Through the tension of the artwork, the sense of speed and pressure was palpable. Gouki felt his blood rushing to his head. This is just too cool.
The scheduled time arrived.
At the summit, Iketani waited and waited, but the 86 was nowhere to be found. Ryosuke Takahashi looked on with a face full of disappointment, while Keisuke was so livid he punched his steering wheel, glaring at Kenji with utter contempt.
Just as the two were about to start a one-sided race to get it over with, a voice crackled over the RedSuns' walkie-talkies from the base of the mountain.
"Wait! Don't start yet! A black-and-white Panda 86 is heading up the mountain right now!"
Gouki's fingers trembled with excitement. Finally! The moment had arrived! He flipped the page, only to be greeted by four bold words.
His grin froze. His excitement turned to stone.
'This is... malicious. Again? Short AND a cliffhanger?'
He slammed the magazine onto his desk. He couldn't take it anymore! Were these two college creators mentally ill? Every single week for three weeks, they had cut the story right at the most critical juncture. Can't you just add a little fluff at the end so we don't feel like we're dying for seven days?
On the official Weekly Prime website, the outcry this week far surpassed the previous two.
"I am officially demanding that Initial D be moved to a monthly magazine so we can get four chapters at once! I can't take this!"
"Every week is the same. This is psychological torture."
"One race! It's been three weeks and we've only just gotten to the part where he drives UP the mountain! This is ridiculous! By episode three of Madoka, someone already lost their head. In chapter three of Initial D, he's still in the parking lot!"
"I'm so mad at myself. I knew Shiori Takahashi was a cliffhanger addict and yet I still read it. I should have just sealed the magazine in a box and waited for the volume release. My own curiosity is my worst enemy!"
"Shiori-sensei, Shizuru-sensei... do your consciences not hurt when you do this to us every week?"
"I'll endure it one more time. But if next week ends before the first corner, I am bringing a kitchen knife to the publisher headquarters!"
"It's hard, but I can't stay mad at them. One of the creators is a cute girl, after all. Fine, I'll give them one more chance. Third time's a charm, but there won't be a fourth!"
The rankings for the third chapter were released the following day.
Current position in Weekly Prime: 4th.
When Shizuru received the text from their editor, Katashi, after her classes, she stood paralyzed in the hallway.
First chapter: 8th. Second chapter: 6th. Third chapter... 4th.
Initial D wasn't slowly building an audience.
In just three chapters, it had conquered the notoriously picky readers of one of the premier manga magazines.
"No way..." Shizuru whispered, staring at the data report. "Is this manga actually going to challenge the top three?"
1. The Forbidden Gate: 1,556,123 votes.
2. Winter Miracle: 911,234 votes.
3. Kagura Park: 852,345 votes.
4. Initial D: 817,456 votes.
5. Gourmet Dragon: 531,251 votes.
...
22. Red Demon: 1,360 votes.
And it was highly probable.
In a single week, the series had jumped from 400,000 votes to over 800,000. Shizuru was stunned, but Katashi was even more dazed.
'Is the growth of this fanbase actually legal?' he wondered. In over twenty years in the industry, he had never seen a manga trajectory this absurd.