"A professional manga artist, part-time high school student."
Rei stared at Miyu's outstretched hand, unsure what expression he should be making. But since she clearly did not mind his reaction, he gently reached out and shook her hand.
"Rei Kirishima."
"But Miyu… you said you're a professional manga artist. You mean…" Rei hesitated.
"You actually have work serialized in a magazine?"
"You catch on quickly."
A soft, modest smile appeared on Miyu's face, as if she had been waiting for him to reach that conclusion.
"I debuted in Sakura-iro Weekly when I was thirteen. So far, I have published two short works and one mid-length series. The manga I am currently serializing in Sakura-iro Weekly, which is ranked third in popularity, is titled Lament."
Lament…?
Although he knew of Sakura-iro Weekly, it was not one of the famous giant magazines.
In this world, the Japanese manga market was massive.
There were six major publishing groups that each produced a weekly magazine selling over ten million copies nationwide. But aside from these giants, there were countless second-tier, third-tier and even fourth-tier magazines with circulations ranging from tens of thousands to several hundred thousand.
Sakura-iro Weekly was a well-known regional magazine under the Hoshimori Publishing Group, which also owned one of the six major flagship magazines.
Of course, it was nowhere near the level of the flagship magazine compared to his previous life publishing houses.
It was a third-tier magazine where signed artists who were not yet ready for prime serialization could publish their work.
That might sound unimpressive.
But in reality, getting serialized even in a small or mid-level magazine already placed someone far above ordinary hobbyist artists.
Just like how a national soccer team could still effortlessly defeat a casual player, no matter how people complained about it.
And considering Miyu's age…
Fifteen years old, with three serialized works. She could only be described as a prodigy.
Even legendary creators like Oda and Kishimoto had not achieved anything like that at her age.
"Oh. That's… really impressive," Rei admitted.
Miyu's eyes narrowed slightly.
She could tell immediately that Rei did not genuinely recognize Lament.
He only knew the name Sakura-iro Weekly.
It made sense.
Sakura-iro Weekly had a circulation of only a few hundred thousand, and its main audience was shoujo readers. There was no reason for an average first-year boy who preferred mainstream series to have read it.
It was reasonable, It was normal.
And yet…
She felt a small sting of disappointment.
No one at school knew she was a published manga artist.
She could not bring herself to talk about her work with ordinary readers who knew nothing about the struggles of creation, yet freely criticized art and story as if it were nothing.
Today, she had opened up, revealing her secret to Rei because he was clearly not the type to treat manga lightly. He was serious, skilled and dedicated.
And yet, he did not know her work.
Suppressing that little ache in her chest, Miyu suddenly had an idea.
Five Centimeters per Second…A romance manga…Rei already had more than a hundred pages done…
Maybe…
"Rei, your manga… it looks like you have a lot of pages already," she said.
"Yes. Over a hundred. At this pace, I should finish in two or three days," Rei answered.
"Have you thought about submitting it for publication?" Miyu asked with a gentle smile.
"Of course I have."
Rei exhaled.
"I'm not even aiming for the big six magazines. They won't take a newcomer like me. But the smaller magazines…" He scratched his cheek.
"I honestly have no idea which one to choose."
People often believed newcomers suddenly appeared in big national magazines like Weekly Monogatari, but Rei knew better.
Those so-called "complete newcomers" were rarely real beginners.Most had debuted under different pen names years earlier, won newcomer contests, published short works in small magazines and built up connections with editors before finally getting a chance to serialize under a new name in a top magazine.
Even Oda, who began One Piece at twenty-two, had already won second place in the Tezuka Award at seventeen. He spent the next five years drawing short pieces, improving his craft and earning recognition. No one simply created a masterpiece out of nowhere.
It was the same in this world.
No matter how good Rei's manuscript was, the odds were against a true unknown. Editors might not even bother opening a submission from someone without a track record. And even if they read it, the editorial board would likely reject it during the serialization meeting.
If Rei wanted to reach the top six magazines someday, he first needed to build experience and reputation by publishing in second, third- or even fourth-tier magazines. He needed industry connections before he had any realistic chance of getting into a flagship publication.
So if the big six were off the table, Rei's realistic options were the hundreds of lower-tier magazines scattered across the market.
But Rei had a problem.
He knew none of the editors. He was a student, so visiting different editorial offices in person was troublesome.
And waiting weeks for rejection letters would waste precious time.
He had been stuck on this decision for days.
"How about this," Miyu said with a gentle smile.
"Why not send your manuscript to my editor? Maybe you could serialize it in Sakura-iro Weekly like me."
"Eh? Sakura-iro Weekly… isn't that a shoujo magazine?" Rei said, freezing.
"That's a stereotype. Who decided that Sakura-iro Weekly is exclusively for shoujo?" Miyu laughed.
"It is more accurate to call it a romance magazine. It also publishes a lot of youth romance stories."
She glanced at his manuscript.
"From what I have seen, Five Centimeters per Second is a romance story, isn't it?"
"Well… yes." Rei nodded.
"And your male lead is drawn attractively. The heroine too, she's very cute," Miyu added.
"Yes… that's true," Rei agreed.
"In that case, there is no reason not to submit it to Sakura-iro Weekly."
Rei paused.
He genuinely could not find a good argument against it.
"But most of the popular works in Sakura-iro Weekly are bright and gentle romance stories," Rei said. "As for Five Centimeters per Second…"
"Do either of the protagonists die?" Miyu asked.
"No, it is just… the ending is bittersweet."
"Then it's not a tragedy. Romance stories often have bittersweet parts. Show me one romance manga without even a hint of regret."
Rei internally groaned.
I can hardly think of one that's all regret and not cheerful at all…
"It's only a try," Miyu said lightly. "They might not accept it anyway. You don't need to stress."
Of course, Miyu had another motive.
A very simple one.
Rei had claimed not to recognize her work, Lament.
But if Rei submitted to Sakura-iro Weekly and got serialized, he would end up reading the magazine every week.
He would come across her series eventually.
He would see her ranking well, maybe even above him. And he would realize just how skilled she really was.
And if Rei's submission did not get accepted, he would respect her even more as a fellow manga artist.
After all her polite explanations, Miyu's real intention was quite small and quite human:
The gentle vanity of a young manga artist showing off in front of a peer.
Rei looked into Miyu's clear, expectant eyes. After thinking for a moment, he nodded with hesitation.
She was right. It was not as if he would lose anything by trying.
Although he felt a little uneasy accepting help from a classmate he had only just met, Rei did not sense any hidden intentions from her.Maybe she was simply happy to find someone at school who also loved drawing manga.
"Alright then, Miyu. Could you… give me and your editor a bit of guidance?"
"Of course. You're my classmate, after all. I'll help you."
Miyu's eyes curved into cheerful crescents as she smiled.
"Then you should hurry and finish your manuscript. Several short series in Sakura-iro Weekly are ending in the next two weeks, so a few slots will open up. Do your best!"
She raised her fist encouragingly.
"Oh… okay!" Rei raised his fist back, slightly flustered.
Just then, the afternoon bell rang. Miyu quickly packed her tools and headed toward the classroom.
"It's decided then. I'll call my editor tonight and let them know!"
Rei stood on the rooftop for a moment before finally gathering his things.
He tended to overthink decisions, but since Miyu had made one for him, he no longer needed to hesitate.
"Sakura-iro Weekly, huh…" Rei murmured.
That afternoon, classes ended like normal. Rei went home alone.Lunch breaks were only for saving time; the real drawing always happened at night.
Tonight, Rei felt unusually clear-headed. His focus was razor-sharp.
By the time he reached the final scene of Five Centimeters per Second, he completed the page in a single breath.
When he finally leaned back and blinked, he saw a young man on the page turning away with a soft smile, eyes carrying a quiet sense of release.
The lines were simple, but the emotion seemed to seep out of the character's expression.
Rei's heart ached just from looking at it. The emotional power was overwhelming.
"Did I draw this?" Rei whispered in shock.
This level of expression. This depth of feeling.
It was far beyond anything he had achieved in his previous life as a struggling manga artist.
And on top of that, this page had taken him barely half the usual time.
Drawing faster was one thing.
But drawing with this level of emotional impact was something else entirely.
That was talent, not technique.
Could this be the result of his soul merging with this body?