By mid-June, a week had passed since 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' finished airing.
Yet even now, its popularity in the market showed no signs of fading.
Although the drama version of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' combined the original anime series with the theatrical content, watching it from start to finish felt seamless, with no sense of disjointedness.
Especially the ending.
Some fans felt it was perfect—Madoka's humanity remained in the real world, while her divinity continued carrying out the duty of purifying witches.
But a large number of fans believed this was merely a "false ending." How long could Homura's deception of Madoka really last?
One day, the divine-demon war between Madoka and Homura would inevitably erupt.
The true ending of this story, in their view, should conclude with Madoka and Homura loving and killing each other in equal measure.
Yet no matter which side fans stood on, none of them had any dissatisfaction with the plot or quality of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
Calling it a masterpiece felt entirely natural.
It was a work that introduced the concept of "Magical Girls" to the people of the Xia Nation, while simultaneously creating something that even if other screenwriters tried to imitate, they would never surpass.
For an entire week, the media and fans praised the drama to the skies.
Su Yan's small group of haters was disappointed yet again. They had waited in vain for the finale to collapse.
Every one of his works stirred massive controversy by the mid-stage, often reaching a point where a single misstep could have ruined his reputation entirely.
And yet—
That misstep never came.
Not once.
Meanwhile, under the overwhelming spotlight of Su Yan and Zhongxia TV—undisputed protagonists of this quarter—
Sakura TV seemed bleak and diminished.
Once again, it had poured immense manpower and resources into competing against Su Yan, only to fail.
And in mid-June, the Production Department of Sakura TV quietly made a major move.
Akasaka Yoshitoki, Head of Production, resigned on the grounds of health issues to recuperate. The position would temporarily be assumed by Deputy Head Ogata Aya.
Although Sakura TV did not make a grand public announcement—
How could such news possibly be concealed?
Akasaka Yoshitoki stepping down for "health reasons"?
Even children wouldn't believe that.
Wasn't it clearly because he'd been beaten so badly by Su Yan—a private studio boss—that the station found it too humiliating to admit and came up with this excuse instead?
And to make matters worse, this "enemy" was the very newcomer he had once looked down on, ignored, and suppressed.
That was the most dramatic part of all.
After all, someone "recuperating" could simply retire for good.
Then Ogata Aya would naturally take over.
An old routine.
At least Sakura TV could preserve the last shred of its dignity.
Su Yan's fans and the Xia Nation entertainment media, still riding high from the finale of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', had been looking for something new to talk about. Now they charged forward enthusiastically, amplifying the story for Sakura TV.
📰Sakura TV Production Head Akasaka Yoshitoki Steps Down—Once the Brain of Television, Now a Fading Figure
📰From Industry Titan to Retirement in Three Years—The Rise and Fall of Akasaka Yoshitoki
📰Geniuses Need Platforms—But True Geniuses Destroy Platforms That Suppress Them!
📰The Ultimate Workplace Power Fantasy—Su Yan Leaves Sakura TV and Returns the Humiliation Tenfold. Akasaka Yoshitoki Becomes the Biggest Casualty of His Rise
📰The Tale of the Dragon and the Youth Ends. The Akasaka Era Is Over—But the Lost Time of Talents He Suppressed Will Never Return. Not Everyone Is Lucky Enough to Meet Someone Like Su Yan to Pull Them Up
📰Ogata Aya Takes Over Sakura TV's Production Department—What Path Will She, Su Yan, and Shinozaki Ikumi Walk From Here? Continued Rivalry or Reconciliation?
📰Major Shake-Up at Sakura TV—Three Production Heads in Three Years, Unprecedented in the Industry
📰Sakura TV Enraged as "Second Place," Makes Major Changes—While Hudu TV Remains Calm as "Third Place"
Su Yan saw the news online early that morning after waking up.
"Oh? So Akasaka Yoshitoki has fallen."
There was a trace of satisfaction in his heart—but only a trace.
At this point, he no longer regarded Akasaka Yoshitoki as worthy of concern.
What truly mattered to him was a giant like Sakura TV—not a revolving-door department head.
When he arrived on set, he didn't even need to say anything.
Today, Shinozaki Ikumi was in exceptionally high spirits.
As a transmigrator, Su Yan held grudges—but not excessively. If he had the chance to get even, he would. But only in passing. He wouldn't deliberately waste time on it.
Whether Akasaka Yoshitoki existed or not would have significantly changed Su Yan's achievements today.
He had known that even back when he was still at Sakura TV. He had disliked Akasaka Yoshitoki—but that was all.
But for someone like Shinozaki Ikumi, who didn't have Su Yan's "god's-eye perspective," what they experienced at Sakura TV back then was the kind of grudge one could hold for a lifetime.
Seeing her great enemy meet this fate—
She was beyond thrilled.
Not only was she unusually gentle with every department member today—no longer yelling when someone made a mistake—but during the break, she even paid out of pocket to treat the entire crew to delivered food.
On her social media account, she posted a several-hundred-word essay openly mocking Akasaka Yoshitoki's departure.
At noon, while Su Yan was still pondering the later cinematography for 'Fate/Zero' and how to choreograph the fight scenes in the 'Rurouni Kenshin' film—how best to coordinate with the stunt actors to bring out their full potential—
Shinozaki Ikumi knocked on his door.
"Um, Su Yan."
"Hm?" He looked up to see her standing there in a white dress, expression slightly nervous.
"Aunt Ogata Aya called my mother last night. It's about what I mentioned to you before…"
"About airing 'Fate/Zero' on Sakura TV. Now that Aunt Ogata Aya has become Head of Production, so…"
"No problem. You can coordinate with Director Ogata—no, Minister Ogata," Su Yan said with a smile. "As long as their terms aren't worse than what Zhongxia TV offered us, everything's negotiable."
"You're agreeing that quickly?" Shinozaki Ikumi's face lit up—though she soon looked a bit surprised at how easy it was.
"Didn't I say before? I have no issue with Sakura TV. My issue was with Akasaka Yoshitoki. Now that he's gone, to me the three major stations are equal. But since you're so close to Minister Ogata… the only factor influencing my choice of partner is you."
"I didn't expect my status in your heart to be that high. That's a surprise," she laughed.
"Of course. Since I entered this industry, you're the person I've interacted with most and worked with the longest."
"Mm. But if we're cooperating with Sakura TV, we need to negotiate the details carefully. Shinozaki-san, I know your relationship with Minister Ogata—and I personally have a very good impression of her. But I want to make one thing clear."
Su Yan's tone grew serious.
"We're no longer under her authority. Our relationship with Sakura TV is that of equal partners. If the station's upper management makes unreasonable demands…"
"Then we refuse them decisively," he said firmly.
"I understand." Shinozaki Ikumi's expression turned solemn.
"I won't let personal feelings interfere with work."
"And starting in late June, I'll begin promotional events for the film adaptation of '5 Centimeters per Second' with the crew. I'll try to stay in the mainland region for only a few days before coming back. Filming for 'Fate/Zero' can continue without me—but 'Rurouni Kenshin' can't proceed if I'm absent. Even when I don't have scenes, I'm still the film's martial arts director."
He looked at her.
"So while I'm away from Tokyo, I'll be relying on you for both crews."
"Don't worry." She paused, then said solemnly—
"I absolutely won't let the schedule fall behind."