"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 part—and 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!"