The next morning, Misaki arrived at the office early, waiting for the day to begin.
Though she presented herself as a cool beauty around Rei, that was merely her natural demeanor. In reality, she was articulate and sociable, maintaining good relationships with most of her colleagues.
Her meticulously applied makeup enhanced her beauty and air of sophistication, while her professional attire added a subtle sense of authority.
Inside the office, her colleagues were already engaged in lively discussions about the Editorial Department's recent developments.
"I wonder how the rankings in this week's Sakura Weekly will look?"
"I bet 5 Centimeters Per Second will climb even higher! That manga's been generating a lot of buzz among fans."
"I never expected readers to go for something like this. I liked the manga myself and even voted for its serialization at the meeting, but I didn't think it would achieve such high scores. The story is just too depressing."
"That's why you should never try to predict market trends. Who could have guessed that Sakura Weekly's readers—who usually prefer shōjo manga with themes like youth, school life, romance, and sweetness—would become so invested in 5 Centimeters Per Second? We've received hundreds of letters for Shirogane Sensei in the past few days alone."
"Another genius! Shirogane's debut manga is already achieving such success. If he hones his skills for a few years, he might actually have a chance to get his work published in Hoshimori Publishing."
"I think I could get some of the manga artists I know to try creating works in the style of 5 Centimeters! This might be a new trend in the market."
"That won't work," Misaki said as she entered the office.
"Ah, Misaki, you're here?"
"Misaki, good morning!"
The staff greeted her immediately.
After returning their greetings, Misaki continued her earlier point.
"It's not that depressing, tear-jerking manga are about to become the mainstream.
"In reality, any genre can find an audience if the work is exceptional. The reason some genres have declined is simply because later creators failed to produce compelling stories.
"Even the success of the tear-jerking romance manga 5 Centimeters Per Second wasn't due to its genre. It was because the author deeply analyzed the characters, creating vivid and memorable personalities. If creators merely follow trends without the creative ability to match, their efforts will likely be in vain."
"Let me give you a simple example. I'm sure everyone remembers the ending of 5 Centimeters Per Second, right? But can anyone recall the name of the protagonist from the last manga submission they reviewed yesterday?"
Misaki's words hung in the air, and the office fell silent.
It was true. The team reviewed countless new manga submissions every week.
Yet even weeks later, at the mere mention of 5 Centimeters Per Second, they could vividly recall the final scene: Takaki turning away in the last panel.
Such a deeply memorable character portrayal, even after just one viewing, was something only a truly exceptional mangaka could achieve.
As Misaki and her colleagues were discussing these topics, someone in the Editorial Department announced that the performance reports had been released.
Misaki immediately rushed to her desk, booted up her computer, entered her employee IP password and account to access the company intranet, and found the document she was looking for:
A spreadsheet.
Opening the document, she saw the following information:
1. High Score Romance. Fan votes: 4,123.
2. Tale of Sorrow. Fan votes: 3,698.
3. 5 Centimeters Per Second. Fan votes: 3,012.
9. Love blooms like cherry blossoms. Fan votes: 714.
The office quickly filled with incredulous chatter among the editors.
"Third place?"
"How is that even possible? Third place in popularity after only three chapters?"
"Is this a newcomer?"
"5 Centimeters Per Second is this popular?"
"Beyond my wildest expectations."
"Third place in the internal popularity poll after just three weeks of serialization? This is even more impressive than Saki Sensei's debut back in the day!"
Amidst the constant exclamations from her colleagues, Misaki maintained a calm facade, though her heart raced with excitement.
By now, everyone in the Editorial Department had realized something crucial.
Even though the manga was only five chapters long, its rapid ascent to third place in popularity after just three weeks suggested that by the time all five chapters were serialized, it might surpass all competitors and claim the top spot!
At school, during class break:
"Shirogane is definitely a psychopath," Touma said angrily.
"Ugh, why does Kanae have to be bullied like this? Why does Shirogane have to be so ruthless?"
"Creating such a pitiful female character is pointless," Yuki said. "Since the male lead and Akari are no longer in contact, they shouldn't keep Takaki confused!"
"The fourth chapter of the manga hasn't been released yet," Yui Nakamura pointed out. "Didn't they keep hinting that Kanae intended to confess? Let's see how they handle it in the fourth episode."
"Speaking of which, the plot of 5 Centimeters Per Second is unfolding exactly as Rei predicted last week!" Hana Fujimoto said, her voice tinged with suspicion. "It feels like it's heading toward an increasingly tragic and oppressive direction."
At this, the four girls in the class's manga group collectively turned their gaze toward Rei, who sat nearby, seemingly oblivious to their scrutiny. He casually smiled back at them.
"It must be a coincidence," Yuki murmured.
There's no way Rei could actually be Shirogane, the author of 5 Centimeters, right?
Touma and Yui Nakamura nodded in agreement.
Only Hana Fujimoto cast another doubtful glance at Rei.
By now, the classroom was gradually quieting down again.
The students in the front row turned to Rei with teasing smiles.
"Rei, she's here for you again."
"Yeah, hurry up! She's one of the top ten students in our grade—don't keep her waiting!"
"Rei, stop dawdling!"
The classroom erupted in knowing cheers. Rei's expression remained unchanged as he rose and walked toward Miyu, who was smiling and waving at him from the doorway.
"Wow, that's the third time she's come to see him this week," Yuki said, watching Rei's retreating figure. "If they're not dating, I'll eat my hat."
As Rei approached the doorway, he immediately noticed the change in Miyu's demeanor. He had never seen her look so serious and focused.
"My sister just sent me the rankings!" Miyu announced.
"High Score Romance is in first place, Tale of Sorrow is second, and 5 Centimeters Per Second is third," she said.
Third? Rei smiled. "Thank you for going out of your way to tell me."
"It was no trouble at all," Miyu replied, taking a deep breath to suppress her emotions and forcing a smile. "But Rei, I never expected your 5 Centimeters to do so well."
"I didn't either," Rei said modestly. "I guess it was just luck."
"There's no such thing as luck," Miyu retorted.
"Strength is strength. Besides, our manga rankings this week are so close, I can't afford to act so nonchalant anymore."
"Right now, we're the biggest rivals in the magazine!"
"Mm, I understand," Rei said after a moment's thought.
Miyu studied him intently for several seconds before breaking into a smile.
"Why that expression?"
"What expression should I have?" Rei asked, smiling back.
"Our manga competition is just that—competition. It shouldn't affect our friendship, right?"
"But if 5 Centimeters Per Second's ranking surpasses Tale of Sorrow's next week, you're treating me to dinner to celebrate my friend's success."
"Ha! I have to treat you to dinner just because you surpassed me?" Miyu's expression turned bewildered.
"Or how about I treat you to dinner to cheer you up after being overtaken?" Rei suggested.
Miyu considered this, a smile creeping onto her face.
"You're so confident 5 Centimeters will surpass Tale of Sorrow next week? Haven't you considered your ranking might stay the same or even drop?"
"I'm certain," Rei said.
Miyu's fists clenched slightly. She felt underestimated, yet powerless to change the situation.
Knowing that arguing here would be pointless, Miyu reluctantly agreed to Rei's proposal.
"I won't lose. If you want to celebrate a victory feast over me, you'll have to wait another twenty years!"
With that parting shot, Miyu stormed off toward her classroom.
Their brief exchange had drawn the attention of several students in the hallway.
Rei smiled faintly, unconcerned. He knew Miyu wasn't petty; she was simply struggling to accept that a fellow manga enthusiast she had "discovered" was now threatening her new work.
It had taken Rei only three weeks to reach the position Miyu had spent three years climbing to.
But time would eventually smooth things over.
And it wasn't just her. Every established veteran, rising star, and manga artist across Japan—from first-tier to fourth-tier—would have to accept it.
Back in the classroom, the bell rang, and the teacher quickly entered.
Meanwhile, in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures, Sakura Weekly continued to be sold in bookstores, and the number of 5 Centimeters Per Second fans in Japan continued to grow.
The editorial team at Hoshimori Publishing Group's Sakura Weekly quickly approved a proposal to submit to higher management. Given the strong performance of 5 Centimeters Per Second in its serialization and the confirmed number of chapters, they decided to release a standalone volume containing the first five chapters two weeks after the manga's serialization concluded.
They wanted to gauge how Shirogane's 5 Centimeters Per Second would perform in the standalone market, testing its true potential.
Time passed swiftly. July arrived, another Wednesday, and the latest issue of Sakura Weekly was released!