Capítulo 16: Chapter-15: Second Meeting with the editors
"It's White Album season again..." Hikigaya muttered something unintelligible to the others.
It's December now, and winter has settled into Chiba. Hikigaya stood outside in Ginza, braving the cold wind with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He wore a knee-length white waistcoat and a light yellow scarf, trying to bury his face in the warmth of the scarf. Despite his glasses, this made him look more delicate, and he often caught the attention of passing girls.
He was waiting for two people who identified themselves as "Hachiman." They were big fans: Naho Imamura and Sonoko Machida. The night before, the two editors had asked him to wear glasses.
Soon, two familiar figures appeared across the street. Unlike before, when they wore OL uniforms, they were now dressed in ordinary down jackets. Hikigaya thought it was a sign they were too old to be so concerned with fashion.
However, upon seeing Hikigaya, both women were visibly excited.
"This boy looks so good all of a sudden! I just want to give him a big, warm hug and snuggle up to him like a cute puppy! exclaimed Machida Sonoko, who had previously warned Hachiman to be cautious of Imamura Naho. It seemed she was getting dangerously closer to that line.
"I say, junior, you should tone it down a bit. Isn't it embarrassing to be obsessed with a boy who's over ten years younger than you?" Naho Imamura quipped back, seizing the opportunity for a sarcastic remark.
"At least I'm being sincere! But you might want to pull back the corners of your mouth before you scare Mr. Hachiman," Machida Sonoko retorted, exposing Naho's eagerness.
Unaware of the playful banter between the two older women, Hikigaya decided to approach them. He walked over, bowed slightly, and offered his apology: "Thank you for coming all this way on such a cold day. You could have explained everything clearly in the email."
Of course, neither of them dared to admit that their main reason for coming was to see Hikigaya, so they both replied in unison that it was no problem at all.
" Mr. Hachiman , let's go in and talk. "
Naho Imamura spoke first. Actually , Hachiman had hinted to Imamura before that since he already knew his real name, he could just call him by his last name instead of his pen name. But Imamura still liked to call him " Mr Hachiman " for some reason, and Hachiman was too lazy to mention it again.
The three agreed to meet was still the cafe in Ginza, and the two female editors chose to sit on the left and right of Hikigaya respectively.
" Hikigaya-san, you really are a girl killer right now. It's no exaggeration to say that if I were ten years younger, I might really fall in love with you. "
Machida Sonoko spoke bluntly , her eyes still wandering on Hikigaya Hachiman.
" You are sexually harassing him! "
Naho Imamura could not tolerate her junior schoolmate trying to attract Mr. Hachiman's attention with such shameless behavior, and directly put the big hat of " sexual harassment " on her head.
"I'm sorry for scaring you two. I won't go out like this again."
In fact, this outfit wasn't chosen by Hikigaya Hachiman himself; it had been selected by his fashion-savvy mother. Hikigaya's parents had long stated that the money he earned from writing books was entirely at his disposal, but his spending needed to be supervised by them. However, a few months later, Hachiman had spent almost none of his extra money, except for purchasing a laptop for work.
This behavior made Hikigaya's mother, who was eager to change Hachiman's withdrawn personality, quite anxious. She believed that in order to change Hachiman's personality, she first needed to alter his appearance. The saying "clothes make the man" resonated with her, and after somewhat reluctantly asking for Hachiman's consent, she bought him the white waistcoat he was wearing now—an expensive piece—and a costly scarf as well. This transformed Hachiman's image completely. Today marked the first time he had appeared like this.
"Don't do that!" the two female editors exclaimed in unison. Hachiman noted that the two of them often shared an inexplicable synchronicity in situations like this.
Overall, the discussion about the first third of Hachiman's manuscript, titled "Malice," had finally commenced.
"Mr. Hachiman, after you sent me the manuscript, I read it multiple times. As a mystery novel editor, I think the methods used in this case are quite subtle, but they follow the routines of classic works, and the foreshadowing is quite obvious. I can sense some Agatha Christie influences. However, considering that you mentioned this is only less than one-third of the total plot, I believe there will be a reversal later on," said Naho Imamura, sharing her perspective as a professional mystery novel editor. Her assessment aligned closely with Hachiman's thoughts.
"My opinion is that the flow of the case is tight, and the method of committing the crime took me by surprise, but overall, it doesn't feel exciting enough. The current portion of 'Malice' resembles a standard mystery novel more than 'Confessions' does, but I think it lacks the same readability as 'Confessions.' I look forward to the subsequent content," said Machida Sonoko, a representative of general readers who have not read many mystery novels.
"Okay, I've received your feedback, which is largely consistent with my own thoughts. Now, I would like to ask you a few questions about the manuscript," Hachiman said after pondering for a moment.
The two women next to him immediately became attentive, and Naho Imamura even took out a small notebook filled with notes.
"The first question is: What do you think of Hidaka Kunihiko? Editor Machida, please share your thoughts first."
"I have a bad impression of him, but I can't pinpoint why. Maybe it was the conversation about killing the cat at the beginning that shocked me," Machida Enko stated simply.
"I agree with what Sonoko said. The scene in which Hidaka admits to killing the cat can be considered a plot twist at the beginning of the chapter. I even get the feeling that after that, Hidaka went to see a woman he never wanted to meet before, probably to remove Nonoguchi Shu," Naho Imamura added, demonstrating her keen analytical skills.
Hikigaya's expression reflected his mental processes, which made the situation quite interesting. He admired Editor Imamura's sharp observations, but the more accurate her speculations were, the deeper she fell into the trap he had set. Many other seasoned mystery fans might share her perspective.
"Okay, I understand. Now for the second question: Do you still remember the titles of the three chapters I sent you?"
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