A few hours later, Akifumi social media was flooded with posts from fans.
———————————————————————
"???"
"What's going on with these last two volumes?! Sensei, please don't scare me like this!!"
"I'm too scared to handle this!! Please don't bring out the knife!!"
"Wasn't this supposed to be healing? Why does it feel like it's heading towards an emotional wreck instead?!"
"Calm down, calm down! Let's think this through… I can't think straight at all!! What on earth is going on?! I feel like I'm going to crack!!"
"I can only say, Arima's monologue was way too terrifying! Please, for the love of everything, don't let this end like that!!"
"Those pages where Kaori and Arima's mother overlap almost made me cry! Sensei, please come out and tell us—will we be getting more knives or sugar after this?! Ugh!"
"Who said there were only two volumes this month?! Come out here, I'm going to punch you!!"
"Ugh, it's so frustrating! Why does it have to stop right here, at such a crucial point!!"
"Weren't we promised it would end in April? Only two volumes this month, how is this going to wrap up next time?!"
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Seeing Kaori in the hospital, and the exchange during her visit, fans were overwhelmed with a sense of dread.
But the next chapter didn't focus on Kaori at all, which only made their unease grow.
It reached the point where even the performances, once something fans would have eagerly anticipated, now took a backseat.
They loved a character so much that they laughed, cried, and celebrated her experiences.
Without a doubt, Miyazono Kaori was an incredibly successful character in Your Lie in April.
That's why everyone was so unsettled by her hospitalization and Arima's ominous monologue.
For those fans who initially thought this was a healing story, the situation felt more like an emotional downfall instead, and they began to analyze it with increasing detachment.
———————————————————————
"It's obvious, everyone was fooled by how the story started. This is undoubtedly sensei's usual style!"
"The plot might change, but the knife will come, there's no doubt about it!"
"That's right, the heart-wrenching pain is what I love about this Sensei's work!!"
"After reading the latest two volumes, I flipped through the previous ones and realized sensei had already set up so many foreshadowing moments."
"Remember when Kaori asked Arima to play for her? Her words, 'support me—the me who's about to be crushed,' could this be hinting that she's about to be defeated by her illness, and her life is coming to an end?"
"Even when she collapsed at the competition and had to be hospitalized, the signs were clear."
"Her life is fragile, almost fading away, yet she's still fighting to shine. It's like a firefly's weak, fleeting life—such a foreshadowing!"
"And, 'Your Lie in April'—is this really just a girl hiding her feelings for a boy? Could every word in Arima's monologue be another reason for the lies?"
———————————————————————
Looking back, these analyses seemed so obvious, and they were incredibly persuasive. But…
———————————————————————
"Stop analyzing it! I won't believe anything unless sensei says so!!"
"These explanations could explain Kaori's strange symptoms, but there's more than one possibility! I'm sure this is just a process before healing begins!!"
"No way, it's already so obvious, and some people still refuse to believe it?"
"Think about sensei's past works. Every move is justified, like the rule that if you stop playing, you get eliminated. That rule doesn't change!"
"What do I do? I'm scared to see the ending of Volume 4."
"Is there really going to be a knife? No, not my Kaori!!"
"You evil bastard, don't hurt Kaori! Doesn't your conscience hurt?!"
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With such clear logic, many fans were beginning to lean towards the emotional wreck theory.
Of course, some still firmly believed that this was just the painful process before the light at the end of the tunnel.
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.
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"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.
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"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 April—everyone 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.