[243] A Song of Lemon—Each with Their Own Feelings 

While the judges were still puzzled, Akifumi kept pausing and resuming his writing.

———————————————————————

"How good it would have been if this were all just a dream"

[夢ならばどれほどよかったでしょう]

"Even now, I still dream of you"

[未だにあなたのことを夢にみる]

"Like I'm going home to get something I've forgotten"

[忘れた物を取りに帰るように]

"I dust off my old, worn memories"

[古びた思い出の埃を払う]

"Even the sadness of those days, even the pain of those days"

[あの日の悲しみさえ　あの日の苦しみさえ]

"I loved every bit of it, with you by my side"

[そのすべてを愛してた　あなたとともに]

"In my heart, never coming out, is the bitter smell of lemon"

[胸に残り離れない　苦いレモンの匂い]

"I can't go home until the rain lets up"

[雨が降り止むまでは帰れない]

"And even now, you're my light"

[今でもあなたはわたしの光]

"..."

———————————————————————

As he wrote, he hummed the melody softly, following the tune in his mind.

Unfortunately, the equipment was too far away, and the audience couldn't hear it.

Otherwise, they would have been able to appreciate his... absolute lack of pitch.

This scene ignited speculation among fans who were familiar with Akifumi's past achievements.

———————————————————————

"Could it be!?"

"No way! Is a mangaka these days really this insane?!"

"What 'could it be'? Stop being cryptic and just say it!"

"Isn't it obvious? This bastard is writing a song!"

"Writing a song?! Are you kidding me?!"

"….."

———————————————————————

Clearly, this particular fan wasn't familiar with Akifumi. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so shocked.

———————————————————————

"There's no way people don't know about Warrior of Love and Hope's past achievements, right? He personally composed the theme songs for Anohana and Your Lie in April!"

"Forget theme songs—those songs became absolute classics!"

"Damn, is this guy really that talented?!"

"Say what you want about how many knives sensei has wielded in his stories, but you can't deny his sheer talent."

"And honestly, aren't these lyrics incredibly fitting? Every single line sounds like it's straight out of Dr. Nakado's heart!"

"So… can we all agree that Dr. Nakado is the real protagonist of this drama?"

"No argument there. Whether it's the song or the script, just hurry up and give us the final product already!"

"Wake up! We're still in the middle of the competition! Where's this 'final product' supposed to come from?!"

"….."

———————————————————————

The chat buzzed with discussion as fans repeatedly reread the lyrics on-screen.

Even without the music, the words alone carried a deep emotional weight.

Meanwhile, the judges received word that Akifumi was indeed writing a song.

Screenwriter Nojima Shinji let out a wry chuckle. "If we were talking about screenwriting, I'd at least have the confidence to compete with Contestant #13… but this? This is completely out of my league."

He spread his hands helplessly, flashing an innocent smile.

"If you ask me, this song is definitely going to become a classic."

On the surface, the lyrics seemed to depict Dr. Nakado's emotions.

But upon deeper reflection, anyone with their own painful story would find their heart echoing with these words.

Whether it was Dr. Nakado, who lost his love one, Dr. Mikoto, who was forced into a suicide attempt by her mother, or any of the other tragic figures in the story…

If those wounds could truly turn into mere dreams, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?

Other judges rolled their eyes.

"This is an entirely different playing field. How are we even supposed to compare?"

"Character designs, episode scripts, dialogue, and now even the theme song… Contestant #13's project is practically ready for production."

"Just find the right cast, and we can start filming immediately!"

"Seriously!"

At that moment, only two words surfaced in everyone's minds—

"Monster talent."

It was absolutely ridiculous.

If they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, they would have spat in someone's face and scoffed, "You think screenwriting is that easy? You think classics can be written in eight hours?!"

Yet here they were.

———————————————————————

"Like one half of a split fruit…"

[切り分けた果実の片方の様に]

"Even now, you remain my light."

[今でもあなたはわたしの光]

———————————————————————

With the final stroke of his pen, Akifumi let out a satisfied breath.

He carefully reviewed the masterpiece he had written over the past few hours, then finally stopped.

Without causing any more commotion, he returned to his seat, calmly waiting for the last hour of the competition to pass.

As he sat down, the audience breathed a collective sigh of relief only to feel an immediate sense of loss.

———————————————————————

"Tch, he is done already?!"

"He wrote the episode scripts, composed a song, what else do you want him to do? Animate the first episode live on the spot?"

"Now that you mention it… that actually sounds possible!?"

"Right?! The fact that he didn't draw anything makes me want to dock a point from my final score!"

"You want him to animate in this little time? Even Satan would have your name tattooed on his back!"

"Just admit you love his work!"

"Of course I do! But still, he didn't draw anything!"

"I propose that before filming starts, Old Thief should first release a manga version!"

"Brilliant idea! I'm leaving a comment on his SNS right now!"

"…."

———————————————————————

Even though Akifumi had clearly finished his work, the livestream chat remained lively, with fans refusing to leave.

As for the judges, the moment he sat back down, they switched the livestream to check on other contestants.

Sure, they couldn't announce the final results immediately with so many entries, even skimming each one for a minute would take over two hours.

But why not take this opportunity to get a general idea now? That way, they could slack off later.

After all, who actually works seriously for their entire shift these days? If you don't steal a little break time here and there, are you even earning your paycheck properly?

Seriously. Think about it.

After all these years of working hard, has your salary increased? Has your position improved?

…Ahem. Back on track.

The final minutes passed in a flash.

Especially when the 30-minute warning sounded, many contestants were sweating bullets, scrambling to finish their work.

Meanwhile, Akifumi sat comfortably on the sofa, snacking.

A stark contrast.

And then—

"Time's up! All contestants, stop working immediately!"