After a period of buildup, One Punch Man finally aired on TV Tokyo.
Much to Kyousuke's relief, the animation studio had invited him over to celebrate the broadcast together, so he didn't have to struggle with the choice of whether to watch it with Eriri, Shouko Sakura, or Utaha.
Inside a large conference room at BOX Animation Studio, the entire production team was gathered.
"It's starting, it's starting!" Executive producer Taizo Ishikawa whispered excitedly.
The company president sat at the head of the round table.
Kyousuke and the animation director were seated at the first spot below him, with Eriri sitting right next to Kyousuke.
And then, the anime began.
A clear blue sky, dewy fresh vegetables, a moving train, leisurely pedestrians—the opening scenes painted a picture of peaceful, everyday life.
Suddenly, an explosion erupted.
Startled, Eriri flinched beside him.
Kyousuke couldn't help but be speechless for a moment, then he chuckled.
'Is she really that into it?' After all, they had worked together to bring this to life.
His gaze drifted from the screen to the girl's face.
Her crystal-clear blue eyes were wide with tension, her long lashes trembling slightly.
Her small mouth moved soundlessly, but with his keen hearing, he easily caught her whispered words:
"A hero for fun."
Her tiny fists were clenched tightly on her knees, almost like she was silently cheering Saitama on.
'Honestly, do you love this series that much?' Kyousuke thought warmly, reaching out to gently hold Eriri's hand.
She turned to look at him, her beautiful eyes practically shouting, "Kyousuke, Kyousuke! Our anime is finally airing!"
This wasn't his imagination either.
Sayuri, Eriri's mother, had told him earlier that when he went to pick Eriri up that morning, she had heard Eriri shouting things like that in her room all the way until three in the morning.
Yet when they met today, Eriri, dressed in an extravagant Victorian-style gown, acted as if nothing had happened, her expression perfectly composed.
"Focus, will you?!" she hissed fiercely, baring her tiny fangs at him.
"Yes, yes," Kyousuke replied with a laugh.
Their exchange drew smiles from the people around them, causing Eriri's delicate face to instantly flush red.
Even her tiny, translucent ears turned pink.
Yet instead of pulling away, she shyly placed her other hand over Kyousuke's, locking both of her small hands around his larger one.
On the screen, after Saitama blew apart the Vaccine Man with a single punch, the city, once shrouded in darkness, was bathed in light again.
Saitama knelt down, shouting in frustration at his own overwhelming strength:
"Another one-hit KO?! Damn it!"
Even though she had seen the preview countless times, Eriri still couldn't help laughing at this scene.
She sneaked a glance at Kyousuke.
'As expected,' she thought, 'he's using this work to express himself.'
Eriri had seen recordings of Kyousuke's kendo matches before.
Just like Saitama, after easily defeating an opponent with a single blow, he would quietly lower his head and sigh.
Even with the mask covering his face, Eriri was sure that's exactly what he had done.
And then came the moment both of them had been waiting for—the opening credits.
A massive, flaming fist appeared on screen, signaling the start of the credits.
As the original creator, Kyousuke's pen name, EGOIST, was about to appear!
For Eriri, this was a hundred, a thousand times more exciting than seeing her own name up there.
Her grip on Kyousuke's hand tightened even more.
Normally, at a moment like this, her nails would dig into his skin, leaving deep marks.
But Kyousuke's skin was thick and tough, and he barely flinched.
And then it happened.
On the red and gold fist, the words "Original Creator" appeared, followed by "EGOIST" and "LILY", and finally the publisher's name.
"Huh?"
Eriri blinked hard at the screen, unable to believe what she was seeing.
After confirming it wasn't a mistake, she let out a little yelp.
"Yaaah!"
Realizing she was the only one making noise in the conference room, she quickly turned to Kyousuke.
"Thank you," he whispered, leaning in to gently hug her. "To the best artist in the world—Kashiwagi Eriri-sensei."
"Uuuhh~~" Tears burst from her eyes.
"You idiot! Who asked you to do that?! This is your work!" she cried, forgetting all about where they were.
Eriri raised her tiny fists and pounded Kyousuke's chest in frustration.
She had told him so many times—her help was nothing compared to his talent.
One Punch Man's success was entirely thanks to him!
'Honestly! Did he think this would make me emotional?!'
Within just two seconds, she was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
"Come on, the anime's still going," Kyousuke murmured softly into her ear.
Her sobs instantly stopped.
The timid blonde peeked out from his arms, glancing nervously around the room.
Luckily, everyone else was focused on the screen.
Relieved, she quickly buried her face back into Kyousuke's chest and casually wiped away her tears, rubbing her cheeks left and right like a spoiled cat.
When she finally straightened up again, her little face was still delicate and composed, save for the faint redness around her eyes.
She sat with perfect poise, her lips curved in a serene smile looking every inch the princess.
'Hmm,' Kyousuke mused, 'so it's not that Eriri can't learn how to act composed. She's just saving it for important moments.'
He nodded quietly to himself.
The opening credits had been meticulously planned with the publisher and the animation studio.
They even asked Sayuri, as Eriri's guardian, to help sign some of the paperwork, all just to give Eriri this surprise.
Over the past weeks working at the Sawamura house, Kyousuke had been overwhelmed by Eriri's sheer passion for the project.
Even among "passion-driven" animators, her energy stood out.
He finally understood—this manga wasn't just a story to her.
'It was a bond that tied the two of them together.'
He still remembered when he had first told her that he had no more ideas for One Punch Man and would have to put it on hiatus. Her face had gone deathly pale in an instant.
Was she afraid of losing her royalties? Of course not.
What she had truly feared was losing their connection.
Only when he mentioned starting Attack on Titan did she beam with joy again, even volunteering to be his assistant.
Did Kyousuke understand what was in her heart at that moment?
Of course he did.
Even if she never voiced her true feelings, her expressions, her tiny hums, her every move—they all laid bare the beautiful, defenseless world inside her heart.
But still...
Even though Kyousuke tried to faithfully recreate ONE-sensei's original manga, some things inevitably changed.
That's why even he found himself absorbed every time he rewatched it.
Especially with the characters Eriri had helped design—imbued with her unique touch of elegance and detail, they brought a new, dazzling life to the story.
'Clap clap clap clap—'
As the next episode preview ended, the entire production team in the meeting room burst into enthusiastic applause.
"Ahh, this might just be the best show I've seen all year!" As usual, the company president was the first to speak.
"Great work, everyone! I've already reserved a table at a restaurant — let's all go celebrate properly!"
The president, casually dressed like the rest of them in a T-shirt and sweatpants, clapped again with a big smile.
"Phew, I'm just glad we made it through without any major disasters."
The director wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even after producing countless anime, the nerves never really went away — if anything, they only got worse over time.
"Oh oh! We're already trending on Yahoo!"
One of the episode directors, sitting next to the main director, excitedly showed the group his tablet.
On the screen was the Yahoo Japan homepage, with One Punch Man clearly visible among the top trending topics.
In anime production, an episode director is like an assistant director — they turn the director's general instructions into reality.
For instance, if the director simply said, "Make the scene where Saitama blows up the Vaccine Man feel really BOOM," it was the episode director's job to coordinate with the photography, animation, and art teams to actually create that feeling.
As they watched the successful broadcast, the room erupted into celebration.
"Houjou-san, you have to come celebrate with us too! Thanks to you and Sawamura-san, we pulled off something incredible."
The president approached Kyousuke warmly, his enthusiasm clear.
"I'm really sorry, but... I'm still a minor, so I have a curfew. I have to head home soon."
Kyousuke bowed apologetically.
He definitely couldn't join the party.
Even though he genuinely wanted to bond more with the production team — maybe even scout some talent later — his conscience wouldn't let him enjoy their hospitality today and then try to poach their staff tomorrow.
That would be way too shameless.
"What about you, Sawamura-san?"
Though it was obvious someone like her wouldn't easily move to a different studio, the president's enthusiasm didn't waver.
"I'm the same," Eriri said, hopping down from her chair— Wait, no, hopping sounded way too childish!
At over 160 cm tall, she was already well above the average "cute girl" height!
With a light, graceful motion, she offered a quick, elegant curtsy, maintaining her polished, "high-class lady" persona she'd carefully upheld since joining the company.
Well... until today.
That jerk! He actually made her cry in front of everyone today!
"Houjou-san, come on, let's go celebrate! Kyouko and the others have been looking forward to this for ages!"
The production assistant, Murayama Hashi, teased with a big grin.
The Kyouko he mentioned — the animation director — was sitting nearby, blushing furiously and lightly smacking Murayama with her folder.
Even as she pouted, her eyes kept sneaking glances at Kyousuke, full of hopeful excitement.
The other staff members chimed in with invitations as well.
The women, well, their reasons were obvious.
The men admired Kyousuke's raw talent.
From the start, he had impressed everyone from writing perfect storyboards to learning photography and animation techniques alongside them.
At first, they thought he was just a curious original creator, so they casually taught him bits and pieces.
But he absorbed everything at a frightening speed, eventually helping them with real production work and doing it flawlessly.
Working with someone like him would be a dream.
Usually, when a coworker was too good, it caused resentment.
But when that person was handsome, polite, always brought snacks to the office, and had an easygoing, humble attitude... well, it had the opposite effect.
"If you really want to go, then... I guess I'll come too..." Eriri hesitated, tugging gently at Houjou's sleeve and whispering shyly.
"It's fine." Smiling warmly, Kyousuke flipped his hand over and gently squeezed hers before turning back to the production team with a dazzling smile:
"I actually brought a little something for everyone to celebrate. Please help yourselves."
He pulled a big bag out from under the table and set it on top.
Even though Eriri was a pro at socializing, big workplace gatherings still made her a little uncomfortable.
"Whoa! These are luxury sweets from Toraya!" Someone rushed over and gasped as they peeked inside.
"As expected from Houjou-san. So generous!"
"Thanks so much!!"
The excitement buzzed around the room.
———————————————————————
Out on the streets of Suginami Ward, Kyousuke and Eriri walked toward the subway station after leaving the anime studio.
It wasn't as lively as Shibuya or Ginza, but the streets were still brightly lit.
Office workers who had stayed late crowded ramen shops and izakayas.
"You idiot! Why did you do that?!" Eriri, cheeks puffed out in frustration, stomped ahead of him before suddenly blurting it out.
"Huh? Do what?"
"What do you mean, what?!"
"That thing! You know! That thing!" she spluttered.
"...What thing?" Kyousuke kept his voice calm and innocent, clearly teasing the flustered girl.
Maybe it was her artistic temperament, but somehow, Eriri actually fell for his terrible acting.
Turning around sharply, she put her hands on her hips — her slim waist accentuated by her dress — and puffed out her chest indignantly.
"Why did you put my name in the author credits?!"
"Because you're my most important partner," Kyousuke said with an easy smile.
"M-most important?!" Eriri stuttered out the words, then spun on her heel, her frilly blue-purple skirt twirling beautifully in the night air.
"W-who's your most important partner, you narcissist?!"
Her delicate face turned a brilliant shade of pink as she proudly declared:
"We're just business partners! Don't get any weird ideas!"
Ahh, what am I even saying?!
The moment the words left her mouth, Eriri wanted to grab them back and stuff them down her throat.
Kyousuke was practically confessing to her!
She was such an idiot!
"Sure, sure, my dear assistant. Now, how about we grab a bowl of ramen?"
"I want fish broth ramen!"
On a cool late-spring night like this, nothing beat a steaming bowl of fish broth ramen on the streets of Tokyo.
———————————————————————
Meanwhile, Sakura had arrived at Shouko and Naoka's apartment, where the three of them were huddled together, eagerly watching One Punch Man.
"It's moving, it's moving!" Shouko shouted excitedly.
"Hahaha! Hearing Kyousuke's voice coming out of Vaccine Man is hilarious!"
Sakura burst out laughing.
"And adding that gold-button detail where the cape connects to the suit made it look so much better." Naoka nodded in satisfaction.
While the three of them enjoyed the broadcast happily, another girl, Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had been dragged home by her parents to watch the show with them...
Well, she wasn't having nearly as much fun.
Originally, Utaha had been just as excited to see Kyousuke's work finally air.
While not every author views an anime adaptation as a great honor, there's no denying that it brings a huge boost in fame and income.
She wasn't the type of girl to chase after fame—she had never even once boasted about being a bestselling novelist at school.
Still, she couldn't deny it: with his rising popularity, Kyousuke seemed even more irresistibly attractive.
But seriously...
'Could someone please explain to her what that "LILY" credit in the author list was all about!?'
The anime itself was flawless—from the storyboarding to the seamless plot transitions, and the art was stunningly detailed.
And yet, as Utaha watched the broadcast, she felt like she was staring at a child born from Eriri and the protagonist an adorable little kid running toward her, calling out, "Auntie!"
'Noooo!!!'
If this was a nightmare, could it end already, please!?
Unfortunately, when Utaha called Kyousuke the next day, she realized the nightmare was far from over.
"Sorry, Utaha-senpai," Kyousuke said over the phone. "The production schedule's gotten really tight. I'm gonna have to delay working on the novel revisions."
"I see… well, that can't be helped," she replied, forcing a smile even though he couldn't see it.
"Mhm~"
"..."
Until recently, whenever Kyousuke had free time after school, Utaha would spend it with him at his apartment, going over edits and revisions together.
But now—
Someone's loss is someone else's gain.
Although Kyousuke's scriptwriting work for the anime was technically already finished, Eriri had stubbornly insisted that "the scriptwriter's opinion is crucial for the artwork," and every night she basically "kidnapped" him over to her house to draw together.
Eriri knew very well that Kyousuke wasn't participating in any club activities anymore, and that academics were no hurdle for him.
After all, she had been studying English under his guidance for over a year now.
But this semester...
Eriri realized something terrifying.
'While her own English hadn't improved at all, Kyousuke was now speaking perfect English!'
Still, even with Eriri monopolizing him like that, Kyousuke prioritized helping Shouko and Sakura, both of whom were still third-year middle school students preparing for high school entrance exams.
Most of his time after school was devoted to tutoring the three girls.
Eriri felt pretty satisfied with the arrangement.
Meanwhile, Utaha grew even more frustrated.
Before the anime project began, her only rival for Kyousuke's after-school time had been an anonymous neighbor.
Now?
She had to share his attention with three girls—plus the occasional demands from the idiotic kendo club.
Utaha's resentment toward that teacher, Eriri, grew stronger by the day.
Even though her doujinshi adaptation of her own novel's second volume had been a perfect hit—actually boosting sales somewhat—there were some things a girl simply could not forgive.