"But… at least you could have prepared me a little." Mahiru spoke up with a pout.
In her mind, the image of Eriri forcing a smile before leaving flashed.
Akifumi, feeling helpless, sighed.
"I didn't expect something like this to happen."
"Are you saying that at times like this, I should lie and say I don't have a girlfriend?"
In truth, when Akifumi first saw the question, he had thought about how to answer.
If he had chosen to hide the truth, Mahiru probably wouldn't have said anything, but she'd definitely feel upset inside.
He knew that in the future, he would end up doing something to hurt the girl, so he couldn't let her feel hurt in any other way.
That's why, when faced with the question, he had decided to speak the truth without hesitation.
'Click, bang.'
The sound of a door opening and closing echoed.
Mahiru panicked, pressing her small hands against Akifumi's chest to push him away, but found it had no effect.
Flustered, she asked, "What are you doing?!"
"Mashiro's back!"
"What's there to be afraid of?" Akifumi chuckled, certain that Mashiro's personality would prevent her from saying anything even if she saw them.
"Mu-gi-ho!" Mahiru raised her voice slightly, her face filled with worry and unease.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Though Akifumi felt a little helpless, he still followed Mahiru's wishes and moved back a little.
Mahiru quickly grabbed some tissues, wiped away the remaining tears on her face, and put on a casual expression, trying to act like nothing had happened.
Just then, Mashiro arrived, a little late.
"Mahiru, is this it?"
"Thank you."
Mahiru smiled, then noticed that Mashiro was holding a set of sleepwear.
A bit confused, she asked, "What's this for?"
Mashiro blinked.
"Aren't we staying at Mugi's place tonight?"
The implication was clear— 'If You're bringing sleepwear, doesn't that mean I'm staying over too? So, I brought my own.'
After spending so much time together, Mahiru understood Mashiro's meaning and couldn't help but laugh.
She had asked Mashiro to get the pajamas as an excuse to send her away, but she never expected Mashiro want to sleep here too.
Though she often stayed here...
As she thought about it, Mahiru's pale cheeks flushed with a bright red hue.
Akifumi, the observer, could easily figure out the misunderstanding.
'Looks like there's no chance tonight.'
Although a bit disappointed, Akifumi smiled and tried to smooth things over.
"Staying here tomorrow during the break would be nice too."
"Yeah." Mashiro nodded happily, then turned to Akifumi.
"Mugi, what's a girlfriend?"
"Cough cough." Akifumi nearly choked on the water he had just taken a sip of.
His face turned a bit awkward.
"Why is Mashiro asking this all of a sudden?"
"Because it's something everyone cares about, but I don't really get what it means."
Akifumi let out a small sigh of relief, thinking Mashiro hadn't noticed anything.
He then thought for a moment before explaining, "A girlfriend is a female friend you're really close to!"
"Oh, I see." Mashiro nodded, then blinked her eyes.
"So, am I Mugi's girlfriend?"
Akifumi suddenly realized what it meant to shoot yourself in the foot.
He gave Mahiru a pleading look for help.
Mahiru snorted, probably remembering how she had been teased earlier, and turned her head, as if saying, 'You're on your own with this one.'
'I really need to teach you a lesson sometime!' She thought to herself, feeling that Mashiro had become bolder lately.
With Mashiro's innocent gaze staring at him, Akifumi steeled himself and nodded, clearing his throat.
"Well… you can say that"
Mashiro pouted, looking pleased.
"Then, I'm also Mugi's girlfriend!"
He felt a bit guilty for deceiving such an innocent child.
However, Mashiro just happily returned to her seat, completely focused on her drawing.
Mahiru leaned in closer to Akifumi and whispered, "Mugiho-kun, what about Eriri…"
"Don't worry, I'll find a chance to explain things to her."
Though she usually acted a bit clueless, Eriri could be sharp at the right moments.
"She might have already figured it out, though."
'Maybe she was just pretending not to know or intentionally ignoring it?' Akifumi pondered.
"Sorry…" Mahiru suddenly lowered her head, looking guilty.
Akifumi smiled softly.
"I'm the one who should be sorry, actually."
"By the way, tonight…"
Mahiru's face turned red, and she shook her head firmly.
"No way!"
"Definitely not!"
She shot a glance at Mashiro, as if saying, 'Mashiro is here, so why are you still being so dumb?'
"Mashiro sleeps deeply. As long as we're careful, we definitely won't get caught sneaking in some extra fun."
"No… no way!" Even as she said this, Mahiru's expression clearly showed she was wavering.
———————————————————————
In fact, tonight's livestream had a lot of people watching.
– Hiratsuka Shizuka's Place
"Ugh…" Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed, looking a bit downcast.
Shaking the empty beer can in her hand, she stood up unsteadily and grabbed two more cans from the fridge, still cold from being recently taken out.
Sitting back down, she took a large gulp.
The already-pink tint of her cheeks deepened with a touch of drunkenness.
"Ugh, kids these days already have girlfriends," she muttered, glancing down at the can in her hand.
"Here I am, way past my prime, and I've never met someone right for me!" Her voice carried a sense of bitter helplessness only she could feel.
Having reached her age, she longed for a sweet romance more than ever.
"Speaking of which, there's not a single decent guy around."
She paused, and for some reason, the image of Akifumi floated into her mind.
Her already-flushed face grew even redder.
"There's no one better than that kid."
"Wait!!" Hiratsuka Shizuka caught herself.
'What are you thinking?!'
'That kid is your student!'
Even though she was well aware of that, her thoughts didn't fade away.
In fact, they only grew stronger.
The forbidden nature of their relationship made her feel both guilty and strangely excited.
Hiratsuka Shizuka muttered to herself, "Did I drink too much tonight?"
"Girlfriend…"
———————————————————————
– Kato's Place
Kato had just pulled her gaze away from her phone and sighed.
In truth, she'd had a vague feeling for a while that something was off between those two.
But it had just been a hunch, a guess without real evidence.
Now that it was confirmed, her emotions became more complicated.
Her normally emotionless face was full of uncertainty.
After a long silence, Kato sighed again and muttered, "After all, it's that Shiina-san…"
It made sense for him to like someone—she's perfect in every way.
But even though she knew that, Kato couldn't help but feel a wave of loneliness.
"Who is it, though?"
Eriri? Mashiro? Or Mahiru?
"After all, those two have been childhood friends, right?"
When they got together, wasn't that the most natural outcome?
"Wait, not necessarily."
Maybe it isn't one of those three at all?
After all, that guy is pretty popular at school.
———————————————————————
–Otosuna Mihari Place
"Someone so outstanding, how could they not be popular?"
Mihari couldn't help but sigh.
Not just girls around their age who are curious and excited about love,
Even she, when faced with someone so amazing, would be a little moved!
"No, no!"
"Mihari, think about all the times that guy bullied you!"
Thinking back, her once restless heart started to beat a little faster.
———————————————————————
– Shinomiya Household
"Hayasaka."
"Yes, Miss?"
Shinomiya Kaguya gazed out the window at the moon, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness.
"Do you think that guy suddenly drawing Your Lie In April, this healing manga, might be because of love?"
Huh?
Healing?
Suddenly drawing Your Lie In April?!
Wasn't there a huge debate online about what genre that work even falls into?
How can you be so sure it's healing and not depressing?!
Besides, in the interview earlier, didn't they mention that he started preparing that work last year?!
How is this related to now?!
Though she silently complained,
Hayasaka Ai calmly responded, "I guess so."
"Love, huh..." Shinomiya Kaguya sighed deeply, her gaze lingering on the moon, growing even more melancholic.
Upon seeing Kaguya's wistful expression,
All the resentment that had built up inside Ai seemed to fade away, And a look of sympathy appeared in her eyes.
———————————————————————
– Kasumigaoka Utaha Place
"Boyfriend..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha narrowed her eyes, Recalling the scene after school when she accidentally saw the two girls standing next to Akifumi.
"Is it one of them?" Come to think of it...
"That girl is his childhood friend, right?"
The thought crossed her mind, but then she shook her head.
"Well, that seems unlikely."
No matter how you look at it, it just doesn't fit.
A tsundere like her confessing?
No way could she picture that scene!
"Maybe she's feeling a bit hurt now?"
Based on their relationship, she should've been the first, but now she's lagging behind the others.
"Maybe I should find a time to comfort that girl?" After all, she's still one of my fans.
Even though I don't know why, there's something about her that rubs me the wrong way,
But!
"She's still my fan!"
Even Kasumigaoka Utaha, despite her usual attitude, occasionally shows some kindness.
"Love..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly sighed.
Though her debut work was a romance-themed one,
She had never been in a relationship herself.
"Would trying it out with someone give me more creative experience?"
The memory of a conversation with her editor popped into her mind.
"I'm almost 30 and still no one wants me..."
And yet, they made such a suggestion.
She shook her head.
But...
"I wonder what it would feel like."
Would it be like Arima Kousei in Your Lie In April, where a dull world suddenly shines because of one person?
Or would it be like Tsubaki, who, unaware of her own feelings, gets frustrated when she sees her crush laughing and talking with someone else?
Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but sigh again, "This topic is really complicated!"
———————————————————————
That night, For many girls who had interacted with Akifumi for various reasons, it was anything but peaceful.
And for one particular girl, especially so.
But her feelings were something no outsider could ever fully understand.
The inevitable moment of heartbreak and tears from sudden longing
was, of course, an essential part of it!
With the interview over,
Akifumi's SNS posts were flooded with comments.
———————————————————————
"Woah!! This interview is packed with info!! Praise to sensei!"
"By the way, is it really okay to release three volumes a month? Isn't that a bit too much?"
"No publisher has ever done this, right? It feels a little reckless!"
"What's so reckless about it! I'm super, super happy!!"
"Exactly! Just thinking about the ending being closer, I'm so happy!!"
"Your Lie In April ending in April, isn't that great?!"
"I'm definitely supporting sensei when it comes out! If anyone's worried, maybe just hold off and wait a bit!"
"Right, if you're worried, it's a good idea to just wait a little while and be patient!"
"I'm not worried about the quality dropping, just wondering if releasing so many volumes at once might affect final sales... Not everyone has that much pocket money."
"Sorry, for those of us with jobs, three manga volumes is less than half a day's salary."
"Stupid adults! I'm so jealous!!"
"Jealous +1, but I'll hold on and support sensei's work next month!"
"Yeah, it's just skipping out on a little fun! If it gets tough, I'll just work part-time! But I will see Your Lie In April the moment it's out!"
"By the way, am I the only one interested in the sequel to Madoka Magica?"
"No way! Your Lie In April is food, but Madoka Magica is soul food!"
"Sensei's so mean, teasing us with curiosity but not revealing anything!"
"But if sensei said so, could it be that the April release will be the start of it?"
"That'll have to wait for the magazine serialization to end!"
"I think this is Shueisha testing the waters, and if it works, next time we might not need serialization and could get direct releases!"
"Really? That sounds too bold!"
"But if it's sensei's new work, no matter what it is, I'll buy a copy to support!"
"I think I'll support it too!"
"Maybe once Your Lie In April ends, we'll see new work released soon after?"
"Who knows what Madoka Magica will be about?"
"Ah, I'm so excited!!"
"Feels like sensei has so many projects lined up, and even if it's not Madoka Magica next, it'll still be something great!"
"Hey, no one curious about sensei's gossip?!"
"I'm curious too. What kind of beautiful girl could be sensei's girlfriend?"
"Curious +1."
"..."
———————————————————————
Under the post, more and more comments poured in.
Though some voiced doubts about the three-volume release being too rushed, and whether this was planned from the start.
Those discussions quickly got drowned out by the buzz about Madoka Magica's sequel and sensei's personal gossip.
In the blink of an eye,
———————————————————————
Three days had passed.
At school, after classes.
In a certain empty multifunctional classroom.
"Finally planning to stop avoiding me?"
Akifumi grinned at the awkwardly fidgeting Eriri,
"Whatever the problem is, let's talk it out, okay?"