Early in the morning, Rina Morikawa woke up at dawn.
Normally, she would sleep until noon unless something major happened, but today was different. Taking a deep breath, she washed up quickly and rushed to the bookstore near her apartment.
As soon as she walked in, she headed straight for the familiar shelf piled high with Sakura-iro Weekly.
Next to it was a large promotional poster:
Takaki Tōno and Kanae Mizuno walking with their bicycles under a glowing orange sunset.
Just that one illustration made Rina's heart tighten.
Five Centimeters per Second was once again the featured highlight of this week's issue.
Although it was only a third-tier magazine title, to Rina, this manga, only three chapters in, was the most emotionally powerful thing she'd read all year.
Which was why she'd woken up before sunrise, obsessively counting down the minutes until the store opened.
"Alright… what happens this week? Will Takaki and Kanae finally have progress?"
That question had tortured her for an entire week.
She paid quickly, hurried home, tore open the plastic seal, and flipped open the issue.
The first page was an announcement:
"High-Scoring Romance – Final Chapter Next Week."
"It's finally ending, huh." Rina scoffed.
It should've ended three months ago; the last few chapters had been padded fluff, dragging the story on for an extra volume's worth of material.
Good for profits, terrible for storytelling.
Skipping past event promotions and signing schedules, she flipped to the table of contents and went straight to:
Five Centimeters per Second- Chapter 4
The very first panel stunned her.
Takaki was staring at an old monochrome mobile phone, typing something…
Then deleting it.
Then typing again.
Then deleting again.
Then closing the message entirely without saving.
"Since when did writing unsent messages become a habit?"
As soon as the narration appeared, Rina felt her chest sink.
"So it's true. Takaki and Akari really did lose contact."
Six years ago, they kept in touch by letters that took weeks to arrive.
Now, with phones, they couldn't even manage a text.
The more beautiful Chapters 1 and 2 had been, the more this realization hurt.
'Shirogane, what are you doing to us?'
But the scene shifted.
By the ocean, under a bright sky, Kanae carried her surfboard toward the waves.
The wind was strong, the sea rough, but today, she managed to ride a wave perfectly.
And with that confidence, she made up her mind:
"I'm going to confess to Takaki. If I can't do it after riding a wave today, I'll never have the courage again."
Rina sat up straight.
"Finally, some classic romance energy."
Yes, Takaki and Akari's story was tragic. But if they'd truly lost contact, then Takaki should look forward.
Separated for six years? Even adults can't maintain that, much less middle schoolers.
If the manga pivoted toward Takaki × Kanae…
Rina actually thought that could be beautiful too.
Her anticipation skyrocketed.
She felt like she was Kanae, heart pounding, hopeful, terrified.
After school, Kanae waited at their usual time, pretending that she "coincidentally" was heading home too.
They bought drinks together at the convenience store.
She even chose the exact same flavor as Takaki.
Then she tugged gently on his sleeve.
Takaki turned, smiled softly.
"What's wrong?"
"N-no, it's nothing…"
'Go for it, girl! Be brave!'
Rina was sweating from nerves.
But then the bike broke down, forcing Kanae to leave it at the convenience store.
Takaki, being Takaki, parked his own bike too and offered to walk home with her.
"Good," Rina muttered.
"A real boy wouldn't ride off alone."
Though she still thought:
'Why not let her ride on his back seat?! Shirogane-sensei, give us something sweet!'
On the country road, Takaki walked ahead.
Kanae followed a few steps behind.
Takaki stared into the distant scenery.
Kanae stared only at him.
And gradually, Rina felt the sadness creeping in.
Takaki's gentleness wasn't directed to Kanae.
It was simply who he was.
And Kanae knew it.
She had always known.
Which was why she had never dared confess.
And now, seeing him again, gentle, distant, unreachable, her courage shattered.
The tears came.
Takaki stopped when he heard her crying.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry. It's nothing, I'm sorry…"
But the narration whispered her true heart:
"Please, don't be gentle with me anymore."
Just that one sentence shattered Rina.
It wasn't failed confessions that hurt the most. It was the knowledge that the confession would never succeed, and yet the heart couldn't stop loving.
A fragile, impossible, quiet love.
At that moment, in the distant background of the manga, dozens of kilometers away from the rural town where Takaki and Akari once lived, a thin trail of white smoke pierced the clouds from a satellite launch base.
A breathtaking two-page spread appeared in front of Rina's eyes:
A towering launch rocket, drawn with such stark beauty that the still image seemed to tremble with life.
The tail flame split the sky open like a wound, dividing the world into two halves.
The satellite ascended, beginning its lonely voyage beyond Earth.
Just like Takaki's life, Just like Akari drifting away, Just like Kanae loving alone.
On the page, Takaki and Kanae both looked up in silence at the rocket's rising arc.
Neither of them said a word. Neither of them knew what they were thinking anymore.
Rina swallowed and turned the page.
The scene split:
Kanae walking home alone, her bike left behind at the store. Takaki continuing down his empty road.
The sadness seemed to seep out from the panels.
Then the narration reappeared, Kanae's voice trembling in her own thoughts:
"I finally understand, Takaki doesn't see me."
"That's why I didn't say anything."
"Even though he's so gentle, his eyes have always been looking at something far, far behind me."
Another page turn.
Kanae asleep, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
Her last inner monologue drifted across the page like a whisper:
"My feelings for him will never reach him, and yet, tomorrow, the day after, and forever. I know I'll still love him."
Rina's fingers trembled.
She turned the page.
Only one line waited for her:
"Five Centimeters per Second - The "Cosmonaut. END."
Her eyes instantly burned red.
A tissue did little to stop the tears.
"Why… Shirogane… why?!" Rina choked out loud.
Takaki and Akari had already been torn apart by distance, lost contact completely. So why wouldn't Shirogane let Takaki and Kanae be together?
Why make Kanae, this bright, hardworking girl, so heartbreakingly gentle, and so utterly rejected?
The chapter was simple in structure:
A story from Kanae's perspective, a quiet portrait of Takaki's drifting heart, a brutal confirmation that Akari was still the only one he ever saw.
Kanae wasn't the heroine.
She wasn't even allowed to be a rival.
She was just a passerby.
A shining moment in Takaki's life, never to be held, never to be chosen.
And that's exactly why readers felt their hearts crack open.
Long-distance heartbreak resonates with many.
But unrequited love? That resonates with almost everyone.
Most people's first love begins as a secret crush.
Most never confess. Most never get chosen.
Kanae was courage itself, yet even courage was useless.
Rina wiped her eyes harshly.
This was the first manga in years that had made her cry like this. She thought she'd grown numb after reading so many stories.
But Shirogane's work, It cut deep.
Her chest filled with anger and admiration at the same time.
"Shirogane, you absolute monster."
She opened her laptop, entered the official Sakura-iro Weekly forum, and saw the entire page exploding with posts.
Not attacking the story.
Attacking the author.
SnowDrop_92: Shriogane, what is wrong with your head? Why do you make Kanae's secret crush so sorrowful?!
MintTeaFox: Why didn't you let Takaki accept her? He clearly isn't in contact with Akari anymore!
RedStringRacer: Shriogane, you did this ON PURPOSE. I swear you're enjoying our pain.
TearfulOtaku: I cried watching this chapter. My face is ruined now.
BlueUmbrella: Poor Kanae, this girl didn't deserve this at all.
PetalSketch: The plot in this fourth chapter is actually god-tier.
CraneFeather: They're about to graduate high school, so what will Chapter 5 even DO?!
FatedWhisper: I can't take it, this chapter destroyed me. It reminded me exactly of the girl I never confessed to.
CherryFragment: This chapter hurts more than heartbreak. Like… WHY, Shriogane?!
InklessHeart: I refuse to believe a sane person drew this.
SunshowerDreams: Stop attacking Teacher Shriogane! The ending hasn't come yet, if Takaki and Akari are meant to reunite, he absolutely cannot accept Kanae!
LogicLoki: Anyone expecting a 'study-hard-get-into-same-university-and-date' storyline, please go to sleep. Shriogane clearly doesn't plan to go that route.
BubbleSoda: Is this really a romance manga?? Why isn't it sweet even ONCE?
HaruGlass: Teacher Shriogane, I beg you, please make Chapter 5 even a little bit sweeter. I can't take this emotional torture anymore.
LonelyMeteor: Shriogane, if you're on the forum right now… send me your address, I want to mail you some local specialties. (This is not a threat. Or is it?)
The official forum was overflowing with chaotic discussion threads.
Originally, the flagship title of Sakura-iro Weekly should have been High-Scoring Romance, which was already announced to conclude next week.
A manga that had dominated the magazine's rankings for over two years was now reaching its finale.
Naturally, you'd expect readers to be talking more about Lament.
But when you opened the official forum, almost all posts were about Five Centimeters per Second instead.
Even readers who usually only lurked without posting had joined the wave of complaints.
Of course, despite all the complaints, the voting numbers hadn't gone down at all.
The fans were angry at the author, not the work.
...
The next morning, when Rei arrived in the classroom, he immediately heard the four members of the back-row, Nia, Kaori, Yui, and Hana, arguing loudly, each having a different opinion about the plot of Five Centimeters per Second.
Rei had seen countless debates like this on the internet in his previous life, so he quickly avoided them to stay out of trouble.
He slumped over his desk, pretending to sleep while secretly eavesdropping.
Sure enough, they were complaining that the author Shirogane was too cruel, and that the characters' endings were far too sad.
Rei sighed inwardly.
'They're already like this after only the fourth chapter…'
'What would happen next week, when the fifth chapter, also the final one, was released?'
Would those four still have the energy to keep arguing?
Meanwhile, at Hoshimori Group HQ
Early in the morning, Misaki sat nervously, waiting for the compiled votes.
Last week, Five Centimeters per Second had placed third.
What about this week?
The activity in Sakura-iro Weekly's official forum made one thing clear: Five Centimeters per Second had already become the most talked-about series in the magazine.
However, Lament and High-Scoring Romance had accumulated huge fanbases over their long runs, and even near the end of serialization they still received unwavering support.
So, even if Five Centimeters per Second now had the most heated discussions, Misaki still wasn't confident about its rank.All she could do was wait for the official statistics released at 9:00 AM.
9:00 AM
Misaki took a deep breath and checked the data.
1st place: High-Scoring Romance - 4536 votes
2nd place: Five Centimeters per Second - 4480 votes
3rd place: Lament - 3768 votes
Second place?
It actually surpassed her sister Miyu's Lament.
Misaki felt a small ache in her heart.
'She's going to be disappointed…'
She gave herself a few seconds to feel sorry for her sister.
Then, the disappointment shifted to herself, Five Centimeters per Second still hadn't reached the top.
People are always torn between joy and regret.
But then she noticed the difference between first and second place.
4536 vs. 4480.
Less than 100 votes apart?
And both titles had exceeded 4,000 votes.
Considering that Sakura-iro Weekly sells over 800,000 copies per week, the number of readers who actually go online to vote is surprisingly small, most simply read the chapter and move on without doing anything else.
If High-Scoring Romance's near-finale had pushed long-time fans to vote…
Then Five Centimeters per Second had earned its votes purely because the story pierced the hearts of the readers. Even if they scolded Shirogane for making such a heartbreaking plot, they still cast their votes for the work that moved them.
Thinking about this, Misaki felt her heart tighten slightly.
At that moment, the other editors had also received the voting results.
Several of them exhaled in regret.
"What a shame. Next week is the final chapter of High-Scoring Romance. No matter how much readers have been complaining lately, its popularity is still undeniable.
Once the finale drops, all those longtime fans are definitely going to vote."
"Five Centimeters per Second also ends next week, but with the current momentum, it just doesn't have the nostalgic fanbase to surpass High-Scoring Romance.
Otherwise, it could've broken Sakura-iro Weekly's record for the fastest rise to first place."
"Besides, it's only five chapters long. If the serialization were longer, it could've gathered way more fans than this."
"Four weeks in, and it has already climbed to fourth place in the magazine rankings, that's abnormal enough. Seriously, who is this 'Shirogane'?"
"Whoever he is, he might become a big name in the Japanese manga world someday. But his debut work? Its achievements probably end here."
'Not necessarily.'
Misaki frowned slightly as she listened.
The manga's first four chapters had already produced these kinds of numbers…
But what impressed her most was the fifth chapter.
No one could predict what kind of emotional shock next week's final chapter would trigger among readers.
Would fans explode in rage after reading it? Would they complain even louder than this week, then refuse to vote out of anger, causing the ranking to plunge?
Or…
Would it be like this week, where Shirogane received even harsher criticism, but the vote count surged even higher?
Misaki exhaled slowly.
'Maybe Five Centimeters per Second will ride the wave created by High-Scoring Romance's finale, and next week it might even surpass it.'