For the casual readers who only followed the flagship magazines of the major publishers in the region, such as Crimson Maple or those who stuck to the massive national publications with distribution networks spanning all of Japan, the names "Shiori Takahashi" and "Airi" were still quite obscure.
It was much like how readers on a specific web novel portal rarely ventured over to see what was trending on a rival site. Among the hundreds of thousands of regular subscribers to Crimson Maple, a significant portion had no idea who these two newcomers were.
"Shiori Takahashi, Airi, and Red Dragon... are these three really the authors for the new serials in Crimson Maple? I know Red Dragon because I absolutely loved his novel The Shrine Maiden from two years ago. But who on earth are Airi and Shiori Takahashi?"
"You seriously haven't heard of them? They're the two genius high school authors who took the local scene by storm this year."
"Newbies? They just debuted this year and they're already getting serialized in Crimson Maple?"
"That's what makes them geniuses. They aren't like normal people. Both of their debut works performed exceptionally well, so it's only natural they'd have the credentials to compete for a spot in the main magazine's serialization meetings."
"Don't sleep on these two. Especially Shiori Takahashi. In my opinion, her previous work, Blue Spring Ride, only had the numbers it did because the marketing was weak. If you actually compare it to the stuff currently running in Crimson Maple, it's honestly better than half of them."
"Shiori Takahashi is a literal god. I figured she'd take at least a six-month break after finishing Blue Spring Ride, but I can't believe she's launching a new series just two months later."
"Last time, Shiori managed to hit number one in Fleeting Blossoms as a complete unknown. Do you guys think she can pull off the same miracle and top the rankings in Crimson Maple?"
"Don't overhype it. If her new series turns out to be a flop, you're going to look incredibly embarrassed."
"Look, I get that fans are obsessed with their favorite authors, but I did a little digging into this 'Shiori Takahashi' person. She has been an author for less than half a year. Thinking she can just stroll into Crimson Maple and dominate is laughable. She should worry about her new book getting canceled for low popularity before she starts dreaming of the top spot."
Once the official Crimson Maple Literature website announced the news of Haruto and Reina Fujimoto's upcoming serials, the word didn't just spread through the regional literary circles.
It also began to circulate within Haruto's school, Minamijo Third High School. While their specific identities were kept secret, high schoolers were naturally nosy about such things.
Fleeting Blossoms was one thing, but now both of them were appearing in Crimson Maple.
The prestige of Crimson Maple was significantly higher among the student body. For several days, the halls were buzzing with nonstop speculation.
As the actual subjects of the rumors, Haruto and Reina both kept their mouths shut in class. This was especially true for Reina. Having a novel in Crimson Maple meant she was no longer a minor player in the light novel industry.
If it came out that she was the author Airi, her fame would ensure the news spread across the entire campus before lunch. She wanted nothing more than to continue her path as a writer quietly and without distractions.
However, as June began and the results of the late May mock exams were posted, Reina found herself under the spotlight for a different reason. The girl who had consistently held the number one spot in every single subject for years had finally slipped. In biology, her rank had dropped to second place in the grade. Although her total score still kept her at the very top of the rankings, her failure to secure first place in biology was a shocking anomaly.
Had the untouchable goddess finally shown a weakness?
The student who had managed to beat her in biology was instantly branded a "god-slayer" by the more dramatic members of the student body.
For most of Reina's peers, the academic competition was really just a race for second place. They had long ago given up on challenging her for the top spot. One look at her cold, perfect face was usually enough to make the other students lose all hope of catching up.
"What is going on? Your biology grade actually dropped to second in the year..."
The moment Reina walked through the door at home, her mother confronted her.
The teacher had already posted the report cards in the parents' group chat, and the usually silent group was now alive with chatter about the results. It felt like a public blow to her mother's pride.
"It's nothing. I just wasn't good enough this time. I'll win it back during the next session," Reina replied softly, looking at her mother's agitated expression.
In reality, she had poured all of her mental energy into her new novel during that period. Biology was a subject that relied heavily on memorization, and since she hadn't put in the necessary hours, she had tripped up on a few minor details.
"You need to focus, Reina. You've never had this problem before. I hope you aren't letting some delinquent at school distract you from your studies," her mother lectured.
"You're overthinking it. It was just a normal exam and I wasn't feeling my best that day. The people around me are fine. No one is distracting me," Reina said calmly.
Back in her room, Reina glanced at her report card. Biology, Rank: 2. If this had happened in the past, she wouldn't have been able to sleep all night. But now, she felt nothing.
Compared to the frustration of coming in second on a test, the question of how to make her new novel Star Sea a success was ten times more important.
Time marched on toward the middle of June. As the release date for the new serialization at the end of the month drew closer, Haruto felt his stress levels rising every day.
Unlike Blue Spring Ride, the memories he had of the Anohana anime were only enough to cover about five chapters of the novel. If the memories didn't trigger again soon, he was going to run out of material very quickly.
One afternoon, Haruto arrived at the office to hand over the drafts for chapters four and five to Yukino. Even though the first chapter hadn't even been published yet, the editorial department needed to be far ahead of schedule to keep up with the printing demands. He ran into Reina there as well.
He hadn't seen her in a few weeks, and her pale, beautiful face looked slightly worn. There were faint dark circles under her eyes.
"What happened? Are you sick?" Haruto asked, noticing her state.
"It's nothing. I just haven't been sleeping much lately. I've been putting too much of myself into the novel," Reina said, her eyes never leaving her manuscript as she performed one final, focused check.
"I heard about your mock exams in May. Your biology grade dropped to second. Was that because of the book too?"
"Yes," she admitted without hesitation.
"You really are passionate about writing. To think you'd actually be willing to sacrifice your grades for it," Haruto said, pausing for a moment. "That number one spot was yours for two years. No one in the school could even touch you. Whether it was the total score or individual subjects, you never let anyone else win."
"A person only has so much strength. I'm just like you; I only have twenty-four hours in a day,"
Reina said, looking up at him. Her clear eyes were filled with a fierce, unwavering determination.
"I want to beat you with my new novel. At the same time, I have to maintain my school ranking and keep up with all my extracurricular classes. I'm not arrogant enough to think I can do it all perfectly. Until I surpass you, I'm willing to let everything else slide."
"You..."
Haruto, who generally had a laid-back and easygoing approach to life, felt a genuine stir in his heart witnessing her obsessive, almost demonic level of focus.
"Alright, alright, let's not let things get too tense between you two," Yukino interrupted, casually snacking on a fruit platter. Noticing the heavy atmosphere, she stepped in to play peacemaker.
"Did you bring the new drafts?"
Yukino took the manuscripts from both of them, but for once, she didn't check them immediately.
"What is it?" Haruto asked.
"Oh, did you two forget? I told you before that if you both managed to get serialized in Crimson Maple, I'd have a reward for you. Now that you've both pulled it off, I need to figure out how to make good on that promise." Yukino leaned back on the sofa, her long legs crossed, a playful smile dancing on her lips.
"A reward?" Haruto was curious. Reina also turned to listen.
"Actually, I haven't quite settled on the details yet. Besides, you two need to focus on your writing and your final exams at the end of June. Let's wait until your summer break starts in July. I'll have it all arranged by then," Yukino said, her eyes sparkling with some secret plan.
Haruto and Reina were intrigued, but they didn't press her. It would have felt rude to pester her for details when they were already getting so much support. The three of them spent the rest of the evening handling the routine business of the manuscript handover.
The days blurred past, and soon it was the end of June. After over a month of preparation, the moment finally arrived.
Crimson Maple, the highest-selling magazine in the publisher's lineup, released its June 25th issue featuring two brand-new serials.
Inside bookstores across the city of Minamijo, the magazine occupied the prime real estate.
Massive stacks of Crimson Maple were piled so high they towered over the customers.
On the cover of the magazine, two girls stood side-by-side. One was a lovely girl in a white dress with silver hair and a bright smile, Menma.
The other was a sharp-eyed girl in a school uniform with crimson hair and matching eyes, her expression cool and aloof. Following the magazine's tradition, the protagonists of the new series were given the center spot on the cover for promotion.
These were, of course, the heroines of Anohana and Star Sea. Today, their stories would finally meet the fans.
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