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"Man, who is this Sugou guy? What a total piece of trash! Takahashi-sensei, please kill him off already!"
"My skin is crawling just thinking about him. Where did this creep come from? And he's actually Asuna's fiancé? That's disgusting. Beyond disgusting."
"Seriously, Sensei, why do this? Couldn't you just give us some wholesome chapters of Kirito and Asuna dating in the real world? Why did you have to drag Sugou into this?"
"The characterization of the sister in this chapter was actually top-tier. Too bad my heart already belongs to Asuna. Forever."
"Actually, it's not that bad yet. So what if she has a fiancé? He hasn't actually done anything to her."
"I'm just worried, okay?"
"Worried about what?"
"Initial D! Look at the memes flooding the internet right now. 'The 86 is on the mountain, but the Mercedes is in the trees.' I'm terrified that Sensei will take this too far and give Asuna some weird, tragic backstory too."
"Exactly. After what happened with the Natsuki betrayal, who can guarantee that Sugou and Asuna don't have some hidden past? What if they went on arranged dates before SAO? I'd actually die of heartbreak."
"..."
"Stop talking. You're making me anxious."
"I'm with you. I really don't want Sword Art Online to follow the Initial D path!"
"But you have to admit, ever since the Natsuki betrayal, Initial D's popularity has actually skyrocketed. All the enthusiasts of gritty drama crawled out of the woodwork, and the fans who like realism are hooked. The weekly vote count for Initial D at Prime Manga is higher than ever."
"I just hope Haruto doesn't get the wrong idea and think tragedy is some magic formula for ratings."
In truth, the anxieties of the fanbase weren't entirely baseless.
Looking at the online reception of the latest chapter, a clear trend was emerging. When Haruto concluded the Aincrad arc, many fans feared that the sudden change in setting would alienate readers. In the light novel industry, this was a common pitfall. Often, when a popular side character dies, or a protagonist undergoes a time skip, or the story leaves its established map, the readers feel a sense of narrative whiplash and drop the series. But based on the first chapter of the ALO arc, that fear was utterly misplaced.
The fans didn't care about the new map at all. Their focus was laser-locked on the drama between Asuna and Sugou. While the forums were full of complaints and venting, it was clear that the fans were deeply invested in the upcoming conflict rather than bored by the change.
Haruto spent his free time monitoring these discussions, mentally gauging the psychological limits of his audience.
As June progressed, Haruto found himself juggling his duties and his deadlines with the final exams at his university. Because he poured so much of his soul into his series, his academic performance tended to hover right around the passing line.
Fortunately, he was a marked man at the university.
Having a student who was effectively a superstar was a massive feather in the faculty's cap. The administration was more than willing to look the other way regarding his attendance, provided he didn't actually fail his exams and cause a PR scandal. Consequently, Haruto had to dedicate a significant portion of his energy to cramming for his finals.
By mid-June, the animation industry was in full Autumn Season hype mode.
For Haruto, the pressure was at an all-time high. He had to study, maintain his weekly manga and novel serializations, oversee the production of the To the Moon sequel, Finding Paradise, and participate in the promotional campaign for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Fortunately, since the studio and the TV station were both based in Tokyo, he didn't have to deal with the exhaustion of cross-country travel. Still, the toll was visible. Even Yukino, Reina, and Shizuru could see the fatigue etched into his face when they gathered for dinner at the villa.
"Seriously, Haruto, you don't have to push yourself this hard," Shizuru said.
After living together for over half a year, the four of them had become an incredibly tight-knit group.
"It's just a storm of deadlines right now. It'll pass soon," Haruto sighed.
He was counting down the days until finals were over. Once summer break hit, he wouldn't have to worry about credits or lectures, and his schedule would finally have some room to breathe.
"I feel like the opportunity cost of you being in college is insane," Shizuru noted. Yukino and Reina looked at her, confused.
"Opportunity cost?"
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If Haruto took the time he spends studying and used it to write another novel or manga, he'd probably produce another hit."
Shizuru explained.
The logic was hard to argue with. Reina Fujimoto and Yukino nodded in agreement. Even Haruto had to admit she was right. A degree from a top university, while prestigious, couldn't compare to the massive amount of money his stories made.
"I used to hear people on TV say that time is money for the wealthy, but I never really got it until now," Shizuru said, spreading her hands in a cute, exaggerated gesture. "Nowadays, every minute I spend scrolling through my phone feels like I'm burning through cash. If I used that hour to draw more Initial D pages, that's literally hundreds of thousands of yen in the bank."
Haruto and Shizuru split the royalties for Initial D 70/30. While Haruto held all the adaptation rights, Shizuru's share of the tankobon sales alone had already made her a multi-millionaire. If she was feeling the pressure, Haruto was feeling it tenfold.
Yukino and Reina were in the same boat. Both held significant roles within Haru-Yuki Animation, meaning they were essentially earning millions of yen every month. Furthermore, Reina's Absolute Realm was bringing her a massive personal income.
"So, the four of us are working ourselves to death, and we're all incredibly rich... so why do we feel so tired?" Shizuru asked suddenly. "In the dramas, rich people go on vacations and lounge by the pool. We spend our nights either drawing, writing, or stuck on conference calls. It's pathetic!"
Haruto, Yukino, and Reina looked at each other, then back at Shizuru. She had a point. It was a bit tragic.
"Work never ends, but relaxation is a choice. How about this: when summer break starts in July... why don't we all go on a trip together?" Shizuru suggested excitedly.
"A trip?" Reina's eyes lit up with a rare spark of enthusiasm.
Yukino's eyes crinkled into a smile. She shot a glance at Haruto, clearly liking the idea.
"But if we go on a trip, what happens to the novel, the manga, and the anime schedules?" Haruto blurted out.
The air in the room instantly turned cold.
'This is why you're still single!' the three girls thought simultaneously.
"You can take a hiatus!" Yukino snapped after a beat.
"The anime production is mostly autonomous now; you've done the heavy lifting for the early stages. Your absence won't affect the broadcast of 7 Years From Now or Edgerunners. And as for the manga and novels... Haruto, you're a literal workhorse. I've known you for years, and you haven't missed a single deadline. You're allowed to take one break!"
"A hiatus?" Haruto's mind immediately went to the concept of taking a rest. But he supposed doing it once wouldn't hurt. "Fine... but where would we go?"
"Well... you're the only guy here. You decide!" Yukino said.
"I decide?" Haruto perked up.
The three girls saw the look on his face and knew exactly what he was thinking. Especially Shizuru, who hadn't known him as long as the others.
'Maybe he isn't just a work-obsessed block of wood after all,' she thought.
---
A few days later, the next chapter of Sword Art Online arrived.
The fans, who had been left hanging by the Sugou reveal for a week, channeled their energy into massive queues outside bookstores. They weren't willing to wait a second longer.
Danzo felt his blood pressure rising as he stood in line. A week had passed, but the mere memory of Sugou Nobuyuki made him see red.
He spent the wait debating theories with fellow fans until he reached the counter, paid for his copy, and practically ran home.
The chapter title was simple.
ALO.
The story opened with a conversation between Kirito and his old SAO comrade, Agil.
The mysterious photo of Asuna had indeed been taken inside a new VRMMO called ALfheim Online.
The game world featured a massive World Tree with a floating castle at its peak. The game was divided into nine fairy races, and the ultimate goal was to reach the top of the tree. The photo had been captured by a group of elite players who had managed to catch a glimpse of the castle's interior.
As Agil explained the situation, the pieces began to fall into place for Danzo.
'So that's it. In the World Tree, a girl who looks exactly like Asuna is being held prisoner.'
Was it a high-level NPC modeled after her? Or was it... actually Asuna? Had her consciousness been intercepted before it could return to the real world?
The narrative quickly provided the answer. The operator of ALfheim Online was a corporation called Rect Progress.
Rect?
Danzo's eyes widened. He frantically flipped back to the previous chapter's introduction of Sugou. He scanned the text.
There it was. Sugou Nobuyuki was a high-level executive at Rect Progress. The previous chapter had also mentioned that Rect was the company providing the medical technology keeping Asuna's body alive.
Danzo felt like his head was going to explode.
'No way... You've got to be kidding me.'
He had guessed the truth. Asuna hadn't failed to wake up naturally; that dog Sugou was keeping her trapped in the system on purpose.
A surge of protective rage burned in Danzo's chest, but he kept reading, desperate for Kirito to do something.
"Save Asuna! If we don't, our battle will never truly end." Agil said, looking at Kirito with solemn resolve.
"I know." Kirito nodded, his eyes cold and focused.
That brief exchange set Danzo's soul on fire. If the protagonist and his best friend were saying it, then it was 100% confirmed: the girl in the cage was Asuna. The story followed Kirito as he registered a new account and dove into the world of ALO to investigate. Upon entering the game, a scene appeared that left Danzo tearing up.
Yui, the daughter Kirito and Asuna had adopted in SAO, reappeared. The rogue AI had survived the deletion of SAO and found a way into the new system.
The rest of the chapter focused on world-building. Since ALO was built on the foundation of the SAO engine, it was essentially a re-skinned version of the previous game. Consequently, Kirito's account attributes, his stats and skills, had been perfectly replicated in the new world.
Danzo pumped a fist in the air.
'Yes! He's entering the game as a max-level powerhouse! Takahashi-sensei is giving the hero a proper head start!'
At the end of the chapter, Kirito used his high-tier skills to rescue a green-haired Sylph girl named Leafa.
Danzo finished the chapter and sat in silence.
The narrative still hadn't explained the technical details of why Asuna was trapped, and yet another female character had been introduced. Looking at the way Haruto characterized Leafa, she didn't seem like a minor background character.
While Danzo usually didn't mind certain tropes, Sword Art Online was different. He didn't like the idea of Kirito getting too close to other women while Asuna was suffering in a cage.
Still, the chapter was dense with information. Asuna was at the top of the tree, and Kirito had to master this new world to reach her. In just two chapters, the ALO arc had established a clear, high-stakes primary objective.
In terms of story momentum, Danzo felt the ALO arc might actually be more compelling than the Aincrad arc. Aincrad was a romance within a game; ALO was a rescue mission to save a partner.
But that ending...
Danzo sighed, the frustration returning. Another week of waiting. And he felt a strange sense of unease.
The sister in the real world, and now this Leafa character in the game... Kirito's luck was starting to feel a bit excessive. Danzo had been worried about heartbreak for the hero. But now he was worried it would be the other way around, that Kirito would accidentally move on while Asuna was locked away.