"You didn't get the Holy Sword?"
In the sixth episode of The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Seiya successfully turned the Dragon Queen into a sword. But by the end of the episode, it became clear that while the Holy Sword did exist, they couldn't obtain it because they didn't follow the original sacrificial method. And the Holy Sword was the only weapon capable of defeating the Demon King...
"For some reason, I'm starting to think this really could turn into a dark and tragic story..."
At first, Daniel didn't believe Ren could turn this story into something grim. But after seeing the end of episode six, he began to have doubts. It seemed entirely possible that Seiya might end up being unable to defeat the Demon King without the Holy Sword.
Could it be that... in the end, Seiya sacrifices himself to become the sword that kills the Demon King?
Knowing Ren's past works, this wasn't out of the question.
Meanwhile, on Ren's social media, comments were flooding in about this latest twist in The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious.
"I don't know why, but I feel like the missing Holy Sword is a setup for something later."
"Yeah, I think so too. What if Ren actually turns this comedy into a tragic story?"
"No way! Do you think Ren's a god who can turn a lighthearted story into something heartbreaking?"
"If that happens, I'm done. I watch this after work to laugh and unwind, not to get depressed!"
"Come on, we know your username. You always say you're going to quit, but you're still here, watching every episode."
"Well, well, looks like my fans are getting smarter."
Ren chuckled as he read through the comments on his phone, feeling pleased. He hadn't expected anyone to pick up on the true direction of the story. Maybe they had been scarred by his previous works?
After all, many of his stories seemed to have a tendency to shift into darker themes as they progressed.
But it wasn't really his fault. It was the system he had—one that seemed to push him toward more tragic storytelling, as if it wanted him to become a master of emotional drama.
Ren checked the comments on Katekyō Hitman Reborn!. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and the few negative reviews were easy to ignore. After all, no story was universally loved. Even his earlier work, Fullmetal Alchemist, had some critics.
"Phew, looks like the changes were well-received."
Ren was satisfied with the praise Katekyō Hitman Reborn! was getting. He had made significant changes to the Ring Battle Arc, deviating from the original version where battles were settled through one-on-one matches. Instead, he turned it into a surprise attack, making the story more intense.
Even the ending wasn't the same. In the original, XANXUS wasn't forgiven by the Ninth and the details were left vague. All readers knew was that XANXUS was still the leader of the Varia ten years later. But Ren didn't regret the changes. He had always felt the original format of determining the Vongola boss through a tournament didn't make much sense. If you were vying for control of a mafia family, wouldn't you just take what you wanted by force?
As Ren pondered these thoughts, the front door of his house opened. He looked up to see his wife, Jada, coming home with their daughter, Yueyue.
But something was off.
Jada looked calm, but Yueyue was pouting, clearly upset.
"What happened? Did you two have a fight?" Ren asked, trying to gauge the situation.
"Fight? Hah!" Jada scoffed. "This girl wouldn't dare fight with me!"
"Then what's going on?"
"Take a look at this!" Jada pulled a piece of paper from her bag and slapped it onto the table. "See for yourself!"
Ren picked up the paper and saw it was a math test. "Hmm? Ninety-four and a half?"
"Exactly! Ninety-four point five!" Jada said, exasperated. "This girl's performance is slipping! She used to score at least ninety-eight or ninety-nine, if not a full hundred!"
"Umm... I'll do better on my finals! Can you give me another chance?" Yueyue pleaded, her eyes welling up with tears.
"No way!" Jada's tone was firm. "We agreed that every test after midterms had to be above ninety-five for you to go on our trip! Forget about the beach—no more video games either! I think you've been playing too much, and that's why your grades have dropped!"
"What?!" Yueyue was stunned. Not only was the beach trip canceled, but now she couldn't play games either?
Desperate, she started rolling around on the sofa, throwing a tantrum. "Nooo! That's not fair!"
"If you wake your brother, I'll spank you!"
That threat worked like magic. Yueyue immediately clamped her hands over her mouth and sat up straight, her eyes wide with fear as she glanced at her little brother, who was sleeping nearby.
"Seriously, you dare to pout after scoring that low?" Jada was ready to scold her again but Ren quickly intervened.
"Okay, okay, let me handle this. You go change your clothes."
"Fine." Jada nodded, still annoyed but willing to let Ren take over. She headed upstairs but not before giving him a final word. "Make sure you set her straight! Be the head of the household for once!"
"Sure thing!"
Ren muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes slightly. Now she remembered he was the head of the house? What about all the other times?
"What did you say?"
Jada turned back, suspicious, but Ren quickly waved her off. "Nothing! Just go change!"
As soon as Jada closed the bedroom door upstairs, Ren let out a sigh of relief. He looked at Yueyue, who was still sulking.
"Do you really want to go to the beach that badly?" he asked, gently poking her cheek.
"Mm-hmm!" Yueyue nodded vigorously.
Ren glanced at the test paper again and then had an idea. "Alright, but from now on, you have to score perfect hundreds. For every point you miss, you owe me ten points in return."
"Mm-hmm!"
Yueyue's eyes lit up. It seemed like her dad had a plan to help her!
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