Chapter 142

Helping Haruki adapt Anohana into an anime had started as a gesture of goodwill from Haruka. But now, watching how seriously he was diving into his next project, she couldn't help but feel like she'd handed him the chisel he might use to carve out a legacy possibly at her own expense.

Haruka flipped through the name drafts of Haruki's latest work, Initial D. She lingered only briefly on the opening chapters, which carefully set the stage: Keisuke Takahashi's growing reputation, and whispers on the mountain racing scene about a mysterious driver in a battered AE86 who had overtaken him with effortless skill.

Everyone assumed it was Takumi's father behind the wheel. But on race day, it was Takumi himself thrust into the spotlight by his father's sly move: a tofu delivery with a full tank of gas and no mention of the challenge waiting ahead.

The AE86 hit the mountain roads.

That moment wasn't just memorable it marked the true beginning of Takumi's evolution as a street racer.

The story soon accelerated into the first major clash between Takumi's 86 and Keisuke's FD. Even in rough sketches, the tension and velocity leapt off the page.

Haruka could already visualize the Akagi REDSUNS' debut custom machines drifting along sharp mountain curves. The way Takumi's 86 stayed locked onto Keisuke's tail, sliding with effortless precision, his expression calm and unreadable it was electrifying.

She wasn't typically drawn to action-heavy, adrenaline-fueled manga. Her tastes leaned more toward quiet, emotional stories like Natsume's Book of Friends. But Initial D had a different kind of pull. The execution was sharp, the pacing tight. Even she found herself caught up in its rhythm.

Her only real concern was Haruki's choice to weave in a heavy emotional subplot involving Natsuki. If handled poorly, it could alienate readers. But aside from that, the structure and tone were rock solid.

In fact, Initial D might hit harder with the current fanbase than Natsume ever could. While Natsume had resonated deeply with female readers, the broader manga market still leaned male. That had always been a ceiling for Natsume in a different demographic, it might've sold double, even quadruple.

But Initial D? It was built for this market. If serialized, it could catapult Haruki into an entirely new spotlight.

Haruka stood, smoothed her blouse, and adjusted her hair, regaining the poised composure of a senior editor. At the door, she paused.

"Work hard, Haruki," she said, glancing back. "Some creators strike gold once and fade after their first hit. But I've known you for over a year now... and this is the first time I'm truly certain you're not one of them."

"You've made Kenshin, Natsume, Anohana... and now Initial D. That kind of consistency isn't luck. It's talent."

She didn't speak this candidly often, but the ten chapters in her hand had moved her.

"You might be the most naturally gifted artist I've worked with. One day, you could be a pillar of Echo Shroud Publishing."

"That's why you can't afford to slack like the others. You're too good for that."

Haruki nodded, serious. "Understood."

She gave a faint smile.

"To be honest, I haven't done much for these stories. You've carried them yourself. So just focus on the drawing. I'll handle the rest. Initial D deserves to be serialized—and I'll fight for it."

With that, she left, composed as ever.

Later that night, Haruka reread Initial D from the quiet of her apartment. Her confidence in its potential had only grown. With four open serialization slots in Shroud Line, if this didn't get picked up, the magazine might as well abandon its goal of reaching multi-million weekly sales.

Meanwhile, Kazuya was already moving.

He'd spent the past few days reconnecting with old contacts in the anime industry people he hadn't spoken to in years.

Knock knock knock.

"Who is it?" came a groggy voice.

The door creaked open. A disheveled man in his thirties stood there, wearing a stretched-out T-shirt, pajama pants, and slippers. He smelled faintly of instant noodles, convenience-store food, and something vaguely herbal.

Kazuya resisted the urge to gag and held his breath.

"Old friend! What brings you here?" the man said, rubbing his eyes.

"Mind if we talk somewhere else?" Kazuya asked, already halfway down the stairs. "I'll wait outside."

The man laughed lazily but came down twenty minutes later looking like a different person clean, dressed in a suit, and startlingly sharp.

His name was Kenji Yamada. Once a well-regarded animation director, Kenji's career had collapsed after a disastrous adaptation of a popular light novel. A mismanaged production, budget overruns, and a deeply flawed final product had turned the project into an industry cautionary tale. Sensitive by nature, Kenji had retreated from public life, resurfacing only occasionally online under a pseudonym. His artwork known for its emotional nuance and sensual detail still maintained a cult following.

They met at a quiet coffee shop.

"It's been, what three years?" Kenji asked, sipping his iced coffee. "So what brings you to me now?"

"I'm producing a new anime," Kazuya said. "I want you to handle character design and art direction."

Kenji leaned back with a sigh. "I've got everything I need already. Anime, games, food delivery. Why dive back into the mess?"

"You're 37," Kazuya said. "You planning to drift like this forever?"

"My dream is to be a NEET, thanks," Kenji grinned.

But then Kazuya brought up Anohana.

"That was yours?" Kenji said, eyes softening. "I cried watching that."

"Well, the new project? Same creator. Mizushiro."

Kenji blinked. "Wait—the Mizushiro?"

Kazuya gave a small grin, pulling two scripts from his bag. "And I'm producing his next two works 5 Centimeters per Second and Voices of a Distant Star."

Kenji flipped through them silently.

An hour and a half later, Kazuya left the café with a quiet grin. Kenji followed a few steps behind, a spark in his eyes that hadn't been there in years.

In the weeks that followed, Kazuya reached out to more people storyboard artists, music producers, background designers. Some were veterans who'd hit walls. Others had drifted away from the industry entirely—running shops, freelancing, or barely getting by.

But Kazuya understood: talent alone wasn't enough.

You built something truly great with timing, with trust—and with people ready for a second chance.

(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)