Arisu Sakayanagi originally expected something… normal.
Something like:
Academic Ability
Chess
Strategy
Eloquence
At the very least—something befitting a genius.
But what she got instead?
Civil War. Love Brain. Connections.
"…What the hell kind of garbage skill tree is this?!"
She was genuinely pissed.
Not mildly annoyed—actually pissed.
Her talents? Not shown.
Her innate genius? Not shown.
Instead—
you tell her she only has these three?!
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Teeth clenched. Eyes sharp.
This was deliberate.
It had to be.
Thinking back—
these weren't even "skills."
They were insults.
Things that that guy wrote about her.
"Civil war god"
"Love-brained"
"Connections princess"
So the rule was obvious now:
➡️ Only traits mentioned in the diary become skills.
"…Heh."
She calmed down.
Barely.
Another mark.
Another tally in the mental blacklist she kept for him.
She slapped her cheeks lightly.
Refocused.
Today's diary?
Irrelevant.
Some girl band drama.
Didn't care.
Didn't matter.
What mattered—
was this:
"Stat allocation."
For the first time in two months,
she could interact with the diary's power.
Not just observe.
Not just speculate.
Actually use it.
"…Can I really… change this?"
She hesitated.
Not because she doubted the diary—
but because she didn't.
She knew it would work.
That's exactly why it was dangerous.
Because none of these were "good" stats.
Let's review:
Civil War (77) → Absolutely not. She doesn't sabotage her own side.
Connections (60) → Even worse. She despises that label.
Which left—
only one.
Love Brain (70)
"…I'm not a love-brained idiot."
She muttered that instinctively.
Because in her mind—
she wasn't.
When Kamuro teased her before—
she shut it down immediately.
Clean. Logical. Ruthless.
That's not how a "love brain" behaves.
Right?
"…Right?"
But then—
a small thought crept in.
If this stat exists…
and can be increased…
then maybe—
just maybe—
it would let her experience something new.
A different perspective.
A different emotional axis.
Not because she wanted romance.
But because she wanted to understand it.
"…Fine."
Decision made.
She picked up a pen.
And—
wrote:
+1
The diary responded instantly:
"Increasing 'Love Brain' will consume 10 reading points. Proceed?"
"…Yes."
No hesitation.
The number shifted.
70 → 71
No sound.
No flash.
No dramatic effect.
Just—
a quiet change.
"…That's it?"
She blinked.
Waited.
Nothing.
No sudden emotional surge.
No heart flutter.
No mental interference.
"…Did anything even change?"
She frowned slightly.
A faint sense of dissatisfaction crept in.
Then—
just as she was about to dismiss it—
A thought.
"If that guy was here right now…"
"…I'd—"
She froze.
The sentence didn't finish.
But the feeling—
lingered.
Subtle.
Strange.
Annoying.
"…Tch."
She clicked her tongue softly.
Turned her head away.
"…It's nothing."
But for some reason—
her fingers tapped lightly on the diary.
Once.
Twice.
As if—
waiting for it to respond again.
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