“Kaori died,” Rina whispered.

Kenji smiled and sat down on the floor, pulling out his own snacks. “Yeah,” he said softly. “Yeah, that’s exactly what she does.”

“Don’t even think about Kaguya-sama: Love is War yet. You’re too fragile for genius mind games,” Kenji said. “Start with Gintama . Specifically, episodes 98-99. It’s the ‘Owee’ arc where they get a knock-off video game console. Your brain will be too confused by the sheer absurdity to remember sadness.”

The rain was coming down in sheets, the kind of heavy, insistent downpour that matched Rina’s mood perfectly. She’d just finished Your Lie in April , and her soul felt like a used tissue. Her roommate, Kenji, found her staring blankly at the ceiling, a single tear tracing a path to her ear.

“Third: Bocchi the Rock! An agoraphobic, socially anxious guitarist joins a band. It’s the most relatable, painfully funny, and genuinely uplifting thing I’ve seen in years.”

“You did it again, didn’t you?” he asked, tossing a bag of wasabi peas onto her stomach. “You watched a sad one.”