"Alright then."
Hopefully, when they're done, they'll still have an appetite for dinner.
Not that it mattered to himhe had already given them fair warning.
Whatever emotional wreckage followed wasn't his responsibility.
The adaptation might not fully capture the raw emotion of the anime, but it still exceeded expectations where it mattered.
'Might as well queue up the BGM for them.'
'Man, I'm so considerate!'
There was no rush to eat the instant noodles just yet.
It was still early. Akifumi grabbed his phone and sprawled out on the couch, scrolling through SNS.
It was nearly 5 PMplenty of fans had already finished the final volume of Anohana.
His latest post was buzzing with comments:
"This song is amazing! Who sings this?! Why have I never heard it before?!"
Clearly, this person hadn't actually read Anohana.
Probably just a random passerby.
Ignore. Ignore.
"Guys, whatever you do, DON'T OPEN THE GIFT FROM SENSEI! I'M SERIOUS!!"
Oh-ho!
That's a bit much, don't you think? Trying to stop others from experiencing the heartbreak?
Akifumi smirked. He wasn't worried.
Anyone who could hold back just because of a warning wasn't a true fan.
And besides, not everyone would even see that comment.
"Damn it! Why didn't I see this warning sooner?! I'm already sobbing!!"
See? Someone still walked right into it.
Delightful. Absolutely delightful.
"Ughhh, I saw the warning, but I STILL couldn't resist! I cracked open page 210 and now I regret everything!"
Told you. Warnings mean nothing.
Another one down. Satisfaction levels: maxed out.
"I was just mildly emotional at the ending, but when I played the songmy tears wouldn't stop."
"This combination of the final chapter and that song is pure heartbreak!!"
"I was eating lunch while reading the ending, and my tears literally fell into my food. My classmate thought I got dumped. I'VE NEVER EVEN BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP, AND NOW I'M CRYING EVEN HARDER!!"
"Menma my Menma! When she said she loved Jintan like a brideTHAT'S IT, I'M DONE!"
"I should've known! Ghosts never get a happy ending! I KNEW this was going to hurt, but I still walked right into it!!"
"I didn't even cry this much at the end of Madoka Magica!!"
"I thought Madoka Magica toughened me up, but Anohana just DESTROYED me. Sensei, drop your address. I need to send you some 'local specialty'."
"Before finishing the first volume: 'Sensei's losing his touch. Madoka was peak.'
"After finishing the final volume: 'Waaaaaahhhhhh.'"
"I finished it at 4 PM and I still haven't recovered."
"This song, paired with the ending an absolute masterpiece. But damn, the tears just won't stop!"
"I searched EVERYWHERE for this song but couldn't find it. Is it new?!"
"Did sensei commission this song just for the final chapter?!"
"This 'gift' was both beautiful and cruel. I love it but I also hate you, sensei!"
"Still on loop still crying."
"Bro above me, you're insane! Just hearing that song makes me cry. You're actually looping it? RESPECT!!"
[TL Note We found a Masochist!]
"Sensei, Warrior of Love and Hope, please tell us the name of this song! I need it as my ringtone!"
Akifumi grinned in satisfaction.
'When is a mangaka happiest moment?'
Right now.
This overwhelming sense of accomplishmentit was intoxicating.
"Hmm? Someone's asking about the song title?"
Well, that made sense.
Even on its own, it was an incredible song.
Akifumi quickly replied to the fan's comment:
"Thank you for loving this gift. The song is called Secret Base Kimi ga Kureta Mon."
"It was made specifically for Anohana by a friend of mine, so it's not available on any platforms yet! "
"If Anohana ever gets an anime adaptation, I'll definitely use this as the ending theme."
As soon as he refreshed the page, his comment was already blowing up.
"Sensei spotted in the wild!"
"Sensei, why did the ending have to be so tragic?! I'm suffering!!"
"You keep tricking me into crying with these stories! NOT COOL!!"
"Sensei, can I send you a knife in the mail?"
"Knife for sensei +1"
"+2"
"..."
Terrifying. Time to log off.
As time passed, Akifumi finished his cup noodles, still keeping an eye on Eriri and Shiina's progress.
They were nearly at the final chapter.
Without hesitation, he selected the song, maxed out the volume, and placed the speaker between them.
One minute later.
"WAAAAHHHHH!!"
Eriri burst into loud, ugly sobs.
Even Shiina, normally composed, was quietly sniffling.
'Man what a beautiful sight!'
Akifumi smiled in satisfaction.
....................
[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 day in there! And thank you so much for reading!
Anime Crossover: Becoming Mangaka in Anime World
InsomniaWL
[098] Shiinas crying too!
"Waaaaaaaaah, what's the deal with this song?!"
Eriri cried as she questioned him.
Akifumi chuckled, "Of course, I made it specifically for Anohana!"
"How's it sound? Pretty good right?, huh?"
Despite tears streaming down her face, Eriri tried to glare at him like usual, but clearly, she couldn't do it.
Why did he have to bring in such a heart-wrenching song?
It was just too much!!
Still sobbing, Eriri didn't bother to respond to Akifumi.
"I did warn you, didn't I? You can't blame me for this!" Akifumi prepared himself, just in case.
But the girl crying relentlessly didn't plan on acknowledging him.
"By the way, Shiina, why are you crying?" Akifumi suddenly asked.
She was so calm when reading Madoka Magica, but now with Anohana, why was she so affected?
Although she was crying like Eriri, Shiina was clearly different.
Her emotions hadn't been broken by sadness, so she could clearly understand the implication behind Akifumi's words.
Sniffling, Shiina responded, "Madoka Magica felt distant from our lives, but Anohana it feels like my own life."
"I've never had friends, no one has ever really cared for me."
"So, I envy someone like Eriri, who has such close friends."
In fact, this wasn't Shiina's first time crying while watching Anohana.
Earlier, even in moments that most people would brush off, she instinctively teared up.
As she said, she envied the characters, especially Eriri, who had such loving parents, friends, and a special someone.
So, once she immersed herself in the story, she couldn't help but feel deeply connected to Eriri's pain.
This kind of separation was incredibly painful.
Akifumi, who understood Shiina's background, immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind her words. He sighed inwardly.
"Once again, I've made these girls cry... I really am a terrible man."
Click click.
He took a few photos of their emotional states for his collection.
"Well, go ahead and cry as much as you want."
"Even if you cry until you fall asleep, I'll kindly cover you with a blanket."
"That's kind of you, Akifumi."
Wait, what?
Shiina's unguarded response left Akifumi slightly dumbfounded.
She wasn't really planning to sleep here, was she?
He definitely didn't want to deal with that!
Shaking off the playful mood, Akifumi sighed.
"Do you two want dinner?"
"No instant noodles, please... Waaah."
'Oh, so now she's picky, huh?!'
Akifumi shot Eriri a glare but softened when he saw her so distraught.
"Well, let me cook something for you since you're in such a bad state today."
Although Shiina had been spoiling him, it didn't mean he'd lost his cooking skills.
"A simple meal should do. A tomato egg dish and stir-fried veggies."
He wanted to make something more complicated... warning: takeout ahead!
In a different scene:
After school, in the practice room of the "Link" band, Ijichi Nijika, the younger sister of Ijichi Seika, looked at PA-chan with a confused expression.
"Where's Seika today? I haven't seen her around!"
PA-chan smiled kindly, pointing toward Seika's position.
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom.
"Eh, she's been in there for over half an hour!?"
Nijika was starting to worry. "I'm going to check on her."
PA-chan watched with a knowing smile as Nijika left.
"Bang, bang, bang."
Inside, Seika jumped at the sound of the knocks. "Who's there?"
"It's Nijika! You've been in there for a while, are you okay?"
Hearing Nijika's voice, Seika breathed a sigh of relief, but then immediately felt tense.
What if Nijika saw her like this?
She tried to sound casual as she replied, "I'm fine. Probably just something I ate for lunch... stomach's a bit upset."
"I'll be out in a sec."
"Let me know if anything's wrong!" Nijika said without suspicion.
"I'm not weak enough for you to worry about me."
Seika smiled weakly as Nijika left.
She wiped away a tear from her cheek and washed her face, though her eyes were still a little red.
"I didn't expect that song to be used in this way," Seika muttered to herself.
The most ridiculous part was how much it moved her, despite being what she called an "old person."
She quickly covered up her redness with some makeup and left the bathroom.
Seeing the others practicing in the "Link" band, Seika nodded in acknowledgment.
She turned to PA-chan, "Did you tell Nijika?"
PA-chan laughed and made a "shh" gesture, "Well, I couldn't exactly lie and say you weren't here!"
"I've never seen Seika cry like this before~"
"Shut up!" Seika shot her a glare, then added, "Don't tell anyone!"
"Of course not~" PA-chan smiled.
"I'll treasure this moment in my mind."
Later that night, at Shizuka's home:
"Wait until Monday! I'm going to beat that guy up!"
Shizuka, a bit tipsy, raised her fist in frustration.
Seika stared at her, confused. "Is this how you normally discipline your students?"
"That guy is an exception!"
Twice!
Once with Madoka Magica, fine, but now again with Anohana!
She had almost cried in the office when reading the second partand there were people around!!
If she had broken down... she'd have had to quit!
She drank some more beer and sighed in satisfaction.
"So, who's this guy you're mad at?" Seika asked, curious.
They had been getting together often lately.
"The guy you saw last time."
"Akifumi-kun?"
"That's him!"
Seika raised an eyebrow, "But I thought Akifumi was a nice guy. What's he done?"
"Everything's fine with him, except his horrible personality!!"
Shizuka muttered bitterly. "All his manga are full of knives!"
[099] Signing Event
"Especially with that song, I almost crying in the teacher's office!"
Seika rolled her eyes and replied, "Well, shouldn't it be you who's in the wrong?"
"Is that office supposed to be for reading manga?"
Shizuka countered defiantly. "It's after school; for us teachers, it's basically like clocking out. Once we're off, we can do whatever we want, right?"
Seika shrugged.
"You're the teacher. You make the rules."
'Seriously, you're so into this student, but still trying to act all tough.'
Seika thought it was kind of funny and continued,
"That kid's manga... it wouldn't be called 'Anohana' would it?"
It seemed so like something he'd dorecommending his own work, fitting his usual style.
Shizuka frowned.
"Wait, how did you know?"
'As expected!'
Seika raised an eyebrow. "Well, that fits the pattern, doesn't it?"
"His personality's a bit rough around the edges," she added.
"Recommending that tear-jerking story... Was he hoping I'd cry?"
Although the content was genuinely good, she was completely unprepared for it.
"He recommended it to me too," Seika explained.
"So...?"
Seika looked away, shy even in front of her friend. Admitting this was a bit embarrassing.
"I may have cried a little."
"Hahahaha!" Shizuka laughed, popping open another beer and taking a satisfying swig.
"Ahh, this feels good!"
It was unclear whether the "good" feeling came from the beer or from seeing her friend share a similar experience.
To change the topic and avoid Shizuka digging deeper into this, Seika added,
"And about that song you mentioned, I think I know which one you're talking about."
"Oh?"
"Well, you must have heard it since you read Anohana.'"
Shizuka nodded.
"That must be a new song, right? Even on its own, it's a great piece! But it really hits home when you put it in this manga!"
"After all, he wrote both the manga and the song. It's only natural they'd be a perfect fit."
"He wrote the song too...?" Shizuka blinked in disbelief.
"That kid can write songs too?!"
"Seems like you didn't know," Seika replied, equally surprised.
Shizuka took a gulp of beer to cover her shock.
"How would I know? He never said anything about it."
"Well, he asked me to help him find a singer," Seika explained.
"He can even compose music. This kid's skills are on another level!"
Shizuka tapped her chin with a smile.
"No wonder he's my student."
Seika couldn't help but roll her eyes.
With that level of pride, it almost sounded like Shizuka taught him everythingdrawing, composing, you name it!
"Drink up, drink up."
"I've already had enough," Shizuka said, pointing at the beer in front of Seika.
"You're still drinking and you have to go home to your sister."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll slow down," Seika agreed, setting her glass down.
................
The next day, Saturday.
"Akifumi-sensei, I didn't expect you'd surprise your fans like this."
On the other end of the line was Otosuna Mihari, the editor responsible for Akifumi's work.
"By the way, where did you find that song?" Mihari asked, curiosity in her voice.
"Well, it's an original composition by me, lyrics included," Akifumi answered casually.
"What, you planning to reimburse me for the cost?"
"You can compose and write lyrics too?!" Mihari was stunned.
"I learned it when I was younger. It wasn't that hard?" Akifumi said nonchalantly.
''It wasn't that hard'?!' Mihari couldn't even process it.
'Seriously, you're a manga artist, and now you're composing music on top of that?!'
"Forget it," she muttered. 'This guy's basically a monster.'
'Yeah, monster!' Mihari grumbled, quickly processing the new information.
"Well, about the reimbursement, that's not up to me; you'll have to talk to Minano-san."
