November 18th.
Saturday, 5:24 PM.
"Thanks you, Otosuna-san! You really saved me today!"
Akifumi Mugiho expressed his gratitude, but Otosuna Mihari merely sighed, looking at him with a trace of exasperation.
"Akifumi-sensei, when are you finally going to start your new work?"
"It's been months! The fans are starting to lose patience!"
She shot him a pointed look.
"Have you even checked your SNS lately? It's a wall of non-stop comments begging you for an updates. Even me, as your editor, feel nervous just looking at it!"
And yet, the man himself remained completely unfazed.
"Oh, that? No worries, I'm already working on it."
Akifumi waved it off like it was no big deal.
Mihari twitched. "You said the exact same thing last time!!" Her frustration was almost palpable.
Akifumi, however, just chuckled and teased, "Don't tell me you're just desperate for something to boost your numbers?"
"Of course I am." She didn't even try to deny it.
In the six months she'd been in this industry, she had definitely grown a much thicker skin.
A little criticism like that? As if that would make her flustered.
Before Akifumi could say another word, Mihari continued, "You know full well that the only mangaka I have who are actually producing work right now are you and Eriri-sensei!"
"Eriri-sensei's work is going strong, and as my star writer, you can't just sit on the sidelines, right?"
Akifumi smirked, patting her on the shoulder. "Relax. I won't let you down."
"On December 1st, 'WorldEnd' is getting published. That same day, I'll hand over the first volume of the manga adaptation. How's that?"
"!!"
Mihari narrowed her eyes. "If you already decided this, couldn't you have told me earlier?!"
"I've been stressing over this for nothing!"
Akifumi chuckled. "Well, I wanted to surprise you."
"Surprise? More like you want me death from a heart attack!" she scoffed, rolling her eyes.
Then, as if something just clicked, she asked, "Wait… was today's recording session also something for 'WorldEnd' novel?"
Akifumi raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you get so sharp?"
"Please. You don't seriously think I haven't read WorldEnd, do you?" Mihari shot him a knowing look. "I was there when you first pitched the idea. And as your manga editor, of course I had to get familiar with the story."
"Besides, you used the names William and Chtholly in the script today. That alone was a dead giveaway."
Akifumi scratched his head. "Alright, alright. My bad for underestimating you."
He then grew serious. "But yeah, today's recording was important for 'WorldEnd.'"
"If it succeeds, a lot of the credit goes to you, too."
"Well, if it does well, that benefits me as well," Mihari said nonchalantly. "So, no need for thanks. Just get back to work already."
Akifumi laughed. "Alright, I won't argue with that."
As he walked away, Mihari muttered under her breath, "I bet he's planning another one of his 'surprise gift' again."
For someone who had already read 'WorldEnd', just hearing those lines today had hit her hard.
"I wonder what the final product will be like…"
"Probably another reason for me to stock up on tissues."
When was the last time a story made her cry?
Oh, right. That damn 'Anohana', and that heart-wrenching song that came with it.
"Damn you, Akifumi. Always making me cry!"
———————————————————————
Meanwhile, completely unaware of his editor's grumbling, Akifumi was thoroughly pleased with the two voice actors he had chosen for the project.
They fit the voices of 'WorldEnd' perfectly.
No, more than that—the emotions they brought to the characters were even deeper than in the original novel.
"The voice acting industry is just as competitive as ever, huh?"
He let out a quiet sigh before stepping onto the train station.
…Huh? Why not take a taxi?
Well, for someone like him, this kind of grounded experience was just more enjoyable.
Pulling out his phone, he logged into his SNS account—Warrior of Love and Hope.
A quick glance at the comments, and sure enough… nothing but people begging for updates.
———————————————————————
"I'm dying without your stories!"
"Sensei, any news on the new project? It's been two months since your last post, you know!!"
"If you're out of ideas, just give us a sequel! Madoka Magica clearly has room for more story, right!?"
"If Madoka Magica gets a sequel, I'll buy it in a heartbeat!!"
"Sensei, even if you don't have a new story yet, at least come say hi!"
"+1"
"…."
———————————————————————
Akifumi couldn't help but grin.
"Well, since you're all so impatient, don't blame me when I hit you with the big guns."
He already had a plan in mind.
His fingers flew over his phone screen at lightning speed.
Check. Send.
A new post appeared:
"Yo, long time no see, everyone! It looks like you've all missed me a lot~"
"Yeah, yeah, I know—it's been way too long since my last update."
"But hey, what can I say? Madoka Magica and Anohana are still running in the magazine. I can't exactly skip the serialization stage and just drop the tankōbon volumes, right?"
"Alright, fine, you got me. "
"I may have been slacking off a little."
"But come on, can you blame me? School events like the sports festival and cultural festival kept piling up—I couldn't just ignore those and lock myself in a room to write!"
"But now that all of that is over, and with Madoka Magica and Anohana reaching their final chapters, it's time for a new announcement!"
"December 1st. Mark your calendars."
"Okay, okay, I can't spill all the details yet—company rules and all. But on that day, I promise to drop a special gift for all of you!"
"I've spent over a month preparing it, and I guarantee it'll be worth the wait!"
"On top of that, signed collector's editions of Madoka Magica and Anohana, along with exclusive merch, will go live on December 1st at 8 PM!"
"So be sure to keep an eye out!"
"Oh, and of course, the big reveal for my new project will happen at the same time."
"Stay tuned!"
"That's all for now! Hope you're all excited!"
———————————————————————
He read it over once more before hitting send.
It looked like he had shared a lot, but in reality, he had barely given them any real information.
That was the trick—drop just enough hints to keep them intrigued.
Throw in a freebie to raise their enthusiasm, and the hype would naturally reach its peak.
Even though Akifumi had never worked in this industry before, he had seen enough to know the game.
And just as expected, the fans' reactions flooded in almost immediately.
———————————————————————
"HE'S BACK!!! 😭"
"Good news: Sensei finally posted an update. Bad news: He didn't tell us what the new project is."
"As long as you're alive, there's still hope!!"
———————————————————————
Akifumi grinned. "Well then… let's see how well you guys can handle this."