Chapter 119 - 117

Haruki leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "They must be running out of steam by now." Haruka's voice came through his phone, steady but alert. "They threw everything they had behind Spiritual Vision last night—got a ton of creators to boost it. And they're still only fifty thousand votes ahead. We've got six days left in the poll. This isn't over." "Maybe," Haruki murmured, his brows tightening. "Still... feels like they're holding something back." "You think too much," Haruka said, half-laughing. "Just keep an eye on the numbers." They ended the call shortly after, but the unease didn't fade. Of course, winning the popularity poll outright would've been ideal. But even if they didn't, it wouldn't be catastrophic. Natsume was still climbing, still gaining readers. But Haruki couldn't shake the pressure building behind his calm. Losing now wouldn't just sting—it would cost him something tangible. The system only rewarded breakthroughs. Not near-misses. Not second place. Natsume was still in its early stages. There was no guarantee it'd get another shot like this soon—not with how crowded Shroud Line's lineup was. Which meant this poll, and the upcoming anime release, were both high-stakes moments. Two chances to earn a system reward. One was slipping away. Haruki opened Nexari and scanned the comment section under Spiritual Vision. The responses were as expected: loud, bitter, and defensive. "Spiritual Vision over Natsume? What a joke." "The Kiyosu clique always pulls this crap. First Asami's smear campaign, now this." "Did you all forget how Airi backed Rurouni Kenshin during the Aurora vote? And how that ended?" "Half those votes are just coordinated spam. Let's see how long it lasts." One comment stood out: "Can't Natsume fans just admit they lost?" Posted by none other than Tatsuya—the verified author of Spiritual Vision. Haruki raised an eyebrow. He tapped out a reply: "We've still got six days." Within seconds, the thread exploded. "Wait—is that really Mizushiro-sensei?!" "No way, he actually responded?" Tatsuya, refreshing the thread obsessively, spotted the reply instantly. His smirk faltered. He hadn't expected Haruki to engage directly. Trying to save face now? he thought bitterly. Tatsuya knew Spiritual Vision didn't have the support Natsume had. But he had something else—connections, visibility, allies. Haruki, for all his talent, was a solo act. He couldn't rally a scene on his own. Or so Tatsuya assumed. Haruki, meanwhile, closed his laptop with a faint frown. He hadn't given up, not even close. But he knew the reality—his fanbase wouldn't magically triple in size overnight. Then— Ding ding. His phone buzzed. Haruka again. "What's up?" he asked. "I made some calls," she said. "If Kiyosu wants to win with numbers, we'll meet them head-on." "What kind of calls?" "I reached out to a few artists I know—ones with real followings. Asked them to show support for Natsume." Haruki blinked. "Wait, they agreed? Wouldn't that paint a target on them?" Haruka didn't hesitate. "Plenty of folks are tired of the Kiyosu group throwing their weight around. Tokyo's not theirs to run. You're ahead right now. They're happy to back you." At that exact moment, in a small studio across town, Tatsuya was basking in Spiritual Vision's lead. The vote gap had widened to 150,000. Then, at precisely 1:00 PM, it flipped. In just an hour, Natsume's Friends surged past 800,000 votes—overtaking Spiritual Vision by over a quarter million. Tatsuya stared at the screen, frozen. "What the hell...?" He dove into the comment section, ready to accuse Haruki of foul play—but the tone had shifted. "Didn't like losing, huh? Looks like Mizushiro-sensei's got some backing too." "You mocked Natsume fans—who's panicking now?" "Tokyo doesn't revolve around Kiyosu. Yuto Kusanagi, Aki Fujimoto, Moriya-sensei—they're all supporting Natsume. Check their feeds." Tatsuya's hands trembled. Where had Haruki pulled all these allies from? What he didn't realize was that many artists—some quietly, some openly—had long grown tired of Kiyosu's closed-circle politics. All they needed was a nudge. And Haruka had given them one. By evening, the whole Tokyo manga scene was talking. The surge had become a symbol—this wasn't just about two manga series anymore. It was about influence. About pushback. Haruka's message had lit the spark. And creators from outside her circle began joining in, posting in support of Natsume's Friends. On the other side, the silence from Kiyosu's usual mouthpieces was starting to feel deafening. If Spiritual Vision lost now, it wouldn't just be a blow to Tatsuya. It would be a public crack in the Kiyosu group's dominance. --- "Did you see that? Inoue Kiyoshi just threw his support behind Spiritual Vision in the Nexari vote." "Yeah, no surprise, though. He's from the same hometown as the author—guess loyalty runs deep." "Still, in terms of storytelling? Natsume is miles ahead." "I haven't read either yet, but if Kiyoshi's backing Spiritual Vision, that's good enough for me. I'm voting now." ... Inoue Kiyoshi wasn't the biggest name in the industry, but he'd been around long enough to earn respect. So when he publicly backed Spiritual Vision, people paid attention. By midday, the series had surged ahead by nearly 500,000 votes, climbing to a staggering 3.8 million. Even within Nexari's offices, the atmosphere shifted. Takumi Sakamoto, the event director, stared at the numbers on his tablet, brow furrowed. "Huh... looks like Spiritual Vision might actually pull ahead," he muttered, running a hand over his jaw. "Nishida, start drafting interview questions. We'll need something punchy for the post-event feature. Make sure we've got heat for the winning side." A junior staffer hesitated. "Isn't that a bit premature? Natsume still has the bigger base overall." "Only reason Spiritual Vision surged is outside support. It's impressive, but short-lived. Readers who vote just once to back an artist? They won't stick around." "Exactly," another chimed in. "From here on, it's all about staying power. The real fans." Takumi nodded slowly. "Fair enough. Prep interviews for both series. We'll play it safe." But the gap didn't shrink. By the next morning, Spiritual Vision had pulled nearly 900,000 votes ahead. --- Haruki sat at his desk, coffee cooling beside him, eyes flicking back and forth between his manuscript and the live tally on his phone. There wasn't much he could do now. He wasn't the type to rally fans with dramatic posts or petty callouts. So he did what he always did. He worked. A knock broke his focus. When he opened the door, Haruka stood there, arms crossed, gaze unreadable. "Didn't expect you," Haruki said. "Still a few days till deadline, right?" "And that means I'm not allowed to check in?" She stepped inside, glancing around. "You seem... weirdly calm." Haruki offered a faint shrug. "No use panicking. If we lose, we lose. I'll take the hit and keep going." He looked back at his storyboard. "I still believe Natsume has more heart. But maybe I haven't earned the kind of pull someone like Kiyoshi has yet." A pause. "Someday, I'll have more influence than him. And when that day comes, I won't need votes to prove it." Haruka blinked, then smirked. "That's ambitious." "It's not ambition. It's the plan." Naoya, half-listening from the couch, raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Just nodded, faintly impressed. Haruka tapped a knuckle on the desk. "Alright then. Let's see how far that plan gets you." Then her expression shifted, more businesslike. "By the way, almost everyone we could ask to support Natsume has already spoken up." Haruki glanced at her. "Except...?" "Airi." He sighed. "I figured. She took a lot of heat last time for endorsing me." "Yeah. People said her influence skewed things. She promised not to do it again. But if Kiyoshi's jumping into the ring..." Haruka met his gaze. "Why should we hold back?" She checked her phone. "She made the post this morning. Should be up now." --- 10:00 AM — Post by Airi Tanaka "Still obsessed with Mizushiro's new series Natsume's Book of Friends. It's in the Nexari lineup this month. Already cast my vote—if you haven't yet, now's the time! Let's give it the support it deserves ????" A link to the voting page followed. The replies came fast. "Wait, again? She's promoted him before, right?" "She keeps calling him her favorite—kinda feels personal now." "Guys, calm down. They're under the same team. It's not that deep." "I'm just glad someone's pushing back. Spiritual Vision fans have been insufferable lately." "Yeah, Natsume deserves more credit. The story's tight. This could be a real comeback." (TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)