Unbeknownst to him, another year was about to pass. In just over a month, he would be moving up a grade again, becoming a third-year student at Shimamura Middle School. At that time, classes would be rearranged, and perhaps there would be some changes in his social relationships.
But before that, Izumi Chihiro had to consider his work matters first.
The story of puella magi madoka magica was not over. Compared to the end of the main story, the extension made by rebellious story was actually justifiable, especially under his pen, it became even more so.
If readers understood his writing, they would realize the possibility of a sequel.
Madoka becoming Madoka Kaname, leaving behind the law of cycles, everyone achieving a happy ending—this was originally seen as a not-so-perfect best ending, and everyone felt regret for the fates of certain characters.
This was the primary empathetic psychology, making the appearance of a sequel not seem so abrupt.
Adding a new story after a perfect story ending would create a 'strong start, weak finish' effect for some people, even if your story was indeed well-written.
Additionally, there was a very obvious plot clue—Homura Akemi's internal transformation process.
For a girl whose inner darkness was almost overflowing, could the death of her best friend truly be completely appeased by a few comforting words?
Impossible, right!
Wouldn't her countless pursuits then completely lose their meaning?
Whether from post-hoc reasoning or conjecture within the story, without rebellious story, puella magi madoka magica would ultimately be an incomplete story.
Homura Akemi's obsession with Madoka would eventually rise to a higher level…!
…
During this time, Izumi Chihiro had completed the first half of the writing.
With his improved writing ability and familiar subject matter, it naturally felt very easy and smooth.
Furthermore, as he continuously delved into writing, although there wasn't a dramatic leap forward, he was still in a steady growth phase, and his performance was very consistent, never disappointing.
"What's going on, Ni-san…! What are Nightmares? In the previous story's ending, didn't the magical girl's opponents become Familiars?"
"Huh? Homura and the others are trapped in a witch's barrier? Ni-san, how come witches are appearing again? Weren't they already eliminated?"
"Ni-san, this story isn't happening on a timeline in a parallel world, is it? A story before Madoka became Madoka Kaname…"
"By the way, why is the sequel called rebellious story? It feels very suspicious!"
Every time Sagiri saw the manuscript, she would ask questions like a curious child.
There was nothing he could do. He planned to divide rebellious story into three parts: beginning, middle, and end. The beginning part stopped when Homura Akemi met Sayaka, and many of the secrets were not revealed, so it would seem a bit confusing, especially for readers with less experience like his sister.
Fortunately, readers who could get this far would not easily give up like when reading a new work. Instead, they would become curious and want to know why things had developed to such a point.
"It's not a parallel world; it will be explained later… As for why it's called rebellious story? It's because when people reach a certain age, they become very rebellious, and Homura Akemi, as the protagonist, is exactly at that age, so this is a story that unfolds because of her rebellion…"
Izumi Chihiro answered half-jokingly.
"It's making my head spin."
Sagiri covered her little head, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
"Just focus on your drawing; don't ask if you don't understand!"
To that, he could only respond.
"Sagiri is such an idiot."
He quietly muttered to himself again.
"Ni-san, I heard that! Ni-san is the idiot!"
The silver-haired loli puffed out her cheeks and said angrily.
Sagiri once again raised her small fists and started massaging him.
"You're being completely unreasonable… Sagiri is getting more and more delicate and willful, isn't she? Could it be she learned it from someone?"
Izumi Chihiro's words were pointed.
"Hmph, Ni-san, you're doomed! I'm going to tell Eriri Onee-san that you called her willful and delicate!"
Sagiri retracted her fists, put her hands on her hips, and said with a smug expression.
If you want to deal with Ni-san, you need a professional!
"I never mentioned Eriri's name; you're the one who inserted it, aren't you? Or does that mean, in your heart, Eriri is exactly this image?"
Izumi Chihiro leaned back, looking surprised.
Sagiri's face immediately flushed crimson.
When it came to the art of conversation, how could she compare to an old fox like him?
He hadn't lived all these years for nothing.
"Sharp-tongued Ni-san… Hmph! Baka!"
Stamping her foot, Sagiri left in a huff.
…
As the time drew near.
The pre-order website also updated with the latest information.
Compared to the previous pre-order numbers, this time the quantity was incredibly astonishing.
After seeing this situation, Machida Sonoko even prepared to increase the initial print run by 30% compared to before.
Given that the original base number was already quite high, just thinking about this data reveals how astounding it is!
Of course, compared to the total number of purchasers, it wasn't particularly high, because more people still chose to buy directly offline. This way, they would get their hands on it earlier and could also spoil the plot for readers who bought online, thus experiencing the fun of spoiling.
"It seems that during the period of its conclusion, quite a few people got hooked, and coupled with the original enthusiastic readers, this created such a scene."
Izumi Chihiro quickly analyzed and arrived at the answer.
The grand concluding trend from before, coupled with such a wonderfully finished ending, would even pique the interest of some readers who originally didn't care for this genre at all.
After all, while puella magi madoka magica's main theme is magical girl, the entire story is not limited to magical girl elements, nor is it truly a children's work.
He looked at the comments below.
Many people were curious about what plot he would write next.
Because at the end of puella magi madoka magica, the story's framework was already set, and how to transform it further was no small problem.
Would it involve expanding new characters, or… giving birth to new concepts?
Additionally, everyone was intensely interested in the sequel's subtitle, rebellious story.
Rebellious? Why is it called rebellious? Who is rebellious?
These were all questions worth discussing.
Days passed one by one, and everyone's discussions did not cease; instead, as the time drew closer, they generated an even greater buzz.
If one were to discuss the difference between discussion popularity and sales volume, his work should be the greatest in the industry!