Within a day of Natsume's debut, fan communities had already begun sprouting across the country. In one particularly active chat group, speculation about the gave way to more urgent news.
"Did you guys see this? Some manga artist named Asami just threw shade at Natsume—and Mizushiro actually responded. The official Shroud Line account even reposted it!"
"Wait, seriously? Mizushiro said something publicly?"
"Who's Asami? Never heard of her."
"She draws that risqué comedy series The Three Sisters Next Door. It's getting an anime adaptation next February, I think. Not exactly the same genre, though…"
Someone dropped screenshots of Asami's original criticism. Moments later, Mizushiro's concise, biting reply appeared—quickly confirmed and amplified by Echo Shroud Publishing's official repost.
The group lit up in seconds.
"Natsume is a 'visual mess'? That's rich."
"Guess we're all tasteless fools, then."
The tone shifted from amusement to irritation. Was this just another tired case of a veteran artist trying to undercut a rising voice?
It wouldn't be the first time. In certain circles—there was a long-standing pattern: new talent steps in, and the backlash begins. Harsh reviews. Dismissive comments. "Constructive criticism" that sounded a lot like gatekeeping.
Sure enough, fans began piecing together similar remarks from other established names—Masaru Sakamoto, Takumi Onoda, Hiroshi Arai. All had taken veiled swipes at Natsume over the past few weeks, even before it hit shelves.
And now here came Asami, piling on?
Coincidence was hard to believe.
The fandom wasn't buying it.
First, they flooded Mizushiro's profile with follows. Then they swarmed Asami's post—only to find they were already late.
"Whoa… looks like the fire's already started."
"I had no idea Mizushiro had this many supporters. Kinda feels good to not be the only one who cried reading Chapter One."
"Too late to be first. Not too late to back him up!"
As the group's admin posted a rallying message, the battle lines had already been drawn. Comments under Asami's post were a whirlwind of quotes, counterpoints, and angry defenses.
Three hours after Echo Shroud's repost, the situation had spread everywhere—forums, fan threads, art circles, and trending tags.
Mizushiro's follower count shot past 100,000. And climbing.
What had started as genuine praise for Natsume now turned into something more aggressive—many fans began attacking The Three Sisters Next Door and questioning Fujikawa's motives.
"I gave her manga a shot. It's just fanservice wrapped around the same tired rom-com plot."
"She mocks Natsume for being 'overwrought'? Her protagonist cheats on half the cast and still expects sympathy."
"She's been around longer, sure, but that doesn't make her the industry's moral compass."
Naturally, Asami's own fanbase pushed back.
"People are calling Natsume deep, but it's just another sad-boy spirit drama. Try making a character who smiles once in a while."
"She has a right to her opinion. If y'all don't like harem stories, then don't read Three Sisters. Simple."
Both sides dug in. The exchange snowballed across platforms.
Soon, "Veteran Mangaka Asami Criticizes Award Winner Mizushiro" climbed into the Top 30 trending topics nationwide.
Even users with no stake in manga were weighing in.
Back in her apartment, Asami sat in silence, phone in hand. The notifications hadn't stopped in over an hour. Her jaw tightened as she scrolled.
This… wasn't what she'd expected.
She thought Mizushiro would ignore it—or respond privately, if at all. She'd assumed her own decade in the industry gave her credibility. And even if fans didn't agree, surely they wouldn't care this much.
What she hadn't anticipated was Echo Shroud Publishing backing Mizushiro with a public repost. Or the sheer volume of support pouring in on his side.
And then there was that line in Mizushiro's second reply:
"In February, the anime adaptation of Anohana premieres."
Asami blinked at the screen.
He was getting that serialized?
She sat back, stunned.
(TL:-Hey guys, quick note.
I know the pacing's starting to drag a bit—these chapters felt kind of slow, like the author was stretching things out just to hit a word count. There's even a forced argument that doesn't really move the plot much.
I trimmed where I could, but it still felt a bit sluggish. So moving forward, I've decided to keep tightening things up to make the reading experience smoother.)
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)