After school, Rei strode out of the school gates and headed straight for the nearest bookstore.
The Sakura Weekly manga magazine was prominently displayed, but by afternoon, with the bookstore so close to the school, only a few copies remained.
Rei picked up a copy, ready to pay and leave.
After all, this was the debut issue of his serialized manga, 5 Centimeters Per Second. He wanted to contribute to its sales and see how his own artwork looked in the serialized format.
"Rei, you're here too?"
A female voice called out from behind him.
Rei turned to see Yui Nakamura and Hana Fujimoto, two of his classmates. They were both considered underachievers, sitting at the back of the classroom, diagonally across from Rei's desk. Their relationship with him was generally cordial but not particularly close.
"You like Sakura Weekly too?" Hana Fujimoto's eyes lit up when she saw the magazine in Rei's hand.
"Too?" Rei's expression froze in surprise.
"That's right, Yui and I both came to buy this issue," Hana Fujimoto said, her eyes widening with a smile. "We're huge fans of Sakura Weekly! Rei, which manga do you like best? Tale of Sorrow or High Score Romance?"
Rei paused, surprised to find fellow fans of the magazine in his class. Judging by Hana's expression, he knew he'd encountered a seasoned otaku. That intense, passionate gaze was unmistakable—Rei knew it all too well.
"Me?" Rei hesitated, then grabbed the magazine and headed toward the counter, casually adding, "I like 5 Centimeters Per Second."
"5 Centimeters Per Second?" Hana asked, puzzled, glancing at Yui Nakamura beside her. "Have you heard of it?"
"No, I don't think it's in Sakura Weekly," Yui replied, frowning.
Rei, now at the counter paying and waiting for his change, chuckled. "It's a new series starting in this issue. You can start with the first chapter—you won't be disappointed."
"Stop bragging," Yui teased, laughing. "You just bought the magazine too! You haven't even read it yet. How do you know 5 Centimeters Per Second is good? Are you the author or something?!"
"You guessed right," Rei said with a smile, knowing they wouldn't believe him. He decided to play along.
"Just a little spoiler: this manga is super sweet! You'll definitely love it. Please keep up with the updates and remember to vote on the website!"
Without lingering, Rei waved goodbye and left the bookstore with his book.
Hana Fujimoto and Yui Nakamura exchanged curious glances.
"Rei, a guy, buying a shōjo manga? That's so suspicious," Yui remarked.
"Maybe it's not for him. Could be for his girlfriend," Hana said mysteriously.
"You mean..." Yui immediately recalled the recent rumors in their class.
Rei's relationship with Miyu from Class 1 seemed unusually close. They often left school together, fueling speculation that they were dating.
"No way... Miyu?"
"Enough guessing. Let's just buy our books and go," Hana urged.
She picked up the thick Sakura Weekly magazine, her eyes immediately drawn to the cover illustration of 5 Centimeters Per Second.
"It's actually here..."
And the art style was quite appealing.
Rei recalled Hana Fujimoto's recommendation:
A super sweet manga!
Back home, Rei began drawing the first chapter of Tonight, Even If This Love Disappears from the World! He worked late into the night.
The next morning, he nearly overslept and rushed to school in a panic.
As usual, he entered the classroom. Hana Fujimoto turned to him, smiling at Rei, who was sitting in the last row of the group beside her.
"Rei, you were right! I read that manga called 5 Centimeters Per Second. It's really good! The author's art is amazing. I'm definitely going to keep reading it."
"Thank you," Rei replied.
"What are you thanking me for?" Hana chuckled. "You haven't forgotten yesterday's joke, have you? You're not actually taking yourself seriously as the author, are you?"
Rei smiled but didn't continue the conversation.
Soon, class began, and by the end of the morning, everyone was dizzy from studying.
During lunch break, Rei encountered a familiar figure at the classroom entrance: Miyu.
As always, Miyu's presence drew the attention of the entire class. Rei had grown accustomed to the spotlight that followed her arrival.
After class, Rei and Miyu walked together to the rooftop of the Instructional Building.
"Is there something you need? Or did Editor Misaki ask you to find me?" Rei asked.
"Can't I talk to you even if my sister doesn't need you?" Miyu retorted.
But she didn't keep him in suspense. She pulled out her phone and opened an image.
"What's this?" Rei asked.
"The popularity vote rankings for all the manga in the latest issue of Sakura Weekly. They only count votes from the first 24 hours after publication. My sister sent me this photo this morning," Miyu said proudly.
Rei immediately examined the image closely.
"Ninth Place..." Rei's expression fell slightly.
The first chapter of 5 Centimeters Per Second had also ranked ninth in popularity.
Meanwhile, the first chapter of Love Blooms Like Fireworks, another new manga debuting in the same issue, had ranked sixth.
"Why that face? Ninth Place is amazing for a rookie manga artist's first serialized work! What more could you want? As for the other manga, the artist is a veteran with a huge existing fanbase. It's natural they'd outrank you."
"Don't underestimate Ninth Place! After the second chapter of my manga is serialized next week, without the support of color pages and cover promotion, my ranking might even drop!"
"Lastly, let me remind you—why are you so concerned about your manga's ranking? Read my manga instead!" Miyu said crisply and quickly.
"Your manga?"
Rei's gaze shifted upward, his pupils contracting slightly.
A line of text appeared in his vision:
Popularity Ranking: First Place: Tale of Sorrow. Author: Saki. Votes: 3,912.
"The plot of High Score Romance was too bland this week, angering its fans. After two or three years as a manga artist, this is finally the first time I've topped the popularity ranking in Sakura Weekly," Miyu said, unable to hide her smugness.
"What do you think? I'm amazing, right?"
"You specifically called me to the rooftop at noon just to show off?" Rei asked, speechless.
"What else would I do?" Miyu replied. "What's the point of getting first place if you can't brag about it?"
"Keep working hard, junior. With your talent, you might catch up to me in just two years and even top the Sakura Weekly rankings yourself," Miyu said with a smile.
"In just two years, who knows? I might already be serializing my manga in Hoshimori Publishing and become a nationally renowned genius manga artist in Japan."
Rei's expression was speechless, but he understood such behavior from a teenage manga artist.
Who isn't like that, after all?
Besides, she was only acting this way because she genuinely considered him a friend.
With her personality, if she didn't see you as a friend, she wouldn't bother showing off—it would be pointless.
Happiness is something meant to be shared with close friends and family.
Wasting time trying to make strangers see your joy and achievements is utterly pointless.
But then Rei thought again.
Is she celebrating a bit too early?
Has she considered that 5 Centimeters Per Second might explode in popularity during these next few weeks of serialization, potentially pushing her back to second place?
"Hmm, I guess I was thinking too small," Rei chuckled softly.
It wouldn't be pushing her back to second place.
It would be sharing his joy with her.
If she's truly my friend, she'll definitely congratulate me with a smile.
Time passed, and another week went by.
June 20th, Wednesday
The second chapter of 5 Centimeters Per Second was released with the latest issue of Sakura Weekly.