I, who tortured the readers, was knocked to the ground by them!

Let's go back to the night two weeks ago.

Having not seen her younger sister for a long time, Masako Hase hurriedly canceled her work after receiving a phone call.

They drove straight to the apartment building.

The content of the phone call could be summarized very briefly: "I'm dating Wakaba, and Shion just found out."

It doesn't sound like a big deal.

The person you can call is Sakurai Itsuki.

Masako Hasegawa knew all too well what this meant for her silly little sister.
Masako Hase took out a spare key and pushed open the door to the room.

The room was completely dark under the already twilight sky.

But the brightly colored dress hanging on the balcony was unexpectedly eye-catching; it was completely different from her younger sister's style of dress.

Clearly, all of this change is due to someone.

However, the results of these changes were not positive.

Masako Hase pushed open the bedroom door and found her younger sister sobbing incessantly.

Masako Hasegawa wanted to comfort her, saying that he was just a man, and there were plenty of men in the world, so why hang yourself on one tree?

But when I looked up, I saw the bookshelf full of comic books.

And the goals written on that note.

[To become a manga artist like Naoko Tomi]

In the end, he swallowed his words back.

She knew very well that the name Sakurai Itsuki was not something that could be easily replaced for her.

Masako Hate could only gently hug her younger sister and wipe away her tears.

Masako Hase didn't know how long she cried before Shion Hase, her eyes wide and red, said to her, "I need to let him go and forget the feelings that arose in my heart when I ran towards Tokyo."

Otherwise, this would be too torturous, unbearable.

Masako Hasegawa certainly hoped that she could truly let go, so she nodded and planned to take her back to her spacious high-rise apartment.

For the past two weeks, Hase Shion has stayed indoors, no longer talking about or initiating conversations about Sakurai Itsuki.

In addition to participating in promotional activities for "White Album" and "Hotarubi no Mori e" (Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light).

Hasegawa Shion explained to her sister that this was something she had promised him before, and it was also out of professional ethics as an illustrator.

She plans to let go of Sakurai Itsuki, but she doesn't plan to let go of the manga.

Masako Hase could only sigh silently at her explanation.

It's not about questioning the correctness of her separating her career from her personal feelings.

Instead, if she could truly let go, she wouldn't deliberately explain it to her, much less agonize over what dress to wear alone in her room when going to an event.

She ultimately chose an outfit that seemed to be something she would wear before meeting him.

She took off her pantyhose and put on an elegant and expensive dress.

It seems that by doing this, she can successfully overcome her inner demons.

However, she clumsily failed to realize that she had already lost the moment she began to struggle with her decision.

She simply couldn't forget him.

Time returns to the present.

She and Sakurai Itsuki hadn't seen each other for two weeks, the longest they'd ever been apart since they met.

During this process, there was no direct contact between Sakurai Itsuki and her.

Sakurai Itsuki only inquired about her condition through Hase Masako and briefly explained the event details.

Sakurai Itsuki, who hadn't spoken for a long time, stood in front of her and asked, "Have you reset your feelings for me to zero?"

When Sakurai Itsuki struck up a conversation with her, Hasegawa Shion, despite being tormented, surprisingly felt a tiny bit of joy.

I clearly decided to let go.

After a pause, Shion Hanase parted her red lips slightly.

Given her past, not-so-frank personality, she would probably blurt out, "Hmph, I've never had any good feelings towards you."

Hasegawa Shion almost blurted out those words on her own, but she stopped herself when she got to them.

Because things are different now than before.

There's no way around it; things can't go back to the way they were before.

Although she didn't want to accept it, the truth was that he already had someone else in his life.

Over the past few months, she has fantasized countless times about what life would be like for the two of them together.

I even wondered what it would be like for that always serious father to see his grandson.

But now it seems that all of this was just a pipe dream.

"As a partner and creator, my feelings for you have never changed."

As Shion Hatsune spoke, a dull ache began to throb in her left chest again.

She's only willing to talk to him about creative things now; she's unwilling to mention anything else in front of him.

Looking at the expressionless, aloof girl in front of him, Sakurai Itsuki smiled and said, "Besides the creator's perspective?"

He knew very well that the aloof and unapproachable girl in front of him was not her true nature.

The more she tried to avoid mentioning it, the more she cared about it.

She was still as clumsy as ever.

She thought that as long as she stopped saying those classic arrogant lines, she could successfully conceal her true feelings.

In fact, she always exposed herself in this way.

When confronted with Sakurai Itsuki's persistent questioning, Hasegawa Shion fell silent, unsure of how to respond.

Just as I was feeling somewhat awkward and embarrassed.

Masako Hasegawa leaned closer: "Today we're finally going to shock everyone! You big bastard!"

She helped Hase Shion change the subject, while taking the opportunity to scold Sakurai Itsuki.

Sakurai Itsuki accepted her insults calmly: "Hmm."

Shion Hasegawa stood up: "I'll go and coordinate with the host on the questions. You guys talk."

She walked away quickly, her high heels clicking as she took small, quick steps.

Masako Hasegawa turned to Itsuki Sakurai and said, "You little brat, you're really asking her these kinds of questions now. Do you want to treat my precious little sister like a mistress? She told me that she's determined to give you up. She doesn't want to like you."

Sakurai Itsuki: "."

Masako Hase: "Alright, alright, I know you're a smart person, that silly girl can't fool you."

Masako Hase understood that in just one glance, that foolish girl had exposed everything to Itsuki Sakurai.

Even though she acted as if she wanted to distance herself from him.

However, both Sakurai Itsuki and Hase Masako knew that if Sakurai Itsuki were to take her hand now and elope again...

She'll probably keep agonizing over it, and then in the end, she'll be lured away by him again.

Masako Hasegawa looked at Itsuki Sakurai and asked again, "So, what are you thinking now? Happy, or relieved? Or are you also suffering?"

Sakurai Itsuki simply said, "I'm a beast."

Then they left to make final preparations for the upcoming event.

Because Haruki Nagayama will also be present today, the fans on both sides, who are always arguing about who is stronger, Sakura Fujiyo and Haruki Nagayama, started arguing again.

A Haruki Nagayama fan commented: "Heh. I'd rather eat shit than touch any of Cherry Blossom Tree Leaves' works."

A fan of Sakura Fujisawa said: "To be honest, people who read Haruki Nagayama are just vulgar and have extremely low taste. I'd rather do a handstand and have diarrhea while eating than read his manga."

Fans on both sides also started using this format to make harsh remarks on the internet.

Yes, if you're looking at Sakurai Itsuki's work, you can cut off the "life-giving part" with a knife, stir-fry it, and reduce the sauce.

Yes, if you're reading Haruki Nagayama's works, it's like running a marathon in the street with an anal plug in your pants.

In short, for a time, the discussions were filled with people talking about eating cockroaches and running naked, each one more vicious than the last, as if they would lose face if they weren't ruthless enough.

As the main figure in this first-time fan war, Yamazaki has completely lost interest in participating. It's not because he watches both sides, but because, apart from the old debate about who is better, the real topic today is whether Sakurai Itsuki and Sakura Fujiki are the same person.

And the person who raised this topic is not happy either.

Because he made that statement himself, it was purely for the sake of the show, and it was originally just a joke.

However, after Yukiko's performance in her live stream, more and more people came to believe in this theory.

It even seems that the organizers intend to use this discussion to drive traffic and generate buzz for the event.

The current level of attention has spiraled far out of his control, and it's no longer something he can simply brush off with a "Hey, I was just kidding, bro."

If his own inference is false, he will undoubtedly be labeled as someone who deliberately hypes things up and will be vilified by everyone.

In particular, although the official stance has been capitalizing on the buzz surrounding this discussion, they have never stated that the two individuals are the same person. Therefore, it is rather far-fetched to criticize the official stance.

As the one who initiated this discussion, Yamazaki will undoubtedly become the scapegoat.

Yamazaki could only hope that those two beasts were actually one person.

Can.
You're talking about a high school student who, while attending school, draws comics and makes games, and manages to create viral hits.
The more knowledgeable someone is, the more absurd this seems, no less than if someone told him, "I'm Naruto, transfer 2000 yen and I'll let you join the Anbu and learn Amaterasu from my brother."

Just as Yamazaki was fretting, he turned around and saw another person broadcasting live.

Natsuto Mura had already pulled out the sign that read "Plagiarism Dog" from her backpack.

Looking at Natsuto Mura, Yamazaki's expression darkened even further.

He knew that the guy was a top student at Tokyo University of the Arts, a professionally trained student, and also a classmate of Sakurai Itsuki.

He even dared to wager his own lower body in a live stream, which further proves that it can't be the same person, right?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Natsuto Murakami was prepared to be kicked out by security guards for broadcasting live.

Even if they get kicked out, they can still attract attention by keeping their own live stream running, and continue to condemn the organizers for their outburst.

If they don't kick me out, that would be even better.

This time, no matter what, Natsuto Himura is already destined to win!
unless
Haha, how could they possibly be the same person? That's ridiculous!

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

The activity officially begins.

Natsuto Murakami started waving a sign that read "Plagiarism Dog" wildly below the stage.

Many people turned their attention to him.

What made him even happier was that, for some reason, the cameras in the venue not only didn't avoid him, but instead gave him a close-up.

The security guards completely ignored him.

Natsuto Mura couldn't quite understand why, but he didn't care about that at the moment. He frantically waved the sign in his hand.

Meanwhile, the host was already standing on the stage.

The event did not follow the traditional format of introducing each person as they came up on stage and took their seats.

A group of key members of the production team went on stage at the same time.

Everyone craned their necks to observe the crowd and began a heated discussion.

[Is that Sakurai Itsuki in the middle? He's so handsome.]

Who's that next to him? She's so beautiful, like a young lady from a wealthy family!

By the way, among these people, who is Sakurai Itsuki and who is Nagayama Haruki?

[For rational discussion: If Sakurai Itsuki is actually the same person as Sakura Fujikawa's leaves, does that prove he is the number one genius of the new generation?]

While everyone was having a heated discussion, Natsuto Mura disdainfully continued to attack Itsuki Sakurai in his own live stream.

"Heh, bringing his girlfriend on stage at such an important occasion, Sakurai Itsuki is really hopeless! Bringing her is one thing, but letting her sit in the second center position next to him is another big mistake!"

"That woman is Sakurai Itsuki's girlfriend who's always clinging to him. She was also involved in copying the cherry blossom leaves."

"You tell me, in this kind of occasion, he didn't let Haruki Nagayama, who was a guest, and another key member of the event, Sakura Fujiyo, sit in the center, but let an ordinary female college student sit next to him! This favoritism is ridiculous, it's so outrageous that it feels like magic."

Natsumi Murakami explained the identity of the woman next to Sakurai Itsuki in the live broadcast room and recounted how outrageous their behavior was.

The viewers in the live stream expressed their regret, noting that the girl was so beautiful and had such a great presence, yet she was already taken.

Moreover, judging from what Mura Natsu said, it seemed that she was using her body to seduce Sakurai Itsuki in exchange for benefits.

But soon, Natsuto Mura's expression changed.

Instead of introducing Sakurai Itsuki first, the host introduced him in order of seating, starting from the side of the stage and moving towards the center.

When it came to Hase Shion's turn, the host introduced her as follows: "Now, please welcome Sakura Utaha, the original illustrator for White Album and the original illustrator for the Hotarubi no Mori e manga!"

Natsuto Murakami: "Huh?"

His mouth dropped open in surprise.

She's the original illustrator for the manga "Hotarubi no Mori e"? How come I've never heard of her before?
Wait, she's the original artist, that Sakurai Itsuki
At this moment, while Hase Shion was introducing herself, his live stream chat was frantically typing "?".

[Wow, Sakura Utaha is so pretty?] [Sakura Utaha, is she Sakurai Itsuki's girlfriend?] [Wait, didn't Mura Natsutoru say she was just a regular student with connections? This is original artwork, how can she be considered someone with connections?]

However, Natsuto Murakami no longer had the mind to pay attention to the doubts in the live broadcast room.

Because a bad feeling was slowly spreading in his heart.

The host continued, "Welcome to the scriptwriter of 'White Album,' Sakurai Itsuki!"

Everyone's eyes widened immediately.

We'll soon find out if Sakurai Shu and Sakura Fujiki Shu are the same person.

Sakurai Itsuki stood up and slowly introduced himself: "Hello everyone, I am Sakurai Itsuki."

After speaking, he slowly sat down again without saying anything else.

Just as everyone's expectations were about to be dashed, the host continued the program: "Welcome to the original author of 'Hotarubi no Mori e,' the manga artist, Ms. Sakura Fujii!"

The host just finished speaking.

Sakurai Itsuki, who had just sat down, stood up again: "Hello everyone, I am Sakura Fujinomoki."

"Oh!"

A gasp of surprise erupted from the audience.

These two beasts are actually the same person!

This is insane!

[This is true genius. Now, it's settled who's stronger, Sakura Fujiyo or Nagayama Haruki!]

[The cherry blossom leaves are the strongest; Haruki Nagayama's dutiful son kneels before them!]

[Is Sakurai Itsuki copying cherry blossom leaves because I copied myself? Those who joined in the criticism, they've really made fools of themselves now.]

Oh, by the way, is someone planning to castrate themselves?

The stadium erupted in frenzy, while Natsuto Murakami, holding up his sign, fell into a deathly silence.

At that moment, the director gave another close-up shot of Natsuto Mura.

Looking at the big screen, I saw my own face, ashen as death.

He finally understood why the security guards ignored him and why the director kept giving him special screen time.

It turns out they were always waiting for their own clown performance to begin.

Sakurai Itsuki slowly sat down amidst gasps of surprise.

After the atmosphere quieted down a bit, the host raised the microphone again and said, "Now, please welcome our special guest, Mr. Haruki Nagayama!"

Having finally found a decisive advantage, the fans of Sakura Fujii and Shuu, who were now shamelessly flaunting their power, and the fans of Nagayama Haruki, who couldn't find a reason to refute them for the time being,
And those who were watching the clowns get slapped in the face and were cheering wildly all turned their attention back to the stage.

This time, it wasn't just Natsuto Murakami who was speechless after being slapped in the face.

"what?"

"is that a lie?"

"How could they be one person?"

Compared to the gasps of surprise just now, everyone was completely dumbfounded this time.

Sakurai Itsuki, who had just sat down, stood up again. (End of Chapter)