"Fuu, fuu~!"
The sturdy Fujiwara Tora sat in an office chair completely unsuited to his build. Every time he straightened his body, the chair let out an unpleasant creak. He blew on the cup noodles in his hands, then began eating them in large mouthfuls, the sound audible from several meters away.
In China, such behavior would seem very rude, but in Japan, it was a traditional way of eating noodles. Especially when visiting a noodle shop, making loud slurping sounds meant the noodles tasted very good and that the person was enjoying them so much they could not help making those sounds. To Japanese people, making noise while eating noodles carried the meaning of praising the noodles' flavor and acknowledging the skill of the chef.
Fujiwara Tora finished the cup noodles in a few bites, still unsatisfied. From the white bag on his desk, he took out several pieces of bread. This time, his eating manners looked much better. After finishing one piece of bread in a few bites, his other hand controlled the mouse on his desk as he browsed detailed information online about the January anime lineup.
"Chief Fujiwara, these are the key animation drafts for Episode 9 handled by Mr. Uji."
Miyamori Aoi walked over holding a stack of key animation drafts. Seeing the contents displayed on Fujiwara Tora's computer screen, she could not help but ask curiously, "Is this a popularity fluctuation chart for the January anime? Chief Fujiwara, is the contest between the director and Director Kamiyā Yuu serious?"
Fujiwara Tora accepted the key animation drafts from Miyamori Aoi and laughed.
"What do you mean, serious or not? It's not like it's some big deal."
Miyamori Aoi tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Well... the two anime are completely different genres. There's no comparison."
"Miyamori, judging from your expression, don't tell me you think we're guaranteed to win."
Fujiwara Tora stroked the stubble on his chin and laughed, then turned around and looked at her with interest.
Miyamori Aoi answered with a strange expression, "Judging by the current popularity trend, that should be the natural result. 'Mobile Suit 007' has several times the viewership and online popularity of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' Ah~ I'm not belittling Mr. Kamiyā Yuu. It's just that the genre and all kinds of unchangeable overall factors seem to favor our director more, creating a situation where victory looks certain."
"Miyamori, why do you think the director proposed this contest? Even if it's equivalent to a chance for the two of them to get acquainted, proposing a popularity contest from his side that looks like an inevitable victory would already count as one-sided humiliation of his opponent. Do you really think that guy, our director, would do something like that?"
"I didn't think that far."
Fujiwara Tora laughed heartily.
"Actually, neither did I. As the middleman, I'm very concerned about the progress of both works. If the popularity gap gets too large, even I'd feel too embarrassed to face Kamiyā. So I asked the director. He told me not to worry. After watching Episode 5 of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' he was certain that this work's final popularity wouldn't be worse than 'Mobile Suit 007.'"
"Why would the director think that?"
Miyamori Aoi crossed her arms and thought for a while before asking uncertainly.
Fujiwara Tora shrugged.
"I'm not sure either. According to the director, the popularity of each work has basically been determined by now. After this, unless a work undergoes some major change, its popularity won't suddenly increase or decrease. Among the January anime, what he finds most incomprehensible is the change in popularity of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' It's like a long-distance race. Some runners go all out at the start to fight for first place, while others conserve their strength at the beginning and only sprint with all their might after passing the halfway point or near the end. Although the current environment doesn't allow an anime to seem weak at the start, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' breaks that rule and belongs to the kind of work that exerts its strength later on."
"A slow-burn type?"
Miyamori Aoi suddenly understood. She clenched her right fist and tapped it into her left palm, simplifying Fujiwara Tora's complicated metaphor into one phrase.
Fujiwara Tora awkwardly scratched the back of his head. What was the point of such a complicated metaphor?
"Ah, I've also watched 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' The pacing and development of the story are all very smooth. But only after the director reminded me did I realize that so far, this anime has revealed very few clues. All kinds of obscure plot developments have left both the director and me unable to figure things out. Judging from the progress of Episode 5, the time to reveal the mystery shouldn't be far away. That will be when 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' shows its true strength."
"Is that so? I don't really understand either. I'll go back to work first."
Miyamori Aoi smiled without any special reaction. She was merely a bystander. At most, she was curious about Kamiyā Yuu and the anime 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.'
Most of Fujiwara Tora's words had come from Kitagawa Shūichi. Kitagawa Shūichi was a veteran animation director, so of course, he had made slow-burning anime before. Compared with ordinary anime, slow-burn anime demanded a much stricter result and placed extremely high requirements on the director's ability.
An ordinary anime could be made by following the plot development, with storyboards created based on animation experience. But an original slow-burning anime tested the director's experience and true ability to a great degree. The rigor of the plot, the handling of foreshadowing and clues, even character reactions—all of these had to be conceived in advance, using reverse thinking to calculate the entire development of the anime's story structure.
Even an anime enthusiast with a little experience could see the many unclear clues and pieces of foreshadowing in 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' Kitagawa Shūichi combined all the content from the first five episodes of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' and concluded that the story's explosive point should arrive within the next three episodes. As both Kamiyā Yuu's opponent in the contest and an anime enthusiast and creator himself, he was greatly looking forward to the reversal development of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.'
······
The new high-end apartment Kamiyā Yuu had bought near 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio had interior decor far more luxurious and comfortable than his previous apartment. It was fully furnished, and the spacious rooms were filled with elegant decorations, giving no sense of emptiness. A home like this was the dream goal of countless families.
After dinner, Kamiyā Sora wore a pure white dress and lay on the soft carpet in the living room, pressing against a soft cushion while using her laptop. The moment she raised her head, she saw Kamiyā Yuu walking out of his room dressed in a suit. She froze for a moment, then closed the laptop with her delicate hands and asked with a frown, "Yuu, are you still going to the company this late? Tomorrow is a rest day."
Kamiyā Yuu finished adjusting his suit. Hearing her, he walked over, squatted down, and gently stroked her silver hair.
"Mm. The production schedule for Episodes 6 and 7 has tightened a little. This is the most important turning point in the story of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' I don't want the effort I've put in over these past few months to go to waste."
"Will you be working tomorrow too?"
"Sorry."
Kamiyā Sora sat up, tilted her small head, and looked at Kamiyā Yuu as she asked calmly, "I can help."
Kamiyā Yuu shook his head.
"Sora, you're already a third-year high school student. I don't want to keep adding to your burdens."
Kamiyā Yuu's words made Kamiyā Sora bite her lower lip. She frowned and glanced at him unhappily.
"I know what I'm doing with my studies. Although I hate troublesome things, I hate Yuu being away from me for long periods even more."
Facing Kamiyā Sora's stubborn gaze, Kamiyā Yuu felt his heart ache and gently pinched her cheek.
"Then we may have to work overtime until around eleven tonight. Prepare yourself."
"Mm."
Not long after, Kamiyā Sora changed into a woman's black suit and reappeared in front of Kamiyā Yuu. Although she was petite, she already had the sharp elegance of a career woman. Her long silver hair was tied into twin tails behind her. The young girl's innocence and the mature bearing of a working woman blended perfectly together, making Kamiyā Yuu's eyes light up. She was more beautiful than any natural scenery.
Kamiyā Sora gave Kamiyā Yuu a shy smile, took his hand, and walked toward the door, saying softly, "Let's go."
The two arrived at 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio. The entire office building was brightly lit, and once inside, busy employees could be seen everywhere. This was the first time 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio had worked overtime late into the night. Under Kamiyā Yuu's generous overtime pay, the employees basically had no complaints.
One had to know that most Japanese companies had so-called "mandatory overtime." Never mind overtime pay; sometimes even the original wages were not properly calculated.
If those companies truly could not handle the workload, they would need to hire temporary workers. These temporary workers' wages might be much higher than those of regular employees, and they would also receive extra overtime pay, because temporary workers had no such thing as mandatory labor or mandatory overtime.
'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' did not use much 3D technology outside of certain CG-level large-scale scenes, so the 3D department was currently relatively relaxed. Kamiyā Yuu had Miyauchi Ema take Kamiyā Sora around the company's departments to introduce herself as assistant production director. Most new employees who did not know Kamiyā Sora's identity came to understand after some explanation from older staff members. After that, what Kamiyā Sora needed to do was assist Morishita Aoi in handling all kinds of company affairs.
On Kamiyā's side, he conducted a direction check on Episodes 6 and 7 of the remastered 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' which had once again been remastered. At this point, Kamiyā believed he had used all his ability in producing Episodes 6 and 7 of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' naturally combining the story's reversal, the impact of the worldview, and the changes in the characters with the buildup from the previous content.
······
A group of people sat around the viewing room, their eyes fixed tightly on the large screen. The heavy atmosphere made everyone's breathing cautious, especially Kamiyā Yuu, who sat in the center with a solemn gaze, not missing a single detail in the anime.
"This is me. This is the fate of us magical girls..."
Within the anime, a black-haired girl covered in wounds looked up at the sky in sorrow. A massive gear hung in the heavens, and above the gear, a twisted and bizarre witch danced gracefully. As time flowed, the gear's position shifted, moving bit by bit like the hands of a clock.
The camera pulled back, revealing a collapsing world. The sunlight was blocked by thick clouds. It was not the dimness of an overcast day, but an atmosphere filled with despair, oppression, and indescribable eeriness. The earth was scarred, the towering steel jungle had turned into ruins, and wisps of black smoke rose from a devastated city.
Wandering among the city ruins were strangely shaped puppets. Each had a different appearance, yet all were filled with abstraction and psychological suggestion, conveying some unknown mental message even more intensely than the famous painting 'The Scream.'
In front of the black-haired girl, a girl in a pink gothic dress lay on the filthy ground, red blood spreading from the wound in her abdomen. Tears filled with sorrow slid from her eyes, showing that her gaze had already become empty and lifeless. She opened her right hand. There lay a beautiful gem completely dyed black, but the unknown dark substance surrounding it gave off an ominous feeling.
The pink-haired girl turned her head again to look to the other side. There lay a strange creature whose body had been destroyed by machine-gun fire. The culprit was the black-haired girl not far away.
But by now, the pink-haired girl already understood the black-haired girl's intentions. From QB's mouth, she had learned why Homura had always wanted to stop her from becoming a magical girl.
The equivalent price for creating miracles was a spiral of despair.
The girl raised her right hand toward the black-haired girl not far away and said weakly, "Homura-chan, this is my final strength. Will you accept it? Even if only you remain, even if you are left all alone, please live on."
"Mami-senpai... Sayaka... I couldn't do anything."
The light in the pink-haired girl's eyes gradually faded.
"Mom... Dad... Tatsuya... It's so dark here, and so... cold!"
The black-haired girl dropped weakly to her knees before her, trembling as she held the girl's small hand and that blackened gem. The corner of the girl's mouth twitched. She seemed to want to say something, but could not say anything at all. When tears fell onto the pink-haired girl's cheek, the struggle on her face was so desperate, filled with a madness that would cast everything aside.
She knelt on the ground and embraced the girl, sinking into despair, wanting to pass even the slightest bit of warmth from her body to her. In a hoarse voice, she murmured beside the pink-haired girl's ear, "I'm sorry."
"I will definitely... definitely save you."
"No matter if it takes a thousand times! Ten thousand times! No matter how long I struggle in this cycle, only you!"
"Click!"
With the gear as the point and the puppet as the hand, the upside-down puppet in the sky rotated from the six o'clock position straight downward to the twelve o'clock position.
"Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"
A massive bell rang. Then the witch domain, which had originally covered only one city, expanded to envelop the entire world. When the inverted puppet moved to the upper position, Walpurgis Night would fly at storm-like speed and instantly reduce civilization on the surface to zero.
Unknown black particles rose from the city ruins. Collapsed buildings, bodies along the roadside, burning cars—everything was slowly decomposed into black particles by an unknown force.
Looking down at Earth from outer space, one could see an incomparably grand and magnificent scene. As the black curtain spread, lights across the entire world vanished. The blue planet was reduced to a gray, lifeless shell, and from this abyss of despair, something even more terrifying was born.
It was a colossal puppet beyond what the naked eye could measure, born from Earth's shadow. Wearing a crown, the puppet looked down upon Earth from above the atmosphere. It spread its arms and embraced the planet, opening the prelude to the world's destruction.
Back in the city ruins, the black-haired girl held that black gem. When she used up the last trace of miraculous power inside and caused the gem to shatter, all struggle and sorrow vanished from her face, leaving only emotionless coldness.
She stretched out her right hand, and the power belonging to a magical girl instantly activated. The world that had been racing toward destruction abruptly froze. All phenomena, all things, everything came to a halt.
The black-haired girl looked around at the crumbling world, then turned without hesitation and stepped into an unknown tunnel of emptiness.
"This time, I won't hesitate again."