Miyu Yukishiro felt a little uneasy.
But as her older sister continued flipping through the manga manuscript, the astronaut storyline in the second chapter reached its emotional peak. The moment where Kanae was about to confess to Takaki brought tears to Misaki's eyes.
Please… don't be so gentle with me anymore.
The girl, unable to hold back her tears, could only think that as she faced the boy's quiet, persistent concern.
Kanae had learned to surf the day before high school graduation, on a day when her confidence was at its highest, and she had finally decided to confess.
But just as she gathered her courage, she met the boy's gaze.
His eyes lingered on her… yet his heart did not.
The confession never came. Instead, her unspoken feelings dissolved into tears she could no longer restrain.
When Misaki reached this part, her fingers tightened around the manuscript.
Strictly speaking, 5 Centimeters Per Second was aimed at young adults, so Miyu's understanding of it wasn't as deep as Misaki's, someone who had already experienced a full school life.
Miyu still thought the long-distance separation and the time gap that made the leads lose contact was a flaw. She genuinely believed that love could overcome anything.
But Misaki, who had watched several of her college roommates go through painful breakups after graduation, could only sigh…
'Was this really a romance manga drawn by a high school student?'
Could someone that young really create a story that left her feeling so sad, helpless, and heartbroken?
She quickly skimmed through the rest of the second chapter, "The Astronauts."
Then she turned to the third chapter, "5 Centimeters Per Second."
The timeline jumped ahead, after Takaki had graduated from university.
Young Takaki had just broken up with his girlfriend of several years. Her final message to him read:
"Even if we exchange a thousand text messages, the distance between our hearts will only shrink by one centimeter."
Misaki fell silent.
Miyu fell silent too.
Considering the title 5 Centimeters Per Second, if cherry blossoms fall at five centimeters per second, then…
At what speed do hearts grow closer?
Two people dated for years. Compared to the beginning, had they even gotten a single centimeter closer?
The best works don't spell out everything the author wants to say. They let the reader reach the answer on their own through a simple, limited storyline.
When the Yukishiro sisters found themselves thinking the same thing…
They were already completely drawn in.
Just like Rei in his past life, and like countless fans of Makoto Shinkai's works.
They were captivated by the story of Takaki and Akari.
And soon, the manga answered their expectations.
The grown-up Akari also came to Tokyo. Sitting alone on the train, she remembered the boy she had met at thirteen.
She remembered feelings she had long forgotten.
"So that's how it is," Misaki whispered when she reached that scene.
No wonder Takaki's relationships with Kanae and with the girlfriend he dated after starting work all came to quiet, nameless endings.
For Takaki, the one he had truly loved was always Akari.
Even after ten years, after losing contact, after nearly forgetting each other's faces, If they were to meet again, that deep, sincere feeling would return instantly.
True, passionate love does not disappear with time or distance. It settles quietly, takes root, and grows stronger without you noticing.
"Rei … is this what you wanted to convey?"
A hint of admiration flashed in Misaki's eyes.
The theme had risen to a new level.
Impressive…
Miyu began to understand as well, and the way she looked at Rei completely changed.
At first, Miyu only thought he was an ordinary manga enthusiast. His drawing skills were impressive, and his determination to sketch on the school rooftop under scorching thirty-degree heat had moved her enough that she wanted to help him.
She never truly believed Rei could create anything remarkable.
But this manga completely overturned her expectations.
Such a short story… yet it moved her so deeply she almost cried several times.
The artwork, the narrative structure, the themes, nothing about it felt like the work of a beginner.
Misaki flipped through the manuscript faster and faster, anticipation building within her.
She wanted, no, needed, to see Takaki and Akari's reunion after more than ten years.
What would they say to each other after all this time?
Finally, she and her younger sister, Miyu, reached the page depicting the unforgettable scene:
A slope beneath the cherry blossoms.
Railway tracks stretching across the view.
Warning bells ringing from both sides of the crossing.
And;
Two people walking toward each other from opposite ends of the tracks. In the instant they passed, they seemed to sense… something.
Recognition. Familiarity.
A heartbeat from the past.
Yet because the commuter train was seconds away from crossing, neither of them slowed down.
'At this moment… if I turn around, I have a strong feeling she will turn around too.'
In the manga, Takaki does turn around, and the reader can faintly make out the woman on the other side beginning to do the same.
Miyu's eyes widened.
In the animation, what followed was a long shot of the passing train.
But in this manga, Rei inserted several silent, dialogue-free panels, panels that gently revealed why Takaki and Akari had lost contact in high school, and how they had slowly drifted out of each other's lives.
At last, when Misaki reached the second-to-last page of 5 Centimeters per Second, she saw the illustration waiting there.
"How wonderful it would be… if we could see the cherry blossoms together next year."
The promise they made more than a decade ago, on this very railway track, was finally about to be fulfilled.
The same path. The same cherry blossoms.
The same two people standing opposite each other, just like when they were children.
But when the train rushed past and the petals danced in the air, Takaki looked across the tracks…
Only to see cherry blossoms drifting down.
The other side was empty.
Just like the sudden, hollow ache rising inside both sisters, Miyu and Misaki.
A powerful, suffocating emotion surged through them.
It felt as though something had been scooped out from inside their hearts, leaving only emptiness.
Misaki found her hands trembling.
It hurt. It genuinely hurt.
Her eyes drifted to Rei, who sat quietly on the sofa as though this had nothing to do with him.
Then she turned to the final page of the manga.
Takaki, seeing no one on the opposite side, first looked confused, almost lost.
But then, a faint smile.
A small, gentle exhale.
And with an expression of quiet acceptance, he turned and walked away.
Beneath it were the simple words:
5 Centimeters per Second, The End
"H-how… how could this be…" Miyu's voice quivered.
"Rei…"
"How could this be the ending? Is this really the story of Akari and Takaki in your heart?"
"That's right," Rei replied, glancing at the time.
Over an hour had passed since they began reading.
"Editor Misaki, you've finished the manuscript."
He took a steady breath.
"Does this manga meet your acceptance criteria?"