For men, the greatest pursuit is power; for women, the greatest pursuit is immortality/eternal youth.
"When any form of power reaches its peak, it naturally moves toward immortality."
Ren paused for a moment, then glanced at the girls present with a slightly amused expression.
"Didn't I mention this before?"
Kaguya fell silent for a moment before giving a slight nod.
"At the very first club meeting, Amamiya-san brought up the topic of immortality."
"You also said that the club would eventually move in that direction."
Ren recalled saying something along those lines back then.
"We just never connected that idea with the concept of immortality."
After all, everyone knows that immortality and longevity are fundamentally different.
To Kaguya, the notion of true immortality had always seemed distant, so far removed from her reality that she never gave it much thought.
"Well, now it's time to start working toward it."
"When any form of power reaches a certain level, it begins to reshape the body itself."
"As lifespan increases, the natural decay that weakens the body slows down in response to the growth of one's power until, eventually, one attains immortality."
Ren stopped here and glanced at the group before continuing, "And I think the one most likely to achieve immortality first is Ran."
Ran, startled by the sudden mention of her name, pointed to herself in disbelief.
"The body ages due to natural decay, a process rooted in the flesh itself."
"And the power you've obtained works by transforming the body from the inside out."
"So, from the moment your body began its transformation, your aging process started to slow down."
"Of course, true immortality will still take a long time, but your progression will definitely outpace Sanzenin and Shinomiya."
Ran's ability, Imperial Sakura Fang, alters her body through the nutrients she consumes, strengthening her power, reaction speed, explosive force, and endurance while slowing the natural decline of her body.
"Sanzenin, on the other hand, has an Anemo Vision."
"That Vision is an external magical organ that allows her to absorb external energy and convert it into Anemo power."
"But ultimately, it remains an external power."
"The Vision will undoubtedly grow stronger over time, but the direction of its growth might depend heavily on the contents of the diary."
"Until then, it's best to focus on training elemental control with as much precision as possible."
"After all, the God of Wind once started with nothing but a single breath of mist."
Elemental abilities have immense growth potential. If Sanzenin could overcome the inherent limitations of the Vision, she might very well reach the level of a demigod one day.
"The same goes for Miss Maria."
"The true form of the Rock God is a thousand-meter-long stone dragon, once revered as a War God."
"Your Vision is of the Geo element, power drawn from the earth itself."
"Miss Maria, you should work hard to develop your abilities."
"The Geo element embodies stability, structure, and resilience."
"With it, you can summon stone to crush your enemies, or create an unbreakable shield to protect yourself and others."
"A solid, unyielding rock always gives people a sense of security."
In Ren's eyes, Maria's role as a maid made her an ideal wielder of a Geo Vision.
Nagi could still feel the untapped potential of the power she had obtained, there was still a long road ahead.
But this was a good start.
If she wanted to see her mother again, growing stronger was a necessary condition.
Of course, her greatest reliance in achieving that goal remained the diary.
"But Maria really is a good match for the god of war, huh?" Nagi said suddenly.
Maria was momentarily speechless.
"Please don't pair an ordinary girl like me with a title as grand as the God of War," she replied, sounding half-exasperated.
"If anyone here fits that title, it's definitely Miss Hinagiku."
Nagi immediately agreed, wholeheartedly.
Hinagiku Katsura was undoubtedly a God of War in every sense.
"Then there's Shinomiya-san," Ren said, his gaze shifting toward her.
He left the rest unsaid, but Kaguya immediately understood.
"I know," she responded softly. "The ultimate power of the Ice-Ice Fruit."
The Ice-Ice Fruit had already given her considerable strength, and she had no doubts about its potential.
Its clarity and power left her with little confusion about the path ahead. However, bringing that power to its peak would require time, patience, and effort.
"Shinomiya-san, the two weaknesses of the Ice-Ice Fruit that I mentioned before aren't entirely unfounded," Ren explained. "But those vulnerabilities might only apply to certain stories."
"I'm not sure if the ocean in the real world contains the same elements."
"You might want to test it when the opportunity arises."
Kaguya nodded slightly, already considering the best way to conduct that experiment.
By now, the tension that had lingered over the group had mostly dissipated.
Ren checked the clock hanging on the wall.
Before he knew it, it was already 7:23 in the evening.
Past dinnertime, he realized.
"Are you all still hungry?" he asked.
The girls exchanged glances. The answer was obvious: yes.
The nausea from earlier had left them drained, and that lingering emptiness in their stomachs had become increasingly difficult to ignore.
"Honestly, I've been starving for a while now," Kaguya admitted.
"But I don't think I can eat anything just yet..."
Ran touched her stomach with a grimace.
"If I eat now, I'll definitely throw up again," she said with complete confidence.
The others silently nodded in agreement.
"Mr. Amamiya, dinner is actually ready."
Maria's voice broke the silence.
"No meat, though—just vegetables."
At that moment, everyone immediately understood why. After witnessing that grotesque scene earlier, the mere thought of eating meat was... unsettling.
Ren glanced around the room before slowly standing up.
"Then I'll go eat first," he said casually.
"You all should try to eat something, though. It'll be a long night if you go to bed hungry."