Ren walked home, following his usual routine.
But just as he arrived at his apartment building, a luxury car pulled up and parked out front.
Two people stepped out.
It wasn't a surprise—they weren't strangers, after all.
Given that they had recently transferred to Teitan High School, their visit here was expected. Their purpose for coming today was obvious.
"Good evening, Amamiya san."
Kaguya greeted him, her demeanor as composed and polite as it was at school, perhaps even more so.
"Good evening, Shinomiya," Ren replied calmly. "I expected someone to test me eventually, but I didn't think the testers would just walk right in."
"I guess the rules for the diary's holders must be different from mine."
It wouldn't make sense for the rules governing the one who writes the diary to be the same as those for those who read it.
Ren wasn't fond of standing around outside talking.
"Let's head upstairs. We can talk there."
The three of them entered Ren's apartment.
As soon as the door opened, a cool breeze greeted them.
For a single-person apartment, this was typical, though the chill in the air was noticeably sharp.
"It's so cold," Hayasaka muttered, visibly shivering.
"That's normal here," Ren said casually as he walked inside and switched on the air conditioner.
"In Beika City, it's pretty easy to rent a spacious, well-decorated place for cheap. All you need is a bit of courage and maybe a strong constitution."
"Because most of these kinds of apartments have... issues."
"For instance, the temperature might stay unnaturally low."
He turned to face them, his voice calm but laced with meaning.
"And if you ever experience something like that... well, it might mean there's something... unclean lingering around."
Both Kaguya and Hayasaka froze, their expressions immediately shifting to caution.
They understood exactly what he was implying and they realized what kind of place this might be.
"Amamiya, are you really okay living in a place ?" Kaguya asked, her tone slightly uneasy.
"If necessary, I could arrange a safer place for you to live."
"There's no need for that," Ren replied, shaking his head as he set the remote control down.
It was clear Kaguya genuinely wanted to help solve his housing issue, but he didn't feel it was necessary.
"I've lived here for a year already."
"Well, the spirits here seem to get along with me just fine."
Kaguya and Hayasaka exchanged a look, their expressions stiffening.
"Besides, our schedules don't overlap much, and the diary seems to offer me some level of protection."
"That does make sense," Kaguya admitted. "Something as unusual as the diary probably has safeguards in place for its owner."
"But that protection might not apply to us as mere diary holders," she added thoughtfully.
"Let's get to the point," Ren said, turning the conversation back to them. "You didn't just come here to test me or the diary's rules, right?"
"What else do you want? Do you want to hear your own story?"
"...My story? I can do that?"
Kaguya seemed genuinely surprised.
"I still remember parts of your story," Ren replied, "but if you want details about Kudo Shinichi, I probably won't recall much."
He wasn't trying to be evasive, he just felt the need to set expectations.
"Also, you might not be familiar with the kind of stories I'm talking about."
"If it gets too personal, don't hold it against me for sharing."
"Of course not," Kaguya promised, taking a deep breath and fixing her gaze on him. Her expression turned serious.
"Amamiya, what's my story?"
"It's not difficult to explain," Ren said calmly. "You'll understand just by hearing the title of it."
"Kaguya-sama: Love is War ~ The Geniuses' War of Love and Brains."
Hearing the title, Kaguya's composure shattered, her expression nearly collapsing.
Standing behind her, Hayasaka couldn't hold back her laughter.
Just from the title alone, she could tell this was a romance story, probably one filled with awkwardness and pride on both sides.
"Amamiya-san, I don't have a lover," Kaguya said, trying to regain her composure.
"Well, like I said, the story might not have started yet," Ren replied with a shrug. "But if you think about it, Shinomiya-san, there must be someone in the student council with... certain feelings toward you, right?"
Kaguya didn't deny it.
She might have been a girl raised in isolation, but she wasn't so oblivious as to miss the signs of others' affection.
"Since last year, he's been trying to get my attention."
"Competing with me academically, running against me in the student council elections, everything he's done has been to make me notice him."
Kaguya shook her head, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes.
"I don't have the freedom to choose love."
"Because of my upbringing, I was taught to never prioritize feelings like that."
"So it's a family issue," Ren noted.
Her answer didn't surprise him.
The Kaguya sitting before him was a far cry from the love-obsessed version of her depicted in the original story.
This Kaguya was someone shaped by her family's rigid expectations, a girl who understood the intricacies of her world far too well.
That understanding had made her intentionally distance herself from things like love.
Ren could already imagine how Shirogane Miyuki, the protagonist of the original story had tried to win her over this past year, only to be met with deliberate indifference.
"It's not just a family issue," Kaguya continued.
"No matter how mismatched the circumstances, a 'princess' is never paired with a commoner. Even if the Shinomiya family were to fall, this principle would remain the same."
"That's always been my role, to be the princess in the tower."
Her answer was painfully rational.
She understood the gap between herself and others all too well.
Even if someone tried their hardest, they would never meet the Shinomiya family's standards.
Knowing that, she had chosen to avoid such relationships entirely.
"So, it seems like stories are just stories," Ren concluded.
"There's always some deviation between fiction and reality."
"What if you had the freedom to choose now?"
Kaguya shook her head again.
"After learning what my 'story' is supposed to be, I can't immerse myself in it."
"This might just be my own stubbornness as the protagonist of that story."
"I, Shinomiya Kaguya, refuse to let myself be controlled by someone else's narrative."
"That's a shame," Ren said softly.
He decided it was best not to mention the more private parts of her story.
If Kaguya had already made her choice, then the story truly was just a story and not her destiny.
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