Chapter 10: The Debut [2]
But somewhere out there, his story was being bought. Read. Judged.
Or worse—ignored.
He hopped on his bike and pedaled hard toward the ranch. The wind bit at his face.
Friday. The phone rang.
It was Sue.
"First week survey results are in," she said, skipping the pleasantries. "Rank: 19th."
There were twenty-three series running in NextGen.
19th place. Bottom five. The danger zone.
Alex gripped the receiver. "Okay."
"It's better than we expected," Sue said, her voice calm. "Average debut rank for a non-battle manga is 21st. You're up two spots."
"What about the feedback?"
"Polarized. The positive reviews say 'fresh,' 'authentic,' 'great art.' The negative ones say 'boring,' 'too slow,' 'don't get it.' However—" She paused. "Every single review that mentioned the art or the paneling was positive. Nobody hated the visuals."
Alex exhaled.
"How's Chapter 6?"
"Finished. Starting Chapter 7 layouts."
"Good. Keep that pace." Sue hesitated. "And Alex? The Chief said to tell you: Ignore the ranking. Just draw. You have the eight-week immunity. We worry about the numbers after Chapter 8."
"Understood."
Alex hung up. He sat at his desk, looking out at the cows grazing in the distance.
19th.
Bottom five.
He remembered the interviews from his past life. Even One Piece didn't start at #1. Naruto had a slow build. Demon Slayer was nearly cancelled before the anime saved it.
But he wasn't Oda. He wasn't Kishimoto.
He was just Alex Walker, a guy drawing cows in a world that wanted dragons.
He picked up his pencil. Chapter 7.
Theme: The Cheese Competition.
Hachiken's group wants to win the school's pizza-making contest. They fail because they try too hard, overthinking the technique instead of respecting the ingredients.
He drew with intense focus. The texture of the cheese, the temperature of the oven, the frustration on the boys' faces. The shift from anxiety to acceptance.
Late that night, Sarah knocked on the door. "Al, go to bed."
"In a minute."
He didn't stop. The pencil scratched against the paper, building a world where cheese mattered more than magic swords.
Week 2. Issue #2 released.
Alex got his copies. He went to Henderson's store.
"Sold four this week," Henderson reported. "Had a regular come in asking for it specifically. Said he read the first one and wanted to see what happened next."
"What did he say?"
"Said it was... 'interesting'."
Interesting. Not "amazing." Not "mind-blowing." But "interesting" was enough.
Survey results for Week 2: 18th place. Up one spot.
"We're holding steady," Sue said on the phone. "People are starting to discuss the plot, not just the art."
"What are they saying?"
"Some say Hachiken is too wimpy. Some say he's realistic. There's a debate starting on the forums about Komaba's family debt situation." Sue sounded pleased. "Debate is good. It means they care about the characters."
Alex hung up and started Chapter 8.
Theme: Horsemanship.
Originally, he planned a cool show-jumping arc. He scrapped it. It was too flashy.
He changed it to Cattle Drive.
Moving a herd from one pasture to another. It looked easy, but it required reading the animals' body language, patience, and trust. No whips, no shouting.
He drew Hachiken and Komaba walking the herd. Komaba teaching him how to stand, how to breathe. The sun setting as the cows settled into the new field. Hachiken, exhausted, sitting in the grass, finally understanding that he couldn't force the world to bend to his will; he had to move with it.
Week 3. Issue #3 released.
Ranking: 17th place. Up another spot.
"Word of mouth is starting," Sue said. "Slow burn, but the arrow is green."
"Good."
"Also," she added, "we got fan mail. Physical letters sent to the office."
Alex blinked. "Letters?"
"Just one, actually. But it's addressed to you. I scanned it. Check your email."
Alex hung up and booted up his computer.
One new message. Attached: scan_001.pdf.
He clicked it.
The handwriting was neat, likely a teenager's.
Dear Mr. Walker,
I'm a high school junior. I've been reading Silver Spoon since chapter one. My family runs a sheep farm in Montana. Watching Hachiken learn to milk cows and herd cattle... it felt weirdly familiar. I used to be embarrassed about my life. I never told my friends at school what I do on weekends because I thought it was lame. But seeing it in a manga makes it feel kinda cool. I hope Hachiken finds what he's looking for.
Keep going.
The letter ended there. No signature.
Alex stared at the screen. The white light reflected in his eyes.
He closed the email and opened his drawing software.
Chapter 8 needed two more pages.
He drew with a new energy.
He drew Hachiken sitting on the grass, watching the herd. He drew Komaba handing him a bottle of water. He drew the long shadows cast by the setting sun.
In the final panel, he wrote Hachiken's dialogue:
"I think... I'm starting to get it."
Get what? He didn't say. But the look on his face wasn't confused anymore.
Alex saved the file and sent it to Sue.
He walked to the window. It was pitch black outside. The ranch was sleeping.
He thought about the kid in Montana.
"I used to be embarrassed... now it feels kinda cool."
Someone understood.
He wasn't just shouting into the void. Someone out there heard him.
(To be Continued)
Readers More Chapter on Patreon.com/Otaku_Readers
10+ more Chapters with daily Updates.
Support for authors.
Buy my membership.
---------------------------------------------------------
MY NEW SERIES: PARALLEL WORLD: GOD OF ANIMATION
( FIRST 3 CHAPTER ARE FREE IN PATREON)
( ONLY EXCLUSIVE ON PATREON)
---------------------------------------------------------