Thinking too much is useless—let future me worry about future problems. Recognizing faces isn't such a big deal anyway.
Click.
Akira closed the door, turned around, and quickly sat at his desk, waiting for the laptop screen to light up.
He wanted to take advantage of his lingering wakefulness to continue writing Your Lie in April. He had been working on it for almost half a year without finishing.
Adapting the manga from memory into a light novel was still difficult, but it was nearly complete now. The story was approaching the moment when Miyazono Kaori would pass away after her failed surgery.
Ding dong…
Just as he was thinking about the next part of the plot, his phone lit up beside him, interrupting his thoughts.
He didn't need to guess who it was. At this hour, the only person who would message him was Shouko from the room next door.
Shouko:"Akira, Akira, are you asleep?"
Akira:"Already asleep."
Shouko:"I can't sleep, can I come over to play?"
Akira glanced at the time and refused without hesitation.
Akira:"Do you know what time it is?"
Shouko:"Almost 11 o'clock, what's wrong? (Rabbit tilting head in confusion.jpg)"
"…," he sent back, speechless.
Shouko:"Then I won't come over. How about a voice call? (Smile.jpg)"
Before Akira could even type a reply, the chat screen instantly switched to a voice call. He could only sigh and answer.
So that wasn't a request—it was a declaration.
"Akira, I can't sleep. Do you think it's because of that cup of coffee I had tonight?"
"Possibly." He placed his phone next to his laptop and kept staring at the screen, still thinking about the next part of the plot.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have been curious enough to sneak a sip."
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Akira, are you still writing? I hear typing."
"Yeah. Your Lie in April is almost finished—just one or two volumes left."
"Oh, oh."
For a while, there was silence. Just as Akira thought she had fallen asleep and was about to hang up, her muffled voice drifted through:
"Akira… after Kaori dies, do Kousei and Tsubaki end up together?"
She had heard Akira tell the story before and knew some details, like Tsubaki's unrequited love.
"That's left for the readers to imagine. Honestly, I haven't thought about it myself."
He stopped typing, his thoughts drifting to memories of his previous life. If he recalled correctly, even the original author had never given a clear answer, though readers often asked.
"Oh…" Shouko murmured softly.
They chatted idly like that, mostly with Shouko leading the conversation, until her breathing grew steady and light snores carried through the phone.
Akira smiled faintly. "Goodnight, Shouko."
He didn't hang up. Instead, he closed his laptop, picked up his phone, crawled into bed, and plugged it into the charger. With Shouko's gentle snoring in his ear, sleep finally took him.
"Today's big goal! Deep cleaning!"
"Okay!!"
"…Okay."
"Akira, did you stay up late yesterday? Be a little more energetic!"
"Exactly!" Shouko, holding a broom beside his mom, Shizuka, nodded in agreement.
"Where's Dad?" Akira awkwardly changed the subject. As for why Shouko was fully armed with cleaning supplies in his house, he didn't even bother to ask anymore. Every year, she helped for free—and one day, she'd officially be part of this family anyway.
"Something came up at the office. He'll be back later," Shizuka said.
Akira guessed otherwise. He had seen his dad sneaking out earlier with fishing gear.
"Shouko, I'll trouble you with the storage room."
"Mhm!"
"Alright, let's finish this by noon. Then in the afternoon, we'll go buy New Year's goods."
Shizuka gently pushed her son forward before heading off to clean the master bedroom.
Shouko didn't argue. She handed him the broom and walked toward the storage room. She knew why Auntie asked her to clean there—it was the easiest job. Everything was already covered in plastic film to keep out dust; she just had to wipe the shelves and replace covers.
Sweeping and mopping? That was left to Hachiko, the robotic vacuum cleaner Shizuka's husband had brought home. Named by Yuzuru after the famous loyal dog, Hachiko had become part of the household.
Akira, meanwhile, went back upstairs to handle his own room, the hallway, and the stairs.
The frosty morning painted the shrine in shades of blue and white. Snow clung to the torii gates, incense smoke mingled with the sweetness of amazake, and the shimenawa ropes glowed gold as sunlight struck them.
By noon, Shizuka stretched and patted Akira's head. "Let's go, we're having lunch at Shouko's."
Granny Nishimiya had kindly prepared extra food to spare them cooking after the big clean.
"Mhm," Akira replied, getting up to follow.
Shouko had already gone home earlier to help with preparations.
When they arrived at the Nishimiya house, knocking echoed through the hall.
"Yuzuru, it must be Akira and the others. Hurry and open the door!" Granny called from the kitchen.
But Yuzuru was too absorbed in her phone game to move. With the timer ticking down, she made a bold choice—patting Hachiko, who was curled beside her.
"Hachiko, go open the door. I'll sneak you extra food later."
"Woof…"
Obediently, Hachiko trotted over and unlocked the door.
Shizuka blinked when she saw the dog in the entryway. "Hachiko…?"
"Mom, stop looking, Hachiko opened the door," Akira said dryly.
"Woof!" Hachiko barked as if confirming it.
Shizuka just sighed. Her Hachiko was smart—but this was almost too smart.
"Auntie, please sit in the living room for a bit. Lunch is almost ready." Shouko emerged in an apron.
Shizuka nodded, though she still drifted toward the kitchen to help.
Akira, on the other hand, went into the living room, only to be ambushed by Yuzuru.
"Akira, help me with this level! I can't clear it!"
"Is that why you made Hachiko open the door?" he asked, but he still took the phone.
"Of course. And it's thanks to my amazing training that Hachiko's this clever," Yuzuru declared, hands on her hips.
"Woof…" Hachiko ignored her, flopping back down at her feet.
"Impressive, impressive," Akira said absentmindedly as he cleared rows of blocks.
Yuzuru leaned close, cheering when he made big combos.
"Akira, Yuzuru—come wash your hands, it's time to eat!" Shouko called.
"Okay!"
Akira handed Yuzuru back her phone and headed toward the dining room.
Later that day, the family piled into the car to shop for New Year's.
"Kadomatsu, shimenawa, kagami mochi, and soba ingredients," Shizuka listed, eyes on the road.
At the mall, she split the group. "Akira, Shouko—you two buy the kadomatsu and shimenawa. Yuzuru and I will get the rest."
"Mhm."
"Okay."
"I object!" Yuzuru piped up.
"Objection overruled," Shizuka replied, dragging her away.
Before leaving, she whispered something into Yuzuru's ear, instantly taming her protests. Akira wondered what on earth she said.
"Akira, let's go too." Shouko reached for his hand.
On the bustling streets, the mall gleamed like a crystal palace, still decorated with Christmas lights. Couples strolled with cocoa, children crowded gacha machines, and office workers hurried with ribboned boxes.
"It's so lively," Shouko said, gazing around.
"Christmas just ended, and New Year's is right around the corner."
They eventually found the store selling kadomatsu and shimenawa, but Akira tugged her back. "No rush. Let's walk around first."
"Okay. I'll listen to you."
The two wandered the mall until Shouko spotted something—the pink rocking car meant for little kids.
"Akira, I want to ride this again."
"Seriously? There are so many people…"
Before he could protest further, she dragged him toward it—only to freeze when she noticed classmates nearby. If they were seen, it would be social death.
Just then, his phone rang. Mom.
"Your date's almost over. Time to buy the decorations and head back. Yuzuru and I are nearly done."
Akira hung up quickly, explained to Shouko, and they bought the decorations before heading back to the car.
That evening, instead of going home, they were brought to a restaurant where Dad had reserved a room. Auntie Yaeko and Granny Nishimiya were already there. Soon after, Dad arrived with a fishing buddy in tow.
And in his usual way, he gave Akira a special introduction.
Later that night, Shouko sprawled on Akira's bed, kicking her bare feet while texting her friend Ayumi.
"Akira, tomorrow's Omisoka. Where should we go to celebrate?"
Akira, seated at his computer, turned to look at her.
------------
Support me at patréon com/Lukas25