["This is way too arrogant."]
["I've never seen such an arrogant screenwriter."]
["That old thief Su Yan must be the type who looks handsome on the surface but is actually extremely twisted inside—deliberately writing depressing plots, then hiding behind the scenes watching us go crazy while he laughs."]
["I'm about to die of anger, and he's still smiling."]
["Does anyone know where Su Yan lives? I'm in Tokyo—I'm going to his place to challenge him to a duel."]
[…]
["You might stand a chance if you bring a group of delinquents with you. Going alone? That's just asking to get beaten up."]
["If he uses even a little strength, you'd probably get knocked out instantly."]
["Su Yan may be wicked and have terrible taste—but he's not weak, bro!"]
["Is there really no one who can stop him? He's way too cocky!"]
["What can you do? His works are insanely popular. He's both the investor and the screenwriter, and even the directors don't dare talk back to him. No one can touch him."]
["Usually when Su Yan posts something like this on his account, it means a major plot point is coming."]
["Last time he did this was when Tomoe Mami died in 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'."]
["No, when the Rider died in 'Fate/Zero', he did something similar to."]
["And the breakup episode in 'Tokyo Love Story' as well."]
["Hey, hey, stop scaring people! Why are all your examples like this?!"]
["No choice—every time he does this, something big happens."]
Seeing these comments online, Xi Yining's heart sank to the bottom.
No way…
But the more she thought about it, the worse she felt.
Back when 'Tokyo Love Story' first aired, who could have predicted it would turn out like that?
Kimi ni Todoke had been sweet for three whole months—ending with a wave of angst didn't seem that impossible anymore.
She glanced at the time.
7:55 PM.
Five minutes until broadcast.
On the TV, Sakura TV was still airing commercials.
Her anxiety kept rising.
At exactly 8:00 PM, Episode 17 of 'Kimi ni Todoke' began airing on time.
The moment it started, discussions online and in fan groups dropped by 99%—everyone gathered in front of their TVs.
And the title of this episode was—
["Tell You!"]
Hmm…
At first glance, it seemed like a pretty good title.
But remembering that last week's episode was titled ["The Person I Like"], Xi Yining lost all sense of optimism.
["Su Yan… please don't lose your mind and turn this into a tragic ending…"]
The episode continued from last week.
Due to their earlier misunderstanding, Kuronuma Sawako and Kazehaya Shota both believed the other didn't like them, sinking into emotional lows.
And among them—
Kurumi was the most confused.
As a romantic rival who had already been rejected by Kazehaya, she paid close attention to both him and Sawako. She immediately sensed something was wrong and directly questioned Sawako.
But Sawako's single line—
"I was rejected by him!"
—completely short-circuited her brain.
For Kurumi—and for millions of viewers in Xia Nation—
If these two wanted to be together, it should be easier than proving one plus one equals two.
And yet, something so simple had turned into this mess.
Kurumizawa instantly got angry.
And just like that, the audience's emotional immersion kicked in.
Xi Yining had never expected to resonate so strongly with a second female lead.
"I've already conveyed all my feelings to him. Even though I was rejected. You, who have done nothing wrong, shouldn't lump yourself together with me."
Kurumi's line was practically a god-tier assist.
Even though she didn't know the full story, it didn't take a genius to guess—these two must have fallen into another ridiculous misunderstanding.
["Exactly! Every time! Kurumizawa, you're the smartest person in this show!"]
Xi Yining leaned closer to the TV, completely forgetting how she had criticized this character weeks ago. She kept nodding, her eyes full of admiration.
Confusion. Distance.
Yet both of them were filled with questions they wanted to ask each other.
As the episode progressed, Episode 17 seemed to depict ordinary school life—but underneath it all, their desire to once again express their true feelings grew stronger and stronger.
And then—
The school festival arc began.
This kind of event wasn't common in the inland Xia Nation, but it was very typical in Sakurajima.
Each class organized activities to attract visitors from both inside and outside the school.
And Sawako, under everyone's expectations, took on the role of a fortune teller for her class's booth.
At this point, Xi Yining felt a bit confused about where the story was heading.
There were hints… but the main thread of the episode still felt unclear.
Sawako increasingly wanted to find Kazehaya again and tell him everything in her heart.
Meanwhile, Kazehaya had convinced himself that the person Sawako liked wasn't him—and that keeping his distance might prevent her from being disliked by other girls at school.
As the school festival came to an end—
Sawako finally overcame her anxiety and fear.
Just as she was about to leave the school, she turned back.
She knew Kazehaya was still there—in the classroom.
"Forget it… It doesn't matter anymore." Sawako suddenly said to Chizuru and Yano beside her.
"Huh? What doesn't matter?"
"It doesn't matter who Kazehaya-kun likes anymore. You two go ahead."
Sawako turned around—and ran toward the school building.
Xi Yining froze for a moment.
Then suddenly jumped from the sofa onto the table in excitement.
["No way—seriously?!"]
["Su Yan, don't lie to me!"]
["OHHHHHHHH—could it be?!"]
Under the setting sun, Sawako ran with all her strength.
Her inner monologue echoed in her heart.
And at the moment she entered the school building—
She brushed past Kurumizawa, whose expression was calm, her eyes no longer clouded with confusion.
For some reason, Xi Yining's eyes grew moist.
Kurumizawa definitely knew what effect her earlier words would have in this episode.
If she truly wanted to be with Kazehaya, the best strategy would've been to let their misunderstanding deepen—giving herself a chance.
But Kurumizawa was calculating—
not without dignity.
What she wanted was a Kazehaya who genuinely liked her—not this kind of hollow relationship.
She knew exactly what Sawako was running back to the classroom to do.
But she didn't stop her.
She simply walked out of the school quietly.
On the other side—
Sawako's inner monologue continued:
"I'm scared… I'm shy… I don't even know how he sees me… What have I been hesitating for all this time?"
"There's so much… I want to tell him…"
In the school corridor, the orange glow of the sunset slanted through the windows.
The girl's running figure broke the light into scattered fragments—
youthful energy practically overflowed from the screen.
"I want to break through… break through the wall between us."
"I want to tell you… tell you…"
The girl stopped in front of her classroom door.
Inside, the boy stood alone, watching the gradually emptying campus.
At that moment—
Sawako placed her hand on the door.
The unease in her eyes faded, leaving only determination.
She wasn't here to seek a result.
She just wanted to express her feelings—without regret.
If what Kurumizawa said was true—that there had been a misunderstanding—
Then this time, she would make sure to convey her feelings in a way that left no room for misunderstanding.
"Tell him."
The ending theme began to play.
The smile on Xi Yining's face froze.
Her fists clenched.
Anger surged—
Before she could even shout—
From next door, upstairs, downstairs, and throughout the entire residential complex—
screams erupted almost simultaneously.
["WHAT THE HELL?! It ends here?! Is the screenwriter even human?!"]
["Who wrote this script?!"]
["Cutting it off here—this is disgusting!"]
Hearing the furious shouts echoing through the neighborhood late at night, Xi Yining resisted the urge to join in—it was just too intense.
Still…
She took a deep breath and looked at the ending credits.
Another week.
Another whole week of waiting.
Seriously—
Su Yan had never once made a show like a normal human being.