Over the next few days, Kenji made it a routine—whenever someone came in asking about the Sora Series, he'd greet them with the same line:
"Looking for something specific? Was it Rurouni Kenshin that caught your eye?"
The answers spoke volumes.
After asking more than two dozen customers, the pattern was undeniable. While a handful were long-time readers of the magazine, nearly half admitted they were buying it just to read Rurouni Kenshin.
Some didn't even try to hide it—they said outright they had no interest in the rest of the content. They were there for one thing only.
Combined with the spike in sales over the past few weeks and the timing of Rurouni Kenshin's serialization, a suspicion started forming in Kenji's mind.
For next week's order, he doubled his usual quantity of Sora.
Kenji's shop was just a modest little bookstore tucked into a quiet corner of Osaka—but he wasn't alone. All across the city, bookstore owners were noticing the same trend.
And one by one, they increased their stock.
A sudden, significant surge in Sora's overall sales.
The magazine had already been performing well, thanks to ongoing hits like Celestial Book, Demon Realm, The Hidden Girl, and now Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance. Circulation had risen steadily from a respectable 300,000 to over 400,000 copies a week.
But now, as the year drew to a close, it had crossed the half-million mark.
Word spread quickly. Suddenly, Kurokawa Publishing—the company behind the Sora Series—was the talk of the manga industry.
Sales for serialized magazines usually stay within predictable margins. If there's a spike, it tends to come from the debut of a hotly anticipated series or the conclusion of a beloved one. In the past, Sora had seen occasional jumps—twenty thousand here, thirty thousand there.
But this was different.
This was a leap of more than 100,000 copies.
The professionals quickly started putting the pieces together. Only two new series had been introduced in recent issues: The Hidden Girl and Rurouni Kenshin.
And while Yuna Takahashi's transfer from her former publisher had made waves, few believed her name alone could generate this kind of momentum.
Which left just one explanation.
All eyes turned to Rurouni Kenshin.
Since its fourth chapter, the series had shown real promise. What began at 11th place in the popularity poll had skyrocketed to the number one spot in just seven weeks—a meteoric rise by any standard.
Historically, chapters seven and eight spelled doom for many new series. Quiet cancellations. Forgettable endings.
But Rurouni Kenshin didn't just survive—it surged ahead.
And it wasn't just the rankings. It was pulling the magazine's sales along with it.
Industry veterans were coming to the same conclusion: while some of the boost could be attributed to Yuna's jump to Kurokawa, the majority of it came down to one thing—
The breakout success of an unknown rookie.
The dark horse of the year.
Once again, many were shaking their heads—not at Mizushiro, but at Yuna's unfortunate timing. Back at her old publisher, she had fought tooth and nail to get The Hidden Girl serialized, only to lose out to another project. Now, just when she had her chance, she was being overshadowed again.
By the same rival work.
And at this rate, it was starting to look like she might not even make the shortlist for the Aurora Manga Award.
The latest issue of Sora had just released its popularity rankings.
As expected, while sales continued to climb overall, support for Demon Realm and The Hidden Girl held steady—neither rising nor falling.
Not only did it maintain its lead—it widened the gap. Over four thousand new votes had come in that week alone. It broke another record for Kurokawa Publishing, setting a new internal benchmark.
Still, Haruki didn't look as excited as he had the week before.
This was just the beginning.
The story was about to enter its most emotionally charged arcs. The character development, the tension, the catharsis—it was all going to intensify from here. If anything, this was just the baseline for what lay ahead.
Sora and Kotone, however, were still riding the high long after the rankings were posted.
At the current pace, they were sure Rurouni Kenshin would qualify for the prestigious Aurora Manga Award. If it held the top spot for just two more weeks, the nomination was practically guaranteed.
Right now, Haruki's series was leading The Hidden Girl by nearly ten thousand votes. There was little chance of a reversal.
"By the way, Haruki, Kotone," Sora said suddenly, her voice cutting through the quiet.
"Hmm? What's up?" Haruki asked, still focused on his manuscript.
"Remember what I told you a few weeks ago?"
Sora sighed. "The annual meeting! Don't tell me you forgot?"
"Oh… right." Haruki blinked. "Yeah, slipped my mind. My brain's been nothing but storyboards lately."
"Good thing your school's already on break. You've got time to prep. The meeting's next Saturday. I already submitted both your names to the event team."
Sora grinned. "Everyone at Kurokawa is dying to meet the mystery rookie who turned the whole rankings upside down. They've read your work, but I'm literally the only one who knows what you actually look like."
"Editors keep begging me for a photo. I didn't give them one, obviously. But you can't hide behind the name Mizushiro forever. This is your official debut."
Haruki groaned. "It's not like I'm a pop star or something."
"Still," Sora went on, ignoring him, "you will dress properly. The annual meeting is formal. Suits for the guys, dresses for the girls. Don't show up in your school uniforms looking like lost middle schoolers."
"A suit?" Haruki blinked. "I don't even own one."
"Then get one," Sora said, laughing. "You're making hundreds of thousands every month. A decent suit won't kill your budget."
Haruki scratched his head. "Fair point."
"Good." Sora gave him a once-over. "You have the fashion sense of a raccoon with insomnia. I'll come with you. Last thing we need is you picking some glittery nightmare."
Haruki looked genuinely offended. "You think I'm that bad?"
"Yes," Sora and Kotone said in unison.
Sora turned to Kotone. "And you? Got a dress?"
Kotone hesitated. "Not really."
"Perfect. We're going shopping. I'm not letting the stars of Kurokawa's biggest hit show up looking like amateurs."
"Got it," Haruki and Kotone replied together.
"Alright then. I'll let you two get back to work." Sora smiled, satisfied. "Just don't forget—this is your year. Own it."
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)