Chapter 43: Did Something Dirty Get Into the House?
In truth, their stories were only just beginning on their side — the fact that works from different eras all "coincided" here made it unlikely that the Mysterious Person was much older than any of them. From that perspective, one could even try to guess which school the Mysterious Person might be attending.
But the chat group overflowed with guesses about the Mysterious Person's identity. After a while the topic ran its course, and everyone set the speculation aside.
The Mysterious Person's return had reminded everyone about Mr. Pan's earlier remark. After a beat, Utaha directly @'d Mr. Pan, asking if Pan was actually Yukino.
At the Yukino household in Kanagawa, Yukino felt she'd been a bit impatient. Seeing the Service Club discussion in the chat, she couldn't help responding. The Service Club was still only an idea in her head, but she hadn't resisted the chance to clarify things.
She had joined the chat the moment she learned of it, but she rarely spoke — making friends wasn't her natural skill. Mostly she used the Reading Value she gained each day to quietly improve herself. Still, today she couldn't stay silent.
Watching Utaha, who the Mysterious Person mentioned often, ask about her, Yukino sighed and admitted who she was in the group.
Yukino wrote: "I am Yukino."
The chat immediately brightened. Questions poured in: everyone wanted to know what the girl who ranked alongside Utaha was like. But Yukino was not one for small talk; she answered only what she deemed relevant and remained politely reserved when questions annoyed her. Those brief replies quickly made the girls realize Yukino wasn't easy to coax.
For legitimate questions she replied straightforwardly. When Utaha asked if the Service Club was already formed, Yukino answered earnestly: she was considering it.
"I've only just entered high school," she wrote. "I don't yet know the internal situation of the school. It's not the right time to found the Service Club yet." Even with a diary in hand, she hadn't abandoned the Service Club idea, only refined it.
Utaha nudged: since the Mysterious Person mentioned the Service Club, it probably became important later. Yukino acknowledged the thought. She'd wondered how her original story would develop — the Mysterious Person had said she and the boy met because of a car accident at the start of school, but the story truly began only in their second year. What happened in between? The Service Club might be the catalyst.
Still, Yukino didn't want to go into too much detail. Instead she tossed another topic into the chat to shift focus: the well-known child star Mai.
Yukino: "Compared to my unformed Service Club, you should be paying more attention to the famous child star Mai and the 'Adolescence Syndrome' the Mysterious Person mentioned."
The Mysterious Person had written that Mai, a national child star who'd been on-screen since age six, hadn't yet had her story play out. In other words, Mai was also a protagonist from a work integrated into their world, and the key of her story seemed to be this Adolescence Syndrome.
When the girls searched for "Adolescence Syndrome," all they found was ordinary teen troubles — nothing supernatural. But the idea that a national-level actress could suffer such a problem fascinated them.
Umaru quickly dredged up Mai's history. Mai had been a household name; half the country had seen her shows or commercials. Compared with Ai's small idol status, Mai's fame was untouchable. If Mai announced a hiatus last year, the news had made major headlines — the girls remembered it.
Umaru found that despite the hiatus, Mai had been working through commitments. Given her popularity, her schedule had been booked years in advance; she'd been completing contracts and popping up at promotions. By the time she could be truly free, the projects would have wrapped and releases staggered over time.
The Mysterious Person hadn't met Mai during that trip to Kanagawa — Mai had been busy promoting a film. The girls were surprised at the workload of a true star and understood why Mai might feel overwhelmed. Umaru compared it to her life: constantly pretending a certain self at school felt exhausting; Mai had been under the spotlight since age six. The idea that a 16–17-year-old might develop serious adolescent issues was believable.
Umaru asked Ai, who had idol experience, whether she was tired of the life. Ai answered candidly: they were still a small idol group; most time was spent practicing. Idol careers were brief — if you didn't make it before twenty you were likely out. She didn't have the luxury to be tired; making a name was the priority. Seeing the diary had pushed Ai to throw away self-doubt and focus.
As the Mai thread wound down, the girls circled back to the number of diary holders. Mai hadn't appeared in the group yet, so she likely didn't have a diary — at least, she hadn't joined. The total number of diary holders in the fan chat hadn't passed twenty, and no newcomers had joined in some time. There were probably a few more holders who simply hadn't joined — but they were a minority.
Kaguya estimated about twenty girls had diaries. Yet the number of characters integrated into their world was far larger — many heroines mentioned in the Mysterious Person's pages weren't in the chat. For example, the Cat's Eye sisters, the Otonokizaka idols, and Utaha's "stomach-ache" seniors weren't in the group. Kaguya had been tracking names the Mysterious Person mentioned, checking whether they had diaries. So far the distribution of diaries remained a mystery.
"I thought diaries might follow popularity or another rule," Kaguya said, "but Mai fits every criterion. Still, I've got no clue why some characters get them and others don't."
The diary's origin felt tied to an unknown agency — a deity or mechanism beyond their understanding. Kaguya decided to stop obsessing about that for now and focus on her trip to the main family in Kyoto that weekend; she wanted to brief her father. As for Mai, she'd test that when the chance came.
At that moment Black Cat — Ruri — who'd gone offline to model her avatar, began to complain in the chat.
Black Cat: "It's late and someone keeps tripping my circuit breaker. I was drawing for five minutes and I hadn't saved when the power cut."
Before the others could reply, another line from Ruri popped up.
Black Cat: "I flipped the breaker back and walked away for half a minute — it tripped again!"
Back a few minutes to Ruri's apartment.
Ruri's family had a tight budget. Both parents worked late; Ruri supplemented the household income with part-time work at a bookstore. Reading novels at the shop had inspired her to try writing, but submissions repeatedly sank without a trace. When the Mysterious Person bluntly wrote in the diary that she lacked talent as a novelist, the moment crystallized. She'd already started shifting to streaming and avatar work.
She'd been learning modeling and drawing on a cheap PC and had begun building her own virtual avatar step by step. After days of work, she still couldn't render an image she was truly happy with. She'd considered spending Reading Value for a boost — but today the Mysterious Person dealt a heavier blow.
The diary had shown those four stylized versions of her. Hot embarrassment flared. She knew Black Cat and White Cat concepts were feasible, and a Divine Cat idea had merit, but the maid-cat variant and the cutesy poses felt too far. Had her future self really adopted such tactics?
She mentally rejected the maid image, refusing to degrade herself. Still, the diary had spread the designs to the group — humiliation was immediate.
The chat burst back to life.
Utaha: "The Mysterious Person says he's coming to my signing day after tomorrow. My sales are low; if he's actually there, maybe I can throw him off guard."
Kaguya: "I'll return to Kyoto to speak with Father. Hayasaka will come with me."
Umaru: "Kaguya, I'll come too! I'm nervous but I'll help."
Kaguya: "My actions have reached the main family. Father may not have much time left. I can't just stand aside. The diary hasn't flagged danger for me yet."
Kaguya: "Black Cat, your designs are cute. Need help finishing them?"
Umaru: "Black Cat-chan, which form will you use? Make one for every day!"
Evil King's True Eye: "These are your Fallen Saint Black Cat forms. I have engraved your visage into the True Eye — consider it an honor."
Black Cat: "@Kaguya I can handle edits myself for now. I'll be at Utaha's signing weekend."
Umaru: "After the signing come to the arcade and fight me. @NO NAME — No Name, are you coming? The three of us can compete."
Blank: "OK, but if you cry after losing, I won't be responsible."
And just like that, the diary Fan Club's next meetup and an arcade match were set.
Utaha, however, still recalled the diary's mention of Yukino. Whenever Yukino's name came up, Utaha paid attention. Since the Mysterious Person had called Yukino out, maybe Yukino had a diary and had already joined the chat? Utaha asked.
Then Mr. Pan — the panda-avatar user — jumped in, steering conversation back to Service Club definitions.
Mr. Pan: "You're coloring ordinary words with filter-glasses. The Service Club helps people solve problems so they can change. That's its point."
After that brief intervention the group lapsed into a quiet moment. Mr. Pan spoke precisely like Yukino — concise, to the point. Utaha remembered the early days when the newcomer had suggested the Mysterious Person might be a high-schooler; that idea had sparked debate.
There were still many names Kaguya tracked: those the Mysterious Person referenced who had yet to appear in the chat. For now the distribution of diaries remained one of the largest puzzles among them.