'Try it myself...'
Night.
Yukiteru lay in bed.
The scenes Hattori had shown him kept repeating in his mind.
'If...'
'That so-called 'Dark Group Owner' wasn't deceiving me.'
'Among all the diary holders, the easiest to deal with is #6, Kasugano Tsubaki.'
Yukiteru stared at the ceiling, his mind racing.
According to the images he saw, the diary Tsubaki possessed was called the 'Clairvoyance Diary'.
It recorded the general activities of all parishioners, covering a wide range and a large time span.
Its only flaw was the lack of detail.
[XX day, XX person came to the shrine, did XX thing.]
That was the standard format of the Clairvoyance Diary.
Beyond that, there were no further details.
'The Clairvoyance Diary will only record that she was killed by me, but won't know the specific time or method.'
'Moreover, Kasugano Tsubaki herself has weak eyesight. It's hard for her to see someone's identity clearly unless they are very close.'
'Therefore, the best way to deal with her is assassination.'
Because it's assassination, even if Tsubaki is killed, she won't know the killer's true identity, and the Clairvoyance Diary won't record it either.
Furthermore, just by blending in with the followers of the Omekata Temple, it would be extremely difficult for Tsubaki to defend against.
Due to her childhood experiences of being bullied by cult members, she distrusts everyone around her.
Having thought this far, a plan roughly took shape in Yukiteru's mind.
'Mysterious Group Owner, I'll believe you this once. I hope you aren't lying to me.'
'Even if you truly have some ulterior motive, as long as I can save Yuno in the end, I'd be satisfied being your pawn for once.'
Yukiteru clenched the dart in his hand.
He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Yukiteru changed into the prepared cult member robes early and pulled on a baseball cap.
He headed towards the direction of the Tenshi Church.
The future predicted by the Clairvoyance Diary generally spanned one day.
Therefore, based on this characteristic, Yukiteru decided to lie low for one day and strike tomorrow.
He mingled with the crowd, piously worshiping the Tenshi Idol.
Then, he generously threw all the pocket money he had saved for a year into the donation box.
"Oh hoho, the devotee is most sincere. The gods will surely bless you."
The believer next to the donation box narrowed his eyes into crescent moons, sneering as he spoke.
Yukiteru just snorted coldly, leaned close to his ear, and asked in a low voice, "With this much money, I should be able to access 'that', right?"
In the memories given by the Group Owner, he had seen Tsubaki's tragic life.
She was the shrine maiden of the Omekata Temple, the embodiment of purity in the eyes of outsiders.
But at night, she was sacrificed by her parents, offered as a tribute to the believers.
Even after awakening her Future Diary and killing her parents in return, Tsubaki did not cancel this 'sacrificial' ritual.
She needed manpower.
She needed these strong followers to become stepping stones on her path to godhood.
For that, giving a little of herself was nothing.
Her heart had already turned dark over a decade ago.
To achieve her goal, she was willing to sacrifice everything.
"Hehe, you know your stuff, young man. Please wait until the worship service ends, then come to the back courtyard."
The believer smirked lewdly and handed Yukiteru a number tag.
"At that time, the order will be determined by the number."
Yukiteru took the tag, it had a large '79' written on it.
'So many people...'
Yukiteru couldn't help but show a trace of sympathy on his face. Tsubaki was indeed a tragic character.
However, in this game, no one's fate was in their own hands.
No sympathy, only the bloodstains on the path to godhood.
The sky was overcast.
By the time the worship service ended, it was already evening.
Yukiteru saw a group of strong men holding number tags, breathing heavily through their nostrils, rushing eagerly towards the back courtyard.
He felt slightly surprised inwardly.
'The number of people... is just too many.'
Yukiteru looked at the '79' tag in his hand, then at the large, dark mass of men.
It definitely exceeded a hundred.
'If I hadn't seen the Group Owner's memory fragments in advance, relying on my own strength alone, there's no way I could confront Kasugano Tsubaki head-on.'
'Among all the diary holders, probably only the Mayor and that Police Chief might stand a chance against her.'
Yukiteru analyzed as he walked towards the back courtyard.
So far, everything was proceeding according to plan, very smoothly.
Knock knock knock.
After lightly knocking on the wooden door of the back courtyard three times, a calloused hand reached out, gesturing for Yukiteru to hand over the number tag.
He passed the '79' tag over. The finger pointed in a direction, indicating for Yukiteru to wait there.
Creak.
As he pushed open the wooden door, exaggerated sounds came from the room in the back courtyard.
The lamplight flickered.
Through the shadows, Yukiteru vaguely saw the movements inside.
But his heart was as calm as an ancient well without waves.
The only one he loved was Yuno.
Anyone else was no different from a skeleton coated in makeup to him.
This was the kind of person Yukiteru from the First World was… bold, gentle, and resilient.
'I can't act today. I need to find a hidden spot to conceal myself and strike the next day.'
Yukiteru understood clearly.
The Clairvoyance Diary could record all the people and events Tsubaki remembered within a day.
If he prepared to act now, the diary would have long recorded the assassination attempt.
Tsubaki would probably be fully prepared, setting up an inescapable net to deal with him.
But if he lay in ambush a day in advance, the weakness of the Clairvoyance Diary's lack of information would be infinitely magnified.
Tsubaki would only know that someone was trying to assassinate her.
But she wouldn't know who that person was, where they came from, or what method they would use.
With preparation against the unprepared, Yukiteru's fight against Tsubaki was a certain kill.
"Number seventy-nine, it's number seventy-nine's turn."
After a long wait and observation, a low call slowly led Yukiteru into the room.
It was a dark chamber, like a prison.
Tsubaki sat there, with a slight smile on her lips.
She looked exceptionally cute.
But Yukiteru had no mind to appreciate it.
He seemed to see, behind Tsubaki's false smile, a pair of struggling hands reaching out from behind the prison bars, constantly calling for help.
'Perhaps killing her would be a form of liberation for this twisted girl as well.'
So thought Yukiteru as he slowly walked into the dark prison chamber.