Tokyo: Oreimo

"Hmm! This is a new work."

Ling Naichong smiled and agreed with Takashiro Yuu, which melted the old father's heart.

"I've been looking forward to it for a long time because it's adapted from a manga by a really amazing guy!"

She glanced at Ryosuke discreetly and winked at him, as if sending some mysterious signal.

puff.

Ryosuke chuckled.

Why is it that it feels so good to say these self-praises in front of unsuspecting people?

"Sakura in this anime also has an older brother, who looks a bit like Ryosuke and Ayano. He's quite cute."

Mihoko's attention was also drawn to "Cardcaptor Sakura". Although the cute art style is aimed at children, even adults can enjoy watching it.

Upon hearing Mieko's words, Takashiro Ryosuke suddenly realized that Touya, the older brother in this work, did indeed share some similarities with Ryosuke in terms of personality.

She couldn't help but steal a glance at Ryosuke. Ryosuke noticed her immediately, and when their eyes met, Ling Nai looked away.

"Hmph, he's just as annoying as Touya."

"Really? But I feel like your relationship lately is even better than that of siblings in cartoons."

Takashiro Isamu took a swig of his drink and laughed heartily.

The atmosphere at home has been so much better than it was six months ago, and my daughter's grades have improved, and she's become much more sensible than before.

This is all thanks to Ryosuke's upbringing; as a father, he was always able to observe things differently.

"No, Dad, don't talk nonsense."

Ling Nai suddenly blushed and let out a soft hum, expressing her dissatisfaction.

"Hehe." Mieko covered her mouth and chuckled, then poured Takashiro Isao another glass of wine.

......

Mao Gokou didn't go to work tonight; instead, she sat in front of the TV with her younger siblings in her arms.

I'm currently watching the scene where Sakura reclaims the Flying Card.

The little sister in her arms exclaimed in surprise, excitedly pointing at the screen and sharing her joy with her older sister.

Mao patted her head, a doting smile on his face.

"Mao, this satellite signal receiving equipment must have cost a lot of money, right?"

The mother, who was sitting to the side holding a cup of tea, suddenly asked a question.

Since my husband passed away, we haven't subscribed to any TV channels for a long time; we mostly watch free public channels.

She couldn't help but notice the little box that suddenly appeared on the TV. In her mind, Gokou Mao, as the eldest daughter in the family, had never spent money recklessly.

There's no reason to make such an expensive decision without consulting her first.

"It was a gift from a friend, and I don't know exactly how much it cost."

"Huh? Is it really appropriate to accept such an expensive gift?"

Even the cheapest of these satellite receivers costs 30,000 to 40,000 yen, which is equivalent to several days' wages for her.

The mother seemed to suddenly realize something bad. Society is complicated. Could it be that she has been targeted by someone with ulterior motives?

Gokou Mao noticed her expression and immediately realized that her mother had misunderstood.

"Don't worry, Mom. It was a gift from a female friend. She practically forced it on me and got angry if I didn't accept it. I only accepted it because I couldn't refuse."

"I see. So you've made new friends. You should reciprocate when you're better off; you can't just take their gifts for nothing."

The mother relaxed; if that was the case, she wouldn't worry anymore.

Yes, I've made some new friends.

Although that guy was stupid, he was surprisingly kind.

Saying things like, "Since you're a fan, how can you miss the premiere? I'll get angry if you don't accept this," he forcefully shoved the item into his hand and ran away.

Looking back now, I can't help but laugh.

If Ling Nai hadn't brought this receiver, it's hard to say how long it would have been before my younger siblings could see the Cardcaptor Sakura anime on TV.

After all, only anime with very high viewership ratings will be bought back and rebroadcast by TV stations.

"That guy seems to have emerged from the gloom of that day."

Gokou Mao recalled meeting Ling Nai offline a few days ago. That girl didn't seem to have anything on her mind at all. She was just as lively as when she first met her.

"It must be Ryosuke who did something, after all, that blond kid is so dishonest..."

"That's wonderful. I wish I had an older brother like that."

Gokou Mao thought that if there were such a person, would she not have to work so hard after her father passed away?

He would stand in front of her, pat her head, and shield her from the wind and rain.

Chapter 96 School Opening

The following day, at the Kadokawa Building, in the manga editing department.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Hideo Nomura arrived at his workstation on time and found his colleague still sitting at his workstation, his face covered in thick dark circles as if he had been smeared with ink.

"Saito, you haven't been gone all night, have you?"

As the editor in charge of the handover, Hideo Nomura also worked overtime yesterday, but left after confirming that the anime would be released as scheduled.

"Well, after all, data like the viewership ratings for the Cardcaptor Sakura anime won't be available until two hours after the broadcast ends, and there's a lot of other handover work to do. By the time we realize it, there are no more trains running."

"A workaholic? Working so hard, you might die suddenly."

Seeing how the other party was humiliating him, Hideo Nomura couldn't help but curse and swear.

"Don't worry, even though I look like this, I did get a few hours of sleep last night."

Ritsu Saito yawned and got up to go to the lounge to make a pot of coffee.

"By the way, how were the ratings and completion rate yesterday?"

Nomura picked up his water glass and followed Saito, casually asking a question along the way.

He has now taken on the follow-up work for "Cardcaptor Sakura", so naturally he is quite concerned about this kind of data.

"However, it's hard to have high expectations. After all, it's like being forced into this role, and there are quite a few other popular shows airing at the same time. It's unlikely that the ratings will be able to hold up."

Although he was confident in the work, most of NHK satellite TV subscribers were quite old, so broadcasting on this type of pay-TV channel would likely have limited success.

"You probably think so too, otherwise why would you be in such a hurry to resign?"

Hideo Nomura rambled on and on.

In his view, if the animation is good, it will definitely boost the company's performance, and the sales of the collected volumes will also increase significantly, at which point bonuses will roll in.

In this situation, even if you don't get promoted, you have to collect your bonus before leaving.

Saito Ritsu shook his head.

"I resigned to save time. Now that I've made the decision, getting into the new position as soon as possible is the most important thing."

"Besides, I remember telling you that gold will always shine, right?"

Ritsu Saito stood by the sink, emptied the water from his cup, placed it under the coffee machine, and pressed the button.

He then looked at Hideo Nomura very calmly.

"Last night, Cardcaptor Sakura accounted for 30% of the total viewership on NHK satellite pay channels, with an 80% completion rate."

"Is that so...."

Hideo Nomura, still a bit groggy from just starting work, mumbled a reply.

But he quickly realized something was wrong.

"Wait! How much?"

The coffee machine hummed, and a rich aroma filled the lounge.

Saito Ritsu picked up the cup and took a sip; the bitter taste gave him a slight boost of energy.

"NHK has 125 paid subscription channels. Last night, 30% of the platform's users were watching 'Cardcaptor Sakura,' and 80% finished watching it. Do I need to explain this to you so clearly?"

He frowned, picked up the cup, and walked back.

Hideo Nomura stood there, stunned.

The data is that good?

It's worth noting that the peak viewership rating for the nationally popular anime "Chibi Maruko-chan" was only 39.9%. Although viewership ratings for traditional free-to-air terrestrial television stations and paid platforms like NHK satellite channels should not be confused.

The audience base itself varies greatly.

The problem is that completion rates don't lie.

This data is definitely worthy of being called a top-tier animated program!

Nomura could even imagine that Cardcaptor Sakura would definitely be on the list of most popular programs in the next issue of NHK's monthly TV talk show.

"Hey, can you withdraw your resignation?"

With this kind of performance, there might actually be hope for a promotion.

Hideo Nomura really didn't want to see such a highly capable colleague as Ritsu Saito choose to give up because of workplace bullying.

"No need."

Saito Ritsu didn't even turn his head.

“I’ve made up my mind, and I have something more interesting to do than the position of deputy editor-in-chief.”

He stood in front of his workstation, raised his coffee cup, smiled at Hideo Nomura, and then drank it all in one gulp.

......

Morning, classroom at Chiba First High School.

"It's okay~ Don't worry~ Don't worry~ Don't worry, even miracles can happen~"