Kotone and Sora hadn't planned to stay this late. They'd dropped by to check in on Rurouni Kenshin's progress… and ended up glued to the Award website for hours.
They refreshed the rankings every ten seconds, barely believing what they were seeing.
At first, the Friday night boost had been exciting enough—100,000 fans in just a few hours. But between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., another 100,000 joined.
If the momentum kept up, Remembrance might take the top spot by morning.
"This isn't just a win for us," Sora whispered, eyes locked on the screen. "This could change everything for manga in Osaka."
"Do you think we'll pass Blazing Feather by dawn?" Kotone asked.
"Maybe," Sora said. "The nighttime fan surge might slow down a bit, but once people see Airi's post in the morning…"
Kotone tilted her head, puzzled. "Did Haruki know her? He never said anything."
"I doubt she'd recommend a manga to millions just for fun," Sora murmured, glancing at the sleeping figure on the couch. "I think there's more to it."
Kotone looked over too. Haruki had dozed off hours ago, curled under a blanket, completely unaware of the frenzy happening online.
Sora chuckled. "The creator sleeps while the assistant and editor pull an all-nighter refreshing stats."
"I'll stay up with you," Kotone said. "I want to see the moment we hit number one."
Dawn
The sky lightened. Kotone and Sora hadn't slept a wink—but they were buzzing with anticipation.
"Hey, wake up!" Sora shook Haruki gently.
"Wha—what time is it?" he mumbled groggily.
"Come look," Kotone said, barely able to contain her grin.
Haruki stumbled over, rubbing his eyes.
The fan count for Blazing Feather hovered just over 1.29 million.
Remembrance was only a few hundred behind.
Kotone's fingers hovered over the mouse… then clicked refresh.
The screen updated.
Blazing Feather dropped to second.
And there it was—in bold letters, at the top of the Award rankings:
1st Place: Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance
-----
It was a typical Saturday.
Students bustled to and from school, adults commuted as usual, and the quiet rhythm of daily life played on. But within the manga industry, something had shifted.
Across studios and publishing offices, editors and artists from every region of the country were refreshing the Awards site. And there it was—Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance had climbed to the top of the fan rankings.
In just two days, it had surged past Blazing Feather. The gap was small—barely ten thousand votes—but it signaled a clear change.
And perhaps more importantly, Blazing Feather had plateaued.
Originally bolstered by regional support, industry clout, and a marketing push, it had held the top spot through sheer inertia. But now? The buzz had shifted. Rurouni Kenshin was dominating the comments, trending on forums, and spreading organically—thanks in no small part to a push from the respected mangaka Airi, whose endorsement had drawn in even the casual crowd.
At Haruki's apartment, the mood couldn't have been more different from the calm outside.
Kotone and Sora, bleary-eyed from a sleepless night, were glued to the monitor, refreshing the page every few seconds.
Haruki, meanwhile, was in the kitchen, pouring soy sauce into a steaming bowl of noodles.
"Alright, alright," he said, glancing back at the two. "It's just the first round of rankings. You're acting like we already won the whole thing."
"You're seriously downplaying this?" Sora turned to him, incredulous. "Do you know how rare it is for a work leading in the first round not to win overall? It's happened, what, three times?"
She wasn't wrong. The first-round lead in the Awards was a powerful predictor—and Rurouni Kenshin wasn't just leading. It was resonating.
"If things go like this," she continued, cheeks slightly flushed with excitement, "we'll all be on stage at the ceremony. In front of a national broadcast, no less!"
Haruki blinked at her.
"You, me, Kotone... We'll be introduced as the team behind the winning work! Do you have any idea what that means for our careers?"
Kotone nodded, her usual composure cracking into a soft, hopeful smile.
"For me?" Sora added, practically glowing. "In Osaka's editing circles, I'll finally have something solid under my name. People will listen when I talk. And Kotone—just having this on her resume as an assistant? Studios anywhere would take her seriously."
Haruki raised an eyebrow. "And me?"
Sora gave him a look. "You'll be the author of a Aurora manga Award-winning. Even if your next series tanks, editors will still give it a chance. That award changes the way people see you. It turns 'who is this?' into 'wait, isn't this the guy who did Rurouni Kenshin?'"
She paused, the words catching in her throat for a moment.
"...It's more than just a win. It's leverage. It's security."
Haruki set the bowls down on the table, the aroma of tomato and egg drawing the girls in. Kotone picked up her chopsticks eagerly.
Still, the conversation lingered in his mind.
"Tokyo..." he repeated under his breath—the city where the top publishers were headquartered. Where everyone assumed the next step of his career might take him.
Sora and Kotone exchanged a glance. She hadn't meant to bring that part up—not yet.
Sora hesitated, then spoke quietly.
"Haruki... when Rurouni Kenshin wraps up, have you thought about what comes next?"
He looked up from his bowl, caught off guard.
"...Next?"
Shout out to Nick, Darthix for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
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