Maki caught onto those words immediately. She had a feeling that this "factors" might be what triggered the dramatic change in her aunt.
Ren only smiled at her question and didn't elaborate further.
"Is this how you live your life, Miss Shijo?"
"Me? My family doesn't deal with anything as extreme as what Auntie went through."
The topic shifted toward herself. Maki thought for a moment about her aunt's past and quickly shook her head.
While her parents were sensitive when it came to the Shinomiya family, they weren't always so paranoid at home. At least when it came to her and Mikado, their attitude was rather normal. If anything, they were good parents who cared deeply for their children.
"Even though my father and mother get anxious whenever the Shinomiya family is mentioned, they're still the best parents when it comes to Mikado and me. They care about us and guide us. Sure, they're strict, but they always explain why."
"All our energy is channeled toward areas where we excel. There's no pressure to outperform some arbitrary number or chase perfection."
"I understand that Mikado and I have a much better environment than Auntie did."
Maki was fully aware of the gap between her and her aunt's upbringing.
She knew her aunt had been living under constant surveillance ever since entering the Shinomiya household. Everyone in the house answered to Shinomiya Oko. The moment she made a mistake, Oko was always the first to find out.
In that high-pressure environment, even Hayasaka, who had been arranged to be by Kaguya's side—was just a spy. Everything had been carefully orchestrated to keep Kaguya tightly controlled, nothing more than a pawn.
"That's why I really admire Auntie. She knew she was being watched, but she still lived with composure, quietly gathered strength, and even turned some of her watchers into allies."
"I don't think she could've done that without help. The traces must've existed, but someone must've helped her cover them up."
"It couldn't have been the maids and butlers. Those people were under Oko's thumb. The only one who could have helped was Hayasaka."
"Even though she was originally placed there by Oko, I think Auntie must have realized that and still chose to be close to her. It was like she was gambling on human nature."
Ren nearly choked when he heard that.
Especially the part about Kaguya betting on human nature—that really didn't fit her.
Kaguya didn't know Hayasaka was a plant. She had lived under suffocating surveillance for so long that she had no space for suspicion.
When Hayasaka approached her, she accepted her without question. Not out of strategy, but because she had no one else.
As for any gamble… That was definitely not how it had gone.
If she and Hayasaka hadn't known each other since childhood and shared the same mother figure, Kaguya wouldn't have trusted her at all.
But Ren wasn't about to ruin the moment. If Maki thought that was the case, he would let her believe it.
"…That's right. Without someone else's help, Kaguya wouldn't have made it this far."
"See? I thought so too!"
Maki admired her aunt even more now.
"Only Auntie could pull something like that off. I couldn't."
She now fully understood how deep her aunt's resentment toward the Shinomiya family went. No wonder Auntie had dismantled the power structure of the entire Shinomiya household the moment she came into power.
She'd even aligned herself with the Sanzenin, which all but killed any future hopes for the Shinomiya family.
This was completely different from the Shijo family's situation.
Sanzenin could truly destroy the Shinomiya family. In fact, they didn't even care to look at them, as if the Shinomiya family were less than dogs.
The moment the Shinomiya family bowed to Sanzenin, their fate was sealed.
Kaguya had shattered their traditions entirely.
Now, the so-called "Shinomiya family" might as well be the Hayasaka family in disguise.
But the current head was Kaguya.
And that was what mattered—not the family name, but the person.
"When different people face the same situation, the outcome changes too."
Each person was a different variable. The same circumstances wouldn't yield the same result.
"So… was Auntie's 'specialness' something that came from her transferring schools?"
"Well… it's not that transferring made her special. It's because she became special that she transferred."
Now, she started to understand.
Her aunt didn't leave Shuchiin Academy on a whim. She left because she had changed.
Others might not know who funded Shuchiin, but the Shijo family did.
If Kaguya hadn't undergone a transformation and received the opportunity to change, she never would've been able to transfer.
Which only made Shijo Maki more curious about the source of her aunt's transformation.
But just as she was pondering this, she suddenly snapped back to the current conversation.
Her eyes shifted toward the boy standing in front of her.
"Excuse me, Mister Stranger… are you close with Auntie?"
"We're pretty close."
"So… did Auntie introduce you to me?"
"No. I just had a hunch about your thoughts, Miss Shijo, and that's what made me want to meet you."
Ren took a step back and bowed slightly.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Amamiya Ren. Currently… I'm Kaguya's boyfriend."
"Auntie's… boyfriend…"
Shijo Maki nodded absentmindedly, and then her expression froze as her brain processed what he'd said.
"AUNT'S BOYFRIEND!?!"
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