Believing she had successfully obtained the desired information through 'indirect' means, Eriri left satisfied.
Izumi Chihiro went straight home.
"Chihiro, are you interested in cooking?"
Suddenly, Mrs. Izumi came up to him.
"Cooking? Why are you suddenly asking about this…"
Izumi Chihiro looked a bit surprised, but still replied, "I'm somewhat interested."
"Then, from now on, you'll start learning to cook with me."
Mrs. Izumi said in a gentle tone.
"Alright."
Izumi Chihiro didn't understand her sudden idea, but based on the belief that it's good to have many skills, he agreed.
His current job had also stabilized, and he could completely manage his time well.
…
After some time.
It had been over half a month since winter began, and the temperature was getting colder and colder, but for readers filled with anticipation, their hearts grew warmer and warmer.
A few days ago, the official website's sales channel had updated its notice, stating that due to a staff error, they had forgotten to add the information for the final volume.
At this point, readers finally felt at ease, and they already had a general guess about the content of this volume.
The previous content had already emphasized the power of Witch Night, and in multiple timelines, the result was always defeat.
Only after Madoka transformed into a magical girl could victory be achieved, but that was utterly meaningless, and furthermore, Madoka had once asked Homura Akemi for a favor.
Originally, Homura Akemi considered fighting alongside Sakura Kyoko, but in the end, she was alone. The outcome of this battle was clear to anyone; Homura Akemi still couldn't overcome this hurdle.
After all, she hadn't just gone through a few timelines, but hundreds of them. Homura Akemi didn't know how many times she had fought against it, but she had never succeeded. This time, there should be no exception; a miracle would not descend upon her!
Therefore, there was only one way to break the deadlock.
That was Madoka becoming a magical girl.
Shiina Mafuyu wrote on her blog a partial conclusion she had reached after reading comments and analyzing them.
["Unless Teacher Izumi really intends to implement the so-called 'all-out destruction' ending, then only by approaching it from this angle can everything be changed!"]
She typed the last paragraph.
Such logical deduction garnered a lot of agreement and discussion.
["Mafuyu-chan is so brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?"]
["That's true. Unless the Old Thief is desperate, then this is the only way to go, after all, it's the final volume, isn't it? Unless a 'Kyubey's natural enemy' character suddenly appears to completely eliminate Kyubey and save the world… but that's obviously nonsense; no matter how free an author is, they couldn't write that."]
["I agree with Mafuyu-chan!"]
["Just a quick question, why isn't Mafuyu-chan serializing the Old Thief's BL works recently? I find them very exciting, seeing the Old Thief being bullied and screaming… it's instantly satisfying."]
There are always clever people in this world, especially when many elements have already surfaced, making it even easier to draw conclusions.
"Ahem, dear fan, of course I want to write it, but Teacher Izumi himself came to me, so I wouldn't dare to act against his wishes! So, I can only apologize~"
Shiina Mafuyu clapped her hands, made an apologetic gesture, and then ignored that message, starting to interact with other comments.
Suddenly, another new comment appeared, instantly making her eyes light up.
["Mafuyu-chan, recently, Teacher Kashiwagi Eri's Egoistic-Lily will be selling a gal game called 'white album' at Winter Comiket, and Teacher Izumi is the main writer. Are you interested?"]
Of course, she was very interested!
As a deep otaku and fujoshi, besides BL novels, her gaming hobbies were also very broad, ranging from RPGs to fighting games to H-Games, often producing guides and insights.
This was also one of the reasons why she had so many fans.
"Teacher Izumi as the main writer? That's truly exciting…"
Upon hearing that name, the girl became excited.
However, her gaze then sharpened.
Something felt off!
If it was in the Old Thief's style, what kind of gal game would it be?
A sweet harem work? Impossible!
It wouldn't be another depressing one, would it?
Thinking of this, a chill suddenly ran down her spine.
But no matter what, she intended to buy the game.
Even if it was a heart-wrenching work, she was willing to endure it now; this was the allure the Old Thief had for her.
"Ah, it's just a bit of a shame… it's being sold first at the Comiket. It seems I won't be able to buy it immediately. I'll just have to wait for the online order to arrive a bit earlier."
Shiina Mafuyu had androphobia, so she couldn't really go to places with many boys. She could only shake her head and sigh.
…
The time came for the release of "puella magi madoka magica" Volume 5.
Early in the morning, the temperature was still below ten degrees Celsius.
Eriri braved the cold wind, ran out of her bedding, put on thick clothing, and wore black-rimmed glasses and a hat as a disguise.
Pushing the door open, her destination was not one of Fujikawa Bunko's bookstores, but Takasago Bookstore, not far from Detective Slope.
"Sawamura Student, you're the first one again."
Takasago Tomoe couldn't help but smile when she saw the 'sneaky' figure walk in.
"Less talk, where are the books?"
Eriri didn't want to chat with her at all and went straight to the point.
"My father's book delivery car will be here soon. Sawamura Student, you actually don't need to rush. Our store's stock usually doesn't sell out on the first day, so you can come later."
Takasago Tomoe replied.
During the waiting time, every passing second felt exceptionally long.
The weather outside was cold, but Eriri was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Fortunately, just a minute later, the store owner arrived in a small car in front of the store.
"Give me one of those."
Eriri eagerly reached out.
Holding this light novel to her chest, a sense of gratitude immediately brought her much peace of mind.
At this time, people started arriving one after another.
They were also readers of puella magi madoka magica, and knowing that this bookstore would be the first to purchase this novel, they adopted the principle of proximity.
To deal with the customers, Takasago Tomoe had no way to 'talk' with Eriri, to discuss someone's affairs, so she could only let her leave.
"Sigh, I also wish I could read it as soon as possible~"
Takasago Tomoe suddenly felt a bit disheartened.
But as the successor of the bookstore, she could only bear her responsibility and read it only during her free time.