— — — — — —
Arima Kousei never got to meet Miyazono Kaori as promised.
At the exact moment the piano began to play, it was as if Kaori's soul appeared onstage, performing alongside him, finishing the piece together.
When the final note faded, the audience erupted into thunderous applause.
Everyone was shouting Kousei's name at the top of their lungs.
Everyone except Kousei.
Because he alone seemed to hear Kaori's voice by his ear, soft and gentle, "Kousei… goodbye."
And then, he saw her.
Not the Kaori he knew, but something softer, brighter.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom. She stood beneath the tree, hands clasped behind her back, smiling just like the first time they met, waving farewell.
...
A screenshot with that passage suddenly spread across every major social platform.
Readers everywhere saw it.
First came silence. Then denial. Then outrage.
["No way this is the ending of Your Lie in April. I don't believe it. I refuse to believe it!!!"]
["Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"]
["How can Your Lie in April be depressing? It's supposed to be healing!"]
["Kaori… my Kaori… how could she die? This has to be fake!"]
["Awooo… please don't do this to me. I'm begging you…"]
...
..
Oikawa Toru, meanwhile, had no idea any of this was happening.
At that moment, he was busy finishing Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
At first, he assumed it wouldn't take long. After all, he'd breezed through the previous two games. But this one proved exactly why it took up so much space.
And honestly, it was worth every bit of what he paid.
"Good ending… I was sure Harry was going to die. Interesting."
After the credits rolled, Oikawa picked up his phone... And froze.
Dozens of missed calls.
A few from Kagurazaka Ayame. The rest from Hiratsuka Shizuka.
And that wasn't all. His Twitter inbox was flooded with unread messages.
A bad feeling crept into his chest.
He quickly opened Twitter to see what was going on.
Three minutes later, his expression went blank.
"…What the hell?"
"Who leaked my ending?"
Staring at the screenshot circulating online, Oikawa felt a surge of irritation.
After a moment's thought, one name surfaced in his mind.
"Dengeki Bunko …That editor-in-chief, Kazuma Miki?"
His eyes turned cold.
He'd already suspected Miki was behind the sudden wave of negative reviews before.
And now this?
Was he seriously pushing his luck?
Did he think Oikawa was some kid he could bully however he liked?
Oikawa frowned.
The leak had caught him completely off guard.
Just as he was thinking about how to deal with it, a Line message popped up.
From Chris Yamada.
They hadn't reached a deal last time, but they'd exchanged contact info.
"Oikawa-sensei, I spoke with the editor-in-chief of FULL-DRIVE Bunko. If you're willing to join us, we can offer a 12% royalty rate for your next book. If you're unsure, we can sign an electronic contract right now."
Oikawa blinked at the message.
…Buying loyalty with a grand gesture?
Even he felt like he wasn't quite worth that price yet.
Twelve percent royalties.
At Dengeki Bunko, that kind of deal was reserved for the best authors they had.
Of course, he knew exactly what FULL-DRIVE Bunko was doing—trying to win him over.
But sometimes, straightforward offers like this… felt surprisingly good.
Another message from Chris came in. "If the rate doesn't meet your expectations, we can meet in person and discuss further."
Oikawa thought for a moment, then replied. "Let's talk after Your Lie in April is released. It'll work out better for both of us."
He set his phone down, opened the window, and took a deep breath.
The ending had been leaked ahead of time.
That was bad.
But also not entirely bad.
The more controversy Your Lie in April stirred up, the more attention it would get. More attention meant more readers.
Sometimes, being infamous still meant being famous.
And the quality of this book? Top-tier.
Oikawa trusted that time would prove it.
"Miki… looks like you've been playing the business game too long."
"But you've forgotten something important. A writer speaks through their work."
Just like Dengeki Bunko's founding ideal— Never let great works gather dust. Never let great authors fade into obscurity.
Yes, the storm surrounding Your Lie in April was massive. But the bigger the storm, the more valuable the catch.
Oikawa's eyes sharpened, every cell in his body buzzing with excitement.
...
..
Crow Bookstore—
A small shop tucked away in a corner of Tokyo.
The owner was an elderly man with glasses, once a literature professor. After retiring, he opened this bookstore—not for profit, but because he couldn't bear to see his treasured books collecting dust.
On most days, the shop barely saw two or three customers.
But after his granddaughter came to Tokyo for school, things began to change. A small shelf of light novels appeared, and every now and then, a few teenagers would wander in.
Crow Bookstore always opened at exactly eight in the morning, rain or shine.
As the clock on the wall crept toward the hour, the old man picked up a copy of Your Lie in April and set it beside the register.
His granddaughter had called him yesterday, reminding him to save her a copy no matter what.
He'd skimmed a bit of it himself. The writing was undeniably good… but he was long past the age for stories about love and heartbreak.
After straightening his hair in the mirror, he opened the shop door. And immediately froze.
A long line stretched out in front of the store. More people than he'd normally see in half a month combined.
"Boss, you've got Your Lie in April, right?"
"Your Lie in April?"
"Yeah, you had the first volume a few months ago, didn't you?"
"…Ah, yes. I do," the Crow Bookstore owner replied, still a bit confused.
"Can we buy it now? Hurry, I can't wait! And do you still have the first volume? I wasn't interested before, but now I am."
Behind him, a man shouted, "Everyone, remember—if this really ends badly, we're going after the author! Murder is illegal, so we'll just beat him until he apologizes at Kaori's grave!"
"Man, I've never felt this nervous before. It's like opening a priceless gacha…"
"Shopowner, can we go in yet?!"
Listening to the noisy chatter of the teenagers outside, the old man suddenly smiled.
Ah… to be young.
He changed his mind. Maybe he should sit down and really read this Your Lie in April himself, and see what made it so captivating.
...
..
At a bookstore in Chiba Prefecture—
Ebina Hina and Miura Yumiko stood in line, glancing at the promotional posters outside. They couldn't help but laugh.
Just like the first volume, the ads still framed it as a "healing" story.
'No pain that cannot be healed. No despair that cannot end.'
'After hardship comes open skies and endless seas. Open Your Lie in April and let it warm this autumn.'
'I loved you for ten years. This April, I'll finally tell you.'
'Even faint starlight can still guide your way forward.'
Some of the posters were clearly reused from the first volume, the wording slightly off.
"The owner looked so worried when he came out earlier," Ebina said with a giggle. "I bet he nearly fainted when he saw this line."
Miura glanced around, puzzled. "Honestly, I don't get it. People online are tearing it apart, and yet look at this crowd."
Ebina shrugged. "Compared to feel-good stories, I actually prefer the tragic kind."
"As for everyone else… who knows. Maybe they want to read something new."
For her, a bad ending had its own strange appeal.
Miura's eyes showed a hint of admiration. "I just like the author's writing. He's only seventeen and already this good… that's impressive."
"Hey, Yumiko."
Ebina suddenly lit up, as if struck by an idea. "I read that interview with the author. The Dengeki editor called him once 'Toru-kun.' Do you think it could be Oikawa Toru from our class?"
Miura shot her a flat look. "Why not say it's Tobe while you're at it?"
Ebina laughed. "Hey, Oikawa's grades are pretty good, okay?"
"Good?" Miura smirked. "I score higher than him in Japanese. If anything, you should be saying I wrote it."
"Enough talking, it's our turn!"
The moment they stepped inside, Miura's eyes lit up. She hurried straight toward the display for the final volume of Your Lie in April.
...
..
At the largest bookstore in Chiba City—
Oikawa and Kawasaki stood in line outside.
The crowd buzzed with chatter.
"Why are there so many people? Weren't they all saying they'd 'kill' the author? Then why are they here buying the book?"
"Exactly! Isn't that ridiculous? They know it's going to wreck them emotionally, and they still line up for it. Now I'm stuck waiting forever."
"Aren't you the same?"
"I'm different. I've had enough sweet romance. I want to savor some heartbreak for once."
"Yeah right, what a poser."
"Man, are we even going to get a copy? There must be close to a hundred people ahead of us."
"..."
Oikawa stared at the endless line, a bit stunned.
Even with all the promotional campaigns Dengeki Bunko had run before, he'd never seen anything like this.
And online? He was getting absolutely roasted.
His Twitter inbox was still sitting at 999+ unread messages. Japanese netizens had been ruthless. If he were a more sensitive author, he might've already broken down.
Fortunately, Oikawa had spent years toughening up his tolerance for trash talk in his previous life.
"Hey, Oikawa… maybe we should try another store?" Kawasaki suggested, eyeing the line with a frown.
"No need."
Oikawa grinned. "I asked Zaimokuza earlier. He's grabbing two copies for us and already on his way to my place."
Then he added, flashing an innocent smile, "Come over and read together. I can help you with your homework afterward."
Kawasaki looked at him, biting her lip lightly, "…Then promise me you won't do anything weird this time."
Her cheeks felt a little warm as she said it.
"Of course." Oikawa smiled. "I'm a perfect gentleman, okay? We're just reading and studying. Besides, Zaimokuza will be there too. What could I possibly do?"
Kawasaki stared at him for a long moment.
In the end, she nodded, a little hesitant.
'YES,' Oikawa quietly clenched his fist.
Zaimokuza, of course, wasn't coming.
As for whether anything would happen, and how far it might go… that would depend on the situation.
...
At the same time, Bookstore owners across Japan were staring at the same unbelievable scene.
It was supposed to be the release day for the Dengeki Bunko award-winning titles, yet most customers had come for one thing only— Your Lie in April, the final volume.
"Sir, we're currently out of stock. Please leave your number, and we'll notify you as soon as new copies arrive," the clerk said apologetically.
"Notify my ass. Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" an angry customer snapped. "What a waste of time."
"Manager!" an employee called out in panic. "More customers are asking for Your Lie in April. What do we do?"
"Keep them calm for now," the manager replied, rubbing his temples. "I'll call Dengeki Bunko."
"Damn it!" a frustrated customer shouted from the crowd. "What kind of bookstore runs out after selling only a few dozen copies? If you don't want to stay in business, just shut down already!"
"Sigh..." the employee shook his head. "Manager, I told you ages ago this would be a hit. Why didn't you order more?"
"What's the point of saying that now?" the manager let out a helpless sigh. "Just figure out how to restock the shelves!"
..
That day, bookstores went into full meltdown, and their owners redirected all the frustration from the crowd straight at Dengeki Bunko.
"Is this Dengeki? I want 200 copies of Your Lie in April right now… no, make that 500. Send them ASAP!"
"Hello, I called an hour ago. When are you delivering? Why is your distribution so slow?!"
"Damn it, my shop is the biggest in Shibuya. If you don't deliver soon, don't expect to work with me again!"
"No stock? I don't care if you have stock or not. Who told you to print so few in the first place?"
"Dengeki, I don't give a damn about your problems. I want Your Lie in April in my store today. If you mess with my business, you can forget about working with any Shibuya bookstore!"
...
..
Dengeki Bunko — Sales Department
Every employee was drenched in sweat, wishing they had four arms so they could answer four calls at once.
"Sorry, we're terribly sorry."
"Our apologies, we're shipping it now."
"Sorry! We'll get those 200 copies sent to your store immediately!"
The most commonly used phrase in the entire department was simple: "Sorry."
Finally, one team leader snapped.
He stormed into the section chief's office, fury written all over his face.
"Chief Ogami, what exactly did my team and I do wrong? Why are we the ones apologizing nonstop?"
"This is the editorial department's failure. It's the printing department that didn't produce enough copies. If you don't push them right now, I swear I'll have my entire team walk out. I'm not putting up with this anymore!"
Ogami kept a polite smile, calming him down and seeing him out of the office.
The moment the door closed, his expression flipped completely.
He grabbed the phone and dialed.
As soon as the call connected, he exploded.
"What the hell is your editorial department doing?! You only printed 70,000 for the final volume?!"
"I'm telling you right now, if you don't get the printing department to start another run, I'll lead the entire sales department on strike. Got it?!"
...
Editorial Department—
Ayame Kagurazaka hung up the phone with a bright smile, despite having just been yelled at.
She took a leisurely sip of her soda, in no hurry at all to submit a reprint request.
The moment the ending of Your Lie in April leaked online yesterday, it meant Editor-in-Chief Miki had already chosen to burn bridges.
At first, Ayame had been anxious.
She'd worried Oikawa might crumble under the backlash and the potential drop in sales.
But now? There was nothing to worry about.
This explosive success had slapped a lot of people in the face—and let her vent quite a bit of pent-up frustration.
Now, it all depended on how Miki handled the fallout.
He might be the editor-in-chief of Dengeki Bunko, but this wasn't his personal company. This situation was bound to blow up.
Even if they started reprinting now, the number of copies they could produce each day would still be limited.
And let's not forget—there were other Dengeki Award-winning titles waiting in line for printing too.
This time, Miki had really shot himself in the foot.
Ayame stretched lazily, preparing to disappear for a while.
Maybe add a little more fuel to the fire and watch it burn even brighter.
.
.
.