As long as they hung on, the final ending would surely warm their hearts.
"Whew."
The beautiful girl, like Kaguya-hime, took a few deep breaths, finally managing to calm herself.
"That's right! This is just part of the process before healing!"
"The suspense is what hooks the fans, getting them to buy the next volumes!!"
"Exactly!!"
Kaguya's determination was unshakable!
"He's already in a relationship, how could he do something so extreme like cutting off Kaori for the readers?!"
"Right, Hayasaka!!"
'Kaguya-sama, hasn't your heart already made up its mind?'
Hayasaka sighed inwardly, and expressionlessly nodded.
"You're right."
With the confirmation, Kaguya smiled brightly.
"Oh, and Hayasaka."
Hayasaka couldn't help but shudder, as the expression on the girl's face didn't carry a trace of warmth.
It was cold, like ice.
What's she up to this time?
"Kaguya-sama, what can I do for you?"
"You know where that guy lives, right?"
'I already sent him a razor blade last time, of course I know where he lives.'
'You're asking me like you don't know?'
Grumbling inwardly, Hayasaka still kept her smile intact. "Yes."
"Find a few people and bring him to me!"
"Huh?"
'Bring him here!?'
'Has the kaguya-sama lost her mind?'
"Um, Kaguya-sama" Hayasaka hesitated, unsure of how to stop this madness.
But
"Instead of guessing here, why not just ask him face to face?" Kaguya muttered to herself.
"What do you think, Hayasaka?"
"You're right."
Hayasaka reluctantly nodded, then hesitated before asking, "What if he says Your Lie in April is an emotional wreck?"
"No, he'll say Your Lie in April is healing!" The cold, icy aura of Kaguya made Hayasaka uneasy.
'Poor guy,' she thought.
'Getting caught up in this whole mess.' Sighing inwardly, Hayasaka nodded.
"Okay, Lady. I'll arrange for someone to bring him over tonight."
Kaguya nodded in satisfaction, then laid back on the bed, her slender, pale legs swinging joyfully.
"Mugiho-kun, the fans are all begging you not to hurt Miyazono Kaori," Mahiru said, looking at her phone with sympathy.
Akifumi couldn't help but tug at the girl's cheek.
"You don't want me to hurt Kaori, do you?"
Mahiru rubbed her red face and muttered, "Well, maybe just a little"
"I've said it before, right? The reason things feel perfect is because of their imperfections."
Akifumi took the phone from Mahiru and glanced at the comments under his account.
"Please don't hurt Miyazono Kaori!!"
"Please don't hurt Miyazono Kaori!!"
""
The comments were all the same, as if the fans were writing in blood.
Akifumi handed the phone back to Mahiru, exhausted.
If he really changed the ending of Your Lie in April, wouldn't the fans who loved the emotional wreck be upset?
Besides, the climax of Your Lie in Aprileveryone knew it was coming, right?
The intense clash of two opposing forces that would explode in the final emotional release.
Without that, Your Lie in April would just be a great story, but with that moment?
It would be a perfect classic.
[163] Novels and manga werent enough for you? Now youve set your sights on anime too?!
Without that scene, this work would've been just excellent.
But with it, Your Lie in April transcends excellence and becomes a masterpiece that rivals the classics!
So, no matter what, Akifumi Mugiho was never going to listen to the fans' pleas.
"Rather than worrying about whether there's tragedy or not, what really matters is creating something that truly resonates with them!"
Akifumi spoke firmly, "As long as the ending makes sense and moves people, that's enough!"
Mahiru shook her head with a helpless smile.
"I knew from the start that you were planning to break the fans' hearts, but watching it all unfold still made me unbearably sad."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"...?" 'Wait, was I actually praising him?'
But thinking about it, he had a point.
Even when you know a character is doomed to a tragic fate, you just can't stop watching.
You get sad, you get emotionalyou have to know how it all ends.
If a story didn't have that kind of grip, how could it make fans love and hate it in equal measure?
Cursing while watching, crying while readingwhy put yourself through that pain?
There's only one reason: because the work is just that damn good!
Realizing this, Mahiru couldn't help but sigh in frustration.
"Mugiho-kun, you're truly something else."
Akifumi raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Haven't you already tested that out yourself?"
Mahiru froze. Then, a faint blush crept onto her face.
She shot him a playful glare, half annoyed, half amused.
Late at night.
A van pulled up beneath Akifumi's apartment.
Three figures stepped out, all dressed in black. Two were tall and imposing, while the third, judging by her silhouette, was a woman.
"Move quickly."
One of the tall men nodded.
They slipped into the building through the blind spots of the security cameras and began to ascend the stairs.
Hayasaka Ai glanced up at the building and let out a sigh.
"Poor guy."
'His work was too good, and now it was causing him trouble.'
'Where was the justice in that?'
"Then again, he probably knew what he was getting into when he decided to go this route."
Mangakas receiving threatsletters filled with razor blades, dead roaches, or worsewasn't unheard of.
As she mulled over these thoughts, time passed quickly.
Then
Something felt off.
Hayasaka frowned.
"Why is it taking so long?"
It had already been five minutes.
By now, they should have been back.
THUD!
A deafening impact rang out.
The roof of the van dented inward slightly, and a shadow slowly rose from it.
A tall woman in a black gothic dress, holding a kunai in each hand, leapt down effortlessly.
Her cold, emotionless eyes scanned the area.
"You were planning to lay a hand on the young master?"
The sheer killing intent in her voice sent shivers down Hayasaka's spine.
Sweat dripped down her forehead.
'I'm going to die.'
'I'm absolutely going to die.'
The fresh blood staining the kunai silently testified to the fate of the two men who had gone up.
"Uh... maybe there's been a misunderstanding?"
Hayasaka's voice came out stiff.
"Who exactly... is the young master you're referring to?"
Wait
Could this really be a misunderstanding?
Yor hesitated for a moment.
These people did look suspicious, but that didn't necessarily mean they were here to harm the young master.
'Being a bodyguard really doesn't suit me...'
If this had been one of her past jobs, she could've just eliminated the target, and that would be that.
"Wait... does protecting someone mean I have to kill people?"
Lost in thought, Yor momentarily forgot about Hayasaka standing nearby.
'Wh-what is with this woman?!'
'Stop staring at me like that! It's terrifying!'
Hayasaka trembled under Yor's piercing gaze.
Sure, she could fight, but just one look was enough to tell her that she wasn't even on the same level.
Just remembering how Yor had jumped down from God-knows-how-many floors without a scratch...
If it were her, she wouldn't just be injuredshe'd be spending months in the hospital, if she even survived at all!
"U-Uh... Miss?"
At Hayasaka's timid whisper, Yor finally snapped out of her thoughts.
After a moment's consideration, she asked, "Who was your target?"
"...Akifumi Mugiho."
A shadow flickered
A single chop to the neck, and Hayasaka collapsed unconscious.
"Hmm. Guess I'm not too bad at this bodyguard thing."
Yor rubbed her chin in thought.
She glanced at the now-empty van, tossed Hayasaka inside, and then headed back upstairs.
A few minutes later, she reappeared, pushing two large suitcases.
She opened the van door, got in, and started the engine.
Hayasaka slowly regained consciousness.
Darkness.
As her eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight filtering in from outside, she took in her surroundings.
An old, abandoned warehouse.
She was tied to a pillar.
Not far away, the two men from before were also bound together.
'...What happen?'
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, memories of the last thing she saw before blacking out came rushing back.
'I didn't even have time to react... I just got knocked out?'
And yet, she could still move.
Her injuries weren't severe.
So, their target had been correct all along?
If she couldn't figure out the situation by now, she'd have to be an idiot.
'Wait... isn't he just a normal manga artist?'!
'Why the hell does he have someone this terrifying protecting him?!'
'This makes no sense!!'
Without a doubt, there was something suspicious about Akifumi.
And yet, despite the immense resources of the Shinomiya family, they had never uncovered anything about him.
'That's actually terrifying.'
"...I'm such an idiot."
Her mother would be devastated if she knew about this.
And Kaguya...
Would she even have the chance to give Hayasaka another order after this?
Would she be sad?
'...Why am I even thinking about her right now?'
'If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!'
Her mind spun with countless thoughts.
Then
Footsteps.
That terrifying woman appeared once again.
A sharp swish cut through the air.
And suddenly
The ropes binding her loosened.
"...Huh?"
Hayasaka stared at her in confusion.
She didn't dare move.
"There won't be a next time."
Leaving only those words behind, Yor turned and walked away without a second glance.
A wave of relief washed over Hayasaka.
Only then did she realize that, in just a few seconds, her back had been drenched in sweat.
As the adrenaline faded, logic returned.
"...Why?"
She had attacked their target.
Even if they let her live, she should have at least been punished.
Her gaze shifted to the object that had cut her bindingsa black card with silver edges.
Without thinking, she reached out and took it.
And the moment she saw the text on it
Her eyes widened in shock.
Her heart pounded.
Relief flooded her.
She took a deep breath.
"I'm still alive...."
On the phone, Yor asked, "That's it? Just letting her go?"
A resigned voice on the other end replied,
"Come on, Yor. You're protecting him in secret. If you start eliminating people, the Shinomiya family will investigate. If they dig too deep, you'll be exposed."
"You getting caught is one thingbut do you want us to have to replace you? We don't have anyone nearly as strong as you."
But deep down, Yor thought to herself:
'Maybe the young master doesn't even need my protection anymore.'
Yor couldn't help but think back to the recent sparring session she had with Akifumi in the private training room.
In the end, it was herself who had been knocked out.
Sighing, she muttered, "I get it now."
"But... are you sure the Shinomiya family won't come after the young master again after this?"
"Well, don't worry, they don't have the guts to do that."
After hanging up the phone, Yor couldn't resist sighing again. "Ugh."
"I really don't think I'm cut out for these kinds of jobs."
But... living like this wasn't so bad either.
She could stop by the young master's place now and then and check out the manga he was working on.
"Come to think of it, the young master's manga really knows how to pull at your heartstrings!"
Thinking to herself, she glanced at the time.
"It's almost 4?"
If she headed back now, she could catch a bit more sleep.
After all, it was the holiday season, and the young master was probably at home.
A few days passed, and time flew by.
It was now March 10th.
Akifumi Mugiho was still completely unaware of the small incident from a few days ago.
His work on Your Lie In April was nearing completion, with only the final volume left to finish. He had no plans to take a break until it was done.
After breakfast, he went back to his room and started working hard on the manga.
But after two hours, his concentration was broken by an unexpected phone call.
"Minano-san?"
Seeing the caller's name, Akifumi's face lit up with surprise. Could it be...
A smile formed on his face. "Is this about the anime?"
"Just like Akifumi-sensei, you guessed it before I even said anything."
Well, the last time he had gotten a call from her, it was for this very same thing. And considering the timing, it was just about mid-March, so...
"The anime will air on March 16th, at noon, with all 12 episodes being streamed at once on n and several other video platforms."
"After that, it will air every Saturday at 8 PM."
Saturday?
That's a good day for it!
Why online platforms and not TV stations? Well, no TV network would have the guts to do that!
But from these little details, it's easy to see how much the company is investing in this project.
"I understand, I'll make sure to watch it as soon as it airs."
Akifumi Mugiho responded with a smile.
Even though he would receive the completed episodes before the official broadcast, they would be missing the opening and ending scenes.
Plus, the feeling of watching it on TV would be a lot different.
By the way, despite the time crunch, this world is still a bit different from his previous one.
The opening and ending are exactly the same as beforewhat a pleasant surprise!
"I hope Akifumi-sensei will be satisfied with the final product."
Minano said, then continued, "Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to ask of you."
"Go ahead."
"Because the company's main focus has been on the quality of the work, we've been lacking a bit in the marketing department."
"Also, since the anime will air in mid-March, it's a bit of an awkward time. I was hoping you could help with the promotion."
"Of course, we won't ask for it for free, but the budget won't be too large, so we hope you can understand."
Akifumi Mugiho chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, Editor Minano. Helping to promote my own work is just part of the job, right?"
"Besides, you've helped me out a lot in silence with Your Lie In April."
"I haven't had the chance to thank you properly yet, so I'd be happy to do this little thing for you."
"If I'm going to be paid, I'd feel like I should send you a big gift in return."
