The dark hot pot party had ended in an absolute disaster, leaving everyone unconscious from a taste so bizarre it defied explanation.
It was supposed to be a victory celebration for the election, but in the end, it was just a typical, chaotic gathering around a cooking pot.
"Well then, see you next week, Ryouta!"
"Yeah, get home safe, everyone."
I saw the five of them off at the front door.
All things considered, I was glad that even Tanaka and Himesaki seemed to have enjoyed themselves until the cleanup was finished.
Although they had been rivals during the election, the cutthroat tension had vanished now that it was over. Even the two powerhouses who fought until the very end, Rui and Himesaki, were acting like friends.
Judging by Rui’s attitude, it seemed like Himesaki would be joining the Student Council as well. That meant the council would likely consist of me, Rui, and Himesaki.
As for whether Tanaka would join... no, probably not.
Returning inside, I headed to the living room before going up to my room.
"And the thing that’s really bothering me... is this notebook."
It was a summer vacation picture diary I had apparently written when I was in elementary school.
Thanks to Yuria, the contents hadn't been exposed in front of everyone, but I still felt a nagging urge to read it myself.
Alright, I’ll take my time with it in my room.
Tucking the diary under my shirt like a lecherous brat who had just scored a forbidden magazine, I headed up the stairs.
Between my sister's big mouth and the bits and pieces I’d heard, it was clear I had history with Rui, Yuria, and Airi, but I honestly couldn’t remember a single thing about our time together.
"Since it’s been confirmed I knew those three in the past, it’s only polite for me to remember them properly."
As soon as I reached my room, I sat at my desk and opened the Special Grade Cursed Object—my old picture diary.
"Let’s see... Hm? What’s this?"
I immediately found a page that caught my eye and began to read.
'July 29th. There was a girl fidgeting in front of the Anumate I always go to. I thought she was looking for a bathroom and asked her, but it seemed she was just embarrassed to go inside. I didn't understand what there was to be embarrassed about, so I told her it would be fine if she went in with me, and she went in happily. I'm glad we got to talk about anime a lot.'
I spoke to a random girl at Anumate!?
"U-ugh, wow. I was actually that frank with girls back then? And in front of Anumate, no less. Even though my hobbies haven't changed, I was acting like a total extrovert..."
It was certainly an eccentricity that the current me would never have the guts to pull off.
"Al-alright, next page... Wait, there’s another entry about a girl."
'August 2nd. I went to the airport to see my sister off to summer camp. I saw a red-haired girl sitting on a bench and crying. No one else was talking to her, so I asked what was wrong. It turned out she was lost, so I took her to the lost child center. I stayed with her until her mother came, and her mother gave me some foreign gummies as a thank you. They tasted okay, but they were huge, so I got lucky.'
A girl at the airport?
I thought it was just going to be more girl-related nonsense, but my younger self was actually a pretty decent kid.
Though getting that excited over gummies was definitely childish.
'August 13th. My second cousin, Big Sister Anju, came to visit. She played games with me a lot. It was fun.'
"Wait, a second cousin...? I have absolutely no memory of this."
A second cousin would be the child of one of my parents' cousins, right?
And Anju? I had no recollection of a relative with a name like that.
"Good grief, was my past self just constantly surrounded by girls?"
I was starting to feel a bit reluctant to keep reading, but as I flipped to the next page, a memory suddenly came rushing back.
"...Th-this is..."