On the day the new issue of Shroud Line was released, there was a noticeable tension in the air.
After last week's heated exchange between the creators of Natsu and The Three Sisters—a feud that had blown up on various online forums—both series had attracted significant attention.
So readers discovered Natsu through the earlier chapters, while others ca across it because of the online drama. Either way, the buzz had led to a noticeable increase in sales for Shroud Line this week.
Naturally, many fans of Mizushiro turned straight to his latest chapter.
The title: "The Dew-God's Small Shrine."
As expected, it was another standalone episode.
Many returning readers had hoped for more of the one-eyed spirit Madara from the previous chapter, but this installnt took a quieter turn.
The story began with Natsu's class representative suggesting a courage test event, giving a glimpse into Natsu's school life and his tentative friendships. Later, Natsu was attacked by a spirit on school grounds and was saved by Madara.
Madara—now commonly in the form of a plump, talking cat called Nyanko-sensei—was living with Natsu under the pretense of being a household pet, much to the bemusent of Aunt Tōko.
At first, it seed like a typical, low-key chapter—quiet, andering, and emotionally reserved.
Then—sothing changed.
Next to Natsu's teacup appeared a tiny figure, no taller than the cup itself.
This spirit, Tsuyukami—the titular Dew-God—had once drawn strength from human prayers and offerings at his shrine. But ti and indifference had shrunk him to his current, diminished form.
The chapter's emotional climax ca when Tsuyukami asked Natsu to return his na, which had been sealed away in the Book of Friends. Moved by the god's lingering dignity and the loneliness of forgotten deities, Natsu agreed.
And then… the chapter ended.
There was no dramatic confrontation. No deeper exploration of the woman who still left offerings at Tsuyukami's shrine. Just quiet, understated closure—like a fading mory.
Readers drawn in by online discussion may have expected sothing bigger. But Natsu's Book of Friends rarely works that way. Its strength lies in its subtlety—in the fleeting, unresolved monts between people and spirits.
"That's it?" many comnted.
The chapter, while thoughtful, lacked the emotional punch and drama so readers had been hoping for.
In fan circles, the reaction was muted. Most agreed the chapter was fine—pleasant, even—but not particularly morable.
Still, loyal fans who had followed Rurouni Kenshin and trusted Mizushiro's pacing voted for Natsu in this issue's poll.
Casual readers, however, were less forgiving.
If a chapter didn't resonate with them, they saw no reason to cast even a single vote—especially with so many other works competing in Shroud Line this week.
When the poll results were revealed, Natsu earned just over 230,000 votes—ranking 13th in the issue. That was nearly 80,000 fewer votes than last ti, a drop of two spots.
The result was hard to ignore.
Later that day, chatter spread across the manga scene in Tokyo.
In one of the largest manga creator group chats—where hundreds of artists gathered—Natsu was the topic of conversation… but not in a positive light.
"Man, I thought this guy was going to be the next big thing. He said he'd make the top ten within two issues, and now look—he's barely holding on to 13th place!" one person comnted.
"Seriously. He had Rurouni Kenshin going strong—why start sothing new? And a slice-of-life spirit drama at that? These kinds of stories are hard to pull off. If the art isn't amazing and the pacing isn't tight, readers lose interest quickly."
"It's a reality check. So creators think Tokyo is just an extension of their hotowns. You can't just declare you'll rank in the top ten. If your work doesn't live up to the hype, you'll fall flat."
Elsewhere, in an editorial chat group:
"This is exactly why I turned down Natsu for serialization in Low Voice. Mizushiro pitched it to us first, and I passed. The first couple of chapters had charm, but that third one? Totally flat. I stand by my decision."
"Sa here. He also brought it to Hollow Anthem. We felt the sa—it didn't seem like a story he could sustain long-term. I had a feeling the plot would fizzle out."
"Honestly, lucky we did. Starting strong and then losing montum by chapter three? That would've been a bad look for the editorial staff."
"I still can't believe Haruka took a chance on him after all these years…"
"To be fair, this chapter was a setup episode. A slight drop in popularity was expected."
"Sure, but even if it's a setup, there should still be sothing to hook the readers. I don't see how this can go from 13th to the top ten in just one or two issues. He's nearly 100,000 votes behind!"
It was a classic case of lifting soone up, only to tear them down.
Both Mizushiro and Haruka had risen quickly in the industry. So resentnt was inevitable. And now that there was a small dip—however slight—critics were quick to pounce.
anwhile, Asami had been following the situation closely.
Seeing the poll results, she couldn't help but smile, satisfaction evident in her expression.
She reposted the industry chart showing the current rankings on her feed, adding only a subtle smirk emoji and a shaking-head reaction.
That one post was all it took.
Her fans imdiately picked up on her cue, flooding Mizushiro's comnt section with mocking replies and sarcastic jabs—finally getting their chance to fire back after a week of online tension.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon/Alioth23 for 50 advanced chapters)
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