To Asami, it made no sense.
A 19-year-old newcor had landed a serialized spot in Shroud Line—already enough to make most aspiring mangaka jealous. That alone should've been a career-defining break.
But then Natsu cracked the top ten in its debut issue.
And now this?
Anohana? What even was that title?
No manga source. No adaptation. Just an original script by Mizushiro. And they were actually producing it?
Asami couldn't believe it. A studio backing a first-ti creator with no track record—writing the whole screenplay himself?
What were they thinking?
Worse, the ani was set to air in February—directly up against Three Sisters Next Door.
"If Anohana outperford her own series, it wouldn't just sting — it would be a public humiliation for her."
The manga community buzzed with disbelief.
Renji, had been silently pleased when soone finally challenged Mizushiro's rising star. But hearing Anohana was already in production? He was floored.
He rembered asking Mizushiro at the Aurora Awards what he was planning next.
"one year from now, you'll understand," Mizushiro had said.
It hadn't even been six months.
---
The announcent shook the entire scene. Social dia exploded. Editors, artists, and fans split into camps—so entertained, others annoyed, and a few hoping things would escalate further.
By that evening, a group of older artists originally from Kansai publicly sided with Asami.
"Young creators these days think they're above tradition."
"Honestly, Asami was being playful. Mizushiro's the one turning it into drama."
The posts fanned the flas, and by morning, even more industry veterans had chid in. For a mont, Mizushiro's supporters started to fall quiet.
Back at his apartnt, Haruki stayed out of it.
He'd made his stance clear once, but beyond that, he didn't see the point in online bickering. It wouldn't help his work. If anything, it would hurt it.
"In this industry," Haruki said, eyes on his draft board, "the only thing that matters is the work itself."
Naoya and Kenta exchanged looks. His assistants had been tracking the growing online debate, but Haruki hadn't checked his phone once that day. Compared to his firm response yesterday, today he was fully absorbed in his work.
"You're really not going to respond at all?" Kenta asked.
"Why waste ti trading insults with strangers?" Haruki said calmly. "I'll let the results speak."
The tide shifted again that night.
At 1:03 a.m., Airi Tanaka—one of Echo Shroud Publishing's top nas—posted just four characters online:
"Support Natsu!"
Then she tagged: @not_Mizushiro
It was simple, but the impact was imdiate. Airi's fans, many unaware of the drama until then, jumped into the fray.
And just an hour later, Kazanami Animation released a new visual on their site.
A silver-haired girl stood beside a boy in school uniform, surrounded by warm spring light.
Below the image, bold text:
"Anohana. Airing this February."
And again, the sa tag: @not_Mizushiro
The next morning, Asami checked her notifications and froze.
Her feed had been flooded—by accounts tied to Natsu, Rurouni Kenshin, The Garden of Words… People she'd never seen before.
It wasn't just mangaka anymore. Ani fans had entered the fray, and Asami's followers were being overwheld.
She hadn't expected Airi Tanaka to take sides—let alone publicly.
Compared to her, her reputation still had a long way to go.
By midday, Asami had disabled comnts on her profile altogether.
At ho, Airi sighed as she looked at her bookshelf.
"I've gone and stirred things up again. Haruka's going to give that look…"
She smiled, brushing a finger across an old Rurouni Kenshin volu.
"But I'm just supporting my favorite creator. That's not a cri, right?"
When Haruki saw Airi's post the next morning, he felt a twinge of guilt.
They'd only t a couple of tis. She didn't have to put herself out there like this.
But he was grateful—and determined to repay that kindness soday.
The online storm died down after three days. Asami's silence, and her disabled comnts, marked a quiet retreat.
Most agreed the first round had ended in Mizushiro's favor.
But everyone knew the real contest would be in February—when both ani aired.
Only then would it be clear whose work left the bigger mark.
For now, things cald.
But the rivalry between Haruki and Asami was far from over.
And as the newest issue of Shroud Line hit shelves, one thing was certain—
Mizushiro's na wasn't going away anyti soon.
Shout out to Ethan dabot, samus3333 for joining my p-atreon! your support ans everything to .
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon/Alioth23 for 50 advanced chapters)
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