Anime rating game

"No problem, we'll look in various Western countries."

"How about offering a high reward before the animation airs? Just say you lost your cat and are looking for something similar to comfort your soul."

"no problem."

Masamune looked at the five members of Kyouon without speaking, and only spoke after they had discussed it:

"Is it really worth spending so much manpower and resources just to find a cat and a mouse?"

“When it comes to things I like, I don’t care how much money it costs.” Kotobuki Tsumugi smiled slightly and asked in return, “Isn’t President Hayase the same way?”

"But there are two kinds of spending money: those that produce visible results and those that don't. Are you so sure that Tom and Jerry really exist, and that they're not just two characters I came up with on a whim?"

“I’m absolutely certain.” Kotobuki Tsumugi’s face became more serious. “If it were a character that was just randomly chosen, it definitely wouldn’t be one of those two Western names. It would be Shinichi or Conan.”

"There's no way I could have those two names, right? Mr. Aoyama would come after me. Tom and Jerry are very common Western names, like Itō and Satō. Maybe you're overthinking it."

"That's certainly possible, but even just the possibility is worth a try, isn't it?"

Kotobuki Tsumugi paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"By the way, this is something we learned from President Hayase."

Masamune was speechless, never expecting that the pit he had dug himself would end up burying him instead.

If it were the five of them, they might actually be able to find Tom Jerry instead of the similar-looking blue cat.

After all, whether Nakano Azusa is Tom or not, the fact that she can talk to cats is easy to find out with a simple question.

"Both the cat and the mouse are masters of destroying the house. If you really want to keep them, please make sure to keep a close eye on them. Make Nakano remind them every day to prevent the cat and mouse from making up one day and then relapsing the next."

"So...our guess was right?" Kotobuki Tsumugi's eyes lit up, her face showing excitement. "We weren't very confident before, but now we're even more certain."

A few days ago, I learned that Azusa's new cat was named Shinichi, and I decided to adopt it. Hayase Masamune was also there that day.

At that time, Kotobuki Tsumugi was fairly certain that Tom Jerry really existed.

Hearing this from the person involved instantly boosted his confidence.

The only uncertainty is whether it can be found, and if so, whether the other party is willing to sell.

Masamune stared at her speechlessly for a long time before sighing:

"Perhaps you could send someone to New York to look for it."

"Thank you!" Kotobuki Tsumugi secretly made a V sign to the four people behind her.

Chapter 111: The Four Lies – A Secret Kept Only by Kaoru Miyazono

As January drew to a close, production of "Four Lies" was completed.

However, the timing of the broadcast has become a problem.

As a 24-episode series that runs for half a year, it should normally be broadcast for half a year.

Now, in an attempt to save lives, the entire program must be broadcast before April.

A half-year series must be completed within two months, with three episodes airing per week.

After much negotiation with the television station, Musashino finally agreed that the broadcast time for "Four Lies" would begin at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, with three episodes airing consecutively.

The television advertising began immediately the next day.

On the last day of January, Arima Kousei once again visited the office of Musashino President.

"President, 'Four Lies' will air next Sunday. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Well..."

Looking up at Arima Kousei's extremely serious expression, Masamune fell into deep thought.

Over the past few months, believing that every bit of work he did could increase the chances of saving Kaoru Miyazono's life, he devoted himself to music, voice acting, storyboarding, and scene design.

Now, with a week to go before the anime airs, he has become anxious and uneasy after having some free time.

"We have done our best in terms of animation production. Now that the animation is complete, all that's left is to wait."

Even so, it's hard for you to have the patience to sit around doing nothing right now.

"In that case, why don't you spend more time with Kaori Miyazono?"

"If the animation rating is bad and the surgery fails, every remaining day is extremely precious."

Every remaining day?

Upon hearing this, Arima Kousei, who had been numbing himself with work for months, felt a sudden tightness in his chest, and all his worries and fears surged back into his heart.

For a moment, he lost his balance and seemed about to fall.

They haven't even confessed to each other yet; the animation company just forcibly spoiled it for them.

"I understand."

"Please keep the details of the animation confidential. After all, the ending of the animation is that the surgery fails, and I'm worried that if she sees the ending, she will completely lose hope of living."

"Um... I won't tell her, and everyone has been keeping it a secret from her."

As they were talking, Arima Kousei suddenly realized something and hesitantly asked:

"President, what if she accidentally sees this while browsing the internet on her phone?"

“That makes sense. In that case, you should talk to Kaori Miyazono’s parents and ask them to take her phone away,” Masamune said as he thought about it.

The animation will only begin large-scale promotion tomorrow, and today, there is no relevant information available online.

With her phone confiscated and no one around to discuss the matter, she would have little chance of getting the news.

"Huh...? Isn't this going a bit too far?"

"Anyway, you're the only person she contacts, right? Why don't you just stay in the ward all day for the next few months?"

Arima Kousei pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly:

"Okay, I'll discuss it with your uncle and aunt later."

Over the past few months, because he visited her every night, the two sides have become very familiar with each other.

Both of them knew what Kousei Arima was doing.

The three of them had actually discussed the animation more than once.

Either tell Kaori Miyazono the whole truth, or keep it a secret forever.

Telling the person in question the truth is inappropriate, as she was overly ashamed and upset, and her emotional state was too volatile.

The death at the end of the anime, if witnessed by the person involved, would only intensify her despair.

On the contrary, concealing it, although more troublesome, would not have any negative impact if she survived and watched the entire Blu-ray version after recovering.

......

"Arima-kun, you're here again."

"Ah."

Inside the ward, Kaoru Miyazono, dressed in pajamas, leaned against the headboard.

He looked much more haggard and thinner than last autumn, but Arima Kousei, who visited him every day, did not notice this.

However, I had a vague feeling that her physical condition was deteriorating day by day, which made me increasingly anxious.

In recent days, he has asked the doctor more than once what the success rate would be if the surgery were performed earlier, and what the success rate would be if the surgery were delayed until April.

Unfortunately, even if surgery were performed immediately, the success rate would be less than 3%.

Since that's the case, we can only place our hopes on animation.

However, this is also something that is completely uncertain and there is no certainty about it.

These days, I go to the shrine to pray once a day, and I hang string after string of amulets at home, but the unease in my heart has not lessened at all.

"Arima-kun, don't you have anything else to do? You've been coming here almost every day lately."

"For me, this is the most important thing right now."

Arima Kousei forced himself not to think about it and started peeling an apple instead.

"This place is quite far from the school and where you live, isn't it? Coming here every day, can your wallet handle it?"

“I’ve been working these days, and I’m earning a lot of money. My wallet is quite thick.”

"What exactly does Arima-kun do for a living? You never want to tell me whenever I ask."

"I'm sorry, please let me keep this a secret for a while longer. After your surgery, I will tell you everything in detail, and I will absolutely not hide anything from you."

"Alright, why didn't Arima-kun go to work today?"

"All the work that required my participation has been completed, and I have nothing to do for the next two months."

Arima Kousei hesitated for several seconds, then mustered his courage and said again:

"So for the next two months, I came here every morning."

"Saturday and Sunday?" Kaoru Miyazono was delighted.

No, Monday to Sunday.

"No! What about your studies?"

"Don't worry about your studies, your high school has already been decided. After your surgery, we will go to Fengcheng University Affiliated High School together."

"?? Putting Arima aside for now, I haven't been to school in a long time. Are my grades good enough for Minedai Affiliated High School? Their deviation score is quite high, isn't it?"

"Don't worry about that. The president... has contacted the school, and the two of us will be admitted as special music students."

After all, although the promotion for "A Lie in April" hasn't officially started yet, it's already quite well-known in the industry.

Over the past year, the animation industry has been a focus of attention across all sectors.

The fact that the male and female protagonists of a certain anime enter the same high school is also a great selling point for the school's student recruitment.

"Oh, I see. No wonder you've been working these past few days and rarely go to school."

Kaoru Miyazono seemed to be deep in thought. His chances of getting into a good school were definitely not a problem; the key lay with himself.

In the past year, especially in the second half, I hardly went to school.