The thought of having two S-level lottery chances in the near future made Haruki feel a rush of excitement.
Right now, he'd already saved enough World Points to redeem a standard S-rank title. With Initial D and Natsume's Book of Friends both still ongoing, he figured that no matter what the system threw at him next, he'd have options when it came time to start his next project.
Currently, Initial D had reached the intense race between Takumi and Ryosuke . After that came the challenge from the Emperor team and eventually, Takumi joining Ryosuke's pro team.
And that, Haruki thought, would be a good place to end it.
While most fans expected Initial D to continue Takumi becoming number one in Gunma, then Japan, then eventually racing professionally on the world stage Haruki didn't share that vision.
The original series didn't go that far, and he had no desire to stretch the story beyond its natural arc just to meet fan expectations.
Plus, the original Initial D had already shown signs of wear once Takumi joined Ryosuke's team. The raw excitement of racing down mountain roads started giving way to more formulaic drama. It wasn't bad but it wasn't as gripping.
Haruki had no interest in dragging a series out for profit, only to watch it lose momentum and alienate longtime fans. He wasn't one of those authors who clung to a popular work until the bitter end, delivering a lackluster finale just to keep the revenue coming.
If anything, the system gave him more good titles than he could ever finish in a lifetime. So rather than squeeze everything from one series, he'd rather end it well and move on.
The same went for Natsume's Book of Friends. It had been serialized for nearly two years, and Haruki had already selected the strongest arcs from the original. What remained wasn't bad, but it clearly didn't match the quality of the earlier chapters.
He figured it was better to wrap things up gracefully while the series was still beloved.
Of course, that plan depended on one thing: having the next project ready to go. And even if he started wrapping up Initial D soon, it would take at least six months to get to the ending he wanted.
As for the S-rank lottery he just earned, Haruki was tempted but decided to hold off.
Even if he planned to end both manga, he'd have to inform Shroud Line and Echo Shroud Publishing well in advance. And he was certain they wouldn't take the news lightly.
Two of their three flagship series were his. If both ended at once, it would hit them hard. Naturally, they'd push back.
So for now, he'd continue both series for at least another half a year.
Especially with the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime about to enter production. That alone would eat up a huge chunk of his time and attention.
If he pulled a new work from the system now, it would only distract him especially if it was something exceptional.
So for now, he shelved the temptation. First, finish the current projects.
Saturday evening – T-Bone Animation Studios
The casting auditions for the lead role in The Into the Abyss were underway.
Ryuko was tenth in the audition lineup. Compared to the nervous voice actors from various agencies, she looked calm.
Everyone there was considered a seasoned voice actor, well-known in the industry. But as the day dragged on and it became clear the competition was stacked, the pressure started getting to them.
Not Ryuko.
She had been through this too many times to get worked up. Since her debut, she'd voiced roles in Voices of a Distant Star, 5 Centimeters per Second, and Anohana. All of them were roles she'd earned through effort and timing rather than her agency pulling strings.
In fact, she'd learned the hard way not to expect much from these auditions.
She often delivered stronger performances than those who got the roles yet never landed the part. Why? Because of contracts and politics.
Her current contract gave her too much freedom. She had refused to re-sign under stricter terms, which meant the agency didn't invest much in pushing her behind the scenes. And without that push, many roles slipped away.
But she didn't regret it.
If she'd accepted a tighter contract, she would've lost control over her own career. When the offer for Voices of a Distant Star came in, she'd made the decision on the spot. But most voice actors didn't have that freedom. Even if they loved a project, they'd have to run it by their agent, who'd run it by the higher-ups… and by then, the chance might be gone.
So today, Ryuko came just to see how it would go. If the producers recognized her talent, great. If not, no big deal she had nothing else planned that evening anyway.
Finally, around 7 p.m., her turn came.
She entered the audition room.
Seven or eight people sat at a table in front of the stage. At the center was a woman dressed... unusually. Behind a placard labeled Producer, she studied Ryuko with a curious, slightly amused look.
"...Are you Ryuko?"
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