Reaching the Top

The way the Ink Fish Manga Company Editor-in-Chief was selecting works for the Dragon Star Award nominations spread through the industry in no time.

As for the battle between several works from Man Ying during the last two months of the year, even people from other manga companies were stunned. Even the Ink Fish employees themselves could hardly believe what they were seeing.

At first, everyone had thought, Dong Yun really lived up to her reputation. Her new work was so strong that Teacher Shen Xin probably wouldn't be able to hold on to the top spot for long.

But when they looked back a few weeks later, they realized the real dark horse had still been waiting in the wings.

Though everyone had rated Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal highly at the serialization meeting, nobody had expected it to hit the ground running with such force once it began serialization.

It had taken the series just five chapters to climb from eleventh place in Man Ying to third.

How long would it take to go from third to first?

Two weeks?

Three weeks?

Or perhaps it would reach the top today?

Song Jiayu had seemed calm at work over the past few days, but the Ink Fish employees who went to his office to report on their work could tell from the cigarette butts in his trash can and the heavy smell of smoke in the air that he was in a foul mood.

He could feel how tense things had become himself.

If things kept going this way, he'd lose the Dragon Star Award nomination, and Secret Girl would lose its dream of reaching the top as well.

But there was nothing he could do.

He had already thrown everything he could at Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, making sure it got the cold shoulder in both promotional resources and Man Ying's layout.

Across all of Ming City—on buses, at subway stations, manga conventions, and in bookstores—Secret Girl had gotten the best promotional resources Ink Fish had paid for.

That was a major reason Secret Girl had managed to push Magic Realm to the brink in just a few chapters.

By contrast, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal hadn't even received the basic promotion Man Ying normally gave new series. And at Song Jiayu's suggestion, the series hadn't even had a single character appear on the cover over the past few issues.

Yet even so, it had still managed to fight its way to the top. What was Song Jiayu supposed to do about that?

By Song Jiayu's reckoning, with Secret Girl's momentum, it would surpass Magic Realm in the Popularity Poll in another week or two. Then the Dragon Star Award nomination would be all but guaranteed.

But the arrival of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal seemed to have been meant from the start to make life difficult for Secret Girl.

It had already lost to Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal at the serialization meeting. Now, just as Secret Girl was on the verge of reaching the top, the series had reappeared.

And right in the middle of the crucial battle for a Dragon Star Award nomination.

Song Jiayu had grown thoroughly sick of the series.

Song Jiayu checked the time. It was already past six in the evening.

The latest Popularity Poll results would be out soon. Once they were announced, a new manga might take the top spot in Man Ying.

Would Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal reach the top, would Secret Girl prevail, or would Magic Realm defend its position for another week?

Though the editors at Ink Fish Manga Company had no stake in the outcome, many of them were still watching closely.

After all, even though Song Jiayu had plenty of people at the company flattering him, there were just as many who wanted to see him make a fool of himself.

They hadn't suffered as badly as Su Ruo had, but Song Jiayu had still given them plenty of grief.

Soon, the automated text message with the latest Man Ying Popularity Poll rankings was sent out by Ink Fish's voting system, arriving on the phones of the editors at Ink Shadow.

Su Ruo was at Chu Yu's Home, while Song Jiayu was at the office after work, smoking in a foul mood. Editor-in-Chief Pang Feng and all the other editors at Ink Fish Manga Company, from the most senior to the most junior, received the message at the same time.

"How is it?" Chu Yu asked.

Su Ruo's beautiful face showed no sign of joy or sorrow. It was just that... the moment she saw the message, her eyes had gone blank.

Soon, her breathing grew rapid.

Seeing her like this, Chu Yu and Zhao Qinyin had almost guessed the result.

They had both expected this, but now that things had turned out exactly as they'd imagined, they still couldn't stay calm.

"Did it reach the top?" Chu Yu asked.

Su Ruo drew a deep breath and looked at Chu Yu.

"Yeah!"

It was just one short word, delivered almost casually, but the tremor in her voice told Chu Yu and Zhao Qinyin how unsettled she was.

Su Ruo showed them the text message on her phone.

The first few lines immediately caught their eyes.

First place, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, 42,472 votes.

Second place, Secret Girl, 38,966 votes.

Third place, Magic Realm, 38,456 votes.

Forty thousand...

That number alone left Zhao Qinyin staring in disbelief.

Ink Fish's previous Popularity Poll record was just over 39,000 votes. Before today, no work had ever broken the 40,000-vote mark.

And this issue of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal hadn't simply taken first place in the Popularity Poll. It had also set a new record for the most votes in Ink Fish Manga Company's history.

For Zhao Qinyin and Su Ruo, seeing a manga they'd worked on achieve such a result felt like a dream.

For Su Ruo in particular, the series reaching the top meant more than just getting revenge.

It was also a chance to vent all the pent-up frustration she'd felt under Song Jiayu's thumb over the past few months. After all, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal had only gotten the chance to run in Man Ying by stepping over Secret Girl, the series Song Jiayu was in charge of. And now, right when Secret Girl had been vying for first place in the poll, it had beaten it to the top and pushed it down to second.

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal reaching the top meant that in the four weeks of January, as the three manga fought for the Dragon Star Award nomination, Chu Yu now had an overwhelming advantage.

At the same time Chu Yu learned the results, a mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

"Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked the achievement 'Top of Ink Fish's Man Ying.' Reward: one B-rank Lucky Draw Chance."

That voice... the system?

A B-rank Lucky Draw Chance?

What was that?

Chu Yu was puzzled.

But he didn't immediately investigate. That would require him to immerse his consciousness in the System Space, and with Zhao Qinyin and Su Ruo still there, doing that would make him look like he'd suddenly gone stupid.

"Let's go!" Su Ruo suddenly stood up.

"What?" Chu Yu and Zhao Qinyin looked at her in confusion.

"Where are we going?"

"To celebrate Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal reaching the top of Man Ying. Let's go celebrate."

"What about work?"

"What work? School's out for winter break in just a few days, isn't it? With such a long break, are you worried you won't finish your manga?"

"Come on, stop dragging your feet!" Su Ruo didn't give them time to think.

She practically dragged the two of them out of Chu Yu's Home, drove them to a KTV, ordered a pile of drinks, grabbed the microphone, and started singing her heart out.

Back at Chu Yu's home, she'd wanted to shout at the top of her lungs, but her adult restraint had held her back.

Now that they were here, she could let it all out without disturbing anyone.

Unfortunately for Chu Yu and Zhao Qinyin, they had to listen to her sing with all her soul. Later, when they got bored, the two of them played cards and drank...

The result spoke for itself. Chu Yu had no memory of how he got home.

(I got off work a little late tonight and got stuck on the writing, so this is the only chapter.)