For many manga fans, once a story ends, it simply ends. But for Hinata, every time a work she loves reaches its finale, a soft unwillingness stirs in her heart.
It's like sending off an old friend, a quiet ache that lingers.
Even today, after buying Ametsukage Weekly, she sat at home holding the magazine for half a day. She didn't open it, because she knew that once she tore the plastic and turned the pages… the journey with Tonight would truly be over.
But eventually, she exhaled, tore open the wrap, and began reading.
The final chapter opened with several pages of gorgeous color. As always, the art was breathtaking, the details rich enough to stop the heart.
And now that it was the last chapter, every remaining mystery had to be resolved.
After reclaiming her diary and learning she once loved a boy named Toru, Hino went with Toru's older sister to visit his grave for the first time.
Even now, Toru's sister gently encouraged her, not to be trapped by the past or by an old diary.
"Your future shouldn't be chained by my brother," she told her softly.
"I still want to find him, little by little," Hino answered with a calm smile.
"The memories between us… they must still be somewhere in my heart."
Those words hit Hinata like a quiet hammer, gentle, but devastating.
Death isn't the real ending; being forgotten is. And Hino understood that too well. That's why she longed to reclaim every piece of the past she had lost.
After their conversation, Hino and her best friend Izumi walked to the beach.
Hino's amnesia had steadily improved, and smiles bloomed more easily on her face now. There, she told Izumi her decision for the future, she wanted to apply to art school.
"I already guessed you'd say that," Izumi said with a grin.
"Toru once talked about it, right? Procedural memory." Even if she forgot everything else, the drawing skills she trained because of him would never disappear.
The two girls sat by the sea, talking about dreams, university plans, and the boy who was no longer with them.
Even if Hino's mind had lost the memories of Toru, were his efforts and his presence meaningless?
No, Hinata realized it suddenly. This entire story had always been about Hino's growth.
Toru had left marks on her heart the way muscle memory leaves marks on the body.
The girl confidently planning for university now was completely different from the trembling girl we met in chapter one. This was the answer the story had been building toward.
The chapter spent many warm pages on Hino and Izumi's conversation. Eventually, exhausted, the two lay down on the picnic blanket, sunlight washing over them.
Hinata's breath caught, because the scene felt familiar.
Earlier in the manga, Hino had also fallen asleep outside, and after waking up, her memory reset, revealing the secret of her condition.
And now… it was happening again.
Hino shut her eyes against the sunlight, drifting in and out of sleep.
In that haze, her consciousness slipped. And in that haze, she awoke again.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the gentle profile of a smiling young man.
Just like that first time, the day of their very first date.
Except this time, Hino didn't panic.
This time, there was no amnesia waiting to devour her memories. "You're awake," Toru said, smiling exactly the way she remembered.
Hino pushed herself up from the grass, looking at him with eyes full of warmth and trembling affection.
"Everything in this world is always fading," her inner voice whispered. "But some things… remain."
"Never fading."
A tear shimmered at the corner of her eye as she nodded at the boy standing in front of her, the boy who should no longer exist in this world.
In that moment, all the emotions the manga had built washed over Hinata, nearly overwhelming her.
Because until now, the story made one rule clear: every time Hino fell asleep, her world reset.
She had never dreamed before, or rather, even if she had, she could never remember it. But now, for the first time, Hino truly fell asleep.And in that brief, impossible space between sleep and waking… the boy she could never remember smiled at her again, as gently as he once had.
Falling asleep used to mean losing everything.
Today, falling asleep meant finding him again.
When Hino opened her eyes on the beach, Toru was gone, only Izumi slept quietly beside her.
Hino looked up at the faraway blue sky, and a soft smile curved her lips.
Her inner voice rose like a warm breeze. "Toru, he really does live in my heart."
"Even if this love disappears from the world, I will use my heart to draw you again."
"Chapter Eleven. The End."
When Hinata reached that final line, she couldn't describe what washed through her.
Was it sorrow? Relief? A bittersweet ache?
She only felt tears rising, blurring the last panel.
Without hesitating, she opened her laptop, logged into the Ametsukage Weekly website, and immediately cast her vote for Tonight.
Then she sat back, pressing a hand to her chest, memorizing the title Tonight and the name "Shirogane."
A manga that moved her every single week, and ended without a single wasted panel.
It was complete.
Perfectly, painfully complete.
That day became the most emotionally unified day for Tonight's fans since serialization began.
No arguing, no insults, no complaints about the author. Just pure, collective heartbreak and gratitude.
"Teacher Shirogane, I cried like a child. Why even the last chapter? Why!?"
"He said he'd give us a beautiful dream, and he did, but god, it still hurts so much."
"I'm devastated, but also thankful."
"After finishing the final chapter, my heart feels empty. I want love, but I'm terrified I'll never meet someone like Toru."
"Please, Shirogane, draw a university side-story about Hino. I need to see her future."
"I prepared myself for heartbreak, but the dream scene destroyed me anyway."
"How was anyone supposed to guard against that!? Hino falls asleep, Toru appears smiling just like before. It's perfect and cruel at the same time."
"The title Tonight, Even If This Love Disappears From the World, I finally understand how perfect it is."
"Volume two tankobon, hurry. I want to collect it, and force all my friends to read this manga."
"Thank you, Shirogane, you worked hard, and please, for your next work, don't break us again. Something cheerful this time, okay?"
"I never vote. Ever. But today I scanned the QR code just for you, Shirogane."
"I'm sorry for all the times I cursed you before. Today is my apology.""And please, please include extra chapters in the tankobon. I beg you!"