As a new manga, Hikaru no Go had benefited from the magazine's standard promotional push.
Misaki still felt that ranking 15th was unstable.
No one knew whether the series would crash in its second week.
But instead, It rose.
Not by luck, not by promotion , but on its own merit.
"Fourteenth place?" Rei paused.
"It only moved up one spot?"
"Rei," Misaki said with her editor tone returning,
"This is Dream Comic Weekly, not Sakura Weekly or Ametsukage Weekly. Every manga here already has millions of fans. Even moving up a single spot is difficult."
"Your thinking is exactly like when Hikaru provoked Akira in chapter three.
Yes, you're a genius but don't underestimate the veterans of this industry!"
"Yes yes, I was wrong. I'll watch my words."
"I'm not scolding your ambition," Misaki continued.
"What I want is patience. Impatience ruins manga. A youthful mindset, on the other hand, is priceless. Once lost, people stop daring to dream. Their manga becomes skill without soul.
But a shōnen manga drawn by someone who still dreams, that has the potential to become one of Japan's top works."
"If Hikaru no Go can steadily reach and hold the top ten before it ends," she added, "That alone would be a tremendous victory for you."
Rei hung up the phone.
Fourteenth place…
Naturally, he wasn't satisfied.
In his previous life, Hikaru no Go never ranked #1 in Weekly Shonen Jump.
But look at the competition back then:
Naruto. One Piece. Hunter x Hunter.
With titans like those dominating the rankings, Hikaru no Go could only climb so high.
But in Japan, in this world, what would its peak be?
After chapter 2, Hikaru no Go ranked 14th, but its reader rating was 9.1, placing 7th out of 20.
From every angle, an extremely strong opening.
Online discussion didn't fade at all, instead, it intensified day after day.
Wednesday- Hikaru no Go Chapter 3 Release Day
Japan's six major magazines each had massive fanbases. Even early in the morning, plenty of people lined up to buy the newest Dream Comic issue.
However, Saori wasn't normally a Dream Comic loyalist. For the past year, the magazine she purchased every issue was Monogatari Comic, and her favorite manga was Zero Contract by the genius manga artist Aira, who consistently ranked top five.
She originally learned of Shirogane through Aira's public support.
And from there… everything spiraled.
She became a loyal fan of both Aira and Shirogane. Which meant buying both Monogatari Comic and Dream Comic every week.
"Today I get to read Dream Comic, tomorrow I get to read Monogatari Comic… life is perfect!"
Saori walked out of the bookstore happily, glancing at the new magazine cover.
This week, Hikaru's position on the cover was far more visible than last week.
Did that mean the rankings improved?
Saori bought snacks and breakfast, then hurried home through the February chill.
The moment she arrived, she tore open the magazine and flipped immediately to the Hikaru no Go pages.
The art was, as always, stunning, painstakingly detailed backgrounds, beautiful composition…
And the character designs?
Shojo-manga-tier beauty.
Especially Sai and Akira.
They were absurdly handsome.
"In the upcoming Comic Con, I have to cosplay Sai…"
Chapter three continued directly from last week.
After Akira heard that Hikaru might appear at the children's Go tournament, he rushed over in a frenzy, subway, taxi, bicycle, doing everything possible just to find him.
But when he finally stood in front of Hikaru, he didn't know what to say.
The two boys simply exchanged a few peaceful words about Go.
Hikaru spoke about the excitement he felt at the Go tournament earlier, that raw, electric atmosphere unique to competition.
Akira, however, voiced something entirely different:
"Touched? Have you, never been serious?" Akira asked sharply.
"Serious?"
"Let me see your hands."
"My hands?"
The manga switched into Akira's inner monologue.
Hikaru's nails weren't trimmed short.
There were no hardened calluses from hours upon hours of holding stones.
Not the hands of someone who played Go every day.
Then Akira asked: "Do you want to become a professional Go player?"
And there it was, the manga's main storyline revealed.
'A professional Go player.'
"A Go pro? Me? Becoming a pro player, hahaha, I've never even thought about it…"
Hikaru burst out laughing.
Saori frowned hard.
'This kid…could he be any worse at reading the room?'
But then, she sighed at herself.
Why on earth was she expecting emotional intelligence from a twelve-year-old boy?
He was literally still a child.
Akira, on the other hand, answered with perfect clarity:
"I want to."
His expression was calm, but in the manga panel, his eyes were unwavering.
So unwavering that Saori instantly forgot her irritation with Hikaru.
Lightning split the sky as clouds darkened overhead.
The plot pushed forward: Hikaru asking if professional Go players earned money.
Akira explained that Japan's Meijin, Kisei, Tengen, and Gosei title matches all had prize pools worth millions.
Of course, Rei had adapted the titles to match Japan's Go world in this universe.
And in this world, Go, thanks to heavy national support, wasn't like the low-prize tournaments of Rei's previous life's Japan. Major titles here offered several million yen at minimum, sometimes far more.
Then came the line that made Saori clutch her head:
"Adding it up, that's over ten million? Oh...haha. Then it's not so bad to occasionally become a pro and win a few championship prizes!"
He wasn't just careless now, he was delusional.
And of course, Hikaru wasn't even talking to Akira. He was chatting with Sai, the person only he could see.
Akira's expression instantly turned terrifying.
Saori almost wanted to leap into the pages and scold Hikaru herself.
'Seriously, what are you bragging about, you clueless brat?!'
How could he say something like that.
To Akira, who had trained nonstop since childhood, whose entire life was filled with Go, who had been defeated by Hikaru, a kid who didn't even play Go?!
Akira exploded:
"What you just said insults every professional Go player!You're not qualified to play Go at all. Anyone who truly plays Go would never speak with such arrogance."
His presence in the manga almost seemed to burst from the page.
Even in the rain, his gentle-but-unbending aura radiated like a storm.
Thunder cracked the sky open.
Rain soaked through Akira's hair as water dripped from his chin, his pupils reflecting Hikaru's silhouette.
'Why…? Why did I lose… to someone like him?'
The bitterness on Akira's face made Saori's heart twist painfully.
If she were him, she would have cried already.
"Play me. Right now." Akira said, fist clenched.
"I will become a professional Go player."
"If you really have the strength to win championships so easily, then you wouldn't have lost to me."
"Let's settle this… now."
Oh no.
The protagonist had done it now.
Not only had Hikaru angered Akira, he had insulted every hardworking Go player through his thoughtless words.
Akira wasn't just trying to win back the game he'd lost.
He was standing up for every kid who'd bled, cried, and trained for years.
And yet…
Saori felt a sudden dread.
Would Sai destroy Akira again?
Would Akira suffer more because of Hikaru's stupidity?
Why was she so anxious when she didn't even understand Go?!
"Shirogane-sensei, PLEASE, stop torturing Akira. He's a good kid!"