The winter anime season was beginning to settle into a clear hierarchy. Frozen Witch remained the most anticipated title, but 5 Centimeters per Second had risen fast—its average view count had now exceeded 3 million per episode, placing it firmly in the top tier.
Titles like City of Echoes and the two isekai shows were doing well too, but it was clear they'd fallen behind the pack led by 5 Centimeters per Second and Frozen Witch.
Whatever people in the industry were saying, the truth was that 5 Centimeters per Second had caught fire. Its art direction, emotional resonance, and haunting soundtrack made it the breakout underdog of the season.
In just two weeks, it had climbed from obscurity into the top two shows of winter.
The performances of the leads—Sumida and Akari, voiced by Ryuko Mei—had also earned high praise and brought them a new wave of fans.
Kazuya was quick to brag to his industry contacts about the project's success.
Meanwhile, over on Mizushiro's fend account, fans of three different series were glued to his updates—Natsume, Initial D, and now 5 Centimeters per Second. All three works were ongoing, and fans were constantly begging for new chapters and episode.
For readers, it should've been three times the joy.
But for Mizushiro, it was more like three times the pressure.
Not that he seemed to mind.
After the hectic work of launching both 5 Centimeters per Second and Voices of a Distant Star, he finally took a break and returned to something he hadn't touched in weeks: driving school.
...Which didn't last long.
Before he knew it, Ryuko and Airi had dragged him back to the local net café for another round of League.
He'd said no at first, but between their grins and insistence, Haruki gave in. The three of them ended up playing until late, just like old times.
He couldn't believe how fast Ryuko had improved. It hadn't even been that long since he introduced her to the game, yet now she was dominating Iron and Bronze lobbies with terrifying ease. In nearly every match, she shut down the opposing jungler and racked up over twenty kills without breaking a sweat.
Under her guidance, even he and Airi had finally escaped the pit of Iron and made it into Bronze.
Not an easy feat.
"By the way," Airi said suddenly, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "The final episode of 5 Centimeters per Second airs tomorrow, right? What happens in the third chapter? Tell me!"
"No way," Haruki replied flatly. "You'll see for yourself tomorrow."
He hated spoilers. Whether watching or making a series, he believed in preserving the experience.
"Tch, fine. Ryuko, you tell me!" Airi turned to her with hopeful eyes.
Ryuko smiled apologetically. "I'd love to, but… I signed an NDA. And the boss is sitting right here."
Airi groaned in defeat. "Knew it…"
Eventually, the three left the café late into the night. Haruki and Ryuko made sure Airi got home first, then shared a taxi back toward their own apartments.
But in the cab, Ryuko seemed distracted. She glanced at Haruki a few times, lips parting like she wanted to say something—then closing again.
Only when they pulled up near her dorm did she finally speak.
"Hey… are you free on the 23rd?"
Mizushiro blinked. "The 23rd? Why?"
"I, um… I have two tickets to the amusement park," she said, clearly nervous. "They're hosting a special League of Legends event two pro teams are doing a live match at the park. You can use the ticket to play all the rides, too. I just thought, maybe… if you're interested, we could go?"
"Which teams?"
"SL versus PX."
Haruki's eyes lit up. "SL's playing?!"
Ryuko nodded, already knowing that was his favorite team.
He didn't even hesitate. "Yeah, I'm in!"
"Then it's a date—I mean, settled!" Ryuko beamed, eyes curving into a happy crescent.
She had been anxious the whole ride over, afraid he'd turn her down. But things had gone smoother than she'd ever imagined.
"Sure, sounds fun," Haruki said casually.
From start to finish, his brain had been focused on the SL team. He didn't realize at all that Ryuko had just invited him on a date.
—
The next day, Sunday, January 16.
The final episode of 5 Centimeters per Second premiered online.
Across the web, thousands of fans hit play bracing for whatever Mizushiro had planned.
[TL:-Sorry I couldn't upload the chapter yesterday—my laptop had some internet issues, and since my Webnovel account is linked to it, I couldn't even inform everyone. I planned to release today's chapter as well, but I couldn't finish it in time. If I have time on Sunday, I'll see what I can do to make it up. Thanks for your patience!]
Shout out to Jorge Rodriguez, benhurt rivera, erald rush, NovaPumpkin for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)