By early February, Haruki finally saw the royalties for the first four volumes of Natsume's Friends land in his account.
With 6.1 million copies sold at a price of 500 yen per volume and a 10% royalty rate (after tax deductions and other cuts), he received over 124 million yen.
That amount just from half a year's worth of tankoubon sales had already eclipsed the total income from his previous years as a mangaka.
Combined with the serialization payments from his two running series in Shroud Line, Haruki officially became a multi-millionaire. Tens of millions in liquid cash at only twenty years old, still technically a college sophomore. While there were plenty of rich kids around, among self-made creators his age, Haruki was quickly approaching the top of the pyramid.
Meanwhile, 5 Centimeters per Second and Voices of a Distant Star were still making waves online. Although their momentum would likely taper off in a week or two, current streaming numbers were staggering—19 million views for the former and over 6 million for the latter. Even if they stopped growing entirely, Haruki's share from the broadcast revenue (after the split with Kazuya Mori) would already total around 100 million yen.
But this was just the beginning. With overseas licensing deals and merchandise sales ramping up, projections estimated his eventual earnings from those two projects could exceed 200 to 300 million yen.
Of course, all that money wouldn't come in until later in 2022. And with Natsume's Friends set to receive an anime adaptation in April, volume sales were likely to spike. If Initial D released its first volume this year and secured its own anime deal well, Haruki might be in for another windfall.
In 2021, he'd earn in about 130 million yen after taxes. In 2022? That number could triple or even quadruple.
Leaning back in his chair, Haruki stared at the ceiling and let out a breath. "Man... this industry really pays like you're robbing a bank."
Then again, it made sense. In the parallel Japan he drew inspiration from, top mangaka could earn hundreds of millions of yen annually. In a country with even more readers, it wasn't unusual for a hit creator to earn billions in a single year. Haruki wasn't there yet but if he kept going, if everything went smoothly...
In two or three years, people might name him among the top manga artists in the country.
And in seven or eight? He might be the only name that came to mind.
That was the goal he quietly worked toward.
Even during the New Year holiday, manga fans stayed glued to their screens.
Initial D was now deep into its next major arc.
After Mako Sato, the top racer from Mount Usui, asked Iketani to arrange a race with Takumi, he finally agreed. Fans who had long admired the invincible AE86 were eager to see how it would perform outside its home turf.
But this arc wasn't just about the race. There was a second storyline a romance.
Mako and Iketani met by chance, and feelings grew. Mako, unsure how he'd react if he knew she was a top-tier racer, kept her identity hidden. Meanwhile, Iketani, thinking she was just an ordinary girl, proudly showed off his own skills behind the wheel.
That illusion shattered one night on Mount Usui. Iketani realized the girl he liked was far better than him at the one thing he took pride in. Crushed by his inferiority complex, he withdrew.
Mako, inexperienced in love, didn't notice. She made a proposal if Iketani arranged a race between her and Takumi, she'd step away from racing and date him seriously.
But to Iketani, that made things worse. It felt transactional like she was giving something up for his sake, not because she genuinely wanted to be with him.
Still, he agreed. Not because of the condition, but because he wanted to do something for her.
Fans, of course, weren't as patient.
"Come on, Iketani! She's literally giving you an opening. Stop overthinking it!"
"If she didn't like you, she wouldn't even suggest it. You're making this harder than it is."
"This is why straight guys can't be trusted with emotions. Fragile egos and zero intuition."
"Is Mizushiro seriously writing a semi-normal romance? Don't tell me he's going soft on us."
"If Mako and Iketani break up, that means all three leads are single. Takumi, who only loves his car. Takeuchi, who scared off a girl by crashing during a date. And now Iketani dumped because his pride couldn't handle a girlfriend faster than him. It's like the Lonely Racers Club."
"Takumi still has Natsuki Mogi, though."
"Does he, though? Wait till he finds out who Daddy Natsuki really is…"
Initial D had been running for over six months. Its fanbase had stabilized, and while new readers continued to trickle in, the explosive early momentum had cooled.
Without an anime adaptation, growth would plateau eventually. But even so, it was now neck and neck with Dream World in the weekly popularity rankings. The gap was small. One strong chapter might be all it took to claim the top spot.
Haruki was looking forward to it. That would mean another system reward.
He hadn't used any world points yet. They'd accumulated steadily over the past two years—enough to exchange for a top-tier A-rank title like Rurouni Kenshin. But the copyright issues made adapting certain titles impossible, even if he had the points.
Still, he was saving up. If he waited longer, he could afford to exchange for an S-rank work.
Unlike the random lottery, which was a gamble, the point exchange let him choose the exact work. Better to wait and go for quality.
Especially if the lottery ever gave him something unusable say, a "trainwreck" like School Days it would be better to save the points for something serious.
Thankfully, it seemed like more rewards were on the way.
5 Centimeters per Second and Voices of a Distant Star were dominating the spring season. If no major challengers emerged by March, he was likely to win the popularity award for the quarter by May or June.
Natsume's Friends was also slated for its anime debut in April. It might not hold the top spot for long like Dream World, but a temporary rise would still qualify for a reward.
As for Initial D, Haruki had no doubts. Once it aired as an anime, it would soar past the competition.
The bigger concern now was... what if all three of his works earned rewards?
Handling two manga series and an anime was already exhausting. If he added three more projects, it would be suicidal.
Thankfully, both Initial D and Natsume were planned with limited runs.
For Initial D, he only intended to cover Takumi's arc up to his decision to join Ryosuke Takahashi's team. The rest of the original manga while good felt less compelling to Haruki. Ending the story with that turning point would leave readers with a strong, lasting impression.
Natsume, on the other hand, could run longer. There were still over two years of story left, even if he serialized weekly. But the source material in the system's library updated slowly sometimes just a chapter every few months. Haruki suspected he might finish the adapted version long before the original was even complete.
So for now, he'd keep going. If he landed a new hit and couldn't keep up, he'd simply pause Natsume and resume it later once he had more bandwidth.
And with those thoughts, Haruki's quiet Spring Festival ended and February arrived.
A week later, everyone was back to work.
Ryuko returned to the city early. Despite the holidays, the influx of dubbing offers after her standout performances in 5 Centimeters and Voices meant she couldn't afford to stay idle.
Her first stop upon returning wasn't the office it was Haruki's place.
She rang his doorbell early in the morning, carrying a bag full of souvenirs.
While their interactions looked the same on the surface, her gaze had changed. There was a quiet clarity in how she treated him now no more hesitation, no more tiptoeing.
Haruki felt awkward accepting her gifts. But refusing would've felt even worse.
Thankfully, Ryuko was tactful. She didn't push. She didn't try to seduce him like her friends had suggested. That wasn't her style and she sensed it wouldn't work on Haruki anyway.
What she did have, though, was patience.
Haruki had told her plainly: someday, he'd want to be in a relationship. He just wasn't there yet.
And for Ryuko, that was enough.
There's an old saying: "Proximity wins the race." She planned to be there when that day finally came.
Sometimes, when Haruki saw the way she looked at him, he felt like a rabbit cornered by a very polite wolf.
"So this is what a girl in love looks like… She's terrifying."
He could only sigh and try to focus on work.
Just in time too. The Initial D Usui arc was finally entering its long-awaited climax.
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