The next day at Echo Shroud, the editorial team waited anxiously for the sales numbers.
When the data finally came in, they were stunned.
Eight million copies sold, on day one.
That was the kind of number they usually expected for an entire week, not a single day. If distribution hadn't already hit stock shortages, it might've gone even higher. Their highest expectation had been 12 million, a figure only achieved once, about ten years ago, back when multiple top-five manga were fiercely competing for the top spots.
But now, with the top three series dominating, and the number one title, Initial D, overshadowing even second and third place, it was clear that the final chapter had pushed this release toward becoming the highest-selling issue in Echo Shroud history.
But the celebration came with a shadow of anxiety.
Because Initial D had ended.
And no one knew how steep the drop in readership would be without it.
Meanwhile, Haruki suddenly found himself with more free time.
Normally, he preferred staying indoors, but aside from work, he hadn't stepped outside in two months. Now that Initial D was over, all he wanted was a quiet walk, just to breathe. But the attention was overwhelming.
Everywhere he looked online, Initial D and Mizushiro were trending across every platform. Reporters had even swarmed the gate of his college. He'd taken a leave of absence to avoid the chaos.
He'd been in the spotlight before, but never like this, and he knew it wouldn't be long before the public figured out where he lived. That's why he refused to leave any trail. He wouldn't let anyone trace him back home.
As he scrolled through his phone, he opened his Fend account and read the comments—memes, analysis, tributes. The top two trending topics were Initial D and Fullmetal Alchemist.
"I still have adrenaline running through me after reading the last Initial D chapter…"
"I've only been reading for two months, but that ending brought me right back to how I felt reading chapter one. Total nostalgia."
"Guys, did you see the news? There were underground races all over the city last night. I went out to eat and saw nothing but sports cars flying by."
"Same here! I saw some of them, models with custom kits I couldn't even recognize at first glance. They were 100% racing."
"If I had a car, I'd be out there too. Yesterday I grabbed my bike and hit the hills. The wind in my face, the speed... I'll remember that feeling for 20 or 30 years to come.
"Yo, check this out!" [Attached: clip from last night's underground race]
Even Fullmetal Alchemist was blowing up in the comments, but compared to Initial D, it was drowned out by the flood of Initial D reactions.
"Did you see the look Edward gave that disfigured figure? That was their mom. He was just a kid. How can a child survive something like that? Mizushiro… how could you do this to him?"
"I teared up watching Edward try to bring Al back. The way he struggled, how much he sacrificed, it felt too emotional."
After nearly two hours of scrolling, Haruki finally set his phone aside. He stared at the ceiling, his mind stuck in the same loop: What now?
Kenta and Noya were on break after Initial D's ending. Natsume's last three chapters were done too, so they had all taken some time off.
And as for him? He'd just finished Volume 1 of JoJo Part 1 and Volume 1 of Part 2, with the rest of the plotline outlined. Today was supposed to be a day off, but with nothing left to do, the silence stretched on.
For the last two months, all he'd wanted was a break. A movie night. Maybe a game. But now that it was here, the free time felt… empty.
He thought about calling Ryuko. But she was still working overtime, recording the final episode of Into the Abyss. Airi was busy too, rushing to finish her delayed manuscript. Everyone seemed occupied.
With nothing else to do, he booted up a game. But without the pressure of a packed schedule, the excitement was gone. No urgency, no stolen moments between tasks. Just silence and boredom.
That's how the entire day passed, doing nothing.
Meanwhile, at T-Bone Animation Studio, Ryuko had just wrapped up recording episode 7 of Into the Abyss. She leaned back in her chair, exhausted, and absentmindedly started scrolling through her phone.
The first thing on her feed was a meme edit about Initial D's ending. She smiled faintly, then moved on. She suddenly remembered that Madoka Magic had aired yesterday.
Curious, she searched for reactions, but there wasn't much discussion yet. It was, after all, the first episode of an original adaptation. People were probably still deciding whether to fall in love with it or rip it apart online.
She put her phone away and grabbed her bag. Next month's schedule was already packed. She'd barely have time to breathe before the anime premiered.
As the new week arrived and the latest issue of Echo Shroud magazine dropped, Amane was glued to the sales report.
Everyone had expected a drop in numbers. That was inevitable. The prediction had been around a 30% decline.
But the actual drop?
Only 7%.
In the popular works ranking, Natsume had dropped to third. Fullmetal Alchemist had taken second.
It was too early to say for sure, but the signs were clear. Mizushiro wasn't just generating hype around his work; he was steadily building a fanbase of his own.
If Natsume's final chapters, set to end this month, perform similarly, they'll have no choice but to do everything in their power to keep him at Echo Shroud.
While Amane was still mulling that over, Haruka arrived at Haruki's apartment. He'd called earlier to let her know that the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure draft was ready.
As she stepped in, she asked, "So, how's your week been? Finally free?"
Haruki came out holding the draft bundle. "Whole week's been boring. Nothing to do. I can't go out now that Initial D has ended, reporters are all over campus. And even if I could, I'd probably get noticed. Everyone else is too busy to hang out. Honestly, I think I preferred the last two months over this one."
He handed her the draft.
Even after everything, Haruka still paused at the weight of it. She was used to it by now, but it always gave her a flicker of disbelief. How could one person have the time to serialize three works and still draw a new series with content that felt like two to three volumes?
The draft started with fifteen chapters labeled Part 1: Phantom Blood. Following that were storyboarded chapters and another ten labeled Part 2: Battle Tendency. After those came rough drawings outlining the core plotlines.
Haruka had cleared her schedule for the day. Without saying another word, she sat down and began reading Phantom Blood, starting with chapter one.
Shout out to Tess michotte, for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
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