Without a word, they exchanged glances.
In a flash, they reached for the books, each aiming for a different copy.
"Let's check out, boss!" they all said in unison.
Outside the bookstore.
The three of them stood together, each holding a copy of Madoka Magica, silence hanging between them.
The thrill of getting the book was quickly replaced by a sense of quiet reflection, as if they had just smoked a cigarette after a hard day.
It was Tadakuni who broke the silence first.
"Uh... my sister's still waiting for me to bring her the manga. I'll head out now."
Tabata quickly added, "I've got a friend who asked me to pick up a copy for him, so I'm off too. See you later!"
While both of them said they had other obligations, their eyes lingered on Tanaka, neither in a hurry to leave.
"I... my cousin's birthday is the day after tomorrow. little girls like her love magical girl stuff, right? I figured I'd buy a copy as a gift for her," Tanaka muttered awkwardly.
The three exchanged knowing looks, a silent understanding passing between them, their bond strengthened.
"Since we're all busy, how about... we meet tomorrow?" Tabata suggested.
"See you tomorrow!" came the chorus.
Without another word, the three turned and went their separate ways.
Even though the online reviews for Madoka Magica were mostly negative, not everyone cared about that.
Some bought it because they trusted Shueisha, others out of curiosity about the so-called "genius manga artist," or simply to support the publisher.
As a result, sales weren't as bad as anticipated. After school, sales picked up even more.
But...
"What's the total sales number so far?"
Faced with the nervous question from Otosuna Mihari, the staff member hesitated.
"Otosuna-san, it's not that simple to track sales for a new book."
"Not even a day has passed, and there's no way to get accurate numbers yet. Even if we had the data, it would take time to compile," they explained.
"Ah, I see." Mihari nodded, her attention drifting.
She knew she had just wasted her breath and couldn't help but smile in resignation.
"Should we just sent a record for her? That way, if Otosuna-san asks again in half an hour, we can just play it for her?"
"Don't bully her, okay?"
Just then, Mihari snapped out of her thoughts as she heard someone approaching her.
"Editor Minano! What brings you here?" she asked, surprised.
"I didn't see you at your desk, so I asked around and came straight over,"
Minano explained, her young face betraying the maturity in her voice.
"Actually, there's something we need to address, but more importantly, I think there's a bigger issue on your end."
"Eh!?"
Minano smiled.
"While I understand your excitement about your first author's work and its performance, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"Both the editor-in-chief and I believe in this project's potential. But let's not forgetuntil it hits the market, we can't predict the final outcome."
Mihari nodded. The fact that the higher-ups were confident made her feel a little better.
"But don't get too attached to the first day's sales numbers," Minano warned.
"We'll see the real results in the coming days."
....
8:10 PM.
Mihari barely remembered how she got home. But after speaking with Minano, she'd followed her advice and went straight home for the night.
She kept replaying her words in her head, feeling the weight of the situation.
After a while, she gave up.
'Why do these bigtop always have to speak in riddles? What does 'the real results will be out in coming days?!'
Frustrated, she opened his computer and logged into the forum.
Ignoring the notification that there were over 99 unread messages, she simply thought to herself:
'It's just 24/7 stress.'
But she couldn't help but wonder, 'Why are there so few discussions about Madoka Magica today?'
Normally, there would be dozens of threads about it in no time, even if most of them were negative.
But today... nothing.
"Could it be... Madoka Magica is already a flop?!"
"No way!"
It didn't make sense.
Just then, one post caught his eye.
The title was blunt and to the point:
"Now I Declare: Madoka Magica is a Masterpiece in My Heart!!"
[037] Apologize to Me!!
Almost instinctively, Mihari clicked on the newly popped-up post.
The content was clear and straightforward, just like the title suggested.
Another refresh.
Mihari noticed a surge in the number of comments under the post.
"Are you serious? Magical girl = God? laughs"
"Wow, Shueisha's power is incredible!"
"50 yen per post, DM me if you're interested."
Reading these comments, Mihari felt her blood pressure rising.
"Of course, there's a volume for sale, just take one look and you'll see the qualityyet people are talking nonsense just to bash it? Can't stand seeing others doing better, huh?!"
Though she couldn't deny Madoka Magica was a fantastic piece, calling it 'divine' was too much, too exaggerated.
"Where does the company find these trolls? Can't they be a bit more professional?"
Complaints aside, if everyone shared a common enemy, they needed to unite!
With a click of the mouse, the page updated and switched.
"Huh? it's just a few second ago, and there are already a few pages of new comments?"
The most extreme post had about 10 pages in 10 seconds, but this one was already closing in on that number...
"These trolls are getting lazy!"
If the wrath of the people boiled over, who would calm it down?
The answer iswas the author!
No one else could attract more hatred than the creator.
It was perfectly natural for the anger to be directed their way.
'Wait, is this some kind of subtle troll?'
Mihari suddenly had a realization.
She looked at the latest comments and froze.
These comments... weren't what she expected at all!
"Damn it! The post owner beat me to it!"
"Even if I'm nailed into a coffin, I'll scream: 'Madoka Magica, you are my God!'"
"This is just the beginning! I need more!! Keep drawing!!"
Scrolling down, Mihari was stunned to find that over 90% of the comments were full of praise?
There were a few harmless comments like "Has Shueisha increased its troll army?" or "Where's my share of this money? Hook me up." but they had no real bite.
What is going on here!?
Where did all the usual trolls go!?
Realizing something was off, Mihari went back to the main page.
Refresh!
"The most shocking and delightful work I've seen this year Magical Girl Madoka!"
"Tezuka Award nomination, Madoka Magica deserves it!!"
"I apologize for doubting Shueisha's decision. Thanks to the Love and Hope Warrior-sensei for such an amazing work!!"
"We all owe an apology to the Love and Hope Warrior-sensei!!"
"The story behind this makes me think... Did we ever truly understand the magical girl genre before? What made us think it was childish?!"
...
Mihari stared at these new posts, her eyes wide.
The phrase "Madoka Magica, is my God" might have been a bit ambiguous before, but now it was crystal clear. Everyone was leaning heavily into praise.
Such a stunning shift made her question: Was this really the same forum where everyone was trashing Madoka Magica just a day ago?
Unfortunately, data never lies.
A quick glance at some of the posts showed that the discussions were full of analysis and praise for the plot.
Of course, there were complaints about the tragic turn for Sayaka and the cruel truths revealed by Kyubey's words!!
From the passionate fans' emotions, it was clear...
Madoka Magica was taking off!!
Meanwhile, earlier that day, Tanaka, who had bought the book, rushed back home.
"Who would've thought I'd run into those two guys in that situation?"
At least in the end, the three of them reached a mutual understanding.
No one blew the lid on anyone else.
But that didn't stop Tanaka from chuckling at his two friends internally!
"Those two childish guys! They're in high school now, but they're still into stories about magical girls?!"
After all, he was just fascinated by the characters, never caring about the plot.
"But 740 yen for one volume?! Are you serious?!"
That was almost enough to buy two volumes!
Tanaka knew the price wasn't that bad for a manga with 230 pages in a large format.
But since he only bought it to collect, not read, it didn't feel worth it at all!
As he mourned the price, an idea started to form in his mindmaybe he should take a peek?!
"No, no! Why am I even thinking about this?!"
"Tanaka, you're a man! How can you look at something little girls like?!"
"..."
"Hehehe, my sweet Madoka, so cute!"
"This transformation... so cool!!"
Already immersed in the plot, Tanaka let out a laugh that would make his parents dial 911 if they heard it.
Fortunately, he was alone in his room, and no one would see this moment that, looking back, would make Tanaka ashamed enough to erase it from his memory forever.
"I've got nothing to lose now!"
"Oh, what a magnificent line!"
"Remember, transform! And become even stronger!!"
"Go and bring victory with flair!!"
With excitement and impatience, Tanaka flipped to the next page.
??
Tanaka couldn't believe his eyes, his expression drained of all color.
That powerful senior... she actually...!?
"AAHHHHHH!!"
The shock was so intense that Tanaka let out an uncontrollable scream, prompting his parents to rush in for a "heart-to-heart" talk with him.
The next day, the three friends met up at their usual spot.
"What happened to you guys?"
Seeing his friends limping, Tanaka was shocked.
The response he got was two eye rolls and the same question in return.
"What happened to you?!"
The way they all walked was oddly similar, almost like they were all in the same boat.
At that moment, everything was unsaid but understood.
The three of them shared a knowing glance, silently heading toward Toyogasaki Academy.
After a while, Tanaka couldn't hold it in anymore and grimaced:
"Madoka, my Madoka!!"
"Love and Hope Warrior, you're dead to me! Don't make me find out who you really are!!"
Seeing this, the other two dropped their act.
"Love and Hope? Throwing knife like plot around with such determination, how dare you!"
"I can't go back, I'll never go back! Give me back my original magical girl image!!"
"I will find you Love and Hope Warrior!!! And I will kill you myself!!
[038] Record-Breaking Sales for "Magical Girl Madoka"
"What's the sales number? Tell me hurry up!"
Faced with the eager and excited Mihari, the staff member in charge of statistics sighed, though a hint of shock flickered on their face.
"The first-week sales total is 63,648 copies!"
"Wait, what? How much again?" Mihari was stunned, repeating the number in disbelief.
"63,648 copies!? Even with good pre-release marketing, that figure is crazy!"
She remembered the initial sales prediction on day one were only 3,243 copies.
Normally, sales would drop over time, making it uncertain whether they'd even surpass 10,000 copies for the week.
Hitting 30,000 would have been a modest achievement for a non-serialized title with no built-in fan base.
But this... this was beyond expectations.
The day after the release, word form mouth to mouth exploded, and making the following sales skyrocketed.
Although many comments included complaints like "Damn you, you treacherous author!" or "Give me back my senpai!" these were clear signs of readers' emotional investment.
After all, if readers didn't care about the characters, they wouldn't bother complaining.
The editor's team, including Mihari, had been exhausted but exhilarated throughout the chaotic release week.
Even Mihari couldn't help but admire the chief editor's foresight in greenlighting the series.
And now, the first-week sales stood at a jaw-dropping 63,648 copies.
"This isn't just impressiveit's really is shocking!" exclaimed a staff member.
"Even many top-tier serialized works can't achieve these numbers."
Another staff member grinned enviously at Mihari.
"You're incredibly lucky! Don't forget to treat us to a celebratory meal!"
"Lucky?" Mihari laughed.
"More i was being blessed by a miracle author!"
Back at the office, as soon as she entered, her colleagues crowded around her.
"How did it go, Otosuna-san? What's the first-week sales figure?"
"Given all the buzz online and your overtime efforts lately, I'd guess over 30,000, right?"
"Thirty? No way! I'd bet it hit 40,000!"
"Seriously? Even Kinoshita-sensei's last release only sold around 38,000. He's a top-tier artist!"
"True. Without any prior fan base, I'd say around 35,000 at most."
"Okay, spill it, Otosuna-san. What's the final number?"
With a playful smile, Mihari said, "You're all wrong! The final number is... 63,648 copies!"
Gasps filled the room.
"How much?!"
"Over 63,000 copies!?"
"That's insane!"
"Calling this person a 'newcomer' feels unfair. These numbers rival seasoned veterans!"
"If this continues, they might even break the coveted million-sales mark!"
Even for established manga authors, surpassing a million in single-volume sales was a rare and celebrated milestone.
"If that happens, it'll be a dream come true for any author!"
Feeling triumphant, Mihari reveled in the praise and laughter from her colleagues.
After promising to treat them to a meal, she excused herself to make an important call.
When the phone connected, a calm and familiar voice answered.
"Otosuna-san, you do remember I'm a high school student, right?"
Mihari blinked. "Oh! Right! I completely forgot! It's easy to forget considering your insane talent."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Akifumi Mugiho chuckled.
"If I were in class, I wouldn't have answered. So what's up?"
"It's about the first-week sales for the manga volume!"
"Oh? So what's the number?"
Despite his ever-calm demeanor, Mihari couldn't help but grin mischievously.
"63,648 copies."
Akifumi Mugiho paused for a moment, then let out a light laugh.
"That's pretty good, isn't it?"
"WHAT DO YOU mean by 'Pretty good'?!" Mihari's lips twitched.
"You know even the chief editor will be shocked by this! And there's a real chance we could break a million copies in total sales!"
A million copies? That would mean royalties in the tens of millions of yen!
