Chapter 66 - 65

The gap was undeniable. Even though the Award site pulled in entries from all over the country, Haruki wasn't banking on regional favoritism—he was counting on the strength of the work itself to turn heads. neither Kotone nor Sora paid much attention to the initial Day 1 follower count for Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance. What really mattered... was the rating. A high rating meant the work was resonating beyond its hometown. If the series couldn't break out of its Osaka bubble, there'd be no real chance of breaking into the top ten. But from the way things were trending, that didn't seem to be a problem. Kotone couldn't help but remember something Haruki had said back at the annual meeting: "I'm aiming for first place" Back then, it had sounded like wishful thinking. Now? He wasn't just dreaming. He had arrived. Remembrance wasn't just another entry—it had landed squarely in the lineup for the Awards. And for someone like Haruki, whose path had never exactly followed the norm... a goal that seemed far-fetched to others might not be so far off. After updating Haruki on the latest numbers, Kotone hung up the call. Following her advice, Haruki tweaked the search filters on the contest site. Seeing Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance ranked first out of hundreds of entries... the tension in his chest finally began to ease. — Meanwhile, in a private villa nestled in Kyōto Prefecture— A young man with slicked-back hair and sharp golden eyes was locked onto the contest page, staring at Remembrance. The number next to the title? A staggering 9.8 rating. But his interest faded fast when he saw it only had around 40,000 followers. Scoffing, he dialed a number. "Takeshi, there's nothing to worry about," he said. "That manga you mentioned? I checked it out—barely 40k fans." "No, I didn't read it. Why would I waste time on some no-name series from Osaka? You really think someone from there is going to make a classic?" "It's probably just a flash in the pan. Maybe they paid for bots to inflate the score—happens all the time. Give it a few days, that 9.8'll crash once the real readers show up." He ended the call with a dry chuckle. His name was Renji Takeda, a senior fine arts student at Kyōto Prefecture University and a rising name in the regional manga scene. His current serialization, Blazing Feather, had already earned him fame, a decent income, and a loyal following. On Day 1 of the contest, Blazing Feather had racked up over 230,000 followers and held a solid 8.9 rating. More than enough to satisfy him. But that 9.8? It still bugged him. Scowling, he pulled up his social media and posted an update: First day of the Aurora manga Award. 230k followers, 8.9 rating—grateful for all the support, especially from outside Kyōto. Let's keep going. It looked humble at first glance. But the subtext was clear. Why point out the "outside Kyōto" bit? People connected the dots immediately. He was clearly taking aim at Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance—the series currently sitting above his on the leaderboard. And for those paying close attention, Renji's post had a very specific target in mind. — As the contest gained steam, two titles quickly pulled ahead of the pack—Blazing Feather and Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance. One dominated the follower count. The other led in user ratings. Renji might've dismissed Remembrance as hype-driven fluff, but others weren't so quick to judge. Even if they were skeptical, curiosity got the better of them. One by one, readers clicked in to see what all the fuss was about. With only ten chapters available, it didn't take long to finish. And when they finally looked away from the screen... when they saw that 9.8 was still holding steady—they didn't need convincing anymore. Even veteran mangaka from the Tokyo scene had taken notice. Tokyo remained the creative heart of the manga industry. For many, it was still the bar against which all work was measured. And for creators based there, there was often a quiet sense of superiority when it came to artists from outside regions. But the Awards weren't casual. Most entries were the best their creators had to offer—works good enough to pass even Tokyo's high standards. Still, among all the series making waves, one stood out above the rest. And Tokyo's creators weren't shy about saying so. "Didn't I tell you?" someone laughed. "You didn't believe me, huh?" "You see it now!" Airi Tanaka grinned and waved her phone at the small group of fellow mangaka gathered for a New Year's get-together at their agency. They'd only meant to hang out casually for the holidays—but once someone brought up Remembrance, Airi, usually reserved, couldn't hold back. "Alright, alright, we get it," one friend said, laughing. "You're obsessed." "We were just chatting, not trying to start a whole debate." "And besides," another added, "a great score's fine, but the first round isn't just about ratings. You need paying readers too." Which was true. Whether Remembrance could turn its buzz into long-term support remained to be seen. Still, Airi just smiled. She didn't need it to win. She just... liked it. Quietly, she signed up on the contest site and gave the series her own little boost. — On Day 1, Blazing Feather did exactly what everyone expected: strong, solid numbers across the board. Remembrance, though? That caught everyone off guard. Some people online claimed the score was inflated. Others dismissed it as a fluke—a niche passion project from a small creator that wouldn't last the week. But those voices started to fade fast. Day 1: 40,000 fans. 18,000 ratings. Day 2: 80,000 fans. 37,000 ratings. ... By Day 5, Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance had cracked the top ten in fan value, with 170,000 followers. Over 180,000 users had submitted ratings. The score? Still locked at 9.8. Online discussions began shifting in tone. People started pointing out the stats. Sure, it had 170,000 fans—but only about 100,000 had rated it. Which meant a whole lot of readers were following it silently. Some assumed it was just the Osaka crowd supporting one of their own. But at this point? With over 100,000 unique ratings—still sitting at 9.8? Could that really be faked? (TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)