The rapid progress of the filming exceeded everyone's expectations. Even Leo Vance was somewhat surprised by the efficiency.
Filming had begun in mid-February, and by the end of March, in just a month and a half it was time for the final wrap-up. To the outsiders, this seemed rushed, but Leo knew the history of the industry. With the System's help and a cast that didn't need to "find" their characters, forty-five days was more than enough to capture lightning in a bottle.
The final scene, the climactic, distance-defying duet between Kousei Arima and Kaori Miyazono, was set in a massive, prestigious performance hall in Los Angeles. Upon learning that the "Honored One" himself was coming to film there, the venue's board of directors had cleared the schedule immediately.
Just as the lighting rigs were being finalized, a couple in their fifties, their hair streaked with premature white, approached the set.
"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" Chloe Summers rushed to greet them, her face lighting up despite the fatigue.
"Chloe, we just spoke to your specialist," her mother said, her voice trembling. Her features were a mirror of Chloe's, but the stress of her daughter's illness made her look twenty years older. "He said you've been skipping your rest periods. You collapsed on set again two days ago!"
"I'm fine, Mom. Really," Chloe said, looking a bit sheepish. "If I told you I was filming a lead role, you would have locked me in the ward. I had to keep it a secret."
"I can support you, Chloe!" her mother cried, her eyes filling with tears. "Even if you never work another day in your life, we will find a way. We'll sell the house if we have to!"
Her father nodded heavily, his eyes full of a doting, desperate affection. They had already spent their life savings on her treatments, but they couldn't bear the thought of her exerting herself for a "dream" that might kill her.
Chloe shook her head, her gaze turning steady and resolute. "Mom, you know this is the only thing that makes me feel alive right now. If I'm forced to just wait for the end in a sterile room, then I'm already dead. Please don't force me to stop. This is my last scene. Once it's over, I'll go back with you."
Her parents hesitated. Finally, her mother nodded. "Alright. We'll wait until you finish today."
"I haven't finished," Chloe added, her voice ringing with a new courage. "I'm going back with you... because I want to have the surgery."
"The surgery?" Her parents were stunned.
Without the surgery, there was a high probability she would live for a few more months or years in a weakened state. But with the surgery, the mortality rate was a staggering 50%.
Chloe laughed heartily, her spirit unbroken. "I've spent the last month as Kaori Miyazono. She had the courage to go under the knife because she had someone she wanted to play for. I'm the same. This month has been the happiest time of my life. Even if it fails, I have no regrets. But I want to fight. I believe that a girl as cute as me... God wouldn't be cruel enough to take me away just yet."
The Final Take.
"YOUR LIE IN APRIL CREW!" "Scene 10! Take 12! ACTION!"
As David P. snapped the clapperboard, the performance hall fell into a vacuum of silence.
This scene depicted Kaori Miyazono lying in a hospital bed, undergoing surgery, while Kousei Arima performed on stage. Though miles apart, their souls began a duet that transcended time and space. On set, Leo and Chloe performed together; the hospital footage would be interspersed during editing.
Leo sat at the grand piano. This was where he truly showcased the [Heaven-Defying Musical Instrument Skill] he had exchanged from the System. His fingers danced across the keys with a technique so sublime it would have left world-class virtuosos in awe.
Beside him, Chloe raised her violin. Under Leo's guidance, she had practiced this final piece hundreds of times in the last month. The piano and violin blended perfectly, complementing each other like the tides and the moon.
It wasn't just music; it was a symphony of life, a defiant roar against an unfair fate.
Everyone present, the crew, the hall staff, and Chloe's parents felt as if their very souls were being elevated. They closed their eyes, their breath hitching as the melody reached its crescendo.
"Cut! We got it!" David P.'s voice finally broke the spell.
For a long moment, there was only silence. Then, a single person began to clap. A second later, hundreds of staff members were on their feet, applauding in unison with tears streaming down their faces. It wasn't just a "good take"; it was a resonance that reached into the core of their being.
Chloe came off the stage, looking proud and waiting for her parents' approval.
"I agree," her mother whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
"You agree to the surgery?" Chloe asked, her eyes wide with joy.
"A 50% risk..." her father's lips trembled.
"Isn't that also a 50% success rate?" Chloe smiled, wrapping her arms around them. "I'll be fine. I promise."
Leo Vance stood by the monitors, his hearing sharpened by his improved physique. He had heard the entire conversation. Over the last month, he had grown genuinely fond of this resilient girl.
"System," Leo asked silently. "If Chloe goes through with the surgery naturally... what is the outcome?"
[System: Failure. Result: Death.]
Leo went cold. He realized the "50% chance" the doctors gave was just a statistical average. For the individual, it was either 0 or 100. And for Chloe, the dice were already loaded.
"You said you could make the success rate 100%," Leo questioned. "How?"
[System: As a reward for filming manga adaptations, the Host can acquire the abilities of the characters, including supporting roles.]
"Supporting roles?"
[System: Characters like Shoko Ieiri, Yuta Okkotsu, and Ryomen Sukuna possess the Reverse Cursed Technique. Their healing abilities are peerless. However, there is one individual whose ability to manipulate biological structures surpasses even them.]
"Who?"
[System: Mahito. His 'Idle Transfiguration' can reshape the soul and the body perfectly. To the System, a neurological disease is merely a structural error that can be 'corrected'.]
Leo's eyes darkened. He realized that to save his "April Maiden," he would have to master the most dangerous healing technique in his arsenal. The "Healing" drama was about to become a literal act of salvation.
Plz Drop Some Power Stones.
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