— — — — — —
One stone stirred a thousand waves.
The moment the interview went live, the internet exploded.
Fans and haters alike swarmed in.
Under Dengeki Bunko's official account, the comment section turned into a full-on battlefield.
"A masterpiece? Who does he think he is—Dazai Osamu? Natsume Sōseki? Haruki Murakami? Does he even measure up?"
"As far as light novels go, Your Lie in April holds its own. But compared to serious literature? Not even close."
"He writes one decent book and suddenly thinks he's the best in the world?"
"Maybe it's just me, but I think Your Lie in April is trash. The whole thing feels like nonsense."
"Agreed."
For some, the one word—masterpiece—had clearly struck a nerve.
Most of the loudest critics were writers themselves.
Literary circles had always been prone to tearing each other down.
If they couldn't beat Your Lie in April in sales, they'd just find other angles to attack.
Of course, there were plenty of people defending Oikawa too—mostly readers.
"I think Oikawa-sensei has a really bright future ahead of him. He's only seventeen and already wrote something this good. I can't even imagine what he'll achieve later."
"Honestly, if I could write something like Your Lie in April at seventeen, I'd be even more arrogant than him."
"Looking forward to reading the second volume."
...
At the same time, in an apartment not far from Sōbu High—
After a long day, Shizuka Hiratsuka reclined in her bathtub, a glass of red wine in hand, smoking contentedly.
"Come on, typhoon, slow down a bit. Give us a few extra days off~"
She made a wish to God, as if He might actually be listening.
Exhaling a long stream of smoke, she took a sip of wine, then picked up her phone and started scrolling through Twitter.
"Hm? Behind Oikawa-sensei's sudden rise to fame. Things you didn't know."
"Well, this looks interesting."
Shizuka perked up slightly, shifting her posture as she began reading carefully.
["It was my homeroom teacher who made me change Kaori's ending, allowing Your Lie in April to become a true masterpiece. So I have to thank my homeroom teacher again. Thank you, sensei. Rather than saying Your Lie in April came from me, it's more accurate to say that because of you, Your Lie in April became what it is today."]
Her eyes lit up with surprise and delight.
"No way… this kid… he's praising me like that? What's he up to?"
She kept reading.
By the time she reached the end, the smile on her face was impossible to hide.
"Hah. No wonder I've been taking such good care of him."
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
After a moment's thought, she opened LINE and tapped into her chat with Oikawa.
"I'm treating you to a big meal once the typhoon's over! Your pick, anything you want!"
She was genuinely thrilled. She hadn't expected to play a role in the creation of a famous light novel—let alone make such a significant contribution.
There was no way she wasn't celebrating this.
"Don't worry about it. It's me who should be thanking you, Shizuka-sensei."
Oikawa replied almost immediately.
"Nope. I'm treating you, end of discussion. Start thinking about what you want to eat!"
Her tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Staring at his phone, Oikawa sighed and shook his head.
He hoped she would still feel the same after the second volume got published.
...
..
Late at night—
Wrapped in a thick blanket, a cooling patch stuck to her forehead, Kawasaki slowly came to.
"…Water…"
Her voice was hoarse, her lips dry and cracked.
"Sis, you're finally awake!"
Taishi, who had been dozing beside her, snapped awake at the sound and hurried over.
"Water…"
"You want water? I'll get it right now."
He rushed to pour a glass and handed it to her.
Kawasaki drained it in one go.
Relief spread across her face, like someone wandering a desert finally stumbling upon water.
"Jeez, you really scared me. You were out for seven whole hours. I thought something had seriously happened…"
Taishi's eyes glistened.
He had never felt so lost and helpless before. Only when Kawasaki collapsed did he realize just how much she handled every day.
Cooking for Keika. Helping her with homework. Keeping the house in order.
He'd been completely overwhelmed trying to manage it all.
"I'm fine. See? Your sister's perfectly fine."
Kawasaki reached out and ruffled his hair, smiling.
"Hungry? I'll make you something. What do you want to eat?"
Taishi shook his head at first, about to say he wasn't hungry—but his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
"Sis, you should really rest. I'm not that hungry, really."
His voice dropped, guilt creeping in.
Kawasaki chuckled.
She peeled off the cooling patch and slowly sat up.
Keika-chan was asleep by her feet, faint tear tracks still visible on her cheeks—she must have cried herself to sleep.
After resting for a moment, Kawasaki carefully slipped her legs free and lowered her voice.
"I'll go fry some fish. You lie down for a bit. I'll call you and Keika when it's ready."
Her voice was still weak, but her eyes were clear and bright.
"Sis, you really don't have to…"
"It's fine. It's just frying fish. Not exactly hard work."
Taishi lowered his head. "Sis… I'm sorry. I'm so useless."
"You've done great already."
Kawasaki ruffled his hair again, then quietly made her way to the kitchen.
On the table sat natto, rice, and a bowl of tofu soup that… looked a little questionable, to say the least.
She tidied things up, then took a few marinated sardines out of the fridge.
Oil into the pan, heated to about sixty percent.
Keeping the heat at medium-low, she placed the sardines in one by one to fry.
When both sides turned golden and a thin layer of oil remained in the pan, she added salt, sugar, cooking wine, and a few other seasonings.
Before long, a rich, mouthwatering aroma filled the air.
She plated the fish and carried it to the table, then returned to the room to call the others.
"Taishi, dinner's ready!"
He was on his phone, texting someone.
As she gently shook Keika awake, Kawasaki asked casually, "Who are you chatting with?"
"Oikawa-san. He told me to let him know when you woke up."
Kawasaki froze.
Her voice came out a little stiff. "Did… did he say anything else?"
"No. I told him you were making me food, and he scolded me a bit."
"Hmph! Like he has any right." Even though she said that, the smile spreading across her face was impossible to hide, bright as sunlight.
"Want me to send that to him?"
Taishi asked innocently, the picture of a straightforward, no-filter kid.
"It's late. Stop playing with your phone and go eat. After that, go to sleep. You've got school tomorrow."
Kawasaki snatched the phone right out of his hand.
Taishi blinked, confused. With a typhoon going on, what school?
Scratching his head, he headed out anyway.
He was starving. All he'd had today was a single box of natto over rice.
"Keika, dinner time. Eat first, then you can go back to sleep."
Kawasaki gently shook her awake. For some reason, the scene felt oddly familiar.
"Sis, you're better!"
"Waaah… I thought I'd never see you again… Sis, I won't eat snacks anymore, I promise, just don't leave me…"
The moment Keika opened her eyes and saw Kawasaki, she latched onto her arm, tears pouring down uncontrollably.
Kawasaki froze for a second. This… felt familiar too.
But she didn't dwell on it. She simply stroked Keika's head and soothed her.
After a while, Keika finally calmed down. She complained about Taishi's cooking skills, then happily skipped off to the kitchen.
Kawasaki smiled softly, still holding Taishi's phone, and followed.
.
.
.