"Eighth place?"
Misaki stared at the number for several seconds.
As long as it wasn't last place, it was fine.
Still, for a brand-new serialization, thanks to color-page promotions and reader curiosity, it was almost impossible for the first chapter to place dead last.
New series almost always landed somewhere in the top ten of the magazine.
The true quality of a manga usually showed only from the second chapter onward.
But Misaki was still afraid of accidents.
"I was thinking too much," she whispered to herself.
The final chapter of Five Centimeters per Second had received over seven thousand votes, but expecting all of Rei's fans to buy Ametsukage Weekly just to support him was naïve.
Fans of tragic romance might still follow the mangaka's next work,but their enthusiasm for voting was hardly guaranteed.
Unless the new manga moved them again, the way Five Centimeters per Second had.
"But with the pacing and quality of Tonight, it will definitely rise later."
Misaki exhaled, letting go of her unnecessary worries, and quickly dialed Rei's number.
"Hello, Editor Yukishiro," Rei's steady voice answered.
"The first-week ranking for Tonight is eighth place," Misaki reported.
"Eighth place?"
"Yes. It's an upper-middle starting position," Misaki said.
"But keep in mind, first-chapter results benefit from promotions. The real test is the second issue."
She continued, serious:
"After the second chapter comes out, as long as you don't drop out of the top ten, that counts as a success."
"Not dropping out of the top ten is considered success?" Rei asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Of course it is," Misaki replied immediately.
"Don't oversimplify the manga industry, Rei. Any work that can consistently stay in the top ten of Ametsukage Weekly usually averages 500,000 manga volume sales, with stable annual income in the millions. Some even have chances for anime or film adaptations."
"And Ametsukage Weekly's weekly circulation is easily top fifteen in the entire Japan manga market. You're not in Sakura-iro Weekly anymore. Achieving the same explosive results as your Five Centimeters serialization isn't realistic. You're a genius, yes… but your competitors here are geniuses selected from among thousands."
"Understood."
Rei's voice remained calm, almost too calm.
Misaki sighed silently.
It was obvious he wasn't discouraged at all. He hadn't lowered his expectations even slightly.
Most likely, from the moment serialization was confirmed,he never aimed for eighth place.
He was aiming for first.
Misaki understood that feeling well, she had always ranked first in her class since childhood.
It wasn't that she doubted Tonight. But the Japan manga world contained countless geniuses.
And in any industry, for every genius standing proudly at the mountaintop, there were even more unbelievable, unreasonable geniuses flying somewhere above the sky.
Getting humbled was also part of growth.
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Monday
When Rei arrived in the classroom on Monday, he found Miyu, Hana, and Yui chatting with bright smiles.
He listened briefly.
First, they were discussing the upcoming conclusion of Lament in Sakura-iro Weekly. They were planning to vote in support of the ending and cast votes for Saki.
Then they switched to Shirogane's new manga.
"This one doesn't feel like Five Centimeters per Second at all!" Yui said firmly.
"Even if the leads don't end up together, it definitely won't be that regretful!"
"Is that so? Then why do I feel like the first chapter's art style is a little bleak?" Hana murmured.
"Especially that line written in Māori Hino's diary, 'Don't forget Tōru', but stuck on a sticky note… It feels like foreshadowing."
Meanwhile, Miyu, who had long read Rei's manuscripts up to Chapter 6 and reviewed the storyboard for Chapter 7, now wore a confident, almost smug expression.
"Trust me," she said lightly, "this manga gets really sweet later. The middle might be a bit tangled, but the plot becomes super heartwarming."
"How can you be so sure?" Hana frowned.
"Some people online even think Tōru Kamiya might turn into a total scumbag later, and the story will shift into pure emotional torment."
"Why would they think that?" Miyu laughed softly.
"You can tell just from the character writing in Chapter 1. Besides, Shirogane's works never have villains. A 'scumbag' male lead? Impossible."
Then Miyu turned toward Rei, who had just sat down at his seat.
"Right, Rei?"
"Mm...I also think the manga will get very sweet in the middle," Rei said, matching Miyu's tone perfectly.
"What about the later part?" Hana pressed, leaning closer.
She herself didn't understand why she was asking Rei, but the boy had accurately predicted the direction of Five Centimeters per Second before, down to worrying details. So, maybe this time too?
"The later part, huh…"
Rei thought for a moment.
"Do you think this manga is simply a pure romance?" he asked slowly.
"Do you think the ending of a romance manga is defined by whether the leads end up together, happy or tragic?"
The girls blinked.
Wasn't it exactly like that?
But Rei continued:
"In Chapter 1, Māori Hino's illness is clearly said to be improving. Yet the whole story focuses on her forgotten past. But sometimes, forgetting isn't a bad thing."
He smiled faintly.
"When Māori recovers, what she needs is the future, not the past she lost. So I think the ending of this manga will return to the worldline of Chapter 1. And the final scene of Māori Hino will probably be her smiling."
"Like Takaki's final smile in Five Centimeters per Second?" Hana's eyes brightened.
"If that's the case, it fits Shirogane's style. In both works, the lead moves forward into a new life."
"Hey hey hey, Hana, why are you taking his words seriously?" Yui interrupted with a laugh.
"Only Shirogane's words count! Even if the plot ends that way, Rei is just guessing~"
Rei merely smiled and didn't argue.
Miyu, however, was thoughtful.
Rei hated spoilers, and hated lying about plot directions even more.
If he said it like that, then the ending would definitely be like that.
The bell rang, ending their discussion.
Time passed quickly.
Rei brought the storyboard for Chapter 8 of Tonight to school, planning to head to Misaki's home after class for her weekly review of the storyboard and plot direction.
Meanwhile, early that morning, major bookstores across the country opened.
The latest issue of Ametsukage Weekly had been released.
And with it, Chapter 2 of "Tonight, Even If This Love Vanishes from the World" was officially out.
...
Bonus @400
Read 30+ chapters ahead at [email protected]/c/Ashnoir