The collar was put away.
No use for it right now.
The only person he might ever use it on—
was Kikyo Kushida.
But… why bother?
He didn't need to measure her "loyalty."
They weren't master and servant.
Compared to that—
physical attachment mattered far more than some abstract emotional metric.
"..."
Come to think of it—
Did that pink dinosaur actually record the video?
…
For some reason—
maybe post-nut clarity, maybe just cooling off—
after yesterday's burst of motivation, Toru Asakusa now felt…
unmotivated again.
"..."
No—
He knew exactly why.
He couldn't get any.
With these band girls—
all their chaos, drama, emotions—
at the root of it all—
was just suppressed desire.
All that "feelings," "connections," "conflicts"—
Strip it down—
wasn't it just hormones?
Sure, part of him wanted to roast these walking disasters.
But more than that—
this frustration was the real issue.
So when his mood cooled down after a normal school day—
he realized something painfully clear:
He couldn't touch any of them.
This closed campus made it impossible.
He couldn't go watch the drama unfold live.
He couldn't step in at the right moment.
He couldn't "save" or "conquer" any of these beautifully broken girls.
Not that he had to—
but knowing that no matter how much he wrote—
he still couldn't act—
killed his enthusiasm.
But—
Words spoken couldn't be taken back.
Things written had to be followed through.
He might bullshit in his diary—
but when it came to his own decisions—
he had standards.
So—
He checked the message.
"…'Don't want it to end,' huh."
Yeah.
That tracks.
At her core—
Anon Chihaya was still just a high school girl.
What she wanted—
was simple.
Fine.
Then he'd think about it.
How to show her—
a way forward.
May 31
The last day of the month.
The most restless day for the class.
Looking back—
Final exams were over.
No more fear of expulsion.
No more scraping by with zero points.
Looking forward—
Tomorrow, new points arrive.
Fresh funds.
Relief after drought.
For Hiyori Shiina—
Today was special too.
It marked—
her second full month with the diary.
61 reading points yesterday.
With today's update—
she would reach 62.
At 31, the comment function unlocked.
Even if it was just one message—
it was still a change.
So she had been waiting—
for what would happen at 62.
But—
The closer it got—
The worse her mood became.
Ever since the day her message got a reply—
with her name written clearly—
she had been waiting.
Waiting for him—
to write about her.
At first—
she was nervous.
Because anyone featured in the diary—
never got off easy.
Reading was fun.
Being the target?
Probably not.
But alongside that nervousness—
came excitement.
Being part of the story.
Being seen.
Being interpreted.
She imagined—
What would he call her?
How would he judge her?
What future would he see?
But—
He never wrote about her.
Every day she opened the diary—
she only felt…
disappointed.
And then—
These past few days—
he even left school to watch a LIVE?!
"…?"
How could he?!
What about Advanced Nurturing High School?
What about her?
It felt like—
he had completely forgotten.
For three straight days—
nothing but band girl nonsense.
And if it were clear—
she could at least enjoy it as a story.
But no.
It was like encrypted messages.
Penguin?
Pink dinosaur?
What the hell were those?!
I don't understand anything!
"Ugh…"
Slumped over her desk—
head resting on her arm—
Hiyori Shiina flipped through the diary.
Not being written about—
that was fine.
A little regret at most.
What truly bothered her—
was something else.
These recent entries—
felt like private conversations.
Like he didn't care about other readers at all.
Just writing things—
only someone else could understand.
Maybach.
Sakiko Toyokawa.
Band.
Widow.
Fragments.
Broken context.
An incomplete story.
"He's watching."
"He finished watching."
Watching what?
Messages?
Then why couldn't she see them?
"..."
Her breathing slowed.
Her eyes stayed on the diary—
but her focus drifted.
Then—
a thought surfaced.
Her message.
At the time—
she already felt something strange.
Everyone else's messages—
had engagement.
Reactions.
But hers?
Nothing.
And even now—
no one had approached her.
Not other holders.
Not even—
Arisu Sakayanagi.
Putting it together—
The answer became obvious.
It wasn't that people weren't interested.
It was that—
no one else ever saw her message.
And the reply—
with her name—
Same thing.
Which meant—
These past few days—
someone in that "band group"—
had been communicating with him the same way.
Through messages—
only they could see.
"..."
Her thoughts clicked into place.
Clean. Logical.
But…
So what?
She couldn't control what was shown.
She couldn't influence what he wrote.
Her only chance—
her one message—
had already been used.
On the question she wanted most answered.
Unless—
She found out—
who he really was.
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