As July arrived, the heat grew intense, and Rei's high school was about to enter exam season.
However, that tense atmosphere only existed in the elite classes.In an ordinary class like Rei's, everyone behaved the same as usual, with very few students feeling any pressure at all.
The back-row students still studied in class, played during breaks, and had never heard of "post-class revision" or "peer competition."
During this period, discussions about Five Centimeters per Second had become increasingly common on campus.
At the same time, the name Shirogane, the manga artist behind the series, began popping up more and more in conversations.
To put it plainly, even though Sakura-iro Weekly only sold a few hundred thousand copies per issue, that was purely because the magazine was distributed only in Tokyo and a few nearby prefectures.
Within its actual sales region, its popularity wasn't that far behind Japan's six major magazines.
Especially among female students, the enthusiasm for Five Centimeters per Second was explosive.
After all, the super-popular battle manga serialized in the Big Six magazines weren't their cup of tea.
They preferred romance, school life, mystery, and family drama, stories usually found in secondary or tertiary magazines.
And Five Centimeters per Second's storyline stood out in the entire market.
Heartbreaking, yet impossible to stop reading.
Every week, after finishing the new chapter, they would rush to the forums to vent about the author, but after complaining, after releasing their frustration, they still bought the next issue and continued reading anyway.
After only four weeks of serialization, countless fan groups for Five Centimeters per Second had already formed online.
Fan groups for Shirogane had also appeared spontaneously.
Every week, readers gathered on the official forum to show their support.
"Can't wait for next week's update!"
"Since high school is over, the next arc must be university! Akari and Takaki are definitely meeting again at university, right?"
"Kanae was such a good match for him. Since he let her slip away, the only possibility is a reunion with Akari!"
"Shirogane-sensei, please… please stop making it sad!"
"Kanae was a pity, but if the guy only has eyes for Akari, then what can we do?"
"This is real pure love! I don't get why people complained earlier. Do they want a protagonist who falls instantly for every new girl?"
"Exactly. People criticize Takaki for not moving on, but I'm honestly mad on behalf of Shirogane-sensei."
"But come on, he's not contacting Akari, yet still rejects Kanae?That's just the manga artist messing with us."
"It's only temporary! As long as neither of them are married, everything is fine!"
"This story clearly spans years of growth, middle school, high school, university, then society. I'm looking forward to their reunion arc and eventual marriage in the third storyline!"
"Marriage and kids? You're dreaming too big."
"I'm already excited.
How will they meet again after six years, once they're in university?"
"This is what a proper childhood sweetheart story should be!"
"But why are you all assuming Akari appears in the university arc?Isn't that too convenient?"
"Then how else is the manga supposed to progress? Akari has to show up soon!"
Miyu scrolled through the forum on her phone, watching wave after wave of fan discussions about Five Centimeters per Second, her expression complicated.
It had been three days, yet the discussions were still this explosive.
She had barely recovered from the shock of her own manga, Lament, being overtaken in ranking by Rei's work last week.
It wasn't that she was petty.
But she had always believed in her own talent, a manga prodigy who spent two to three years climbing to her current position.
And Rei…
Four weeks!
Four weeks of serialization, and he was already ranked higher than her.
'Is he even human?'
"No, no… calm down."
Miyu slapped both cheeks lightly.
"Don't get discouraged. Life is long. This is just one setback. Five Centimeters per Second only surpassed Lament last week, and its highest rank so far is second.
Lament reached first place. My highest ranking is still better."
When it came to self-comfort, Miyu was half a professional.
Miyu was absolutely unwilling to admit defeat. Her competitive spirit burned hotter than ever, and her desire to surpass him next time reached its peak.
But after all that fire and frustration, she still felt genuinely happy for Rei.
"Congratulations, Rei."
She would never say that to his face, that would be far too embarrassing. But whispering it quietly when no one was around, that was fine.
Saturday soon arrived.
On that day, Rei's first manuscript payment was deposited. He immediately used the money to buy the newest smartphone.
He was tired of relying on Miyu to pass messages to Misaki on his behalf. It made him feel awkward every single time.
Still, he would need to wait until Monday to ask both sisters for their phone numbers at school.
During the weekend, besides drawing manga at home, Rei spent a lot of time reading online comments about Five Centimeters per Second and Shirogane.
He was also studying trends in Japan's manga market, and with each passing hour, the tension inside him grew sharper.
After all, the final chapter of Five Centimeters per Second would be published in just a few days.
He could already imagine the online explosion of readers' heartbreak and resentment once it released.
Thinking about it made Rei feel a strange anticipation.
After all, the soul-crushing pain he experienced when reading this manga in his previous life. Now he would be the one delivering that pain to tens of thousands of readers in this world.
Suffering alone was miserable. But suffering together, created a twisted sense of pleasure.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
Once again, it was Wednesday, the release day of Sakura-iro Weekly.
This issue featured the finale of the long-running hit series, High-Scoring Romance.
The cover gave the series a full-color promotional page, and bookstores had updated their shelves with large banners advertising its conclusion.
Fans of High-Scoring Romance flocked to stores early to buy the new issue.
But one person did not come for that series.
Chinatsu Kirishima woke up early that morning and rushed straight to the bookstore.
Her goal was only one.
Five Centimeters per Second.
Normally, Sakura-iro Weekly would announce a series' conclusion one week early, giving readers time to prepare themselves emotionally.
But Five Centimeters per Second was a short work by design, and its ending was sudden. If readers knew ahead of time that this was the final chapter, the emotional impact would be weakened.
So Hoshimori Group intentionally gave no prior announcement.
Because of that, when Chinatsu hurried home with her freshly purchased issue, she opened the magazine with pure excitement, flipping through the pages until she found the serialization slot for Five Centimeters per Second.
And then;
A set of bold letters greeted her.
Her expression trembled.
Chapter Five - Five Centimeters per Second.
...
Stones PLzzz