That evening, a car pulled up outside Haruki's apartment.
Lately, he'd been unusually busy juggling deadlines, thinking about long term plans, and skimming through flyers from nearby driving schools. His desk was cluttered with pamphlets, and his browser history was full of one-on-one VIP course reviews. He wasn't rich yet, but he could afford to pay for efficiency.
Naoya and Kenta had stopped by earlier to discuss work, but they'd left hours ago. So when someone knocked at his door around eight, he wasn't expecting company.
He opened it and blinked.
"You forgot what today is, didn't you?" she said, stepping inside before he could answer. She poured herself a cup of tea, then settled onto the couch elegant and composed as always, with that cool air that warned people not to get too comfortable.
Haruki hesitated. He hadn't exactly forgotten about the serialization planning meeting... he'd just assumed decisions like that would take more back and forth before anything was finalized.
The moment Haruka sat down, her eyes landed on the pile of driving school flyers.
"You're looking into getting your license?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh... yeah," Haruki said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You're about to publish a racing manga, and you don't even have a license?" She stared like he'd just confessed to writing historical fiction without knowing the history. "You've written about inertia drifts, gutter runs, counter steering—and you've never even driven a car?"
He winced. "That's not that weird, right?"
But then something clicked.
Wait. She said about to publish…
"Hold on. The meeting approved Initial D?"
Haruka nodded and tapped her briefcase. "Serialization starts in two weeks. That's why I'm here Echo shroud wants the contract signed tonight so we can lock layouts and begin promo. It's moving fast."
"That is fast," Haruki muttered.
"Ashes of Tomorrow is ending, so Shroud Line needs a strong new title to stabilize sales," she said. "We're fast tracking promising debuts. No filler allowed. Every chapter has to land."
She gave him a glance. "Not that Natsume's ever wastes a page. But still."
Her gaze returned to the flyers.
"You really don't have a license?" she asked again, incredulous. "And here I thought you'd at least taken a car around the block. The way you draw those corners it's like muscle memory."
Haruki gave a sheepish laugh.
"I honestly don't know how your brain works," she said, almost to herself. "But somehow, you convinced the entire editorial board including me that this series is the real deal."
"I've said something like that before, haven't I?"
Shaking her head, she reached into her case and placed the contract on the table.
Haruki scanned through the pages. The terms were better than last time—his page rate was up by 500 yen, and the licensing share had improved. Clearly, Haruka had negotiated on his behalf again. She knew he wasn't greedy, but she also knew he valued fairness.
There was nothing to push back on. For a rising artist, the terms were excellent.
In the past year, Haruki's climb had been unusually smooth. While others were still clawing for magazine space, he'd gone from unknown college student to one of the most talked-about names in the industry.
Across Tokyo, editors now used him as a benchmark.
To veteran artists: "You're twice his age. Look at Mizushiro's output what's your excuse?"
To newcomers: "He's your age and already leading two major titles. If he can do it, so can you."
But Haruki didn't hear most of that. He kept to himself and rarely mingled with others in the industry.
Once he signed, Haruka tucked the papers away and stood.
"You're leaving already?" Haruki asked. "Why not stay a bit?"
"Not everyone has your kind of free time," she said dryly. "I've still got deadlines to deal with."
"I'm not as free as people think," he muttered. "Sure, I finish fast, but I've got two serializations running weekly."
People often assumed he had it easy. The truth was, he just worked efficiently his workload wasn't light by any means.
Even if a series dipped in rankings, he didn't stress over it. He focused on the work and let the results follow.
Haruka paused at the door. "Don't slack off. This is a real opportunity. If Initial D keeps up this level, the company will push it hard."
She looked over her shoulder. "Success takes timing, luck, and skill. You've got the skill just don't waste the moment."
"Oh, and about the license," she added. "There's a place called Takahara Driving School near your university. It's solid. I got mine there when I was a student."
"You studied around here too?"
"Of course. It's a university town. Most of us came from here," she said offhandedly, then left as briskly as she'd arrived.
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