But when the host met Rei's calm, steady gaze, he wisely chose not to press further.
Who knew what shocking declaration Rei might make next?
"Next year, huh…If your new work wins the Annual Manga Award on this day next year, that would certainly be extraordinary!"
"Alright, that concludes our interview with Shirogane-sensei."
After a few polite closing remarks, the host escorted Rei off stage.
Other minor awards were then presented in quick succession.
When Rei returned to his seat, Miyu, sitting beside him, quietly gave him a thumbs-up.
On his other side, Misaki sighed deeply.
"Rei, why did you say that? Talking like that will just attract haters."
"Editor Misaki," Rei said with an easy smile, "didn't you say the whole point of coming here was to increase my visibility and gain more personal fans before Hikaru no Go debuts in two weeks? Didn't I accomplish that perfectly?"
"I very clearly stated that I would win next year's Annual Manga Award with Hikaru no Go."
"After tonight, by tomorrow, that title will be spreading all over the manga world."
Misaki froze.
"You used the awards ceremony as a promotional stage?"
"Of course."
"Didn't it occur to you that if you fail to achieve that, you'll be mocked endlessly next year?"
"I have absolute confidence in Hikaru no Go," Rei said.
By this time next year, Hikaru no Go would likely reach Sai's disappearance arc.
With how exceptional the story was, Rei genuinely couldn't imagine another newly serialized manga surpassing it in artistic impact.
Of course, exceptions always existed. Winning awards wasn't everything.
Classic works weren't judged by trophies.
Even if Hikaru no Go didn't win next year, so what?
His priority was to give the series the strongest possible launch.
If it really lost next year, Sai's fans would naturally battle the awards committee on his behalf.
Any hate he received would be drowned by the tidal wave of Hikaru no Go supporters.
Either way, he wouldn't lose.
Rei smiled at Misaki.
She took a deep breath, and after a long moment, a faint but resolute smile appeared.
"Then we both have to work hard. You may not mind being mocked, but I do. I can't stand being judged by people beneath me," Misaki said quietly.
"Since the goal has been declared… we'll push toward it with everything we've got."
The awards ceremony ended an hour later.
At 11:30 PM, Rei, guided by Misaki, went out for a late dinner.
He hadn't eaten earlier because he didn't want to risk looking bloated onstage, and the Yukishiro sisters hadn't eaten either, choosing to accompany him.
Rei returned home around 1 AM and immediately fell asleep.
He completely ignored the flood of messages from Yui, Hana, and several others.
The next morning, he got up lazily, washed up, and headed to school.
As Rei expected, "I've become a zoo exhibit."
Rei muttered with a sigh as he glanced at the students whispering and pointing behind him.
The moment he entered the classroom, the chatter exploded.
A crowd swarmed him, firing off questions nonstop.
Even classmates who always claimed they "never read manga" turned into crazed fans, pulling out their phones to take pictures.
But Rei's mind was far from them.
As a man who had lived a whole lifetime before, Rei knew one thing clearly: You only need a few real friends in high school. Everyone else will disappear from your life after graduation.
Rei walked to his seat and glanced at Yui and Hana, who looked both hesitant and uneasy.
With a playful grin, he said:
"So now you believe me? I told you ages ago I was Shirogane, but you never believed me. Otherwise, I might not have bothered accepting that award."
Yui and Hana froze for a second, then broke into helpless laughter.
Without hesitation, both pulled several volumes of Five Centimeters per Second and Tonight from their backpacks.
"Sign these, and we'll forgive you," Yui said.
"No problem," Rei replied with a smile.
"By the way," Hana asked curiously, "how do you even balance studying and drawing manga? Isn't it exhausting?"
"Because I'm a genius," Rei said matter-of-factly.
Yui hesitated a little before asking,
"There's a rumor online, that you're close to the Saki. Saki, she…"
"Don't ask me that," Rei said calmly as he handed back their signed volumes.
"Saki isn't Miyu."
But Yui and Hana didn't seem shocked at all by this answer.
At that moment, Miyu walked into the classroom with her schoolbag.
The entire room instantly fell silent again.
After all, during yesterday's live broadcast, Miyu's face also appeared in a few shots, and everyone knew she and Rei had taken leave together to attend the awards ceremony.
And given how ambiguous their relationship was rumored to be, this didn't feel surprising at all.
"Oh, good morning, great manga artist," Miyu said, smiling as she greeted all three of them, Rei included.
Among the four of them, some things were understood without ever being spoken.
Nobody broke that unspoken balance.
In the days that followed, Rei was frequently summoned by teachers and school administrators.
But once they learned that his income, even the strict, exam-obsessed director of academics was stunned into silence.
In the end, they could only allow Rei to continue working as a student while serializing manga.
During this period, thanks to the reveal of Shirogane's true identity, and his explosive remarks at the awards ceremony.
Hikaru no Go had already become a minor phenomenon among manga fans before even starting serialization.
On the Dream Comic official website, discussions exploded daily:
Some supported Shirogane. Some mocked him.
Some waited, eager to see him fail. Some simply came to vent their frustration.
But every argument eventually circled back to a single question:
What kind of manga is Hikaru no Go? And why is Shirogane so confident?
Near the end of January, temperatures dropped toward zero, and light snow began to fall.
On that very day, Rei's winter vacation officially began.
His high-school life had reached its halfway point.
And Rei did not waste a single moment. Throughout winter break, he drew manga nonstop, day after day.
January slipped away.
February arrived.
And the serialization date for Hikaru no Go drew near.
Only four days left.
...
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