Diary

In a hospital in State X, USA.

Kato Marumi leaned against the sofa, bored, her feet swinging lazily back and forth as her gaze drifted occasionally toward the hospital director, who stood bowed and waiting at her side.

"Grandfather's surgery still isn't finished? It's already been seven hours," Marumi said in her cold, clear voice.

"Miss, please be patient."

The director's voice was humble, kept low for fear of displeasing the girl before him. "The master's surgery is very complex; the doctors dare not be careless, you see."

"Fine, fine. Grandfather's health is the most important thing."

Although the director wore a welcoming smile for Marumi on the surface, his inner world was a different story.

What a piece of work! Flaunting her power here. Ever since I became the director of this hospital, it has always been others bowing their heads to me! (Hospital Director)

But I can't afford to be careless. Even the governor bows and scrapes to these people. (Hospital Director)

Suddenly, a voice, charming yet laced with a chill, cut through the director's thoughts.

"Were you cursing me in your heart just now?"

Marumi lazily picked up the coffee in front of her, her fingertips slowly stroking the rim of the cup. Her eyelids were half-lifted, her gaze falling lightly yet with absolute certainty upon the man, her tone flat but carrying the weight of total conviction.

The director's brow furrowed abruptly. These two distinct vocal tones startled him. He instinctively straightened his posture and hurriedly defended himself, his speech rapid, desperate to clear his name. "I have absolutely no such thoughts. You have misunderstood."

What is wrong with this woman? Being able to change her voice is one thing, but could she actually have telepathy? (Hospital Director)

As soon as he finished speaking, their gazes collided without warning.

Marumi's eyes were calm and bright, composed and certain, as if she had already seen through every bit of his sordid inner thoughts. Her gaze did not dodge or waver, and the composed, expansive aura she projected enveloped him from above. A single quiet look carried an invisible sense of oppression.

She did not rush to speak, instead taking a small sip of coffee while watching the director in silence.

Gradually, the composure the director had barely managed to maintain collapsed. His pupils constricted, and his gaze instinctively tried to flee, only to be locked firmly in place by her stare.

The director's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, his fingertips curled tightly at his sides, and the frankness he had been feigning vanished entirely.

The guilt and nervousness in his heart spread across his face. Unable to withstand the confrontation for even a moment, he finally lowered his eyes in defeat, his gaze fixed on the floor, not daring to look up again. His entire body was tense and cramped, his breathing becoming shallow and involuntary.

Marumi's gaze had now shed all its lazy warmth. She was neither angry nor frowning; she simply studied the director before her as if she were examining an ordinary object.

In her flat gaze, a subtle, lingering cruelty was revealed, much like a butcher in a slaughterhouse who had grown accustomed to death. She seemed to have already decided the director's fate.

Knock, knock, knock.

A steady knock on the door broke the silence in the room at just the right moment.

The person who entered was Marumi's butler, Xiao.

"Miss, the items you requested have arrived."

Upon hearing this, Marumi's expression instantly turned sweet and lively. Her tense brow relaxed, and the daunting sense of oppression vanished into thin air.

"Uncle Xiao, you're finally here! I've been waiting for you for so long."

As she spoke, Marumi trotted over to Xiao. Her voice was light and soft, the picture of a charming, sweet girl.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Miss," Xiao said, bowing and handing over the books with both hands.

"It's fine. Let me see what's written in Brother's diary."

Seeing Marumi return to the sofa and lie down, she began to flip through the pages rapidly.

Xiao took the opportunity to gesture for the director to leave. The latter, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted, hurried out and closed the door behind him.

Marumi's reading speed was absurdly fast; it was less like reading and more like aimlessly flipping through pages.

Xiao, standing to the side, was unfazed by the scene. As the butler who had been by Marumi's side since her birth, he knew she possessed a photographic memory.

"The beginning is boring. The important part is here."

Marumi spoke with a curious tone, her finger pointing to a specific passage.

Xiao stepped forward slightly, and after seeing the content Marumi was pointing to, he read it aloud in a low voice.

"It rained so hard last night that my diary got soaked. Mother is gone. She was gone the moment I woke up this morning. Did she abandon me?"

"There are indeed water stains on this diary, but..."

Marumi spoke to herself, simultaneously beginning to read a portion of Satsu's diary aloud.

"Three days have passed, and Mother still hasn't returned. The toilet at home seems to be clogged, and there's a foul smell. I've never unclogged a toilet before; I don't know if I can do it."

"Mother still hasn't returned, and I'm slowly accepting the fact that both my father and mother have abandoned me. I need to do some deep cleaning today; there are suddenly so many mosquitoes in the house."

"It's no use! No matter how much I clean, the house is always a mess! I'm done cleaning! Since Mother left, my life has been a disaster!"

"I'm not the only one in the house! I saw it."

"Ah!!! I'm going crazy. That person watches me sleep at my bedroom door every night. He doesn't respond when I talk to him."

"He finally acknowledged me. He said my mom and dad are waiting for me, so I have to go find them!"

"The diary breaks off for about half a month here. Although entries continue afterward, the frequency is no longer one per day as it was before, and the content becomes the strangest part," Marumi said, continuing to read from the diary.

"This place isn't bad. It's clean and tidy; it seems the original owner was a wealthy young master. The top priority is to familiarize myself with the environment as soon as possible. This diary should be able to help me."

"Wow! Does it have to be this scary? It feels like there's a ghost here! Also, the original owner seems like a madman. I have a terrifying guess in my heart regarding the truth about his mother leaving."

"I've been investigating for several days now. My initial thoughts must have been wrong. The whole house is clean and tidy; none of the filth and chaos mentioned in the diary has appeared."

"The neighbors around here don't look at me with any strange expressions, and there haven't been any murder cases in the news. I think the original owner must have turned into a madman after being abandoned."

"I've decided to go to that school—Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. My brand-new life starts from here!"

Marumi closed the diary, looked at Xiao, and spoke indifferently, "What is this? A script for a horror novel?"

"This is indeed the original copy of Young Master Satsu's diary. You can rest assured about that."

Marumi was stunned for a moment and said, "You know the inside story, don't you?"

"I know a part of it," Xiao replied.

"Then let me guess the truth behind all this."

Marumi sat up straight and slowly began to voice the truth as she saw it.