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The production heads stood in Haruto's office with the new script in their hands. They opened their mouths to raise objections, perhaps to suggest the standard focus groups or market analysis that governed their previous lives at major studios, but the words died in their throats.
This was the man behind Madoka Magica and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. He held the vision, he held the capital, and in this company, his word was absolute law.
Haruto watched them leave, clutching the draft of Code Geass. He didn't have time to dwell on their apprehension. It was already late September, and the ticking clock of the industry was growing louder. The Initial D manga was only two weeks away from its grand finale. Simultaneously, the second and third Blu-ray volumes of Edgerunners were prepped for release, promising another massive influx of revenue.
Then there was his "neglected child," Sword Art Online. Sword Art and Initial D were both on the verge of claiming the ultimate crown in their respective fields.
For SAO, the gap between it and the current number one, the long-running The Otherworld Reformer, had narrowed to a mere 200,000 copies per volume. Given its current momentum, Haruto estimated he would seize the throne within the month. Initial D was in a similar position, trailing the industry leader, Twin Rings, by only 300,000 copies.
With only four volumes left to be released, including the final celebratory collection, Haruto's presence at promotional events was a strategic necessity to push the series over the finish line into legendary status.
After a grueling series of calls with the editors at Kiyozawa Library and Prime Manga to lock in his touring schedule, Haruto finally headed home. He wasn't empty-handed. Tucked under his arm was a stack of messy, hand-drawn storyboards for his next manga project.
He reached the second floor of the shared villa and pressed the chime for Shizuru's room.
"Who is it?" Shizuru's voice crackled through the intercom, laced with curiosity.
She wasn't expecting guests.
Yukino was currently a ghost, buried under mountains of paperwork at the studio to handle the international licensing for the Cyberpunk anime. Reina was in the middle of a "do-or-die" arc in her own novel, Absolute Realm. She had been hovering in the top four of the magazine rankings for six months, and the battle for the number two spot had become a war of attrition. She rarely left her room except to attend classes.
As for Shizuru, she had been living the dream for the past two weeks. Since handing in the final manuscript for Initial D, she had reverted to a state of unemployment.
"It's me," Haruto replied.
"Wait! Give me a minute!" Shizuru's voice sounded slightly panicked.
Haruto stood in the hallway for a full ten minutes. Just as he was losing patience and reaching for the bell a second time, the door finally swung open. Shizuru emerged wearing a flowing, water-green dress. Her waist-length hair was neatly tied back with a ribbon, her pale skin glowing under the hallway lights. She looked impeccably put together, right down to her limited-edition Asuna collaboration slippers.
"Haruto? What brings you here so late at night?" she asked, smoothing out her skirt.
"Was that ten-minute wait because you were changing clothes?" Haruto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I was in my pajamas. It would be embarrassing to let people see me like that," she muttered, quickly trying to change the subject.
Haruto shook his head, unable to understand her logic.
She was perfectly fine appearing in a bikini during their summer beach trip, yet a set of modest, oversized pajamas was a bridge too far.
"Here," he said, handing her the stack of storyboards. "The drafts for the new series."
"Already?" Shizuru's eyes widened as she took the papers. "It hasn't even been two weeks since I finished the Initial D finale."
"The editorial department at Prime Manga is breathing down my neck. They've already allocated a massive marketing budget for the new launch. They want a nationwide blitz across Japan. The plan is to start serialization within the month, while the Initial D fire is still hot."
"One month..." Shizuru murmured, her mind already calculating the workload.
"So, your vacation is officially over," Haruto said. "Time to get back to the grind."
"And just like that, my freedom vanishes," Shizuru sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. Despite that, her fingers gripped the storyboards with an unmistakable excitement. Idleness was a pleasant poison, but after a few days, the emptiness started to itch. She had actually begun to miss the late nights and the scratch of the G-pen on paper.
She looked at the cover sheet. "Hunter x Hunter?" her expression shifted to one of confusion. "A hunter? Is the new series a slice-of-life story about hunting animals in the woods?"
"Just read the storyboards first," Haruto said, clearing his throat.
He knew the title was deceptive. It was a common trait in the masterpieces from his memories.
One Piece wasn't just about a swimsuit; Naruto wasn't just about fish cakes; and Hunter x Hunter certainly wasn't about tracking deer. In that world, "Hunter" was a title that encompassed everything from detectives and mercenaries to gourmet explorers and ruins-raiders. It was a catch-all term for the world's most dangerous and versatile professionals.
Shizuru didn't waste any time. She sat down right there, leaning against the wooden railing and tucking her knees into her dress as she began to flip through the pages.
Whale Island.
The protagonist, Gon.
A quest to find a missing father.
The opening chapters had a distinct, rustic charm. Gon Freecss was introduced as a boy with a profound connection to nature and a natural talent for tracking. The first chapter detailed his struggle to leave his home and his aunt Mito to take the perilous Hunter Exam, culminating in a wager that tested his resolve. The pacing was deliberate, building a world that felt lived-in and warm.
"Is this... a battle manga?" Shizuru asked after finishing the second chapter.
"Exactly," Haruto nodded.
Shizuru smiled. She should have known. Haruto was the type of creator who hated repeating himself. From street racing to magical girls to cyberpunk tragedy, he had hopped genres like a nomad. But a battle manga was a different beast entirely. It was the most competitive and lucrative genre in the industry.
"I'm a little nervous," Shizuru confessed, though her eyes were bright. "Everything I learned drawing Initial D, the car physics, the speed lines, the mechanical details, it's all useless here."
"I have to learn how to design combat choreography, special abilities, and explosive visual impact from scratch. It's daunting."
Haruto looked at her, his expression radiating a quiet, unshakable confidence.
Most creators would be terrified of a genre shift after such a massive success, but Haruto knew exactly what Hunter x Hunter would become. He knew it would redefine the genre.
"Don't worry," he said simply. "We'll take it one chapter at a time."
Shizuru looked at him and felt a strange sense of calm wash over her. Anyone else would be worried about the sophomore slump or the risk of a "flop," but with Haruto, it felt like success was a foregone conclusion. The only question was how high the ceiling would be this time.
The final days of September were a blur. Haruto spent his hours coordinating the anime staff for Code Geass and working with Shizuru to refine the character designs for Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio. He wanted the aesthetic to be perfect, clean enough to be approachable, yet sharp enough to hint at the darkness that lay beneath the surface of the Hunter world.
As the calendar turned to October, the marketing machine reached its final gear. The second Blu-ray volume of Edgerunners hit the stores, and Prime Manga launched a massive, nationwide campaign for the final chapter of Initial D. Giant posters of Takumi and his AE86 appeared in Shibuya and Shinjuku, and the phrase "The End of an Era" trended for days.
The fans had finally moved past the denial and the bargaining.
They were ready to say goodbye to the boy from the tofu shop, unaware that Haruto was already preparing to lead them into the world of HxH.