Chapter 261: Fate Observation Diary (BONUS)

Back at the hot spring hotel, Ran recounted everything that happened during her visit.

Everyone who heard the story and understood the situation of the two people involved agreed with what Ren said.

The separation between these two was inevitable.

Originally, the two of them were headed for a future where one would die and the other be imprisoned, but now, there was a completely different option.

"The best outcome for them is to clarify everything at this class reunion and then completely cut ties. From now on, they should stay out of each other's lives and pursue their own paths," Sanzenin Nagi offered her view on what she believed to be the ideal resolution.

"Yeah, that's probably the best result. The man clearly has a goal and a plan for the future after giving up. Honestly, after rejecting his proposal, she still interferes in his life... Her mental state is seriously problematic," Kaguya added.

Having read several books on mental illness, Kaguya had a basic understanding of such conditions. It was clear to her that the woman's mental state had seriously deteriorated.

"Repeatedly rejecting the man's proposal might be due to psychological trauma from childhood. But even after he gave up, she continued to disturb the life of his fiancée... That kind of behavior is not something a mentally healthy person would do."

"Her actions are simply inconsistent. Maybe she can no longer control herself when emotionally unstable," Kaguya concluded.

She was quite certain that the woman's retaliation against the man's fiancée was no longer within her control, and that it was a clear manifestation of serious psychological instability.

"Until her mental state is stabilized or at least brought under control, it's best to keep a distance from her."

"If she's capable of harassing the man's fiancée, then anyone who gets too close might be seriously hurt."

Mental illness doesn't follow reason.

Though Kaguya hadn't directly dealt with any psychiatric patients, she had learned from books that mentally ill individuals often perceive the world differently than the rest of us.

It's this distorted perception that causes their behavior to appear so abnormal.

"Ren probably didn't reveal everything just to give both parties some final dignity. If things end here, then nothing more needs to be said."

"Agreed," Sonoko nodded at Kaguya's conclusion.

"If Ren had exposed her identity directly, both of them would likely be driven out of their former social circles. Before things reach a point of no return, if they can both calm down and think clearly, there's still a chance to turn things around."

In this sense, Ren had always been remarkably restrained.

Suddenly, Sonoko looked around.

"Ran, where's Ren?"

"He said he needed time to write today's diary."

"Diary… Do you think he's going to mention our swimsuits today?"

The girls relaxing in the massage area, sipping tea in the massage chairs, suddenly became self-conscious. Especially about the swimsuits Sonoko mentioned—they were, after all, the highlight of the hot spring trip.

To be honest, they were all a little curious.

Suddenly, all their diaries began to vibrate. Instinctively, each of them summoned their diaries and began to read the latest entry.

[Diary]

[My first hot spring trip—how should I put it? From the very start, the location they picked already exceeded the imagination of a normal person like me.]

[This hot spring hotel doesn't even seem to exist on Gaode Maps, and yet its interior setup was far more luxurious than I expected. Maybe I shouldn't feel so intimidated.]

[But now I get how Klein must have felt when he first arrived at Backlund's most dazzling gem. In a way, it's similar to what I'm experiencing as someone who's now seen such wealth.]

[Yeah, I'm probably a lot like Klein—we're both poor and at the bottom of society.]

[Now that I think about it, Sanzenin is pretty special. I remember her usual expenses weren't covered by her family but came from her own earnings in the stock market. That genius girl is truly abnormal.]

[I'm starting to feel like I'm surrounded by a group of Miss Audreys.]

[Once I calmed down, I realized that the most eye-catching part of this hot spring trip wasn't the hotel, but the hot spring itself.]

[Ah... The open-air hot spring, and their swimsuits.]

[Although I'm not sure if it's vulgar to write this, their swimsuits today really were beautiful. Also, just a personal suggestion, but... maybe don't wear them like that in public.]

[Except for one person, I could mostly imagine everyone's swimsuit styles. Hayasaka's case really caught me off guard. The story mentioned she pads, and this part… feels a little off.]

[…Well, thinking about a girl's figure like this might be kind of vulgar too.]

[Better to move on from the hot spring topic, or I'll start having some inappropriate thoughts. Maintain self-control.]

[Another matter of note is Mouri Kogoro's class reunion. On the way there, I sensed that it wasn't going to be a simple get-together. Although my memory of the story is fuzzy, I retained some fragments of particularly dramatic events. Of course, I could always confirm more details through divination.]

[Thankfully, the accuracy of my divination has improved.]

[This time, both the man and the woman in the story had their own problems.]

[The woman's trauma haunted her for life. Even in relationships, Her memory caused her mental stress and hypersensitivity.]

[That's why she kept rejecting the man's proposals. He really was devoted—otherwise, their relationship wouldn't have lasted 18 years. But honestly, they're getting old. From 20 to 38 years old—that's a long stretch. Frankly, in a few more years, they might both be out of steam. It's not wrong for them to want to marry.]

[However, what should've been a simple breakup became another trigger for the woman, pushing her mental state to the second stage. She became unstable and manic.]

[Sigh… I can only say, it was fate that brought them to this.]

[Maybe this time, I'll say something that can change their destiny. For me, that would be a meaningful observation. I'm really curious if their tragedy can be avoided.]

(To be continued.)

***

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