Chapter 19: Meeting the Legendary Prince of Manga Adaptations on the First Day of School?
Katsura Kotonoha didn't scream or fall apart when she read the diary. She simply felt disgust, a cold knot of revulsion toward the scumbags mentioned. Why would she ever fall for them in the future? After turning it over in her mind, her conclusion was painfully simple: she lacked mental fortitude.
Her master had always told her—a swordsman must be sincere with their blade. She had talent in kendo, but her frail body made progress difficult. So she had turned to iaidō instead, a style born from revenge, where one decisive strike determined life or death. She had grown skilled with the blade, but neglected the training of her heart.
"In a few days, when my body feels better, I'll return to the dojo."
With that thought, Kotonoha sat in her room, adjusting her breathing to Ripple's steady rhythm. She drew her beloved sword, set a whetstone before her, and began sharpening—metal against stone in slow, deliberate strokes. Every scrape was a vow to herself: cut off all foolish romantic attachments. Become a swordswoman who lives only for her blade.
Focused as she was, she didn't even glance at the newly refreshed diary comments, nor notice the group chat mentioned in them.
---
While Kotonoha honed her resolve, Renji Miyauchi was remembering a very different story.
Menma.
That nickname in the group chat had pulled up a half-forgotten memory. Honma Meiko—the little ghost girl from Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. In the anime she drowned five years before the story began. But the Menma in the group wasn't a ghost. She was alive, fragile, her health permanently damaged by a near-drowning accident.
And Renji knew exactly why.
His hometown of Asahigaoka sat on the edge of Saitama's central mountains. On the far side was Chichibu, the stage of Anohana. The summer he was twelve, he'd declared himself the "child king" of Asahigaoka and led every kid in the village on endless mountain climbs. They followed him because he always had new games, new schemes.
That year, after promising them an orchard and starting a fruit-tree planting campaign, he dragged them up the ridges bordering Chichibu. They clambered over rocks, shouting, laughing, until dusk fell and they began their descent. That was when they saw her.
A small girl in the river, limp in the current.
Renji didn't panic. He barked orders, just as he always did. "You, grab that rope! You, get the first-aid kit! Don't just stand there—move!"
Together, they pulled Honma Meiko out, unconscious and pale. Renji had brought enough emergency gear for a week-long expedition, and under his direction the "Asahigaoka Climbing Corps" kept her alive until the ambulance arrived.
That night, every one of them was punished by furious parents. Renji himself was grounded for the entire summer, condemned to babysit little Renka every day. The Menma incident became just another story of childhood mischief.
Her parents visited to thank them with gifts, explaining that the accident left her body permanently weakened. Renji wrote her a letter—Rest well. One day, come visit Asahigaoka when you're better. But she never did. His life became swallowed up by filming, village schemes, and the endless orbit of Kouka, Kaede, and Renka.
Menma faded into memory. Until last night, when her name appeared in the diary's group chat.
Renji exhaled, rubbing his temples. "So I really rewrote Anohana's script without meaning to. Menma lived, but she's still bound by frailty. If Ripple Breathing helps her heal… maybe her story can change again."
Still, he wasn't worried. As long as her comment didn't show up in the public diary feed, no one would connect her to him. And even if it did—well, he was a professional liar by now. He could improvise.
---
The next morning, spring sunlight fell through blooming cherry blossoms. Renji buttoned up his crisp Toyosaki Academy uniform. Today, his high school life officially began.
He'd already checked the class rosters. Luck was on his side: no Aki Tomoya, no Eriri Spencer Sawamura, no Kato Megumi. Just a plain, background class where he could quietly survive. Kouka, however, was stuck in the chaos class with Tomoya and Megumi. Poor sis. She'll either love it or burn out in a week.
Standing outside her apartment, Renji called for her to hurry up. Naturally, she dawdled. Instead, the door next to hers opened first.
A tall, blonde girl with golden eyes stepped out, every motion elegant. She froze when she saw Renji. Why is Kouka wearing a boy's uniform? Her gaze flicked between their faces, realizing—no, this wasn't Kouka. Same features, but his sharper jaw and piercing eyes made him look far more imposing.
"Good morning," Renji greeted politely. "I'm her younger brother. Miyauchi Renji."
The girl inclined her head. "Shiina Mayuzumi. Pleased to meet you." Then she walked away, composed and graceful.
Renji kept smiling until she vanished, then let a tiny grain of Yellow Temperance dissolve from the corner of his mouth. He'd hidden it there to test her. The Stand whispered its verdict. Heartbeat normal. Breathing steady. No Stand detected. Assessment: ordinary person.
"Good. One less heroine I have to worry about going psycho."
Kouka finally stumbled out, flustered. "Don't threaten my allowance on the first day, Renji! I'll behave!"
He ignored her whining, dragging her toward Toyosaki Academy. "And remember, if anyone asks about Asahigaoka, just say it was Kaede. Not me. If you slip up, you'll regret it."
By the time they reached school, Renji felt oddly relaxed. He parted from Kouka, found his own classroom, and claimed the window seat. Perfect spot: a view of sakura petals fluttering in the breeze, and enough distance to nap during boring lectures.
The boy next to him caught his eye. Side profile sharp, hair falling in messy strands—he looked alarmingly like Kento Yamazaki, the so-called "Prince of Manga Adaptations."
Renji's lips twitched. Oh great. I've sat next to live-action Josuke, Oreki, and Saiki. If he ruins my mood like Yamazaki ruined those roles, I might actually punch him before lunch.
Still, he leaned over with practiced charm. "Hey. Miyauchi Renji, Saitama Prefecture. Nice to meet you."
The boy blinked, startled by someone being friendly so early. Up close, his complexion was pale, almost sickly, but his smile was polite. "Sakakibara Kouichi. I grew up in Toyama, but I've been in Tokyo since I was a kid. Let's get along."
Renji's pen hovered. "Mind writing the kanji?" He jotted down his own name first, then watched carefully as Kouichi wrote his.
Sakakibara Kouichi.
Renji stared at the characters. His stomach dropped. No way.
The surname wasn't common. And the first name paired with it… he knew it from somewhere darker.
Another.
Misaki Mei's story. A cursed class. An eye that sees death.
Renji leaned back, smiling faintly so Kouichi wouldn't notice the sudden chill in his expression. Outside, sakura petals drifted past the window, but for Renji, the air felt heavy.
"If Misaki Mei walks into this classroom tomorrow," he thought, "then Toyosaki High is about to become a lot more dangerous than I planned."
End of the chapter
(A/N) = 150 power stone=1 extra chapter and so on and all extra chapter will be released on Sunday