No wonder Misaki and Miyu's expressions had changed.
The plot of Chapter 8 had completely stunned them.
While the previous seven chapters contained some poignant moments, they generally leaned toward pure romance.
In pure romance, readers typically assume the "lovers will ultimately be reunited" trope, regardless of the twists and turns along the way.
But Rei's Chapter 8...
"You're insane," Miyu said, her chest tight as she glared at Rei.
Though she considered Rei a rival among her peers, she was also a devoted fan of his work.
From a reader's perspective, the plot sent shivers down her spine.
"No, this was always part of the plan," Rei replied.
"This is a huge risk," Misaki interjected.
As a manga editor, her job was to review plots, preventing authors from indulging in self-satisfying narratives that could lead the story into a downward spiral.
A serialized manga is like an arrow drawn back: one misstep in a chapter's plot can trigger a domino effect, causing the entire narrative to collapse.
In Misaki's eyes, Chapter 8 was that critical turning point.
Under normal circumstances, she would have insisted Rei change the plot without hesitation. But the eighth chapter's storyline was directly connected to the first.
She could use her editorial authority to demand Rei alter the plot's direction, but what about the already published first chapter? If the logic didn't align, the series' popularity would collapse like a house of cards.
Misaki frowned deeply.
"Why do you two look so troubled? Do you really think there's a problem with the story?" Rei asked, glancing at them.
"Of course there's a problem! Who suddenly switches from a pure romance manga to a purely tragic one? This—" Miyu bit her lip, her perspective as a manga fan making her want to bite Rei.
"Isn't that exactly what 5 Centimeters Per Second does?" Rei chuckled. "My manga fans should be somewhat prepared for this."
"Are you really not going to change the plot's direction?" Misaki asked again, this time appealing to his self-interest. "I don't know how the eighth chapter will be received. Your popularity might plummet, directly impacting the sales revenue of your collected volumes."
"This is the final version. I have my own criteria for evaluating Editor Misaki's performance, so you don't need to worry," Rei said softly, glancing at Misaki.
"Moreover, this isn't just about this work. For any future projects I collaborate on with you, Editor Misaki, as long as the plot and content comply with Japan's laws and moral customs, I will reject any revisions requested by other editors or senior management at the manga company that are based on personal preferences or market trends."
"This is the foundation of our continued collaboration."
Miyu's expression immediately stiffened.
Rei's tone was gentle, but his words carried immense weight.
She would never dare speak to her older sister like that, having witnessed Misaki's terrifying temper firsthand—a fury that spared no one, not even family.
Miyu secretly watched Misaki's profile, fearing her sister's next words would be, "Then our collaboration ends here. I'll help you find another editor at the manga company!"
"I understand," Misaki nodded after less than ten seconds of contemplation.
"Your plot for chapter eight has been approved."
Misaki knew that if this manga continued its serialization with the same quality and style as before, it would become a truly excellent romance work.
However, she also knew that the manga series that truly resonated with fans and became massive hits were rarely the formulaic ones, where readers could predict the next chapter's plot after just one installment.
But deviating from the norm carried immense risks.
Either it would become a breakout success,
Or it would flop spectacularly.
There was no middle ground.
She simply felt that Rei, as a newcomer to the manga scene, would benefit more from a steady, grounded approach for his future development.
Tonight's manga didn't need to be a blockbuster. As long as its popularity ranking remained consistently within the top ten of Sky Shadow Weekly until its conclusion, the chances of his next work being accepted for publication would be extremely high. By spending three to five years building industry connections and experience, he might eventually be able to submit his work to Hoshimori Publishing Group's best-selling magazine, Hoshimori Publishing.
Given Rei's current age of sixteen, if he could serialize his manga on such a prestigious platform by his early twenties, he would undoubtedly be hailed as a new generation genius in the Japanese manga industry.
Taking such a risk now—with the possibility of his popularity plummeting after the eighth chapter and triggering the manga's cancellation—would make it significantly harder to get future submissions approved.
But since Rei had made his decision, she respected his wishes.
The line between genius and fool is razor-thin, and Misaki couldn't be certain her instincts were right. Only the manga's future success would prove her point.
The next day, Misaki sent Rei the popularity rankings for the second chapter.
Seventh place.
Rei breathed a sigh of relief, and Misaki's tension, which had been building all night, finally eased.
This result confirmed the manga's quality was being recognized. Even without the initial boost from its debut serialization, the compelling story and high quality had attracted a substantial following among Sky Shadow Weekly readers.
At school on Monday, Hana and Yui Nakamura, as usual, dragged Miyu and the others into a discussion about the second chapter's plot.
Rei was also pulled into the class's manga club, and the four of them formed the core of Class 2-3's fan club for the genius mangaka "Shirogane."
Moreover, Hana had added Rei to six or seven online fan groups spontaneously formed by Shirogane's supporters.
Every day, when Rei opened his phone, he saw groups of fans he didn't even know arguing and warring with fans of other manga, determined to prevent anyone from slandering or defaming Shirogane Sensei's new work.
It was just like the early days of the "Big Three" fandoms—Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece—when their respective fanbases clashed fiercely on online forums, each group despising the others.
Even in a magazine like Sky Shadow Weekly, the fan communities of different manga series clashed fiercely.
As a manga author, I lurked in online fan groups and was even dragged into my own fan club by classmates. Every day, I pretended to be a newbie online, cheering for my own work.
This feeling...
It wasn't so bad, actually.
Another Friday arrived.
Tonight, the third chapter of my manga would be released.
This chapter depicted a day in the life of the female protagonist, Hino Maori, from her perspective.
Waking up at five in the morning, she read the diary entries written by her past self.
Apart from her parents and Izumi, she didn't recognize anyone from her high school.
The diary revealed that she was pretending to be in a relationship with a boy named Kamiya Toru.
They even had a date planned for today.
She scrolled through the photos of Kamiya Toru taken by her past self in her phone's gallery.
But as she stared at the unfamiliar boy's face on her screen, panic and unease surged within her.
Summoning her courage, she arrived at the meeting place, forcing a cheerful smile onto her face as she walked, her body trembling slightly, toward the boy waiting by the pond.
Before greeting him, I need to double-check and make sure I haven't mistaken him for someone else.
She smiled at the boy, trying to sound casual.
"Good morning, Kamiya Toru."