As expected.
Akifumi wasn't surprised by Otosuna Mihari's words. In fact, before even answering the call, he had already guessed it.
After all, Mihari had mentioned last time that the sales figures over there were calculated on a monthly basis.
Now that exactly a month had passed, and given that they had just discussed the promotional plans for his new work the day before, what else could this call be about?
"The numbers?" Akifumi's tone lifted slightly with anticipation.
In Japan, a top-tier manga might sell around 200,000 copies a month at most.
Not because the works weren't excellent, but simply because the market size imposed a natural limit.
Unless he shifted away from niche themes and catered more to mainstream trends, breaking that ceiling would be nearly impossible.
Even then, an absolute peak of 400,000 in monthly sales was the best he could expect.
At 400,000 copies, the royalties alone would amount to approximately 35 million yen.
But things were different in foreign country.
With other country population, even if only 1% of people outside enjoyed anime and manga, that would still mean tens of millions of potential buyers.
And the actual percentage of anime enthusiasts was undoubtedly much higher.
In this parallel world without piracy, this place was every creator's ultimate dream!
Although releasing ten different works at once might have seemed like competing against himself, even with some overlap in readership, the sales figures were bound to be staggering.
Even someone like Akifumi, who had long since become numb to money, couldn't help but feel a rush of anticipation.
"How many copies?"
Mihari glanced at the printed report in her hand. Despite her efforts to stay composed, excitement crept into her voice.
"First, Anohana—total sales for the past month: 3.82 million copies."
"Specifically, 1.95 million for the first volume and 1.87 million for the second."
!!
"How much?!"
"3.82 million copies!"
"If I remember correctly, Anohana has only sold about 3.22 million copies in Japan so far, right?"
"That's correct."
"…Aha ha ha." Akifumi couldn't help but take a sharp breath, momentarily contributing to global warming.
Was making money from manga always this insane?
Due to overseas publishing contracts, his cut was only 10%. But with each volume priced at 800 yen, that still meant a royalty of 80 yen per copy sold.
Just from these 3.82 million copies, he had already earned nearly 300 million yen.
And since more volumes had already been printed, total circulation was likely at least 5 million coppies.
Which meant, just from Anohana alone, his earnings would surpass 400 million yen!
Although Akifumi had anticipated that overseas sales would be impressive, this number far exceeded his expectations.
After all, Anohana had been in circulation for almost a year in Japan and had only just crossed 3 million total sales.
Meanwhile, in just one month overseas, it was already nearing 4 million?
Looking at the sheer scale of the difference, Akifumi couldn't help but blurt out:
"Is it too late for me to move over there and start fresh?"
Mihari, who had been reveling in her success at shocking him, suddenly froze.
'Wait, what? Was her star creator really considering jumping ship?!'
A sense of panic surged within her.
When the call fell silent for a moment, Akifumi let out a dry chuckle. "Relax, I was just joking. Don't take it seriously."
"…So, what about the other titles?"
Mihari still looked skeptical but decided to move on. "Next up, Puella Magi Madoka Magica—total sales: 5.62 million copies."
"2.86 million for volume one and 2.76 million for volume two."
!!
Madoka's power was on another level! (voice cracks)
This sales figure was absurd—so absurd that even absurdity itself had to bow in submission!
With just Anohana and Madoka Magica, his royalties had already surpassed 750 million yen.
And if he added Your Lie in April into the mix…
That might actually push his earnings past half a small target (1 billion yen)!
Although Your Lie in April was priced lower at 450 yen per volume, it had six volumes in total—more than both Madoka Magica and Anohana combined.
"So… what's Your Lie in April's sales?"
"The total stands at 11.68 million copies."
That meant an average of 1.94 million per volume.
Royalties? At least 490 million yen.
"In just one month, I hit half a small target…"
After his initial shock, Akifumi found himself growing eerily calm. He silently opened his creator dashboard on Steam and let out a deep sigh.
"…??"
Mihari was confused.
Why the sigh? Wasn't this an absolutely insane sales performance?
She suddenly grew nervous again. "…Akifumi-sensei, are you not satisfied with the sales overseas?"
"In fact, with these numbers, only about ten other mangaka in all of Japan could even come close to your success…"
Before she could finish, Akifumi cut in.
"The sales are great. I'm very satisfied."
His eyes, however, lingered on another figure—The Witch's House, with total sales of 4.58 million copies.
Despite similar numbers, the earnings difference was staggering.
The problem? The Witch's House was a game, not a manga.
With games, he had to deal with development costs, publishing fees, platform cuts… compared to manga, the profit margins weren't even in the same league.
For a fleeting moment, he considered launching his own distribution platform or maybe even founding his own publishing house.
"…Forget it."
"A monthly revenue of half a small target. What's there to complain about?"
If he hadn't published overseas, he wouldn't have earned a single cent from these sales.
In that sense, this half a small target was practically free money.
———————————————————————
Mid-July
Time flew, and by mid-July, the atmosphere among third-year students had grown noticeably tense.
Gone were the days of casually hanging out after school.
Even with summer break approaching, only a few had the luxury to plan vacations—most were focused entirely on studying.
Even Kato was no exception. She attended cram school daily and studied relentlessly during weekends and holidays. Her grades were improving at an impressive pace.
"You're studying through summer break too?"
That sounded tough.
But Kato's dedication was a reminder of what an ordinary person could achieve through sheer effort.
As for Akifumi, this summer held another significant milestone.
With the Top 128 for the scriptwriting competition soon to be announced, the next stage—filming and production—was about to begin.
He couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement for what was to come.