The recent trajectory of the two novels had sent a ripple of genuine shock through the editorial departnt of Crimson Maple Literature.
Anohana was performing as expected, lingering in the thirteenth or fourteenth spot after five issues. Given such a sluggish rise in popularity, most editors assud that even if it avoided the imdiate threat of cancellation, it had little chance of ever becoming a major hit.
The real focus of the departnt was Star Sea.
Within the fourteen titles serialized in Crimson Maple, there was a massive psychological divide between the top seven and the bottom seven. It was the industry equivalent of the gap between the honor students and the underachievers. Every series in the top seven was a long-running titan with a massive, entrenched fan base. Yet, Airi had shattered that barrier in only five chapters.
The data for Star Sea wasn't just being scrutinized by Crimson Maple Literature anymore.
Prominent novelists, rival editors, and news outlets across the Minamijo region were beginning to take notice.
Literary dia started showering the work with praise.
"Beginning with a girl burdened by childhood trauma, we watch as she is chosen to embark on a journey to save the world. The genius novelist Airi has managed to perfectly deliver the content of a full first volu in only five chapters," one review noted.
Another critic focused on the emotional weight of the latest release. "The cruel decision made by Jinka in the fifth chapter, to personally abandon the rescue of her brother who had lost his sanity, was a masterclass in character writing. Readers could truly feel the agonizing weight of her pain."
"Two genius authors erged in the region this year," a prominent blog wrote. "The imnsely famous Shiori Takahashi has seen lackluster results with her new work, Anohana. Is this a temporary stumble, or was the success of Blue Spring Ride rely a stroke of luck? anwhile, Airi has shown us the step-by-step evolution of a master storyteller. From the first chapter of Yesterday's Starlight to the fifth of Star Sea, her growth has been undeniable."
"The seed selection for the 'Ascent of New Gods', the biennial national competition for rookie light novel authors, is about to begin. Given her current montum, Airi is a frontrunner to secure a spot, potentially ending Crimson Maple's long streak of being shut out of the national seeds."
"Airi and Shiori Takahashi, both high school students from Minamijo Third High, were thought to be the twin stars of the local industry. Now, it seems one star is shining brighter than ever while the other begins to fade."
---
It was a scorching sumr break. Haruto had hung a string of glass wind chis on his window sill, and their delicate tinkling filled the room whenever a breeze drifted through. He looked down at the latest issue of Crimson Maple and let out a breath.
"She really is incredible," he murmured, his expression one of genuine surprise.
The latest chapter of Star Sea was remarkably strong. He could clearly feel that its entertainnt value had surpassed several of the series ranked above it. The only reason it wasn't higher was its short serialization ti; it simply hadn't had long enough to accumulate a massive vote count. Now that sumr break had started, Reina had clearly redirected every ounce of her academic focus toward her writing. The characterization in the fifth chapter was light-years ahead of the first four.
Haruto knew Reina viewed him as the rival to beat, and her growth was terrifying. In his eyes, she was a total monster, a natural-born novelist. To be able to produce this level of work only six months after her debut was almost unheard of.
"The world really isn't fair," Haruto thought, then imdiately chuckled at himself.
While he was complaining about the unfairness of natural talent, countless authors across the region were likely envying him.
He was "Shiori Takahashi," the rookie who had secured a spot in Crimson Maple for his very second work.
If God had given Reina extraordinary talent, he had given Haruto the entire creative library of a parallel world. To feel cheated by fairness while holding that kind of advantage was the height of hypocrisy.
In late July, the issue of Crimson Maple containing the sixth chapters of both Anohana and Star Sea hit the shelves. A reader nad Hanae arrived at the bookstore early to buy her copy.
Appreciation for fiction is ultimately a matter of personal taste. No single novel can perfectly satisfy every reader, but every story eventually finds the people it was ant for. If that weren't the case, the last-place series in Crimson Maple would never receive a single vote.
Hanae was one of those people. While the vast majority of readers currently viewed Anohana as diocre, she was captivated by the writing.
The way the author depicted nma, and the girl's desperate, tireless efforts to fix her broken friends, struck a deep chord with her. The plot of the sixth chapter picked up imdiately after the previous cliffhanger.
Jintan, Poppo, Tsuruko, and Anaru were scouring the dark woods for the "nma" they had glimpsed. Ultimately, they discovered the truth. It was Yukiatsu. He had been wandering through the forest at night where nma had drowned, dressed in a replica of her white sundress as a twisted form of penance for his childhood mistakes.
Just as Jintan was haunted by the fact that he had run away, causing nma to chase him to her death, Yukiatsu was burdened by his own guilt. If he hadn't asked that question, "Do you like nma, Jintan?", the chain of events never would have started.
"Tell , do I look like her?"
Yukiatsu, dressed in girl's clothes, grabbed Jintan by the collar. Tears stread down his face as his pride shattered.
"You say you can see her 'hallucination,' right? So do I look like her or not?"
"That day... it's my fault she died. If I hadn't said those things, she'd still be here. I'm the one who killed her."
As Hanae read these lines, her vision blurred with tears. She didn't care what the other readers or the critics said about the pacing. She felt the soul of the work. The death of nma was the catalyst that had frozen all their lives in ti, and the novel was finally peeling back the layers of their adult facades to reveal the wounded children underneath.
Years ago, the group had only wanted to know Jintan's true feelings. But children are often dishonest. A single, instinctive lie "Who would ever like a weirdo like her?", had led to a tragedy.
That lie had beco a permanent knot in Yukiatsu's heart.
"If nma were to appear, she should appear before . She should be a ghost, cursing for what I did," Yukiatsu wailed.
The proud, arrogant boy the audience had seen for five chapters was now sobbing uncontrollably in front of the rival he despised. He wasn't just grieving; he was drowning in jealousy. He couldn't stand that Jintan could see her "hallucination."
Why Jintan? Why was Jintan the one allowed to talk to her and gather everyone together while Yukiatsu had to resort to dressing in her clothes and staring at his own reflection in the river where she died just to feel close to her?
Yukiatsu, consud by regret and sorrow, couldn't see the spirit of the girl he had loved for years. nma was standing right behind him, watching him with an expression of pure, agonizing heartbreak.
Years ago, after Jintan ran away and nma chased after him, Yukiatsu had followed her. He had confessed his feelings right then and there, begging her to forget about the boy who called her a weirdo. But nma had stayed firm. She had chosen to keep chasing Jintan. That choice was what had led to her fatal slip into the river.
"nma didn't appear for . So she really is gone. She's nowhere anymore," Yukiatsu cried, turning away. He couldn't see her standing right in front of him, looking at him with a heart full of pity.
Hanae found herself crying along with the characters.
Childhood trauma can cast such a long shadow over a person's life. But this emotional breakdown in the woods had finally cracked Yukiatsu's cold armor. The shattered friendship of their youth was finally beginning to heal. Both Jintan and nma were slowly nding the deep-seated scars of their old friends.
At the end of the chapter, Poppo declared his absolute belief in Jintan's words. He decided that if nma was still here, it must be because she had unfinished business keeping her from passing on.
He began looking around Jintan's house, begging nma to show herself so he could help her find peace.
anwhile, the ghost of nma watched them, crying because she didn't know why she had returned or what her wish was, and because she hated that her presence was causing her friends so much pain.
By the ti Hanae reached the end of the sixth chapter, her eyes were red.
She couldn't understand why the ratings for this series were so low. Were the other readers of Crimson Maple really this blind to a masterpiece?
_______________________
Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Support at patreon/CulturedOne and read 50 Advanced Chapters
User Comments
0 comments from readers