I just want to quietly draw manga Chapter 202

Haruki took a moment to think before answering.

“They’re not on the same level. Bunta could easily wipe the floor with Takumi.”

That one sentence sent a ripple through the Initial Drift fandom in the live chat.

Then finally—it was time for the segment everyone had been waiting for: the audience interaction session.

“I’ve been waiting all night for this part!”

“This is why I watch Live Talk! We finally get to ask them stuff directly!”

“I hope someone asks about the real ending of Voice of the Stars!”

The setup was simple. The system would randomly select three registered viewers. Each person would get to ask one question unless it was overly private or confidential, the guest had to answer.

Haruki and Kazuya were already aware of this part going in. Haruki sat up a little straighter, forcing himself to stay alert—this marked the tail end of the interview.

Soon, the system made its first selection.

On the screen in front of them appeared a young woman in her twenties. She looked surprised to be chosen, but to her credit, she kept calm and composed.

“Wow, we have a cute guest with us first!” the host, Asamiya, said with a bright smile. “So, who would you like to ask Mr. Mori or Mizushiro-sensei?”

“Um… I’d like to ask Mizushiro-sensei!”

“All right,” Asamiya gestured warmly. “Go ahead.”

The audience held its breath. What would the first question be?

“I really love your work,” the girl said. “Whether it’s 5 Centimeters per Second or Voice of the Stars, even Anohana. My question is… now that Voice and 5 Centimeters have wrapped up, will the team you formed with Mr. Mori be disbanding? Or… will you keep working together?”

Strictly speaking, the question touched on future plans, which Haruki could have declined. But he didn’t mind answering.

Kazuya, on the other hand, suddenly felt a little nervous. Their collaboration had been an unexpected joy, but he hadn’t dared to ask Haruki directly if there’d be more to come. Now someone had done it for him.

Haruki nodded.

“I can’t make promises,” he said, “but if I come up with the right concept... I’d absolutely want to work with Mr. Mori again. That’s the plan if the right story comes along.”

Kazuya relaxed slightly, smiling to himself. Haruki wasn’t the kind of person to say things casually—if he said it, he meant it.

Next, the system selected the second viewer.

Another young woman appeared on screen.

“Mizushiro-sensei, I want to ask…” she began. “In your stories anime or manga none of the couples ever seem to end up together. Why is that?”

Haruki blinked, then said with complete seriousness, “I don’t agree with that at all.”

“In Remembrance of Kenshin, Kenshin is saved by tomoe. She’s the light that finally brings him peace.”

“In Anohana, Menma’s disappearance allows her friends to grow. She reincarnates, and everyone moves forward.”

“In Voice of the Stars, Mikako and Noboru are separated by time and space, but that makes their bond purer. Compared to cliché relationships where couples just see each other every day… isn’t that kind of devotion even more romantic?”

“And in 5 Centimeters per Second Takaki and Akari go on to find their own happiness. Isn’t that the best ending for both of them?”

He said all of it with a perfectly straight face.

“…” Asamiya.

“…” Kazuya.

“…You’ve got to be kidding,” Ryuko muttered, watching the stream in disbelief.

The chat exploded.

“Bro WHAT.”

“Did this man just say 5cm/s had a happy ending?”

“He really said that with no shame…”

Even the girl who asked the question looked lost. She opened her mouth to respond but ended up just smiling awkwardly and waving goodbye as her time ended.

Then came the third and final viewer this time, a male fan.

“Mizushiro-sensei, you’ve gotten a bit of a reputation… people are calling you the ‘King of Tears.’ So… are all your future works going to be as dark and emotionally devastating as these?”

Haruki sighed quietly.

“I’ve seen that nickname floating around,” he admitted. “The ‘Tear Jerker King,’ the ‘Heartbreaker’ somehow…”

He paused, then added, “I don’t really agree with those.”

There was a long pause before he added:

“If I had to pick a nickname one that fits what I’m really trying to do…”

He glanced at the camera.

“…I’d call myself a soldier of love.”

The chat instantly lost its mind.

“A WHAT?”

“LOOOOL this man just called himself a soldier of love?!”

“That’s it, I’m dead. Mizushiro-sensei is too much.”

Asamiya managed to keep her composure, but she was clearly struggling not to laugh.

Kazuya was completely stone-faced, but his shoulders trembled from holding in his reaction.

Haruki pressed on, unfazed.

“So no I don’t think of my work as dark. If anything, they’re about love. Pure love, deep love. Maybe not always fulfilled, but always real. And going forward, I want to tell stories that are even more hopeful. Healing, touching, full of positive energy.”

He said it seriously.

No irony.

The chat was in total chaos.

“HEALING? POSITIVE ENERGY??”

“You liar!! You made me cry for three days straight!!”

“Yeah okay sure, King of Tragedy is now a healing anime ambassador. Got it.”

Back at the studio, Asamiya gave him a look that said seriously? but kept smiling for the audience.

Kazuya just gave Haruki a thumbs-up.

“You’ve got guts,” he muttered under his breath.

And with that, the third question ended, bringing the Live Talk interview to a close.

The segment was over but the impact wasn’t.

As soon as the episode was uploaded online, two moments went viral across fan forums:

Haruki’s explanation of 5 Centimeters per Second—the 13 years of drifting, five centimeters at a time.

And his shameless self-proclaimed nickname: the Soldier of Love.

By the end of the day, the phrase “five centimeters = 13 years = North to South Pole” had been quoted, memed, analyzed, and reposted in every major anime fan forum.

And right alongside it?

Dozens of memes declaring:

“If Mizushiro is a soldier of love, then we’re all angels.”