Eriri's room, even with the window open, has a faint, sweet, distinctly feminine scent. Hiratsuka Ryosuke sits on the floor, reading the manga that Eriri highly recommends. The mangaka Yumeno Sakiko is truly a "spokesperson for a girl's heart."
The manga's title, Moe Love, sounds like a saccharine, moe-filled story, but the plot is full of twists and turns. The characters' emotions are intricately portrayed, and the daily interactions are incredibly detailed. Even though the ending is perfect, the heartbreaking process makes your stomach hurt. Ryosuke puts the manga down and looks at the red-eyed Eriri next to him. Honestly, based on her usual appearance, he thought she would like sweet, fluffy romance stories, not something with a hidden blade.
"How was it? Moe Love is amazing, right?" Eriri's voice is thick with emotion. Even though she's read the story countless times, it still moves her.
There are many different definitions of what makes a work a classic, but Ryosuke believes that for a reader, a work that can be reread over and over is a classic in their hearts. Ryosuke nods. "It's a great romance story. The emotional depth is incredible. It's really hard to make ordinary daily life so compelling."
"This is my top recommendation. Now, let's look at the next light novel," Eriri says, pulling out a copy of Toradora!.
Ryosuke takes the book and, after reading only a small portion, feels a strong sense of impending doom. An arrogant, loli-like heroine and a domestic-husband-type male lead help each other pursue their crushes. But they both discover that their crushes aren't the right fit for them. Over time, they start to fall for each other. The internal struggle between the person they used to like and the person they truly like now is a clear sign of heartbreak to come. Ryosuke hasn't even reached the end, but he can already guess the outcome from Eriri's expression.
Ryosuke calmly offers a tissue. "Here, wipe your tears."
"Waaah, my Taiga, my Ryuuji, and poor Minorin," Eriri says, covering her face with a tissue, her words muffled.
With her crying so much, Ryosuke can't bring himself to keep reading. "Eriri, how about I take this home to read?" Ryosuke asks tentatively. It's hard to concentrate when the emotional Eriri is crying next to him.
Eriri stops crying and nods. "Toradora! is long, so you can take it home. Let's look at something else." Eriri pulls out a game case. "Next is a dating sim. My dad gave me this. My favorite game, Little·Love."
Ryosuke leans back. Eriri's father? The elegant diplomat Mr. Spencer? He gave his daughter a dating sim?! Is he really her dad?
At some point, Sawamura Sayuri enters the room with snacks. Seeing how focused they are, she leaves them to it. Ryosuke and Eriri eat a few bites to satisfy their hunger and get back to the game.
The story is a cliché, but the writing is pretty good. A princess is trapped in a castle, raised like a canary in a cage. One day, a low-ranking knight enters her life. The knight tells her stories of the outside world and wins her heart. They decide to run away together. But their different social statuses lead the king to chase after them. The romance is beautiful, but the ending is tragic. A knight of low status can't escape the king's reach. The princess is returned to the castle, a beautiful canary in a cage once again.
Ryosuke sees the word "FIN" on the screen and is speechless. He can't imagine what the author was thinking when they created this game. But this time, Eriri isn't crying. Her face looks a little somber as she sits on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees. "Ryosuke, what do you think of this game?"
"It's a mess," Ryosuke says bluntly, a different reaction from the manga and light novel.
Eriri looks up at him. "Why? Wasn't the romance well-written?"
"The writing is okay, but this guy isn't a knight! He has none of a knight's spirit. All he does is run away. He never thinks about how to fix the situation or protect the girl he likes. His feelings are fake." Ryosuke's criticism of the protagonist is merciless. If Shinka were in trouble, Ryosuke wouldn't hesitate to fight through any obstacle to protect her. He would never just run away. He can't relate to the main character.
Eriri's eyes widen. "Don't you think the knight was brave? He dared to run away with the princess."
Ryosuke turns to face her, looking into her clear blue eyes. "Listen, Eriri. Bravery isn't recklessness. He never thought about how to protect the girl he loves. He just ran away with her. That's not bravery; it's cowardice."
"What else could he do? He was helpless," Eriri argues.
Ryosuke answers seriously, "Based on the game's setting, the king is unpopular, and the nobles are restless. The kingdom is in turmoil. The knight could have used the princess's name to rally people to overthrow the king and protect her. Or he could have gone off on his own, achieved something great, and earned the king's respect so he could marry her with honor. Fooling an innocent princess and running away irresponsibly is not how you solve problems."
Eriri is shocked. She has never thought about the game from this perspective. She only played it as a typical romance game, and she kept it because the emotional arc was so well-written. A lock in her mind seems to break, and a question spills from her heart. "Ryosuke, if one day I get trapped in a castle like that princess, would you come to save me?"
Ryosuke smiles and says without hesitation, "Of course. We're partners."
Eriri is happy for a moment, but a flash of disappointment crosses her face. Still, she forces a smile. "Haha, you're right. We're partners."
Ryosuke remembers the reason he's there. "Alright, I've read the manga, read the novel, and played the game. What about anime?"
"Oh, right! Anime! Wait a second." Eriri forces a smile and digs into the box again.
Forty minutes later, they finish watching Hotarubi no Mori e. It's a sad love story between a human and a half-demon. If a human touches the demon, the demon will disappear. As the years pass, the two fall in love but can never touch. In the end, the male lead, who is about to disappear after touching a human, smiles and hugs the female lead. The plot is simple, filled with heartwarming scenes of the two of them.
By the end, Eriri is a mess of tears. She sits on the floor, sobbing quietly. "H-how was it? Do you have any ideas?"
"Thank you, Eriri. I have a few ideas now." Ryosuke takes a tissue and gently wipes the tears from her face. His touch is so light, yet it shocks Eriri. She freezes, her tears forgotten.
"What's wrong?" Ryosuke asks, concerned. He worries that all the sad stories have made her emotional.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Eriri can hear her own heart beating. He's so close she can smell his scent, and she wants to breathe it in. She comes to her senses at his question, her face flushed. She quickly waves her hands. "I'm... I'm fine! I'm glad I could help." She calms herself down. "What kind of story do you want to write?"
At first, Ryosuke didn't know what to write because he hadn't read many romance novels. But the judge of this competition is Eriri. He knows what she likes: nuanced, emotional, heartbreaking romance. He knows ACGN are fundamentally the same. So he has an idea now. He nods at Eriri and says softly, "It's a coming-of-age story about a pianist and a violinist who grow and work together as partners. I think you'll like it."
"Huh? Really? It sounds a little boring," Eriri says, her eyebrows furrowed. She can't believe he already has an idea. She was planning to recommend a few more things.
Ryosuke looks out the window. The sun was setting when he arrived, but now it's a dark night with a sky full of stars. "It's getting late. I should go home. Thank you, Eriri." Ryosuke stands up, holding the remaining volumes of Toradora!, and says goodbye.
Eriri stands on her balcony, watching him until he disappears. Good luck, Ryosuke. You have to beat that fairy. She walks back into her room and sees his sketchbook, which is open to the last page. He didn't see the front, did he? What would I do if he saw me secretly drawing him? Images of him on every page flash in her mind. She doesn't know when she started caring about her partner so much. She hugs the sketchbook and rolls around on her bed. After a while, she stops and holds the sketchbook high, looking at the last blank page. It has the title of his new book, which he wrote down for her before he left. Her face turns red, and she smiles, revealing her small fangs, her eyes unfocused. Thinking about their conversation tonight, she feels like her true feelings have been exposed.
Because the title of his new book is—Your Lie in April.