"But it's hard to say. Ayumi-chan will probably mention it again later—or maybe she was just talking."
Shouko scooted over on the tatami mat and sat beside Akira.
"You're right." Akira nodded. He couldn't even be sure what he'd be doing by then—two months was a long time.
The two of them quietly focused on their own tasks again: Shouko with her unfinished illustrations, and Akira idly watching a comedy variety show.
Eventually, when Shouko's attention kept drifting, she sighed in frustration, and only then did Akira return to his own work.
Outside, dusty willow catkins clung to the convenience store awning. Every time the automatic doors slid open, the cool air mixed with the salty aroma of simmering oden wafted into the street.
Middle school students had switched to their short-sleeved summer uniforms, two buttons undone at the collar, dark sweat marks staining the straps of their backpacks.
Elementary school boys rolled up their yellow caps to fan themselves, squatting by vending machines as they licked melting soda popsicles.
Girls from the track and field club jogged across the intersection in their gym uniforms, their ponytails glistening with sweat.
From the nearby apartments, thin quilts hung to dry, fluttering in the wind. The scent of someone's pan-fried salmon mixed with the distant honking of a passing tour bus.
"Shouko-chan! I've got absolute insider info—want to hear it?"
Ayumi rushed back to her seat, winking conspiratorially.
Her enthusiasm immediately caught the attention of Akira, who was lazily scrolling through his phone nearby.
Life had been rather uneventful for the past two weeks. He had even started thinking about asking his father for more information about his publishing agency, just to study it out of curiosity.
Sales of the first volume of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day were gradually increasing. Funo Jun hadn't visited him in over a week, and everything seemed to be progressing smoothly.
No one at school had figured out that he was the author. Online, there had been a few discussions about who wrote Anohana, but no one suspected the creator was a high school freshman.
"Ayumi-chan, are your eyes okay…?"
"I—" Ayumi's excitement faltered slightly at Shouko's innocent question. "I mean, I've got real insider news! Don't you want to hear it?"
"Is it about the October School Festival and the Osaka school trip?" Shouko asked calmly.
"...H-how did you know!?" Ayumi's voice shot up in surprise, her earlier enthusiasm deflating.
She had been hoping to see Shouko's shocked expression, but that plan had already failed.
"Because yesterday at lunch, Miyamura told us," Takagi said as she dragged her chair over and joined them. "You were still washing your bento box then."
Ayumi slowly turned her head toward Akira, glaring at him with pure betrayal.
"I thought someone had already told you," Akira shrugged, completely unbothered.
Rolling her eyes, Ayumi huffed but quickly regained her energy. "Fine! Then let me tell you what else I heard!"
She leaned closer, voice dropping into a secretive whisper.
"For the school trip, we'll be staying at a hot spring ryokan for three days!"
"Really? Do we get free time there?" Shouko asked, eyes lighting up slightly.
"It's hard to say. For safety reasons, it'll probably be limited to the area around the ryokan," Ayumi replied, shaking her head.
"Hot spring ryokan…" Akira muttered under his breath, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.
"And about the Sports Festival—it might be held in late September, or if not, then early November," Ayumi continued proudly.
By the time the bell for the last period rang, Ayumi had finished spilling every bit of "insider info" she'd overheard in the teachers' office.
A small crowd had gathered around her desk, listening eagerly, until she finally waved them off.
"Alright, alright, show's over! Go back to your seats before the teacher comes!"
The class slowly returned to normal just as their teacher walked in.
During the lecture, Akira found himself staring blankly out the window, still processing everything Ayumi had said.
When the dismissal bell finally rang, Akira slung his backpack over his shoulder, said goodbye to his friends, and left the school grounds.
As he started up his motorcycle, his phone buzzed—a LINE message from Funo Jun.
"Come to Futaba Publishing when you're free."
No further explanation.
Since he had nothing else to do, Akira decided to head straight there.
Twenty minutes later, he parked his motorcycle outside the Futaba Publishing building. The employees walking in and out looked drained, and for a brief moment, he wondered if this was what he'd look like in a few years.
He shook off the thought, entered the building naturally under the security guard's watchful eye, took the elevator to the editing floor, and made his way to Funo Jun's cubicle.
"Jun-san, why did you call me here?"
"Miyamura-sensei," Jun greeted him with a teasing grin. "It's about the ending of the second volume of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day—"
Before she could finish, Akira turned as if to leave.
"Alright, alright, I'm joking! You're so serious—you really don't act like a high schooler sometimes." She sighed, waving him toward an empty meeting room.
"It's about the second volume, right?" Akira asked, already guessing the reason.
Jun nodded. "Yes. We need to discuss the manuscript revisions, confirm the binding and layout design, and review the final draft."
They spent over an hour going over details before finally wrapping up.
As Akira stood to leave, Jun handed him a small pendant shaped like a razor blade.
"I've already decided—once your second volume releases, I'll sell this as official merch. Imagine how much I'll make!"
"..."
Akira ignored her delusions of profit, accepted the pendant, thanked her, and left the office.
By the time he picked up Shouko and returned home, it was already past five in the evening. He handed her the pendant as a small gift.
After a few minutes of teasing and laughter, Shouko returned to her own house. When she stepped inside, the stars had already filled the night sky, and the streetlights glowed softly below.
"Akira, what do you think if I open an account on Skeb just for Anohana illustrations?" Shouko asked suddenly, sitting up on his bed.
Akira blinked, pulled out his phone, and looked it up.
He learned that Skeb was a platform for art and design commissions—creators could post their portfolios, accept paid requests, and even keep their identities private.
"Hmm… pixiv also works, right? You can take commissions there too," he said thoughtfully.
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