The next morning, Haruka arrived promptly to pick up Haruki. After nearly an hour of driving, they pulled into the parking lot of T-Bone Animation Studio.
Haruki looked around, curious. It was his first time here, and he couldn't help but compare it to his last visit to Kazanami Studio.
In the anime industry, only a handful of studios sat at the top—T-Bone, Kazanami, Dakai, and a few others. These companies regularly worked with the biggest manga publishers and light novel labels, and often produced original projects of their own. Together, they turned out forty of anime every year.
Even though Haruki had never been inside T-Bone before, the name had long been familiar to him. You grew up hearing about them if you followed animation.
After checking in at the front desk, an assistant led them deeper into the building. Eventually, they were brought into an office where a tall figure was already waiting.
The person stood to greet them with a polite smile. "Good morning. I'm Saya Tachibana, producer in charge of the Initial D adaptation here at T-Bone."
Haruka returned the handshake, then stepped aside. Saya offered her hand to Haruki next.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Haruki Yuuki," he said simply.
Saya raised an eyebrow slightly. Haruki's voice matched his reputation—flat, direct, and almost too casual.
She had already done her research. The calluses on his hands checked out; his expression was quiet, almost uninterested. It was strange to think that this unassuming young man was the mind behind Initial D, Natsume's Friends, Voices of a Distant Star, and 5 Centimeters per Second. And now, almost by coincidence, Initial D had ended up in her hands.
Small world.
"Mr. Yuuki," Saya began, "you already know why we asked you here. Initial D is scheduled to air next January. The timeline's tight, and while we've studied your work in detail, we know our interpretation may differ from your original intent. To avoid misalignment and keep the adaptation faithful, we'd like to have you onboard as a creative consultant. I hope this won't be too much of a burden."
Though her words were professional, she kept a close eye on his reaction.
Haruki gave a faint nod. "Sure. I'm fine with that."
Just like that.
Saya blinked. That was it?
Most people would have at least said something polite, maybe complimented the studio. Haruki's bluntness was... disarming.
Haruka stepped in quickly to soften the tone. "Producer Tachibana, thank you for this opportunity. T-Bone entrusting a project like Initial D to last year's top-ranked producer says a lot about your commitment. Haruki values this adaptation as much as we do. He may come off a bit blunt, but he takes the work seriously."
Saya's expression warmed slightly. Haruka, at least, knew how to navigate the formalities.
Then Haruki turned back to her, squinting slightly. "Wait… last year's top anime… that was Demon Lord's Journey, right? You produced that?"
Saya paused.
Was he… just now realizing that?
She smiled thinly. "Yes."
Haruki nodded. "That was pretty impressive."
There was a beat of silence.
Demon Lord's Journey?
It wasn't Demon Lord's Journey. The correct title was Devil's Journey. The name mix-up, though minor, hit Saya in a spot she hadn't expected.
He didn't even remember the title of the anime that beat anohana for the top spot last year?
She had assumed they were rivals two rising talents aware of each other, maybe even quietly pushing one another to improve. She had imagined a kind of mutual acknowledgment.
But judging by Haruki's face… he had no idea who she was until today.
Saya felt an odd kind of sting. She had been treating this as a chess match. Apparently, he didn't even know he was playing.
Haruka looked out the window, sighing internally. You could've just said "I really admire your work" and left it there…
Fortunately, a knock at the door cut through the awkward silence.
Saya collected herself. "Come in."
The door opened, and a girl in a pale floral dress stepped inside, her hair pinned up neatly. Her expression was puzzled—she hadn't expected to be called out of the dubbing studio mid-session.
But when she saw who was sitting in the room, her eyes lit up.
"Haruki? What are you doing here? Did you come to see me?"
It was Ryuko.
Between school, voice acting work, and everything in between, the two of them hadn't seen each other in nearly three weeks.
Seeing him now, unannounced, Ryuko couldn't help but smile. For a moment, she thought hoped he had come just to see her.
Haruka watched with interest. She remembered Ryuko clearly from their first meeting. The girl had always spoken highly of Haruki.
Saya, meanwhile, frowned slightly at Ryuko's reaction.
So they're that close…
But then she looked at Haruki and caught something off.
The moment Ryuko entered, he stiffened. He wouldn't meet her eyes. His whole posture had changed, like someone caught in an awkward obligation.
Saya tilted her head.
That's not how someone looks at their girlfriend… it's more like… someone who's been dodging a confession.
The conversation moved on. Ryuko soon learned that Haruki was there to discuss Initial D's production with Saya. Her smile faded slightly.
So he hadn't come to see her after all.
Saya had called her in thinking the two might be dating. If they were both involved in the same production, it made sense to be transparent.
But now she wasn't so sure.
Still, from the way Ryuko greeted him, and how Haruki reacted, it was clear there was something between them even if it wasn't romantic. At the very least, they were close friends… maybe too close for comfort.
Before long, the meeting wrapped up. Haruki and Haruka made their goodbyes and left.
Saya glanced over at Ryuko, who still looked slightly distracted, then turned back to her desk.
Today had gone… mostly as expected.
She had finally met Haruki Yuuki in person, which had been one of her goals. She'd gotten a sense of how he thought, how he carried himself—quiet, blunt, distant, yet sharp underneath it all.
Still, their situation was a strange one.
She was the producer behind Devil's Journey, the show that had edged out anohana.
She was also now producing Initial D, one of Haruki's signature works.
Her goal this year? To take back the top spot with into the Abyss, the new fantasy series with Ryuko voicing the lead.
And yet… she needed to work with Haruki to make Initial D a success.
The irony wasn't lost on her.
As she stared at her blank monitor, Saya shook her head and muttered to herself.
"This guy… is on a completely different wavelength."
Shout out to N A, Her A for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
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