The Gal Game Heroines Who Were Supposed to Die Somehow Learned My Secret ～By the Way, Where Did My [Diary] Go?～ - Chapter 09: [Four Beauties] side

Chapter 09: [Four Beauties] side

In the corner booth of a family restaurant, four high school girls sat at a table for four. Amid the lively chatter of the restaurant, a heavy silence hung over this particular table. The staff, sensing the strange atmosphere, carefully avoided the area after delivering light snacks.

“Haah… Would you mind telling us what you want already?”

The clinking sound of ice cubes echoed as Reine Kitagawa finally broke the silence.

“Yeah~. I’ve got work after this, you know~”

Shuna Nanjou spoke with her usual airy smile, though her expression seemed uneasy.

“Could you get on with it? I only came because you insisted, Saionji-san.”

Shino Shinonome’s words carried sharpness, her dislike for wasting time evident.

“Right… You’re right… Sorry, I’ll explain.”

I—Satsuki Saionji—finally broke my silence, my words heavy. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a notebook and placed it on the table. Its cover was faded, and the edges were frayed, worn smooth and rounded with time, as if it had traveled through countless years.

“And this is…?”

“It’s Satoshi Iriya-kun’s diary.”

“Who’s that?”

“The person who got into that accident right in front of us on graduation day.”

“Ahh~ That guy~. That was really unfortunate~”

Each of them reacted differently, but none seemed particularly interested. Truthfully, neither was I—until I opened it.

On the day Satoshi Iriya had his accident, he had pushed me out of the way. Afterward, as he was carried away by the ambulance, his belongings were scattered everywhere. I had helped gather them up.

That was when I found this notebook. It looked utterly ordinary, yet for some inexplicable reason, I felt drawn to it. I hid it in my own bag. I couldn’t understand why I did such a thing. And later, when I returned home, I bowed inwardly in apology as I opened it. That’s when I learned the truth.

“I don’t care where you got Iriya-kun’s diary or about privacy issues. What I want to know is, what do you plan to achieve by showing this to us?”

“Thanks for cutting to the chase. For now, I just want you to look inside… I don’t understand anything anymore. This world, or even myself…”

I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the floor. I had no idea what to think anymore. I couldn’t trust my own judgment. That’s why I called Reine Kitagawa, Shuna Nanjou, and Shino Shinonome—the individuals mentioned in the diary and directly involved—to verify the truth.

“I understand. I’m not sure what your intentions are in showing us this notebook, Saionji-san, but you just want us to read it, right?”

“Yeah. Please. If it’s just me overthinking, that’s fine. But if it’s true…”

“If it’s true?”

“No, never mind. Just read it for now.”

With that, the four of us exchanged uncertain glances before reluctantly starting to read.

◇

[Year XXXX, Month XX, Day XX]

I’ve decided to start keeping a diary now that I’m in high school.

Something unbelievable happened today.

Satsuki Saionji was there.

Could it be… is this world really!?

She’s absolutely adorable! Like a doll. So that means…

Whoa! Yuto Sano is here too!

I can’t just sit around!

I’ve got to find all the [Four Beauties]!

[Year XXXX, Month XX, Day XX]

I found Reine Kitagawa!

I’ve discovered the most beautiful girl in the world…

I want her to glare at me… I want her to step on me…

But her mom hits her, and under that uniform, she’s covered in bruises.

Hang in there, okay? A savior will appear a year from now.

[Year XXXX, Month XX, Day XX]

I found Shuna Nanjou.

What’s with those breasts! And that warmth!

I want her to hug me so bad.

Her uniform is still clean since she isn’t poor yet…

There’s a lot of hardship ahead for her, but don’t lose hope, okay?

There’s a savior out there for you.

[Year XXXX, Month XX, Day XX]

Shino Shinonome is here too!

The word “graceful” might as well have been invented for her. She’s such a beauty. But honestly, looks can be deceiving—out of the four, she’s actually the most sensual.

Still, don’t look at the world with such despair-filled eyes…

Next year, you’ll meet the man you’ve been searching for, Yuto Sano.

◇

“Ew… This is seriously creepy…”

“Boys will be boys, huh~”

“Indeed~. It feels like a pretty typical secret diary. Also, for the record, I’m not sensual.”

The diary seemed to have been started during his first year of high school. Early on, it mostly contained entries about us—the [Four Beauties]. Initially, I didn’t feel like reading any further and thought about stopping here, but something felt off.

“…I have a question for everyone. Didn’t people start calling us the [Four Beauties] during our second year?”

Their eyes widened as they looked at me.

“…You’re right. To begin with, I didn’t even know you all existed until I got involved with him.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true…”

“Didn’t Iriya-kun come up with the name [Four Beauties]?”

“That does seem like the most likely explanation.”

I had considered and anticipated that much. That’s exactly why I had something I wanted to ask.

“Then… among us, is there anyone who knew about Satoshi Iriya-kun…?”

“━━━”

“As I thought… none of us knew anything about him…”

From the very beginning, it was strange that he knew my name on the day of the entrance ceremony. I only became a gravure idol in the summer of my first year in high school. Before I debuted, the only people who could have known about me were those who attended the same elementary or middle school.

Judging by the expressions on the other three’s faces, they shared the same thought. All at once, we turned back to the diary.

“Now that I’m rereading it carefully, a lot of things don’t make sense… How did first-year Satoshi Iriya know that he would meet me in my second year? Or even that I was destined to meet my ‘fated one’?”

“Same here~. Nobody should’ve known about my father’s company being embezzled…”

“Now that you mention it, how did he know about my mother’s abuse? No one else knew that… no one but him…”

The ice in one of the glasses shifted and collapsed with a sharp clink.

Our eyes were filled with unease and tension, and beads of sweat began to form on our foreheads.

“…This really is unsettling.”

Kitagawa-san murmured, clasping her hands in front of her face. All our thoughts were in agreement.

“Let’s keep reading…”

At my suggestion, everyone nodded.

The fear of opening Pandora’s box cast a shadow over us. Yet the light of intellectual curiosity banished that shadow, compelling us to lift the lid, unable to stop our hands.

━━━

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