The question on everyone's mind was simple.
Exactly how well did the finale perform? Even before the official statistical reports were finalized, the editors were already huddled in the office, locked in a heated debate.
"Do you think it's possible? Could it actually topple Winter Lake?"
"Doubtful."
"In the previous issue, Anohana was second, but it was still trailing by a five-thousand-vote margin. It's only been a few days. Even if the book is on a rocket ship, you don't close a gap like that overnight. Relax."
"I wouldn't be so sure. I've been watching the Shiori Takahashi fandom; they're fanatical."
"They've been swarming every group and forum, pleading with the 'silent' readers, the ones who never bother to vote, to finally log in. Their argument is that if the numbers are high enough, Shiori Takahashi might write a sequel. I saw dozens of threads last night from people saying it was the first time in their lives they'd ever bothered to navigate the official site just to cast a vote. If that silent majority has truly been mobilized, the data for this issue is going to be insane."
"The real readership is the silent majority. When even they find the story so moving that they'll endure the hassle of the voting system to promote it, you know you have something special. Even if it doesn't beat Winter Lake in the magazine rankings this week, I'm willing to bet the tankōbon sales are going to be legendary."
At the mention of tankōbon sales, the room fell silent.
It was undeniable.
The level of public engagement during Anohana's run had far surpassed that of Blue Spring Ride. Part of that was the platform, moving from the niche Fleeting Blossoms to the flagship Crimson Maple provided a much larger stage. But a bigger part was the quality. From the first chapter to the finale, Anohana was simply a more profound work.
The early "slow-burn" was no longer a flaw; it was a stroke of genius. If the ending had flopped, the beginning would have been called "filler" or "aimless."
But because the ending hit so hard and sparked such massive discussion, the early chapters were now being hailed as masterful foreshadowing and expert pacing. In the light novel industry, success is a result-oriented business.
"Tell me," one editor mused, his voice low. "If Anohana actually secures the number one spot in Crimson Maple... what happens to Shiori Takahashi?"
The others immediately understood the weight of the question.
Shiori Takahashi was a sixteen-year-old high school student at Minamijo Third High. He had debuted at the top of a sub-magazine, and his first book was already averaging over five hundred thousand copies per volume.
If his second book could conquer the flagship magazine as well... would he really stay at a regional publisher like Crimson Maple?
Crimson Maple Literature was a powerhouse in the Minamijo region, but it was still a "local king." With a track record like his, every major publishing giant in Tokyo or Osaka would be falling over themselves to sign him.
The editors pushed the thought aside.
That was a problem for the higher-ups to worry about.
Besides, a part of them knew that if a monster like Shiori Takahashi left, it might actually be better for their own authors. As long as he was here, the company's best resources would inevitably be funneled toward him.
At nine-thirty on Monday morning, the official data for the Sunday issue was released.
Anohana Reader Votes: 39,169 (Rank: 1)
Rating: 9.5 (Rank: 1)
Winter Lake Reader Votes: 11,339 (Rank: 2)
Rating: 9.0 (Rank: 3)
Star Sea Reader Votes: 8,963 (Rank: 3)
Rating: 9.0 (Rank: 2)
She's a Bit Strange Reader Votes: 8,185 (Rank: 4) Rating: 9.0 (Rank: 4)
The department stared at the report in a collective, stunned silence.
Thirty-nine thousand votes? What kind of monster was this?
And a quality rating of 9.5? Just how many fans had stayed up all night to revise their old scores? To move an average score that much with over a hundred thousand total participants required a staggering number of people to manually change their minds.
It is hard enough to convince a reader to vote for you. It is ten times harder to get them to admit they were wrong and upgrade a low score to a high one. But the computer didn't lie.
From the reigning champion Winter Lake all the way down to the last-place, every single series had seen its vote count crater. It was obvious where those votes had gone. This issue's Anohana was an absolute vacuum, sucking the support away from every other work as fans "betrayed" their usual favorites to pay tribute to Menma.
Winter Lake was the hardest hit.
Before Anohana's rise, it had consistently pulled twenty-three thousand votes. This week, it was down to eleven thousand. It had been effectively halved by the rookie's finale.
Throughout the morning at Minamijo Third High, Haruto could hear his classmates buzzing about the ending. The girls in his class, several of whom were now hardcore fans, were red-eyed as they discussed the plot. Even the school's notorious otaku were slumped over their desks, sighing as they stared at the cover of Crimson Maple.
Seeing Menma's radiant smile on the front of the magazine seemed to be making it impossible for them to move on. By noon, both Haruto and Reina Fujimoto received their private data.
Reina sat by the classroom window after her call, staring at the drifting clouds in a trance-like state.
Haruto, meanwhile, remained silent for a long time after hearing the numbers from Yukino. He had expected to hit the top spot, but seeing it actually happen, and with that kind of margin, was still a shock.
"By the way, the publisher is going to rush the tankōbon release for this one," Yukino told him, her voice brimming with professional pride.
"Based on the reaction to the finale, I think your performance in the retail market is going to be even more surprising."
"But keep in mind, we're mostly talking about the Minamijo region," she added.
"Our reach in other provinces is limited. However, if the word-of-mouth stays this strong, the national sales might take off on their own."
"I understand," Haruto replied with a smile. "Man proposes, God disposes. I'm just a newcomer; I can't expect to conquer the whole country yet. It's been over a week since we last met. When should we get together to celebrate? As the people directly responsible for this book, we have to toast to hitting number one."
"Of course," Yukino laughed softly on the other end.
Meanwhile, that afternoon, the department for external cooperation at Crimson Maple Literature received two interesting phone calls. Both were from production companies interested in discussing an anime adaptation for Anohana.
In the ACG industry, data travels fast.
The magazine's internal rankings weren't a secret for long, and by the end of the first day, key industry players already knew about the historic surge. Between the market reaction and the raw data, it was clear: the serialization in Crimson Maple might have ended, but for the work itself, this was just the beginning of its journey across the landscape of entertainment.
_______________________
Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Support me at patreon.com/CulturedOne and read 50 Advanced Chapters