Chapter 220: Chapter 219: Madoka Will Not Be the Peak of My Career

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As the New Year’s Day celebrations of January came to an end, Haruto found himself becoming increasingly busy.

Under normal circumstances, coordinating the various tasks required for a single award ceremony would be manageable. However, Haruto had been nominated for four different major awards across the industry, and in every single category, he was considered the frontrunner to take home the Grand Prize.

Naturally, the organizers for these ceremonies were working well in advance to ensure everything was ready for the big reveals.

Among them, the most proactive was undoubtedly the committee behind Seika Awards.

After all, the cultural impact, sheer popularity, and industry-wide shift caused by Madoka Magica were undeniable. It was no exaggeration to say that if the award did not go to Madoka Magica this year, the committee would lose every ounce of credibility in the eyes of anime fans. They would become a laughingstock, and the fans would likely tear them apart on social media for such an oversight.

However, before the ceremony could take place, the organizers needed to verify the true identity of the Warrior of Love to prevent any potential legal issues or public relations blunders during the live broadcast.

On Tuesday, the event organizers dispatched a team to the headquarters of Haru-Yuki Animation Studio. To be honest, while the Warrior of Love was currently the most talked-about name in the anime scene, Haru-Yuki Animation was still considered a little kid compared to the giants of the anime industry. It had only been established for a year and had produced exactly one series. Furthermore, if one looked at Madoka Magica with a hyper-critical eye, the animation quality in several episodes was actually quite rough. It was only because the plot was so extraordinarily gripping that the fans chose not to nitpick.

Emika, a staff member for Seika Awards, along with her supervisor and two cameramen, finally arrived at the destination.

Looking up at the weathered, aging office building, a flash of bewilderment crossed Emika’s eyes.

"Wow, this place looks pretty pathetic. I feel like this building must be at least thirty years old. Was Madoka Magica really born in a place like this?"

"This has to be the right spot."

"The address they provided leads directly here," replied her supervisor, pointing toward a man waiting at the elevator bank.

"I recognize that guy. He was the assistant director for that one hit series six years ago. If he’s here, there’s no mistake. Haru-Yuki Animation must have scouted him."

As the supervisor spoke, she walked over to greet the man. Emika and the two cameramen followed closely behind.

Watching her supervisor and mentor chat warmly with the middle-aged man, Emika noticed that he didn’t seem surprised at all by their mission to verify the Warrior of Love’s identity. This finally put her doubts to rest.

It really was here. But it felt so humble. Compared to the lavish headquarters of Big Three animation studios, this place felt incredibly underwhelming.

They stepped into the elevator and felt the slight tug of weightlessness as they ascended.

"So, you’re here to see the boss and get his identity registered in the system, huh? Haha. Well, you’d better brace yourselves," the middle aged man said. He had been in a slightly foul mood earlier that morning, but seeing the interview team had immediately brightened his spirits.

"Why is that? Why are you so excited? Is your boss someone I already know?" Suiren, the supervisor, asked, her curiosity piqued.

People like her, who worked on the administrative and media side of the anime industry, spent their lives conducting interviews and knew almost everyone who mattered.

She had met this guy exactly this way years ago. She began to wonder if the industry rumors were true.

Was the Warrior of Love actually one of those legendary veteran screenwriters who had supposedly retired years ago?

"Hahaha, oh, you definitely know him. But I can guarantee my boss doesn’t know you," Reiji, the middle aged man, laughed.

He remembered when he first jumped ship to join Haru-Yuki Animation. When he found out the owner was actually the famous creator Shiori Takahashi, he had been in a state of shock for days.

After working at the company for a few months and watching the boss personally handle the scripts for two different upcoming anime while simultaneously serializing the Initial D manga and the Sword Art Online light novels, and reaching the top of both industries, Reiji and the rest of the staff had developed a level of respect for him that bordered on awe.

Still, there was a mischievous part of him that enjoyed seeing the look of utter confusion on the faces of industry veterans when the boss’s secret was finally revealed. He had been sitting on this secret for months, and now that the boss was finally going public for the awards season, it felt incredibly great.

Seeing Reiji’s expression, Suiren’s curiosity reached its boiling point. Normally, verifying a creator’s identity for a nomination didn’t require such a large entourage or a personal visit. But since the creator in question was the Warrior of Love, the mastermind behind Madoka Magica, they had a secondary goal. They wanted to film interview footage to use as a big reveal segment during the awards ceremony.

"Anyway, you’ll understand the moment you see him. I promise you’re going to be floored," Reiji said with a wide grin as he stepped out of the elevator.

Suiren, Emika, and the cameramen followed him into the headquarters of Haru-Yuki Animation.

It was nine-thirty in the morning, and the entire office was already in a state of deep focus. Emika glanced around and saw various staff members working on animation sequences and digital assets.

’Are those materials for 7 Years From Now and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners?’ she wondered.

She was curious, but she made sure not to stare too long. It was rude to pry into unreleased projects, and she didn’t want to make the staff uncomfortable.

They were led into a small meeting room to wait. Once they were alone, Suiren and Emika began to whisper.

"This company feels so mysterious."

"Shh, keep your voice down. If the Warrior of Love hears you and gets offended, neither of us can afford the fallout."

Suiren fell silent, mentally rehearsing how she should approach the conversation once she finally met the most enigmatic figure in the modern anime scene. She had already secured permission to film, and the cameramen were busy calibrating their equipment.

After a few minutes, there was a light knock on the door. Both women snapped their heads toward the entrance.

Then, a young man walked in.

He was handsome, though he looked a bit tired. He held a folder in his hand, glancing at it to verify the identities of Suiren and Emika against his records. Once he was satisfied, Haruto set the folder down and walked toward Suiren with a polite smile.

"Hello, Ms. Suiren. I am Haruto. And yes, in the animation world, I’m the one everyone knows as the Warrior of Love.*

Haruto finished his introduction and extended his hand, but several seconds passed without a response.

Suiren was frozen. Emika looked even worse; her eyes were wide as if her brain had short-circuited. The cameramen were the only ones who stayed professional, keeping their lenses trained on Haruto, though internally, they were just as shocked as the others.

In the ACG industry, who didn’t know the name Shiori Takahashi? He was currently the top-ranked novelist in Kiyozawa Library and the top-ranked mangaka in Prime Manga. He was also the creator of the hit animated film To the Moon.

And yet... he was also the Warrior of Love?

Emika blinked rapidly. It felt absurd, and yet, in a strange way, it made perfect sense. If this guy could turn the worlds of light novels and manga upside down in just a few months, why couldn’t he do the same to the anime industry? Japan hadn’t seen a genius like this in twenty years. It wasn’t that two different geniuses had appeared at once; it was that the same person was dominating every field.

Shiori Takahashi and the Warrior of Love were the same person. The conclusion sounded like a prank, but the more they thought about it, the more logical it became.

’Actually, no. It’s not logical at all,’ Suiren thought, feeling an inexplicable sense of exhaustion. Even though they weren’t creators themselves, they knew how grueling the industry was. Whether it was games, anime, manga, novels, or music, most people spent their entire lives struggling just to achieve something in one single category.

But Haruto? In just over a year since entering university, he had conquered multiple industries simultaneously. The word genius didn’t even begin to cover it. How were other professionals in the industry supposed to feel when they saw this?

By the time April rolled around, the Naoki Award for novels would go to Sword Art Online. Ryugin Award for manga would go to Initial D. The Best Animated Film Award would go to To the Moon. And the Best Anime Award would go to Madoka Magica.

And the person walking up to the stage to collect every single one of them would be Haruto.

Suiren felt dizzy just imagining the shock this would cause throughout the entertainment world.

"Ms. Suiren?" Haruto called out to her softly.

"Oh! I am so sorry, Mr. Haruto. I lost my composure for a moment," Suiren said.

She then realized the massive amount of media traffic this reveal would generate.

While these awards were backed by various official institutions, they still cared about ratings and metrics. Once Haruto’s identity was revealed, the viewership for the live broadcast would undoubtedly skyrocket.

"I truly had no idea that you were... so unexpected, Mr. Haruto," Suiren said with a bright smile.

"Your anime fans and your novel fans spend every day arguing over whether Shiori Takahashi or the Warrior of Love is the better creator. Not a single one of them has ever considered this possibility. What was your reasoning for using a pseudonym in the animation field?"

By now, the cameras were rolling. The interview had officially begun. Haruto remained calm and composed.

"Well, I knew that Madoka Magica would cause quite a stir while it was airing. I was worried that angry anime fans might take their frustrations out on my novels, which could have started a flame war between my different fanbases," Haruto explained with a chuckle.

"But after the series ended, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. Your concerns are basically non-existent now," Suiren pointed out sharply. "Why didn’t you reveal your identity then? You could have used the anime’s massive popularity to drive even more traffic to Initial D and Sword Art Online."

"Because those two works are high-quality in their own right," Haruto replied. "Even without that extra boost, I had full confidence that they would become hits on their own merits."

In reality, Haruto wanted to observe how these legendary works from another world would perform in the market without too much outside interference. He knew his identity would eventually be exposed during the awards season anyway, so he felt there was no need to rush the fan crossover effect.

"You certainly have a lot of confidence," Suiren said, genuinely impressed. Most creators would give anything to have their new projects ride the coattails of a major hit. Haruto, however, seemed to treat his masterpieces like a social experiment to see if they could reach the same heights as Madoka Magica on their own.

"I suppose so," Haruto said, skillfully steering the conversation away from that topic. Emika watched the back-and-forth between her mentor and the young man. She finally understood why Reiji had that look on his face in the elevator. If she were an employee here, knowing her boss’s true identity but being forced to keep it a secret due to a non-disclosure agreement, she would be dying to see people’s reactions too.

As the interview delved deeper, time seemed to fly by. An hour later, Suiren stood up, looking very satisfied.

"This has been an incredibly meaningful interview. We will keep your identity a secret until the very last moment. However, we might take small snippets of the audio from today to post on our official website. It would be a great way to build hype and attract more fans to the awards ceremony. Would that be alright with you?"

"That’s fine. As long as the snippets aren’t taken out of context," Haruto said. "As for the big reveal, I’ll leave that to the organizers. I knew I couldn’t keep it a secret forever. The Warrior of Love persona has gained far too much attention."

"One last thing. For all your fans out there, how would you personally rate your upcoming new projects?" Suiren asked.

Haruto looked directly into the camera lens. He knew this was a golden opportunity for promotion if this segment made the final cut.

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica was my first original anime. But it will not be the peak of my career in this industry. In the future, I will certainly create works that surpass Madoka Magica. So, I have to ask... why couldn’t my next project be the one to do exactly that?"

The interview concluded. Suiren, Emika, and the cameramen walked out of the office in a bit of a daze. They exchanged looks, thinking about everything Haruto had achieved at such a young age. A chill ran down their spines. The scale of his ambition was almost terrifying.

The following evening, a change appeared on the official website for Seika Awards. Under the nomination page for Madoka Magica, a new audio clip was uploaded.

[Madoka Magica was my first original anime... But it will not be the peak of my career in this industry!]

A confident, youthful male voice. It definitely didn’t sound like an older veteran; it sounded like someone in his prime. Because the audio appeared on the Madoka Magica page and contained such a bold statement, the fans didn’t need a formal announcement to know who it was. That was the voice of the Warrior of Love.

The most mysterious figure in the anime world had finally spoken.

The fan community erupted. Even though they often jokingly called him a sadistic bastard for what he did to the characters, their love for him was deep. Up until now, he hadn’t even released a single photo. Now that a snippet of his voice was public, it became the number one trending topic in anime circles across the country.