Afternoon. After school.
'Damn it! Didn't they say that no one buys these? So why are they sold out again?!'
Tanaka walked out of the bookstore, his face twisted in frustration, his mood foul.
For the Madoka Magica manga, he had bolted out of class even before the bell rang.
Maybe he'd be called to the office tomorrow for leaving early today.
He had even turned down his two closest friends' invitation to sing karaoke after school! and they said, the girls would be there this afternoon too!?
If he just go the karaoke and things went well with him, maybe he'd even get a girlfriend out of it?!
But even knowing that, Tanaka had set his sights on another goal: getting Madoka Magica manga.
However...
'Damn it! After all this effort, is it still not enough?!'
Tanaka was heartbroken.
Now, you might not be familiar with Tanaka, but you probably remember the three younger students Akifumi ran into on his way to school this morning.
Tanaka had just entered his first year of high school, which meant he was officially growing up!
He had to leave behind all the things that made him seem immature.
All the childhood toys he packed away? That was Tanaka's way of severing ties with his past!
Growing up always comes with sacrifices, after all.
And out of all the things considered 'immature,' a magical girl themes were the most stereotypical.
'That's something only girls like.'
In reality, by the time girls hit 5th or 6th grade or middle school, they're likely over the 'magical girl' phase. and started to get into liking celebrities, makeup, clothes, and handbags.
That's why magical girl stories have such an awkward reputation.
Tanaka had never liked them, thinking they were childish.
The world would be peaceful already if it were as perfect as those stories, right?
"They're just for kids."
So then, why was Tanaka spending his time, money, and energy hunting for one?
"Damn it! The art's so gorgeous, but why did they have to make it about magical girls?!"
And of course, the beauty of it all struck a nerve with him!
Even though he hated the magical girl genre, he couldn't resist buying a copy for his collection.
Tanaka passed by the subway station and saw the promotional posters, grumbling to himself.
Then, he focused on the map on his phone, rushing off to the next bookstore.
This time, he made sure to call ahead since the shop's phone number was listed online.
After getting a clear answer, he headed straight there.
This was his chance, and he wasn't going to miss it.
At the bookstore.
Tanaka stepped inside, quickly scanning the shelves. There it was, right at the center: Madoka Magica!
After all, it was a winner of the Tezuka Prize from Shueisha.
Despite the negative reviews online, the publisher's reputation and past success were enough for people to still buy the book, even securing a prominent spot.
Small publishers would have folded under the weight of such bad publicity, but that's the difference between the big players and the small ones!
"Yes!" Tanaka clenched his fist, elated. He took a couple of steps forward, reaching out to grab the book...
"Eh!?" came three confused voices, almost in unison.
Tanaka froze, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Tanabata-kun... and Shihara-kun? What are you two doing here?!"
Damn it! To avoid running into people he knew, he'd deliberately picked a bookstore that took half an hour to reach by subway! And yet, here they are!
Tanaka's new friends from high school, the very same two he'd seen with Akifumi this morning.
"Why are you two here?" Tanaka asked, raising an eyebrow.
The two, who had been caught off guard, quickly averted their gazes.
"I... I live nearby," Tanabata muttered.
"I... I'm just visiting my little sister," Shihara explained.
Tanaka blinked in surprise, "A little sister? You bastard why did you never mentioned that before! After all this time, and you never told us?"
Tanabata shot back, annoyed.
"What, you don't think I trust you guys as friends and told you guys I have a little sister? You never asked, either!"
Tanaka sighed.
"I didn't ask because I didn't want to be nosy! But seriously, you have a sister? That's news to me! How old is she!? Is she one year younger then you?"
"If that the case please introduce me to her!"
"You bastard what do you want with my little sister!"
Just as the three were getting into a heated discussion, the bookstore's manager, with a polite but fake smile, interjected.
"Excuse me, could you lower your voices, please?"
"And if you're not buying anything, could you please not block the shelves?" she added.
"Sorry! Sorry!"
The three quickly apologized and noticed a small crowd gathering behind them, eyeing the remaining three copies of Madoka Magica on display.
Without a word, they exchanged glances.
In a flash, they reached for the books, each aiming for a different copy.
"Let's check out, boss!" they all said in unison.
Outside the bookstore.
The three of them stood together, each holding a copy of Madoka Magica, silence hanging between them.
The thrill of getting the book was quickly replaced by a sense of quiet reflection, as if they had just smoked a cigarette after a hard day.
It was Shihara who broke the silence first.
"Uh... my sister's still waiting for me to bring her the manga. I'll head out now."
Tanabata quickly added, "I've got a friend who asked me to pick up a copy for him, so I'm off too. See you later!"
While both of them said they had other obligations, their eyes lingered on Tanaka, neither in a hurry to leave.
"I... my cousin's birthday is the day after tomorrow. little girls like her love magical girl stuff, right? I figured I'd buy a copy as a gift for her," Tanaka muttered awkwardly.
The three exchanged knowing looks, a silent understanding passing between them, their bond strengthened.
"Since we're all busy, how about... we meet tomorrow?" Tanabata suggested.
"See you tomorrow!" came the chorus.
Without another word, the three turned and went their separate ways.
Even though the online reviews for Madoka Magica were mostly negative, not everyone cared about that.
Some bought it because they trusted Shueisha, others out of curiosity about the so-called "genius manga artist," or simply to support the publisher.
As a result, sales weren't as bad as anticipated. After school, sales picked up even more.
But...
"What's the total sales number so far?"
Faced with the nervous question from Otosuna Mihari, the staff member hesitated.
"Otosuna-san, it's not that simple to track sales for a new book."
"Not even a day has passed, and there's no way to get accurate numbers yet. Even if we had the data, it would take time to compile," they explained.
"Ah, I see." Mihari nodded, her attention drifting.
She knew she had just wasted her breath and couldn't help but smile in resignation.
"Should we just sent a record for her? That way, if Otosuna-san asks again in half an hour, we can just play it for her?"
"Don't bully her, okay?"
Just then, Mihari snapped out of her thoughts as she heard someone approaching her.
"Editor Minano! What brings you here?" she asked, surprised.
"I didn't see you at your desk, so I asked around and came straight over,"
Minano explained, her young face betraying the maturity in her voice.
"Actually, there's something we need to address, but more importantly, I think there's a bigger issue on your end."
"Eh!?"
Minano smiled.
"While I understand your excitement about your first author's work and its performance, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"Both the editor-in-chief and I believe in this project's potential. But let's not forget—until it hits the market, we can't predict the final outcome."
Mihari nodded. The fact that the higher-ups were confident made her feel a little better.
"But don't get too attached to the first day's sales numbers," Minano warned.
"We'll see the real results in the coming days."
.......
8:10 PM.
Mihari barely remembered how she got home. But after speaking with Minano, she'd followed her advice and went straight home for the night.
She kept replaying her words in her head, feeling the weight of the situation.
After a while, she gave up.
'Why do these bigtop always have to speak in riddles? What does 'the real results will be out in coming days?!'
Frustrated, she opened his computer and logged into the forum.
Ignoring the notification that there were over 99 unread messages, she simply thought to herself:
'It's just 24/7 stress.'
But she couldn't help but wonder, 'Why are there so few discussions about Madoka Magica today?'
Normally, there would be dozens of threads about it in no time, even if most of them were negative.
But today... nothing.
"Could it be... Madoka Magica is already a flop?!"
"No way!"
It didn't make sense.
Just then, one post caught his eye.
The title was blunt and to the point:
"Now I Declare: Madoka Magica is a Masterpiece in My Heart!!"