After school, Rei stepped out of the school gate and headed straight toward the nearest bookstore.
A prominent display inside showcased Sakura-iro Weekly. Since it was already afternoon and the school was nearby, only a few copies remained.
Rei picked up one, ready to buy it and head home.
After all, this was the first issue featuring his serialized manga 5 Centimeters Per Second. Of course he wanted to buy a copy and check how his artwork looked in print.
"Rei? You're here too?"
A female voice called out behind him.
Rei turned to see two classmates, Yui Nakamura and Hana Fujimoto. Both girls were academically weak and sat in the back row of the classroom, diagonally opposite his seat. They weren't particularly close.
"You like Sakura-iro Weekly too?" Hana asked, her eyes brightening when she saw the book in Rei's hand.
"Too?" Rei froze for a moment.
"That's right! Yui and I both came to buy it. We've been fans of this magazine for years. So, Rei, which manga do you like? Lament? Or maybe High Score Romance…?"
Rei blinked, surprised that two students from his class turned out to be readers.
And based on Hana's expression, she was definitely a seasoned manga fan.
Seasoned manga fans always had that unmistakable excitement in their eyes whenever they talked about their favorite series, Rei knew that expression well.
"Me…?" Rei said, stepping toward the counter to pay.
"I like 5 Centimeters Per Second."
"5 Centimeters Per Second?" Hana repeated, confused. She glanced at Yui.
"Do you know it?"
"No. I don't think that manga exists in Sakura Weekly," Yui frowned.
Rei smiled, taking the magazine and waiting for his change.
"It's a brand-new series starting this issue. You can read chapter one inside. Trust me, you won't be disappointed."
"What are you bragging about?" Yui laughed.
"You just bought the magazine. You haven't even read it yet. How would you know the manga is good? Are you the author or something?"
"You guessed right," Rei replied casually.
Of course, he knew they wouldn't believe him, so he simply leaned into the joke.
"Oh, and let me give you a spoiler, this one's really sweet. You'll love it. Make sure to follow it every week and vote for it online!"
After saying that, Rei waved goodbye and left the bookstore with the magazine.
Yui and Hana exchanged glances, curiosity blooming in their eyes.
"Rei, a boy, buying a shoujo manga? Suspicious," Yui muttered.
"Maybe he isn't buying it for himself, maybe it's for his girlfriend," Hana whispered conspiratorially.
"You mean…" Yui instantly remembered the rumors spreading around school.
Rei and Miyu from Class 1 had been seen together after school many times, enough for people to assume they were dating.
"No way, Miyu? She..."
"Okay, stop guessing. Let's just buy the book and go," Hana said.
She picked up her copy of Sakura-iro Weekly, and the color cover for 5 Centimeters Per Second immediately caught her eye.
"There really is one…"
And the art style was surprisingly beautiful.
Rei's words echoed in her mind.
A super sweet manga…
Later that night, Rei stayed up drawing the first chapter of Tonight, Even If This Love Disappears from the World! until late, nearly oversleeping the next morning.
He rushed to school, and after taking his usual seat, Hana turned around with a bright grin.
"Rei! You were right. I read 5 Centimeters Per Second last night. It's SO good. The art is amazing. I'll definitely keep following it."
"Thank you," Rei said quietly.
"What are you thanking me for?!" Hana giggled. "You didn't actually believe our 'you must be the author' joke, right?"
Rei just smiled and didn't answer.
Classes dragged on through the morning, and by lunchtime, Rei found someone familiar waiting at the classroom door.
Miyu's appearance in the hallway instantly drew attention from nearby students, but Rei was already used to the stares she attracted whenever she showed up to find him.
The two left the classroom together and headed up to the rooftop of the school building.
"Do you need something? Or did Editor Misaki want to talk to me?" Rei asked.
"Even if my sister doesn't need you, can't I?" Miyu huffed.
But she didn't string him along for long. She pulled out her phone, opened a picture, and held it out.
"What's that?" Rei asked.
"This is the preliminary ranking for the newest chapters in Sakura-iro Weekly. It only counts votes from the first 24 hours after release. My sister sent me the picture this morning," Miyu said proudly.
Rei quickly leaned closer.
"Ninth…" His expression tightened with disappointment.
The first chapter of 5 Centimeters Per Second ranked 9th.
Meanwhile, Love Like Fireworks, the other new serialization launched in the same issue, ranked 6th.
"What's with that face? For a brand-new mangaka, making ninth place on your very first serialized work is already impressive. What were you expecting?" Miyu said, rolling her eyes.
"That other new manga is by a veteran artist with an existing fanbase. Of course you can't beat them right away."
"And don't underestimate ninth place. Once the second chapter comes out next week, without color pages or cover promotion, it might drop even further!"
She gave a dramatic sigh before pointing at her phone again.
"More importantly, why are you staring at your ranking? Look at mine."
"Yours?" Rei asked.
His eyes slid upward on the ranking list, then widened.
At the very top:
[Popularity Ranking #1: Lament- Author: Saki - Votes: 3912]
"The plot for High Score Romance was garbage this week, so its fans revolted."
Miyu puffed out her chest in pride.
"And thanks to that, after two and a half years as a serialized mangaka, I finally hit number one in Sakura-iro Weekly!"
She grinned triumphantly.
"Well? Amazing, right?"
"You dragged me onto the rooftop at lunch just to show off?" Rei said helplessly.
"What else?" Miyu said bluntly. "What's the point of getting first place if I don't brag about it?"
"Anyway, keep working hard, junior. With your talent, maybe in two years you'll catch up and take the #1 spot too."
Her smile turned mischievous.
"But by then, I might already be serializing in Dream Comics, adored nationwide as a rising genius mangaka."
Rei could only stare weakly.
But he understood.
She was a teenager. An excitable, overly dramatic teenage mangaka. And she genuinely saw him as a friend, otherwise she wouldn't have bothered coming all the way here just to brag.
People only share their happiness with those they trust.
Still, wasn't she getting a little too excited?
Had Miyu never considered the possibility that 5 Centimeters Per Second might explode in popularity over the next few weeks, perhaps even knocking her down to second place?
Rei couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
"Hah… I was being narrow-minded."
It wasn't about dethroning her.
It was simply that, when someone is genuinely happy, friends should smile and celebrate with them.
That was all.
Time continued its steady march, and another week quietly slipped by.
June 20th, Wednesday.
The second chapter of 5 Centimeters Per Second was released with the newest issue of Sakura-iro Weekly.