After hearing Hachiman's words, Yui looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. Her face, adorned with pear blossoms and rain, stirred Hachiman's heart deeply. Instinctively, he raised his hand, gently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Please don't cry. I don't want to see you sad," he said softly.
With a nod, Yui sniffled and managed a small smile, her gaze now shyly directed downwards.
"Hikki, your hand..."
Realizing that his hand was still on her face, Hachiman quickly withdrew it, a sheepish grin forming on his lips.
"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to get carried away," he chuckled.
Meanwhile, Komachi, who had been secretly watching from the kitchen, was amazed by the sweet moment between them.
"I never thought my Onii-chan had these kinds of skills. Judging by this, Yui onee-san might actually become my sister-in-law!"
Acts like a hero saving a damsel can be quite impactful on a girl. Even though he just saved her dog, the impression it leaves on girl is definitely not low.
"Onii-chan,Onee-san, it's time to eat!"
Just as Hachiman was about to say something to defuse the awkward situation, Komachi's voice suddenly rang out.
"Oh, yeah, got it." After a moment of surprise, Hachiman quickly replied.
"Onee-san, please stay and eat with us!" Komachi shifted her attention to Yuigahama.
"I... I'll pass. Hikki, take care of your injuries. My mom is waiting for me at home. I should head back." After that scene just now, the embarrassed Yui couldn't bring herself to stay any longer. She hurriedly said her goodbyes.
"Oh, that's too bad, Onee-san." Komachi sounded a bit disappointed when she heard Yui was leaving. She then turned her determined gaze to Hachiman, who was still seated on the sofa.
"Onii-chan, why are you still sitting here? Why don't you see Yui onee-san off?" Komachi's enthusiasm prompted Hachiman to shrug, stand up, and escort Yui out of the house.
After bidding farewell to Yuigahama, he returned to his room and was surprised to spot the thermos on the dining table.
"Oh, did you forget to give it back to her? You can return it to Yui next time you see her."
Once the dishes and chopsticks were set up, Komachi called out, "Onii-chan, it's time to eat."
Hachiman nodded, walked over to the table, and took his seat.
"Onii-chan, is Yui onee-san going to become my sister-in-law?" Komachi asked curiously as she sipped on her miso soup at the dining table.
With a mouthful of rice, Hachiman replied casually, "Yui and I have only recently met, so it's too early to say anything like that."
"Onii-chan, you better put in some effort. Yui onee-san is really pretty, so you can't let someone else steal her away," Komachi said with a determined expression.
Hachiman nodded and agreed, "Sure, I understand. I'll do my best."
"I'll definitely put in the effort, and I hope Komachi won't start thinking I'll end up with too many sister-in-laws."
Hachiman's words carried a mix of determination and lightheartedness, causing Komachi to chuckle in response.
"Of course, Onii-chan," Komachi replied with a grin. "I'll be the sister-in-law quality controller. Only the best ones will pass my inspection!" She playfully raised an imaginary clipboard and pretended to scribble something on it, making both of them burst into laughter.
At the Yuigahama House
Observing her daughter, who was blushing and occasionally giggling while eating at the table, Mrs. Yuigahama felt a bit puzzled, wondering what had gotten into her usually silly daughter.
After dinner, Hachiman resumed his writing. Having reached level three, his writing had become notably more refined and fluid. He was even capable of making certain modifications to the original novel, seamlessly improving its flow.
As an example, the girl "Sachi," who met a tragic end in the original light novel, found salvation at the hands of Kirito in Hachiman's version.
Naturally, this twist led to Kirito acquiring a new harem, a development that brought satisfaction and congratulations.
I'm inclined to believe that if Kirito were real, he might even extend his gratitude towards me.
(A/N:Ignore the previous remarks, as they were intended as jokes.)
"Dididi!"
In that moment, Hachiman's cellphone chimed, indicating a new text message.
Picking up his phone, he realized it was a reminder from the bank.
As he saw the amount, his eyes widened involuntarily.
"One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, one million yen!"
Suddenly, his personal account had nearly one million yen added to it.
It appeared that he had received his initial payment for the draft, but his moment of happiness was short-lived as the phone rang again.
This time, it was his beauty editor, Machida Sonoko, calling.
"Hello, Wakamono-sensei, good evening!" Machida Sonoko's voice greeted as soon as the call connected.
"Good evening, Editor Machida. Are you still at work this late?" Glancing at the time, which was nearly nine o'clock, Hachiman hadn't expected her to call him at such an hour.
"Yeah, we're still working overtime," Machida Sonoko replied, her tone carrying a hint of complaint.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot the purpose of the call. Have you received your manuscript fee?"
"Just received it."
"That's great! This is just the first batch of 10,000 copies, and the publishing house has already printed an additional 50,000 copies. You'll be rolling in riches soon. Also, the publishing house has decided to organize a book signing event for you. How does that sound?" Machida Sonoko's excitement was palpable in her voice.
"Signing books sounds fantastic. I'll definitely be up for it!" Hachiman enthusiastically agreed, recognizing that the event would help boost the popularity of his light novel.
"Okay, it's settled then. The event will kick off at 9:00 am this Sunday at the Kadokawa Bookstore in Tokyo. You can come a day early, and the hotel will be arranged for you," Machida Sonoko explained briefly after Hachiman agreed.
"No problem. I'll give you a call when the time comes."
"Sounds good. Looking forward to it. Gotta go now. Catch you later." Sonoko Machida hung up.
"Are you really going to do a book signing?" Hachiman felt pretty excited. He hadn't expected to have a book signing opportunity so soon.
After some thought, he opened his blog and wrote: "Exciting news! I'll be at the Kadokawa Bookstore in Tokyo this weekend for a book signing event. Hope to see you all there."
With a sense of accomplishment, he hit the "Publish" button.After publishing the blog post, Hachiman leaned back in his chair, feeling a bit dazed for a moment.
"One million yen?" Hachiman mused to himself, thinking about the manuscript fee in his account.
If I look at it this way, I can technically call myself a millionaire. True, it's in Japanese yen, which convert to a little over 10,000 USD, but it's still his first substantial amount of money.
Yet, he knew this was just the beginning. Currently, he only had 10,000 copies available, and his aspirations were much higher – he aimed to sell 100,000, 1 million, 10 million copies.
Hachiman resolved to set a modest goal for himself at first, perhaps aiming for a total of 100 million yen earnings!