— — — — — —
After school, Oikawa headed straight for the Literature Club to continue rehearsing the school festival performance.
"Oikawa-kun, wait!"
Halfway there, he heard someone calling out to him.
Yui Yuigahama jogged up from behind.
"Oikawa-kun, why do you walk so fast every day?"
He really did. The moment the dismissal bell rang, he rushed straight to the Literature Club.
Mostly so he could chat more with Zaimokuza.
After all, Zaimokuza had only joined because Oikawa dragged him in. Once Kawasaki arrived and the tutoring session began, Zaimokuza basically became background decoration.
In a way, Oikawa felt a little bad for him.
"Oikawa-kun, it seems really windy today."
Oikawa slowed down, and the two walked side by side toward the activity building.
"Would be better if it got stronger."
Oikawa glanced at Yui's skirt fluttering in the wind and answered without thinking.
Her swaying skirt in the breeze was like a lottery ticket with most of the winning numbers already matched, just waiting for the final draw.
"What do you mean better? If it gets any stronger, it'll be a typhoon."
"If a typhoon comes, we'll have to stay home and won't even be able to come to school. That'd be so boring."
Yui looked unhappy.
"Doesn't Chiba get typhoons every year? You should get used to it."
Human joys really weren't universal.
Being able to stay home all day was amazing, especially with snacks and video games.
"I want to live in Sydney someday. I heard the weather's spring-like all year round and it barely rains."
"I also heard only the world's best musicians get to perform at the Sydney Opera House. If I could stand on that stage, I could die without regrets!"
Yui's eyes drifted, her soul seemingly floating all the way to Sydney.
Still… Don't talk about dying so casually. It hurts, you know.
Oikawa said, "Yui-chan, I don't think I've ever heard you talk about what you want to do in the future. Are you planning to study singing?"
Singing was the only hobby of Yui's that Oikawa really knew. The last time they went to karaoke, she'd practically monopolized the microphone the entire time. That said, she really did sing well.
"You think I should study singing too, Oikawa-kun?"
Yui's eyes widened, clearly surprised he'd said that.
"…I just thought your singing sounds really good. That's why I asked."
"Thank you. That makes me really happy."
A sweet smile spread across her face at the compliment.
"But I haven't decided yet. I've considered making a living from singing, but it feels like that path would be really difficult. I'm not very persistent, so it's mostly just a thought."
Admitting her true feelings made Yui a little embarrassed. She felt oddly unsure of herself.
"That's fine."
"What do you mean, 'that's fine'?"
She continued, "Shouldn't you be encouraging me to stick with it? What if a few words from you changed the course of my life?"
"Then your life course would be way too easy to change." Oikawa chuckled softly.
"Hey, don't laugh at me!"
Yui looked surprisingly intimidating when she got mad. Her eyes widened as if she were trying to glare him to death.
"I'm not, really."
Oikawa stopped smiling, walked a few steps up the stairs, then turned to face her. "I just think it doesn't matter whether you study music or not. As long as you're happy, that's enough."
"There's nothing you absolutely have to do. If there's something you think would make you happy to achieve, just head in that direction. And if you get tired from trying, it's okay to stop and rest."
"Happiness matters most."
Yui looked up at him from the bottom of the stairs.
The smile on the boy's face made her feel warm all over.
He… was shining.
---
.
It had been over a week since the announcement that the second volume of Your Lie in April would be released.
Even though Dengeki hadn't done any promotion at all, as time passed, more and more readers learned that the second half was coming.
Some loyal fans even started posting on social media on their own, adding the line "Your Lie in April second volume coming soon" to their posts.
Many people didn't understand the publisher's move.
"Why isn't there any promotion?"
"This is weird. What's wrong with Dengeki Bunko? They're not promoting a book as big as Your Lie in April?"
"Did Oikawa-sensei really fight with the publisher?"
"At this rate, the second volume won't flop, right? I kind of feel bad for Oikawa-sensei."
Most readers aimed their complaints at Dengeki Bunko.
...
Inside Dengeki Bunko.
Kazuma Miki looked at the online comments and felt a headache coming on.
If they clarified things and told readers in advance that Your Lie in April was actually a depressing story, sales would definitely plummet.
But if they didn't clarify, they'd keep getting criticized like this.
"Why insist on being so arrogant? Is it really that hard to just write something readers like? Why go through all this?"
Miki complained about Oikawa again.
In his view, talk about top-tier writers, award-winning debuts, once-in-a-decade genius… all of that was meaningless.
Only profit for Dengeki mattered.
After thinking for a moment, Miki picked up the phone. Not long after, Ayame Kagurazaka walked in.
"Editor-in-chief, you wanted to see me?"
She looked a bit worn out. This issue had been weighing on her heavily lately.
"In a moment, contact author Oikawa. Have him cooperate with you on an interview. These questions must be included."
Miki handed her a sticky note with three or four questions written on it.
["'What does Oikawa-sensei think about the second volume of Your Lie in April? What kind of reading experience do you believe it will bring readers?'"]
["'As everyone knows, Your Lie in April is a healing story. What mindset did you have while writing it?'"]
["'The second volume was completed in such a short time. Did Oikawa-sensei already plan the entire story in advance, or was it finished when the first volume was released?'"]
Kagurazaka looked at the questions and hesitated.
"Editor-in-chief… aren't these questions a bit inappropriate?"
"Are you the editor-in-chief, or am I?"
"As long as I think they're appropriate, that's enough. You can go now. Close the door on your way out."
Kagurazaka frowned even more deeply.
.
.
.