"Hm… this feels acceptable."
"This voice actor can be considered."
"An interlude? No, this arrangement won't work. I want it to feel more tragic, more fatalistic. This version is too lively."
"The partner studio wants to raise their quote by twelve percent? Have them send over a sample of their 3D-to-2D conversion first. If their technical level is up to standard, I can accept their terms."
During the August summer break, Rei had far more free time and naturally became deeply involved in the production of the Arcane animation.
From voice actor selection for the main cast, to choosing the special-effects team, to deciding which original songs from his past life to adapt, Rei personally reviewed nearly every key decision.
Much of the day-to-day production work fell to the producer, Himari, but whenever it came to budgets and major creative decisions, she had no choice but to consult Rei.
"So… the budget needs to be increased again?"
Himari's voice was numb.
According to the contract, Rei's total investment across two seasons of Arcane would already approach 1 billion yen over the next year.
And yet, after hearing that additional funding was required to meet his quality standards and the aggressive schedule, Rei didn't hesitate at all.
He simply added more.
That was what made Himari nervous.
She had read the Arcane script.
The story genuinely captivated her.
And the character designs and art style Rei had personally created felt like a perfect match.
But the problem was;
This art style. This narrative direction.
An animation leaning heavily toward Western fantasy.
Would Japanese audiences accept it?
Would overseas audiences embrace it?
If this project failed after its premiere, then Illumination Production, and Rei as its main investor, would set the largest loss record in the history of Japan's animation industry, becoming a cautionary tale etched into industry textbooks.
"Don't worry. And don't be nervous," Rei said calmly.
"The profits from One-Punch Man have been substantial. A few hundred million won't pressure me. You just need to manage the company well and make sure everyone completes their work on time."
He paused briefly.
"It will be difficult, we need to make the January premiere, but don't be stingy with overtime pay, salaries, or bonuses. As long as the money is spent where it matters, no matter how high the final cost goes, I'll never hold you responsible."
"This is the first time I've lost sleep because an investor is too generous," Himari said, taking a deep breath.
"If this animation loses money, Illumination Production might as well shut down. No investor in Japan would dare work with me again."
"Haha… same here," Rei replied lightly.
"Production costs are secondary. When the animation premieres next January, I'll also need to invest heavily in global promotion."
He smiled.
"If it flops, everything I've earned over the past two years will basically vanish."
"Then why do you look completely unstressed?" Himari asked.
"Because it won't flop," Rei answered.
"I believe in your judgment," Himari said seriously. "But Rei, there are no absolutes in this world. Aren't you afraid, putting so much capital into a single project?"
Rei thought for a moment.
"You're right. But even if that one-in-a-million chance happens," he said slowly,
"I'll just start over from scratch. What's there to be afraid of?"
Himari stared at him, mouth slightly open, unable to speak for a long time.
Only then did she truly understand what it meant to say that youth itself was capital.
A nineteen-year-old billionaire saying those words carried an entirely different weight than a seventy-year-old ever could.
"Alright," Rei said, breaking the silence. "Let's end the digression. Next, we need to review the first trailer PV edited by the photography department."
"In a few weeks, Arcane will officially enter its first pre-release promotional phase."
A few days passed.
Friday arrived once more.
The day One-Punch Man Season 4, Episode 7 premiered.
From early morning onward, Capital TV Station flooded its programming with One-Punch Man advertisements.
Even the afternoon shopping shows were relentlessly pushing One-Punch Man merchandise.
The station's official website underwent a complete visual overhaul, character art, promotional posters, and banners filled every corner of the homepage.
After all, One-Punch Man was currently the highest-rated program across all television stations in Japan this quarter.
And with last week's rating hovering just shy of 7%, Capital TV had no intention of missing the momentum.
They didn't even need Rei to purchase ad slots.
The station was promoting One-Punch Man entirely on its own initiative.
This situation made Echoes of the End fans turn green with envy.
How could Capital TV Station be this biased?
In the past, when previous seasons of Echoes of the End helped the station secure quarterly viewership championships, it had never gone this far.
Still, no matter how numerous Echoes of the End's fans were, within the animation sphere they were clearly outmatched by One-Punch Man's fandom and didn't dare make too much noise.
Time slowly ticked toward evening.
With only a few minutes left until eight o'clock, Emi hurried home with her dinner, rushed to turn on the TV, and finally relaxed when she confirmed she hadn't missed anything.
As she opened her lunchbox, she mentally cursed the supervisor who had called for a post-work meeting at least twenty more times.
Before she could even take a bite of her dinner, the screen changed, and Emi's attention was instantly pulled away from her dinner.
Although the opening theme hadn't changed since the start of Season 4, when the familiar, hot-blooded music played, Emi felt no impatience at all.
When the opening ended, her gaze sharpened.
Last week's cliffhanger had tortured her for seven days.
Now, it was time for answers.
How was King going to resolve this crisis?
The plot moved quickly.
To face the invincible King, even the arrogant Black Sperm dared not be careless.
He possessed fifty-four trillion Black Sperm clones.
Previously, merging less than half of those clones had created Golden Sperm, who had easily crushed four S-Class heroes. Even Atomic Samurai's all-out strike had only severed one arm, and for a monster, that was nothing.
But now;
To confront King, all fifty-four trillion clones chose to merge.
Only a hundred ordinary Black Sperms were left behind as insurance, preparing to flee the battlefield.
That way, even if the merged form was defeated, Black Sperm could rely on the remaining clones to survive and seek a comeback.
Watching this, Emi couldn't help but chuckle.
"Black Sperm, you really don't need to be this cautious. If even one of those fifty-four trillion clones tested him, you'd realize King would be instantly killed by you."
Of course, many of those fleeing clones ran into heroes stationed at the edge of the battlefield.
For example, the S-Class hero Metal Bat.
Seeing a Black Sperm clone crying, he asked bluntly,
"What are you crying about?"
And then, one of the series' classic lines was born.
"A single-celled organism wouldn't understand!"
The Black Sperm clone wept as it spoke.
Emi completely lost it.
The line carried double meaning, and paired with Black Sperm's expression and Metal Bat's naturally rough personality, the comedic effect was perfect.
She laughed so hard she nearly choked.
From Black Sperm's words, Emi also understood what was happening.
During the full merger, all the clones fought for the right to become the sole surviving consciousness. Countless versions of itself were dying, while at the same time an incomparably powerful new self was being born.
That was why it cried.
Then, the coolest scene of the episode arrived.
After the fifty-four trillion Black Sperm clones finished merging, the blinding white light slowly faded.
In its place stood a figure with a streamlined body, perfectly proportioned muscles, and explosive power condensed into every line.
Platinum Sperm was born.
Emi's heart raced.
Black Sperm might be a villain, but Shirogane, you designed him way too cool.
Now… who could possibly beat him?
Even if Boros were resurrected, could he really defeat Platinum Sperm?
And King?
What was King supposed to do?
Platinum Sperm was now the strongest being born from the slaughter and fusion of fifty-four trillion selves.
A will of steel. A body of steel.
And King...King still had no idea how to use the so-called Ultimate Hellfire Burst Wave Motion Cannon
So how was he supposed to fight this?