Chapter 73 - 72

Souta took a breath. He was an adult—he'd seen plenty—but even adults get overwhelmed sometimes. The tears came before he realized. He scrolled back through the final pages. The story didn't dwell; it moved on—to a quiet mountain, where Kenshin had once trained with his master. His master walked past the burial site—where Kenshin had laid the bandits, and the woman who once shielded him. Only Tomoe's drape remained, fluttering faintly. A single line followed: Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance. End. Then another screen: This work is participating in the Aurora Manga Awards. If you've finished reading, please visit the official website to support it... Below were instructions on how to vote. Souta stared at the screen. Tomoe was gone. Even now, it didn't feel real—like something had been cut from him. But the ending... it hit hard. The final image of Tomoe embracing Kenshin—soft, serene, otherworldly—carried more weight in death than most characters did in life. Her absence only deepened her presence. He read the ending again, this time noticing every expression, every shadow. Scenes from earlier chapters took on new meaning—things he hadn't seen before now rang with quiet intent. Time passed. Souta let out a breath. His anger had faded. He'd thought Mizushiro had killed Tomoe for shock, for cheap tears. But would a happy ending have stayed with him like this? No. This hurt, but it was unforgettable. And somehow, he was grateful. He flipped back to the author's note on the final page—Mizushiro asking for support in the Aurora Awards. Souta still hadn't forgiven him for Tomoe's death—but if anything deserved recognition, it was this. He opened the voting site. Fan Value: 831,000. Rank: #5. Blazing Feather had 1.2 million. Battle Spirit was second, with 950,000. "...What a garbage." To Souta, nothing else came close. He signed up instantly, bought access to every paid chapter, then got creative—using his girlfriend's ID, then his grandfather's, then every account he could manage. Even that didn't feel like enough. He opened Line, where he'd joined over twenty manga chat groups across Osaka. He was ready to campaign—but the messages were already pouring in. Readers were already doing it. "Please vote for Rurouni Kenshin. Not for Mizushiro—for Tomoe." "I still hate the author. But Tomoe deserves to win. If you can't pay, I'll cover you." "It hurts that she's gone. But losing to those other titles? Unthinkable." Souta's eyes lit up. Heartbroken fans, defenders of the story—even those who wanted revenge on Mizushiro—they were all rallying. And he joined in, full force. — Souta was just one fan. One among thousands. His three accounts wouldn't shift the rankings alone. But it was people like him—quiet, passionate, ordinary—who built the manga world from the ground up. That Friday afternoon, something happened. Everywhere—on feeds, in chat groups, across forums—people talked about Rurouni Kenshin, about Tomoe, about the Aurora Awards. Osaka might not have been the biggest scene. But when its readers loved something, they didn't stay quiet. Bit by bit. Vote by vote. At 1 p.m., the live vote count for Rurouni Kenshin started climbing—and it didn't stop. --- For nearly a month, Blazing Feather had dominated the Aurora Manga Award rankings, holding records for the highest hourly and daily fan growth. Until Friday at 1 PM. That's when Rurouni Kenshin shattered the hourly record — 5,500 new fans in just sixty minutes. At first, the Award's backend team flagged the spike, suspecting manipulation. But a quick audit cleared any doubts. No bots, no tampering. Just a massive, organic surge — over 80% of it coming from Osaka. By 2 PM, the number jumped again — more than 10,000 new fans in a single hour. From there, the momentum didn't stop. By 6 PM, Rurouni Kenshin had added over 75,000 fans in one day, blowing past Blazing Feather's previous record. Though it still held first place overall, the gap was narrowing fast — and the sudden rise from fifth to third had caught everyone's attention. Fans flooded the site, demanding answers. But the official response was simple: "There is nothing wrong with the data." Still, the internet buzzed with speculation. A thread about Tomoe, the tragic heroine of Kenshin, had racked up nearly 30,000 replies. "Starting a thread for Tomoe — the most beloved character in the Award! Kenshin fans, gather here!" Another post trended even faster: "Creating a thread for Mizushiro-sensei! Who else agrees Mizushiro should stay single forever — no one will ever love him again!" Confused readers tried to make sense of it all. "Wait, Tomoe's dead? What happened in the last two chapters?" "Why aren't Osaka fans furious?" "Are there spoilers?!" Even Haruki heard people chatting about Rurouni Kenshin on his way home. At the school gate, he spotted a familiar face. "Hey, long time no see!" he called out. Kotone smiled, tucking her hair behind one ear. "What, were you waiting for me?" Though they went to the same school, Haruki had kept his distance lately — not wanting to distract her during exam season. But seeing her now, it felt like no time had passed. He fell into step beside her as they walked. "You haven't checked the rankings today, have you?" she asked. Haruki shrugged. "Why bother? I already know what they're saying. I killed off Tomoe, now everyone's mad." "It's not just that." She held out her phone. "Look." 1st – Blazing Feather: 1.22 million 2nd – Battle Spirit: 960,700 3rd – Rurouni Kenshin – Remembrance: 900,000 Haruki blinked. "That much...?" He hadn't expected this. Chapter 14 ended with heartbreak. Chapter 15 was just quiet grief — nothing flashy, just Kenshin alone with his regrets. He thought people would be upset, maybe even furious. Instead, they showed up in droves. "They're not angry," Kotone said softly. "They're mourning. That's different." "If they hated it, the fan count wouldn't have jumped 70,000 in a day." She slipped her phone away. "I skipped class to see what was happening online. Right now, the entire Osaka manga scene is behind Kenshin. Artists, fans, stores — everyone's rallying. Even the '10,000-Year Diving Party' came out of hiding to vote." Haruki laughed. "I haven't heard that name in years." Kotone gave him a sideways look. "You said you wanted to take first place in the first round. Honestly, I didn't think it was possible." She stopped and faced him. "But after today? I think you really might pull it off." "There are two days left. The weekend's coming. If tomorrow's chapter lands..." She didn't finish the thought. She didn't need to. Haruki knew. This wasn't just a surge — it was a spark. And the fire was only beginning to spread. Shout out to Joel Vincent, Hunter212 for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me. (TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)