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For several days, Haruto and Shizuru were swept up in a whirlwind of promotional activities organized by Prime Manga.
They appeared at high-profile events and even guest-starring on a popular television variety show to drum up hype for Initial D.
Simultaneously, the sales figures for the fourth volume of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica Blu-ray sets were officially released. By the time the fourth volume hit the shelves, the market had finally begun to stabilize. The volume achieved a first-week sales total of 658,974 copies. Unlike the previous volumes, where each successive release saw a massive jump in numbers, this one maintained a steady, high plateau. Nevertheless, moving over 600,000 units in a single week remained an absolutely staggering feat that left the rest of the industry in awe.
It was during this peak of success that Haru-Yuki Animation made a bold move. The studio began sending out aggressive recruitment offers and headhunting invitations to several high-level industry veterans across Japan.
Given the current staff and technical limitations of the studio, producing Cyberpunk: Edgerunners with the necessary level of polish was proving to be a daunting task.
As the first substantial wave of revenue from Madoka hit the company accounts, followed shortly by a second and third installment, the project officially transitioned from concept to reality. The production cycles for both 7 Years From Now and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners were formally initiated.
While the studio could technically recruit and produce at the same time, time was the one resource Haruto could not afford to waste. He had no intention of spending three to five years on a single project. As long as the quality remained uncompromised, he was more than willing to pour extra capital into the production to ensure maximum efficiency.
He felt that moving too slowly would be a criminal waste of the treasure trove contained within his memories. If he only produced one work every few years, how many of those masterpieces could he actually bring to the public in a single lifetime?
A few more days blurred past. The sixth chapter of Initial D was released within the latest issue of Weekly Prime.
This week's plot served as narrative groundwork, building the tension for Takeshi Nakazato's challenge to the Ghost of Akina while showing more of the daily life between Takumi and his crush, Natsuki. Naturally, Natsuki's Mercedes Papa made another appearance, contributing exactly two lines of dialogue.
Despite the brevity of his screen time, he had successfully piqued the audience's curiosity. Speculation was rampant on the forums.
Many fans wondered if this man would eventually be the final boss of the series. Some joked that Takumi would have to win a high-stakes race against his future father-in-law's Mercedes just to earn the right to marry Natsuki. The chapter concluded with another masterful cliffhanger.
Haruto's fans were gradually becoming accustomed to this specialized form of torture; though they continued to curse his name in the comments, their fingers didn't hesitate for a second when it came time to vote for the series.
In this issue, Initial D secured a total of 1,612,341 reader votes, maintaining its position at number two in the magazine.
The reigning champion, The Forbidden Gate, held onto the top spot with 1,812,435 votes. The gap between the newcomer and the king had shrunk to a mere 200,000 votes.
By this point, Initial D had become the center of attention for every professional in the manga industry. No work in the history of the medium had ascended from birth to a blockbuster hit with such terrifying velocity. Industry insiders were locked in a constant debate over the series' performance.
"The last ten percent is always the hardest. People see the gap between 1.6 million and 1.8 million and think it's a small distance, but that final stretch is a abyss. Those 200,000 votes represent the ironclad, loyal fanbase that The Forbidden Gate has meticulously built over five years of serialization. It's a height a newcomer simply can't touch," one critic argued.
"Oh, please! Are we really still doing this? Are we still trying to analyze the logic of this series? Has that logic worked once for Initial D so far?" another retorted.
"What kind of freak of nature is this Haruto? He's supposed to be a novelist. He crosses over to manga on a whim, and suddenly he's more of a monster here than he was in the light novel world!"
"Exactly. Weekly Prime is the prestige equivalent of the top literary magazines. Haruto's previous novel, Parasyte, only managed to peak at fifth or sixth in the rankings there. How is Initial D so much more successful? It hasn't even been serializing for two months and it's already threatening to take the throne!"
"Is this just what a true genius looks like? Is every industry just a playground for him? The author of The Forbidden Gate spent five years building the momentum to hit those numbers. Haruto did it in less than eight weeks. It's beyond exaggerated; it's practically illegal."
"Prime Manga hit the lottery with this one."
"I bet Katashi is laughing himself to sleep every night. There's no way he expected a racing manga to pull these kinds of numbers."
Ms. Hime sat at her desk, scrolling through a private group chat for industry professionals. The members, all reputable figures in the manga world, were uniformly stunned by the trajectory of Initial D.
To be honest, Ms. Hime's feelings on the matter were complicated.
Since the conclusion of Parasyte, Haruto had been on a break from the light novel industry. But it wasn't a real break; he was simply setting the manga world on fire instead. It had only been a month and a half, and he was already on the verge of toppling a legend in a top-tier magazine.
The irony was not lost on her.
She was the one who had introduced Haruto to the Prime Manga editors. If the series had been a moderate success, it wouldn't have mattered. But the more Initial D succeeded, the more the gossip grew within the halls of Kiyozawa Library. Her colleagues were starting to whisper.
Ms. Hime let an unparalleled talent slip through her fingers. She couldn't control her own author and let him run off to draw manga instead.
Now that he was the number two star in Weekly Prime, why would he ever bother coming back to write novels?
While outsiders didn't know the specifics of their arrangement, the general assumption among the public was that the two had a falling out. The narrative was that Haruto would rather partner with a stranger for a manga than write another book for Ms. Hime.
Even Ms. Hime was starting to feel the pressure. Every week, she made her routine call to Haruto to hound him for a manuscript. It was common for authors to take a year or more between projects, so the fact that he hadn't started a new series six months after Parasyte was actually quite normal.
Just as Ms. Hime prepared herself for another fruitless conversation, the voice on the other end of the line surprised her.
"I understand..." Haruto said calmly. "Last year, Parasyte began its serialization in November, during the winter season. Despite that late start, the publisher still pushed it for a Naoki Award nomination, right?"
Ms. Hime blinked, taken aback. "That's correct."
"I see. Then I'll make sure my next novel is ready as quickly as possible," Haruto added after a brief pause.
"Eh?" Ms. Hime had expected the usual excuses about a lack of inspiration or a lack of creative direction. She had not expected such a decisive commitment.
"Do you... do you already have a concept for the next project?" she asked, her voice tinged with surprise.
"Not exactly," Haruto chuckled over the phone. "But I will do my best to start the serialization before the end of the year."
"Why the sudden rush?" Ms. Hime inquired. "I mean, I'm thrilled to hear it, but you seem oddly focused on the timing."
"Because only light novels published within this calendar year are eligible for the Naoki Awards next April," Haruto explained. "If I miss the window for the final months of this year, I won't be able to compete for a Naoki until the year after next. I'm not interested in waiting that long."
Ms. Hime felt a jolt of recognition. At the Naoki Awards ceremony last year, Haruto had stood on the stage and told the world he would be back. He had hinted that his next appearance would be to claim the first-place trophy.
His tone now confirmed it.
He hadn't forgotten that promise for even a single second.
Feeling a sudden sense of relief, Ms. Hime hung up the phone.
Another week passed.
The seventh chapter of Initial D was released.
Meanwhile, the final episodes of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica television series were released in the fifth Blu-ray volume. The fan enthusiasm for Volume 5 was on a completely different level compared to the previous four.
These were the episodes that had elevated the series to legendary status, the episodes featuring the birth of Goddess Madoka. No matter how tight their budgets were, fans were making the sacrifice to secure a copy.
Consequently, Volume 5 became the most elusive release in the series, selling out almost instantly nationwide. However, once the frenzy for the anime finale settled, every eye in the animation world turned toward a single date.
Next Tuesday. The release of the movie, The Rebellion Story.
The Warrior of Love had staked his reputation on this release, claiming on social media that it would be a breathtaking masterpiece that rivaled the original story.
And now, the wait was almost over. Whether it was a work of genius or a disappointing sequel, the truth was about to be laid bare for all to see.