Two weeks passed in a blink.
On Saturday, Haruki handled his usual tasks early and made his way alone to the heart of Tokyo.
Despite living here for a few years now, he hadn't really explored the city much, especially not as a fan.
In fact, this was the first time he was attending a full-scale anime convention in Tokyo.
But he wasn't the same clueless amateur he'd once been.
Now, stepping outside without a mask would be asking for trouble.
With his rising fame as Mizushiro, even casual fans might recognize him on sight.
Thankfully, Ryuko had delivered the ticket to him in person a few days ago.
At the moment he arrived at the convention center…
All he could do was sigh.
The crowd was massive.
Even in the sweltering heat of August, fans had turned out in full force.
Dozens of cosplayers filled the entrance plaza, dressed in everything from magical girls to mecha pilots. Of course… very few of them were what you'd call "high-quality" cosplays. There were more than a few that were, frankly, kind of painful to look at.
Still, the energy was electric.
After 20 minutes of standing in line, Haruki finally stepped into the main hall—and was immediately overwhelmed.
Rows and rows of merch tables, booths, posters, music, and flashing lights.
And everywhere he turned, there were fans dressed as characters from his own works.
He spotted a Meako from The Anohana. A couple of spirits from Natsume's Book of friends. A Ryosuke and Keisuke from Initial D. And even a cosplayer dressed as Kenshin from his early one-shot Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance—a work that had never even seen physical release outside of Osaka.
Apparently, after Haruki's rise to fame, some fans had gone back and discovered his older works. Now, Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance was quietly gathering a cult following of its own.
A whole new wave of fans was getting emotionally destroyed by it.
Some came into Haruki's world through Five Centimeters a Second, Anohana, or Voices from a Distant Star. They thought they were ready.
Then they read Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance.
And found themselves wrecked on a whole new level.
Many of them had trouble even finding the manga—it was never released as a collected volume, and physical copies of the old magazine issues it appeared in were rare collector's items. With no official reprint, fans were stuck scouring pirate websites or paying ridiculous prices for secondhand copies, sometimes ten times the original value.
Despite all that, there were cosplayers at the con dressed as characters from it.
Haruki, hanging in the back with his mask on, listened to a group of them talking to each other with excitement hyping the manga, pulling their friends in, warning them how painful it was.
So this is what fandom is like.
A cycle of people getting wrecked and then inviting others to get wrecked with them.
Still, seeing fans enjoying his stories in the wild, even recognizing niche works like Kenshin, left him a little rattled… but also proud.
He wandered the floor for a while, checking out the merch booths. Even if he was trying to keep a low profile, he wasn't planning to go home empty-handed.
He picked up a few Natsume's Book of friends notebook, more out of habit than need. He bought a plush of the yokai fox spirit, a "Nyanko-sensei" cat cushion, and even a Takashi Natsume body pillow—though he hesitated at that one for a second before shrugging and adding it to his haul.
What caught his eye most, though, were the handmade figures and models from Initial D. The AE86 model, complete with "Fujiwara Tofu Shop" stickers, was a standout. He bought one instantly.
His arms were soon full—posters, toys, pins, prints. He didn't bother checking prices.
He had the money now. Might as well enjoy the perks.
But as he stood off to the side, shifting the bags from one hand to the other, Haruki suddenly remembered something.
Haruki pulled out his phone and called her.
"Hello? Ryuko? Where are you? I've been looking for you all over."
"Didn't I tell you before?" Her voice came through, casual, maybe a little amused. "I've got an appearance today. Some promo activities set up by the agency. I'm backstage now."
"What kind of promo?"
"Nothing huge. Just some short talk segments, photo stuff. I was going to message you once I wrapped, but since you called… head to Area A in about thirty minutes. I'll be up there."
Haruki ended the call, mildly puzzled.
He glanced at the bag of merch in his hand, then at the few booths left he hadn't visited.
After a short pause, he turned and made his way to Area A.
By the time he arrived, the place was packed. Whatever the event was, word had clearly gotten around.
A stage was set up with minimalist lighting and screens on both sides. Voices murmured around him, cameras were up, some people holding fan signs. Haruki scanned the event board.
There was one panel slot with her name on it:
Special Appearance – Ryuko Mei
A quiet instrumental track began to play—soft piano and strings.
Then a spotlight cut through the dark.
Ryuko stepped onto the stage.
She wore a tailored jacket over a slate-grey blouse, simple slacks, her hair tied loosely at the back. One hand held a mic. The other rested calmly at her side.
She greeted the crowd with ease and began talking about her upcoming anime, In the Abyss, produced by T-Bone Animation, in which she voiced the lead role. The atmosphere in the room shifted as the audience grew attentive.
After a few minutes, the emcee opened the floor for questions.
"Ryuko-san, you voiced the main characters in Five Centimeters per Second and The Voice of a Distant Star—how do you prepare for roles like those?" someone asked.
She nodded. "Yes, I worked on both, though they were very different experiences. One was all about restraint... the other was about distance—both literal and emotional."
She paused for a moment before continuing. "There's actually a lot of silence involved. You let the scene settle in your mind before speaking a single line. You can't rush it."
"Was Anohana hard for you emotionally?"
There was a pause. Then she gave a small smile. "It was. I think most of us cried after the recording sessions… It's funny how even after you finish, the characters stay with you for a long time."
A few more hands went up with questions.
But Haruki wasn't really listening.
For some reason, seeing her up there on the panel, answering fans so effortlessly, stirred something in him. Over the past few days, that feeling he had toward Ryuko had only been growing stronger. Content orıginally comes from 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Shout out to Jhonaptan Retto for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)