He stared silently at the inbox displayed on his laptop screen. At the very top of the inbox sat an email that had just arrived, marked with a bright red indicator. It was the name of the manga publisher he had visited countless times over the past few months, and below it was a plainly written subject line.

『Notice of Results for the 2nd Round of the Newcomer Manga Award』

It was only a few words, but for some reason, he couldn't easily bring himself to move the mouse. His fingertips were tense, and his palms were already damp with cold sweat. The sound of his heart beating echoed unusually loud in his ears.

This time, he believed this time would be different.

He had spent months clinging to a single manuscript. There were days when he didn't put down his pen until the window grew bright outside, and countless nights he endured by gulping down energy drinks like meals whenever drowsiness hit.

He scrapped and restarted on new paper dozens of times, and tore up panels he didn't like without hesitation. Ink seeped into his fingertips and wouldn't wash away, and his wrists throbbed every night, but he never once felt that any of it was a waste.

Because he felt like he could reach it this time.

After taking a long breath, he opened the email with trembling fingertips. Black text appeared one by one on the white screen.

「Thank you for your interest in the Rookie Manga Award. The work you submitted has undergone careful review by the judging panel...」

A long and polite greeting. Formal sentences so familiar he could memorize them without reading. The words he actually wanted to know didn't appear easily. In his impatience, he bit down on the filter of the cigarette in his mouth and scrolled down all at once.

And then, the final sentence caught his eye.