're up early."
Hearing the familiar, cheerful tone, Seito turned around. There stood Yui Yuigahama, out for a walk with her dog.
"What a coincidence, Yui-san," Seito said with a smile.
"Are you going to buy breakfast?" Yui asked curiously.
"Yeah," Seito replied.
"Then... want to go together? I need to buy some too!" Yui's eyes lit up instantly.
"Sure." Seito nodded.
As they walked side-by-side, Seito stroked Yue's fur and glanced at Yui. "Yui, when you're at the academy, you don't always have to try so hard to cater to everyone else."
In this world, Yui Yuigahama was much like her anime counterpart—always struggling to find her place within the social hierarchy of the class. Even though she hung out with the likes of Yukino and the others daily, the pressure was real.
Yukino Yukinoshita was the second daughter of the prestigious Yukinoshita family. Asuna Yuuki was the heiress of the RECT Progress empire. Kaguya Shinomiya was the princess of the Shinomiya conglomerate. Ai Hayasaka had been raised alongside Kaguya since childhood.
In that circle, Yui was the only commoner. Even if everything seemed fine on the surface, there was an unspoken gap in status that made her feel restrained. If it were like the original story where only Yukino was her close friend, it would be simpler.
But now... Seito had noticed many cracks in that "easy-going" facade.
"Eh?" Yui's face flushed red, and she scratched her head awkwardly. Did he see right through me? But even Yukinon and the others haven't noticed...
Yui didn't know what to say. Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her head. She looked up to find Seito patting her hair with a gentle smile.
"If you spend all your time catering to others, you'll eventually end up hating yourself. Just being your truest self is enough."
"I can tell you're a kind and gentle girl."
"So, staying true to your own personality is more important than anything else. If you ever feel like you can't fit into the conversations with Yukino and the rest, go talk to Maple and her group. They're commoner girls too, after all."
Yui took in every single word. A warm current surged through her heart. That feeling of being instantly healed made her smile involuntarily.
"Mmh! I understand!" she nodded vigorously.
Seeing her expression, Seito smiled back. Soon, they reached a breakfast stall selling steamed buns and fried dough sticks. Without a second thought, Seito bought a massive pile of food. Yui bought her share as well, and the two began their walk back home.
...
Thank you for reading.