Ren found himself recalling the day, a year ago, when he first laid eyes on the diary. The mont he saw it, his mind went blank. He had already been lucky enough to be reborn—how could fate favor him a second ti?
"At that mont, my mind was completely blank. I couldn't understand how soone as ordinary as could be granted such luck again."
"So... I didn't use it at first."
"I only had the mindset of a commoner. I didn't believe in benefits falling from the sky."
"It took a year to co to terms with it. At that ti, I was transitioning from middle school to high school."
"There was no decent high school in the small village where I lived, so I moved to a bigger city nearby—Beika City, under Tokyo."
"A city where murders happen constantly. Because of that, I'd heard that rent was surprisingly cheap in certain areas."
"It was only after moving to Beika City and finding my current place that I realized I had been accepted into high school. That school... was Teitan High School."
"And that's when I understood—I had been reborn into an unbelievable world."
"At that mont, I started wondering if this world might have other crossovers as well."
"So I searched the internet... and found a lot of things."
"Nas that should have only existed in fiction were real."
"When I confird the existence of the Sanzenin family, I knew this world wasn't simple. That's when I finally turned my attention to the diary I had been carrying for a year."
The world of the God of Death was terrifying. If you had no abilities, you could get caught up in sothing dangerous at any mont. But as it turned out, the trouble that ca with the Sanzenin na was even worse.
So, if he wanted to survive, he had to make a choice.
"...So it wasn't about avoiding Mouri's case files after all."
Kaguya recalled how the diary had ntioned wanting to steer clear of the chaos surrounding Kudo. But now, she realized the real reason had been Sanzenin.
"No matter how much chaos Kudo brings, there's a limit to his involvent."
"But the ss surrounding the debt-ridden butler is on another level entirely."
"Even if it's a future event, even if it's only a possibility..."
"It's better to gain a certain level of strength in advance, just in case."
"That was the first ti I seriously considered using the diary."
Ren admitted that his anxiety had been what ultimately swayed him. He never believed everything would naturally work out for the best.
Sotis, controlling power ant controlling your own fate.
Of course... it also ant the diary might control his fate.
But in the end, it was still a choice.
A choice between being controlled by the diary... or being controlled by so-called "fate."
In the end, he chose the diary.
"He decided to use the diary without knowing if it had any risks."
"He boldly and recklessly revealed himself, pushing the diary to its limits."
"I've read similar stories in my past life—I know that revealing too much information can be dangerous."
"But I also knew that if I didn't reveal enough, I might not gain anything at all."
"And you already know what happened after that."
Ren paused here.
"Looking back on my life, I don't think there's anything particularly special about ... except for the diary."
"My evaluation of myself has always been the sa: ordinary, unremarkable, quiet, and lucky."
"Otherwise..."
It was difficult for him to put himself into words. He had already sumd himself up as best as he could.
Then, he suddenly rembered sothing Sonoko had once said about him.
"...Maybe in this life, my face is at least decent?"
"I don't really know if there's anything else worth ntioning about ."
Hearing this, Kaguya finally understood why Ren was telling her all this.
So that's how it was.
So, back then, when he talked about the interweaving of fate...
At the ti, she had assud he was talking about them. But now, she realized he had been referring to the diary.
The so-called interweaving of fate wasn't about them staying together for a long ti or developing so kind of special relationship.
It was about the diary.
At that mont, she had misunderstood Ren's aning.
Now, she understood.
This was his view of himself.
From the very beginning, he had never thought about forming that kind of connection with them.
However... there was one exception.
"Then, what about Miss Suzuki?"
"Sonoko? Well, Sonoko is an exception."
"Why is Miss Suzuki an exception?"
"Sonoko approached before she knew about the supernatural. At the very least, I believe she didn't start a relationship with because of the diary."
"But... she did pursue you."
"Yes, she did."
Kaguya looked into Ren's eyes. She didn't argue—but she also didn't say anything else.
That silence made it clear.
Ren was certain that Sonoko's interest in him wasn't because of the supernatural.
So... she was an exception.
The difference in interests between herself, Nagi, and Ren was too great.
And Nagi was still too young—if anything, her feelings would probably be dismissed as childish affection.
So, in the end... was she only interested because of the mystery?
Was that how Ren saw it?
So, from the very beginning, his judgnt had been made.
Kaguya took a deep breath.
"I won't deny it."
"When I first saw what was written in the diary, I was curious."
"But after what happened at Tropical Paradise that afternoon... I started thinking about how I could use the diary to gain more."
Ren gave a slight nod.
That was the Shinomiya Kaguya he knew.
"But, Amamiya-san... don't you think you're underestimating yourself?"
That caught Ren off guard.
"Underestimating myself...?"
Seeing how completely clueless he looked, Kaguya felt her energy drain away.
This man had no self-awareness.
"The diary is the diary. And you are you."
"Yes, I was originally interested in the diary."
"But that doesn't an I wasn't also interested in you."
"...Huh?"
For the first ti, Ren was completely stunned by Kaguya's words.
(To be continued.)
***
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