"So, do you have time now?" Ayumi asked, raising an eyebrow at the group in front of her.
"Yes, yes, yes," Shouko replied helplessly. "Ayumi-chan, this is already the fifth time you've asked today."
"I just wanted to make sure nothing suddenly came up," Ayumi chuckled, scratching the back of her head.
"Ayumi-chan, don't worry," Takagi said as she pulled over a chair and sat down. "We're free in a few days, and we've already told our parents."
"I was just worried that Miyamura—the busy one here—might get tied up with something at the last minute."
Before Akira, who was sitting beside them, could explain, Shouko interjected, "Don't worry, Akira's been very idle lately."
The three girls turned toward him in unison. Choosing to ignore them, Akira rested his head on the desk and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Truthfully, Shouko was right. He had been quite idle over the past week—perhaps because everyone assumed he was preparing for exams and didn't want to disturb him.
Two months had passed in the blink of an eye.
The first volume of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day had sold over 50,000 copies, officially becoming a bestseller.
Online discussions about the story's future developments were also heating up.
It was far beyond Akira's expectations; he had initially estimated sales of only twenty to thirty thousand copies, given that the first volume wasn't particularly strong.
He had underestimated the stagnation of modern Japanese literature. At first, sales were modest due to limited publicity, but by June, numbers had begun to surge—forcing Futaba Publishing to reprint copies overnight.
The popularity of Anohana also brought attention to Shouko's PIXIV account.
Her follower count had skyrocketed past 100,000 without any paid promotions, turning her into a small online celebrity.
Many fans were fascinated by the anime-style characters she posted and speculated whether they were designs from Miyamura-sensei's next work.
"Ding… ding…!"
The bell for the final class rang.
Shouko reached out and shook Akira's shoulder. "Akira, wake up. Class is starting."
Nanase-sensei walked into the classroom with a textbook in hand, just as the creaking ceiling fan mixed with the endless chorus of cicadas outside.
The chalk scraped against the blackboard, sending fine white dust swirling lazily in the afternoon sunlight.
In the front row, Shouko discreetly fanned herself beneath the desk, while sweat stains spread across the back of Ayumi's uniform with each lazy flick of her paper fan.
Nanase-sensei loosened her tie, repeating the verb conjugation rules for the third time. A mechanical pencil rolled off someone's desk, hitting the floor with a soft clatter.
Moments later, cheers from a nearby club echoed through the hallway. As heads turned toward the window, the after-school bell finally rang, accompanied by the shimmering summer heat beyond the trees.
"Class dismissed. Be careful on your way home," Nanase-sensei said before leaving in a hurry.
At the stairwell, Shouko and Ayumi waved goodbye and headed toward the Art Club.
By the school gate, Takagi and Nishikata waved to Akira before walking down the left-hand street together.
Watching them go, Akira retracted his gaze, climbed onto his motorcycle, and started the familiar ten-minute ride to Futaba Publishing.
The security guard downstairs barely gave him a glance this time—perhaps too accustomed to seeing him to think twice anymore.
Akira made his way to Jun-san desk, pulled up an empty chair, and sat down casually.
"Jun-san, why'd you call me this time? Is there a problem with the second volume of Anohana?"
That was the only reason he could think of—after all, the release was just two weeks away.
But as he recalled the smooth progress of printing, posters, and covers, he suspected otherwise.
"No, nothing's wrong," Funo Jun said, shaking her head. She pulled a bottle of juice from her drawer and handed it to him. "The second volume's on track. I just have a few things to discuss."
"What kind of things can't be said over the phone?" Akira asked, taking a sip of juice.
"Because if I talk to you on the phone, my higher-ups might think I'm slacking off and yell at me."
"And there are actually people who dare to scold you?" he teased.
Funo Jun ignored his doubtful look, shrugging. "Just saying, everyone complains about it."
"…Right."
She coughed lightly. "Anyway, back to business. First, it's about the royalties for your first volume—sales are nearing sixty thousand copies now. Second, and this is the big one: someone wants to adapt Anohana into an anime."
"An anime?" Akira blinked, intrigued. "Go on."
"Let's move somewhere quieter first."
She glanced around at her curious coworkers, then led him into a meeting room.
"Alright," she continued once they sat down. "Remember the advance payment for the first volume? That was based on five thousand sales. So, do you want the remaining royalties to be combined with the second volume's advance, or sent directly to your account in a few days?"
"Combine it with the second volume," Akira said without hesitation. His focus was clearly on the second matter.
Funo Jun wasn't surprised. "Makes sense. You're probably not that concerned about the money anyway."
Still, the total amount was nothing to scoff at—over 6.5 million yen in royalties, even after deductions.
(That's roughly 320,000 Chinese yuan.)
Akira sighed inwardly. Back in kindergarten, my mom could settle disputes with a few slaps and 500,000 yen…
(About 25,000 yuan.)
"Now, about the anime," Funo Jun continued. "An animation company contacted us about adapting Anohana. But they're waiting to see the performance and reviews of the second volume before making it official. For now, they want to meet you to discuss the rights."
"So it's not confirmed yet?"
"Pretty much. I scheduled the meeting for the first day of your summer vacation. You can come here and talk to them in person."
"Alright. Arigato."
"No need to thank me." She waved dismissively. "One last thing—the publisher wants to renew and revise your contract. Make sure your guardian or family representative comes by to handle it."
"Got it. I'll let them know."
After getting a quick rundown of the anime company's background—apparently, a newly established studio—Akira thanked her and left.
For now, all he could do was focus on getting through his upcoming exams.
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