"Exactly what you just mentioned," Mihari sighed. "Akifumi-sensei wants to continue releasing Your Lie in April volumes next month."
Minano looked at Mihari without speaking, patiently waiting for her to finish.
She had already inferred this wasn't a simple matter from the way Mihari was acting.
"But he doesn't just want to release the third volume, he wants to release the next three volumes at once!"
Even Minano, always calm, was taken aback.
"How many?" she asked instinctively.
Mihari gulped, bracing herself. "The next three volumes of Your Lie in April!"
Minano stayed silent, finishing her coffee in one gulp, then calmly spoke after settling her emotions,
"Well, what else can I say? Just the thought of it is enough to blow our minds."
Mihari gave a dry smile at Minano's self-deprecating tone.
"I get it now."
"After the meeting this afternoon, I'll give you an answer," Minano said, setting her coffee aside.
Mihari felt a pang of guilt.
"Sorry, Editor-in-Chief."
Minano waved her hand dismissively. "No need to apologize. Everyone has their own way of thinking; we have no right to interfere."
"Besides, our job is to serve the authors, right?" she added with a smile.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't just reject Akifumi-sensei's unreasonable request outright, but came to me to discuss it. That already exceeds my expectations."
"Trusting you with this shows I made the right choice."
Mihari blushed, scratching her head awkwardly.
"If it had been the younger version of me, I wouldn't have been able to handle this at all. I'd probably be panicking and crying by now, not knowing what to do!"
"Minano-san!" Mihari's face flushed with embarrassment at Minano's teasing.
"Ha ha ha, go ahead and get back to work."
"This is in my hands now."
"Thank you so much," Mihari nodded, finishing her coffee.
She headed out, still reflecting on the conversation.
'Minano may not be much older than me, but I always feel like a kid around her.'
When Minano was alone in the office, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Akifumi-sensei really knows how to give me tough problems."
"This afternoon's meeting's going to be a busy one."
Later that night, seeing the incoming call with the familiar name, Akifumi's face revealed surprise.
After a brief pause, he answered.
"Akifumi-sensei," Minano's voice came through the phone.
It seemed there was a response!
Feeling a rush of nervousness, Akifumi remained calm in his voice.
"Sorry for troubling you, Editor-in-Chief."
"Well, our job is to serve you, so it's not really trouble," Minano chuckled.
"Just wish you'd let me know earlier next time. That way, I wouldn't have to be so passive."
Thinking back on today's meeting, Minano felt a bit drained.
After all, this whole thing was her fault in the first place.
"But the result turned out okay in the end," she smiled.
"I'm sorry again," Akifumi apologized sincerely.
Minano reassured him, "You don't need to apologize. This is just part of the job. But I have to ask before we continue."
"Are you absolutely sure you can deliver three volumes every month?"
Without hesitation, Akifumi answered, "I'm sure!"
"What about the release schedule?"
"I was thinking the middle to the end of each month," Akifumi replied.
Having worked hard for days, he already had enough for two volumes, and the third was almost halfway done.
There were no issues finishing it in the remaining time.
"If you're releasing three volumes this fast, you'll need to submit them by the end of this month?" Minano mused, impressed by how much content Akifumi had prepared.
"Did you draw all of this in advance?"
Akifumi chuckled, "I've been drawing a lot in my spare time. You never know when it'll come in handy."
Minano smiled. "Akifumi-san."
"We're planning an online interview about Your Lie in April this Friday. Do you have time?"
"An online interview?" Akifumi was taken aback by the sudden suggestion but agreed right away.
"Of course."
He trusted Minano's judgment.
There was always a good reason behind her decisions.
Minano nodded. "Now, about your proposal from last night. It was approved in today's meeting."
Akifumi wasn't surprised. If it hadn't passed, they would've just told him directly.
"But it wasn't easy. I had to work hard to get everyone on board."
"If you don't meet the three-volume deadline, I'll resign myself."
Akifumi was genuinely moved. "Thank you, Minano-san."
"But don't worry, I won't jeopardize my career." Minano laughed off his concern.
"No need to be so tense. I wasn't saying that to pressure you. I just want you to know we're in this together."
"From now on, you can fully trust me."
Minano continued, switching back to a serious tone. "I want to give you a heads-up."
"The interview this Friday will announce that the decision to wrap Your Lie in April in April was something we all agreed on from the start."
"It's a bold move by Shueisha."
"Please cooperate with the publicity."
Akifumi immediately understood the reasoning behind it. He smiled.
"Don't worry, I won't let you down."
[153] The Future Direction!
After hanging up the phone, Akifumi let out a deep breath, then a look of excitement flashed across his face.
The toughest hurdle was finally behind him!
Now, all that remained was to complete three volumes of Your Lie In April by the end of each month.
It was a significant workload, but as long as he maintained his current pace, finishing three volumes a month wouldn't be a problem at all!
"Did the company decide early on to incorporate promotional strategies?" Akifumi chuckled.
It made perfect sense.
The concern over whether rapid production would compromise quality was an unavoidable issue in any era.
While he had proven he could handle two simultaneous serializations.
That didn't mean readers would automatically believe he could deliver three full volumes in a single month without sacrificing quality.
The workload between the two was on completely different levels.
Even if he were simultaneously serializing three different works, at most, he'd need to produce about 300 pages per month.
But publishing three entire volumes? That meant doubling that workload!
And that wasn't even considering the fact that he still had other ongoing projects on the side.
That was why this approach made senseit added credibility to the whole endeavor.
"Ending Your Lie In April in April was part of the plan from the very beginning."
By framing it this way, external speculation and doubts could be minimized.
After all, this phrasing implied that Akifumi had already prepared a large number of drafts ahead of time, ensuring that the story would conclude as planned.
Sure, the reasoning might seem a bit forced, but most people wouldn't overanalyze the logic behind it.
The only real risk was if Your Lie In April failed to conclude by April.
In that case, the problem wouldn't just be for Akifumi or Minano-san it would be a major issue for the entire publishing house!
"Come to think of it, this setup is quite fitting for Your Lie In April!"
Both the story and this publishing strategy revolved around carefully crafted, well-intentioned deceptions.
One started in April and ended in late February; the other began with the mid-February book release and would conclude in late April.
One was a true lie.
The other would become reality once April ended.
"I didn't expect such an interesting contrast to emerge from all this." Akifumi shook his head with a smile before his curiosity took over.
"Speaking of which, who exactly is Editor Minano?"
He highly doubted that an ordinary editor could pull off something like this.
Sure, chief editors held high-ranking positions within a publishing house.
But Shueisha was just one subsidiary within a larger media conglomerate.
Decisions like increasing royalties required approval beyond even the chief editor.
That meant this was a matter that couldn't have been decided just by a few chief editors sitting in a room.
But
"Either way, having someone influential backing you feels pretty good!" Akifumi grinned.
Did it really matter who Minano was or how he secured these opportunities for him?
Not at all.
What mattered was that, now that this precedent was set, it would likely be much easier to pull off similar strategies in the future.
And that knowledge alone was enough.
With his mind cleared, he focused on his top prioritydrawing!
As for the online interview on Friday? He could just wing it when the time came.
"Akifumi, what does drawing manga feel like?"
Akifumi blinked in surprise, then looked at Kato with curiosity. "Are you interested in drawing manga?"
"Just a little," Kato nodded, then clarified, "I don't intend to draw myself. I'm just curious about what it feels like to be a creator."
"What it feels like?" Akifumi pondered for a moment before answering.
"Before I even start, just picking up the pen feels exhausting. I don't want to draw at all."
"But once I start, I have to constantly think about how to bring the world in my head to life in a way that captures the readers' interest."
"When they become moved by the story's emotions, feel inspired by the hope within it, my creative passion burns even stronger."
"When I receive recognition and praise from fans, I feel genuinely happy and touched."
"And of course, on a more practical level, I don't have to worry about money anymore."
"Even if one day I stop drawing, I can still live comfortably off my past works and enjoy a fulfilling retirement."
"That's pretty much what it feels like."
Kato nodded in understanding, then let out a sigh. "That last part sounds wonderful, but I'm guessing most people never even make it past the first two steps."
"Well, manga is a long-term career. If someone can't overcome their own laziness and stick with it, success is impossible."
"Even if they persist, success isn't guaranteed, right?" Kato's tone carried an unexpected note of melancholy.
"Not everyone has the same level of talent as you, Akifumi." Realizing how her words might be misinterpreted, she quickly added, "I'm not saying you don't work hard."
"I genuinely respect how much effort you put in while others are just playing around."
"But for most ordinary people, no matter how hard they try, they probably won't achieve even a tenth of your success."
Effort was crucial.
But talent also set an upper limit on what effort could achieve.
That was what Kato wanted to express.
"I think you're absolutely right."
For teenagers still sheltered in their academic lives, the future seemed too distant to worry about.
If he hadn't regained his past-life memories, Akifumi would likely still be the same as beforespending his days studying and indulging in anime and manga.
The future felt too far away.
Even if mentors and seniors offered guidance, most students would brush it off as irrelevant.
Only a few thought seriously about it and put in real effort.
And those few were already ahead of the rest.
Akifumi smiled. "I've always loved ACG (Anime, Comics, Games), so I figured I'd give it a try."
"Turns out, I had some unexpected talent in this area."
"So why not take advantage of being young and try different things?"
"You might discover a hidden talent you never knew you had!"
"And even if you don't, knowing what you enjoy gives you a head start over others."
Kato fell silent, lost in thought.
A moment later, she let out a small sigh and gave a rare, wry smile. "You've seen right through me, haven't you, Akifumi?"
He chuckled. "Well, the semester is ending soon. And you suddenly brought up this topicdoesn't that mean you're feeling a little lost about the future?"
"Yeah." Kato admitted with a hint of helplessness. "Someone as unremarkable as me I feel like things will only get harder once I enter society. It's a bit overwhelming."
"Unremarkable?"
Why did people around himpeople who were clearly talentedinsist on seeing themselves as ordinary?
Whether it was Mahiru or Kato, they all underestimated themselves.
Akifumi sighed. "If nothing else, just a little styling and you'd be incredibly eye-catching, Kato."
"You think so?"
"Trust me on this."
But Kato refused to continue the topic, shifting her gaze toward the blackboard in the distance.
With a serious expression, she said, "Akifumi's suggestion just now was really useful."
"This Spring Festival, I should take some time to seriously consider what I want to do in the future."
Though her tone was calm, there was an unmistakable determination in her voice.
After school, Mahiru, Akifumi, and Mashiro walked home together.
Out of nowhere, Mahiru spoke up.
"You know, maybe I should try to find out if I have any talents in a particular area."
Akifumi raised an eyebrow in surprise, then chuckled.
"Wow, Mahiru, I thought you were busy chatting with others after class. Were you secretly eavesdropping on my conversation with Kato?"
Mahiru's face flushed red.
Of course, she paid attention when the boy she liked was chatting with another girlespecially someone as stunning as Kato!
She knew that someone as exceptional as Akifumi wouldn't be hers alone forever.
But until that future arrived, wasn't it okay to be a little greedy and want to keep his affection all to herself for now?
Ignoring Akifumi's teasing, she earnestly asked, "Akifumi, what do you think I'm talented at?"
Akifumi thought seriously for a moment before replying,
"Cooking? Taking care of people? Keeping the house tidy?"
""
Mahiru sighed in exasperation.
"I was foolish to expect a serious answer from you, Akifumi."
Akifumi pouted.
"Hey! But you really are good at those things, right, Mashiro?"
"Mm." Mashiro, lost in thoughts about her manga storyline, hadn't really been listening but instinctively nodded.
Feeling validated, Akifumi continued confidently, "Take cooking, for example. It's because of Mahiru's delicious meals that we smile so happily every day!"
"And keeping the house cleanif you weren't here, wouldn't Mashiro and I be in big trouble?"
"Don't underestimate these skills! There's a huge difference between just doing something and doing it well!"
"In my opinion, you excel at all of this!"
"Is that so" Mahiru scratched her cheek, a bit shy, and turned her head away. Deep down, she made a silent decision.
