One week after the release of the Death Note collected volume, data from across the country was compiled at the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department.
Major bookstores hadn't returned a single copy. Instead, they were repeatedly requesting increased allocations.
According to every report, the moment Death Note hit the shelves, it sold out.
Girls who loved attractive characters were hooked. Young men who loved psychological battle manga were hooked. Even younger boys were intoxicated by Light Yagami's madness, unable to pull themselves away.
No manga had ever become a hit this quickly.
Death Note had already been performing brilliantly in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine itself, at one point overtaking the magazine's pillar, Rurouni Kenshin, to claim the number one spot.
But what Kazuhiko Torishima hadn't expected was that the collected volume sales would be even more staggering.
It was invincible.
It was stronger than Slam Dunk, Yu Yu Hakusho, Fist of the North Star, and Harenchi Gakuen at the same point in their runs.
It was even stronger than Ranma 1/2, Touch, Kindaichi Case Files, Detective Conan, and Inuyasha.
Number one in Weekly Shonen Jump. Number one in Japan.
An unparalleled dark horse.
"Because of my trust in Kanzaki, the initial print run for Death Note was 300,000 copies."
That was an enormous figure. For a typical manga, selling 40,000 or 50,000 copies was already considered good.
For a long-running masterpiece that had been serialized for several years, a true pillar of Jump, average volume sales sat around 300,000.
Going higher, 700,000 to 800,000 copies would put a manga firmly in the blockbuster category.
Currently, only a handful of series like Rurouni Kenshin and KochiKame could reach that level in Weekly Shonen Jump.
And that was a milestone those series had achieved only after years of accumulating sales.
A brand-new work, serialized for just three months, had already surpassed Rurouni Kenshin in both popularity and sales?
"That's seriously insane."
"300,000 in one week..."
"Even I misjudged it."
Torishima urgently convened a discussion meeting. Everyone from the marketing department was present.
After cross-referencing the data they'd gathered, a wildly exaggerated picture emerged.
"As of now, a 300,000-copy reprint is far from sufficient."
"The Death Note fanbase is astronomical, growing at an explosive rate."
"We've identified that young adult fans of Death Note account for 34% of the total readership, and women make up 29%. In other words, Death Note's audience isn't limited to teenagers. People over sixteen are just as invested."
"17% of Japan's 126 million citizens are natural target readers for Death Note."
"300,000 copies is just the beginning. Not the ceiling."
The marketing department manager was practically spitting with excitement. Recently, Weekly Shonen Jump's numbers had been sluggish, and his department's bonuses had taken a hit.
If this catfish called Death Note could revitalize the magazine, he would throw every resource behind it.
He was buying his daughter another apartment this year.
"The sales of the Death Note collected volume could break two million."
He looked at Torishima with earnest eyes.
"So we believe the reprint quantity should be one million copies."
Torishima wasn't swept up in the atmosphere. He sat in his chair and stroked his chin, perfectly calm.
'People who used to play it safe are suddenly taking initiative.'
He lifted his chin. "Do it."
...
It wasn't just Jump. Other magazines were also watching Death Note's performance closely.
Just moments ago, the Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Shonen Magazine had lost his temper, and the editors were too afraid to raise their voices.
It made sense. Magazine had finally overtaken Jump to become the number one shonen manga publication in Japan, and before they could even enjoy it, Jump had pulled a trump card out of nowhere.
"300,000 in one week. You're not serious, are you?"
"Has anything like this ever happened before?"
"I don't think so."
"Jump has to be inflating the numbers! That Editor-in-Chief of theirs, with that cunning face, is trying to rattle us."
"Maybe, but... Death Note really is interesting."
The editors whispered among themselves. Some were incredulous. Some questioned the figures. Some were already thinking about how to replicate the miracle of Death Note.
Rin watched the scene unfold, pursed her lips, and shook her head.
Death Note had become famous because of the Death Note concept itself, but to sustain that momentum, it needed real substance.
Light Yagami and L had never met face to face, yet the tension crackling between them in the shadows was sharper than any blade. The psychological warfare between the two was the reason the readership kept growing.
Without the genius Kanzaki behind the wheel, relying on concept alone, the manga might have been cancelled shortly after serialization began.
'Fujin...' Rin rested her chin on her hand, daydreaming. 'How wonderful it would be if you were mine.'
...
Majima walked into the Fujin home.
He smoothed his mohawk down and immediately started complaining.
"Is the bookstore on the corner insane? They put the Death Note poster right in the middle of the sidewalk, like they're terrified someone might miss it. I almost crashed into it."
Kai blinked. Just last week, he'd been quietly pleased about Death Note holding the center position in that store. He hadn't expected the bookstore to start practically shoving it in people's faces.
"Then you should be happy." Kai allowed himself a small grin.
"Huh?" Majima looked confused.
Amasaki looked over curiously too.
Kai coughed and held up two envelopes he'd prepared in advance.
"You've both worked really hard lately. This is your bonus. Please accept it."
"Oh!" Amasaki yelped, launched himself out of his chair, and was standing in front of Kai in an instant. He took the envelope with both hands and bowed deeply. "Thank you, great Kanzaki-sensei! I have money to renew my lease!"
"Thank you, Sensei." Majima took his envelope and asked steadily, "May I open it?"
"Go ahead."
Kai gestured upward, giving his permission.
The sound of rustling paper, and then...
"50... 500,000 yen!"
Majima's eyes went wide. His composure cracked completely.
He only earned 160,000 yen after a full month of grinding.
This bonus alone made him feel like his life hadn't been wasted.
"So much." Amasaki finished counting, then hugged the envelope to his chest and giggled to himself, looking slightly deranged with joy.
Kai nodded with satisfaction. The effect of the bonus was clearly excellent. He could do this more often in the future to keep motivation high.
By now, money wasn't an issue for Kai. Spending one or two million yen to improve the quality of Death Note was simply the most cost-effective investment he could make.
This was standard practice in the industry. He was just more generous than most.
Earlier that morning, Heishi had informed Kai about the one-million-copy reprint for Death Note volume one.
And that was just the income from a single volume.
There were still volumes two, three, four, five, six, seven to come.
He was going to buy a villa and a luxury car.
Kai's eyes darted around. Then he thought of Rin next door, and quietly set aside his fantasies of extravagant spending.
Besides, taxes were due next March. Everything should follow the plan.
"By the way, where's Kawata-senpai?" Majima suddenly realized someone was missing.
"Him?" Kai replied. "He went to a class reunion."
Their high school class reunion, held in Tokyo.
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Bonus chapter at 333 Power stones
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