In the late afternoon as the sun was setting, dull-colored clouds covered the sky, and empty glasses and melted ice were scattered across the table.
We were staring at a single [diary] that radiated an eerie presence.
“Ha, haha. This has to be a lie…. You were just stalking us or something, right?”
The first to speak was Kitagawa-san.
“Kitagawa-san….?”
Kitagawa-san propped her elbow on the table with one arm, covering her face and laughing strangely.
“I need to interrogate Iriya Satoshi when he wakes up. Yes, that’s right.” “Kitagawa-san.” “……What. Do you have something to say, Saionji-san?”
Kitagawa-san looked at me with sharp, clouded eyes.
“You actually understand, don’t you….?”
“Ugh. What about all of you!? Something like this shouldn’t be allowed to happen, should it!?”
A sharp, angry voice echoed through the shop.
“Calm down….”
“How can I calm down!? Our three years, our feelings, everything—to think it was all created by someone…. That’s just… urgh.”
Kitagawa-san, feeling nauseous, rushed to the bathroom. I couldn’t believe it either.
The truth written in the [diary]—it completely overturned everything we had believed in for three years of high school.
Iriya Satoshi’s [diary] had details about us written in it. No, far too many details.
If it were just individual episodes, we could dismiss them as coincidences, but this was like being constantly monitored by someone.
We were characters in a world called [LoD], dolls programmed to fall in love with Sano Yuto. When I thought of it that way, this world suddenly became terrifying.
“B-but, like~, then who exactly is Iriya Satoshi-kun~?”
Nanjo-san usually has a reputation as a [saint], always composed like a magnanimous adult woman. Her voice was trembling.
“I don’t know…. He was just from a different dimension than the world we’re in…. Probably a higher existence….”
Among us, Shinonomé-san might be the calmest. Intellectual curiosity could be glimpsed within her fear.
“….I agree with Shinonomé-san too. I don’t know why he came to this world. But judging from what’s written here….”
“He’s in conflict with the creator of this world.”
I nodded.
“It’s only speculation, but perhaps Iriya Satoshi was punished in the higher world. And so he was cast down into the [LoD] world, a lower world where we exist?”
“I-it’s true~, the second half of the [diary] is full of insults and abuse~”
“As expected of Shinonomé-san.”
“No, it’s just baseless fantasy with no evidence at all…. If other people heard this, they’d think I’d gone crazy and take me to a hospital.”
Though self-deprecating, what Shinonomé-san was saying hit the mark.
“If there’s one truth, it’s that the one who kept us away from our destined deaths by manipulating the [protagonist] Sano Yuto, who was trying to lead us to a [bad end], was Iriya Satoshi.”
“Ugh.”
The [bad end] written in this [diary]. When we reach it, apparently one of us dies. And the key to that was Yuto-kun. It says our fate is determined by Yuto-kun’s actions.
However—
“I still can’t believe it! We’ve been saved by Yuto-kun all this time, haven’t we!?”
“That’s right~! Yuto-kun is our savior, isn’t he~!?”
“I-I understand. We fell in love with the same person. I share your desire to believe…. However….”
Our desire for what was written in this [diary] to be fiction, a bad joke, inadvertently came out and we ended up lashing out at Shinonomé-san, but I regret it. Shinonomé-san must be feeling the same way.
“….Then let’s confirm it.”
“….Kitagawa-san?”
Kitagawa-san returned to her seat with a groggy expression, crawling back like a ghost.
“Let’s call Yuto right now. And ask him about the contents of this diary.”
“T-that’s right~! That’s the best way~”
“I agree too!”
Nanjo-san and Shinonomé-san raised their hands in unison.
And then, gazes were directed at the last person—me, Saionji Satsuki.
“Yeah…. that’s right.”
In reality, this is the best way to know the truth. This should make it clear whether Yuto-kun is the kind of person Iriya Satoshi says he is. This was all we could cling to now.
[Hello? What’s up, Reine?]
When Kitagawa-san called, Yuto-kun answered immediately. She put it on speaker so we could all hear.
[Hey, what’s up, Reine?]
“Sorry, Yuto. Right now, the [Four Great Beauties] are gathered together.”
[Eh!? Really!? Could it be you’ve reconsidered that matter?]
“No, this is about something different.”
[Tch. I’m busy too, so just get to the point quickly.]
That matter is probably about making us all his friends with benefits. When she said it wasn’t that, Yuto-kun clicked his tongue.
—We fell in love with the kind Yuto-kun, right….?
My heart ached.
“Th-then I’ll ask you one question, so please answer.”
[Yeah, yeah.]
Then Kitagawa-san took a deep breath. And with her usual strong expression, as if steeling herself, she spoke.
“Hey, Yuto…. you’ve been to my house before, right?”
[No, I haven’t.]
He declared it flatly. The diary says a classmate calling himself [Sano Yuto] found and returned Kitagawa-san’s mother’s wallet. Thanks to that, Kitagawa-san supposedly avoided being beaten to death.
“Y-you met my mother, right? You introduced yourself as Sano Yuto!?”
[I’ve never done anything like that….]
“That’s a lie…. right?”
[Why would I tell a pointless lie? Okay, next.]
Kitagawa-san’s face turned pale as she sank deeply into her chair, staring at a single point in empty space.
“Th-then, I have a question too~”
[Shuna, huh. Go ahead.]
“You did a lot of business with my parents’ company, right? Thank you~”
[Huh? What’s that about?]
“Eh?”
[I don’t even know about Shuna’s parents’ company in the first place….]
“Y-you’re lying, right? You said you needed a lot of printing! My mom said she wrote a receipt with the name [Sano Yuto]!”
[Why would I lie? You and Reine are both weird.]
“I… believed you~….”
While saying the line she couldn’t finish, Nanjo-san sat down on the sofa.
“N-next is me. This is Shinonomé.”
[Shino, huh. What is it?]
“Do you remember when you beat me on the practice exam?”
[Ah, yeah, I remember that. Finally a question I actually recall.]
“I’m glad.”
Shinonomé-san breathed a sigh of relief. However, the next words would freeze her.
[Ah, but back then, there were two answer sheets, you know~]
“Eh….?”
[Well, whatever. I was confident I scored high. The one that only got half right must have been someone’s prank.]
“I-I see…. Thank you very much….”
We could hear Yuto-kun’s laughter, but we were anything but at ease.
Two answer sheets with [Sano Yuto] written on them. One scored nearly perfect, while the other only got about half right, according to the [diary].
The words of Yuto-kun, who was called a genius rivaling Shinonomé-san, rang hollow.
With circumstantial evidence piling up, Shinonomé-san also sank deeply into the sofa, covering her face with her hands.
[Okay then, last one is Satsuki, I guess. Keep it brief, okay?]
My turn came around. I’m scared. Even if it was true for the first three, I hoped I alone was different.
I believe in you, Yuto-kun!
“You came to my first photo book handshake event, didn’t you?”
[Ah, yeah, I did.]
“Thank you? It was expensive, wasn’t it?”
[Huh? What are you talking about?]
“Each person who bought a photo book got an entry ticket. Um, didn’t you buy a hundred copies of my photo book for my sake….?”
[What are you even saying? Why would I do something so troublesome when I can meet the real Satsuki right nearby? Plus, that was something Satsuki sent to me because she wanted to see me, right? You looked good in the swimsuit.]
“….Thanks.”
[Are you done with questions now? I’m busy too. Well then, see you later. Bye-bye.]
With that, he unilaterally ended the call. None of us said a word, but in the silence, the mechanical disconnection tone echoed from the smartphone.
“Fufufu.”
A laugh leaked from someone.
“Hahaha.”
“Fu, fu.”
“Ahaha….”
Laughter echoed around our table. One person, then another, the circle spread.
Laughter called forth more laughter, creating an eerie quality like witches performing a ritual.
The Yuto-kun we believed in—Sano Yuto—was a lie. The things we thought were important crumbled away with a clatter, and all that remained was emptiness.
“Fufu, how amusing. What exactly was the Sano Yuto we believed in?”
“That’s right~. He never actually saved us even once, yet we fell in love—we’re such idiots~”
“The height of foolishness indeed. So foolish I can’t stop laughing.”
“That’s right! Nothing matters anymore!”
My love for Sano Yuto disappeared.
No, what exactly was I in love with?
Because he was my childhood friend?
Did I fall for that man based on such logic?
What was good about him that made me like him?
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
[Hey, tell me the answer.
Iriya Satoshi-kun.
What exactly are we—what am I?]
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