章 30: Chapter 29 Hikigaya's inspirations flow
On the first day of Hikigaya's spring break, the April issue of "All Reading" serialized the first part of his new work, "Malice." A few days before that, Hikigaya announced the news on his official Twitter account, which prompted many mystery fans to spread the word. The impact of this announcement was much better than the magazine's own promotional efforts.
Speaking of his Twitter account, Hikigaya created a work account called "Mystery Writer Hachiman" at the enthusiastic urging of Naho Imamura. While he already had a personal Twitter account, Sakuraba Publishing House quickly certified this new account as official, even adding the phrase "Sakuraba contracted writer" in a somewhat ostentatious manner, almost as if to announce that the biggest cash cow in the Japanese mystery industry belongs to them.
The content of his tweets was quite formal and typical. However, Hikigaya specifically noted that this would be a standard mystery novel. This implies that readers should not approach "Malice" with the same expectations as they did with "Confessions." Longtime readers, particularly seasoned mystery fans, understand that a standard mystery involving a case, investigation, reasoning, and a final reveal can often be less exciting during its serialization.
This declaration sparked heated discussions on Twitter.
"Mr. Hachiman is going to write a traditional mystery novel. I'm looking forward to it," was a common response from casual readers.
An old mystery fan responded, "The term 'traditional mystery' refers to orthodox mystery. Mr. Hachiman is discussing a standard mystery novel, which is still societal in nature, but it harkens back to the foundational elements of crime-solving."
Others began to question if Hikigaya's previous work, "Confessions," could really be classified as a mystery novel, noting that only the first chapter contained elements of mystery.
"Don't worry about the details," someone replied. "The genres of mystery novels in Japan are already quite diverse. The Mystery Writers Association Award was even given to a romance novel." (In reality, this refers to the 1999 award presented to Keigo Higashino's "Secret," which, while well-regarded, lacks traditional mystery elements and focuses on family, love, and ethics.)
"Whether the serialized content is dull or not, you still have to buy the book when 'Malice' is published. The magazine won't include all of it," another practical comment noted, drawing agreement from many readers.
Most netizens seemed to share this sentiment. The first serialization of "Malice," titled "Nonoguchi Osamu's Notes," was rather underwhelming. It can only be described as an introduction, featuring the main characters, the murders that occurred, and the related clues. Even the formal investigation phase had yet to begin, but this chapter's word count exceeded that of the first chapter of "Confessions."
...
"We've dedicated so much space to such little progress. As Mr. Hachiman suggested, this serialized novel is quite standard and detailed. Before the next installment arrives, we should analyze what Mr. Hachiman has presented," remarked a well-known mystery fiction critic on his blog.
"All Reading" differs from magazines like "Weekly Shonen Jump," which evaluate popularity in each issue and may cancel a series that doesn't meet their standards. Its readers are accustomed to a variety of serializations, and after reading the first chapter of "Malice," online discussions naturally gravitated toward analyzing the cases presented in the book.
"It's difficult to analyze. Although there is a lot of content, very little can be used for analysis. Furthermore, one characteristic of social reasoning is simulating the process of a police investigation. The clues aren't all available at the beginning; they gradually appear as the investigation unfolds. There will definitely be new clues in later chapters."
"Besides, based on the hints at the end of the first chapter, Detective Kaga has already identified Nonoguchi Osamu as a suspect. This book still has at least 100,000 words left. Could it be that the rest of the content is solely about finding evidence of Nonoguchi Osamu's guilt?"
"I think there will be a twist later on, perhaps with the introduction of new characters or other cases being linked to this one. But in any case, it seems unlikely that the murderer will be caught anytime soon."
This conversation took place in the mystery literature club classroom at Chiba University. A group of college students who love mystery literature eagerly waited for the publication of "Malice," written by Mr. Hachiman, and naturally shared their thoughts as soon as they had read it. Although the first serialization didn't reveal much, they were full of expectations for the follow-up to "Malice," based on their trust in Mr. Hachiman.
A small number of readers also noted that this chapter was titled "Nonoguchi Osamu's Notes," suggesting that the content might not be entirely trustworthy. While this caught some attention, everyone decided to read the second installment before making a judgment.
As for Hikigaya, he first enjoyed a few days of spring vacation before determining to write (or copy and transport) his next book. To this end, he wanted to invite Imamura Naho and Machida Sonoko to discuss it. However, after receiving Hachiman's invitation, both editors regretfully informed him that they were very busy with work and asked if they could meet on Saturday instead.
Hachiman then realized that the adults didn't have spring break.
On the last Saturday of March, Hikigaya finally got his wish and made an appointment with the two of them. They chose the café he had been visiting since the beginning. Hachiman applied for a membership card at this café, where the owner was particularly impressed by him—not just because he visited frequently, but because this middle school-looking boy was always accompanied by one or two women who were much older than him.
Hikigaya, with the two older women walking alongside him, entered the café and went straight to their usual seats. The two women sat next to Hikigaya, one on his left and one on his right.
"I feel uneasy if I don't write for a while, so even though 'Malice' has just started serialization, I should begin thinking about my next novel," he said.
"Mr. Hachiman, you are so full of ideas! Before that, please allow me to read you my review of 'Malice,' which I didn't have the chance to present earlier," Naho Imamura replied, pulling out a dozen pages filled with her notes from her bag, as if she truly intended to read them aloud.
"Please don't show such pretentious things in front of Mr. Hachiman! Senior sister, you could find another time to read it to me, and I'll endure this pain for Mr. Hachiman," Machida Sonoko interjected, pushing aside the papers Imamura had taken out.
Hikigaya quickly sensed that the relationship between the two women wasn't as strained as it appeared.
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