"But this just doesn't feel real. Haruki—that Haruki who skips class and plays gas all day is actually Mizushiro? The guy behind 5 Centiters per Second? That film had crying... and now I find out the creator's been sitting next to us in class all along?"
"He definitely skipped class a lot. But gas? I doubt he had ti for them. He was drawing two manga and writing ani scripts at the sa ti. Honestly, he probably sacrificed his grades to keep up with all of that."
"Still... why didn't he ever say anything? Rember when the counselor called him a bad example during a class eting? He just stood there and took it. anwhile, he was producing hit ani the whole ti. If he'd told soone, our school could've used that to its advantage!"
"Forget the school awards. Do you know how much money his work brings in? Natsu's Book of Friends alone sells millions per volu. And then there's 5 Centiters and Voices of a Distant Star tens of millions of views combined in a single year. Filling out a scholarship form wouldn't even be worth the ti."
"I still can't believe it. I've been following Initial D for half a year and never once thought to look up Mizushiro's face online. If no one had shared that post in our class group, I'd never have known."
"Wait who was the first to share it?"
"Pretty sure it was Yuzuki. She went to a birthday party where Haruki showed up, and people there knew who he really was. She posted about it, and that's how it spread."
"Then how did it get out to people outside the school?"
"No idea. Soone probably bragged to friends, and it went from there. Once it's on the internet, it doesn't take long to go viral."
The class buzzed with chatter until Haruki walked in.
The mont he stepped through the door, the room went dead quiet.
Every head turned toward him.
Haruki blinked, unsure how to react. With a sigh, he made his way to his usual seat in the back corner and sat down.
But deep down, he knew his low-key life on campus was over.
He caught Misaki's gaze. She gave him an apologetic look.
He glanced at Yuzuki and Miyu. Both imdiately averted their eyes. They hadn't expected their gossip to cause such a stir or that fans and dia would gather outside the building.
There really was a difference in character.
Misaki had kept his secret for more than half a year without a word. Yuzuki and Miyu? Just two days, and the whole city knew.
Haruki was frustrated, but he adjusted quickly. He always had.
Soon enough, even classmates he barely spoke to approached him. So asked for autographs. A few wanted pictures. Others mostly girls asked if he could teach them how to draw manga.
Class started shortly after. What surprised Haruki most wasn't the attention from students but from the teacher.
This was soone who had often criticized him for lacking motivation. But today? The teacher smiled more than ever, even complinting his recent "creative efforts."
The school had just confird his identity and realized it could use it for publicity.
A famous manga artist and screenwriter from their own animation program? Teachers were surprised, even shocked, but also thrilled. Haruki's achievents didn't align perfectly with the curriculum, but they were close enough.
Administrators were already discussing how to feature him in promotional material for the upcoming university entrance season.
All day long, Haruki felt off. Teachers suddenly treated him like an honored guest. Students acted like fans. Even the usually indifferent counselor pulled him aside to ask if he was doing okay, and whether the school could help with anything outside academics.
Haruki didn't care much for this sudden wave of attention. The real problem was the fans. So had started traveling from all over the city and beyond just to see him.
That afternoon, news broke across fan sites and social dia: Mizushiro was a college student majoring in animation in Tokyo.
At that point, Haruki could only sigh.
He'd hidden his identity for two years. But with success ca exposure and this was part of the cost.
Still, compared to celebrities in the entertainnt industry, his life was manageable. He wasn't chased by paparazzi. Just the occasional onlooker on his way to class.
The next day, while there were still students crowding around for autographs or photos and a few overly enthusiastic manga hobbyists trying to befriend him things had already settled sowhat.
But Haruki's attention wasn't on them.
He was focused on the new issue of Shroud Line and its latest popularity rankings.
Last issue, the gap between Initial D, Natsu's Book of Friends, and Dream world had been razor-thin. Dreamscape had just wrapped a major arc and was now in a transition phase. anwhile, Natsu was still airing, and Initial D had just launched a climactic race against Ryosuke Takahashi.
Even Haruka believed one of Haruki's works would take the top spot this ti.
Still, fans of Arir's Dream world weren't backing down. They encouraged each other online to vote and keep the series on top. In response, fans of Natsu and Initial D rallied just as hard.
Fan group chats filled with reminders: log in, vote, don't slack.
The number of users logged into Shroud Line's voting portal skyrocketed.
Between the two series, Natsu and Initial D had an edge. Many fans voted for both since they were created by the sa author.
Finally, at midnight, the rankings were released.
On the official website, Natsu's Book of Friends ca in first with 2.21 million votes. Initial D followed closely behind with 2.20 million. Dream world landed third just a few hundred votes behind.
And just as Haruki was processing this, the system voice rang in his ears for the first ti in weeks:
"Congratulations to the host for achieving the No. 1 ranking in Shroud Line. You've earned an S-level lottery draw. Keep up the good work."
The system sounded unusually friendly this ti.
Haruki let out a long breath.
It had been two years since he ca to Tokyo. From a complete unknown to where he stood now it hadn't been an easy path. He'd given up a lot: weekends, outings, ti with friends. While others dated, partied, or relaxed, Haruki stayed up drawing or planning scripts. Occasionally, he'd sneak in so gaming, but that was his only real break.
Doing it for a few days is fine. Doing it for two years straight? That takes sothing else entirely.
Maybe that's why the system had chosen him.
But now… an S-rank lottery.
Haruki had suspected that topping Shroud Line would trigger such a reward. Still, seeing it confird filled him with excitent.
Even better: the win ca from Natsu's Book of Friends.
He wasn't worried about Initial D its montum almost guaranteed a future first-place finish. But Natsu had likely peaked in popularity. If it hadn't reached the top now, it might never get another chance.
Thankfully, its female fanbase ca through, pushing it over the line.
Which ant when Initial D inevitably took the top spot soon, Haruki would have two S-level lottery pulls.
Of course, topping Shroud Line wasn't his final goal not by a long shot. Nor was simply becoming a seasonal hit in the ani world.
Haruki's true ambitions… were tied to whatever those two S-rank rewards had in store.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon/Alioth23 for 60 advanced chapters)
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