— — — — — —
Night had fallen over Chiba.
The wind seemed unusually restless.
Oikawa Toru sat on the bench, staring blankly at the tracks long after the train had disappeared into the distance. Only after several moments did he finally snap back to reality.
Just now... Had he seriously been kissed by force?
He'd always been the one stealing kisses from other people. Who would've thought the day would come when someone beat him at his own game?
More than anything, he was completely baffled. He genuinely couldn't figure out what Iroha Isshiki had been trying to do.
If that kiss had been part of her "confession practice"... She'd gone way further than he ever imagined.
And if it wasn't part of the practice...
Oikawa decided he'd rather not continue that line of thought. Things between him and Iroha were already pretty good as they were.
The last thing he wanted was for another girl to suddenly charge into his life, especially one who looked like she'd bring nothing but trouble.
Handling two was already difficult enough.
He rubbed his temples with a sigh.
Just then, several LINE notifications popped up.
They were all from Iroha Isshiki.
[Iroha]: Senpai, were you surprised?
[Iroha]: If I'd suddenly kissed Hayama-senpai like that, he'd definitely never forget me.
[Iroha]: So... is your heart racing a little too, Senpai?
[Iroha]: Hehe, pretty clever strategy, right?
Reading the messages, Oikawa frowned slightly.
"Could it really have just been... an experiment?" he wondered.
I can't tell. I seriously can't tell.
While he was still trying to make sense of it, another long message arrived.
[Iroha]: Senpai... you don't actually think I like you now, do you? Sorry, but even though you're really kind, and honestly just as handsome as Hayama-senpai... I'll admit I've been tempted a few times. But after thinking it over, I still can't accept sharing you with other girls... Besides, it's not like this is my first kiss. I'll let you in on a little secret. I already lost my first time ages ago too. And don't tell me you're still on your first kiss? If that's true, I'd feel really sorry for Saki-senpai.
Oikawa stared at the screen.
He clenched his fist.
Maybe he really was getting old, he thought.
How had he jumped to the conclusion that a girl liked him just because she'd kissed him?
After thinking for a moment, he started typing.
[Oikawa]: What am I supposed to do, then? You may not be on your first kiss anymore, but I still am. I was planning to save it for the girl I actually fall in love with someday. And then you stole it first... Sob... You have to take responsibility.
The chat stayed silent for quite a while.
Then Iroha's profile picture lit up again.
[Iroha]: Really? You're seriously telling me that was your first kiss?
[Iroha]: No way. You're lying, aren't you? There's no way someone like you was still on their first kiss.
[Iroha]: You're definitely lying!
Looking at the flood of messages, Oikawa nodded in satisfaction before putting his phone away.
"When is spring finally going to get here..."
He looked toward the sunset sinking beneath the horizon, pulled his coat a little tighter against the cold, and headed for the station.
The day had begun exactly as he'd expected. Its ending, however... that had been completely unexpected.
Still, it wasn't like he'd come out of it empty-handed. His fingers brushed against his lips, where the lingering sweetness of candied fruit remained, and his gaze drifted absentmindedly into the distance.
...
..
On the Keiyō Line train, Iroha sat alone in the corner of the carriage, her face so red it looked like molten steel fresh from a blast furnace.
She kept staring at her phone.
Waiting.
Waiting for another message to appear.
She refreshed the chat over and over. But nothing.
"Are you alright?" The elderly woman beside her looked over with concern. "Your face is awfully red. Are you feeling sick?"
"N-No, I'm fine. Thank you." Iroha waved her hands in panic. During the entire exchange, her eyes left the screen for only a few seconds before snapping right back.
After staring for another two or three minutes, she finally accepted that no more messages were coming.
With a disappointed expression, she put her phone away and leaned her head against the partition beside the window.
Every time she remembered what had happened before she boarded the train, her heart started pounding all over again.
On LINE... She'd lied to Oikawa. She'd claimed that it wasn't her first kiss. She'd even said she'd already lost her virginity.
She could fool Oikawa. But how could she fool herself?
Biting her lip, she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
She didn't know what was wrong with her. Why had she done something so stupid?
That had been her first kiss, and Oikawa wasn't interested in her at all.
Kawasaki was already by his side. So was Yui.
He was a complete scumbag. A hopeless, irredeemable jerk.
But then... Why? Why did the thought of him holding hands with Kawasaki make her chest ache so badly?
"Idiot... You idiot, Iroha Isshiki."
Two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.
Only now did she truly understand that tears were salty.
And bitter.
Watching the person she loved slowly slip away to someone else... she felt so unwilling to let go.
So heartbroken. And so utterly powerless.
After crying for a long time, she wiped away her tears.
With renewed determination in her eyes, she stepped off the train.
The cold wind tugged at her scarf, but she barely noticed it. Right now, all she wanted was another chance to see Oikawa.
Unrequited love was like a rainstorm.
While it rained, you never looked at me... and I never looked at the rain.
But Iroha believed the rain would stop someday. And when it did... Oikawa might finally look at her.
...
..
.
The last few days of winter break passed comfortably for Oikawa.
Other than making one trip to Full-Drive Bunko to sign copies of Your Lie in April and Clannad, he spent the rest of his vacation happily lazing around at home.
There was just one disappointment. Kawasaki hadn't come over to spend another night with him.
Apparently, staying out overnight too often had made her parents suspicious.
Oikawa could only sigh.
Without Kawasaki cooking for him, he had no choice but to keep eating at the chicken restaurant near his house.
It was still good.
But compared to Kawasaki's cooking, it simply wasn't on the same level.
Ever since she'd started feeding him homemade meals, his standards had quietly risen. Now, food from ordinary restaurants felt bland by comparison.
Still, there was good news.
Clannad's sales continued climbing at an incredible pace.
Day One: 57,000 copies. Day Two: 36,000 copies. Day Three: 27,000 copies.
Released on January 2nd. And by January 7th, only five days later, Clannad had already sold nearly 160,000 copies.
According to Full-Drive Bunko's projections, first-week sales would easily exceed 200,000 copies, while first-month sales were expected to top 350,000.
The publisher had complete faith in Oikawa. Reprint after reprint after reprint.
In less than a week, Clannad's total print run had already reached 650,000 copies.
His contract paid a 13% royalty.
And with the first volume priced at 1,050 yen, the math came out to: 1,050 × 13% × 650,000 = 88.725 million yen.
Nearly 90 million yen in royalties.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Oikawa was already worth over a hundred million yen.
Some small companies couldn't even make money as quickly as he could on his own.
And that wasn't even the biggest payday.
Once the second volume of Your Lie in April surpassed one million copies sold, his royalty rate would jump to 25%.
That would bring in another two hundred million yen or so.
At this rate, he was making money almost as fast as if he were laundering it.
On top of that, he was also receiving revenue shares from both the Your Lie in April anime and manga.
Those weren't huge sums individually... But over time, they'd steadily add up to tens of millions of yen as well.
"...Looks like I'll be joining the billionaire club before long."
A smile spread across Oikawa's face.
If he kept writing for another few years, even surpassing the Yukinoshita family's wealth might no longer be just a fantasy.
_ _ _
8:00 PM, January 7th—
Full-Drive Bunko's official account posted right on schedule.
With the Your Lie in April anime about to premiere, Full-Drive and Dengeki are launching a special Your Lie in April × Clannad collaboration campaign!
From January 8th through January 15th, purchasing Your Lie in April and Clannad together will receive a 15% discount off the regular price. Full-Drive would also like to remind everyone that a limited number of personally signed copies of Your Lie in April by Copycat-sensei will be available during this promotion!"
"P.S. Like, repost, and comment on this post for a chance to win one of 50 autographed copies of Clannad! Winners will be announced at the end of the month."
...
..
January 8th, evening—
While waiting for the anime premiere of Your Lie in April, Oikawa suddenly received a LINE message from Yui Yuigahama.
[Yui]: Oikawa-kun, are you choosing the humanities track or the science track?
Oikawa paused briefly before realizing what she meant.
In most Japanese high schools, students choose between the humanities and science tracks before entering their third year to prepare for university entrance exams.
The distinction mainly came down to whether they planned to apply to national/public universities or private universities.
For Japan's national and public universities, everyone first took the same standardized exam, which covered both humanities and science subjects. After receiving those scores, applicants would then sit for each university's individual entrance exams.
Private universities worked differently. They usually required only three subjects.
Humanities applicants typically took English, Japanese, and a humanities subject, while science applicants took English, mathematics, and either physics or chemistry.
Oikawa quickly replied.
[Oikawa]: I'll probably choose the humanities track.
Although he was stronger in science, he planned to apply to the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Letters, so the humanities track suited his goals better.
[Yui]: You're choosing humanities too? That's wonderful!
Yui nearly jumped for joy.
If Oikawa chose humanities as well, there was a real chance they'd end up in the same class during their third year.
Before asking him, she'd been convinced he'd choose science.
Even after sending the message, she'd treated it like scratching a lottery ticket with half of "NOT A WINNER" already showing.
And when she finished scratching, it really wasn't a losing ticket.
[Oikawa]: I'm looking forward to being in the same class as you next year, Yui.
After sending the message, Oikawa put his phone aside and turned excitedly toward the television.
Cherry blossoms slowly drifted across the screen.
The opening accompaniment began to play.
A blonde girl appeared, smiling brightly as she nibbled on a piece of chocolate.
Carrying a violin case, she walked down a street blanketed in falling sakura petals.
A black cat caught her eye. Laughing like the ringing of silver bells, she broke into a light run after it.
At that moment, the theme song swelled.
Across the center of the screen appeared the title: Your Lie in April
Online, SNS was already exploding.
["Kaori! My Kaori! AAAAAAAH! I can't believe I'm watching the anime of what broke me once!"]
["My Kaori😭... Copycat, you monster! Why did you have to kill her?! Why?!"]
["The characters look amazing! A-1 Pictures really lives up to its reputation. The animation is incredibly detailed."]
["The music is supervised by Akinori Oosawa and Masanori Sugano, and Masaru Yokoyama composed the soundtrack?! This is going to be peak!"]
"..."
The first episode of Your Lie in April aired.
With its gorgeous production values and breathtaking music, it quickly won over a huge number of existing fans of the novel.
On social media, the hashtag #YourLieInAprilAnime rapidly climbed the trending charts, looking ready to break into the very top spots.
.
.
.
༺ If you're interested, you can read more chapters ahead on pat👉 patreon.com/_Coreal ༻