"There's a wound on your face," said the one-eyed yokai.
"Mhm, it's nothing really. Because I can see yokai, people think I'm weird. Some even like to throw rocks at me... Anyway, let's not talk about that. Your name is beautiful!" Reiko Natsume smiled at the one-eyed yokai.
"Since you're now my subordinate, no matter where you are, if I call for you, you must come running to me. Okay then, goodbye."
Goodbye.
To humans, it's just a polite word. But to yokai — beings who might go decades or centuries without being seen — it's a promise.
The one-eyed yokai, used to loneliness, met a girl named Reiko one sudden afternoon. It was beaten up and lost its name to her. From then on, whenever she called, it would have to appear before her and do whatever she asked.
So…
"Reiko…"
The yokai kept searching for her.
Winter passed. Autumn came. Then spring.
It hovered near the spot where it first saw her, hoping she'd call its name.
"Reiko… Reiko… still didn't call me today?"
"So lonely… even lonelier than before…"
The background music turned somber.
Xu Lin's chest tightened. Her nose and eyes stung with tears.
What… what was this?
She suddenly couldn't stop crying.
"What the hell… what is this plot?!"
"I'm crying already. Isn't this show supposed to be about fighting yokai? Why do I suddenly feel so sorry for the yokai?!"
"Even the music — did Jing Yu compose it too? That's cheating…"
"First episode and I'm in tears? Usually they build up to this by episode 3 or 4!"
"Ugh, the one-eyed yokai is so pitiful! It waited for Reiko its whole life — she got married, had kids, even grandkids — and it never saw her again?"
"Reiko's so heartless… You can't just take on subordinates and not keep in touch! No drinking, no singing, no bonding?!"
"Protect the yokai granny!"
"This hits way too close for us shut-in types. I don't get the part about missing Reiko, but I do get that kind of loneliness. I've got dramas and games… she had only a forest."
---
"I could've endured the darkness… if I had never seen the sun."
"Give it back — give me my name back. If you'll never call me again, then return it."
The yokai's emotions overwhelmed Natsume Takashi as he prepared to return the name.
He opened his eyes and said clearly:
"Hishigaki!"
That was the yokai's name — returned at last.
"Is Reiko… okay now? Even if she's alone, is she not afraid anymore?"
Hishigaki asked before disappearing.
"My grandma… I'm sure she's not lonely.
Thank you, Hishigaki — my kind-hearted grandma's friend."
Xu Lin didn't realize her eyes were already red.
Hishigaki probably didn't even know… Reiko was long gone.
It had always been alone, until that afternoon, it met her — its first taste of friendship.
And even before it left, it was afraid… afraid that if its name was returned, it'd never be called again.
Xu Lin checked the video length — barely 20 minutes.
Blowing her nose into a tissue, she scrolled the video back to the start for a second watch.
In the fan chat:
"I'm DEAD. How is this even a yokai? Jing Yu-sensei, you're selling pork under a lamb sign!"
"Natsume and Hishigaki… they're both too gentle."
"Why's there only one episode? Where's the next one?!"
"I didn't expect the first yokai-centric story to hit this hard."
"I fell in love with the show in one episode. If it stays like this, I'm all in."
"I thought 20-minute episodes would be meaningless. But… I was wrong. I don't even know how to describe this feeling. Sad? Not really. Happy? Not that either. Moved? Kind of. I just… want to cry."
"Starting my second rewatch."
"I'm sobbing, man. If Jing Yu had been born 30 years earlier, I'd have three decades of his dramas to binge. No more droughts!"
"I can't anymore. Gotta rewatch. I think I've recovered now."
The actor playing Natsume Takashi — who previously played Akira Toya in Jing Yu's 'Hikaru no Go' drama — was stunned by the flood of positive reviews online.
When he was cast, he'd been excited, thinking it was a career comeback.
But after reading the script and realizing it was a yokai drama — a short-form one with no action — he was skeptical.
Would this even catch on?
Just reading the script without visuals or music made it seem plain.
He wasn't afraid of flopping — he'd been in plenty of duds since 'Hikaru no Go'.
But being the lead in Jing Yu's first flop? That title… was too heavy to bear.
Now, though…
It really did feel like a second wind for his career.
The audience loved it.
Wu He was so excited, he called Jing Yu that night to thank him — and rambled for over 10 minutes.
After hanging up, Jing Yu turned to see Yu Youqing in pajamas, lying in bed beside him, eyes red from crying while hugging her tablet.
"Seriously? You've starred in so many of my dramas, and you're this emotional?" Jing Yu teased.
"Can't help it… this one really hit me. It's not even sad, but it made me want to cry." Yu Youqing's voice was quiet.
"Didn't know you were this sensitive," Jing Yu replied.
'Natsume's Book of Friends' was the kind of drama that either hit you deep or didn't touch you at all.
For some, it was tear-jerking.
For others, it felt like plain water.
Taste — like sweet vs. savory rice dumplings — had nothing to do with aesthetics or intellect.
Yu Youqing leaned against him.
"Good thing you didn't act in this one."
"Why?"
"Because I know you too well. The second I saw your face, I remembered you're Jing Yu. How could I stay immersed?"
"Pfft." Jing Yu chuckled.
"I heard you've been discussing a new project with Producer Cheng?"
"Wow, even while stuck at home, you know everything." Jing Yu nodded.
"Yeah… It's a mecha battle series. The big question now is how to film it — and how much budget we need to do it right."
Cheng Lie didn't quite get the appeal of robot-vs-monster shows.
But he'd learned not to question Jing Yu.
A show like 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' couldn't be made on the cheap if it wanted to succeed.
It was like Attack on Titan in Jing Yu's past life — cut corners, and even a perfect script couldn't save it. If the visuals didn't land, audiences would just complain.
In Jing Yu's memory, such stories rarely appeared on TV, but movies like 'Pacific Rim' had similar vibes.
That said, 'Evangelion' didn't need quite as much effects budget — the story focused more on character growth than constant battles.
Still, its total cost would easily surpass that of Fate/Zero.
"Sounds tough," Yu Youqing laughed.
"Yeah, because I care. If Great Zhou viewers want to roast my script later, fine. But I'll never accept criticism that the production was cheap."
Suddenly, Jing Yu had a thought.
"Wait. Are you asking because you're interested in a role?"
"Hmm? If there's a good role, of course, I'd want to audition. If not… I won't push you to 'take care' of me." Yu Youqing smiled.
"That's an easy call. You've got the looks and the skills. Honestly, I already want you as one of the female leads.
It's my company, my show — obviously, I want to promote my own actors. 'Natsume' could use outside talent, but 'Evangelion'? Every role — lead or side — should go to my team."
Actors like Tang Rui, who played Saber in 'Fate/Zero', were already locked into long contracts. Jing Yu wasn't about to build up stars only to lose them to rival studios and dilute his fanbase.
For example, Saber's popularity alone could net Tang Rui tens of millions in income over the next two years if she freelanced.
So for 'Evangelion', especially for the two female leads, Jing Yu had already set his sights on Yu Youqing and Xia Yining — his long-time collaborators and trusted talents.
"Anyway… we'll talk later. I still need to finish designing the characters before casting anything."
"And the biggest problem is choosing the effects studios. We'll probably need several working together — one alone would take a year or two."
Jing Yu glanced at Yu Youqing.
"It's late. Ahem… time to rest."
He turned off the bedside lamp, slipped under her blanket, and hugged her.
"Hey, it's not that late…" Yu Youqing muttered.
"Early to bed, early to rise."
When you're single, you think a partner will just interrupt your gaming.
But once you're in a relationship, you realize…
The only one stopping you is you.
In the following days, Great Zhou's summer drama season went into full swing.
Apart from the delayed 'Natsume's Book of Friends', all six major TV stations aired their flagship shows — alongside episode 2 of 'Legal High'.
The result?
Just like the week before.
Once viewers got hooked on 'Legal High', they stuck with it.
As long as Komikado's character didn't collapse, ratings would only rise.
Episode 2 alone broke 8% in viewership.
Part of that was due to a quick cameo from 'Fate/Zero's Kotomine Kirei.
But more than that, it was because the series' writing was excellent — and Jing Yu's massive popularity didn't hurt.
Just two weeks in, and the summer season already had its undisputed champion.
The six TV stations were frustrated — but powerless.
They couldn't compete. Even if they tried cheap tricks, Jing Yu wasn't the same person as before.
Cheap rival shows or lineup sabotage wouldn't work anymore — and they risked backlash.
Top-tier drama = Written by Jing Yu.
That perception had solidified over the past few years.
So when 'Legal High' shot to the top, the six stations felt the bitter sting of powerlessness.
Critics and media across Great Zhou spared no praise for Jing Yu's double-header this season.
'Natsume's Book of Friends' — 9.5/10 on Yindou.com.
'Legal High' — 9.6/10.
Both critical and commercial hits.
Even haters were stumped — they had no angle to attack.
Especially 'Natsume's Book of Friends'.
It sent a shockwave through the industry.
A 20-minute online series…
Over 6 million views in just one week.
Writers and studios across the board started re-evaluating this format's potential.
Short-form video dramas?
Maybe they do have a future.
Time passed quietly.
Between writing two scripts, designing characters for 'Evangelion', helping market 'Fate/stay night', and negotiating with global FX teams…
Jing Yu had never been busier.
And even before locking down a special effects studio for 'Evangelion', he had already greenlit development on the game adaptation within his own gaming division —
learning from 'Fate/Zero's costly lesson, where delays killed momentum.