The booming popularity at the bookstore was a testament to the success of Your Lie In April.
Although this novel didn't follow the usual style that readers were accustomed to, they were more than willing to embrace it—after all, as long as it was a good work, they would consume it eagerly!
And considering that each of Your Lie In April's works were classics, readers had complete faith in the author.
They believed in each new release unless there was a significant failure.
But before that happens, their confidence was unwavering!
By just after 11 AM, 'Your Lie In April' had already sold out in major bookstores.
The excitement during the store openings was so intense it could have easily been mistaken for middle-aged women fighting over discounted products!
Some of the newer bookstore staff were shocked by the overwhelming scene.
Was this really the kind of consumer power the "2D world" possessed?!
The bookstore owner was thrilled, but after a quick glance, he rushed to the back to make an urgent call.
"Hello, is this the marketing department at Shueisha? Your Lie In April! I need more copies of Your Lie In April!!"
"Send me another 2000 copies!!"
"Will they sell out? That's not for you to worry about—just get the books here!"
"What? You don't have that many?!"
"You need three days to print more? For a book this hot, can't you print more copies?!"
For these bookstores placing orders for thousands of copies, the staff at Shueisha's marketing department could only sigh.
Your Lie In April was doing well, but no one anticipated it would become this popular, especially with both volumes being released at the same time!
Even the die-hard fans of the 2D culture might not have the resources to afford that many copies.
After all, the month was almost over, and they'd just gotten through the New Year.
How much pocket money could they still have left?
Moreover, with both volumes released at once, and the short time frame for printing more, even if the factory worked at full capacity, it wouldn't be enough to meet the bookstore's demands.
But no matter how many reasons there were, customers were always right.
The best they could do was manage the complaints from the bookstores and explain the situation.
Tanaka, holding the first and second volumes of Your Lie In April, looked happily back at the packed bookstore.
"Good thing I got up early today!"
If the disaster from Madoka Magica happened again, he might actually cry!
He hadn't been hanging out with his good friends recently—he'd been working hard!
The reason?
To make sure he could bring home these two volumes as soon as they were released!
But instead of heading straight home with his precious books, Tanaka decided to go to a nearby family restaurant.
Why, you ask?
Well… since his mom caught him pretending to study but actually goofing off at home last time, his position in the house had plummeted.
Imagine going home on a weekend with two manga volumes in hand—it sent shivers down Tanaka's spine just thinking about it.
The family restaurant, on the other hand, was peaceful—no one would disturb him here.
He even chose a location far from home on purpose, a place where no one would recognize him.
As he thought back to the silly things he did last summer in this same restaurant, Tanaka couldn't help but feel his face turn red.
With a tiny bit of freedom in his hands, Tanaka ordered a random set meal, poured himself a drink, and opened the first volume of Your Lie In April.
Since he knew the single-volume release was coming on January 20th, he hadn't bought that week's Weekly Shonen Jump or even visited his friend's house to read it.
He was saving it all for this moment!
As he eagerly flipped through the pages, he came to the familiar short content from earlier.
Tanaka read with rapt attention.
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Arima Kousei: "Because I can no longer hear the sound of the piano."
"It's so cliché, right?"
"At first, I could hear it, but from the middle of the piece, the more I focused and immersed myself in playing, the more I felt the notes float away like petals in the spring breeze."
"They drifted, fading, disappearing. I couldn't hear the piano I was playing."
Despite being able to hear his fingers strike the keys and the sound of the keys sinking, he couldn't hear the music he was creating.
With Arima Kousei's melancholic monologue, the upbeat mood seemed to vanish into thin air.
But then, the girl interrupted this sorrow with her anger.
Miyazono Kaori: "Stop being so dramatic!"
"It's too gloomy! Even if you can't play, you should play anyway! Didn't Beethoven do that?"
"If you can't use your hands, use your feet! If your fingers aren't enough, use your nose!"
"No matter how sad or miserable you feel, no matter how deep the low points go, you can't stop playing!"
"That's how people like us survive."
———————————————————————
With Miyazono's almost unreasonable words, the sadness that had been building up in Tanaka was wiped away.
It was about falling in love with food, the small moments of daily life, the violin, music itself.
Maybe that feeling was longing, wasn't it? It had to be!
You stand in a field of pure color. You stand in that irreplaceable, pure color.
As Arima Kousei's monologue continued, the sweetness of love began to spread through Tanaka's mind.
"That's nice! Such a sweet love!" Tanaka thought with an aunt-like smile on his face.
"And it was this moment that got Arima back to playing the piano!"
"Good thing I didn't read Weekly Shonen Jump this week!!"
Otherwise, he would have had to wait five agonizing days, and waiting for five days during such a crucial moment would be worse than death!
Eagerly, Tanaka flipped to the next page.
———————————————————————
Even as he yearned for Miyazono, the wounds Arima had carried for years weren't something that could be easily healed.
Although he wanted her help, he was still running away from it, running away from his fears.
Until…
Arima Kousei: "I can't play the piano anymore."
Miyazono Kaori: "So what?"
"You're not incapable; you just don't want to play."
Miyazono didn't give him a chance to find excuses.
She chose to tear open the bloody truth before him.
Miyazono Kaori: "Can't hear the piano? Isn't that just an excuse you've been using to keep running away?"
They stared at each other in silence.
Arima's thoughts seemed to return to that day—the day he couldn't hear the music anymore.
"I'm scared."
Arima lowered his head, tears filling his eyes.
That was a memory that belonged solely to the boy on the other side.
At competitions, sound was everything. All that mattered was him and the piano.
That day, everything ceased to exist.
He couldn't hear anything—everything felt dark and lonely, as if he were drowning in a deep sea, alone.
So dark. So dark.
"Did you breathe a sigh of relief?"
A sudden question, from nowhere, shattered the boy's monologue.
"From the moment you couldn't hear the sound, you found an excuse, didn't you?"
"You found a reason to never step on that stage again."
"Because you're not Beethoven."
As he faced this question, his thoughts returned to that day.
The murmurs and mocking laughter of the audience.
The terror of suddenly losing the sound of his performance... The scene turned dark, as if it was going to consume Arima.
Would he once again be alone, sinking into that dark sea?
The darkness was broken by a smiling girl and the warm sunlight shining down from a clear sky.
"I'm still here."
It was a declaration of true feelings from the girl, words she had never said to anyone else.
"I know—"
"You can't hear the piano, and you're not playing anymore."
"I know everything."
"But I still choose you."
"Maybe, as you said, the performance won't be perfect, but I will still play!"
"As long as there's an opportunity to play, as long as there's an audience, I will give it my all!"
"To make sure the audience—never forgets me, to engrave it forever in their hearts."
"This is the reason for my existence."
"Because I am a performer, just like you, so I beg of you."
"Please accompany me."
With her head lowered, Miyazono Kaori's expression was hidden by her long hair.
"Please, give me just a little bit of strength."
"Please support me—this version of me that's about to break."
———————————————————————
The next page revealed the sorrowful, tear-streaked face of the girl.
Tanaka could almost imagine how she must have tried to suppress her tears, doing her best not to cry too much, hiding her sadness behind an almost forced smile.
"Maybe the lively Kaori Miyazono isn't as cheerful as she appears."
That thought naturally popped into his head when he saw the scene unfold.
However, he didn't have time to dwell on why she was crying.
In the next frame, in the shadowy close-up, Arima Kousei stood up.
———————————————————————
His trembling hands balled into a firm fist.
"I'll do it. I'll accompany you."
"Just don't blame me if I mess up."
In the face of his blunt answer, the reason for Kaori's sadness seemed to lose its significance.
———————————————————————
Tanaka couldn't help but feel happy for the pair of unlikely partners who had finally come together!
"..."
The city I live in began to feel more vibrant and colorful.
With this monologue, Volume 1 came to a close.
"Oh! Is Arima finally going to play?!"
"This former prodigy!!"
Tanaka was doing his best to suppress the excitement building up inside.
If it was anything like the last time, and things went wrong again, just imagining the stares of those around him would make him cry!
Even though it was supposed to be a slice-of-life story, for some reason, it suddenly felt so intense.
He was eager for what would come next.
"Just as I though this is really good!"
The decision to release both volumes simultaneously was brilliant!
If it had ended there, the wait for the next chapters would have been unbearably painful.
With those chaotic thoughts, Tanaka eagerly flipped open Volume 2!
———————————————————————
"We'll make fools of ourselves together."
With the cheerful words from Kaori, the story of Volume 2 slowly unfolded before him.
Arima Kousei hesitated at first, as his mother's teachings weighed on him.
But the moment he stepped onto the stage, the scene became tense and intense, yet he stayed steady, playing in sync with the music.
However, as the image of his mother in a wheelchair appeared in his mind, the notes he could see in his sight began to fade.
Despite the audience's complaints and the still beautiful sound of the violin, the sound of the piano was nowhere to be heard.
Arima's playing became hesitant and chaotic, as if he were once again drowning in the darkness of the sea.
The performance stopped.
Because Arima knew that if he kept playing in this state, he would affect Kaori's performance as well.
That would leave an indelible stain on her music career!
So, he stopped.
Then Kaori, playing the violin, also stopped.
But...
"Let's try again."
It wasn't a stop; it was a reset.
The performance for this competition had ended when it was interrupted, but the "competition" was never her true goal!
She just wanted to play, to let people hear her music—that was enough!
So, until the allotted time had passed, the performance wasn't over!
She and he would begin again!
"Lift your head, look at me."
Her words echoed in his mind as he saw her slender, yet steadfast silhouette.
That posture gave Arima the courage to continue, the belief that he could carry on.
Despite not being able to hear the notes, not being able to hear the piano,
He focused on playing with his entire body, imagining the music in his head.
He had to give everything his mother had left him.
The audience and judges were left stunned, mesmerized by the storm that was created by their collaboration.
The music was beautifully haunting.
Though Arima couldn't hear the sounds, he no longer felt alone, drowning in the dark.
Kaori's playing was powerful, like the heartbeat of the music, constantly driving Arima forward.
His response was a fierce match to her intensity.
The performance was so captivating that, even when the time was up, the judges couldn't help but want more, urging, "Wait, just a little longer."
As the performance ended, the room erupted in applause, the loudest praise for the two performers!
"That was amazing!"
"So awesome!!"
———————————————————————
This part of the story felt exhilarating and fulfilling for Tanaka.
All the anticipation up until this point had been met with a satisfying resolution!
"Truly, what a master!"
Tanaka couldn't help but praise sensei.
Even though the manga didn't capture the sounds of their performance, and that could be a frustrating aspect of music-based manga, the mangaka had somehow made Tanaka forget about it.
Not being able to hear wasn't a problem!
He could feel the beauty of their music, feel the impact their performance had on the audience.
It was as if, for that moment, he was right there in the auditorium, hearing two brilliant musicians pour their hearts out through their music.
Even though they didn't pass the evaluation in the end,
At least their performance was a success!
But...
"How could she suddenly faint and end up in the hospital?"
Tanaka felt puzzled as he turned to the next page.
He felt a bit relieved when Kaori's low blood sugar was mentioned.
But on the last page of this chapter, seeing her in a hospital room, alone, staring out the window, and hearing her mutter those words—
"Really?"
"I fainted again."
The unsettling feeling from her simple words overshadowed Arima's self-questioning about whether he could give up the piano.
When Kaori left the hospital and appeared before Arima again, she proposed an idea.
"Go participate in the piano competition," she said, using the excuse that she had "ruined her performance."
However, Arima responded with a firm rejection.
"I've cast aside the important music scores. I've already lost the right to perform."
In response, Kaori smiled and said:
"That's what many performers go through."
"They always say they don't want to play the piano, that if you want to play, you should play it yourself."
"Even so, they always pick up their scores again, face them head-on."
"And that's how the most beautiful lie is born."
"We're only 14."
"Let's make the decision and throw ourselves into it!"
Without any hesitation, she jumped off the bridge, diving into the river below!
———————————————————————
"Dammit!"
"She just got out of the hospital and is already doing something so reckless! Don't do this!!"
Tanaka's heart ached with concern...
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