— — — — — —
As expected. The moment news spread that Oikawa had already finished revising his manuscript and that his book would be released early in August, the "12th Dengeki Bunko Authors Group Chat" exploded.
"@Copycat Transmigrator Explain yourself!"
"I treated Oikawa like a brother, and he treats me like a fool?"
"I wasn't even rushing my revisions. I figured I had time since Oikawa-kun was still working on his. Damn it, I got completely fooled!"
"Does anyone know Oikawa's address? I want to pay him a visit."
"Oh, I'm coming with you."
"Sigh… I also want to go, but my wife won't agree."
"Is she still mad at you after my wife snitched about that prostitute?"
"Fuck you, it was YOU. I wasn't even there… Ugh, out of all the names you could've said, why me?"
"…Sorry?"
Reading the messages flooding the chat, Oikawa couldn't help laughing.
These people all looked so serious and introverted when you met them in person. Yet online they had somehow all turned into comedians.
After thinking about his wording for a moment, Oikawa finally replied, "The wind outside was a little strong. Alone in an empty room, I couldn't help but open my computer, hoping to find a bit of light. I suppose inspiration struck. Words poured endlessly through my mind, and I felt an uncontrollable urge to express them. As I looked at the letters on the keyboard, my left hand typed rapidly… and my right hand probably did the same."
"???"
"???"
"???"
The entire group instantly transformed into an army of question marks, as if they wanted to smash them straight into Oikawa's face through the phone screen.
"Next time we have a meetup for authors from the same batch, drinks are on me. My treat!"
The moment Oikawa sent that message, the storm of accusations finally died down.
Sure enough.
Nothing showed sincerity quite like actual money.
---
11:00 PM.
The night was deep and quiet.
Only two figures walked along the empty sidewalk, looking a little lonely.
Oikawa rode his bicycle. Kawasaki Saki walked beside him.
Before, she always carried her own bag. But recently Oikawa had started carrying it instead, feeling that he might have been a bit too harsh on her in the past.
"Oikawa, which university are you planning to apply to?"
Unlike their usual quiet walks, the moon tonight was unusually full.
"Probably the University of Tokyo. Or maybe Keio."
Oikawa had already thought carefully about it. Those two schools were his top choices, especially for literature.
After all, he couldn't write light novels forever.
He remembered seeing interviews with many great figures.
When asked why they no longer acted in comedies or in the genres they once specialized in, they always gave an answer that stuck with Oikawa.
"When you get older, you can't do those ridiculous things the same way you did when you were young."
Oikawa had always been the type who thought far ahead.
If one day he got married, had kids, and reached his forties…
Would he really still be writing light novels?
He wasn't sure.
"What about you?" Oikawa asked.
Kawasaki looked ahead as she walked. "I'll probably go to a university with cheap tuition. I can't afford expensive schools."
The air suddenly felt heavy.
Oikawa paused for a moment, then stopped his bike and looked at her.
Kawasaki avoided his gaze.
"You girl… you're not thinking of asking me to lower your tutoring fee, are you? Let me tell you right now, that's impossible! My rate is already extremely cheap!"
"You can ask around. A top student like me charging you 1,000 yen per hour is practically a giveaway!"
Kawasaki glared at him fiercely, her eyes radiating pure murderous intent.
But after some intense internal struggle, her expression cooled.
Without saying another word, she grabbed the bag from Oikawa's bike and started walking ahead.
From the hair tie holding her ponytail to the white-and-green sneakers on her feet, everything about her seemed to scream, "I'm angry."
Oikawa quickly chased after her. "Hey, it's not like I can't lower it at all."
"How about 900 yen per hour? That's really the biggest discount I can give."
Kawasaki said nothing.
If anything, she walked faster.
"800! 800 yen, okay?"
"That's not even a friendship price anymore. That's family pricing! Kawasaki, you can't expect me to lose money here!"
Kawasaki paused.
Then she suddenly started running.
"700! 700 yen, alright?!"
"Kawasaki! Hey, wait up—!"
The wind carried Oikawa's voice down the street.
But by then their figures had already disappeared into the night.
The girl ran ahead.
The boy chased behind on his bicycle.
...
..
The release date for Your Lie in April was set for early August, with promotional activities beginning in early July.
For now, Oikawa only had one thing left to worry about.
The illustrations.
For the past few nights, he had been discussing character designs over video calls with the illustrator, Haimura Kiyotaka.
Haimura had a serious face and carried himself with the same serious demeanor. Yet during their conversations, he would occasionally drop a completely deadpan joke.
Every time it caught Oikawa off guard and made him burst out laughing.
Funny people telling jokes weren't always that funny. But when a serious person suddenly delivered one, it could be hilarious.
Still, when it came to work, Haimura was extremely meticulous.
Even the smallest flaw in a detail would be revised carefully.
"Haimura-sensei, the Kosei Arima I imagine is someone who can smile… but whose smile always carries a hint of sadness."
"The glasses should be those nerdy black frames. His hair slightly messy. Most of his clothes should have darker tones. The brightest thing about him should be his eyes."
"As for the heroine, Kaori Miyazono, she's cheerful and lively. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Her clothes are fashionable. I mean her skirt should be a bit shorter than the school uniform, but not in a way that feels suggestive. Do you understand what I mean?"
For some reason, while describing Kaori…
The image of Kawasaki Saki suddenly appeared in Oikawa's mind.
He chuckled awkwardly. He had no idea why.
Were they similar?
Not even close.
Kaori's bright smile…
Oikawa doubted he would ever see something like that on Kawasaki's face in this lifetime.
That woman…
Not only was she violent, she genuinely never smiled.
"And as for Tsubaki Sawabe, in my mind she's an energetic girl who takes everything seriously, though she can be a little impulsive…"
Oikawa continued describing the characters one by one.
.
.
.