Threats involving knives, cockroaches, and dead rats were not uncommon.
Some even more extreme fans went so far as to make more intense threats.
To this, Akifumi's expression remained completely unshaken.
Was he scared of these things?
Ridiculous! Not at all!
These guys thought that just because he spent his days drawing, he was weak?
Their pain would only fuel his amusement!
But still…
As he looked at the messages, Akifumi couldn't help but sigh.
"Such a pity…"
This kind of fun was coming to an end!
The Stone Gate was drawing closer to its conclusion, and once the final truth was revealed, these fans would no longer be in pain.
And he wouldn't get to witness the joy of tormenting them anymore.
So…
"Before they're happy, let's bring them a little more suffering!"
Akifumi's eyes gleamed with determination.
He decisively stopped looking for fun and began the final stages of wrapping things up.
Time always easily heals many wounds.
............….
The new week arrived, and Friday, May 31st, had come.
After a few days had passed, the difficult feelings in people's hearts were gradually pushed aside.
It wasn't that they had forgotten, but they simply didn't want to dwell on it too much.
As for when they would start thinking about it again, no one knew.
But the remaining two episodes still left a glimmer of hope in many hearts.
Though happy endings weren't Akifumi's style, wouldn't it be better if it just ended with this episode?
Of course, this was just a beautiful fantasy in the minds of some fans.
Most people had already given up by episode 22.
They didn't expect Kurisu to be saved.
———————————————————————
"Speaking of which, today is May 31st, right? Time flies!"
In the classroom, Tanaka couldn't help but exclaim.
"May 31st?" Tabata froze for a moment, then realized.
"Oh, you mean the new announcement sensei mentioned?"
"Huh, aren't you guys curious?"
"Curious," Tadakuni replied weakly. "But right now, I… uh..."
As he spoke, the boy started crying.
Tabata rolled his eyes. "Hah, weakling."
"It's just that Kurisu got stabbed. What's so bad about it?"
Tanaka paused for a moment, then pointed at Tabata's eyes.
"Even if your tone is tough, the tears at the corner of your eyes have already given you away."
"You… how do you manage to say such cruel things with such a calm tone!?"
"That was Kurisu! She just died! Just like that!!"
Faced with their complaints, Tanaka calmly shrugged off the tension and replied, "Because I cried a long time ago."
"When I saw Kurisu talk about the first few D-mai1s, I went back to review them."
From the moment he saw the first D-mai1, he had already started crying!
When he watched episode 22, his emotions were like stagnant water, with no ripples at all.
Because his tears had already dried up.
Tabata and Tadakuni fell silent.
They patted Tanaka's shoulder. "There's probably no fan who's more devoted to her than you."
"That's obvious!" Tanaka proudly lifted his head.
———————————————————————
With anticipation, Friday's classes finally ended.
After enduring a few more hours, the time came, and it was 8 PM.
"What will it be?!"
As Tanaka eagerly refreshed the page, sure enough, a new post appeared!
"Everyone, how have these days been? Are you still healthy? Eating well?"
The first sentence of the post made Tanaka fall silent.
How had these days been?
Well, it had been… too damn good!
He was healthy, but what did food even taste like?
A simple sentence had provoked the anger of even a hardcore fan like Tanaka, let alone the other fans.
Suppressing his fury, Tanaka continued reading.
"Thanks to everyone's support, the sales of 'Akame ga Kill' have been great! After discussing with the editor, we've decided to release a new volume every month!"
"That means the second volume of 'Akame ga Kill' will be out next month, probably around mid-June."
Reading this, Tanaka nodded in satisfaction.
Now, that was more like it!
You damn mangaka, keep drawing! As long as you don't drop dead, just keep drawing!! No breaks allowed!!
This is redemption for the characters you've hurt one by one!!
"Regarding recent comments on 'Stone Gate,' cough, I mean 'Steins;Gate,' I've seen them."
"I originally wanted everyone to find the answer themselves, but so many people have been asking for spoilers… and since I'm someone who spoils my fans, here's the answer."
"The line is not the real ending. Neither Mayuri nor Kurisu will die."
"Don't know if this will make you happy?"
'Kurisu… won't die?!'
Tanaka's eyes went wide, sparkling with disbelief.
Then, a current seemed to pass through his spine, his whole body stiffening.
Followed by an overwhelming joy flooding his heart!
"It's a happy ending!"
Tanaka was on the verge of tears, but suddenly remembered the tears he shed for Kurisu a few days ago.
Then he realized that episode 23 of Steins;Gate was about to air tomorrow.
The joy that had risen in his heart just moments ago vanished in an instant.
Why had he been crying these days!?
And why was he spoiled a day before he could find the answers on his own!?
He could almost feel a large, red, comically-shaped nose forming on the tip of his nose.
"Damn it!!"
With only two episodes left, who wanted to know the ending in advance!?
Compared to the spoiler from the mangaka himself, Tanaka harbored even more resentment toward the latter!
———————————————————————
"Since I knew the new post was coming today, I decided to combine everything, hope you understand."
"Now that that's out of the way, here's the main event!"
"I'm sure many of you have been wondering what I'm going to announce —"
"Now, let me reveal the answer!"
"The game I personally created, The Witch's House, will be available tonight at 8 PM on the Steam platform. I hope everyone supports it~"
"As for the story of this game, it was a little idea I had one day, which sparked my inspiration, and I just couldn't resist learning how to make a game... In short, the process was pretty tough."
"I'm really happy with the story the game tells and hope you all enjoy it!"
"Of course, being a newcomer in the game industry, I know you may have concerns about the game's quality."
"However, on the Steam platform, as long as the game time is less than 2 hours, you can get a refund. Rather than worry, why not give it a try? What do you think?"
"Once everyone plays through all the endings, I'll post the prequel comic and novel on SNS, so keep an eye out!"
———————————————————————
Looking at the final message, Tanaka was stunned.
A… game?