"Like you said, maybe the diary was what first connected us... but after that, it was fate."
"Even I understand that human relationships aren't only built on interests."
Kaguya had the right to say this.
"Just like with Hayasaka."
"No matter what, she did betray . But it wasn't because she wanted to—it was because of her identity and family circumstances."
"By nature, betrayal is sothing I cannot forgive."
Betrayal was her bottom line.
After being betrayed once by soone she had considered a friend, she never wanted to experience that feeling again.
That had always been Kaguya's standard.
But now—
"But I forgave Hayasaka."
She said it plainly.
"It wasn't out of kindness. It's just that my bottom line isn't the sa when it cos to Hayasaka—I gave her an exception."
"It wasn't about any personal gain. It was because we had known each other for so long, and my bond with her had ford early on."
"Amamiya, by your logic, my fate with her had already been intertwined long before this."
Then, Kaguya turned to face Ren directly.
"Amamiya, you and I were first connected through the diary—and through shared interests."
"But to , Shinomiya Kaguya, you are the exception."
mories of being raised like a canary in the gilded cage that was the Shinomiya family surfaced in her mind.
But that cage had been shattered by ice.
For the first ti, the canary inside had a chance to escape.
"The diary gave more than just power—it gave an opportunity."
"The Shinomiya family has always been a cage pressing down on . As long as it exists, I will never be free."
"Even my own life has been nothing more than a pawn in their plans—a tool for a political marriage."
"Of course, I understand that this is the price I have to pay for being born into this family."
Kaguya wasn't blind to reality.
Nor was she soone who avoided responsibility.
"But if I had the chance to take control of my own fate... that would be ideal."
"Yet, on my own, I could never achieve that."
It was an undeniable fact.
A caged bird could not break its own prison.
"The diary is what gave the hope of escaping my 'normal' life."
"So naturally, I wanted more."
She did not deny her ambition.
"But I haven't forgotten who brought the diary in the first place."
Hearing this, Ren blinked.
"...?"
Kaguya looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Of course you."
"Who else could it be?"
"Amamiya, you are the owner of the diary."
"Only you could have brought it to us. Even if the distribution wasn't intentional on your part, we only have access to it because you write in it."
The ability to read the diary was given by him.
"Besides, Amamiya—don't forget one thing."
"The only reason we have what we do now... is because of you."
"...?"
Ren pointed at himself in disbelief.
Kaguya nodded, her expression calm as she explained.
"Everything started after you ntioned the lottery function."
"Before that, there was no lottery. Even after we read the first diary entry, the diary never told us about it."
"In other words, the diary never intended to give us anything in the first place."
"It was only because you ntioned it in the diary that the diary responded to us."
Others may not have noticed this, but Kaguya certainly did.
"That's when I realized it."
"I was only able to escape the Shinomiya family's cage because you gave the chance to."
"If, at that ti, you had chosen to keep it a secret, then the diary would have only shown us glimpses of the future—it never would have granted us power."
Kaguya's words completely stunned Ren.
He hadn't known.
He really hadn't realized this.
"...I did that?"
Unconsciously, Ren ran a hand over his face. He had thought about the diary's reward chanism before...
But he never considered that the only reason it granted them powers was because he had triggered it.
"I believe this right belongs only to Amamiya-san."
"It was your unintentional actions that caused the diary to follow your commands."
"This right... was given to us only because you, the writer, allowed it."
Kaguya had never believed they had any real authority over the diary.
The gains they had received were too disproportionate to what they had contributed.
There was no such thing as a benefit granted for no reason.
So, she ca to a simple conclusion.
Ren had accidentally shared his authority.
That was how they had t.
"Perhaps... you could even take that right back now."
That statent pulled Ren out of his daze.
He chuckled.
"Maybe this is just another twist of fate."
"Without realizing it, I created an 'interweaving of fate.'"
"Even my unconscious actions have drawn us together."
"Just like..."
Yes, just like them.
The Tarot Club.
Ren pressed his lips together, keeping the rest of the thought to himself. Instead, he took out his diary.
"Seems like so things... can't be brushed off as coincidences."
"Did you think of sothing?"
"No. I don't know anything for sure yet."
"My intuition isn't giving any clear signals. If anything, it's telling that I don't need to know more right now."
Shaking his head slightly, Ren let out a small sigh.
He really had no way of knowing which events were orchestrated by fate.
"But one thing is certain."
"This diary does not intend to harm ."
Despite saying this, he still shook the diary in frustration.
"The only downside is that it never tells the rules outright and forces to figure everything out myself."
"Shinomiya-san, are you saying that because of all this... you believe I saved you from your cage?"
"Just because of that, you developed feelings for ?"
Shinomiya Kaguya had regained most of her composure, but when the topic shifted back to this, her expression wavered slightly.
"...'Like' is a strong word. I don't know if it's that kind of emotion."
"I just find myself paying more attention to you than usual."
"Whenever I see you interacting with other girls, I feel... uncomfortable."
Even soone as dense as Ren understood what that ant.
"...Isn't that just jealousy?"
(To be continued.)
***
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