Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was April 1995.
Aoki Haruhi was exceptionally happy in April.
This was because a wave of new recruits was coming to the company, including Ninjin Makoto, whom Aoki Haruhi had been eagerly anticipating.
Yes, Ninjin Makoto had actually graduated.
In Aoki Haruhi's memory, the last time he saw him was during the production of Your Name.
Ninjin Makoto's internship experience at Pokeni was a very important turning point in his life, which led him to decide to work at Pokeni after his third year of university.
After securing the job offer, he reported to Pokeni in April.
"Welcome home."
That was Aoki Haruhi's first remark upon seeing him.
Maeda Jun and Atsushi Shirakawa, who were sitting at their workstations, looked up simultaneously. Why did the CEO's words sound so familiar?
Only Urobuchi Gen and Shinji Mikami, who had joined from the very beginning, seemed not to have experienced Aoki Haruhi's flavor of "welcome home."
Ninjin Makoto looked exceptionally happy, and he also brought some souvenirs when he came to the company this time.
He originally came from a wealthy background, a standard second-generation rich kid, the young master of the "Shintsu-gumi" architectural family, whose father was quite famous in the construction industry.
In his previous life, Ninjin Makoto would occasionally show off his father's creative "villa" designs, which were clearly quite valuable.
Therefore, when Ninjin Makoto officially started work at the company this time, he had someone carry a large box of items over.
"CEO, you usually enjoy drinking coffee. This is a specialty from our Nagano Prefecture, the [Karuizawa Maruyama Coffee]."
If you are a heavy coffee addict, you definitely shouldn't miss this "Maruyama Coffee."
Maruyama Coffee was founded in 1991, originally just a small coffee shop in Karuizawa. Later, CEO Maruyama Kentaro began visiting coffee origins around the world, handling everything from selecting and purchasing beans to roasting them upon return to Japan and delivering them to consumers.
Slowly, it built up its own small reputation.
Aoki Haruhi was slightly stunned.
Do I f*cking like coffee?
I rely on coffee to sustain my life; otherwise, how could I finish so much work every day?
But still, Aoki Haruhi was extremely happy to receive a gift from Ninjin Makoto.
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful, Shinkai." Aoki Haruhi patted Ninjin Makoto's shoulder.
He then realized he wasn't the only one who received a bag of Maruyama Coffee.
Akanishi Ken, Sakata Taiji—practically everyone in the Art Department received a share.
Emmm... how should I put this?
Aoki Haruhi looked at the coffee bag in his hand; the packaging was quite beautiful, but the gift didn't feel quite as special anymore.
Besides that, Ninjin Makoto also brought some dried seafood, Apple jam, and some local handicrafts, like small hair clips and earrings, which he gave to the young ladies in the company.
Everyone who received a gift looked exceptionally happy.
"During my internship at the company, thank you for the guidance, seniors. Now that I've officially joined, please continue to look after me. I am deeply grateful."
Ninjin Makoto truly felt like he was coming home... Akanishi Ken and Sakata Taiji, those two old guys, huddled in the corner, smiling foolishly as they watched Ninjin Makoto, experiencing the illusion of old fathers watching their son grow up.
"Did this guy change a lot?" Sakata Taiji asked doubtfully.
"Yeah, wasn't Shinkai the aloof guy I remember who used to lie on the rooftop every day looking at the sky?"
"Hmm... then there's only one explanation."
"What?"
"He might genuinely have missed us."
"Ahem... are you an idiot?"
...Ninjin Makoto was still Ninjin Makoto, fond of watching the sky and indulging in fantasy.
As the eldest son of the Shintsu-gumi, he understood social etiquette to some extent.
But just as Sakata Taiji said, Ninjin Makoto truly missed everyone.
After two years apart, Ninjin Makoto, while at school, actually missed the days he spent drawing at Pokeni, especially since the massive success of Your Name, which became Teacher Furuhara's retirement work, made Ninjin Makoto a highly noticeable young artist at school.
He truly had great talent for drawing.
However, upon his return this time, Ninjin Makoto discovered that "Teacher Furuhara" had also returned.
Aoki Haruhi said, "Everything is required by company strategy."
"Oh."
Ninjin Makoto nodded, feeling like he had learned something new.
"By the way, did you know about our collaboration with Teacher Hayao Miyazaki on a game?" Aoki Haruhi asked.
"Mhm, mhm." Ninjin Makoto nodded frantically.
He felt extremely envious and regretful internally.
His academic workload had been too heavy at the time, leaving him no time to spare. Otherwise, he would have loved to work with Hayao Miyazaki and learn from him.
Forget Ninjin Makoto, Aoki Haruhi wanted that too.
Just imagine Ninjin Makoto and Hayao Miyazaki collaborating—two giants of the animation industry, one following the other, standing together. That scene would be epic.
If this were his previous life, nobody would dare believe Aoki Haruhi if he claimed that [Ninjin Makoto] and [Hayao Miyazaki] would collaborate.
In reality, in Aoki Haruhi's view, if it weren't for historical reasons, these two people would actually be a perfect match.
Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai are two masters of the Nihon animation industry. Although their styles differ, their portrayal of human nature and aspirations is complementary rather than contradictory.
Hayao Miyazaki's works explore outward: human strength, wisdom, infinite possibilities, world peace, and environmental protection and sustainable development of the Earth.
For example, spirited away and Whisper of the Heart explore the infinite power of people, developing thought and exploring life.
It can be said that his ideological level is very high and profound, exploring crucial macro topics.
Makoto Shinkai's works, on the other hand, delve inward to excavate the human soul.
Compared to Hayao Miyazaki's 20th-century creative background, Makoto Shinkai's works are closer to modern society, where people generally experience psychological confusion, high-speed technological development, busy social lives, the pursuit of fame and fortune, and a lack of communication between individuals.
Makoto Shinkai's animation focuses more on exploring the power of the individual and the power of love.
If there is a commonality between the two, it is that in their respective works, every protagonist actively struggles against fate, and young boys and girls continuously move forward and strive to save the world.
This is the soul of their works.
The cornerstone of idealists is believing in fairy tales even in old age and dreaming of saving the world... one possesses height and depth, while the other understands the future, understands human nature, has an extraordinary perception of beauty, and depicts emotions with delicacy.
How could two animation masters like this not be complementary?
Aoki Haruhi also looks forward to the day when he can see a collaborative work created by Ninjin Makoto and Hayao Miyazaki.
Whether it's a game or an animation, it would surely be a spectacular, thought-provoking, and deeply moving piece of work, wouldn't it?
"Ah, what a pity I couldn't work and study with Senior Hayao Miyazaki." Ninjin Makoto was extremely regretful.
"It's alright, there will be opportunities to collaborate in the future."
Aoki Haruhi patted his shoulder.
However, he quickly remembered something else:
"Right, we do have a collaborative project with Ghibli called princess mononoke. See if you're interested in participating."
"Yes, yes! CEO, please be sure to give me this opportunity!" Ninjin Makoto's eyes lit up.
Although this youngster usually appeared introverted and silent.
When dealing with things he liked and people he admired, he displayed an active, childlike joy.
"Alright, once the project is established, I'll put you on the roster. Before that... go to the Pokémon Team first. Learn more, practice more, and grow quickly.
"I look forward to the day you can stand on your own."
"Understood, thank you, CEO."
After sending Ninjin Makoto off, Aoki Haruhi watched his retreating figure while quietly pondering something else—
Maeda Jun has already collaborated with Hayao Miyazaki.
So, what kind of sparks would fly if Mako teamed up with Makoto Shinkai?
Ah~ it's something to look forward to... A few days later, Akanishi Ken discovered—
Ninjin Makoto was still the same Ninjin Makoto.
While having lunch and chatting with Sakata Taiji on the rooftop, they discovered a "corpse" lying in the corner again.
Good heavens.
How much do you love the sky?
Akanishi Ken looked up.
The sky today was hazy; he couldn't see anything.
But he always suspected that Ninjin Makoto could see things beyond the clouds—the world of fantasy inside his brain.
"Ah~ Shinkai is back. We're doomed, we have to start playing the [Find the Person] game again." Sakata Taiji said from the side.
When Ninjin Makoto went back to school that year, Akanishi Ken and Sakata took a long time to adjust.
Every day during their lunchtime chats, everyone would intentionally or unintentionally glance in that direction, always feeling like someone was lying there.
Good heavens.
They had just managed to forget the strange feeling of someone being in that corner, and now Ninjin Makoto had brought it back.
The only difference was that Pokeni had moved to a new building.
The floors were much higher.
And they were a little closer to the sky.
But actually, standing high up, one ought to direct their view downward to experience the imposing feeling of "all other mountains seeming small."
Akanishi Ken silently finished the cigarette in his hand, stubbed it out in his wallet, put it away, and then quietly walked toward Ninjin Makoto.
The latter seemed to realize he had been spotted. He glanced sideways, saw that Senior Akanishi was indeed heading toward him, and quickly sat up from the chair.
"Senior Akanishi."
Ninjin Makoto nodded respectfully.
Akanishi Ken didn't stand on ceremony; he smiled and sat down next to Ninjin Makoto, also imitating him by looking up at the hazy sky.
"Shinkai, since you love the sky so much, why don't you create a work based on the theme of the sky?"
"Huh?"
Ninjin Makoto was slightly startled.
Being exposed so directly by a senior made Ninjin Makoto blush.
"Ah... well, not exactly. It might be more about wanting to pursue the stories of people beyond the sky."
Ninjin Makoto gave an embarrassed smile. "Actually, I still prefer to imagine stories about human connection."
"Oh. I see."
Although Akanishi Ken was slightly embarrassed, he didn't show it at all.
"No matter what it is, go ahead and do it. Art can lead a game project too. As long as you are good enough, I believe the CEO will approve of you."
"Mhm, thank you, Senior."
...Akanishi Ken finished his inspirational moment and quietly walked downstairs.
Ah... as a senior, he felt like he had just said something really cool.
Encouraging a junior to pursue his dreams diligently was truly awesome.
Akanishi Ken felt his mind had cleared up considerably.
"I just wonder what the CEO thinks."
Returning to the company, he deliberately detoured past the CEO's office and found Aoki Haruhi sitting in his chair, spacing out.
That expression looked exactly like Ninjin Makoto when he was staring at the sky.
"CEO, weren't you supposed to go to the USA? Why are you still here?" Akanishi Ken knocked on the door.
Almost two months had passed since Aoki Haruhi last mentioned going to the USA to work on graphics cards.
There hadn't been a single update, and the CEO was particularly calm, having practically put the matter out of his mind.
Akanishi Ken hadn't wanted to remind him, but being left hanging like this felt uncomfortable.
"Hmm?"
Aoki Haruhi snapped back to attention and stretched.
"You don't understand. I am waiting for the East Wind."
"Huh?"
What is the East Wind?
Akanishi Ken expressed his confusion
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