All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 173: Official Premiere, Bunny Girl Kurokawa Akane

The three of them lined up to enter the theater.

They sat in the last row of seats.

From this position, they could not only enjoy the movie but also clearly observe the audience's reactions.

Those from the production team who secretly attended the premiere usually chose this spot.

As the theater lights dimmed,

a school setting under a youthful filter appeared on the big screen.

"Wow, this lighting! Wow, this effect! Wow, this bunny girl!"

MEM exclaimed randomly.

But she wasn't just blindly praising.

The image quality truly exceeded everyone's expectations in the theater.

It was nothing like an anime that had been produced and scheduled for release in just a mere month.

Every frame felt as if it could be taken out and used as a wallpaper for the Youth series.

Even though the movie had yet to fully immerse the audience in its atmosphere,

the distinct feeling of youthful school days had already struck intensely.

"It's like an anime version of Akane! So beautiful!"

Even Sumi Yuki couldn't help but exclaim.

On the screen, a graceful figure in a Bunny Girl outfit

was weaving between the bookshelves in the library.

Kurokawa Akane's face heated up slightly.

(づ>/////<)づ♡

She had never worn such a special outfit before.

But seeing it like this...

It didn't seem too bad, did it?

Would he like this style?

Yukima Azuma: I love it! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

"After all, the illustrations were done by Eromanga-sensei."

Yukima Azuma's tone was a little strange.

Eromanga was no longer a Hikikomori.

How on earth was he supposed to lure her back to the company? Yukima Azuma had no clue.

But once he had made a decision, he had no regrets.

He would just go with the flow.

Who knew? Maybe he would have a special encounter in the future.

...

A girl in a Bunny outfit appearing right from the opening scene—undoubtedly, it was a dazzling entrance.

The indifferent attitude of others toward Bunny Girl.

The uniqueness of the male protagonist.

These heightened the anticipation in the theater to a visibly noticeable level.

The concept of "Adolescence Syndrome"—a supernatural affliction introduced through the male lead.

For audiences who hadn't read the original Youth light novel series, this concept was both fresh and intriguing.

But as the phenomenon of being ignored spread further,

the sensation of numbness in the limbs, like slowly sinking into water, gradually took over everyone's minds.

As the male lead began his investigation,

a flood of online information—edited clips, fabricated rumors, baseless slander, sensationalist clickbait—was exposed.

But because of her supernatural power, information about her gradually disappeared

Yet, the very gaps in the information made it more concrete than ever.

When the whole world had forgotten the girl in the Bunny outfit, leaving only the male lead to remember her.

When merely falling asleep meant forgetting, he was forced to rely on caffeine to stay awake, his mind growing increasingly hazy.

In the theater, the noisy chatter had disappeared, leaving only the sound of subdued breathing.

Bunny Girl Senpai had seen through the boy's struggle.

When she silently dropped a sleeping pill into his cup—

"Don't..."

"Don't tell me he's really going to forget her!"

Soft murmurs echoed, mirroring the emotions of the audience.

And as the male lead drifted into sleep, memories of Kurokawa Akane from the past flashed before his eyes.

He saw a small girl who poured everything into her passion for acting.

Saw her carrying a notebook on set, meticulously jotting down every piece of advice from the staff.

Saw her staying up late under the lamp, flipping through pages and diligently practicing.

Saw her staying in the practice room until late at night, enduring pain to perfect difficult movements, silently sweating without uttering a single complaint.

The baseless information on the internet that everyone had previously seen—

Had now turned into a fire that burned in the hearts of every audience member.

The moment the male lead truly forgot Kurokawa Akane.

The theater was filled with the sound of muffled sobs.

Kurokawa Akane quietly watched the film.

As someone who had lived through it, she didn't feel too overwhelmed.

Because she truly had worked that hard, and she would continue to do so for her passion.

But Kurokawa Akane herself never thought it was anything extraordinary.

On the contrary, the person next to her—MEM—was already crying so hard that her face was a blur of tears.

"UWU... Akane-choan... hic~hic!" (╥ ω ╥)

Kurokawa Akane took a tissue from her pocket and handed it to MEM.

As a result, MEM cried even harder.

The movie ended—just like in the light novel.

The final scene froze at the moment the male lead remembered Kurokawa Akane and frantically rushed toward the falling girl.

The outstretched hand—whether or not it truly grasped Bunny Girl Senpai's hand—

No one knew.

It wasn't until the full credits had rolled.

The theater lights came back on.

Yet hardly anyone stood up to leave.

Most of the audience remained staring at the dark screen, hoping for just one more scene.

Was this really the ending?!

Could this kind of ending even be called a movie?!

Many people pulled out their phones, unable to suppress the emotions welling up inside them.

But when they accessed review sites and discussion forums about the movie—

The top posts—about Kurokawa Akane's true identity and the actual existence of the online smear campaign against her—

Had completely seized their attention.

Because now, they finally understood who Kurokawa Akane really was.

They wouldn't just believe in fragmented, misleading internet rumors anymore.

They would seek the truth.

And as long as they dug deeper, they would inevitably find the clarification video posted by MEM.

As someone directly involved in the flame war.

Sumi Yuki had long since forgiven Kurokawa Akane.

The two of them were even close friends in real life.

But that flame war had nearly pushed Kurokawa Akane to the brink of suicide.

Even under her suicide note post.

There were still countless cruel, mocking comments.

Many audience members seemed to realize why Bunny Girl Senpai's ending was left ambiguous—whether the male lead caught her hand or not.

The ability to save Bunny Girl Senpai was never in the hands of the male protagonist.

It lay in each and every person who had paid attention to the flame war this time.

If the flame war continued, then what if the hand was grasped this time?

What about next time? And the time after that? Eventually, there would come a moment when it couldn't be held onto.

On the first day of the Bunny Girl Senpai movie premiere.

The long-standing flame war had been completely overturned.

...

As they walked out of the theater.

MEM, like most people, was bowing her head, rapidly searching for information on her phone.

When she saw the tide of public opinion on Twitter completely shift.

The original attack posts were either deleted or torn apart by counterarguments.

MEM smiled sincerely.

"That's really great, Akane-chan!"

"Mm." Kurokawa Akane nodded slightly. "It really is."

Even as she said that, Kurokawa Akane wasn't paying any attention to what was happening online.

Her gaze remained fixed on Yukima Azuma's profile.

And she realized something.

Yukima Azuma was not the kind of person who would seek death.

In terms of acting, Kurokawa Akane had some talent—she could completely immerse herself in a character and portray their emotions.

And she had read something deep within Yukima Azuma's very core—an unshakable confidence and an unyielding determination, one that would never back down, no matter what happened.

A person like that—how could they ever choose suicide?

Thinking back to that fleeting moment through the rain-streaked window that day…

It was nothing more than a performance by a young actor.

Kurokawa Akane pouted.

She couldn't believe she had been fooled in her own area of expertise—acting.

Then again, her mind had been almost completely numb at the time.

But Kurokawa Akane didn't feel angry about being deceived.

On the contrary.

Yukima Azuma had extended his hand to her.

To pull her back, he didn't hesitate to use that kind of acting.

Not only was she not angry, but she was truly moved from the bottom of her heart.

However...

Even if what she saw that day was just acting, the loneliness she felt from it—there was no way that was fake.

Was that boy... a very lonely person?

Looking at him now, he didn't seem lonely at all.

Something must have happened—something that changed Yukima Azuma's fate.

Just like how Yukima Azuma had changed hers.

Kurokawa Akane suddenly recalled a quote from Haruki Murakami:

"A man's maturity happens in an instant, and it is almost always because of a woman."

Unfortunately, based on the timeline...

Kurokawa Akane knew very well that the woman who changed Yukima Azuma wasn't her.

But even so, she had no intention of giving up.

"It feels like... Akane-chan is on fire,"

MEM whispered to Sumi Yuki.

"Umu."

Sumi Yuki had the same feeling and nodded in agreement.

....

The reality show LoveforReal, which had been put on hold due to the storm and accident, was finally back on track.

With the flame war overturned and the hype from the Bunny Girl Senpai movie,

The number of viewers interested in this season of LoveforReal skyrocketed.

But with this explosion in followers...

Came the inevitable wave of criticism directed at the show's production team.

After all, the broadcast had been edited in a way that seemed intentionally manipulative.

Even so, the ratings had increased.

Though the show's reputation took a hit, after careful consideration, the LoveforReal team decided the trade-off was acceptable.

That was why they finally relented and allowed MEM to upload the clarification video on the official account.

For adults, it was never about right or wrong—only about benefits.

As long as there was profit, shamelessness wasn't a problem.

The director of LoveforReal was a young man in his early twenties.

A rising talent in the industry, known for his bold and daring approach.

That day, Yukima Azuma visited the LoveforReal set.

The young director enthusiastically invited him to appear as a guest on an episode.

If they could get a big name like Yukima Azuma on the show, it would undoubtedly create a sensation.

Unfortunately, Yukima Azuma declined immediately without a second thought.

Being rejected wasn't surprising, so the young director didn't push. Instead, he brought up something else:

"Oh, right, Yukima-san, I heard you're also a professional shogi player?"

Yukima Azuma raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"That's right. But not many people associate my identity as a light novel author with my identity as a professional shogi player."

Hearing that, the young director's mouth twitched.

Of course, not many people did.

What kind of connection could there possibly be between those two professions?

A shogi genius. A king of the light novel industry.

It almost sounded like two completely different people.

The only reason he even knew about this was because he had been following shogi news recently for work.

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