After seeing Rei off at the gate of the residential complex, Miyu returned home.
The moment she stepped inside, she heard Misaki on the phone.
"Yes, that's right. Please cancel the romance manga Blue Dream I originally planned to submit at the serialization meeting the day after tomorrow. I'll be submitting a different title tomorrow… Expected length? Five chapters, yes, a short series. Mm, that's correct…"
After a long conversation, Misaki finally hung up with the editorial staff.
Miyu's mood brightened a little, the emotional pressure from 5 Centimeters per Second finally easing.
"Sis, wow… you really care about Rei's manga. You're scared you won't have enough time tomorrow, so you're calling colleagues late at night just to fix the submission schedule, aren't you?"
Rei was someone she introduced to Misaki, so seeing her sister value his work made Miyu genuinely happy.
Misaki gave her a soft glance.
"Your friend… has a great deal of potential."
"Of course he does," Miyu said proudly. "It's only five chapters, but it's so emotional. Anyone can see he's gifted."
"In recent years," Misaki continued, "several major manga magazines, including Hoshimori Publishing Group, have been actively pushing for young artists to debut. Our editorial department was specifically asked to scout promising new creators. It's much easier now for young artists to rise."
She paused.
"Miyu, I actually have high expectations for you. I truly think you may not be far from getting a serialization in Hoshimori Comic. But you must keep pushing yourself… otherwise..."
She gave a teasing smile.
"Don't let your friend surpass you."
"Heh… Sis, don't exaggerate." Miyu waved her hand casually. "Lament has been serialized for half a year and already has a solid fanbase. Even if 5 Centimeters per Second is good, how much impact can a five-week short serialization really have? Rei's still far from catching up to me."
The next day.
When Rei stepped into his classroom, he found his classmates staring at him with strange expressions.
He immediately understood why, many students must have seen him riding with Miyu yesterday.
Well… Miyu didn't care, so Rei wasn't going to stress about it either.Gossip always faded eventually.
Since transmigrating, Rei had been drawing manga nonstop every day, but now that 5 Centimeters per Second was complete and just waiting for tomorrow's serialization meeting, he suddenly had nothing to do.
During lunch, he went up to the rooftop, not to draw, but simply to breathe.
He didn't run into Miyu today.
But that was normal.
She had her own serialization to work on. She was probably drawing somewhere quiet in the school.
…
Another day passed.
Rei went to school as usual.
Meanwhile, at nine in the morning.
Inside a commercial high-rise in central Tokyo stood the headquarters of Hoshimori Publishing Group, one of the six major manga companies in Japan.
The nineteenth floor housed the editorial division.
Hoshimori published dozens of magazines, each with its own independent editorial team.
Today, the entire floor was buzzing with activity as editors sorted through manuscripts.
The editorial team of Sakura-iro Weekly had already gathered inside a conference room, waiting for their supervising director.
Although officially called a "serialization meeting," it was actually exclusive to the editorial team of Sakura-iro Weekly.
A weekly magazine selling a few hundred thousand copies didn't require the presence of Hoshimori's editor-in-chief.
High-level leadership only attended meetings for top-selling magazines like Hoshimori Comic, which exceeded ten million weekly sales.
Thus, presiding over today's meeting was Moriyama Kaito, one of the seven editorial directors of Hoshimori Publishing.
Each editor and attending manager had a thick stack of neatly organized manuscripts beside them.
Misaki sat near the front, on the left side of the director's seat.
Her position alone made it obvious. Her submissions ranked among the top two in the Sakura-iro Weekly editorial team.
Across from her sat a tall, lean man in his thirties: Takeda Jun.
His sharp gaze flicked toward Misaki, his strongest rival in the department.
Even though Misaki was ten years younger, her talent was undeniable.
In just two years, she had discovered successful young manga artists.
Especially the high school girl mangaka "Saki."
The latest chapter of her series Lament had climbed to second place in the popularity poll, just a hundred votes short of overtaking Takeda's High Score Romance.
Historically, every few years, the top-performing editor of Sakura-iro Weekly had a small chance of being transferred to Yumetsuki Comic, one of the company's elite magazines.
Of course, such transfers weren't guaranteed.
Editors from other successful magazines would also compete for the spot.
But the possibility was always there.
Judging from the timing, the editorial department had probably already begun discussing staff adjustments behind the scenes.
Otherwise, Jun wouldn't be so tense about today's serialization meeting.
This year's timing really was special.
If he could be transferred to work on the manga serialized in Yumetsuki Comic, his income would increase seven or eightfold instantly, and his standing in the industry would rise just as sharply.
After all, the average sales per volume for titles serialized there exceeded a million copies. Even with the tiny commission percentage editors received, the yearly income still reached into the high six figures, or even more.
Misaki was undeniably skilled. Sooner or later, she would absolutely reach that level and become one of the core pillars of Hoshimori Publishing Group. But right now…
Takeda's thoughts grew sharper.
There's a first-come, first-served order to things. If such a transfer opportunity appears, it should go to me, someone who has worked long and hard in this editorial department for over ten years, not to a newcomer who's only been here for two.
He felt confident in the works he submitted for this meeting.
Still, even a lion used full strength to hunt a rabbit.
If he wanted to block his competitors from rising any further, the best approach was simple.
Limit how many of their works made it into the serialization meeting.
He was determined to secure both available serialization slots today.
"Alright… let's begin the meeting."
The door opened, and Moriyama Kaito, the director, walked straight to his seat and wasted no time.
"There are two open serialization slots. However, we have twenty-one submissions this round, so competition is extremely steep. Everyone, please begin reviewing the first manuscript on the table, Love Like Fireworks!"
Misaki picked up the prepared stack of pages.
Normally, a title submitted for a serialization meeting would include only two or three chapters.
Editors didn't read every panel in detail; with dozens of submissions, reading thoroughly would take an entire day and night.
Everyone present was a professional. They focused on the essentials: art, pacing, panel flow, dialogue, and plot foundation.
"Not bad," Misaki thought after skimming three chapters.
But unfortunately… still not enough.
Takeda watched her expression and frowned.
"So calm? Don't tell me one of her submissions is stronger than mine…"
At this moment, the other editors began offering their opinions.
"Very good."
"Amazing! That plot twist..."
"I think it's really interesting."
"A solid, high-quality manga," Misaki added.
"With everyone's response being positive," said Moriyama Kaito, "we'll hold this one for the moment."
He set the manuscript aside.
"Next, please review the second submission, 5 Centimeters per Second."
Takeda lifted the manuscript from the table, but his brow furrowed the moment he touched it.
"Why is this so thick?"
"All five chapters are included," Misaki replied calmly. "It's my submission, a short story created by a new manga artist. I chose to present the entire work for the meeting."
"A short story? From a rookie?"
As Misaki finished speaking, the editors exchanged glances.
While Sakura-iro Weekly didn't reject short-form works, the truth was that short stories had low commercial value and struggled to accumulate popularity. A five-chapter story could only be printed as a single volume.
The difficulty of getting a short story approved at a serialization meeting was far higher than for mid- or long-form works. And if the creator was a newcomer, scrutiny was even harsher.
Takeda was secretly thrilled.
'With that kind of handicap… how could you possibly compete with me?'
His two submissions, Love Like Fireworks and Moonlight Glass, were both high-quality works drawn by well-known manga artists he'd worked with for years.
There was no way they could lose to a five-chapter short created by a rookie.
He was certain of it.
Takeda opened the manuscript of 5 Centimeters per Second, a smile spreading across his face.