The Diary (3) ****
Author: Ares
Title: Today's Harvest
1. The diary's contents can be changed
2. The mother anomaly can be physically touched
3. The mother anomaly does nothing other than follow the homeroom teacher and shows no other reaction
For now, my plan is to somehow change the diary's contents to make the mother anomaly disappear
Anyone have any ideas??
Comments
[StudentCouncilTerrorist: Do the diary's contents change the future too??]
ㄴ[Ares: ㅇㅇ from what I saw, tomorrow's content has partially changed as well]
ㄴ[Ares: Originally, Ellie was going to eat lunch with me at Levin-tan's suggestion, but in today's changed content, it's changed to Ellie inviting me again]
ㄴ[StudentCouncilTerrorist: I'm more amazed that Ellie accepted you after you did that to her mother than I am that the diary changed ㄷㄷ]
ㄴ[fr lolol]
[NightRat: Just from the information we've gathered, I don't see a way to resolve the anomaly itself]
ㄴ[Ares: Then what do I do??]
ㄴ[NightRat: The fortunate thing is that the homeroom teacher is serving as a test case]
ㄴ[NightRat: So there's no choice but to try everything you can on the mother anomaly before the homeroom teacher dies.]
"So he's like a lab rat."
I forced a smile after seeing the gallery comments.
Sorry to say it to the homeroom teacher, but.
Just as NightRat said, I could use the homeroom teacher as a test subject that I could experiment on to my heart's content before my turn came.
How to make Ellie's mother go away.
How to change the diary's future.
Before my turn came, I would try various things on the teacher.
'There's no need to feel guilty, he's an anomaly anyway.'
According to the gallery members, the only humans in this world besides me were a few of the female students.
After organizing my plan, I opened the diary to a specific page.
[ㅁㅁMonth ㅁㅁDay]
Mother smiled
A short, single-line diary entry.
That was the homeroom teacher's dead end future.
Change the contents of that diary entry.
If I did that, it would mean I was free from the mother anomaly.
"Alright…, let's do this! This is way easier than the Lana situation!"
I shouted to myself as if to cheer myself on.
Honestly, compared to the dilemma on Lana's final night, this was nothing.
Especially since I even had a test subject!
And then, the next day came.
• • •
Author: Ares
Title: Experiment 1
Let's just beat the shit out of it first
• • •
Comments
[NightRat: ????????]
ㄴ[NightRat: Hey hey hey hey wait a minute]
[Hikikomori: But you said Experiment 1!!]
I watched for an opportunity.
There's an old saying.
The easiest problems are the ones that can be solved with your fists.
…No, was it money?
Anyway,
If a problem could be solved with brawn instead of brains, it would be a piece of cake.
"Target acquired…."
I spotted my homeroom teacher on his way to the academy in the morning.
He walked down the street with a languid face, moderately accepting the students' greetings.
And behind him, Ellie's mother was walking.
For reference, next to me was my partner for the day.
Chair-chan was with me.
"Let's go, partner!"
I shouted energetically and ran behind the teacher.
Kwajijik—!!!
"...."
"...."
The chair was smashed to smithereens.
Well, I did swing it with all my might.
For reference, Ellie's mother didn't even flinch.
She didn't even look this way.
The only ones looking this way were the homeroom teacher and the surrounding students.
"Ares, you bastard, what are you…."
The teacher let out some rough words, unbecoming of a teacher.
In response, I maintained my silence for a moment, then looked at the teacher with eyes of respect and offered him praise.
"As expected of you, Master! To think you would put up a barrier at that moment and block my surprise attack!! I have realized that this unworthy disciple is still far from leaving the mountain!"
At my shout, the students watching from the sidelines went "Ooooh…." and clapped.
"...."
"...."
After that, I was dragged to the faculty office.
• • •
Author: Ares
Title: Experiment 1 Results
I got scolded….
• • •
Comments
[StudentCouncilTerrorist: No, even if it's an anomaly, weren't you scared it would fight back???]
ㄴ[Ares: It didn't move even when I touched it so much in the faculty office yesterday, no way it's gonna get mad over a chair shot]
ㄴ[StudentCouncilTerrorist: How much did this bastard touch it yesterday….]
ㄴ[NightRat: I get that you didn't just rush in without thinking]
ㄴ[NightRat: But from next time, let's explain in more detail before you go….]
ㄴ[Ares: hehe sry sry]
[ForGlory: But considering the day it dies is fixed in the diary, I thought it wouldn't react]
ㄴ[Ares: That's what I thought too, right??]
ㄴ[ForGlory: No, then why did you hit it with a chair if you knew;;;]
ㄴ[Ares: I thought I might get a hint or something even if I couldn't kill it]
Anyway, thanks to that, I realized that physical force didn't work on the anomaly.
I had expected some kind of special reaction besides that, but there was nothing of the sort.
…I realized that the things the sunbaes told me not to do were for a reason.
'I can't believe it didn't even flinch.'
Still, it wasn't like I received any meaningful penalty for experimenting.
At most, I got scolded a bit more harshly than yesterday.
They didn't even make me write the common apology letter.
In a way, that was this academy's one 'advantage,' if you could even call it that.
In a world where you die to an anomaly if you make a mistake anyway, they probably didn't punish you for such trivial matters.
Anyway, since I realized there was nothing related to physical force, it was a gain without a loss!
"Um, Ares…."
"Y-yeah…."
Or so I thought.
"…About my mother this morning. …Why, why did you do that?"
"...."
Ellie had been watching.
No wonder she seemed more wary than yesterday when she invited me to lunch.
But I had plenty of excuses.
"The truth is, that was an exorcism ritual."
"An exorcism…?"
"That's right, I promised you yesterday, didn't I? That I would help you."
"B-but you said you would help my mother pass on…."
"Exorcism and passing on are similar things!"
"Really…?"
Fortunately, Ellie was a naive child and was easily fooled.
No, she wasn't fooled.
Because it was the truth.
It was just that the exorcism (physical) had failed.
And since things had turned out this way, I was able to prepare for the start of Experiment 2.
Because Experiment 2 required Ellie's help, for one.
• • •
Author: Ares
Title: Experiment 2
The cliché way of passing on
Use Ellie
• • •
Comments
[NightRat: Explanation]
ㄴ[Ares: No, the mother anomaly is Ellie's mother, right?]
ㄴ[Ares: So just like the cliché in movies, the daughter, Ellie, has a heartfelt conversation with her]
ㄴ[Ares: No parent can win against their child, so it's plausible, right?]
ㄴ[NightRat: Hmm…, ok, approved]
ㄴ[Ares: Phew…]
ㄴ[Now he's getting permission lolololol]
ㄴ[RedNightSky: Why is this one normal…???]
The second experiment was the cliché way of passing on.
It was a common scene that often appeared in horror movies, the cliché where the spirit's grudge is resolved by saying, "Mom! I'm sorry! It was my fault!"
"So, …what is it? Ares. And Ellie?"
I used the remaining time of the lunch break to carefully call the homeroom teacher to the 5th floor of the east stairs.
Ellie was hiding behind me, trembling like a hamster.
"Ares, explain. What in the world is going on."
The teacher was responding very sharply, probably because of what happened in the morning.
So un-adult-like.
Anyway, I explained the whole story to the teacher.
"Ellie wants to confess."
It was a bit abridged, since we were short on time.
"Wh-what?!"
"Ares…!!"
The teacher blushed, unbecoming of a teacher.
And Ellie grabbed my collar and shouted with a bewildered face.
No, the subject was a bit left out, but I wasn't wrong, was I?
"Ellie, hurry. Your mother is waiting."
"No, but I'm a man…."
"Teacher, please wait a moment."
"Ehem…."
A situation where a female student confesses to a teacher.
It seemed our homeroom teacher was also looking forward to that kind of thing, as his previous uncomfortable expression had mostly disappeared.
Instead, he looked at Ellie with a nervous face.
And Ellie walked in front of me, trembling.
"Ugh…."
She looked up with a teary face.
Not at the teacher, but at the mother behind him.
"M-mother…!"
"No, I'm a man…."
"Shh! Teacher, be quiet!"
"Kuhk…."
Ellie began to speak in a tear-soaked voice.
"I'm sorry…! Hic, I'm sorry…! Because of me…! You were in so much pain, weren't you…? I-I've always lived with a sorry heart towards you because of that day…!"
As Ellie began to speak, the homeroom teacher and I shut our mouths and watched her.
And so, the 5th floor of the east stairs fell into silence.
That deserted place became a space for only Ellie and her mother.
And Ellie honestly confessed what she had wanted to say all this time.
"Mother…! Hic, I'm sorry…! Please, forgive me and go to heaven…. I-I'll follow you soon, too…!"
"...."
"...."
• • •
Author: Ares
Title: Experiment 2 Results
Got scolded… 222
But what's a bit unfair is that I was the only one who got scolded…
Homeroom teacher, you bastard…
And mother is still in the same state
• • •
Comments
[NightRat: I didn't think it would disappear that easily]
ㄴ[Ares: Hah, what else can I do now?? There's nothing more I can do directly]
ㄴ[NightRat: For today, the day's routine is over anyway.]
ㄴ[NightRat: For now, go back and check if anything has changed in the diary]
ㄴ[Ares: Tomorrow is the teacher's D-day, you know…?]
ㄴ[NightRat: Can't be helped]
ㄴ[NightRat: All that's left is to see what happens on D-day]
"So it can't be helped…."
It really couldn't be helped.
All I could do today was intervene in reality.
Physical force didn't work, and the daughter's appeal didn't work either.
At least, no ideas came from the gallery members or my own head.
"Should I really burn it…?"
After school, in my room in the dormitory, I held Ellie's diary and was lost in thought.
If I burned it, there was a 50/50 chance of living or dying.
It was the same as with Lana.
…Yeah, let's keep burning it as a last resort.
"Let's see…."
Anyway, I checked the diary's contents, which had changed due to my actions today.
[ㅁㅁMonth ㅁㅁDay]
This morning, I ran into the homeroom teacher.
Mother was still behind the homeroom teacher….
But Ares was chasing after them.
With a chair in his hand.
As I watched to see what he was doing …Ares swung the chair at the back of mother's head.
As I stood frozen in surprise, Ares was caught by the teacher and dragged away.
…Why on earth would he do that?
Is there some reason I don't understand?
Or…, is he trying to torment mother?
After that, the things like eating lunch together and offering a sincere apology to her mother were also written in the diary.
Well, as expected, the passing on failed.
Ellie despaired and filled the diary with self-loathing remarks.
"Is there really no way…."
After the homeroom teacher disappeared, my turn would come right away.
If possible, I wanted to find some solution during the homeroom teacher's turn.
"There's really no other way…."
Even though today's diary entry had changed, tomorrow's diary entry was still the same.
[ㅁㅁMonth ㅁㅁDay]
Mother smiled
This alone did not change.
My actions changed Ellie's trivial actions that followed, but.
This one diary entry, "Mother smiled," did not change.
"Uuuuugh~, what the hell am I supposed to do…."
Tap, tap, tap!
I tapped the ink-stained quill on the paper.
A paper scribbled with what I had found out and what I had thought.
It was to organize my thoughts.
"Haaaah…, what on earth…. How——."
And just then.
Tuk!
"Uwaaaaaaah!!"
I was leaning over the desk and accidentally knocked over the ink bottle.
And of all places, the diary was where the ink spilled.
"I'm crazy…!!"
If I carelessly damaged this anomaly diary, I could be fucked.
I urgently got something to wipe it with, picked up the diary, and tried to wipe off the ink somehow.
"…Huh?"
Soon, I realized that nothing had gotten on the diary.
"It definitely spilled all over… this page…."
I had been re-reading Ellie's diary from the beginning, just in case there was a clue.
That's why the book was open, and a few drops should have definitely splattered on the page, but.
The diary was clean.
"...."
• • •
Author: Ares
Title: Is there something about this diary?
I accidentally spilled ink on the diary just now
But when I look, the diary is clean
The ink definitely spilled on the desk and stained it, but there's not even a trace of a stain on the diary
There's something to this, right??
• • •
Comments
[NightRat: Not even a trace??]
ㄴ[Ares: ㅇㅇ not at all, not a single drop]
ㄴ[ForGlory: Oh fuck, wasn't there a similar case to this before??]
ㄴ[NightRat: You're right, it's similar to that tombstone ghost story]
"Tombstone ghost story…?"
I felt like I had caught a clue.
ㄴ[Ares: What's the tombstone ghost story???]
ㄴ[NightRat: There was a bastard whose anomaly was a tombstone that told fortunes]
ㄴ[NightRat: At that time, he got 'Great Misfortune' and was on the verge of dying constantly]
ㄴ[NightRat: So he couldn't take it and tried to break the tombstone, and that's when he found out the tombstone couldn't be broken]
ㄴ[Ares: How did he solve it?? Did he survive??]
ㄴ[NightRat: ㅇㅇ, that bastard sanded off the characters on the tombstone and changed 'Great Misfortune' to 'Great Fortune' before it could recover]
ㄴ[NightRat: Maybe that diary is something similar??]
"This is it…!!"
I was certain.
That this was the key to solving this diary ghost story.
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