At Akifumi's house—
Holding the second volume of Anohana, Eriri frowned.
Akifumi sighed. "I told you don't read it."
"Hah?"
Eriri glared. "The rest of the story is right here!"
She waved the book in her hand.
"How could I possibly stop myself?!"
"You're going to cry." Akifumi stated flatly.
"Tch, as if!"
Eriri scoffed. "After surviving Madoka Magica, I'm immune to sad endings!"
"Besides, Menma was already dead, wasn't she? She just ascended—she was at peace!
"Why would I cry over that?!"
...She was totally going to cry.
Of course, you will cry.
That kind of sorrow lingers the deepest, precisely because from the very beginning, there was no way to save them.
Akifumi sighed. "Well, I've already warned you."
"Don't blame me if you end up crying."
"Who needs your consideration?!"
With that, Eriri plopped down on the couch and flipped open the book cover.
"I'm sorry, Akifumi," Shiina Mahiru said with an apologetic smile.
"I'm really curious about what happens next in Anohana. Looks like you'll have to manage dinner on your own tonight."
Akifumi waved it off casually. "No worries. I'll just have instant noodles. Want some?"
"Let me finish first," Eriri responded without looking up.
"I think I'll read to the end too," Shiina added with a smile.
"Alright then."
Hopefully, when they're done, they'll still have an appetite for dinner.
Not that it mattered to him—he 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 PM—plenty 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 song—my 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 bride—THAT'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 accomplishment—it 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!