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Chapter 13: Reactions and Plans
🕑 Added 2025-07-30 20:13:01 +0000 UTCAlthough Aoki Kei had been confident in Lemon, a song that had reached near-legendary status in his previous life, the current view count still managed to surprise him.
The video hadn’t even been up for 24 hours, and yet it had already racked up an astonishing 320,000 views.
That kind of number was far beyond his expectations.
Still, even though he was inwardly shocked, he kept his cool.
The train was crowded, and with all the jostling, it wasn’t the best time to freak out over internet fame.
He pocketed his phone and decided to take a closer look once he got back to his apartment.
It wasn’t rush hour, but the train was still packed.
After enduring the heat and stuffiness for a while, Aoki Kei finally squeezed out of the carriage and exited the station.
A short walk later, he arrived back at his rental apartment.
After freshening up a bit, he turned his phone back on.
In the short time it had taken him to get home from Shuchiin Private High School, the view count had already ticked up to 330,000.
Curious, and making sure he wasn’t just seeing things, Aoki Kei tapped into the comment section of the video.
Most of the comments were praising the melody or marveling at how someone in a high school uniform could create something so emotional.
Many assumed he was some kind of musical prodigy.
But what stood out the most was a pinned comment with thousands of likes—an in-depth review:
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“The song compares pain to the bitter scent of lemons, telling us that even if life is full of hardship and sadness, we shouldn’t be afraid of the sourness.
Instead, we should look forward to the sweetness of life, and fight for a better future...
Lemon really touched me, especially after reading the description: ‘Please turn the bitterness life gives you, like lemons, into something as sweet as lemon soda.’
Thinking back on my own life, I almost cried.
I’ve become a fan of ‘Suki-san.’ It’s hard to imagine what a high schooler must have gone through to write something so profound…”
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Beneath that were hundreds of replies expressing agreement, empathy, and admiration.
As Aoki Kei scrolled through them, he noticed the same recurring thought:
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“It’s hard to imagine what kind of hardships a high school student must’ve experienced to write something like this…”
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So, had Aoki Kei really been through anything tragic?
Well... yes.
In terms of personal trauma, he did have his share.
He had once lived a peaceful life in a loving family—until one day, he was in a terrible car accident and woke up in a completely unfamiliar world.
He’d been transported to Japan, cut off from his loved ones, unable to speak the language, and left to survive alone, with nothing but fading memories of his past life.
Yeah... not exactly a fairy tale.
But still, time “heals” most wounds, well heals is a strong word .
But after living in Japan for seventeen years, Aoki Kei had come to terms with his strange new reality.
Now, what remained was a quiet determination to make something of this second chance—specifically, by studying hard and changing his future.
That said, his personal backstory had nothing to do with Lemon.
The song wasn’t his own creation, after all—it was written by a legendary artist named Kenshi Yonezu.
Even so, Aoki Kei quietly gave a thumbs-up to the pinned comment.
It had, unintentionally, helped him build an emotional image that resonated with viewers.
The video was doing incredibly well, but unfortunately, that kind of success didn’t translate into immediate financial gain.
Monetizing through YouTube would take more time, and right now, he wasn’t quite there yet.
If only he could make money just from music... life would be a lot easier.
He let his thoughts wander for a moment, but eventually shut off his phone.
Then, from his bag, he pulled out a set of practice exams he’d bought earlier.
Despite how promising the “Love Obstruction Simulation Game” system seemed, Aoki Kei wasn’t planning to bet his entire future on it.
After all, anything could happen—and besides, he’d already spent decades working toward his dream of getting into the University of Tokyo.
Giving up on that now felt... impossible.
Fortunately, the tasks given by the “game” system so far didn’t really conflict with his studies.
As long as he carefully thought through his choices and avoided unnecessary drama, he could manage both.
As for the optional “heroine” candidates...
Sure, Aoki Kei admitted he had a soft spot for anime girls.
Even now, he couldn’t help but be drawn to their personalities and looks.
But reality wasn’t a romantic comedy.
Before he could think about building real relationships with these girls—friendships or otherwise—he needed to make sure he could survive the rest of high school.
With that in mind, he set the YouTube video aside and focused on the exam prep in front of him.
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Later that day, at 3:20 p.m., he left the apartment and headed to his part-time job at the convenience store.
After an hour or so of work, he clocked out, took a quick break, and caught a train to his night job at the bar.
He worked there for several hours straight, until around 1 a.m., when the owner came in to take over.
Exhausted but used to the routine, Aoki Kei trudged back to his apartment, washed up, and pushed the cluttered study desk aside to make space for bedding.
He laid out his futon, crawled in, and finally allowed himself to rest.
