To hold up a building on the verge of collapse. To turn back a raging tide when everything already seemed lost.
Once again, at the most critical moment, he had come to save her.
That scene, that composition, that turn in the story… and Subaru Natsuki's outrageously confident expression, so heroic it almost felt shameless.
It was absurdly cool.
Hotaru was not merely crying. Her entire scalp was tingling.
That episode was moving, stylish, and fiercely exhilarating all at once.
In the first season, the most emotional moment had been Rem's confession to Subaru Natsuki.
But in the second season, the scene that struck deepest was undoubtedly this one: the instant Subaru pulled Beatrice away from the invisible chains that had bound her heart.
In truth, Subaru Natsuki had not conquered only the spirit named Beatrice.
He had conquered them as well - every viewer sitting in front of a screen, watching that anime unfold.
That night, Re:Zero fans across the internet erupted into collective celebration.
"This episode was divine."
"It doesn't lose at all to the legendary Rem confession episode from season one."
"I'm so moved."
"I had never cried watching anime before. The only times I cried were once in Re:Zero season one and once again in season two."
"Who said Re:Zero is depressing? This is clearly a healing masterpiece. Everyone suffers through hardship and despair, but in the end, they're all saved."
"Beatrice calling Subaru's name at the end of episode twenty-four was way too sweet. Damn it, I'm a middle-aged man and it awakened my inner teenage girl."
"Who's her seiyuu? I'm becoming a lifelong fan."
"Damn Subaru Natsuki. He managed to show off again. In the eyes of all his friends, Subaru is this reliable man who can foresee every enemy, clear every crisis in one life, win with ease, and always play the decisive role at the most important moment. But only we, the audience, know where that so-called foresight comes from."
"What a deeply satisfying story. Best anime of the year, right?"
"Maybe not. Last year's best anime was already Re:Zero. I doubt they'd give it to Re:Zero season two again this year. There's never been a precedent like that in the Japanese anime industry. Best Kantoku, though? That's very possible."
"Forget that for now. What we should be thinking about is when that old bastard Sora is going to make Re:Zero season three. The world of this anime has become too huge. I don't even know how many more episodes he'll need to fill in all the holes he opened."
"So after next week's finale, we won't get any more Re:Zero story?"
"Damn it. Rem still hasn't woken up, the Archbishops of Gluttony and Greed still haven't been defeated, the Royal Selection hasn't properly started yet, and the old bastard is just going to leave all those plotlines sitting there?"
"Digging pits and not filling them deserves divine punishment."
"The project the old bastard seems to be working on lately is the 5 Centimeters per Second movie, right? After 5 Centimeters per Second releases and finishes its theatrical run, he'll probably return to producing Re:Zero season three."
"In theory, yes. But as for the actual schedule, who knows?"
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Kantoku Sora slowed down and took things steadily. I'd rather wait a year or two for Re:Zero season three than watch him rush into production. This kind of anime takes serious brainpower. From the first episode of an arc, everything leading to the final episode has to be completely clear. Even for that old bastard, working at this intensity for the past two years must be pushing him to his limit. If the script ends up with some major bug, it'd be better not to make season three at all."
"That's true… but it hurts. If that's the case, doesn't that mean we'll have to wait a long time to see Re:Zero 3?"
"There's no time to be sad. After all, 5 Centimeters per Second premieres on the seventeenth of next month. After watching today's episode, I'm really interested in his new work."
"Once Re:Zero ends next week, we only have to wait less than a month before 5 Centimeters per Second hits theaters. Aren't we blessed?"
That night, Sora's fans exhausted every possible word of praise as they celebrated Re:Zero online.
And because their affection naturally extended to anything connected to him, 5 Centimeters per Second was pushed onto NatsuYume's trending searches as well.
But none of that was the most important point.
The crucial question was something else entirely.
How high had the ratings been for episode twenty-four of Re:Zero season two?
At noon, the Southern Alliance Television Network released the data.
5.96%.
So close.
And yet that number alone was enough to make the hearts of countless people in the Japanese anime and television industries tighten.
Normally, after a work aired a universally acclaimed episode, the ratings the following week would rise at least a little.
Public opinion always had a delay. A legendary episode did not necessarily have its true popularity reflected immediately in its broadcast data.
And now, after episode twenty-four, Re:Zero fans across the internet had all been emotionally stirred by the story. Everyone was waiting for episode twenty-five, the season finale, with expectations pushed to the highest point.
Next week…
There really was a chance the ratings would break 6%.
Once the Southern Alliance Television Network realized that, it began pouring promotional resources into Re:Zero at an almost exaggerated level.
Major anime media outlets also began reporting on related information with near-frantic enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, Tokyo's four major television stations were not idle behind the scenes. Quietly, they made their own moves, hiring online smear accounts to attack Sora, which led to more and more negative posts about Re:Zero appearing across the internet.
And under that strange atmosphere of excitement, rivalry, and silent pressure, the spring anime season finally approached its end.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Sora handed a bouquet of flowers to the seiyuu who voiced Beatrice.
Inside the company's recording studio, besides her, the voice actors for Petelgeuse, Subaru Natsuki, Emilia, Ram, and several other characters were also present.
Every one of them looked at Sora with unmistakable gratitude in their eyes.
It no longer mattered what position they had held in the seiyuu industry before participating in Re:Zero.
The results of the work said everything.
This anime would undoubtedly become, in terms of both performance and reputation, the finest project in many of their careers.
It had lifted their careers to another level.
"After today's final audio check is complete, production on Re:Zero season two will officially come to an end. Thank you all for your contributions to this anime over the past year and more."
Sora gave a short speech inside the room.
Five minutes later, he concluded with carefully chosen words.
"As everyone has seen, the story of Re:Zero has not ended. Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, we will have the chance to work together again."
After finishing that polished farewell, Sora personally escorted the seiyuu out of the company.
Then, timing his steps precisely, he headed to the company conference room.
The spacious room was already filled with several dozen people sitting in their seats, waiting for him.
The moment Sora entered, every gaze turned toward him.
"My apologies. I'm one minute late." He glanced at the watch on his wrist and apologized first.
"The reason I called everyone here today has probably already been briefly explained to you by Kantoku Sumire."
Sora looked around at everyone present.
"We understand."
"Kantoku Sumire explained it clearly."
"It's about the new works, right? We understand."
Voices answered him one after another.
Sora did not waste time. He went straight to the point.
"Recently, I completed scripts for two new works."
"Both anime are expected to run for half a year."
"One is a mystery adventure centered on deduction and psychological strategy. The other is a romance with slight fantasy elements."
Sora swept his gaze across the room, and his voice suddenly grew firmer.
"For these two anime, I estimate the total investment will exceed 1.8 billion yen."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire room broke into an uproar.
In the Japanese anime industry, productions with investments of eight or nine hundred million yen per work were already extremely rare.
Only someone like Sora, whose previous works had achieved exceptionally high returns and who possessed enough confidence not to fear losses, would dare to launch such large-scale moves again and again.
As for where the investment for the two works would come from, the answer was simple.
It would be drawn from the various revenues generated by Re:Zero season two.
Of course, 5 Centimeters per Second would premiere the following week as well. Its box office earnings could also be used to fund the new projects.
Although the company's account did not have an overwhelming amount of cash sitting in it at that exact moment, in practice, Sora was not truly short on money.
"The titles of the two anime will be Steins;Gate and AD."
Sora revealed the names first, giving everyone in the company time to prepare themselves mentally.
In another week or two, once production on the 5 Centimeters per Second movie was fully completed, the hundreds of employees at Yume Animation would all shift direction and dive into the production of these two new anime.
The titles alone might not have meant much.
But if the screenwriter and Kantoku of those works was Sora, then everything changed.
Once everyone in the room processed what that meant, excitement began to appear on their faces.
After all, when it came to admiration for Sora, ordinary fans only came second.
His greatest fans were, in truth, the employees of Yume Animation themselves.
Precisely because they were professionals in the industry, they understood better than anyone just how absurd Sora's achievements really were.
Kantoku Sora had new works.
And not just one.
Two anime at once, both half-year productions.
Everyone present sensed Sora's intention.
He was preparing to cause a storm in the Japanese anime industry.
And as that realization spread, excitement rose like fire.
A few days passed.
Once again, noon arrived.
And with it came the broadcast time for the final episode of Re:Zero season two.
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