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Even though he had never been in a relationship before, Haruto was not the type to get caught up in anxiety or second-guessing. Besides, it wasn't surprising that Yukino had brought the topic up so directly. In this day and age, even a guy buying a bottle of water for a girl on a hot day is enough to make her wonder if he's interested.
If Haruto invited Yukino to an amusement park and she didn't have such suspicions, that would have been the real mystery.
Pursuing someone is almost always a game of open cards for both parties involved. After all, if someone of the opposite sex is being inexplicably nice to you, it's rarely just out of pure, platonic friendship.
However, "almost open" isn't the same as "fully open." By asking that question, Yukino had effectively stripped away the last veil of ambiguity between them, forcing both sides to show their hands.
There was no reason to deny it. It was what it was.
"I see..." Yukino murmured. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she fell silent for a long moment.
Seeing her reaction, Haruto didn't press for an answer. Instead, he skillfully changed the subject.
"Everything we ate earlier has been... well, lost. Do you still want to keep exploring the park?" Haruto looked at her.
There were nearly a hundred attractions in this place, and they hadn't even finished a tenth of them.
"Definitely!" Yukino chirped, her face breaking into a bright smile. "I'm really interested in that high-altitude roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, and the spinning teacups."
Haruto felt a wave of relief wash over him. It seemed that, at the very least, she wasn't rejecting him.
Although this was Haruto's first time pursuing a girl, he knew that romance wasn't something that yielded results in a single day. Yukino's attitude confirmed that she didn't dislike his intention to move their relationship toward something more than friends. The ultimate outcome remained a mystery, but the first step had been a solid success. The two wandered the park until the late afternoon, concluding their journey with a slow, scenic ride on the Ferris wheel.
That night, back at the villa...
Haruto collapsed onto his bed, utterly exhausted. To be honest, he had a new found respect for Yukino. The shoes for her Asuna cosplay were high heels; how on earth did she walk in those all day without getting tired?
In the adjacent room, Yukino lay on her bed, peeling off her white stockings to reveal her slender, aching legs. Her toes were a bit red from the exertion.
She thought back to what Haruto had said to her that day.
[If you're asking if I have the kind of attraction a man has for a woman... Yeah. That's exactly right.]
'Attraction, huh?'
To be fair, this wasn't the first time Yukino had been pursued. Since she was a child, she had received hundreds of love letters, and she had been confessed to face-to-face more than a dozen times. Usually, she was decisive and rejected them immediately, never playing along or leading them on.
Except for today.
Today, she had said nothing. Instead, she and Haruto had shared a silent understanding as they completed their amusement park date. Her lack of a rejection was her answer.
"I guess I really do have feelings for him that go beyond friendship," Yukino muttered to herself with a self-deprecating smile.
Later, as the warm water of her bathtub rose past her neck, the fatigue of the day began to melt away. She submerged her face beneath the surface, blowing bubbles until her cheeks turned red from holding her breath. Then she surfaced, taking a deep, restorative breath.
Three days later...
During those three days, Haruto and Yukino acted much like they always did, eating together, chatting, and discussing the company's future. Yet, both could feel that the air between them had changed. Whenever they stood a little too close, their hearts would flutter. They found themselves paying more attention to each other's expressions and eyes, constantly wondering what the other person liked.
Today, Yukino went home for a family visit.
However, before seven o'clock, she pushed through the front door of the villa, looking absolutely fuming. Haruto hadn't even started his dinner yet, knowing Yukino had promised to return.
"What happened?" Haruto asked, quickly setting the table with bowls and chopsticks.
"Nothing. I just have a cousin who is about ten years older than me, and she's already a grandmother. My dad brought it up at the dinner table to criticize me, and it made me so angry."
"A grandmother already?" Haruto was shocked.
"Yeah. She had her first child at eighteen, and that child had a kid at twenty. So, she's a grandmother at thirty-eight," Yukino explained.
A heavy silence fell over them. Some people were still single in their thirties, while others were already watching their grandchildren grow up. It was a heavy topic for dinner. Haruto could easily imagine the kind of lecture Yukino's father had given her.
By the end of January, everything seemed to return to its normal rhythm.
When Reina and Shizuru returned, they didn't notice anything different, but Haruto and Yukino shared a secret emotional seedling that was beginning to sprout between them.
As February began, the serialization of Initial D reached the climactic battle on Mt. Akina between Takumi and the popular antagonist, Ryosuke Takahashi. The weekly reader votes in Prime Manga soared to a staggering 3.4 million.
Meanwhile, the third volume of the manga was officially released. By this time, the first volume had reached 19 million copies, and the second volume sat at 16.5 million.
As the story progressed, the sales figures for the tankobon continued their steady climb.
As for Sword Art Online… In the last two chapters released, Yui was introduced.
This young girl, whom Kirito and Asuna found during their honeymoon, began calling them "Papa" and "Mama." The scenes of the three of them acting like a cozy family were heartwarming. A daughter falling from the sky perfectly solved the problem of not being able to have children in a game world, completing the family structure for Asuna and Kirito. Readers hailed Haruto as a genius for the addition.
The introduction of Yui sent the fanbase into another frenzy of discussion. Excitement peaked with the announcement that the first volume of the light novel would be released in mid-February. Kiyozawa Library's official website revealed that the volume would include two exclusive short stories not found in the magazine serialization. These Special Edition stories were designed to flesh out the back story of Sachi. The publisher also included a redesigned, beautiful poster of Sachi.
Fans were already sharpening their claws to grab a copy.
Other companies in the light novel industry were also watching the release with bated breath. Sword Art Online's influence was undeniable; even on the official forums of rival giants like Hoshizora Novels and Seisawa Books, fans were constantly discussing the plot. It was no longer confined to Kiyozawa Library's territory; it was actively eroding and converting the fanbases of other publishers.
However, "popularity" and "hype" are hard to quantify. The only data that could truly measure a novel's impact was its sales volume. Under the combined efforts of Kiyozawa Library and various bookstores, the marketing campaign for the first volume of Sword Art Online began two weeks in advance.
Promotions such as pre-ordering the novel to receive a setting guidebook, a limited-edition Asuna bookmark, or a Kirito keychain were launched across all major cities. The trinkets were cheap to produce, but for completionist readers, they were priceless.
At the beginning of February, the nominations for Naoki Awards, Ryugin Awards and Seika Awards were officially launched.
According to the schedule, the winners would be announced in April. Before that, however, the nominated works had to pass the first round of voting.
Official websites for the awards opened their fan voting portals. This stage was crucial for a work to advance to the second round. The results were exactly as the industry expected: Sword Art Online, Initial D, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica were miles ahead in their respective categories, with their vote counts often doubling those of the second-place entries.
In the first round for Best Animated Film, To the Moon also secured the top spot. However, its lead wasn't quite as overwhelming as Haruto's other three works. Still, the overall situation looked very promising.
On the other hand...
Toward the end of the first week of February, Haru-Yuki Animation finally revealed its big move. They released the trailer for 7 Years From Now
The anime was set to premiere in April, just over a month away. This time, Haruto didn't spend a single yen on advertising. Even with a modest production budget, the series was the subject of a fierce bidding war between various channels.
In the end, the licensing fees paid to Haruto's company for the initial broadcast rights reached over 100 million yen. Although the television executives were a bit hazy on the specific plot, since Haruto's provided synopsis was brief and the first few episodes were shrouded in mystery, they didn't care.
This was the next work by the Warrior of Love following the conclusion of Madoka Magica. On that name alone, it was worth the price. When Madoka Magica first aired, how many people actually understood the foreshadowing in the early episodes? Did that stop it from becoming a massive hit?
As for Haruto, once the broadcast partner was confirmed, he released the trailer on the company's official website.
The moment it went live, it sent shockwaves through the animation community, with fans racing to spread the word across every forum and social media platform.