With Hayama Hayato's departure, a pitch-black notebook clattered to the floor.
Kawashima Toya picked it up, his brow furrowing as he felt the energy radiating from the cover.
This sensation... is it another human-skin journal?
Aki Tomoya, whom he had dealt with previously, had possessed a similar artifact. However, there was a stark difference in their properties.
Tomoya's could only summon Outer Gods or their minion, whereas Hayama's notebook was designed to precisely execute anyone whose name was written within its pages.
"Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, you shouldn't look at this."
Toya snapped the notebook shut before Yuigahama Yui or Yukinoshita Yukino could lean in. As the world's Mystery deepened, objects began to harbor increasingly irrational powers.
Even unintentional contact with such an artifact could leave behind dangerous spiritual residue.
"We can't look?" Yukinoshita asked, wisely retreating.
Yui appeared somewhat dejected, but she followed Toya's advice and kept a distance from the ominous object.
Once he was sure they were at a safe distance, Toya reopened the journal.
Murakami Shion: Will die in a car accident...
Name after name filled the pages—all ordinary people Hayama had murdered using the notebook's power.
Why go after these people? Toya wondered.
He didn't recognize a single one. It was clear these individuals weren't key players in the stories he knew.
"Yuigahama, do you recognize a Murakami Shion or any of these names?" Toya called out.
"These are the people Hayama targeted. Do they have anything in common? Based on his earlier rant, were they friends of Miura Yumiko?"
Yui thought for a moment before answering. "They were just acquaintances. Casual classmates, mostly."
So he started from the outer circle and killed at random just to cause despair.
Toya nodded slightly. He decided not to dig further. Hayama had clearly lost his mind; his actions followed a logic only a madman could understand.
Those people were gone, and the murderer was now ash. Chasing the details was a waste of time.
As Toya flipped through the pages, a new entry caught his eye.
I, Hayama Hayato, have been told by this diary that I will be killed by Kawashima Toya this afternoon. Cause of death unknown.
My body will turn to black ash, making resurrection impossible.
My death is inevitable. I must use my remaining time to curse him.
Kawashima Toya will die! He will die! He will surely die! He will fall at the hands of a high-and-mighty deity descending from myth!
A curse? Toya's brow twitched. This was becoming troublesome.
A deity descending from myth? Does he mean a cosmic horror, or is he talking about the Heretic God Cundi?
Currently, there were two potential divine threats: Cundi and the entity at the poles. Strictly speaking, Cundi was a Heretic God—a divine manifestation—but he didn't quite carry the detached, alien nature of an Outer God. The entity at the poles, however, was a true Great Old One possessing unimaginable power.
Neither of those is something a person like Hayama should have known about, Toya thought.
He only knew about Cundi's arrival through the system. Even Nyaruko and Kuuko were unaware of it. As for the horror at the poles, he had only discovered it himself very recently.
Does this notebook actually possess prophetic power?
Toya focused his gaze on the diary, waiting for the system appraisal.
[Item: Death Note?]
[Rank: A-]
[Description: A notebook that realizes death. By writing a name, the target will die in the specified manner. If no method is recorded, the target dies of a heart attack within one minute. As a secondary function, it occasionally records the death of its current owner.
Note: This item appears to be linked to a certain higher existence. Use with caution.]
Linked to a "higher existence." Its pedigree is as troublesome as I expected.
Toya wasn't entirely surprised. The fact that it could predict the owner's death proved its origins were anything but simple. Just as he was about to put it away, new text began to manifest on a fresh page.
[Owner: Kawashima Toya]
[Method of Death: One day from now, during a fierce battle against the Heretic God Cundi. Though he will eventually slay the god, he will die of total exhaustion immediately after.]
Toya's eyes narrowed. It even knows about Cundis descent.
Too bad for you. This is where your prediction ends.
While the notebook's ability to sense Cundi was impressive, the information following it was irrelevant. This diary's authority couldn't compete with his system. If it could, it would have known that the reward for slaying a Heretic God was the status of a Campione.
Once he defeated Cundi, a transition ritual facilitated by the system would begin. His body would transcend mortal limits and be reconstructed into that of a Godslayer. He would gain eternal youth and a vitality that would allow him to live forever—provided he wasn't killed in battle.
In the world of Campione!, any mortal who successfully slays a god ends up on the brink of death. It is only through the ritual overseen by Pandora that they are reborn as a "Devil King" who reigns over the earth.
.....
I'll keep it for now. I can show it to Nyaruko and see if she recognizes its source.
Toya stared at the notebook with his clear blue eyes. He had a strange feeling that its true origin was something significant. Once the situation at the school was settled, Toya gave a lazy wave of his hand.
"Since I got a useful diary out of this, I won't charge a fee today."
"The Trash Fox Agency has moved, by the way. If you need anything, come to the new address and talk to the maid, Tohru."
"A new address?" Yui stared skeptically at the slip of paper Toya had left behind. "Yukinon, isn't this area supposed to be a wasteland?"
"Why would he move the agency there?"
"It's not a wasteland anymore," Yukinoshita said, her expression cold but curious.
"A month ago, a mysterious and incredibly wealthy owner bought the entire plot. They used cutting-edge technology to transform that area into a massive luxury estate."
"Construction was officially finished a few days ago."
"Wait... so Kawashima is actually a millionaire?"
.....
Trash Fox Manor.
Upon returning to the estate, Toya went straight to the trophy room Tohru had prepared for his collection.
He looked down at the black notebook and chuckled. "I don't care where you came from; you're staying right here."
He placed the Death Note on a shelf between Excalibur and the two sets of formal wear Nyaruko had gifted him.
Nearby sat a copy of the Ancient Tome—the book that had nearly turned him into a manifestation of the World's Will.
Even if this notebook possessed incredible power, it wouldn't be able to act out while sandwiched between the gifts of an Outer God and the cornerstone of ancient tome.