In just two short days, fueled by the masterful production of the Anohana finale and the emotional weight of its ending theme, fans of the series had come out of the woodwork. They were everywhere, aggressively promoting and recommending the work to anyone who would listen.
Across bookstores in Japan, a sudden wave of readers appeared, all asking the same question,
"Do you have the Anohana light novel in stock?"
Naturally, this surge in demand was fed back to the Crimson Maple Literature headquarters in Minamijo. The printing plants that maintained a partnership with the publisher received massive orders for both the novels and the magazines. They were now working through the night, running the presses at full capacity.
Meanwhile, the Panda Music account Haruto had opened under the name "Shiori Takahashi" was easily discovered by the anime community. Since Haruto held the rights to Secret Base: What You Gave Me, his was the only account authorized to host the track.
Through the copyright verification of the song, the audience realized that this was no coincidence or a fan account with a similar name. This was the authentic "Shiori Takahashi," the high school author from Minamijo himself.
Within forty-eight hours, the song was unearthed by fans and shared across every major anime forum. The paid downloads surpassed two million in just two days, while the streaming play count hit five million.
Of course, the hundreds of thousands of yen in royalty income weren't Haruto's primary concern. The most significant factor was that this account hosted two distinct tracks. One was the Anohana ending theme, Secret Base. The other was the theme for To the Moon, titled For River.
Many people who came for Secret Base naturally noticed For River as well. Furthermore, Haruto had written a grand introduction for the track, explicitly mentioning the Ascent of New Gods magazine and the novel To the Moon.
As a result, as the anime and the ending theme went viral, several pieces of information became bundled together and began to circulate throughout the ACG community.
The original creator of Anohana, Shiori Takahashi.
Shiori Takahashi's new novel, To the Moon.
The novel's theme song, For River.
The fact that both songs shared the same composers: Shiori Takahashi and Airi.
Airi's own new novel, Fate of the Rainbow.
The message was clear.
"If we can't buy the Anohana volumes right now, we can at least check out Shiori Takahashi's new series, To the Moon!"
The circulation of the Ascent of New Gods magazine was nearly four million copies per issue. Even if the earlier issues were sold out, it was incredibly easy to borrow them from friends or find them in secondhand shops.
In the days following the anime finale, the influence of Anohana began to radiate toward To the Moon. The authors of the other forty-nine stories in the magazine watched the development with their jaws on the floor. Within days, nearly a third of all discussion threads on the official Ascent of New Gods forum were dedicated to To the Moon and Anohana.
Thanks to the revealed connection between Airi and Shiori, mentions of Fate of the Rainbow also doubled compared to the previous week.
---
At Yukino's apartment...
"Haruto, did you plan this from the start? Was all of this within your calculations?"
Reina looked completely dazed. She glanced back and forth between the forum discussions on the computer screen and Haruto, her voice filled with uncertainty.
"I'm not a god," Haruto replied with a chuckle. "I can't predict everything."
"However," he continued, "I did expect the popularity of Anohana to surge after the finale. It was also predictable that the ending theme would become a hit. But I couldn't be sure how many listeners would notice the second song on the account and help spread the word about To the Moon. After all, just because people love the anime doesn't mean they'll automatically care about my new book."
"Isn't the current situation great, though?" Yukino said, looking at Reina's hesitant expression. "Topics like 'From the creator of Anohana: Shiori Takahashi's new novel To the Moon' are trending everywhere. Fate of the Rainbow is benefiting from it too. Both of your works are definitely going to see a significant jump in votes in the eighth issue being released tomorrow."
"It's only because I'm riding the coattails of Haruto's success with Anohana," Reina said, shaking her head. "Even if Fate of the Rainbow gets more votes because people like the song we wrote together, that isn't a reflection of my own skill. If my rank rises because of that, it feels unfair to the authors I overtake."
"Don't take it so seriously," Haruto said, smiling at her. "The Ascent of New Gods competition isn't exactly a level playing field to begin with. Those six contestants from Tokyo and Osaka have the backing of the Big Seven publishers. They've been using that platform's popularity to stay in the top six from day one. Everyone in this ranking is using whatever means they have to win."
Reina considered his words. Realizing he had a point, she stopped dwelling on it.
"I originally thought the anime adaptation would just give the series a small boost," Yukino said, turning back to Haruto. "But seeing how the influence has exploded in just a few days after the finale... it's the biggest hit of the spring season. Haruto, I think your days of living a quiet, anonymous life are about to end."
"People are going to use every channel possible to find out who you really are. There are plenty of people at our publishing house who know your identity, and the same goes for KyoAni Studios."
"What are you getting at?" Haruto asked.
"I'm talking about your privacy! Of course, no one will leak your info without permission, but the top ten winners of the Ascent of New Gods competition are invited to Tokyo for an awards ceremony. It's hosted by the Big Seven committee and broadcast live on Tokyo TV4. Plus, the top ten series get a nationwide release handled by all seven publishers together. That's a completely different level than our regional Minamijo distribution. It covers all prefectures simultaneously."
Yukino emphasized every word. This was the heart of why authors fought so hard for those rankings.
"To the Moon hasn't dropped out of the top ten even during its slow start," Yukino continued. "With chapter eight coming out tomorrow and the massive 'Anohana effect' backing you up, the chances of you falling out of the top ten are practically zero. When you go to Tokyo to accept that award... your secret will be out."
Haruto fell silent for a moment, contemplating the reality of the situation. He had worked hard for these rankings precisely because of those rewards. For authors from smaller prefectures, the competition was a rare chance to be seen by the entire nation. It was a literal "stairway to heaven." But the price of that opportunity was exposure.
"I never intended to hide forever anyway," Haruto finally said. "By the time the ceremony happens, my high school career will be nearly over. I won't have to worry about being treated like a zoo exhibit in the hallways. If it comes out, it comes out. I don't have the energy to stress about it right now."
Haruto looked at the stack of Ascent of New Gods magazines on Yukino's table. Tomorrow was the release of the next issue.
---
Sunday, March 24th.
Very early in the morning, Natsumi was already waiting outside a bookstore near her home. She was determined to get a copy of the Ascent of New Gods magazine the moment the doors opened.
She was a twenty-four-year-old office worker and a striking beauty. While she mostly watched anime, she did read novels, though she typically stuck to completed volumes. After all, successful series always got a volume release, so she never worried about missing out.
However, after finishing the Anohana finale a few days ago, everything changed. She loved it so much that she tried to buy the books, only to find them sold out everywhere.
She eventually borrowed them from a friend and devoured them, but it still wasn't enough. Following the breadcrumbs of the author, Shiori Takahashi, she found the ongoing serialization of To the Moon.
After borrowing her friend's magazines to catch up, she was now completely obsessed. She had been fully won over by Shiori Takahashi's style and was now a devoted fan. While To the Moon was undeniably a slow burn, she enjoyed the meticulous setup and the way the clues were buried, knowing there would be an explosive payoff.
With the quality of Anohana as a precedent, Natsumi had absolute faith in the author. Even if To the Moon didn't reach the same heights, even a fraction of that emotional impact would make it worth the read.
Among the crowd outside the bookstore, many were discussing the latest developments in To the Moon and Cyberpunk: Sin Domain. When the doors opened at 9:00 AM sharp, Natsumi quickly secured a copy. She couldn't even wait to get home; she began reading chapter eight while walking back.
The plot picked up where the previous chapter left off. Neil and Eva activated the device to alter Johnny's memories, only to find that their intervention at the major crossroads of his life had failed. His path remained unchanged.
They used the scent of the rotting squirrel to navigate the mental blocks of his childhood, uncovering the tragedy of his brother Joey. Now, they were diving even deeper into his earliest years. Why was Johnny so obsessed with the moon? Without understanding the root of that desire, their superficial attempts to plant a new dream in his mind were useless.
Guided by the mental artifacts, the doctors arrived at a memory from roughly six months before the death of Johnny's brother. It was the night of a grand carnival. The entire town had gathered to celebrate under the bright moonlight. There were stalls for food, clothes, and fruit, as well as various games like whack-a-mole and claw machines.
Johnny and Joey were enjoying the festival with their mother. But when he grew tired, Johnny had slipped away to a secluded corner of the fair. He followed a flight of stairs and a mountain path toward the brightest point of the moonlight.
The stars were brilliant, and the summer breeze was warm. In the pale blue sky, the stars twinkled like diamonds around a clear, pale yellow moon. This description felt strangely familiar to Natsumi, as if it matched a detail she had read earlier in the book, though she couldn't quite place it.
At the top of the hill, there was a massive fallen log. Sitting there offered the best view of the moon in the entire town. But as Johnny sat there alone, enjoying the view, a young girl followed the path into the clearing.
It was River. A child-aged River.
Natsumi's eyes widened.
River? Didn't the previous chapters say they met for the first time in high school? Why were they meeting as children? And why didn't Johnny remember this? Then she remembered: six months after this night, Joey would die. Johnny would be drugged by his mother to erase the trauma, losing all his memories prior to that event. He had forgotten Joey, and naturally, he had forgotten this encounter with River.
The boy and girl began to speak.
"I'm Johnny. What's your name?"
"You're in my spot," the young River replied. Her expression was calm, her voice detached.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to hog it. Do you want to sit with me?" Johnny asked, making room on the log.
"Are you here to look at the stars?" River asked.
The boy and girl had their first encounter sitting on a fallen log, gazing up at the heavens together. Johnny, who felt lonely because his parents favored Joey, and River, who was isolated by her condition, found an unexpected connection. They talked about their names, the stars, and the sun. Time seemed to stop as they realized they had finally found someone they could talk to so freely.
"Have you ever tried to connect the stars?" River asked quietly. "To draw the shape of a rabbit?"
The moment those words appeared, Natsumi felt a jolt run through her.
'Connect the stars... to draw a rabbit?'
The rabbits. The rabbits from the earlier chapters.
'Was this the moment the mystery began to unravel?' Natsumi straightened her posture, realizing that this chapter was the turning point of the entire novel.
_______________________
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