Chapter 319

Let's ignore the existence of other witches, their gossip, and the various processes within the dream.

There's only one thing left to do.

"--Would you like to exchange contracts with me, Natsuki Subaru?"

The moment our conversation reached those words.

That's how it is.

"--Should I say 'please help,' right?"

The witch's expression was one of surprise, as if she had never imagined things would go so smoothly.

It has appeared.

Then.

Natsuki Subaru finally suppressed his emotions and put on a mask, trying to imitate 'desire'.

Laughing heartily.

"Hahahaha, hahahaha, hahahahaha--"

"You don't understand, you don't know, you didn't expect it!"

He laughed wildly, bursting into laughter, slapping his thighs hard, making a mocking sound.

"I am stronger than Satella," "To compare me to Echidna is an insult," "I am the god of the new world."

The answer is undoubtedly right; this is the outcome we should have expected.

But it was precisely this confirmation that brought Natsuki Subaru such joy.

"... What are you laughing at?"

With her brows furrowed, Echidna displayed this expression for the first time.

Unpredictable, out of control, unexpected results, and unforeseen reactions.

What is he laughing at?

I don't understand?

I have no idea?

I didn't expect that?

'Unknown'.

Only one word came to mind.

Confusion, bewilderment, a sense of being out of control, followed by... ecstasy.

A thirst for knowledge is growing vigorously.

"I'm laughing at that jealous, reckless, greedy, and foolish man; only my godfather will live on forever."

'Cognition Filter'

The Diary possesses the most invincible and powerful passive effect.

Even witches cannot avoid it, even witches cannot escape it.

That's why.

Now.

"It seems like the tide has turned?"

Side Story: Have you completely forgotten me?

"... Have you completely forgotten about me?"

On a certain day, at a certain point in time.

After someone recklessly created a great deal of noise, after someone wrote down all sorts of nonsensical things with great flair, after someone went through a series of "du la la la la la la la la la la la!!!", after someone went through a series of "Pain Breaker!", achieving the status of the Supreme Savior Heavenly Venerable, and then being arrested by an innocent girl who would occasionally wander around his house.

About...

Um, about a week.

Every day, she sees her diary being updated with all sorts of new and interesting content. Every day, she hears her maid reporting to her about various events that can be found in different parts of the country, all based on the diary's contents. Every day, she suppresses the restlessness in her heart and waits for someone to come to her as promised, but she never sees anyone mention her in the slightest.

Finally.

A week has passed since Shinomiya Kaguya.

I've completely lost patience.

"Go find him for me, Hayasaka! How could this happen?! We already had an agreement, didn't we?! Wasn't the atmosphere during our negotiations really good?! Apart from not meeting or shaking hands, shouldn't everything have been agreed upon?!"

"Why are you acting like you've completely forgotten about me now?!"

Extremely dissatisfied, she rolled around on the large bed repeatedly, completely disregarding her image as the straps of her silk nightgown slipped down, leaving her skin disheveled and exposed. Her tied-up hair was left loose and tangled in a mess. Shinomiya Kaguya vented her dissatisfaction on her maid with great resentment.

The dissatisfaction had reached its peak, and the emotions in my heart finally exploded. I couldn't bear it any longer; I absolutely couldn't take it anymore.

These days, she does this every single day, every single day, every single day, every single day—

They were all comforting themselves.

He will come. He's not an untrustworthy person; he always comes back to find you if he says he will.

It's just a little too early; he still needs to do some preparation.

Once everything is ready, they will join forces to turn all of Japan upside down!

She! Shinomiya Kaguya! Will join hands with him!

But what is this now?!

She was rolling around and making a scene like a wronged, abandoned woman.

"Kaguya Shinomiya- sama, perhaps... we should wait a little longer?" With a hint of helplessness, Hayasaka Ai looked at Shinomiya Kaguya and sighed, "Given the current situation... we don't really have any initiative."

It's cruel, but that's the truth.

Things are changing too fast.

The world was calm and peaceful just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye it has become a place fraught with crisis.

Even if she didn't have any power in the Shinomiya Family, she could still have some influence by using the Shinomiya surname and the name Shinomiya, and by being called Miss Shinomiya.

But things are different now. Even if the world seems unchanged on the surface, people who would normally respect them will still bow their heads to them, and people who would normally revere them will still remain silent when they appear.

But in the world behind the scenes, no one cares about status, family, conglomerate, or the Shinomiya.

This kind of disruptive change is really hard to accept.

There's a feeling that the world is progressing rapidly, but you've been left behind, lagging behind the times.

Especially since they had already planned and booked tickets for the high-speed train that would follow them, but the other party showed no intention of picking them up.

At times like these, feelings of dissatisfaction will rise rapidly.

Finally, it exploded today.

Actually...

They weren't truly stuck in one place, nor were they really living like primitive people in modern society.

In fact, on the first day someone dropped out of school, after the agreed-upon 174 days had ended.

They did receive a one-way contact from Asakusa Toru.

Because we didn't exchange contact information beforehand, we only made a separate agreement on the cooperation and arranged for Shiina Mashiro's whereabouts separately.

Therefore, it's understandable that they received one-sided contact information.

It will only be Diary.

Shinomiya Kaguya has a 'closed beta phase' Diary, and Haika has a 'public beta phase' Diary that was given to Hayasaka Ai that day.

Although both books will be updated with the same content, they will have significant differences.

The former allowed Shinomiya Kaguya to contact Asakusa Toru and arrange a time, while the latter allowed Cognition Filter Hayasaka Ai to finally understand their enigmatic conversation, which was comparable to a dialogue between immortals.

The former retains all the features of the beta version, from leaving messages to adding points, and even the diary during the Advanced Nurturing stage. It also allows users to selectively switch to the new version to use the features from the public beta stage.

The latter is a completely new, evolved public beta version of the Diary. It removes the message function that allows users to send spam messages to the Diary's owner at will, and replaces it with a large message board that is more like a forum, requiring a certain amount of Reading Points to post.

As for the stat allocation system, the old version still retains it, while the new version replaces it with a more inhumane gacha system.

Yes, that's right, they've even shut down the shop and switched to gacha pulls.

The probability is publicized, but the probability is extremely low, making it more of a trap than a scam, and even more fraudulent than gacha games in anime-style mobile games.

However, it was precisely that alluring reward beyond probability that became a major motivation for the vast majority of people to tolerate the contents of Asakusa Toru's diary every day.

The biggest motivation is gacha pulls, the secondary motivation is information, and the rest is various amusing stories about others, interesting tales, and the continuous reading habit cultivated due to an interest in someone's personal charm.

To put it bluntly, this change is quite effective. The original mechanism was updated too slowly; even the skill point system wasn't unlocked until the second month. Before that, no one had any reason to diligently read through someone's erratic diary every day.

... unless the diary entries involve himself.

There are actually quite a few new differences in details, Diary will be updated every now and then based on feedback.

However, that has nothing to do with Shinomiya Kaguya's current situation, so we'll leave it aside.

The more relevant information is related to Cognition Filter.

The original Cognition Filter was very powerful, blocking out any behavior or action related to the small book in the original copy of the Diary, thus making its appearance in the eyes of others seem reasonable.

In addition, keyword search is also included. If the Diary is mentioned within a certain period of time, and it is mentioned intentionally, related conversations and discussions will also be included in the scope of the Cognition Filter.

Everyone who has used it says it's very easy to use.

However, frequently mentioning the Diary is still too cumbersome, and keyword searching sometimes feels inflexible.

As a result, the new version of the Diary evolved, automatically Cognition Filter and selectively blocking them.

This is the 'Avalon' system!

Cough.

The reason I bring this up is that while old Diary allowed you to draw and write, they didn't allow you to upload anything different.

This includes, but is not limited to, 'audio recordings', 'images', and 'videos'.

Although reaching the point where you can upload those kinds of things makes it feel like it's gone beyond the scope of Diary and no longer a 'diary'.

But sometimes it gives people the feeling that something is still missing.

So, a compromise was reached.

Videos cannot be uploaded, but images can. Not only can they be uploaded, but readers can also choose whether to copy the corresponding illustrations separately.

Yes, that's right. The photo of the graduation certificate that Hayasaka Ai presented as evidence when she went to the White Room was created using this function.

Asakusa Toru added an illustration, and she followed the trail to the White Room that had been transformed into White Room, and then signed up for a Membership Card.

Therefore, to say she missed the train, it's possible she did catch it, just a rather... well, a baby-sized old man's car?

Okay, she has to admit, the gym is top-notch and very effective, especially the incredibly enthusiastic fitness instructor.

If this were a film set from the past, that fitness instructor would definitely be top-notch.

In fact, under the guidance of the other party and by using the fitness equipment that looked similar to ordinary fitness equipment, Hayasaka Ai's physical fitness has made a very significant breakthrough.

She felt she could easily take on three or five of her former selves.

Even with normal exercise, it's impossible to achieve results in such a short period of time.

But that gym did have that effect.

Indeed, that was also part of the extraordinary.

However, this level of progress is enough to defeat one's past self, but what if one were to face the kind of chaotic, demon -Inner World enemy that Asakusa Toru described in his Diary during this period?

... That's quite worrying.

A magician devoid of humanity, Servants bearing the name of history, magical girls and witches, Angel, dragons, demon kings and heroes...

These things, even those that are quite distant, are frightening enough.

But what truly caused them immense worry was something that wasn't particularly powerful, yet was incredibly close to them...