Angering her was laughably easy.
But here's the weakness: Eriri was also hopelessly sensitive.
This trait made her terrible at handling emotionally intense stories.
Despite wanting to avoid bothering Akifumi, her childhood friend and creator of Madoka Magica, Eriri couldn't help but feel curious about getting an early look at Volume 2.
But she never asked it directly.
Finally, when the official release date was announced, Eriri was ecstatic, just like countless other fans.
The wait for August had been agonizing, but now it was finally here.
Unfortunately...
Like many who underestimated its popularity, Eriri failed to secure a copy on the first day.
However, unlike the other frantic fans, she had an insider connectionAkifumi Mugiho himself!
As industry tradition dictated, Akifumi had received a few complimentary copies directly from the publisher.
Authors often kept these for personal collections or gifted them to friends.
Eriri intended to get one.
But just as she was on her way, Sayuri called and dragged her back home.
Her much-anticipated reading session was postponed for another day.
The next morning, Eriri arrived at Akifumi's house at dawn, determined.
She wasted no time grabbing Volume 2.
Carefully opening it, she immersed herself in the pages.
At first, Eriri was delighted.
"Wow, Akifumi really outdid himself! The tension and visual impact are even better than Volume 1!" she exclaimed.
But soon, her excitement faded.
"Wait... no way... please don't go there!"
The ominous foreshadowing in the dialogues and monologues filled her with dread.
When Sayaka was shown sitting alone on a bench before being found by Kyoko, Eriri's premonition reached its peak.
Kyoko (cheerful): "Finally found you! Seriously, how long are you going to sulk?"
Sayaka: "Sorry... for worrying you."
Kyoko (slightly bashful): "W-what's with that? Doesn't suit you at all."
Then the art shifted dramatically.
Sayaka's face was revealed, twisted in chaos and darkness.
The formerly elegant and beautiful style turned grim and oppressive.
Sayaka: "I just... don't care anymore. I don't even know what I valued most or what I wanted to protect. It's all meaningless now."
The once-radiant Soul Gem turned pitch-black as darkness consumed its last speck of light.
Sayaka: "Hope and despair cancel each other out to zero.
Now I get it.
Even though I saved a few people, hatred and jealousy festered inside me, and I hurt my closest friend.
The more you wish for others' happiness, the more you end up cursing someone else.
That's how magical girls are made, right?"
Tears glinted in Sayaka's eyes as she smiled bitterly.
The Soul Gem shattered, enveloping the world in darkness.
Eriri's heart sank, mirroring Sayaka's despair.
But she inhaled sharply and steadied herself.
"No, no! It's fine, Eriri! Fans already predicted Sayaka's tragic fate after Volume 1, right?
Even if Magical Girls turn into witches, it doesn't matter as long as I didn't know beforehand!"
She clenched her fists, resolute.
"I won't cry! I won't let it get to me!"
But then she witnessed Kyoko's heart-wrenching decision:
Kyoko: "Don't worry, Sayaka.
I won't leave you alone.
Because being alone... it's just too lonely.
It'll be okay... I'll stay by your side."
With unwavering resolve, Kyoko impaled her Soul Gem with her spear, choosing to follow Sayaka.
In the ensuing pure-white world, Kyoko, who once stood as an enemy, smiled gently and extended a treat to Sayaka, who sat hugging her knees.
The scene froze on their intertwined hands and the falling snack.
Eriri's lips quivered, tears pooling in her eyes.
She stubbornly held them back, whispering to herself:
"It's okay... This ending is perfect for both Sayaka and Kyoko... It's... beautiful."
But the tears kept threatening to fall.
Then came Akemi Homura's arc.
Though Homura survived, her words struck Eriri deeply:
Homura: "I've probably been lost... for a long time."
Living through endless loops, witnessing her dearest friend's death again and again, knowing that despair awaited each new attempt...
Was living through that truly better than death?
Eriri didn't know.
All she knew was that she couldn't remain indifferent to Homura's pain.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
She quietly sobbed but stubbornly turned the pages.
Finally, she reached the conclusionKaname Madoka's sacrifice.
Madoka's resolute speech, her decision to bear all burdens and transcend into a godlike existence, was overwhelming.
Eriri could no longer hold back.
She broke down completely.
The sheer weight of Madoka's words crushed her tender heart.
[085] Fans Delivering Razor Blades [100 PS]
The suffocating pain filled her heart, and the young girl had no other way to release it except through tears.
On the other side, Shiina Mahiru noticed this scene and was visibly taken aback.
Without hesitation, she gently pulled the sobbing girl into her arms.
"Go ahead and cry. You'll feel better afterward," Mahiru whispered softly, patting Eriri's trembling back.
After some time, Eriri's sobs faded.
Then came the scene that followeda storming Eriri, eyes ablaze and fists clenched, stomping straight toward Akifumi.
Akifumi blinked in surprise.
He had no idea what had triggered this outburst, but one thing was certain: he couldn't just stand there and do nothing.
He extended his hand and easily grabbed the collar of Eriri's shirt, stopping her in her tracks.
"Let me go! I'm going to bite you, you jerk!"
"You're heartless! You're a cruel demon!"
Tears clung to Eriri's reddened eyes as she flailed her arms, desperately trying to break free.
But their strength was clearly mismatchedshe couldn't even budge against Akifumi's hold.
'This girl... still the same as before, even after growing up.'
Akifumi sighed inwardly.
'It's just a storywhy get so invested?'
[TL Note For the people who never cry because of a 'story' please go back and play Honkai Impact Elysia Arc / watch Violet Evergarden.]
He conveniently forgot how he had reacted when his friend had tricked him into watching Magical Girl Madoka.
His response back then had been only slightly better than Eriri's current meltdown.
Shiina Mahiru, who had been quietly watching from the side, couldn't help but smile at the scene unfolding before her.
When Eriri finally wore herself out, Akifumi spoke calmly:
"I'll let you go, but promise you won't try to bite me again."
Eriri's eyes glinted with stubborn defiance.
Akifumi shrugged.
"Fine. We can just stay like this, then."
Having regained a youthful body, Akifumi took care of his health diligently.
Regular exercise had made him physically fit enough to overpower Eriri, whose frail, nerdy frame was no match for him.
A minute later, Eriri acknowledged the power gap and begrudgingly gave up.
"Fine, let me go," she muttered sullenly.
Akifumi released her, and Eriri flopped onto the couch, sulking in silence.
Sitting across from her, Akifumi sighed.
"What's with the tantrum?"
"They all died! How can you even ask me that?!"
"What do you want me to do about it?" Akifumi spread his hands helplessly.
"Make it a clich magical girl story with a perfect, happy ending?"
"Leaving plot holes is bad enough, but that ending was just plain cruelare you trying to get your readers to come after you?"
Eriri opened her mouth to argue but was at a loss for words.
She knew he was right, but that didn't make her feel any better about the fate of her favorite characters.
She turned her head away, still upset.
Shiina Mahiru, who had been listening quietly, chimed in with a smile:
"I actually thought Akifumi-kun's ending was quite good."
"What?! Even you, Shiina?!"
Eriri's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she had just been betrayed by her most trusted ally.
"Didn't you feel sad at all?"
"Of course." Shiina shook her head with a gentle smile. "But not that much."
"After all, it's just a story. Besides, I never really connected with the whole magical girl thing."
Eriri's face darkened.
She had thought Shiina was on her side, but it seemed they were worlds apart.
Shiina continued, her tone thoughtful:
"Mami-senpai found a new goal in the end."
"Sure, it looked tragic at first, but Kyouko and Sayaka became close friends, didn't they?"
"Akemi Homura went through countless failures and near-despair but was finally redeemed by Madoka's acceptance and comfort. And Madoka, as a divine figure, sacrificed herself to bring hope to countless others."
"Even though Sayaka's decision was a little regrettable, it was still her choice."
Shiina smiled. "If you look at it that way, isn't the story more profound and meaningful than just a simple happy ending?"
Eriri was silent for a while, then pouted.
"That's easy for you to say when you're not the one suffering through it."
"From Homura's perspective, it's an unbearable tragedy! She was forgotten by the entire worldeven her parents don't remember her!"
"That's not redemption at all!"
"Well, I refuse to accept it!"
Akifumi shrugged.
"You're not alone. Plenty of people online hate that ending. Why not form a team and create an alternate storyline?"
"Hmph, fine! I will!" Eriri shot back without hesitation.
As if she couldn't handle it?
"Speaking of which," Shiina suddenly interjected
"Akifumi-kun, that ending you drew with Kyubey and the mention of those beastsdoes that mean Madoka Magica isn't really over? Is there more?"
Akifumi glanced at her in surprise.
"Well, who knows?" he said cryptically.
Of course, there was more.
Madoka Magica had sequels, including the Rebellion movie arc.
But since Akifumi only occasionally recalled his past life memories, he couldn't guarantee remembering everything accurately.
It was better to keep things ambiguous for now.
Eriri's eyes lit up.
"There's more?! Is there really more?!"
Akifumi sighed at her reaction.
"Seriously? You were just heartbroken, and now you're all excited again?"
Had she forgotten how devastated she'd been just minutes ago?
He shook his head.
"I didn't say that. What you think is up to you."
"Stingy." Eriri rolled her eyes, but inside she was thrilled.
If there was more, then maybejust maybethe tragedies would be undone.
Sure, Akifumi hadn't confirmed it, but he hadn't denied it either.
Hope glimmered in Eriri's heart.
With sequels, maybe the pain could turn into sweetness.
Of course, she hadn't considered that the sequels might be filled with even more heartbreak.
Shiina smiled as she watched the two return to their usual banter.
Suddenly, Akifumi's phone rang.
He glanced at the screena call from an unfamiliar number.
After a brief hesitation, he answered.
"Hello?"
A calm, cold female voice came through the line.
"Hello, is this Akifumi-san?"
"Speaking."
"You have a package. Please come downstairs to sign for it."
.............
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally! Just a heads-up, there will be new advanced chapters every week in there! And thank you so much for reading!
[086] Hayasaka Ai!
"Delivery?"
Akifumi blinked in confusion.
He hadn't ordered anything online recently.
Why would there be a package?
Despite his doubt, he responded, "Could you bring it up, please?"
"Sorry, sir. There's a lot of stuff. You'll need to come down and confirm it yourself."
A lot of stuff? What in the world...?
Akifumi's mind immediately conjured a wild scenario.
Was someone plotting against him?
Curious but cautious, he stepped out of his apartment and looked down the hallway.
Sure enough, a large truck with Amazon's express delivery logo was parked below.
His suspicion eased slightly.
Still, it wasn't like he could completely lower his guard.
It was broad daylight in a bustling residential area, but you never know.
If something bad happened, who would he cry to?
Just as he was about to refuse and say he wasn't home, the delivery person added,
"It's a gift package from the editorial department of Shueisha. We kindly ask you to come down as soon as possible."
The editorial department of Shueisha?
Was this some sort of surprise from the company?
'Wow, they really know how to treat their creators!'
All doubts vanished from Akifumi's mind.
After all, only his closest friends knew he was a manga artist.
There was no way this was a prank from Eriri or Shiina, right?
"Alright, I'll be right down," he said with a smile.
Eriri, who was nearby, perked up with curiosity.
"What's going on?"
"The editorial department sent me a gift, though I have no idea what it is."
"That's awesome! Big-shot author privileges!" Eriri said, clearly envious.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Someday, when I become a serialized author, I'll get gifts from the company too, right?"
"I'm coming with you! I want to see what they sent!"
Akifumi nodded and looked at Mahiru Shiina.
"Shiina-san, would you like to come along?"
"I'll pass," she smiled warmly.
"It's almost time to start preparing lunch."
"Just tell me what it is when you get back."
Fair enough. With that, the two of them headed downstairs.
The moment they stepped out, they saw a delivery worker dressed in Amazon's uniform.
She looked neat and efficient, with her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.
Akifumi assumed she was the one who had contacted him earlier.
However, as he got closer and saw her face, he was taken aback.
"Wait... Is that Hayasaka Ai?"
The resemblance was uncanny. Akifumi vividly remembered her from that well-produced, comedic drama.
Recognizing her identity wasn't surprising, but...
'Did I just get tricked?'
Since he knew who she was, it was obvious this wasn't some editorial gift from Shueisha.
'Fine, let's see what this girl is up to,' he thought.
"Hello, I'm Akifumi," he greeted her politely.
Eriri, standing beside him, was equally stunned.
A delivery worker this pretty? Something felt off.
But she stayed silent for now.
Hayasaka Ai was also sizing up Akifumi.
This was the man who had managed to make her lady react in such a way.
