Time ticked on, and most parts of the country had already started seeing snowfall. Outside, snowflakes fluttered, while inside, Daniel enjoyed the warmth of the heater, wearing just a T-shirt as he sat cozily with beads of sweat on his forehead.
A slight grin formed on his face. He'd been holding back his anticipation for so long, and finally, he'd made it!
"Now I can finally binge to my heart's content!" Daniel chuckled, eyeing the stack of Picca Comics in front of him.
These weren't different series but past issues of Picca Comics. Ever since the story arc where Sakuta's sister, Kaede, saw her separate persona disappear, Daniel had been holding back on reading Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.
This wasn't because the Porter had "written Kaede off." In fact, he had been even more excited because in the last chapter, the long-anticipated "adult" version of Makinoha Sakurajima had finally appeared.
For Daniel, who'd been intrigued by the mystery of the young and adult versions of this enigmatic girl, the storyline seemed to have lengthened quite a bit. Instead of reading one issue at a time, he wanted to wait to binge-read. Although he'd waited a while, he couldn't hold off any longer.
Finding where he'd left off with Kaede, he eagerly dove back into the story.
It began with a classic setup: a love triangle where Sakuta, Makinoha, and Mai all sit around the same table.
Their topic? Makinoha moving into Sakuta's home and Mai's subtle jealousy. Though the vibes between Sakuta and Makinoha seemed almost romantic, hinting at a potential connection, Daniel wasn't worried about character development.
After all, the Porter had clearly paired Sakuta and Mai from the beginning, and Sakuta had previously turned down so many beautiful girls.
"But… she just randomly transforms sometimes?" Daniel muttered, raising his brow as he read the scene where the older Makinoha casually mentions that she is just the younger Makinoha when she "ages up" on occasion.
This didn't sit right with him. Something seemed off. In Sakuta's flashbacks, he recalled a time when he'd seen the older Makinoha in a uniform from Minegahara High, which had influenced his decision to attend that school.
If she really was just a younger Makinoha "aging up," why would she be wearing a Minegahara High uniform?
But Sakuta and the others didn't catch on. They speculated this could be another case of "Adolescence Syndrome" and believed it could have something to do with Makinoha's unfinished "future plan" project from fourth grade.
Sakuta, wanting to help, decided to try fulfilling her "future goals" from that project, which included things like going on a date and even a mock wedding ceremony.
But none of this fixed her condition.
Finally, after closely observing both versions of Makinoha and discussing it with Shoko Kamisato, Sakuta concluded that the older Makinoha was actually from the future.
"Makinoha, that heart in your chest—is it actually mine?"
Sakuta's sudden question after waking up from a faint stunned Daniel. Yet after the initial shock, it felt like it made sense. After all, Sakuta had first met Makinoha after suffering from a strange claw-like wound. Lately, that scar had reopened.
Sure enough, Makinoha nodded, folding her hands over her heart with a look of gratitude and sorrow. "You noticed. My future…is what you gave me."
She explained in detail how Sakuta was destined to be in a serious car accident. She had traveled back in time in hopes of saving him, changing his fate.
"Just as I thought, it's got that Steins;Gate vibe," Daniel murmured, feeling he had figured it out.
For a while, Sakuta promised he wouldn't go to his death, but after wrestling with his feelings, he ultimately decided to sacrifice himself, going to the accident site he'd deduced as the true danger zone.
"Almost exactly what I expected…" Daniel thought as he watched Mai throw herself in front of the car to save Sakuta, taking the hit in his place.
While it wasn't a full death-loop scenario like in Steins;Gate, the sheer tragedy of Sakuta watching the one he loved die in front of him plunged him into a pit of despair.
But Daniel kept his cool. He believed Sakuta would eventually find a way to save Mai and that they'd live happily ever after.
That assumption didn't last long.
He froze as the story unfolded.
"No way!"
In a shocking twist, Mai's heart was transplanted into Makinoha, allowing her to grow up healthy and, eventually, to marry Sakuta.
Daniel stared, wide-eyed, at the final scenes showing Sakuta and the adult Makinoha together. Was this really the end? The Porter had killed off Mai and paired Sakuta with Makinoha?
Sure, he liked Makinoha as a character, but he still wanted Sakuta and Mai to be together!
In this version, Ren had made a few changes. In the original, where Mai's death had been a "what if" ending, Ren had extended the storyline, showing Sakuta's life after marrying Makinoha. This misled Daniel and many other readers into believing this was the official ending.
"What the… he really just killed off Mai?"
"Porter, how could you?!"
"I mean, honestly, I kinda think Makinoha fits better with Sakuta. This pairing works too."
Fans took to social media, venting their frustration and confusion.
"Is this actually the end? I mean, this chapter ended with a 'To be continued,' so I bet the next arc will be about Sakuta somehow saving Makinoha and rewriting things."
"I hope so. It's kinda exhausting, though! Did we really need to see Sakuta and Makinoha living together? It feels like he's just messing with us!"
"Messing with readers is kinda his thing at this point."
Amid this heated chatter, the new issue of Picca Comics went live, fueling readers' excitement and impatience for the next chapter.
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