While Rei was peacefully attending class as usual, chapter 10 of Tonight, released that morning, was destroying his fans all over again.
Everyone once thought chapter 8, where Tōru died, was the peak of heartbreak.
But chapters 9 and 10, were the kind that made readers cry until they couldn't breathe.
"Why does it get harder to read the further I go?"
"Isn't this becoming worse than Five Centimeters per Second?"
"A whole chapter of buildup, just for that last sentence."
"This is Shirogane-sensei's idea of romance? I'm convinced."
"This manga made me question life."
"But strangely, even though my heart feels smashed, I feel hopeful somehow."
"Don't hope. You're never meeting a guy like Tōru in real life."
"Has Shirogane-sensei gone through some romance trauma? Why do her works always hit like trucks in the final stretch?"
"One chapter left. Please, just let us have a beautiful ending."
"Can Hino meet someone who looks like Tōru next chapter?Something, anything, for hope!"
"Looks like him? He's dead, get real."
"When chapter 8 came out, I cursed Shirogane-sensei so badly."
"Chapter 9 made me furious too…"
"But after chapter 10, I suddenly think this manga is kind of a masterpiece."
"The aftertaste is insane. I can't forget it."
"What masterpiece? Wouldn't a happy romcom be better?"
"You're missing the point. A good work isn't judged by 'happy' or 'sad.' It's judged by what you feel after reading."
"If you knew from the start this was a tragedy, Tōru dies, would you choose not to read it?"
"…."
"For me, I'd still read it."
"Me too. If I didn't read it, I'd never know their story."
"That's what a good work is. Even if it hurts, you don't regret reading it."
"We all scold Shirogane-sensei weekly, but notice, very few people ever scold the manga itself."
"So before it ends, let's support it properly."
"By the way, volume 1 is out today. Recommend it to friends!"
"You're all devils. But actually, I have a friend who loves sweet manga. I'll give her volume 1. She'll think it's super cute, and then she'll buy volume 2 herself...hehehehe."
"Thank you, Shirogane-sensei, for the emotions these weeks."
"But please, no more tragedies next time. We beg you."
After the tears came acceptance.
No matter how much they mourned Tōru, three weeks had softened the anger.
Most fans now felt sorrow, warmth, and anticipation, wanting the final chapter to complete the story.
Even readers who boycotted volume 1 out of fury went to bookstores to buy a copy that afternoon.
The shift was so dramatic that Ametsukage Weekly's backendshowed a massive surge in votes for Tonight.
That night, Rei browsed online as the comments changed tone.
Fans who had cursed him were now apologizing in his messages.
He didn't care much, but seeing his reputation improve did make him smile a little.
Feeling cheerful, he finally posted on his artist accounts again:
"Next week's final chapter will give everyone, a warm, beautiful dream. No angst, promise."
With over a million followers total, Rei's post spread instantly.
Fans did not hold back.
"Still dare show your face?!"
"Go kneel in a corner for three days, then bring Tōru back to life in the final chapter! Only then will I forgive you!"
/
"How else can you weave a beautiful dream, Shirogane-sensei? You're not planning to reverse-psychology us again, right?Saying 'no angst' just to hit us harder in the final chapter?!"
"Shirogane-sensei, please do a tankōbon signing in my city! I need a signed copy of Tonight. Pretty please, fulfill this wish!"
"Shirogane-sensei, abandon the tragic romance path! Come back to rom-coms, that's the true calling! Tonight already broke us.Your next work, please, make us laugh!"
A night passed quietly.
In the morning, Misaki woke up early as always. The first thing she did was check her chat app.
Seeing Rei's profile icon still gray, she exhaled a tiny laugh.
"Of course you're still asleep, you really have the nerves of steel."
Among all the manga artists she'd worked with, every single one woke up early on poll-day, either terrified or praying their ranking hadn't dropped.
But Rei?
Every Saturday since Tonight began, he slept like a rock until nine or later.
A weekend ritual of total calm.
Meanwhile she, the "responsible editor," had been awake since dawn, mind buzzing with possibilities.
After washing up and leaving her room, Misaki spotted Miyu already in the living room, in pajamas, hunched over her desk, drawing her new series' manuscript.
Misaki blinked in surprise.
Her sister… drawing this early?
Had she really been shaken awake by Rei's success?
"Morning," Misaki said.
"Morning."
Miyu didn't look up for long, returning immediately to her pen.
"I thought your deadline was still five days away," Misaki asked. "Why start today…?"
Miyu let out a slow breath.
"My series is taking over the slot after Rei's. And Rei's ending Tonight at rank one, so my debut chapter can't perform badly."
"For chapter 1, I have to get at least into the top eight. Then climb from there. And before my manga ends, I need to hit rank one at least once."
Misaki raised an eyebrow.
"No one asked you to do that, you know."
"Can't I have expectations for myself?" Miyu shot back, gripping her pen tighter.
"If I stay lazy like before...I don't want Rei's future fans digging through his history, finding out I once competed on the same stage as him, and got obliterated without a fight."
"That'd be humiliating."
Her pen scratched the manuscript with renewed force.
Misaki didn't interrupt. Instead, she felt a quiet relief.
Her sister had been shaken awake.
And… she was clearly assuming something: that Tonight really would reach number one before it ended.