Great Mangaka

Great job this week!

Thanks to you all, we've collected 350 Power Stones, and our Patreon community is growing with both new free and paid members. I'm so grateful for your support!

This Week's Chapters

As a result of your efforts, from Monday to Sunday this week:

4 chapters will be published daily on Webnovel.

Paid Patreon subscribers will get a total of 8 daily chapters.

A New Goal for a Permanent Increase!

Now, I have some exciting news about a permanent change: if we reach 20 paid subscribers a month on Patreon, the base number of daily chapters will increase!

The base on Webnovel will go from 2 to 3 daily chapters.

The base on Patreon will go from 5 to 6 daily chapters.

This means that any extra chapters we unlock with our weekly goals will be added to this new base, boosting the daily total even more! Your support on Patreon is the key to making this possible.

Thanks again for everything. Happy reading!

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Late at night, in a remote park,

Rina sat on a bench with a thick coat and Five Centimeters Per Second in her hands, eagerly awaiting Mirai-sensei's arrival.

After the interview program, Hinotori Publishing took the initiative to contact her and decided on the date and time of the meeting. Rina arrived ten minutes early. She couldn't help but feel excited at the thought of meeting the always mysterious mangaka.

"Should I be the first reader to know his true face?"

"How should I express my gratitude?"

Rina thought. It wasn't until footsteps approached that she stood up excitedly and turned her head to look.

"Hello."

The clear voice came from a teenager's mouth. Rina's eyes widened, a little surprised. She had heard that Mirai-sensei was a young genius, but no one had told her he would be so young.

She looked him up and down.

He was a handsome boy, wearing a simple down jacket, plain jeans, and a thin scarf. He wasn't particularly handsome, and his face was still growing, but he had bright, star-like eyes that exuded a strong presence.

As an anchor, Rina had met all kinds of people, but this boy was undoubtedly the most special. He possessed the calmness and confidence of an elder, but he was limited by age, like bamboo shoots buried under winter snow. If he matured, he could become an extraordinary man in a few years.

"Are you Mirai-sensei?"

Thanks to the qualities cultivated by her profession, Rina quickly regained her composure. She smiled and said, "Thank you for coming."

Rina did not doubt this person's identity. This park is a remote place, and no one usually comes here.

Takumi replied with two sentences. He noticed a car parked on the other side of the park, and there was a man standing next to it: "That's your lover. Are you leaving Osaka tonight?"

"Yes, we're leaving in a while."

Rina looked back with sweetness in her heart. She looked at Takumi again and said gratefully: "Mirai-sensei, I came to thank you in person for your Five Centimeters Per Second. It made me understand my heart."

After speaking, she bowed to Takumi, which surprised him a little.

"Don't be like that; you're overdoing it."

"No, I haven't." Rina stood up again and smiled: "This is a lifelong event; you deserve my gratitude."

"Also, Mirai-sensei."

A light of curiosity gleamed in her eyes and she asked: "In fact, I want to know if Five Centimeters Per Second has three endings. Which one is the real one?"

Perhaps because of her strong resemblance to Akari, Rina had always wanted to know the answer to this question. When she learned that the animated version of Five Centimeters Per Second would allow Akari and Takaki to be together, she wanted to make sure if that was the true ending Takumi imagined.

"Huh?"

Takumi looked at her strangely and frowned slightly: "Don't you know? Why are you asking me?"

Rina was stunned. 'Do you understand? What did she know?' She thought about it and, after a moment, understood something, shook her head, and smiled bitterly: "So that's it, the manga version of Five Centimeters Per Second is the true ending."

She understood: the reason why Five Centimeters Per Second can move people is not only because of its beautiful images, but also because it reflects the true essence of society and love. A bitter and true love, tortured by time and distance; if you think about it this way, the ending of the manga version of Five Centimeters Per Second is undoubtedly the most appropriate.

In this version, the male and female protagonists, who had been separated for a long time, did not end up together. After letting go of his obsession with Akari, Takaki chose Kana, who had been silently watching him.

With a touch of sadness, a touch of reflection, and a touch of warmth, Five Centimeters Per Second is a story that reflects reality.

Takumi affirmed that Rina understood him because she had already perceived the truth of Five Centimeters Per Second.

She is very similar to Akari. If time separates them, the man who loves her will be like Takaki and, one day, will end this relationship. Five Centimeters Per Second can only be a tragedy in reality. The male protagonist will form his own family, which is why Rina is afraid.

Only when she knows the true ending does she realize that she cannot follow the same path as Akari, so she retracts and chooses love.

"I am not Akari..."

Rina is no longer Akari at that moment. She made a different decision from Akari and took the initiative to forge her future.

"Mirai-sensei."

Rina's gaze changed as she looked at Takumi. There was gratitude, admiration, but also doubt.

"If the manga are the ending, why did you let Akari and Takaki be together in the animation?"

"..."

Takumi reflected and touched his head: "It's an agreement with the readers."

The reason he made this decision was to appease them. The Legend of Wukong's ending was sad. If Five Centimeters Per Second's ending was also sad, and both debut works were tragedies, it would cast a shadow on many readers and even affect Takumi's future development.

Takumi didn't want to be a niche mangaka, so before completely winning over people's hearts, he would show respect for readers and give them a happy ending in return.

"Compromise..."

Rina's expression froze. 'Speaking of this, she was still participating in the readers' uproar!'

"Ahem, ahem..." She quickly changed the subject: "So, Mirai-sensei, why did you put the ending in the manga?"

She said: "Aren't you going to tell others what the correct ending is? But I think the animation will make others think that's the true ending."

What animations show is obviously better than manga. Just like TV series adapted from novels, Rina usually thinks that the endings of TV series are the endings of novels.

"You're wrong."

Takumi shook his head and said: "Perhaps the animation will be more popular than the manga Five Centimeters Per Second, but those who truly like it will, sooner or later, understand the ending I want to express."

"Why?"

Rina was surprised.

"I'm a mangaka." Takumi smiled and his gaze softened: "I drew the ending in the book, which is the most suitable place."

He is a mangaka, and his drawings will be placed on people's shelves and passed down from generation to generation.

Perhaps Five Centimeters Per Second will cause a stir after being animated, but over time, it's difficult for people to turn on the television to remember the plot. Manga are different. They don't need a medium. Those who enjoy Five Centimeters Per Second always see the manga on the shelf and can pick them up to reminisce about the slight sadness and bitterness of love.

Books are always the most convenient and intimate companions...

After a few years or decades, those readers will discover that manga record the true ending.

Five Centimeters Per Second remains a sad, realistic, and fascinating story.