Something I didn't consider when I arrived in the city was the amount of Halloween decorations on the streets. I usually forget they exist.
Is that why they're meeting up today? No, one of her friends needed to buy things for something. It could also be both of them.
In my neighborhood, they only decorate the streets at Christmas, and not even all of them, and people there don't usually dress up for Halloween. If they do, I've probably never seen them.
Speaking of costumes, since it was morning, nobody was wearing them yet, although there were plenty of people around. I hate dressing up; it's a ritual of public humiliation, and I don't understand how people put up with it.
It was ten in the morning when I entered the mall, three-quarters of an hour before the time Otsuki told me to be there. Inside, there were also several Halloween decorations. Cardboard cutouts hung from the ceiling and railings, and there was even an inflatable pumpkin. Several shops were selling a wide variety of accessories, masks, and complete costumes.
Just like in high school, I do this to kill time. The murder would take place in a manga store.
I didn't plan to buy anything even if I had money, as I wanted to save it for who knows what; I considered it a precaution instead of being stubborn and not wanting to live life.
My self-imposed restriction wouldn't prevent me from reading something new either; I can simply pick up a book and read it alongside other unfortunate souls.
This was one of the few situations where I wasn't interested in listening to what everyone else was talking about, partly because I was reading, and partly because otaku are boring, and sometimes downright disgusting. I'll never be one of them.
Once inside the store, I went straight to find something to read, and decided to browse the monthly magazines. I looked at cover after cover until one caught my eye.
Is that Ivy? It must be an old magazine; it's strange to see it here. I feel sorry for Otsuki again.
Hearing her talk so much about Ivy Sense increased my tolerance for the series overall, allowing me to separate the ending from the rest of the story. This would most likely be the magazine with the final chapter.
"* Sigh*, I'll see what it was like," I sighed, somewhat discouraged.
The modus operandi I followed in this situation was similar to that of someone opening the refrigerator multiple times hoping something to eat will appear. My wish was that the outcome would change if I opened the magazine.
"?"
One of the texts I ignored on the cover stopped my despair. 'A sequel to-'
"An Ivy Sense sequel?!" That's basically what it said. And the magazine came out today, not last year. I experienced this fresh off the press.
What? How? What's all this about? The author finished the series a year ago already… I have to see this!
I opened the magazine like a child opening a Christmas present. Inside there was neither a first chapter nor a preview; they confirmed that the sequel would begin serialization 'soon,' without specifying a date.
It had been a year since I'd been this excited about this manga, especially now that Otsuki has awakened a bit of my inner fan. The main reason was something else.
If he does it right… he can make the series good again!
I forgot the tolerance I'd supposedly developed over the past week, hoping to salvage the series. All that lost potential gleaming like gold; the future looked bright.
I read the rest of the magazine, immersed in a hope stronger than any God could give me, putting it aside once I finished and reading one of the latest volumes of a series I was following. This went on until it was time to leave.
I'll finish it when I leave; it shouldn't take long.
I wrote down the page I had left off on my phone so I wouldn't have to look for it later.
What followed was 'simple': go over to them, apologize, say 'see you later!' while doing some pirouettes, and that was it—job done, apologies given. Then I'd go off on my own to another shop, far away from here so I wouldn't run into them again; it would be very strange.
Seconds after leaving the store, I received a notification.
[We are at the entrance of the shopping center.]
[Don't take too long, Hina is freezing to death.]
So, go inside?
I left their message on read so I wouldn't be typing while I was walking, heading towards the mall entrance. I also avoided typing so I could be in the right frame of mind and prepared before seeing them.
You know, it'll be a quick trip. It's just a brief encounter, say a few things, and that's it. You have to be honest, it's easy. It's easy. Besides, it's not the first time you've seen them. Especially Tsukiyomi.
I said this when almost everything I'd done up to that point was lie. Would this be considered a bad omen? Whether it was or not, there's no going back.
Through the glass doors of the entrance, I could see three figures sitting on a bench, away from the crowd. I knew it was the right group thanks to Otsuki's distinctive figure. Her friends were beside her.