A week quickly flashed by.
Editorial Department, Manga World Publishers.
Inside the large conference room.
"Everyone, here are the results from the latest reader popularity survey."
Hiroshi Oumi personally distributed the reports before turning on the conference room's projector.
Ayumi Ito nervously snatched up her copy of the report, her eyes intently scanning the rankings.
She became so absorbed in the data that she completely tuned out whatever the Chief Editor, Hiroshi Oumi, was saying at the front of the room.
The previous issue of 'Manga World GoGo' had featured a total of seventeen ongoing serializations. Due to the current Newcomer Grand Prix, four of those titles, including Hayashi Aoyama's work, were debut serializations from rookie authors.
As Ayumi scanned the top ten, she didn't see a single one of the newcomer titles. A wave of disappointment washed over her.
But logically, she knew this was only natural. For a rookie's first serialization, no matter how spectacular the art was, it was nearly impossible to compete with the long-established powerhouses of the manga world.
"...And congratulations to Kiyoshi-sensei, managed by Yusuke, for taking the top spot in popularity this issue!"
"Clap clap clap clap...!"
Led by Hiroshi Oumi, every editor in the room stood up and burst into enthusiastic applause.
Ayumi was momentarily startled, but she reacted quickly, standing up and joining in the applause with everyone else.
Once the clapping subsided and everyone returned to their seats, Ayumi finally found the specific ranking for 'Edgerunners.'
'Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners' rank...
15th Place.
Ayumi couldn't help but feel a pang of dejection. There were only seventeen series in the entire magazine, so 15th place meant they were the third from the bottom.
Furthermore, among the four rookie serializations, they were only ranked second.
She checked the rankings of the other three newcomer titles. One specific work, a manga called 'Spiritual Arcanist', had managed to snag 13th place--two spots higher than 'Edgerunners.'
Right at that moment, Hiroshi Oumi happened to mention that very title.
"As for the top-ranking newcomer work of this issue, it goes to 'Kitten Scratch'-sensei's 'Spiritual Arcanist,' managed by Tetsuya! Let's give him a round of applause!"
A tall, thin man wearing glasses stood up with a triumphant smile on his face.
Once again, led by Hiroshi Oumi, the entire editorial staff erupted into applause for the successful editor...
...
"Moshi moshi..."
Ayumi heard Hayashi's familiar, casual voice over the phone. As soon as the meeting had concluded, her first priority was calling him.
One of an editor's primary responsibilities was to inform their authors of their latest popularity rankings.
"Aoyama-sensei..."
But faced with a ranking that was third from the bottom, Ayumi found herself at a total loss for words.
"What is it?"
Hayashi asked casually. "If there's something on your mind, just spit it out."
"It's about the popularity rankings for the latest issue... The popularity for 'Edgerunners'..."
Ayumi still hesitated, not knowing how to break the news.
"Don't tell me it was last place?"
"No, no, no! Of course not!" Ayumi replied quickly.
"Oh, if it wasn't last place, then that's already fantastic. It's honestly way better than I expected."
Hayashi replied with a carefree chuckle.
In truth, it really was better than he had anticipated.
After all, he had only just published the very first chapter. His debut chapter hadn't been particularly explosive or dramatic, so how could it possibly have become an instant overnight sensation?
Even as a transmigrator with a system, he couldn't simply ignore the fundamental laws of the universe. It was impossible for the fans to immediately hail him as a god-tier genius after just one chapter, or for his competitors to start viewing him as a terrifying threat that needed to be eliminated.
Things just didn't work like that.
Not being in dead last was plenty of reason to celebrate.
"But... 'Edgerunners' only managed to land in 15th place..."
Ayumi noted, realizing that Hayashi genuinely didn't seem to care about the low ranking.
"15th place... let's see. There were 17 titles in the magazine, so that means we're third from the bottom, right? Usefully, that's not bad at all, hahahaha!"
Hayashi laughed cheerfully.
"Sensei... don't you... feel at least a little bit sad about it?"
Ayumi blinked in bewilderment.
"What's there to be sad about? I'm still just a rookie, and 'Edgerunners' has only just begun. Just relax... there's no need to rush things."
Hayashi turned the tables, offering words of comfort to his editor instead.
"..."
For a moment, Ayumi was left speechless.
Was Hayashi simply naturally carefree? Or did he truly not realize the gravity of the situation?
"But... the Editorial Department has a strict policy. If a series ranks dead last for four consecutive issues, or if its popularity drops by more than 20% for three issues in a row, the magazine will officially announce its cancellation..."
Ayumi explained, gritting her teeth.
"Huh? But we're currently in 15th place, aren't we?"
Hayashi replied, sounding genuinely surprised.
"But what if we drop to dead last starting with the next issue...?"
Ayumi asked, her voice filled with worry.
"Don't worry... that won't happen."
Hayashi shrugged his shoulders dismissively.
There was no way he was going to fall into dead last in the next issue and stay there for four weeks.
Well, technically it was possible. While the world-building of 'Edgerunners' was incredible, its early-game plot progression wasn't exactly what you'd call explosive.
In Hayashi's mind, the truly phenomenal part of 'Edgerunners' didn't truly begin until what would have been the third episode of the original anime, which, in his manga adaptation, would roughly correspond to Chapter 8.
The absolute emotional peaks of the story were, of course, the tragic death of the mentor, Maine, in the sixth episode, and the sheer intensity of the final two episodes.
Those were the moments that would truly cement the story's status as a masterpiece.
Thinking about it that way, the first six chapters really were in a bit of danger. The early plot was somewhat slow-burn and even a little depressing at times.
If there were any saving graces, it was likely the fascinating Cyberpunk setting and the fact that his art quality was on par with a high-budget animated feature.
If the readers had zero interest in the setting or the art, and if the other rookie entries happened to be god-tier works with incredible early-game pacing, then 'Edgerunners' really could be at risk of being axed.
But honestly, it didn't really matter to him.
Hayashi's primary goal was simply to earn enough money to live comfortably, and he had already achieved that much.
Even if the magazine canceled the serialization, he could always seek out another publisher later or eventually release the remaining chapters as independent volumes.
"Just trust me. We'll take it slow and steady. There's no need to panic. By the way... do you want to head out for a meal again this weekend?"
He asked with a cheerful grin.
"Huh? You... want to go eat again?"
Ayumi froze for a second. An invitation like that... it almost felt like a date, didn't it?
A faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"Well, it won't just be the two of us. Akane will likely be coming along as well. You know how it is; if it's just me and Akane going out alone, people might get the wrong idea."
Hyashi explained with a shrug.
I see...
If one man and one woman go out alone, it's easily misconstrued as a romantic date.
But if it's one man and two women, then no one would ever suspect anything like that.
"Well... alright then..."
Ayumi finally agreed. After all, she didn't actually have any other friends in this city, and she didn't want to spend her entire weekend cooped up at home by herself.
(End of Chapter)
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: Popularity Poll (读者人气投票) - A core mechanic in the manga industry where reader feedback directly determines whether a series continues or is canceled.
T/N: Axed (腰斩) - A term used when a manga series is prematurely ended due to low popularity. Literally means "cut at the waist."
T/N: Yusuke/Tetsuya - Localized names for the editors.
T/N: Kitten Scratch (痒痒鼠 - Yangyang Shu) - A localized pen name for a rival mangaka.
T/N: Spiritual Arcanist (灵能术士 - Lingneng Shushi) - A fictional rival manga title.
T/N: Misunderstandings - Hayashi uses logic common in harem/rom-com manga where a trio is "safe" whereas a duo is a "date."