Discussions about 5 Centimeters Per Second on the Sakura Weekly website surged rapidly after the final chapter was published that morning, and the fervor only continued to intensify.
Originally, the flagship title of this issue was supposed to be High Score Romance. Its concluding chapter was expected to be the week's main attraction, drawing massive attention and dominating the Sakura Weekly's spotlight.
Yet, the forums were nearly devoid of discussion about High Score Romance's finale.
Instead, countless Sakura Weekly fans, unable to contain their emotions after reading 5 Centimeters, flooded the forums to vent, debate, praise, and condemn the ending.
Meanwhile, backend monitoring at Sakura Weekly's Editorial Department revealed that fan support votes for 5 Centimeters's conclusion were skyrocketing at an unprecedented rate, completely eclipsing High Score Romance, which had held the top spot in the previous week's popularity rankings.
By noon, the team at Hoshimori Publishing Group responsible for Sakura Weekly was still in disbelief.
Of course, they had anticipated some fan reaction to 5 Centimeters's final chapter.
But no one had predicted the uproar would be this massive.
And despite the ending being so unpopular, fans were still voting for it while cursing it.
It even overshadowed High Score Romance, a highly anticipated romance series that had been promoted as ending this week.
"Could it be that 5 Centimeters Per Second is actually going to top the popularity polls this week, stepping over High Score Romance in its final chapter?"
Hearing this, Misaki Yukishiro's expression flickered slightly.
If things really turn out that way, it would be perfect, she thought.
Misaki glanced at Takeda Jun, her biggest rival in the Editorial Department.
Takeda's face was grim as he listened to his colleagues' teasing, unable to refute their words.
Who exactly is this Shirogane? he wondered. Is he really just a high school manga artist, or is he a famous mangaka using a pen name?
At school during lunch break, students rushed out of campus to bookstores to buy their favorite manga, novels, and collected volumes.
Among them was Hana Fujimoto, Rei's classmate.
She and Yui Nakamura had arranged to meet at the bookstore where they had first encountered Rei. They effortlessly navigated to the shelf and grabbed the latest issue of Sakura Weekly.
"Let's go back to the classroom," Yui said with a smile. "Yuki and Megumi must be dying to read it by now."
"Mm-hmm," Hana replied.
They returned to the classroom, which was mostly empty during the lunch break. With many students still in the cafeteria, the four friends didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone.
Gathering around with eager anticipation, they opened Sakura Weekly.
Twenty minutes later, their eyes were bloodshot, and their faces wore expressions of utter despair, startling the classmates who returned from lunch.
"Who exactly is Shirogane?" Hana asked, her heart feeling numb.
The ending had nearly shattered her composure.
Seeing her three friends wearing the same devastated expressions offered her a sliver of comfort.
But then, a sudden memory struck her.
Hadn't Rei said something similar a few weeks ago?
In just a few weeks, you'll see the male and female leads meet their final fate.
At the time, Hana Fujimoto and her three friends dismissed Rei's words as nonsense.
But now...
"How could Rei have predicted that 5 Centimeters Per Second would reach this point in the story within just a few weeks?"
"Remember, 5 Centimeters Per Second never publicly announced it was a short manga series."
Could it be...?
Hana glanced at Rei's empty desk.
Come to think of it, Rei always disappeared around lunchtime. Where did he vanish to, and what was he doing?
Could it be...?
A terrifying thought surfaced in her mind, but Hana quickly shook her head.
"Impossible. That's just ridiculous."
"Whether Shirogane is the high school manga artist rumored online or not, it definitely can't be Rei."
In the classroom of Class 1-A, Miyu's ears twitched. She heard the muffled sobs of the two girls in class who loved the manga in Sakura Weekly.
"How could this happen?"
"What is Shirogane trying to do? I can't accept this ending!"
"I'm never reading Shirogane's work again after this."
"The single-volume edition of 5 Centimeters Per Second is out, including the two letters Akari and Takaki never sent."
A smile tugged at Miyu's lips as she overheard her classmates' emotional reactions after reading 5 Centimeters Per Second. A surge of satisfaction washed over her.
Now you understand the joy I felt a month ago when I first read this manga!
On the school rooftop, Rei walked to the railing and gazed down at the schoolyard below.
The students on the field looked as tiny as ants. A fierce wind whipped through his hair, pressing his shirt tightly against his upper body.
A flicker of contemplation crossed Rei's face.
How many students at this school were truly "moved" by the story of 5 Centimeters Per Second?
And now that 5 Centimeters Per Second has concluded, what comes next?
When will another serialization opportunity arise?
And how many will compete for it?
The following morning.
Misaki Yukishiro woke up early to prepare for work.
In the editorial office, everyone wore a solemn expression.
The previous night's explosive popularity of 5 Centimeters Per Second had drawn in a massive influx of voters, sparking countless discussions about the manga and its plot.
Now, the entire editorial team awaited a definitive answer.
The final chapters of 5 Centimeters Per Second and High Score Romance had been released.
Who would top the popularity poll?
This question had the entire editorial team on edge.
Finally, nine o'clock arrived.
The popularity poll results from the latest issue of Sakura Weekly, which had gone on sale yesterday, were released.
Someone in the editorial office suddenly exclaimed, "The results are out!"
Misaki Yukishiro took a deep breath, and even Fair's beautiful face showed a hint of nervousness. She opened the "results sheet" on her phone.
Just one glance made Misaki's body tremble slightly.
The first few lines of the results sheet read:
*1. 5 Centimeters Per Second. Fan votes: 7,356.
2. High Score Romance. Fan votes: 5,012.
3. Tale of Sorrow. Fan votes: 3,912.*
"First place?" Misaki clenched her fist, then immediately relaxed it.
Was this really the outcome?
Misaki recalled the first time she met Rei, the moment he handed her the manga manuscript.
Back then, Misaki Yukishiro never imagined that one day her short manga would top the Sakura Weekly popularity poll.
And the fan votes had reached an absurd total of over 7,000.
Normally, the most popular work in Sakura Weekly only garnered around 3,000 votes.
But 5 Centimeters Per Second had more than doubled that.
She wondered what the first-week sales of its collected volume would be in two weeks.
A sense of anticipation welled up in Misaki's heart.
Meanwhile, Takeda Jun, another editor in the group, wore a pained expression, as if he were constipated.
High Score Romance was the work of a mangaka under his supervision. He had assumed that with its final chapter published and the company's agreement to promote its conclusion to some extent, it would maintain its momentum.
But now...
All the attention had been stolen by 5 Centimeters Per Second.
This manga was truly unsettling.
If it was already this absurd during serialization, what would its reputation, reviews, and sales be after the collected volume's release?
Could it possibly achieve similarly unreasonable results as today's popularity poll?