It was a hot day in May. Just stepping outside felt like walking into a wall of heat.

Although Haruki and Kazuya had finalized their preliminary plans to adapt Madoka Magica, from the fans' perspective, Mizushiro was still just serializing manga as usual.

The anime adaptation of Natsume's Friends had been airing for a while now, and its popularity had started boosting the original manga as well. Many anime only fans, unable to wait for weekly updates, had begun picking up the manga volumes and once hooked, they followed it in Shroud Line magazine. This pushed Natsume's Friends up the rankings, constantly challenging Initial D for the number two spot. By April, it had locked in as the third most popular title across all serials.

At the same time, Initial D's storyline had entered a high point. The long-awaited showdown between Takumi and Takahashi Ryosuke after months of buildup was finally here.

Just as Haruki had expected, readers were quick to move on from old drama. Only a few weeks ago, his comment sections were filled with people saying they'd drop the series if Iketani and Mako didn't end up together. Now? Those same users were enthusiastically debating who would win the race between Ryosuke and Takumi.

That didn't mean Haruki was relaxed, though.

Right now, Natsume's Friends, Initial D, and Dream World were neck and neck in terms of popularity in Shroud Line. Among them, Initial D was pulling the strongest reader engagement if not for the lack of an anime, it would've overtaken Dream World already.

The animation plans for Initial D were more or less locked in, just pending final discussions. Haruki wasn't worried about its future at this rate, even before the anime aired, the current arc might push it to the top.

What he was thinking about was Natsume's Friends. Could the anime's momentum help it climb to number one temporarily and trigger a system reward? That alone would make a big difference.

But that wasn't something Haruki could control. He couldn't force readers to vote.

Just as he was lost in thought, someone knocked on his apartment door.

When he opened it, he was surprised to see Ryuko standing there.

"Ryuko? What brings you here?" Haruki asked, confused.

"Is... anyone else home right now?" she asked, peeking past him.

She was wearing a light blue floral dress, and the heat had given her cheeks a soft, flushed glow.

"Nope. We wrapped up work for the week. Naoya and Kenta are off spending time with their girlfriends. I'm alone today."

Haruki stepped aside and let her in.

"So, what's up?" he asked.

"Nothing special. I was just nearby and realized it's been a few weeks since we last hung out, so I thought I'd stop by." She set down a small bag of fruit on the table.

"A few weeks? Didn't we play games together just the other night?" Haruki asked, puzzled.

But after thinking for a moment, he realized she was right. They had played online together, but they hadn't actually seen each other in person since before he got his driver's license a few weeks back.

Ryuko's smile tightened slightly. Playing games counts as meeting up? she thought. Still, she took a breath and smiled again.

"Actually… there's another reason I came. My birthday's next week. I wanted to invite you, if you're free."

"Your birthday?" Haruki blinked.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd gone to a friend's birthday party. It must've been a decade ago.

And his own birthday? He hadn't celebrated since grade school.

So the invitation made him happy but also a little uneasy.

He appreciated that someone thought of him. But he also knew Ryuko's feelings were complicated, and their current relationship was in a strange place.

Haruki wanted to stay friends with her but didn't want things to drift into something more. Navigating that boundary wasn't easy.

As for Ryuko, she'd made her intentions clear. She invited him out during holidays he usually declined but she still dropped by from time to time with gifts or local treats, chatting for a bit before leaving.

If anything, she seemed more persistent now than before.

Still, she'd made the effort to come over and ask him in person. And even if he tried to ignore everything else... after how long they'd played games together, she'd more than earned a birthday visit.

"If you're too busy, it's really okay," she said quickly, seeing his hesitation. "I know you've got a lot going on..."

"It's fine. I'll be there," Haruki said. "When and where?"

Ryuko's face lit up. "You will? It's next week—seven days from now. I'll send you the location ahead of time."

"Alright then," Haruki said.

Since it was still noon and he had nothing else to do, he asked, "Wanna play something now?"

"Sure!" Ryuko said right away. She knew full well that Haruki wasn't into going out or socializing his only real hobby was gaming. But since she was already here, she wasn't planning to leave anytime soon.

"I'll head back to campus later and play on my own laptop. But for now, I'll use your second setup."

Despite what she said, an hour later…

They were still chatting.

Haruki hadn't realized Ryuko could talk so much. And the topics were all over the place from seasonal foods, to local festivals, to climate trends and even anime tropes.

At one point, he got up and poured her a cup of tea, hoping she'd get the message.

Maybe it's time to go? I could be gaming right now.

But Ryuko just blinked at the tea and said, "Oh, I was about to leave... but since you made tea, I'll wait till it cools down first."

Wait till it cools down?

Haruki looked at the still-steaming cup in silence.

In the end, she stayed another full hour before finally heading out.

When the door closed, Haruki exhaled and muttered, "Finally..."

Outside, Ryuko pulled out a small notebook and jotted down notes as she walked:

– Likes spicy food

– Prefers girls with long hair

– First thing he notices: legs

– Favorite colors: black, white, blue, red

– Birthday: November 13

– Favorite anime girls: (list of a dozen names and series)

She smiled, satisfied.

Plenty to go over later.

Haruki, meanwhile, lay on the couch, still wondering how she managed to keep talking for two straight hours.

He had no idea Ryuko had gathered so much information about him while he thought they were just wasting time.

Shout out to Haruka3000, Sean Cintra 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)