The discussions about Five Centimeters per Second on the Sakura-iro Weekly official website rapidly intensified after the final chapter dropped in the early morning. Its popularity skyrocketed with unstoppable momentum.
Originally, the main highlight of this issue was supposed to be the finale of High-Scoring Romance.
Its last chapter was heavily advertised. This week's spotlight should have belonged entirely to it.
But, on the forum, hardly anyone mentioned High-Scoring Romance at all.
Instead, countless readers who had just finished Five Centimeters per Second rushed online to vent, scream, curse, praise, despair, and argue.
Meanwhile, inside the Sakura-iro Weekly editorial backend, the real shock came from the vote statistics:
The fan support votes for Five Centimeters per Second were rising far faster than any previous week, so fast that it completely suppressed High-Scoring Romance, last week's top-ranking title.
By noon, the faces of the editorial team members responsible for Sakura-iro Weekly at Hoshimori Group were frozen in disbelief.
Some had predicted the final chapter would cause an uproar.
But no one expected this level of uproar.
Even with an ending that was controversial at best, fans cursed while voting, complained while supporting, wept while slamming the "Support" button.
And somehow, this wave was strong enough to overshadow a final chapter that had been advertised a week in advance.
"Could it be, that Five Centimeters per Second will step over High Scoring Romance and take first place this week? During High-Scoring Romance's own finale?"
The room fell silent.
Misaki's expression shifted.
Her heart secretly wished, 'Yes. Let it happen. Let it surpass it.'
She glanced sideways at Jun. His expression was pitch-black. He had no rebuttal to the teasing comments from coworkers.
Only one thought echoed in his mind:
"Who exactly is Shirogane? Is she really a high schooler? Or is she the pen name of a veteran manga artist?"
At lunch break, many students rushed off campus to buy the newest manga magazines and light novels from the bookstore.
Among them were Rei's classmates, Yui and Hana.
They went to the same bookstore where they once bumped into Rei, then skillfully grabbed the latest issue of Sakura-iro Weekly.
"Let's go back. Nia and Kaori must be dying of impatience," Yui laughed.
"Mhm," Hana replied.
While most students were still eating in the cafeteria, the four girls returned to a quiet, empty classroom.
They gathered together, eyes sparkling with expectation, and opened the magazine.
Twenty Minutes Later
All four had red, swollen eyes. Their faces were blank with despair.
Classmates returning from lunch stopped dead in shock.
"Shirogane, who is she?"
Yui whispered, her voice hollow.
This ending had shattered her.
Seeing her friends suffering the same way gave her a tiny sense of comfort.
But then, a thought surfaced suddenly.
Hadn't Rei said something a few weeks ago? Something eerily similar?
"In a few weeks, you'll see the final fate of the protagonists."
Back then, Yui and her friends brushed it off as nonsense.
But now…
"Why… why could Rei predict that Five Centimeters per Second would reach this plot point in a few weeks?"
"You know… the manga never said anywhere that it was a short series."
Her heartbeat quickened.
Slowly, she turned toward Rei's desk.
Empty.
As always at lunch.
Rei disappeared every noon. No one knew where he went or what he did.
A chilling possibility rose in Yui's mind.
'Could it be…'
But the thought was too terrifying. She shook her head violently.
"No… impossible. That's ridiculous. That's completely impossible."
"Whether Shirogane is really that rumored high school manga artist or not, at the very least, it absolutely can't be Rei."
Miyu's ears twitched.
She could clearly hear the trembling voices of the two girls in her class who loved Sakura-iro Weekly:
"How could it end like this…?"
"What is Shirogane even thinking? How am I supposed to accept an ending like that!?"
"I swear, I'm never reading her works again."
"The tankōbon comes with the two unsent letters between Akari and Takaki."
Miyu's lips curved faintly.
Hearing her classmates completely lose themselves after reading Five Centimeters per Second, a quiet sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.
The despair I felt a month ago. now you all understand it too, right?
On the rooftop, Rei leaned on the railing and looked down at the playground.
The students far below looked as tiny as ants. The gusting wind pushed his hair back, his shirt clinging lightly to his body.
His expression sank into thought.
'I wonder how many students here were "moved" by the final chapter?'
'And now that Five Centimeters per Second had ended...'
'What comes next? When will I get my next serialization chance? And how many people will compete for it?'
...
Misaki woke early, preparing for another long day at the company.
Today, when she stepped into the editorial office, everyone was dead silent.
The previous night's explosion of popularity, the surge of commentary, the tidal wave of votes, It was all too shocking.
Now everyone was waiting for the final answer:
Between the final chapter of Five Centimeters per Second, and the final chapter of High-Scoring Romance, who would win first place?
The entire editorial team was restless.
Finally, 9:00 AM arrived.
An employee shouted:
"The results are out!"
Misaki took a deep breath. Her elegant face showed a hint of tension. She opened the results on her phone.
And the moment she saw the numbers, her entire body trembled slightly.
Popularity Poll Results
1. Five Centimeters per Second - 7356 votes
2. High-Scoring Romance - 5012 votes
3. Lament - 3912 votes
"First place…?"
Misaki's hand tightened, then slowly relaxed.
'So… this is the result.'
She remembered her very first meeting with Rei. The day he nervously handed her that simple manuscript.
Never ever did she imagine that this tiny five-chapter manga would one day take first place in Sakura-iro Weekly.
And not with a small margin.
Over 7000 votes.
Typically, even the top series barely exceeded 3000 votes.
But this time?
Five Centimeters per Second had more than doubled that.
Misaki found herself wondering...
'What will the first-week sales of the tankōbon look like when it releases in two weeks…?'
Excitement rose quietly in her chest.
Meanwhile, editor Jun looked like he had just swallowed poison.
High-Scoring Romance was serialized under his responsibility. He had planned carefully:
Final chapter hype, Promotional push, Banner ads, Store posters, Editorial spotlight.
Everything was lined up.
But now, all the attention, all the discussion, all the emotion, had been stolen completely by Five Centimeters per Second.
This manga was different, on a level he couldn't even predict.
If it was already performing like this during serialization…
Then when the tankōbon hit stores…
What about its sales? Its reviews? Public response?
Would it also produce something unbelievable, just like today's popularity poll?
...
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