---
Word of the editor-in-chief at Kurokawa Publishing's unconventional method for selecting Aurora Manga Award entries had spread like wildfire throughout the manga industry.
The ongoing battle between Hidden Girl and other works in the final stretch of the year had already become a hot topic—not just among rival publishers, but even among the staff at Kurokawa itself.
At first, most assumed that Yuna's reputation was well earned. Her new series was a powerhouse, and even veterans like Shinji—known internally for his steady dominance—seemed poised to eventually be overtaken.
But a few weeks in, those predictions started to falter.
A dark horse had emerged.
Rurouni Kenshin—while praised during the initial serialization conference—wasn't expected to explode the way it did.
From eleventh place in the rankings to third in just a few issues, it took only six chapters.
Now the question was: how much longer until it claimed the top?
Two weeks?
Three?
Or… would it be today?
---
Although Rika had kept a composed front at work, staff who dropped by his office could tell something was off. The overflowing ashtray, the sharp scent of cigarette smoke—it all betrayed his mounting anxiety.
And Rika could feel it himself. Pressure was closing in.
If this continued, the Award nomination he'd been positioning Hidden Girl for might slip through his fingers.
And with it, the dream he had built around the series.
He'd already done everything he could to tip the scales in its favor.
Despite the overwhelming buzz for Rurouni Kenshin, the series had received next to no promotional backing. No bus ads, no subway posters, no displays at exhibitions or bookstores—none of the usual launch fanfare.
In contrast, Hidden Girl was everywhere. With his influence, Rika had secured the best marketing push Kurokawa had to offer—enough to put Demon Realm on the ropes after just a few issues.
And yet, even without that kind of support—no splashy reveals, not even a cover appearance for the lead character—Remembrance was climbing fast. Too fast.
What else could he do?
Originally, his plan was airtight: push Hidden Girl until it overtook Demon Realm in the popularity polls, then secure its place as the Award contender.
But the arrival of Rurouni Kenshin threw everything off.
It had already upstaged Hidden Girl once at the serialization conference.
Now, just as the series was finally on the verge of reaching number one, Rurouni Kenshin had surged back into the spotlight—at the worst possible time.
It was like the series existed solely to sabotage his carefully laid plans.
Rika checked the time—already past six in the evening.
Any minute now, the new popularity rankings would be published.
Would Rurouni Kenshin finally take the top spot?
Would Hidden Girl win out?
Or would Demon Realm somehow hold on and defend its title?
Even though many of the editors at Kurokawa weren't directly involved, the entire office was on edge.
Some were Rika's allies. Others were waiting quietly, hoping to see the man stumble.
He'd made more than a few enemies—maybe not as completely ostracized as Sora had been, but he'd certainly burned bridges.
---
A short message buzzed on the phones of all editors at Kurokawa Publishing—a notification from the voting system announcing the results of the latest popularity poll.
At that moment, Sora , lounging in Haruki's apartment, lit up her phone. Rika, finishing a smoke in the office after hours, did the same. Even Editor-in-Chief Daichi and the rest of the editorial team had received the same message simultaneously.
"Well?" Haruki asked quietly.
Sora's expression remained unreadable. Her face showed no joy, no anger, no sorrow—just stillness. But the moment her eyes landed on the message, something in her gaze dimmed slightly.
Then, her breathing quickened.
Watching her reaction, Haruki and Kotone didn't need to ask what the result was. The tension in the room had already answered it.
Even though they had both anticipated the outcome, seeing it unfold for real still left them a little dazed.
"Did we make it to the top?" Haruki asked.
Sora took a deep breath, then met his eyes.
"Yeah."
Just one word—but the faint tremble in her voice revealed how hard she was trying to stay calm.
She handed Haruki her phone.
The first few lines of the message were plain and clear:
1st Place – Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance
Votes: 42,472
2nd Place – Hidden Girl
Votes: 38,966
3rd Place – Demon Realm
Votes: 38,456
"Forty-two thousand..." Kotone murmured, her eyes widening slightly.
It was more than just a win. Kurokawa Publishing's previous all-time high for a popularity poll was just over 39,000 votes. No series had ever crossed the 40,000 mark—until now.
Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance not only topped the chart—it shattered records.
For both Kotone and Sora, it felt surreal. They had helped bring this series to life. And now, it had made history.
But for Sora, this moment meant even more.
This wasn't just a victory. It was catharsis.
For months, she had endured silent pressure from Rika. Rurouni Kenshin had taken the serialization spot that might have gone to Hidden Girl, his project. And Now, not only had it held its own... it had surpassed Hidden Girl and claimed the crown at a critical moment in the race for the Award.
With this final issue in January, Rurouni Kenshin had surged ahead in the three-way race, placing Haruki in an overwhelmingly dominant position.
As the result sank in, something else stirred in Haruki's mind.
A mechanical chime echoed faintly in his consciousness.
"Congratulations. You've achieved a milestone in the Sora magazine rankings. B-rank Lottery unlocked."
Haruki blinked.
...System?
A B-rank lottery?
He had no idea what that meant. But now wasn't the time to figure it out. Checking would require mentally diving into the system interface—something hard to explain with Kotone and Sora right next to him. He'd look into it later.
"Let's go!" Sora suddenly stood up.
"Huh?" Haruki looked at her, confused. "Go where?"
"We're celebrating. Rurouni Kenshin just hit number one—we're not letting this pass."
"What about work?" he asked.
"What work?" Sora shot back. "You've got winter break coming up, don't you? Worried you won't finish your manuscript with all that free time?"
"C'mon, don't overthink it!"
Before they could protest, Sora grabbed both of them and all but shoved them out the door. They piled into her car and drove off to a KTV lounge.
The room quickly filled with the sound of clinking glasses and off-key singing.
At Haruki's place earlier, Sora had wanted to scream from the excitement, but she'd held back out of politeness.
Here, she could let loose without holding anything in.
Haruki and Kotone, however, soon realized they'd signed up for more than just a celebration. As Sora launched into one emotional ballad after another, the two sat off to the side, playing cards and sipping drinks.
Eventually, the drinks won out.
Haruki couldn't even remember how he got home that night.
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