Pfft!
The moment Yukino saw those four large characters on the screen, she couldn't help herself. She clutched her lips and lowered her head, trying to stifle her laughter. But eventually, the dam broke.
"The Warrior..."
"The Warrior of Love!"
"Oh, Haruto, you are going to be the death of me."
Yukino's shoulders shook with laughter as she collapsed onto the sofa, thumping a decorative pillow with her fist. Her usual air of maturity had vanished entirely, replaced by an unexpectedly cute, giddy energy.
"What is so wrong with 'Warrior of Love'?" Haruto asked.
"Nothing at all. It is just that the genius light novel author Shiori Takahashi creating an anime script under the alias 'Warrior of Love' is the most absurd thing I have ever heard," Yukino laughed. "Why won't you just use your real name or your pen name?"
"Because it is a deliberate choice. Once the Madoka Magica anime is finished and aired, I am guaranteed to be cursed at and insulted for a very long time. I do not want those angry anime fans bleeding over into my novel career and affecting my brand as Shiori Takahashi. So, I am using 'Warrior of Love' as a shield," Haruto explained after a short pause. "As for the name itself, I just picked it randomly. It doesn't really matter."
In reality, that wasn't the case at all. The first project for their company was Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and the original screenplay for that masterpiece in his memories had been written by Gen Urobuchi, a man famously dubbed "The Warrior of Love" by his fans. By choosing this name, Haruto was paying a tribute to the master who had taught millions of animation fans the true meaning of "love" in the parallel world.
However, since he couldn't explain the existence of a parallel universe to Yukino, he simply brushed it off.
"People are going to curse at you?" Yukino focused on that specific point, her brow furrowing in confusion. "If the anime is a hit and people become fans, they should be praising you. Why would they attack you?"
"Because... this work delivers so much 'love' that they won't be able to handle it. Their feelings for the screenwriter will inevitably turn into a 'love-hate' relationship, so they will curse me out of passion."
Haruto spoke with a mischievous half-smile. He hadn't yet submitted the full script for Madoka Magica to the studio, so Yukino had no way of knowing what kind of "love" he was actually referring to.
On that day, the AniSphere Forums saw two events.
In the light novel section, the verified account for the author "Shiori Takahashi" triggered a massive wave of excitement among the literary community. Meanwhile, in the animation section, a verified account for a screenwriter named "Warrior of Love" appeared quietly, without fanfare.
Unlike the "Shiori Takahashi" account, which gained over a hundred thousand followers in its first twenty-four hours, "Warrior of Love" only had one follower: Yukino. She had decided to join in on the fun and created her own verified account under the name "Warrior of Pain."
'Warrior of Pain? You might as well just call yourself Viego and be done with it,' Haruto thought to himself when he saw her profile, his mind filled with a surge of sarcasm.
As November drew to a close, the fifth chapter of Parasyte was published in the latest issue of Azure Kiyozawa. On release day, a large crowd of light novel fans gathered outside bookstores early in the morning, waiting for the doors to slide open.
They discussed the top series in Azure Kiyozawa, the veteran titles that had once lived in the flagship Kiyozawa magazine before being demoted, such as The Scarlet Mage, The Azure Mark, and Tomorrow, I Will Say Goodbye to You.
"If you ask me, Parasyte is the only thing in the magazine worth reading right now," one fan remarked.
"Give me a break. It is ranked tenth. Do not even try to compare that newcomer trash to the big names," a boy countered.
Yosuga, standing nearby, felt his brow twitch as he overheard the boys talking. What was wrong with tenth place? The quality of the storytelling was clearly superior to the titles ranked above it! As a devoted fan, he felt a surge of defensive anger. However, he chose to keep his mouth shut; he didn't want to inadvertently bring "anti-fan" heat to his favorite author by starting a public argument.
He bought his copy and tore off the plastic wrap. Finally, his eyes widened in delight. After five issues, Kiyozawa Library had finally stopped being stingy with their marketing.
On the corner of the magazine's cover, a high-quality color illustration of the protagonist, Shinichi, appeared. It showcased his stoic expression alongside the grotesque, transformed visage of Migi inhabiting his right hand.
Even if it was just a small feature in the corner, it was a significant victory. Kiyozawa Library wasn't blind; the market response to Parasyte had been exceptional. Since there was clear profit to be made, the stance was shifting.
The cover feature was just the beginning. The manager had also begun spending a promotional budget on social media campaigns.
In major areas like Tokyo and Osaka, posters for Parasyte were starting to appear near subway entrances. The support was still modest, but it was finally visible.
Yosuga flipped to the fifth chapter.
The protagonist, Shinichi, was undergoing a quiet transformation. Because of Migi's presence and the various life-and-death encounters they had shared, his psyche was maturing at an unnatural rate, becoming increasingly detached and analytical.
His mother looked at him with growing unease, sensing the warmth leaving her son.
Even Satomi, the classmate he had a crush on, remarked on how much he had changed.
Shinichi was terrified of being "colonized" by Migi, not just physically, but mentally. He feared his human empathy was being replaced by the parasite's cold, absolute egoism.
On the street, Shinichi witnessed a group of delinquents bullying a student from his school. After watching from the sidelines for a moment, he was struck by a stray punch to the face.
Usually, he would have avoided the conflict, but in that moment, he decided to fight back. He wanted to prove to himself that he was still human, that he hadn't been completely overwritten by Migi's logic. He chose to stand up for the victim.
A parasite would never engage in such a self-sacrificing, "irrational" act of altruism.
Yosuga let out a soft sigh as he read.
This was what set Parasyte apart from the generic fantasy novels on the market. In most series, the protagonist is a flat archetype. But Shinichi was a deeply layered, three-dimensional character. The readers had watched him grow from a hesitant, timid boy into someone who could muster the courage to face a gang.
However, since he refused to rely on Migi's lethal power, he was quickly overwhelmed and beaten down by the thugs.
"Bullying the weak... how incredibly dull."
At that moment, a new girl entered the scene.
This was Kana, a character who would eventually become one of the most beloved and tragic figures in the entire series. She was beautiful and intelligent, yet she associated with the gang of delinquents. She clearly disliked their violent tendencies and stepped in to stop the beating.
"Why bother coming out if you are this weak?" Kana asked as she knelt beside Shinichi, staring intently into his eyes.
Finally, she sensed something.
Deep within Shinichi's body, she felt the faint, underlying vibration of Migi's presence. Though she was a human woman, Kana possessed a unique, heightened sensory ability that allowed her to pick up on the "signals" emitted by the parasites.
The overall plot of chapter five focused on Shinichi's struggle to maintain his humanity through his rescue of his classmate.
In the process, he caught Kana's attention, sparking a dangerous interest from her.
This, in turn, triggered the jealousy of one of the delinquents who admired Kana, leading to a confrontation where Shinichi had to play the hero once again to protect his friend, Satomi.
On the surface, the chapter had two highlights: the romantic progress between Shinichi and Satomi, and the debut of the enigmatic Kana.
Just as Yosuga assumed the installment would end on a quiet note, the scene shifted. Shinichi's parents, who were away on a coastal holiday, were suddenly ambushed by a parasite.
Yosuga's heart skipped a beat.
What was happening? Was the author really going to kill off the protagonist's family?
He blinked in disbelief. In the light novel industry, such a brutal plot development for a mainstream series was incredibly rare.
Back at home, a healthy Shinichi received a frantic call from his father. Through the pain of severe wounds, his father warned him to stay away and that there were monsters in the world. As Shinichi stood in his living room, Migi suddenly alerted him to a presence approaching the house.
The tension became suffocating. Suspecting that his parents had been attacked, Shinichi drew a knife and stood by the front door, his heart racing. He waited to see which monster was coming for him.
The door swung open, and a soft light flooded the entryway. Standing there was the calm, beautiful, and gentle face of Shinichi's mother.
Yosuga felt a sharp pain in his chest. Shinichi knew the truth. He understood that the thing standing before him was a parasite, and that his mother was gone. But when he saw the jagged burn scar on the "mother's" arm, the scar she had received years ago while saving him from a kitchen accident, his will to fight crumbled. His anger vanished, replaced by a devastating surge of grief.
"Every time I see that scar, I feel so guilty... I always wanted to apologize to you," Shinichi whispered, tears welling in his eyes as he spoke to the creature.
In the next heartbeat, the mother's head split apart. Her flesh morphed into a lethal, bladed whip. With a single strike across the room, she drove the blade straight through Shinichi's heart.
The chapter ended with Shinichi falling to the floor, his eyes closing as they focused on the burn scar on his mother's hand.
Yosuga finished the chapter and felt a ache in his soul.
To have the person he loved most turn into a monster and physically kill him was a level of trauma he hadn't expected from this series.
How could anyone accept this? It was supposed to be a standard action story, and yet by chapter five, he was already "killing" the lead.
The blade might have been smaller than the emotional impact of To the Moon, but it still cut deep. Yosuga scanned the QR code at the bottom of the page and followed the verified account for Shiori Takahashi. The comment section was already a battlefield of emotions.
"Shiori-sensei, this plot is too cruel."
"I could handle the mother being infected, but having her transform in front of him and then kill him while he was apologizing for her scar? That is just evil. It was physically painful to read."
"Is anyone else crying? Just me?"
"It is sad, but honestly, it still hasn't reached the level of To the Moon."
"You cannot compare them like that. Parasyte is its own kind of heavy. It is like comparing 'insanely spicy' with 'lethally spicy.' To someone like me who can't handle spice, they are both burning me alive."
"The chapter ends with the protagonist being stabbed through the heart. How do you even continue the story after that?"
"Maybe Migi takes over as the main character? He just pilots Shinichi's corpse?"
"Wait, I actually like that idea."
"Me too. Let Migi be the lead."
"I refuse! I want the mother back. Shiori-sensei is a monster for killing off such a kind character. Does he even have a heart?"
"Give it up. Shiori's heart is made of ice. He killed off the leads in Anohana and To the Moon without blinking. You think a mother is going to stop him?"
With the slight push from Kiyozawa's marketing and the shock of the fifth chapter, Shiori's verified account gained four hundred and thirty thousand followers in a single day. Haruto spent the entire night glued to the screen. Seeing the numbers climb was a legitimate rush.
The readers were split fifty-fifty between praise and complaints, but the data didn't lie. The next day, the voting results for Azure Kiyozawa were published.
Chapter Five of Parasyte had skyrocketed from tenth place to the number eight spot. This leap in the rankings sent a wave of shock through the editorial offices of Kiyozawa Library.
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