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As eight o'clock approached, Haruto's massive fanbase surged into activity across every major online forum. Fan groups were alive with frantic notifications, urging every member to tune their televisions to the right channel immediately.
The competition for the fall anime season had reached a fever pitch. All four major titles were entering their fourth episodes, yet the gap in viewership ratings remained razor-thin.
This was evident from the fact that a different show had claimed the top spot in the rankings during each of the first three weeks of July. The title of "Champion" was still very much up for grabs, and any of the four contenders had a legitimate shot at the crown. For Haruto's fans, however, the ratings for tonight's fourth episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners were of paramount importance.
"Red Dragon, The Otherworld Reformer, and that sports show Terminal Descent have all managed to snag a weekly first-place finish during the launch month. Only Edgerunners hasn't taken the top spot yet. It's frustrating."
"The fans of those other shows are laughing at us, calling us the 'Cyberpunk: Eternal Runner-Up.' I can't stand it."
"Even if you guys have to work late at the office tonight, find a way to turn on the TV and tune it to Tokyo TV1. We need every decimal point for Edgerunners."
"The plot better deliver tonight. If we end up in second place again, or lower, the anti-fans are going to have a field day attacking Haruto. They'll start saying the success of Madoka Magica was just a lucky fluke and that this is his true, mediocre level."
"Wait, is a 4% rating considered low now? You're talking like these results are trash."
"It's not low for a normal person, but there's a massive shadow cast by Madoka. If people expect you to score a hundred on every test and you only get an eighty, they're going to talk trash. That's just how it works."
"That's the price of fame. If anyone else had a show pulling over 4% every single week, they'd be shouting it from the rooftops. But because it's Haruto, people act like it's a disappointment. It's ridiculous."
"Come on, everyone! Let's push those numbers up tonight!"
As the broadcast began, the tension in the fan community was palpable.
The fourth episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners started with a similar rhythm to the third, continuing to document David's life after joining Maine's crew.
The audience watched his steady evolution from a wide-eyed rookie to a professional who could execute Maine's orders with cold efficiency. He transformed from a boy who would freeze up when a gun was drawn into an edgerunner who could utilize his Sandevistan to save his teammates in the blink of an eye.
David was growing. He was making money and pouring it all back into his body, systematically replacing his flesh and bone with cold, hard chrome. In this world, a legendary edgerunner was a person whose entire body, save for the brain, was a collection of high-end machinery.
At this stage, David only had a spinal implant; his journey into the depths of cyberization was still in its infancy.
However, his growth wasn't limited to combat. His mentor, Maine, seemed to think the kid needed to use his head in other areas as well, specifically, when it came to the girl in the crew. Maine encouraged him to work on his fitness and, more importantly, to find excuses to spend time with Lucy, even if it meant joining her for her nightly runs through the neon-soaked streets.
They talked about the city, their lives, and everything in between. David tried desperately to find common ground, sometimes stumbling into awkward silences, but he never gave up. Eventually, the runs that used to leave him gasping for air became easy, allowing him to run side-by-side with Lucy without breaking a sweat. It wasn't a plot filled with shocking twists or high stakes, but the sight of a protagonist actively and earnestly pursuing a girl was a refreshing change of pace for the audience.
"She said she wants to go to the moon. That's her dream," David remarked with a sigh during a conversation with Maine.
The moment that line was spoken, a shiver ran down the spines of Haruto's longtime fans. The "Moon"?
That was a very specific and painful trigger for anyone who had finished To The Moon.
"Is Shiori-sensei trolling us right now?"
"This can't be a coincidence. Lucy's dream is the moon? What is he trying to tell us?"
"The last person who wanted to go to the moon in one of his stories ended up dead. This feels like a dark omen."
"I have a bad feeling about this. Is this going to be another tragedy?"
"Don't even ask. The core of the cyberpunk genre is tragedy. It's not a question of 'if,' but 'how' it's going to break our hearts."
"I mean, David's life is already a wreck. His mom is gone, and now he's a mercenary living on the edge just to chase a girl."
Just as the audience settled in for what they thought would be a character-building episode, the most shocking scene of the series so far occurred.
Maine's crew was wandering the streets after a night of drinking when they spotted a homeless man urinating in public. Pilar, the team's crude comic relief who was usually known for his vulgar jokes rather than his moral compass, decided to harass the man, mocking him for his lack of decency.
Pilar didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Without a word of warning, the homeless man shoved a pistol under Pilar's chin and pulled the trigger.
Pilar's head was pulverized. His eyes were blown out, his skull was shattered. A headless torso was all that remained of the man who had been cracking jokes seconds earlier.
Even for a fanbase that had seen plenty of blood in the first three episodes, the suddenness of the violence was paralyzing.
"What just happened?"
"Pilar... not Pilar!"
"He's just gone? Just like that? No build-up, no dramatic last words?"
"Is this the reality of Night City? You tell a guy to stop peeing in the street and he blows your brains out?"
"Wait, the characters just explained it. That man wasn't just a hobo. He was suffering from Cyberpsychosis."
"So that's what a Cyberpsycho looks like?"
"It's terrifying. It just happens instantly? One minute you're fine, the next you're a mindless killing machine?"
"It's the same thing that happened to the soldier in the first episode. Once the psyche snaps, they just start slaughtering everyone in sight."
"It's a brutal wake-up call. I thought this show was going to be a fun heist anime, but in a single second, Pilar is just erased from existence."
"This is Haruto's way of establishing the stakes. The protagonist isn't invincible. In a world like this, you can die in an instant for the stupidest reasons."
From the moment of Pilar's death, the viewership ratings began to climb steadily. By the end of the episode, David and Lucy had retreated to the top of a skyscraper to process the loss. High above the chaos of the city, they finally opened up to one another.
"What I told you that day... about my dream of going to the moon. I wasn't lying," Lucy said softly.
"I know. I never thought it was a lie," David replied, looking at her intently.
"And if I told you that everything I'm saying right now is a lie?" Lucy countered.
"I wouldn't believe you. I don't want to believe that."
This brief exchange finally allowed them to move past the betrayal.
David, moved by Lucy's vulnerability, felt a surge of emotion. Once he started talking, he couldn't stop. He poured out his feelings, his fears, and his hopes.
"We are completely different people, David," Lucy said, her voice tinged with loneliness.
"How? Tell me how we're different!" David's voice rose with conviction as he stepped toward her. "I... I'll take you there! I'll take you to the moon!"
"I'll take you to the moon. I'll make your dream come true. I promise you."
Lucy finally lowered her guard. She leaned in, cupping David's face in her hands, and kissed him. The scene was framed by a hauntingly beautiful background track, synchronized with the launch of a lunar rocket in the distance. The trail of fire from the rocket and the cold, brilliant light of the moon created a backdrop for the kissing couple that was so aesthetically perfect it moved viewers to tears.
"I don't want you to die," Lucy whispered, her only request for him.
"I won't die," David replied with a calm, certain resolve.
This moment captured the hearts of everyone watching. They were swept up in the romance, completely unaware that this promise, the mutual desire to save each other, would be the very thing that triggered the series' ultimate tragedy.
David wanted Lucy to reach the moon, while Lucy wanted David to stay alive. In a world like Night City, those two wishes were destined to collide.
When the fourth episode concluded, the audience remained in a daze. Little did they know that the true turning point would come in episode six, when Maine's own stability began to crumble. From that point onward, the series would descend into a spiral of emotional devastation that would only intensify until its final, crushing conclusion.
The following day, the ratings for the fourth episode were released.
4.49%.
It was the number one show of the week.
The fact that Edgerunners had finally claimed the top spot sent a wave of panic through the "Big Three" animation studios. The major studios coordinated a subtle but effective campaign to manipulate public opinion. They leveraged their connections with news outlets and entertainment magazines to shift the narrative.
Soon, the headlines began to change,
[The fall anime market remains a stalemate. Who will emerge as the true king? The suspense continues.]
[Four top-tier titles battle for dominance. Are we witnessing a new Golden Age of animation?]
[Haruto's new work fails to reach the heights of Madoka Magica. While Edgerunners is a decent effort, it lacks the cultural impact of his previous hit. It seems Haruto may have already peaked at nineteen.]
[The shadow of Madoka Magica looms over the young creator. Edgerunners is struggling to replicate the miracle of the previous year.]
Despite the fact that Edgerunners had just won the week, the media was suddenly filled with articles downplaying its success and predicting its failure.
The staff at Haru-Yuki Animation were livid when they saw the reports.
"Those bastards! How much did the Big Three pay to run such a blatant hit piece on us?"
"And look at this guy, he's got millions of followers and everyone knows he's a corporate shill. He's actually claiming Edgerunners is no better than a late-night smut film because it uses violence to get views. He's lying through his teeth and people are listening!"
"Surely the fans won't believe this garbage?"
"Our hardcore fans won't, but the casual viewers might! Think about how many good movies have been killed by a coordinated smear campaign. The animation industry usually doesn't get this ugly because it's too expensive to bribe everyone, but the Big Three are clearly desperate to shut us down."
"They're terrified," another staff member added. "Haruto is a genius, but he's also a businessman. If he keeps this up, he'll be a direct threat to their monopoly within a year or two"
"It's disgusting."
"Well, I don't believe for a second that a few petty tricks are going to bring down a show as good as Edgerunners."
While his employees were fuming, Haruto sat in his office, quietly reading the reports. He wasn't particularly surprised by the tactics; in high-stakes business, such moves were par for the course. However, he also knew that the Big Three were fighting a losing battle. This wasn't an era where information was controlled solely by print media and television networks.
Modern viewers had the internet. They could talk to each other, share clips, and form their own opinions regardless of what a magazine headline said.
Haruto logged into his creator account, which boasted over twenty million followers.
He posted a single comment.
[I have never had the experience of being overtaken by those I have already defeated. Starting this week, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners will not lose a single ratings battle. We will stay at the top until the very end.]
The message acted like a lightning bolt, instantly igniting the fanbase and sending shockwaves through the industry.
Was he... was he actually declaring war on the Big Three?
The current market was so balanced that no one would dare claim they were the guaranteed winner. Yet Haruto had just told the world that now that Edgerunners was number one, it would never let go of the throne.
And his choice of words was deliberate.
"Those I have already defeated"?
He wasn't talking about the shows in the rankings. He was talking about the Big Three studios themselves.
Haruto knew exactly what he was doing.
By making such a bold statement, he was telling the Big Three that he wouldn't be bullied by their petty media games. He was meeting their shadow-boxing with a direct, frontal assault.