"The overall quality isn't bad. As long as the plot follows the novel, there shouldn't be any major issues. Besides, with Director Kitagawa around, there's not much for me to worry about."
As Kamiyā Yuu rode the bus back to Yosuganosora Animation Studio, he silently evaluated what he had seen at Sunrise Company's production meeting.
Judging from what had been presented, the anime adaptation of 'Twilight of the Knights' was unlikely to turn out poorly.
Kitagawa Shūichi was a well-known and highly capable director in the industry, and the production committee had also provided a generous budget. There wasn't much that Kamiyā Yuu found unsatisfactory.
As for Nakajima Momoka, the voice actress for the young Saber, her voice acting skills were quite good. Her lack of emotional investment wasn't a major issue either. Audiences who weren't particularly sensitive to vocal performances probably wouldn't even notice the difference.
At the end of the day, the novel was his creation.
The anime was someone else's.
After returning to Yosuganosora Animation Studio, Kamiyā Yuu sat in his office chair and pondered for quite some time, his thoughts drifting to the 'Throne of Heroes' project.
"Wouldn't it be a little too late if we only announce the 'Throne of Heroes' project after the 'Fate/Zero' anime finishes? It might be better to reveal it ahead of time while 'Twilight of the Knights' is being adapted. It would also help build anticipation for the game."
"Earlier this month, Gogyo Ruri's collaborative novel generated a wave of publicity for the Type-Moon World. After another half month, anyone interested in the setting has probably already become invested. The schedule is a bit rushed overall, though. Whether the operations department can adjust in time is another question. I'll need to discuss it seriously with Miss Mizuhara."
The 'Fate/Zero' anime.
The anime adaptation of the 'Fate/Zero' side story 'Twilight of the Knights.'
The fantasy novel 'The Mysterious Gate,' written by Gogyo Ruri.
Three manga series by different artists, all sharing the same universe.
Taken together, they already possessed enough momentum to elevate the entire franchise.
There was no reason to delay the 'Throne of Heroes' project much longer.
Once the first season of 'Fate/Zero' ended, 'Twilight of the Knights' had just begun airing, and 'The Mysterious Gate' had spent some time building anticipation, wouldn't that be the perfect opportunity to officially unveil the 'Throne of Heroes' project?
More importantly, the announcement could simultaneously serve as promotional material for the 'Throne of Heroes' game.
By advertising that readers' original Heroic Spirits would have a chance to be selected for inclusion in the game—and that successful submissions would receive a substantial cash prize—it wouldn't take long before another miracle of Japanese anime fan creations was born.
"Then it's decided."
He clapped his hands, made up his mind, and immediately called Mirror Flower Water Moon Game Studio.
Most of the operational work for the 'Throne of Heroes' project would be entrusted to Mizuhara Nanako, with the official public announcement scheduled for early October.
At present, Kamiyā Yuu was the only person in the industry daring enough to develop an IP like 'Fate/Zero' across multiple media simultaneously.
Anime itself was already considered a high-risk investment.
The resources currently being poured into the 'Throne of Heroes' project were enough to produce three high-quality anime series.
Even a major animation company could easily go bankrupt if such a gamble failed.
Fortunately, the one thing Yosuganosora Animation Studio lacked the least...
...was money.
...
Not long after the production meeting for 'Twilight of the Knights,' Akiyama Gojō, the editor-in-chief of Chiyo Bookstore's light novel division, once again visited Yosuganosora Animation Studio.
This time, they weren't discussing anime.
Instead, it was something even more directly tied to the interests shared between Chiyo Bookstore and Yosuganosora Animation Studio—the third volume of the main 'Fate/Zero' novel.
Inside the meeting room, an awkward silence hung heavily in the air.
Dressed in a black suit, the young and accomplished Akiyama Gojō stared at the contents displayed on the laptop screen, his mouth slightly agape.
"...Is this all?"
Kamiyā Yuu nodded.
"Yeah. That should be everything."
After scrolling through the document to confirm he wasn't seeing things, the corners of Akiyama Gojō's mouth twitched.
He asked again with unusual emphasis,
"Really? Really? Really... this is all?"
Kamiyā Yuu replied in the same joking tone,
"Really. Really. Really, that's all."
"...You're kidding me."
This wasn't directed at Kamiyā Yuu.
Instead, Akiyama Gojō covered his forehead with one hand and let out a powerless sigh.
Even he found the situation troublesome.
The laptop clearly showed that Volume Three of the main 'Fate/Zero' novel was only halfway finished.
There were fewer than two weeks left before its release.
Combined with all the other matters demanding attention, the sole reason for today's visit had been to collect the completed manuscript.
Everything was ruined.
No matter how much he urged Kamiyā Yuu to write, there simply wasn't enough time left to finish the remaining chapters.
Had he known things would turn out like this, he would have stopped Kamiyā Yuu from attending the production meeting a few days earlier and made him focus entirely on the novel instead.
With nowhere to vent his frustration, Akiyama Gojō could no longer maintain his usual composure.
He removed his glasses, rubbed his temples, and said anxiously,
"Mr. Kamiyā! Director Kamiyā! I know you have a lot of work to do, but there are less than two weeks until the joint release event with Miss Gogyo Ruri's novel. Everything on our side is ready—we're only waiting on your novel!"
"But just a few days ago, you assured me there wouldn't be any problems..."
"And now Volume Three is only halfway finished!"
"Please tell me—what are we supposed to do? What should we do now?"
"Hahaha~ Relax. The manuscript deadline isn't until the day after tomorrow. There are only a little over two hundred thousand words left. I'll figure something out over the next few days."
Kamiyā Yuu waved his hand casually with a smile.
Akiyama Gojō frowned thoughtfully.
"Mr. Kamiyā... let's stop joking."
"Uh..."
Seeing how serious he was, Kamiyā Yuu rested both hands on the conference table and found it difficult to argue any further.
To anyone else, finishing more than two hundred thousand words in two days really did sound like a joke.
After a moment of silence, Akiyama Gojō tried proposing a solution.
"At this point, there's no other choice. Let's reduce the length of Volume Three."
"Every volume you've published is much longer than an ordinary light novel. If we trim part of it and release it as the completed version, it shouldn't cause any major problems."
"The only downside is that, without its length advantage, Volume Three won't compare as favorably with the promotional release of Miss Gogyo Ruri's novel. That could have been an excellent selling point."
"In any case, please spend the next two days finishing the current story arc. I'll contact you the day after tomorrow."
"The deadline is still the day after tomorrow. Time-wise, that's acceptable."
Kamiyā Yuu nodded.
Akiyama Gojō stood up, removed the USB flash drive from the laptop, and put it away.
"Then I'll head back and begin reviewing the manuscript. I'll arrange for an illustrator to complete the illustrations. Your highest priority right now is finishing the remaining chapters."
After watching him leave the office, Kamiyā Yuu retrieved his laptop and reopened the writing program.
Looking at the progress of the manuscript displayed on the screen, he muttered to himself,
"I did leave it a little late... but how long will it actually take to finish these two hundred thousand words?"
"Two days? It probably won't even take that long."
"I'll just finish all two hundred thousand words today."
Kamiyā Yuu smiled confidently.
He had originally intended to submit the manuscript on the final deadline anyway.
He simply hadn't expected Akiyama Gojō to come and collect it two days early—or rather, to do what editors habitually did and check on an author's progress.
After all, missed deadlines were an everyday occurrence in Japan's publishing industry, so editors were also responsible for supervising authors and making sure they actually finished their novels.