"Oh, Rei."
Miyu quietly closed the rooftop door behind her and waved with a soft smile.
The noon wind on the school rooftop was harsh. The sky was overcast, heavy with incoming rain.
The gusts whipped Miyu's long, black hair around her slender waist, making it dance wildly.
Her expression was gentle, but her eyes carried a complicated shade of emotion.
"Congratulations. Five Centimeters per Second took the #1 spot in Sakura-iro Weekly."
If it were simply that Rei's manga reached first place, she might have felt only a small pang.
But the manner of victory, a crushing seven-thousand-vote lead, weighed heavily on her chest.
Whether it was High-Scoring Romance or her own Lament, neither stood a chance once Chapter 5 of Rei's manga dropped.
She wasn't jealous.
She wasn't resentful.
But something unsettling had bloomed in her heart: doubt.
Miyu had always believed she was exceptionally talented, a born manga artist, and she aimed to stand among the legends, just like her mother once had.
But now, here, in a plain high school, was someone even more monstrously talented.
If there were ten, twenty, or even more like Rei in this country...could she really compete?
Ordinary people don't react much when they see a genius. But when a genius meets someone greater than themselves, they lose their footing.
The gap was unfair from the start.
Rei seemed to sense her discouragement. He smiled lightly.
"You're amazing too. Honestly, if High-Scoring Romance hadn't received all that final-chapter promotion, it wouldn't have beaten Lament these past two weeks."
"Of course I know that," Miyu said with a small smile.
But, even if the editorial department had showered Lament with that promotion, it still wouldn't have matched the storm caused by Five Centimeters per Second, would it?
"You're incredible, Rei. In just five weeks, you achieved what took me three years. I'm starting to wonder, just how many manga artists in this country are like you?"
Rei chuckled softly.
"There won't be a second."
He said it with mild amusement, but also a trace of genuine sentiment.
He wasn't here to steal dreams. He didn't want to crush people.
He only brought stories from another world because he loved them.
"In this country's manga industry, there's only one person with talent like mine."
Then he added, half joking, half not:
"Losing to me isn't unfair. Because in the next few years, every manga artist will lose to me, just like you did."
Miyu froze, stunned.
It took several seconds before she laughed.
"You mean, you want to become the number one manga artist of this era?"
"Yes," Rei said simply. "Exactly."
She stared into his eyes, trying to see if he was joking.
He wasn't.
The seriousness in his expression dissolved the lingering fog of doubt in her chest.
Why was she even hesitating? Why was she doubting herself after just one loss?
Rei wanted to become the best manga artist in the Country. And she was moping because she stumbled once?
It was embarrassing.
Shameful even.
Miyu inhaled deeply, regaining her spirit.
She didn't say anything cheap like "I'll beat you next time."
She didn't pretend she wasn't shaken.
She just accepted reality, she lost this time.
And next time, she would take it back.
The fire in her eyes made Rei realize her mindset had fully recovered.
"Speaking of which," Miyu said softly, stepping toward the railing, watching the thick clouds roll across the sky,"with the quality of Five Centimeters per Second, I wonder what kind of numbers the tankōbon will hit?"
"What about Lament?
How are its tankōbon sales?"
"Seven volumes so far. Average of 400,000 per volume," Miyu replied immediately.
Four hundred thousand…
Rei's eyes narrowed slightly.
In his previous world, a manga averaging one million per volume meant you were top-tier.
Several hundred thousand, you were a hit author.
But here?
400,000 was only considered third-tier.
Even so…
"Then aren't you basically a millionaire already?" Rei said with a half-teasing envy.
He wasn't jealous of the money.
But as someone who failed to make a living from manga in his last life, seeing someone earn that much doing what he loved stung in a bittersweet way.
It was like people had no problem with distant millionaires, but watching someone next to them suddenly strike gold made his blood pressure spike.
Seven volumes. Average 400,000 copies each.
Total tankōbon circulation: 2.8 million.
At 13 yen per copy, with standard 6% royalties, plus manuscript fees.
Even after tax, Miyu earned nearly two million yen.
"Honestly, I'd be rich even if I never drew manga again!" Miyu burst into laughter at Rei's expression.
"My mother was a top-class manga artist in her time. Her mangas sold tens of millions of copies. Her works were adapted into TV dramas, anime, movies, novels, even games.
Plus she was a master investor… so she left my sister and me a huge inheritance."
She smiled like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Otherwise, where do you think the mansion we live in came from?Or how can my sister stay in a dead-end manga editor job purely as a hobby?
Her salary isn't even enough for her cosmetics and cosplay."
Rei's face froze.
Damn capitalists. Damn rich people.
Now he was truly jealous. Envious. And resentful.
Seeing his expression, Miyu laughed even harder.
"You were so confident just now about becoming the number one manga artist! If you really reach the top, you'll surpass my mother by ten, no, dozens of times!"
"Just watch me," Rei said after a quiet pause.
The rooftop wind howled past them, carrying his voice and Miyu's laughter into the cloudy sky.
...
The final week of Rei's first year of high school came to an end.
Two days after exams, results were released.
Rei Kirishima, with the foundation of a former science student from a top university, combined with two months of refreshing his knowledge in this world, took first place in his entire class.
Not only that, he squeezed into the top thirty of the entire grade.
His homeroom teacher stared at the ranking sheet in disbelief.
And the class group chat instantly exploded.
"How is this possible?"
"This kind of miracle only happens in third year!"
"Is he possessed?"
"What kind of monster improvement curve is this?!"
Teachers had seen countless students over the years.
Some people suddenly awakened in their final year.
Some quit games and transformed. Some always had hidden talent that bloomed late.
But someone who awakened like this, in the first year of high school?
Absolutely unheard of.
But Rei had no chance to face their curious stares.
As soon as summer vacation started, Rei immediately disappeared from view.
At home, he plunged fully into drawing his new manga
Preparing for the release of the Five Centimeters per Second tankōbon
...
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