What If the Post Gets Taken Down?
For a moment, panic spread like wildfire among manga fans glued to the thread on Mangastream.net, eagerly following the pirated updates of Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance.
Having the thread taken down wasn't just a vague threat—it was practically a death sentence for the post. Once Mangastream deleted it, it was gone for good. No reuploads. No second chances. That was the unspoken rule.
"What can we even do? Just accept it, I guess…"
"Easy for you to say. Not all of us have the poster friended on here."
"Well, I added them just in case. If the thread disappears, I'll just DM them for updates."
Replies flooded in. A bunch of users began casually dropping their email addresses into the thread—half-joking, half-serious.
"Thanks in advance, OP!"
"Don't forget me when it's gone!"
But as the thread scrolled on, one particular comment caught fire:
"I'm from the Kansai area too. I run a small book and stationery store in Minato City—mostly brush pens and calligraphy supplies. I also resell manga through Tenmado, so if this thread gets nuked, just look me up there under 'Pharaoh of Minato'. I'll be selling the serialized issues of Rurouni Kenshin from Sora. Of course, I'll charge a small service fee…"
That username—Pharaoh of Minato—was hard to forget, with a cheeky vibe that stuck.
Replies came in droves.
"Noted, Pharaoh. If this post dies, I'll hit you up for the physical issues."
"Honestly, the low-res screenshots were getting hard to look at anyway. I'd rather buy the actual book if it's available. Appreciate you making it easier."
"I guess it's one way to support the author too…"
"Let's not get carried away. You're supporting the publisher, not the author. Mizushiro-sensei won't see a single extra yen from your purchase."
A week passed in a blink. The seventh chapter of Rurouni Kenshin dropped in the latest issue of Sora, concluding the "Lost Cat" arc.
The story picked up with Kenshin's hideout discovered by the Shogunate. After a tense battle, he escaped with Haku, eventually taking refuge in a countryside home arranged by Katsura Kogoro—disguised as husband and wife.
But in the final scene…
As the two walked side by side in silence, Tomoe trailed just behind them—only to quietly place her hand on the blade at her waist.
Was Mizushiro-sensei about to stir things up again?
Once again, a perfectly crafted cliffhanger. Readers cursed and praised in equal measure as they scrambled to their phones and computers, jumping onto Sora's voting page to cast their votes for Rurouni Kenshin.
Fridays had become special—not just for new manga, but because they marked the end of the school week. Haruki dashed home as soon as the final bell rang. Not long after, Kotone arrived at his place, like clockwork.
They could've come over together—they attended the same school, after all—but Haruki always preferred to keep things low-key. Rumors traveled fast, and he wasn't the type who liked being the center of attention.
On release days, Sora usually arrived early—sometimes even before Haruki got back. But now, he was nearly done prepping dinner… and she still hadn't shown up.
He glanced at his phone. No new messages.
And knowing Sora's personality, if anything had delayed her, she would've sent a Line message without fail. The silence was… out of character.
"Hey, Kotone," Haruki called. She was already hunched over the manga table, flipping through notes and sketches.
"Hm?" she finally looked up after his third attempt. She'd clearly been deep in thought.
"Not really… Let's wait a bit. I'd rather eat together once Sora gets here."
"Alright," Haruki nodded and moved over to his own desk, opening the draft for Chapter 8 of Rurouni Kenshin.
The story was structured around four major arcs. The first—Executioner—set up Kenshin's backstory and introduced key characters like Tomoe. The second arc—Lost Cat—dived deeper into the war-torn world they lived in.
Now, with the third arc—Little Mountain Village—the tone shifted toward quiet emotion. It followed Kenshin and Tomoe's deepening relationship, hidden away under false identities in a remote countryside home. Somewhere along the way… their pretend marriage started to feel real.
But Little Mountain Village was also the arc where the true tragedy began to bloom. In a devastating flashback, it was revealed that Tomoe's former fiancé had been killed—by Kenshin himself. Her reason for getting close to him wasn't love at first, but revenge.
And that changed everything.
The first two arcs were gripping, sure, but not yet legendary. What gave Haruki the confidence to tell both kotone and Sora that this series would climb to the top of the manga world… were the final two arcs:
Little Mountain Village and Final Frost.
These weren't just continuations—they elevated the entire narrative. Emotion, pacing, themes… everything hit harder.
Back when Sora submitted the serialization proposal, Haruki had already finished name drafts for the first nine chapters. That was part of what gave her the edge during the meeting.
Because the debut chapter had double the usual page count, the originally separate Chapters 1 and 2 had been merged. As a result, the entire serialization was reduced from sixteen chapters to fifteen.
And now, Chapter 8—the one Haruki and Kotone were working on—was the finalized version of that ninth name draft.
There were no outlines past this point. From here on out, only Haruki knew what came next. Not even Sora had read beyond it.
At their current pace, the story would reach its conclusion in just two more months.
While Haruki was mulling over that thought, there was a knock at the door.
Sure enough, it was Sora.
She stepped inside, dusted in snow, her pale red jacket zipped up to her chin. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold. Wordlessly, she made her way to the stove.
"I'm starving," she mumbled. "Absolutely starving."
"You haven't eaten yet?" Haruki asked.
"Nope. You cooked already?"
"Everything's ready, just waiting to be served."
"Perfect. Let's eat first—I've got something to tell you. But it's kind of complicated, so… over dinner, okay?"
At the table, steam rising from their bowls, Haruki gave her a curious look.
Sora sipped her tea, then met his eyes with an unusually serious expression.
"Have you ever heard of… the Aurora Manga Award?"
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)