It was a hot day in May. Just stepping outside felt like walking into a wall of heat.
Although Haruki and Kazuya had finalized their preliminary plans to adapt Madoka Magica, from the fans' perspective, Mizushiro was still just serializing manga as usual.
The ani adaptation of Natsu's Friends had been airing for a while now, and its popularity had started boosting the original manga as well. Many ani only fans, unable to wait for weekly updates, had begun picking up the manga volus and once hooked, they followed it in Shroud Line magazine. This pushed Natsu's Friends up the rankings, constantly challenging Initial D for the number two spot. By April, it had locked in as the third most popular title across all serials.
At the sa ti, Initial D's storyline had entered a high point. The long-awaited showdown between Takumi and Takahashi Ryosuke after months of buildup was finally here.
Just as Haruki had expected, readers were quick to move on from old drama. Only a few weeks ago, his comnt sections were filled with people saying they'd drop the series if Iketani and Mako didn't end up together. Now? Those sa users were enthusiastically debating who would win the race between Ryosuke and Takumi.
That didn't an Haruki was relaxed, though.
Right now, Natsu's Friends, Initial D, and Dream World were neck and neck in terms of popularity in Shroud Line. Among them, Initial D was pulling the strongest reader engagent if not for the lack of an ani, it would've overtaken Dream World already.
The animation plans for Initial D were more or less locked in, just pending final discussions. Haruki wasn't worried about its future at this rate, even before the ani aired, the current arc might push it to the top.
What he was thinking about was Natsu's Friends. Could the ani's montum help it climb to number one temporarily and trigger a system reward? That alone would make a big difference.
But that wasn't sothing Haruki could control. He couldn't force readers to vote.
Just as he was lost in thought, soone knocked on his apartnt door.
When he opened it, he was surprised to see Ryuko standing there.
"Ryuko? What brings you here?" Haruki asked, confused.
"Is... anyone else ho right now?" she asked, peeking past him.
She was wearing a light blue floral dress, and the heat had given her cheeks a soft, flushed glow.
"Nope. We wrapped up work for the week. Naoya and Kenta are off spending ti with their girlfriends. I'm alone today."
Haruki stepped aside and let her in.
"So, what's up?" he asked.
"Nothing special. I was just nearby and realized it's been a few weeks since we last hung out, so I thought I'd stop by." She set down a small bag of fruit on the table.
"A few weeks? Didn't we play gas together just the other night?" Haruki asked, puzzled.
But after thinking for a mont, he realized she was right. They had played online together, but they hadn't actually seen each other in person since before he got his driver's license a few weeks back.
Ryuko's smile tightened slightly. Playing gas counts as eting up? she thought. Still, she took a breath and smiled again.
"Actually… there's another reason I ca. My birthday's next week. I wanted to invite you, if you're free."
"Your birthday?" Haruki blinked.
He couldn't rember the last ti he'd gone to a friend's birthday party. It must've been a decade ago.
And his own birthday? He hadn't celebrated since grade school.
So the invitation made him happy but also a little uneasy.
He appreciated that soone thought of him. But he also knew Ryuko's feelings were complicated, and their current relationship was in a strange place.
Haruki wanted to stay friends with her but didn't want things to drift into sothing more. Navigating that boundary wasn't easy.
As for Ryuko, she'd made her intentions clear. She invited him out during holidays he usually declined but she still dropped by from ti to ti with gifts or local treats, chatting for a bit before leaving.
If anything, she seed more persistent now than before.
Still, she'd made the effort to co over and ask him in person. And even if he tried to ignore everything else... after how long they'd played gas together, she'd more than earned a birthday visit.
"If you're too busy, it's really okay," she said quickly, seeing his hesitation. "I know you've got a lot going on..."
"It's fine. I'll be there," Haruki said. "When and where?"
Ryuko's face lit up. "You will? It's next week—seven days from now. I'll send you the location ahead of ti."
"Alright then," Haruki said.
Since it was still noon and he had nothing else to do, he asked, "Wanna play sothing now?"
"Sure!" Ryuko said right away. She knew full well that Haruki wasn't into going out or socializing his only real hobby was gaming. But since she was already here, she wasn't planning to leave anyti soon.
"I'll head back to campus later and play on my own laptop. But for now, I'll use your second setup."
Despite what she said, an hour later…
They were still chatting.
Haruki hadn't realized Ryuko could talk so much. And the topics were all over the place from seasonal foods, to local festivals, to climate trends and even ani tropes.
At one point, he got up and poured her a cup of tea, hoping she'd get the ssage.
Maybe it's ti to go? I could be gaming right now.
But Ryuko just blinked at the tea and said, "Oh, I was about to leave... but since you made tea, I'll wait till it cools down first."
Wait till it cools down?
Haruki looked at the still-steaming cup in silence.
In the end, she stayed another full hour before finally heading out.
When the door closed, Haruki exhaled and muttered, "Finally..."
Outside, Ryuko pulled out a small notebook and jotted down notes as she walked:
– Likes spicy food
– Prefers girls with long hair
– First thing he notices: legs
– Favorite colors: black, white, blue, red
– Birthday: November 13
– Favorite ani girls: (list of a dozen nas and series)
She smiled, satisfied.
Plenty to go over later.
Haruki, anwhile, lay on the couch, still wondering how she managed to keep talking for two straight hours.
He had no idea Ryuko had gathered so much information about him while he thought they were just wasting ti.
Shout out to Haruka3000, Sean Cintra for joining my p-atreon! your support ans everything to .
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon/Alioth23 for 60 advanced chapters)
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