The Gal Game Heroines Who Were Supposed to Die Somehow Learned My Secret ～By the Way, Where Did My [Diary] Go?～ - Chapter 15: [Four Beauties] side 5

Chapter 15: [Four Beauties] side 5

“━That’s what they said~.”

“Really~?”

“That’s pretty interesting.”

“So this is what a girls’ night feels like… I like it.”

The small one-room apartment was filled with soft light and constant laughter. The four of us were sitting around the central table, chatting away. It was almost 3 a.m., yet the scene felt oddly out of place, like a group of high school girls having a late-night hangout at a family restaurant.

“Still… we’ve finally escaped LoD’s ‘world’s enforcement mechanics,’ haven’t we?”

Reine asked cautiously, her tone quiet as though seeking confirmation.

“Yes. If we take what’s written here at face value, the LoD setting ends after three years of high school. There’s no scenario for college life, which means we’re no longer bound by the ‘enforcement mechanics.’”

“That’s such a relief… I’m so glad…”

We wouldn’t have our feelings or thoughts manipulated anymore. No one could force us to love someone, and no one would gamble with our lives for the sake of a story. We were truly free, no longer puppets tied to the whims of a prewritten scenario. Over and over, we reassured ourselves of this, sharing our joy again and again.

And then━

“We need to thank Satoshi Iriya-kun for this~!”

Shuna clasped her hands together in front of her chest. Her words carried warmth, and for a moment, she looked just like the ‘saint’ she used to be.

“Yes…”

“Definitely…”

“Mm-hmm. I hope he wakes up soon.”

At this point, it didn’t matter who Satoshi Iriya really was. He was the one who saved our lives in the world of LoD, where we were supposed to die. He gave us a future.

It had been nearly a week since the accident. I couldn’t wait for him to wake up.

I wanted to thank him for protecting us all this time. I wanted to apologize for not noticing his struggles sooner. And…

“Satsuki-chan, your face is so red~!”

“Huh!? No, I mean, that’s… Wait, Shuna, your face is just as red!”

“Eh? N-No way, I don’t think so~.”

“Actually, it’s very red. You look like a boiled octopus.”

“Before you start pointing fingers, maybe you should take a look in the mirror? You’re no different, Shino.”

“…And those words go right back to you, Reine-san.”

“Shut up…”

A strange silence filled the room. Each of us tried to hide what was in our hearts, but the redness in our cheeks revealed everything.

This was the second time I’d seen this scene unfold. I didn’t know what kind of expression I had on my face, but judging from the other three, it was probably the same.

“We might have similar tastes, huh…”

“Looks like it…”

We exchanged awkward smiles. There was a time when I would have felt disgusted knowing the other three shared the same feelings I did. But now, I felt oddly comforted that we were all thinking of the same person.

Even though only one of us could end up with him, and we’d inevitably end up as rivals again, it felt strange to find solace in that.

“Hey…”

Reine spoke up hesitantly, and all of us turned our attention to her at once.

“I… I love Satoshi Iriya. I want to be with him, no matter what. But… it’s also true that I don’t want to fight my friends over him.”

“Reine-chan…”

I hadn’t thought of Reine as someone who expressed her feelings so directly. She often skirted around things, avoiding straightforward statements—sometimes coming off as cynical. So, hearing her lay her heart bare like this was surprising.

Looking at the others, I could tell they were all thinking the same thing. We’d been through the same pain, and now we all just wanted everyone to be happy. None of us wanted anyone else to suffer anymore.

As comrades who had endured so much together, our bond felt heavier, more profound, than even family.

And yet, this situation was cruel. Our feelings for Satoshi Iriya, our savior, were even stronger than those bonds. The “world’s enforcement” was gone, yet here we were again, all falling for the same person. We didn’t want to fight, but we’d have to.

It was ironic… painfully so.

But what Reine said next shocked me even more.

“So, how about we all become his?”

“Huh…?”

Reine’s suggestion was so out of the blue that it completely derailed my thoughts. I had been steeling myself for some kind of grim decision, but this—this was unexpected. My gaze instinctively darted to the other two, searching for their reactions. Then, cautiously, I asked Reine,

“Are you… serious about this?”

“Yes, I’m serious.”

Her unwavering tone made us all pause. Her eyes, filled with determination, met each of ours, daring us to challenge her resolve.

The silence hung thick until Shuna spoke first—

“I like it! I’m in~!”

“Really…?”

I couldn’t help but ask, searching Shuna’s face for any sign of hesitation. But she just grinned brightly.

“If it was just some random friends, it’d be a different story~. But we’ve been through the same despair, haven’t we? We’re not just friends anymore—we’re comrades. We’ve got a bond now, one that’s hard to ignore. Right, Reine-chan?”

“Y-Yes… Exactly, Shuna.”

Shuna, with her usual carefree smile, reached out and held Reine’s hand, putting her completely off balance.

“What about you, Shino?”

“Well… Of course, as an individual, I’d like him to choose only me. However—”

Shino took a deep breath before continuing.

“I can’t deny that the sense of camaraderie I feel toward all of you has grown stronger. Perhaps, even as strong as my feelings for him…”

“So then?”

“Then I agree with Reine-san’s suggestion. Besides… I’ve always been the child of a mistress anyway.”

Shino revealed her circumstances with a wry smile.

The other three then turned their gazes toward me. All eyes were on me, waiting for my answer. Though I was still a bit confused, my decision was already made.

“I give in. I want to stay with everyone too. But just so you know, I’ll be his number one, okay?”

We all agreed to share him, but deep down, each of us still wanted to be his favorite. To be loved the most. That was the one condition for accepting this strange relationship.

At my words, the others smirked confidently.

“Bring it on.”

“The position of the main wife is mine.”

“Fufu, I won’t lose~.”

This relationship was far from normal. The thought of him spending time with anyone else but me might make me jealous, might even hurt. Even if we all became his partners, wouldn’t there still be a hierarchy among us? What if I ended up being the one left out? What if he prioritized someone else over me?

The doubts were endless.

And yet, as much as those fears clouded my mind, I found myself wishing just as strongly that this unusual arrangement would work out.

“Iriya-kun’s going to be so shocked!”

“Indeed… Imagine suddenly having four girlfriends, and all of them being the Four Beauties. I wonder how he’ll react.”

“Fufu, I’m already looking forward to it.”

As the atmosphere grew livelier, a small thought crept into my mind—what if he rejected us? But remembering his diary gave me reassurance. He had supported each of us in our darkest moments. If he hated any of us, he wouldn’t have risked his life to save ours.

“Yes! I can’t wait. Let’s all be happy together, okay~!”

“By the way, what should we do about that trash?”

“Huh?”

Shuna’s voice dropped to a chilling low, like it had fallen into an abyss. When we turned to look at her, the air felt heavier. Her head was tilted, a strand of her hair caught in her mouth. Her pupils were unnaturally dilated, brimming with cold, pure malice.

Tick. Tock. Tick. The sound of the clock was the only thing breaking the silence. The once-warm room now felt like it had plunged into an eternal, freezing night.

“W-Wait, do you mean Yu—”

“Don’t say that name.”

Reine shrank back, cowed by the sheer weight of Shuna’s icy glare.

“S-Sorry…”

“What’s going on, Shuna-san?”

Shino, still composed, addressed her cautiously. Shuna’s neck moved with a sharp, unnatural jerk as she turned to face her.

“What’s going on? That’s funny coming from you. I should be asking why all of you are so calm about this.”

“That doesn’t answer my question…”

“Fine, I’ll say it clearly.”

Shuna’s voice dropped even lower, and the smile returned to her face. But it wasn’t her usual lighthearted one—this one was unsettling, drenched in a sinister aura.

“I want to kill Yuto Sano.”

Her smile widened, but the malevolence in her eyes couldn’t be hidden. Even Shino, always collected and unshakable, had a bead of sweat rolling down her temple.

As for Reine and me, we were frozen in place, like frogs under the glare of a snake.

“I think I figured out what ‘World Enforcement’ really is~.”

What Shuna said was completely unexpected.

“…And what might that be?”

She smiled sweetly, her gaze sweeping across us. Yet that smile carried a weight of unease, gripping our hearts like icy hands.

“You know how we’re characters in this world called LoD, right? I don’t know all the details of the scenario, but it’s probably a love story or something? Whatever, that part doesn’t matter. Here’s my question—what do you think is the core of the story?”

“Uh, well…”

When asked so directly, I had no clue how to answer. Even within a single narrative, there are countless subplots and threads. Romance and sci-fi, for example, are worlds apart.

“It’s the protagonist.”

“Oh…”

“The protagonist’s emotions, backstory, actions, perceptions, and the events happening around them—these are the threads that weave the story. In any fictional world, the protagonist is the center of it all. So, what I’m trying to say is…”

Shuna’s smile turned sharp as she delivered her chilling conclusion.

“‘World Enforcement’ is probably like a mechanism that keeps the world running smoothly for that thing’s benefit.”

The revelation left us stunned. Shuna wasn’t someone we expected to think about analysis or strategy, but here she was, putting forth a surprisingly sound theory.

However—

“…I understand what you’re trying to say, Shuna-san. It’s an intriguing hypothesis. But I don’t see how ‘world enforcement’ ties into your desire to kill Yuto Sano.”

“I was wondering the same thing. Isn’t that a bit much…?”

“Exactly. I mean, he’s awful, no doubt, but going that far…”

Harboring murderous intent is beyond me. Of course, I have no intention of ever dealing with him again. If we cross paths at university, I’ll just ignore him as much as possible.

Shuna tilted her head with a questioning smile.

“Didn’t you all feel something… off when you read the diary~?”

“…Off, as in?”

“Don’t you think that ‘thing’ accepted everything Satoshi Iriya-kun did way too easily?”

“━”

Accepted too easily.

When I repeated those words in my mind, it was as if I was suddenly peering into an abyss I’d been avoiding all along.

“No matter how you look at it, it’s weird~. If something totally unexplainable happened to you, wouldn’t your first reaction be confusion or suspicion? But in all our memories, he never once looked surprised, did he~? It’s the same for all of us, right~?”

“…Now that you mention it, you’re right.”

“That does seem to be the case…”

Reine and Shino murmured, their expressions mirroring my own growing unease. Without realizing it, we were all being drawn into Shuna’s line of thought.

“Even if I give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s just another protagonist, I could’ve ignored it all~. After all, in the sense of being a puppet of LoD’s Creator, he’s technically the same as us, isn’t he~?”

We had been labeled as victims of LoD‘s cruel world, as Satoshi Iriya described in his diary. But thinking about it now, there was another way to interpret things.

It was possible that Yuto Sano, too, had been forced into his role as the protagonist, compelled by the same ‘world enforcement’ to make us fall for him. Maybe he, too, had no choice.

“But, you know━”

Shuna’s expression turned serious once more.

“That guy acts as if he’s fully aware of the existence of the ‘world’s wnforcement,’ doesn’t he? To put it more bluntly, he behaves like he knows he’s the protagonist of this world, doesn’t he?”

━━━

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