— — — — — —
Yukino Yukinoshita and the others didn't come to ask Oikawa Toru and Kawasaki Saki for help.
Oikawa wasn't complaining. A quiet night suited him just fine.
After escorting a few more groups of elementary school kids, he headed back with Kawasaki to the campfire they'd set up earlier that day.
A bunch of kids had gathered around it, singing.
The lyrics were all about things like "let's be best friends forever." Oikawa didn't buy it for a second.
No exaggeration, really.
Ten years down the line, if you still keep in touch with even one elementary school friend, you're already doing pretty well.
Most people lose contact somewhere between high school and college, drifting away from those "closest friends" they once swore they'd never forget.
That's just how it goes. Reality isn't kind.
Oikawa dropped down beside Shizuka Hiratsuka and stared into the flames.
"So," she said, taking a drag from her cigarette, "when are you starting the second volume of Your Lie in April?"
She really was a heavy smoker. By Oikawa's rough estimate, she went through at least five cigarettes a day.
"I'll start as soon as we get back," he replied casually. "The outline's done. Most of the plot's already figured out."
He sounded offhand, but he meant it.
Once he got home, he'd start writing for real. Finish the draft, polish it up a bit, and submit it to Editor Kagurazaka before school started.
That woman was definitely going to lose it.
First at how fast he wrote, and then at what actually happened in the second half of the story.
He'd probably have to ask her to keep things under wraps, too.
"Oikawa, I… um… can I ask you something?"
It was the first time he'd ever seen Shizuka look this hesitant, even a little… pleading. Whatever she wanted to ask, it wasn't going to be easy.
"Nope."
And the best way to deal with a problem was to kill it before it even got born.
"Huh?"
"I'm being this polite, and you shut me down just like that?"
Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him, clearly sending the message: Do you want to see hell?
"Alright, alright!" Oikawa threw up his hands. "Authority wins, I get it. Go ahead, Sensei."
He wasn't ready to die just yet.
"Then I'm asking!"
She cleared her throat, suddenly serious as she looked straight at him. "Oikawa… did Kousei Arima overcome his trauma with the piano? And why didn't Kaori Miyazono show up at that competition?"
Those two questions were probably on every Your Lie in April fan's mind.
"Of course," Oikawa answered without hesitation. "Kousei definitely overcomes it. I'm also going to flesh out his story with his mother in that part."
"As for Kaori, the reason she didn't show up…"
He paused just long enough to make it convincing. "She got sick."
Shizuka shot back immediately, rapid-fire. "Sick? What kind of illness would be serious enough to keep her from competing?"
"Just a fever."
"She practiced violin all night to get into top form, caught a chill, and came down with a fever."
Oikawa inwardly admired himself. He could spin lies like that without even blinking.
"…Isn't that kind of cliché?" Shizuka frowned. "It feels like something you just threw in. Oikawa, I think you should really think more carefully about why Kaori didn't show up."
"Cliché, huh?"
Oikawa pretended to think it over, then nodded. "Yeah… now that you mention it, it does sound a bit forced. I'll reconsider that part when I get back."
"Good thing you pointed it out, Shizuka-sensei. I might not have realized otherwise."
Shizuka actually looked a little pleased, waving it off. "I was just saying it casually. Don't take it too seriously."
Don't take it seriously?
Oh, he absolutely would.
Oikawa had already decided how he was going to mess with her.
When the time came for interviews, he'd say that he hadn't originally planned to kill off Kaori. But thanks to his teacher pointing out how "cliché" the earlier plot was, he got the idea.
He couldn't help but grin to himself.
If Shizuka ever saw that interview, her expression would be priceless.
'Serves you right for always hitting me!'
…
..
They hadn't been sitting there long before Yukino and the others returned to the campfire, all smiles. Looks like their mission had been a complete success.
Good for them.
Right then, the kids' singing finally wrapped up, and it was time for the most exciting part of the night—
Dancing.
Yui and Komachi showed up from somewhere with a huge bundle of sparklers, handing them out to everyone.
Oikawa got a few too.
He borrowed a lighter from Shizuka, lit the tip, and watched as blue sparks burst out in a steady spray.
"I wish everyone could be happy!"
Yui was treating her sparkler like a shooting star. One by one, everyone else started shouting their wishes too.
"I want to get into a university in Tokyo!"
"I want to sleep until I wake up naturally every day!"
"I wish god would give me ten billion yen so I can be financially free forever!"
All eyes turned to Oikawa.
Hey.
You were supposed to make a wish, not start dreaming.
.
.
.