Yukina Shirosawa woke up early that morning. As someone who's been unemployed for half a month, she's still in the honeymoon phase, far from feeling any anxiety.
As a die-hard manga enthusiast, she's been spending her free time sleeping early and waking up early. After tidying up, she placed the newly purchased copies of Hoshimori Publishing, Monogatari IC, and other major magazines on her bookshelf.
Each magazine serializes a bunch of manga, but in reality, few people read them all. Most just pick out a few series that interest them, read those, and then set the magazine aside.
Today...
Yukina thought for a moment.
Oh, the second chapter of Shirogane Sensei's new work, the author of 5 Centimeters Per Second, is being published in a magazine today.
Her eyes lit up at the thought. After quickly washing up, she rushed out the door and headed straight for the bookstore.
This week's cover of Sky Shadow Weekly featured its usual collage of main characters from serialized manga. Hino Maori, the female lead of Tonight, was positioned in the middle left, depicted as a quiet girl holding a memo pad.
Just from her placement on the cover, Yukina could roughly guess the manga's popularity ranking in the magazine.
Mid-section, around the top ten.
I hope one day I'll see Shirogane Sensei's manga heroine featured prominently on the cover of Sky Shadow Weekly.
With this thought, Yukina Shirosawa picked up a copy of Sky Shadow Weekly and headed to the cashier.
Back home, she tore open the plastic wrap and briefly recalled last week's installment of Tonight.
Right, Kamiya Toru was supposed to wait in the classroom after school for Hino Maori to come find him and hear his confession. Will he succeed?
With that thought, Yukina flipped open the manga.
The dazzling art style still made her eyes light up.
Kamiya Toru encountered Izumi, Hino Maori's friend, in the school hallway.
Earlier, some bullies had spread a video of his confession all over the school. Adding to the tension, Hino Maori's ambiguous, non-committal reaction in the video had left everyone guessing.
Knowing about her friend's memory condition, Izumi was naturally extremely anxious.
Are you two really planning to date? Izumi asked.
You probably don't even know Hino Maori, do you? Is this love at first sight?
If you're just looking for a fling, I advise you to give up now.
Izumi glared at Kamiya Toru with an intimidating gaze, but the result...
Kamiya Toru used the excuse of needing to get to class to avoid answering these questions.
He couldn't bring himself to admit that he had confessed to Hino Maori as a prank orchestrated by a group of school bullies, all in an attempt to help his bullied friend.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was after school.
Hino Maori arrived at Kamiya Toru's classroom on time, as promised, dressed impeccably.
Both of them looked awkward and nervous.
"So, why would Hino Maori agree to such a sudden confession?" Yukina Shirosawa wondered aloud.
But after a moment's thought, she understood.
A girl who forgot everything that happened each day after falling asleep must feel utterly hopeless about life.
Every morning, she had to wake up several hours early, confront the devastating news that she was ill, and then frantically memorize the contents of her old diary.
Which high school she attended.
Which class she was in.
The key students in her class.
Who her teachers were.
What her interpersonal relationships were like.
In fact, to prevent others from discovering her condition and being exploited by malicious individuals, Hino Maori maintained a deliberately aloof demeanor at school, avoiding close interactions with others.
As long as she didn't befriend anyone, her flaws wouldn't be exposed. Others saw her as a beautiful girl who disdained socializing.
In reality, she had only three friends who knew about her condition: her parents and Izumi.
Then, one day, someone suddenly confessed to her.
"Others might not understand, but if it were me, I'd probably accept," Yukina Shirosawa sighed softly.
"After all, this might be the only chance for love in her entire life. And Kamiya Toru, the male lead, seems like a decent guy. Someone willing to help a bullied friend couldn't possibly be portrayed as a jerk later in the story."
In the manga, Hino Maori, who was now walking toward Kamiya Toru, was also meeting the boy for the first time.
Yesterday's Hino Maori had already died.
While she slept that night, the memories of her first meeting with the boy and his confession had been automatically erased.
In the manga, Hino Maori wore a smile, but beneath it, she nervously and uneasily studied the boy before her.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you."
Hino Maori sat down across from Kamiya Toru.
She began speaking to the young man in a soft, gentle tone.
They talked.
Soon, she brought up the crucial topic.
I have something I want to discuss with you about our future relationship!
Kamiya Toru's expression shifted.
Hino Maori noticed this and smiled.
Do you... regret it?
The following scene showed Kamiya Toru explaining why he had confessed to Hino Maori, followed by an apology.
Yukina Shirosawa's tension began to rise.
In reality, the female lead wasn't angry at all. Instead, she admired his willingness to stand up for his bullied friend.
So?
So what?
You don't want to? To date.
Then what about you? Why did you accept my confession?
Me? Yeah, why did I? A fleeting hint of melancholy crossed Hino Maori's face before she lifted her head, smiling at the boy.
But regardless, let's pretend to be a couple for now.
The confession video has already gone viral. If we pretend to be together, your bullied friend won't be targeted again, right?
That's true. Kamiya Toru hesitated for a moment before nodding.
As Yukina Shirosawa continued reading, a smile began to spread across her lips.
Exactly! Why make romance manga so complicated?
Why do you need to explore the reasons behind a confession?
Just establish the relationship first, then slowly cultivate the feelings.
Shirogane Sensei, you're a true master of romance! You get it perfectly.
Then it's settled. But let's agree on three conditions for our fake relationship, okay? Hino Maori raised her index finger.
First, we can't talk to each other before school ends.
Second, when texting, keep the messages brief.
Third, we absolutely can't develop real feelings for each other.
The manga page featured close-up shots of Hino Maori and Kamiya Toru's faces.
Kamiya Toru's clear, innocent eyes and Hino Maori's gentle smile created a composition brimming with youthful energy.
Thump!
Yukina Shirosawa couldn't tell if the characters in the manga were feeling their hearts race, but she herself had already curled up on her bed, clutching the manga to her chest.
She was definitely feeling her heart race.
Isn't this just setting up a flag?
What do you mean, "absolutely can't develop real feelings for each other"?
How could anyone possibly manage that?
Kamiya Toru didn't ask why these three conditions were in place, and Yukina Shirosawa couldn't be bothered to speculate.
The next page of the manga showed Kamiya Toru nodding emphatically.
"New manga artists really have sharp minds! Only someone like them could come up with a plot like this. Establishing the romantic relationship in the second chapter and then developing the feelings? That's a million times better than those romance manga where the confession takes a hundred chapters and the main couple hasn't even kissed after two years of serialization!" Yukina Shirosawa took a deep breath and continued reading.
The following pages of the manga depicted a chaotic sequence of scenes.
Every day after school, Hino Maori would meet Kamiya Toru with her notebook in hand.
The settings shifted constantly, and the girl repeatedly asked questions.
Under the setting sun.
The school after the rain.
Blood type.
People they admired.
Special talents.
Family circumstances.
It looked just like ordinary couples dating after school.
At school, they never spoke to each other unless they were meeting after class.
Their text replies strictly adhered to the agreement: if "Understood" (わかった) could be used, they would never use the four-character phrase "I understand" (わかりました).
Yes, the first two agreements were being followed perfectly.
"And the third rule?" Yukina Shirosawa's face unconsciously broke into an aunt-like smile.
Then came the weekend outing after some time had passed.
Hino Maori proactively invited Kamiya Toru.
On Sunday afternoon, she invited her friend Izumi along, marking their first formal meeting as a trio.
It was here that Izumi's initial impression of Kamiya Toru began to change, as they discovered a shared fondness for a niche literary author.
In the manga, this author, known by the pen name Nishikawa, was mentioned twice, and Yukina Shirosawa paused thoughtfully at this detail.
"I have a feeling this Nishikawa character is going to be a plot hook!"
The second chapter of the manga was filled with slice-of-life scenes.
Yet Yukina Shirosawa read with rapt attention. Romance manga was like that—no superpowers, no epic battles, and rarely any melodramatic love triangles.
Most importantly, this manga had yet to introduce any inexplicable third-party rivals. It was simply pure, wholesome love.
Though neither character in the manga would admit it, to Yukina Shirosawa, these scenes were pure, unadulterated love.
"Shirogane-sensei, you're so good at drawing pure love manga! Why did 5 Centimeters Per Second have such a sad ending? If Akari hadn't left in episode five, maybe 5 Centimeters would still be running today!"
Even as she read the manga, Yukina couldn't help but let her mind wander back to this thought.
The trio spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon together.
On the balcony, they watched the distant sunset.
Hino Maori, her face radiant with contentment, kept snapping photos of the beautiful sunset and the street scenes with her phone—one after another, again and again.
You're taking too many pictures, Kamiya Toru said with a smile, watching her profile. Why not just imprint the scene in your eyes instead of capturing it in photos?
If I don't take pictures, I'll forget everything, Maori replied gently.
Beside Maori, Izumi's expression flickered with a hint of heartache, though Kamiya Toru remained completely oblivious.
The manga's brief three panels jolted Yukina back to reality.
She remembered Maori from the first episode—Maori had forgotten that Kamiya Toru even existed in her life.
Of course, she had also forgotten that this unique sunset, the one she, Kamiya Toru, and their friend Izumi had witnessed together, was a scene from the second chapter.
The more warmly the manga depicted this scene, the sharper the pang Yukina Shirosawa felt in her heart.
So, even such a beautiful moment—will the heroine forget it by tomorrow because of her illness?
Even if she takes photos of this breathtaking view with her phone... when she sees them tomorrow, having forgotten everything, will it be the same?
Can a few hundred words in her diary truly convey the emotions she's feeling right now to her future self?
If she really feels even a hint of affection for Kamiya Toru right now... will tomorrow's Hino Maori forget these feelings that have just blossomed in her heart?
Yukina's head buzzed, and she suddenly felt a surge of panic.
No, no, no... don't overthink it. Remember what Shirogane Sensei said? The heroine's condition improves later on! Even if Izumi steals and alters her diary, erasing Kamiya Toru's existence for some reason... since her condition improves, Shirogane Sensei will arrange for the heroine to find the male lead again! By then, Hino Maori won't forget her memories, and she'll be able to properly remember every moment she spent with Kamiya Toru.
Thinking this, Yukina Shirosawa felt a little better.
But then, she nearly broke down again.
The next page was the final page of Chapter 2, showing Hino Maori gazing wistfully at the beautiful sunset sinking below the horizon.
Her inner monologue floated across the page:
To me, yesterday's self doesn't exist!
Yukina felt like crying.
Hino Maori couldn't remember the past, nor could she see the future.
The photos she took with her phone were only for her future selves to see—tomorrow, the day after, the years to come.
For the current Maori, only the present mattered.
The sunset sinking below the horizon, the boy beside her watching it, and her best friend—they were all that existed in her world.
And though she cherished these beautiful moments, by tomorrow, she would vanish, leaving no trace in the world.
End of Chapter 2
Yukina stared at the final page of Chapter 2 of the manga she was reading tonight, her heart aching.
The entire chapter had depicted the sweet and tender moments between the male and female leads.
Yet in the final few pages, a few lines of dialogue shattered her dream.
"What kind of twisted setup is this? Shirogane Sensei, didn't your own heart ache when you created this manga's premise?"
"How can you draw such a heartwarming style with such a tear-jerking plot?"
Sigh
Fortunately, it was only the second chapter of the manga. A few minutes later, Yukina Shirosawa's emotions gradually calmed down.
Then, a surge of anticipation rose in her heart.
Hurry up and serialize Izumi's past through her diary entries! Then I want to see Hino Maori recover and continue her love story with Kamiya Toru.
Closing the manga, Yukina flipped to the back of Ametsukage Weekly.
Next to the price display was a sticky note with a QR code. After tearing it off and scanning it with her phone, she was quickly redirected to a voting page.
The names of sixteen works were listed vertically.
Any reader who purchased Sky Shadow Weekly could easily vote for their favorite works via their phone. To prevent cheating, each QR code on a book could only be scanned and used to vote on one device.
Each reader could vote for a maximum of five works and a minimum of one.
Yet even with such convenient voting methods, over ninety percent of manga readers still couldn't be bothered to participate.
But Yukina Shirosawa was different. Tonight's chapter had truly moved her.
She quickly found the manga with the longest title, Tonight, on the voting page and clicked to cast her vote.
"Shirogane Sensei, I'm supporting you! Don't let me down!"
If this manga continues to be this good, the single-volume sales and word-of-mouth will be phenomenal, Yukina thought to herself.
Meanwhile, on the Sky Shadow Weekly official forum, discussions about Tonight were gaining momentum.
Manga readers are often straightforward; they can immediately sense when a work is a genuine masterpiece that touches the heart.
Yukina had teared up after reading the second chapter of Tonight. Surely others felt the same way?
"I was wrong. Last week, I thought Shirogane Sensei was going to portray Kamiya Toru as a jerk. I apologize! Please don't do that! I love Kamiya Toru too much—let him continue his gentle relationship with Hino Maori."
"So Izumi is the villain? Why else would she forge the diary and hide the real one?"
"I don't get it. Maybe there's some unspoken reason?"
"This is too much. I hope Shirogane Sensei ties up all the loose ends later. Digging intriguing plot holes isn't the mark of a great manga artist—filling them in properly is what truly demonstrates talent!"
"I'm speechless after this chapter. Are all of Shirogane Sensei's works like this? I remember 5 Centimeters Per Second being the same way. The scene where the male and female leads separate at the train station in the second episode completely broke my heart."
"Just imagining waking up one day and forgetting all the beautiful moments I shared with someone I love—even the moment I fell for them—would drive me insane."
"Hino Maori is so strong. She has to face this every morning, then pretend everything's normal and go to school. In other romance manga, I usually end up disliking the protagonists because they often act so foolishly. But I absolutely won't criticize her."
"Are there any guys reading this manga? It feels like all the discussions online are by girls. I'm a bit embarrassed to post."
"Yes, yes, that's me!"
"I've always loved romance anime and manga. I have to say, tonight's manga really moved me. I don't know about the later chapters, but the first two episodes were fantastic!"
"Everyone, regardless of gender, please vote for Tonight! New manga artists often struggle with initial popularity. We don't want this series to get axed due to poor performance, do we?"
On the forum, Shirogane's old and new fans gathered, with many die-hard supporters already forming fan groups and urging everyone to vote en masse.
Of course, fans of other manga were doing the same.
The competition had begun the moment the manga were released.
By evening, after a full day of buildup, fans of various series had already started their daily forum brawls, tearing each other down and turning the entire forum into a chaotic mess.
But this was exactly what the publishing house had hoped for.
At 7 PM, Rei and Miyu arrived at her family's villa by car.
Misaki, having finished work early on Friday, was already waiting at home.
Rei didn't dawdle. Misaki was already doing him a favor by reviewing his manga content after work, essentially putting in unpaid overtime. He knew she wouldn't ask too many questions.
After handing Misaki the storyboard script, Rei retreated to the sofa to wait.
He knew it wouldn't be long before the plot twist in chapter eight shattered the usual calm on Misaki's face.
Sure enough, ten minutes later, Misaki and Miyu, who had been reviewing the storyboard together, suddenly looked up, their gazes sharp as ice knives piercing Rei's face.
"Rei, what kind of plot development is this?" Misaki demanded.
"Are you crazy? Rei, aren't you afraid Tonight's manga readers will tear you apart, marinate you in chili oil, and eat you alive?!" Miyu chimed in urgently.
"No, this is just the explanation for the foreshadowing in chapter one," Rei replied with a smile.
"Unless there are any fundamental issues with morality, customs, or violations of Japanese law, I'll proceed with drawing chapter eight's manga panels according to this plot."