He turned his head to look, and what met his eyes was a striking head of long red hair, purple eyes, and unique upturned corners, a cold and beautiful appearance.
"Hoo... ha..."
She was a bit out of breath, looking slightly disheveled, which added a touch of realism.
"Can, can I sit here?"
Nishikino Maki asked.
"Nishikino, do you need to be so polite? I don't own this bench."
Izumi Chihiro said casually.
'By the way, haven't you already sat down?'
He mused inwardly.
"Nishikino, it seems your athletic ability is as poor as Eriri's. It looks like you two indeed have a lot in common."
Seeing her expression, Izumi Chihiro continued.
"At least my grades are better than Sawamura Student's, and I'm not as sickly as her either."
The girl's inexplicable self-esteem was piqued.
"That's true."
Izumi Chihiro gave a perfunctory reply, then closed his eyes to rest again.
Nishikino Maki drank a mouthful of mineral water bought from the vending machine, her breathing already steady.
Placing the water bottle beside her, she looked around again and, finding no acquaintances, a thought sparked in her mind.
This seemed like a rare opportunity.
"So, how should I bring it up?"
The girl fiddled with a strand of hair that had fallen by her side, falling into a dilemma.
Speaking directly would be too forced, so she thought of a way to introduce the topic.
"Izumi-kun, I've watched Madoka's anime, and it's truly excellent. It almost perfectly brought to life the scenes I had imagined in my mind."
The girl's eyes were sparkling.
"Hmm, the anime production team understood Madoka very well and put a lot of effort into making the anime with great care."
Izumi Chihiro also became interested.
Once they started talking about this, the familiar rhythm of conversation returned, and Nishikino Maki completely lost the tension she had felt earlier, gradually getting into the swing of things.
However, class was almost over, and her goal had still not been achieved.
If things continued this way, nothing would change.
After the anime topic was exhausted, a brief silence fell over them once more.
"Nishikino, you deliberately came over here not just to talk about Madoka, right?"
This time, it was Izumi Chihiro who broke the silence.
"I, I didn't deliberately come over…"
Nishikino Maki's face showed a hint of shyness.
'Even her troublesome personality is the same.'
Izumi Chihiro mused inwardly.
"Maki's personality is really troublesome… No, I have to help her out!"
Ozaki Mako, who had been secretly observing from the sidelines, couldn't bear it anymore and walked out.
"Maki, and Izumi-kun, so you two are here."
She walked over with a smile.
"Mako."
Nishikino Maki whispered.
"?"
Izumi Chihiro seemed to realize something.
"Ozaki, have you been over there all this time?"
"No need to worry about such small matters!"
"..."
"By the way, you two have known each other for so long, why are you still calling each other by your last names? Could it be that Izumi-kun doesn't consider Maki a friend?"
Ozaki Mako turned around, her gaze serious.
"Of course not."
Izumi Chihiro's gaze sharpened as he replied, "That depends on whether Nishikino is willing for me to call her by her first name."
"This…"
Nishikino Maki's expression was blank.
Ozaki Mako cast a stern look her way.
"Of course… I can."
Nishikino Maki averted her gaze and nodded.
"Alright then, Maki, from now on, you should also call me by my first name."
"Hmm, Chi, Chihiro…"
Ozaki Mako showed a relieved expression.
She finally did it!
…
Although the two now called each other by their first names, daily life didn't undergo any significant changes. The only highlight remained the weekly anime broadcast, which was always the most talked-about topic.
Last week, the scene where Sakura Kyoko and Sayaka, transformed into witches, perished together, was quite moving and brought tears to many red-blue CP fans.
This week, however, revealed Homura Akemi's past, the girl who walked alone through endless loops, and her performance was even more tragic and heroic.
"Waaah, this episode was also so well-made! And the voice actor's delivery of the lines was so emotional. I wasn't even this moved when I finished Ni-san's novel…"
After watching, Sagiri said with red eyes, looking as if she had more to say.
"After all, a novel's expression can't compare to the multi-faceted interpretation of an anime, unless it's at the level of Nayuta or Senju Muramasa."
Izumi Chihiro's expression was calm.
This was an inherent disadvantage of the medium; anime had so many more elements than light novels—voice actors, BGM, moving visuals… Unless the anime was truly terrible, it was difficult to compare. So, he didn't feel his sister's evaluation was biased.
"Well, if there wasn't an excellent original work, they wouldn't be able to produce such an outstanding work. Even the popular meruru couldn't compare to your Madoka, Chihiro."
Mrs. Izumi said with a smile.
"In terms of both plot and writing style, at your age, Chihiro, very few can achieve what you have. In a previous era, you might have been called the 'savior of light novels'."
If those two hadn't appeared, Izumi Masamune's status in the industry would certainly have reached an unprecedented level. In some ways, he could be considered unlucky.
This was not only Mrs. Izumi's thought but also the sentiment expressed by some of his readers.
"Doesn't that make it more challenging?"
Izumi Chihiro suddenly smirked, his eyes twinkling with a smile.
'This child is truly mature.'
Mrs. Izumi thought to herself.
She figured she could rest assured, even if she had to leave later.
… …
["So this is Homura Akemi's life story? It's truly moving."]
["Having watched it this far, it's indeed an excellent work. I'll buy a complete set of the hardcover originals another day to support it!"]
["Finally, I understand why Homura acted that way before. Everything makes sense now!"]
["No matter how many times I loop, I will save you!"]
["Although I've watched it countless times, seeing it animated still moves me deeply."]
["Yes, this is the Homura in my heart!"]
["Old Thief, did you see it? The anime production is so successful, you're probably secretly happy hiding under your blanket, aren't you?"]
The tenth episode that followed once again received rave reviews, and everyone was deeply moved by Homura Akemi's persistence.
As the anime's conclusion drew nearer, public attention towards Madoka also grew, but the release of Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World Volume 5 had not been forgotten.
After all, watching the anime and reading the novel simultaneously wouldn't conflict.
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter