Akifumi turned his gaze toward his half-finished illustration of Your Lie in April and sighed.
"Alright, let's finish Your Lie in April first today."
As for Volume 4 of WorldEnd, he could just set aside a day tomorrow to write it.
The third volume had provided plenty of material to work from, so he hadn't planned on releasing the fourth one so soon.
Sure, Volume 3 had been the peak of the entire series, but the next two volumes weren't lacking either.
After all, the main character was William.
Chtholly had only become the most popular due to the anime adaptation.
The next two volumes would elevate William's sorrow to its absolute limit.
A man aimlessly drifting through life, encountering Elmelia againthe girl who had waited centuries for him, calling out "Papa" with what little voice she had left.
For over five hundred years, she had remained in the same place, like a broken music box, singing the same song over and over.
Just to hear him say, I'm home.
Just to make him the best cream cake he could ever eat.
But that dream was never meant to come true.
There was no saving her anymore.
So, with his blade, William pierced her heart, silencing her song.
'I'm sorry.'
Once again, he had failed to protect the one he held most dear.
And yet, as she lay dying, she smiledserene, unburdened.
A smile that only made the pain cut deeper.
And with that, his story finally came to an end.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Akifumi sighed.
Truthfully, he didn't like writing tragedies either.
But...
"The fans love it, don't they?"
Shaking his head, he muttered to himself.
He had given too much in the name of fan service.
"Well, since Machida-san asked, I'll just take tomorrow to finish Volume 4."
Speaking of which, wasn't the holiday break supposed to be for rest?
Why did he feel like he was working even harder?!
'Damn it!'
Grumbling to himself, Akifumi still resigned himself to work.
Meanwhile...
"Are you sure you don't want to at least take a look, Kaguya-sama?" Hayasaka Ai asked hesitantly.
"Nope!" Shinomiya Kaguya's expression was cold. "Last time, he tricked me."
"He said the gift was wonderful. He said the song was beautiful. And yet..."
Memories of herself sobbing uncontrollably in her room flashed through her mind.
Her dull, expressionless eyes flickered with a mix of shame and anger.
But WorldEnd hadn't hurt her, not exactly.
After all, she had only skimmed a few pages before sealing it away.
As for that video? She had never watched it.
"This picture alone is more than enough for me!"
She gazed at the one-meter-long full-color illustration hanging in her room, satisfaction blooming on her face.
Hayasaka Ai sighed. "But this time, sensei's gift isn't a trap."
As Kaguya's personal maid, she knew exactly how much misery her mistress had suffered over the holidays.
That was precisely why she wanted to bring her some joy.
After a brief hesitation, Kaguya firmly shook her head. "No!"
Maybe the gift was fine this time, but she wasn't going to take any chances.
As long as she wasn't curious, she wouldn't get hurt!
She never wanted to cry like that again.
Hayasaka Ai was silent for a moment before pulling out a sketchbook from somewhere.
"Would you like to look at this instead, Kaguya-sama?"
"What is it?"
"A fan comic of Madoka Magica, Anohana, and WorldEnd."
Before Kaguya could respond, Hayasaka added, "It has a happy ending."
Kaguya's eyes lit up as she snatched the sketchbook from Ai's hands.
She cleared her throat, feigning indifference. "I suppose I can take a look."
Ten pages wasn't a long read.
Kaguya finished quickly.
Halfway through, a ridiculous, giddy grin spread across her face.
From the once "Cold and Distant Kaguya," she had now evolved into a "Silly Beauty."
Seeing this, Hayasaka Ai let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Deep down, she couldn't help but feel happy seeing Kaguya smiling.
However
That smile didn't last long.
A few minutes after finishing the book, Kaguya's expression turned cold again.
Her voice, when she spoke, was even icier than before.
"Hayasaka, don't show me something like this again."
"I'm a little tired. You should go rest too."
What's with her now?!
Though full of questions, Hayasaka Ai simply nodded.
"Understood, Kaguya-sama."
Once she was alone in the room, the cold mask on Kaguya's face melted away.
Her ruby-like eyes reflected loneliness and melancholy.
"Love like this it doesn't exist in reality."
January 5th, the second day back at work.
Shueisha Publishing.
"Chief Editor, can I skip this afternoon's regular meeting?"
Torishima Kazu sighed, looking exasperated.
"If you were asking how to skip it, I might have given you an answer."
"But since you've put it like this, do I even have a choice?"
Minano Matome smiled. "Thank you for your understanding, Chief Editor."
"You're going to deal with the animation team?" Torishima asked, curious.
Minano corrected him. "Not 'deal with'I'm recommending a great story to them."
Torishima chuckled. "Fine, fine, whatever you say."
"By the way, can I take a look at Professor Nangong's script? I'm a fan of his and really looking forward to his new work!"
"Normally, that would be a given"
Minano's smile faded slightly. "But no."
"...Seriously?"
You little!
Torishima's mustache twitched as he glared at her. He had actually been looking forward to it!
Waving her away, he huffed, "Get out of here! Just looking at you annoys me."
Minano gave him a polite nod. "Then I'll be taking my leave, Chief Editor."
SHAFT Studios.
Like Shueisha and Fujimi Publishing, SHAFT was part of the same corporate group.
A couple of years ago, they'd even acquired White Fox, a move that showed their ambition.
But the reality was
They hadn't produced a hit in years.
They were teetering on the edge of losing their animation production rights.
Right now, their top priority was ensuring they had a project that could make it into the top three of the year-end rankings.
If they failed
Just the thought of that possibility made the executives' faces darken.
A shiver ran down their spines.
While the ordinary employees might not feel the heat as much, for the higher-ups, failure meant serious consequences.
5:00 PM.
Marukawa Masato rubbed his temples. "Has our esteemed guest arrived yet?"
"Not yet, sir."
Given SHAFT's current predicament, the corporate group had assigned a "specialist" to assist them.
Or at least, that was the official line.
In reality, they just didn't trust SHAFT to handle things on their own.
Marukawa understood this perfectly, but he wasn't offended.
If this "specialist" could truly solve their crisis, he'd be grateful.
His only concern was
"What if they have no clue what they're doing?"
Suppressing his worries, Marukawa sighed.
"Forget it. Let's head to the conference room."
Friday meetings were a routine at every company.
As he entered the room, he spotted someone unexpected
A girl in a white outfit, her appearance youthful to the point of resembling a child.
It was Minano.
"Hey there, little one, are you lost?" Marukawa asked, half-joking.
Minano's expression remained coolcolder than usual.
"Mr. Marukawa, I'm the specialist assigned by headquarters."
"You should have received prior notice."
Marukawa blinked before quickly shifting into a welcoming smile.
"Ah, of course! Welcome, welcome."
"And how should I address you?"
"Minano Matome. Just call me Minano."
"It's time for the meeting. Shall we go in?"
"Yes."
Marukawa frowned slightly.
Why would the group send such a young girl?
Sure, judging by appearances alone wasn't fair
But Minano's youthful look made it easy to misjudge her.
Inside the conference room, several senior executives were already seated.
Without delay, everyone took their places.
Marukawa introduced her:
"This is Miss Minano."
"I'm sure you all understand the company's current situation. Headquarters has assigned a specialist to assist us."
Minano stood and gave the room a brief nod.
Then she spoke.
"Before we begin, let me say a few words."
"All of you have more experience in animation than I do, so I won't interfere with your daily work."
"But I ask that you remain fully aware of the crisis this company is facing."
"If the worst happens, it will be a disaster for all of us."
She paused, scanning the room.
Several executives wore grim expressions, brows furrowed.
Seeing this, Minano continued.
"I'm here today to present a proposal."
With that, she took out a stack of scripts.
An office assistant immediately stepped forward, collecting the copies and distributing them.
"Please review these first."
"If you find them unsatisfactory, we can proceed with further discussions."
"If you think they have potential, I need to know how long production would take."
Having said her piece, Minano took her seat.
Several executives looked displeased.
Their expressions were tight, their brows furrowed in irritation.
Some shifted uncomfortably, clearly holding back complaints.
Minano noticed but remained silent.
Sometimes, you had to assert yourself.
Especially as an outsider, she needed to show strength.
Otherwise, these people would walk all over her.
Despite their initial resistance, the executives didn't voice their objections aloud.
After all, Marukawa, the president, had said nothing.
With no other choice, they turned their attention to the scripts.
Marukawa, on the other hand, was rather pleased.
There's a sayingbetter a formidable opponent than an incompetent ally.
If an outsider barged in and tried to take over without understanding the industry, it would be a disaster.
But Minano had made it clear she wouldn't interfere with operations.
That alone put Marukawa at ease.
Then she pulled out a script
And that excited him.
A great production starts with a great script.
The reason SHAFT had struggled for years was simple:
They lacked good stories.
"If this script is as good as I hope then our crisis is over."
With that thought, Marukawa eagerly flipped it open.
Seeing him focus, the other executives suppressed their discontent and followed suit.
Silence filled the room.
But not for long.
Barely ten minutes later, it was broken.
"Minano, are you sure this is the right script?!"
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[148] "Steins;Gate" Announced!
The man who had just stood up spoke with a cold expression.
Everyone present in this meeting had earned their seat through skill and influence. But after reading the opening of the script, he couldn't help but feel utterly bored.
Of course, that wasn't the main reason for his dissatisfaction with Minano Matome.
The man speaking was Misaki Yoshikuma.
Today's meeting was meant to finalize a few scripts from the dozen or so being considered, determining the key projects for the coming year.
These would become the company's primary focus moving forward.
Among those scripts, one-third were backed by people in Yoshikuma's circle.
If someone unexpected were to take a spot, it would mean his share of the benefits would shrink.
That was his real reason for targeting Minano Matome.
As tensions rose, the others in the room stopped reading and instead watched with amused expressions.
While they also found the script's quality questionable, they were well aware that Minano had been sent directly by headquarters.
Even the company president had to show her some respect, so none of them dared to be openly disrespectful.
Still, since someone else was willing to challenge her, they were more than happy to sit back and watch the show.
Yet, despite the questioning tone from Yoshikuma, Minano Matome's expression remained calm.
"What's your name?" she asked evenly.
What is she up to?
Yoshikuma frowned slightly.
He was wary, given her status, but with so many people watching, refusing to answer would make him look weak.
"Misaki Yoshikuma."
Minano nodded, then said flatly, "You don't even have the patience to finish reading a single work... I think it's necessary for upper management to reconsider whether you're suited for your current position."
The blatant threat made Yoshikuma's face darken instantly.
He wanted to retaliate, but considering her connections, he wasn't sure she didn't have the power to actually make good on her words.
For the moment, he chose not to press further.
"Misaki," an older man, Marukawa Masato, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"Since Minano-san has enough confidence to bring this work to us, why don't we finish reading it before making a judgment?"
With that, he offered Yoshikuma a graceful exit.
"Hmph."
Still glaring at Minano, Yoshikuma returned to his seat, clearly displeased.
Seeing the conflict come to such an anticlimactic end, the others in the room looked slightly disappointed, but they soon returned to reading.
Interestingly, they now flipped through the pages much faster than before.
...
Twenty minutes passed in relative silence.
Then, suddenly
"Huh?"
A surprised voice broke the quiet.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing... I just need to read this again."
The man who had spoken awkwardly shook his head, but his face now held a serious expression as he focused back on the script.
Strangely enough, over the next few minutes, similar exclamations were heard around the room.
Gasps and murmurs of disbelief spread among the executives.
Their expressions reflected shock and awe, as if they couldn't believe what they were reading.
Minano Matome's lips curled into a faint smile before she quickly masked it.
Two hours passed.
Many had now put down their scripts, their expressions complicated.
When they looked at Minano again, their gazes held newfound respectand even gratitude.
With their industry experience, they could already see it.
If this work made it to the screen, it would be nothing short of revolutionary.
