"Se's here?"
"She's here!"
"Congratulations, Misaki."
"Why? The ranking results aren't out yet, what's there to congratulate?"
In the office, the expressions of a group of editors subtly changed when they saw Misaki.
While Rei was troubled about how to appease the fans' anger after Sai's disappearance in Hikaru no Go, these editors had spent the entire night researching the online reputation of Hikaru no Go.
Don't let the fact that these Hikaru no Go fans had quite a bit of controversy over this week's updated plot of Hikaru no Go fool you; would this really affect their voting for Hikaru no Go?
Those who cursed the loudest were often die-hard Hikaru no Go fans, and when it came time to vote, they would never let their feelings for Shirogane affect their love for the manga.
Last week, Source War Chronicle was almost surpassed by Hikaru no Go, not to mention this week... the controversial nature of Hikaru no Go's plot was even greater.
Misaki arrived at her workstation, calmly organizing documents and work, but as time passed, her gaze increasingly focused on her computer's email inbox.
And it wasn't just her; many editors were also repeatedly refreshing their inboxes.
When the time finally reached 9:30 AM, a new email appeared in her inbox.
Misaki's expression became serious and focused.
Her heart began to pound.
Her fingers repeatedly tried to control the mouse to click the email but kept trembling.
Misaki took a breath, and only when her breathing became steady did she decisively open the email.
A line of information appeared before her eyes.
1, Hikaru no Go, Total Votes: 968,546 votes.
2, Source War Chronicle, Total Votes: 925,364 votes.
3, The Wanderer, Total Votes: 712,345 votes.
She could see the information for all three works at a glance, but Misaki was not interested in looking at other works right now.
Her gaze was fixed only on the text in the first line of the document.
Hikaru no Go, 1st place.
It had reached the summit...
In Misaki's mind, the taut string snapped.
She sat in her chair, gasping for air.
"First place!"
Misaki looked up, only to see that most of her colleagues in the entire editorial department were looking at her.
"Congratulations, Misaki!"
"Congratulations, Misaki, on Hikaru no Go reaching the top."
"960,000 votes, that's incredible!"
"Hikaru no Go fans are too loyal."
"I didn't expect Source War Chronicle to lose to Hikaru no Go."
"A Go manga actually topped the Dream Comic Journal! It feels like a dream."
"Hikaru no Go, Shirogane... The world of Japan comics is going to be interesting from now on."
The voices of those around her, some happy, some bitter, some dejected, came to her.
Misaki didn't really hear any of it.
She was stunned for a moment before she reacted.
Oh, it reached the summit!
At noon, Misaki called Rei, who was still at school, to tell him the news.
"Is that so? I understand."
Rei, who was on the phone on the rooftop, said as he looked at the long line of Hikaru no Go fans at the school gate.
Then, not long after, he hung up the phone, and only then did a surge of joy well up in his heart.
It reached the summit...
A year of effort finally brought Hikaru no Go to the top.
And immediately following that, official statements were issued by the Hoshimori Group.
In this issue's popularity poll ranking for Hikaru no Go, Hikaru no Go took first place with 960,000 votes, leading all opponents.
After this news spread, Hikaru no Go fans began to furiously engage in online battles with Source War Chronicle fans.
"This week, do you understand? Who is the boss~"
"Those who said Hikaru no Go could never surpass Source War Chronicle, come out. Didn't you say you'd eat your words if it did? Don't go back on your promise."
"I love watching Source War Chronicle fans get triggered, the more I watch, the more I want to laugh."
"Why are you hiding? Weren't Source War Chronicle fans shouting all sorts of things last week? Why are you all as quiet as if you're in a library today!"
"Hehe, it's only been at the top for one week, consider it a comfort for you Hikaru no Go fans. Source War Chronicle has firmly held the top spot for nearly forty months, just wait, next week Source War Chronicle will surpass it again."
"Haha, source war chronicle fans really make me laugh. No matter if source war chronicle returns to first place next week, the week after, or someday in the future? But at least today, right now, source war chronicle fans have to bow their heads when they see us Hikaru no Go fans."
Source war chronicle and Hikaru no Go fans fiercely debated on the journal, quickly spreading the news of Hikaru no Go's ascent to the top of the popularity rankings.
Numerous media outlets began reporting on Hikaru no Go's summit-reaching feat.
"Hikaru no Go Reaches the Top, Breaking the Record for the Youngest Age to Top the Six Major Comic Journals!
"Hikaru no Go Surpasses source war chronicle, Officially Becoming the Flagship Manga of Dream Comic.
"Hoshimori Group's Official Website Collectively Displays Hikaru no Go Manga Manuscripts and Poster Information! Extensively Reporting on Hikaru no Go's Ascent to the Top.
"The Latest Chapter of Hikaru no Go Causes Great Controversy Among Fans, But Also Has a Large Number of Fans Unconditionally Supporting the Hikaru no Go Manga!
"Can the Rise of the Genius Manga Artist Shirogane Be Replicated? Is It Possible for Hoshimori Group's Second Genius, Manga Artist Saki, to Become the Second Shirogane?
"Shirogane's Hikaru no Go Manga's Immense Popularity Has Led to a Rapid Increase in the IP Value of His Previous Works, Five Centimeters per Second and Tonight. It Is Rumored That Live-Action Film Production Companies Are Already in Talks with Hoshimori Group to Adapt Both Tonight and Five Centimeters per Second into Films.
Despite the Controversial Plot, Hikaru no Go's Ranking Reaches a New High. However, Hikaru no Go's First Place Might Stop Here; Once the Manga Removes the Popular Character Sai, This Manga Will Completely Lose Its "Soul."
A large volume of reports flooded the homepages of major manga websites.
A group of media outlets fanatically reported on the relevant information.
Originally, the alternation of old and new kings on a single comic journal, something that every one of the six major journals had experienced, would not cause too much of a stir.
But this time, the creator of the top-ranked manga was Rei.
When an excellent work is tied to the setting of a seventeen-year-old genius manga artist, it naturally generates immense buzz and attention, easily breaking out of the niche.
Then came the classic segment.
External media first praised, then criticized.
Was Hikaru no Go's climb to the top a miracle or the result of hard work?
Since it has already reached first place, for a manga, it can only go downhill from there.
What about Hikaru no Go?
A group of malicious media and anti-fans began spreading rumors online that Hikaru no Go's first place was likely just luck, and after the next week's serialization of Hikaru no Go's plot, perhaps everyone would see a scene of Hikaru no Go's ranking plummeting.
Of course, below these comments, there were more online flame wars between Hikaru no Go fans and them.
Rei had no interest in pondering the overwhelming online opinions.
He was currently cooperating with the Hoshimori Group in the development of various derivative products of his work, signing contract drafts.
Especially among the numerous fake news circulating online, there were indeed some who knew insider information.
Due to the surge in Hikaru no Go's popularity, Shirogane also became one of Japan's renowned manga artists.
Shirogane's previous acclaimed manga, Five Centimeters per Second and Tonight, also saw a surge in single-volume sales.
Many Hikaru no Go drama and anime fans, after finishing the manga, unconsciously turned their attention to Shirogane's past works.
It was not surprising that Five Centimeters per Second and Tonight were targeted by capital for live-action film adaptations.
The two works were not famous before because Shirogane was not famous.
Once Shirogane became famous, the manga's attention would be completely different.
Time passed.
Another week went by…
Wednesday, the day Hikaru no Go fans had been waiting for all week, arrived again!
...
Read 50+ chapters ahead @[email protected]/Ashnoir