Yukinoshita Yukino said goodbye to Hikigaya , returned to the hall from the balcony, and headed straight to her family's rest area.
When she opened the door to the lounge, her entire family was already there. Mrs. Yukinoshita saw Yukino but didn't speak right away. Instead, she looked at her daughter with cold eyes. Yukino felt a little frightened by this gaze, so she took a deep breath, walked up to her mother, and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry, Mother."
As soon as those five words left her mouth, the atmosphere in the room shifted, becoming uneasy. Mrs. Yukinoshita looked flustered, as if she were at a loss. 'Oh my god, I can't do this anymore.' Yukinoshita Yukino had never said "I'm sorry" so solemnly before.
"I apologize not only for what happened tonight, but also for my immaturity over the years. If any other family was embarrassed by my resistance tonight, I will go out and apologize to them as well."
Yukino's voice was firm, though not loud. Mrs. Yukinoshita felt a wave of emotion and almost cried. She quickly turned her head away and said to Haruno, "Is Yukino really that smart?"
Haruno was taken aback. She had asked Hayato Hayama to see if he could talk to Yukino, but she did that only because she didn't want to deal with the situation at the time. How did her sister become such a different person after stepping out for a moment?
"It's okay, Yukino. Sit down first. There's nothing that can't be understood between family members." Mr. Yukinoshita spoke up to ease the tension.
"Thank you, Father, for your concern regarding my willfulness over the years," Yukino replied. Mr. Yukinoshita covered his face and turned away to hide his emotions.
"But, Mother, I still have some ideas about my future. I will never rebel against you like this again, and I also want to do my best to fight for my own future."
Yukinoshita Yukino finished speaking and waited quietly for her mother's response.
"...Yukino, Mom is very happy, truly. After all, you are only in junior high school, and there are some significant matters regarding the family's future and long-term planning that I have never discussed with you. The fact that you can say these words today indicates that you have indeed grown a lot, and it also means you should understand that marriage is not the only possibility for this family. At least your father and I are not in a political marriage. However, Yukino, this path will be challenging. I will try my best to arrange a relatively easy path for you, and I will not stop you from fighting for that future."
Before Yukino could respond, Haruno rushed over to her, hugged her, and rubbed against her.
"Yukino-chan, you have finally grown up! I am so happy for you. What did that boy Hayama say to you?"
Once Yukino freed herself from Haruno's grasp, she was stunned.
"Hayama? Which Hayama? Are you talking about Hayama Hayato?"
Yukino didn't understand why her sister suddenly mentioned her old classmate at that moment.
"Yes, I asked Hayama to talk to you and see if he could persuade you. What's wrong?"
Haruno began to sense something was off, but she continued speaking, "I'm sorry, sister. I don't know what you were thinking. I didn't meet Hayama-san at all. I was alone on the balcony for a long time just now. It was a person my age, someone I had never met before, who came to talk to me for a while. That's when I figured things out."
"You asked for his name? His name is... Oh, yes, Hikigaya Hachiman. I even teased him because his name has the word 'Hachiman' in it. Judging by the way he was dressed, he must be from some unknown family. Sister, what's wrong with you?"
Yukinoshita Yukino reflected on her memories and responded to Haruno, only to notice a curious expression on Haruno's face.
"It's okay, Yukino. You must be tired, so just take a good rest here until the end of the night," Haruno said, hiding the fact that she knew the person Yukino was referring to. After that, she stepped out of the lounge.
"I still plan to serialize the book 'Malice' over four issues, concluding with the part where Detective Kaga investigates Nonoguchi Osamu's past. The magazine serialization will cover two-thirds of the book, with the remaining third being published as a standalone volume," Hikigaya explained.
After bidding farewell to Yukinoshita Yukino on the balcony, Hikigaya ran into Arisugawa, who had just finished his social engagement. They began discussing 'Malice.'
"This book isn't as trendy as 'Confessions,' and its process is far less thrilling, but its reasoning is definitely superior, and the ending is much more shocking. Many readers might not consider me a mystery writer after reading 'Confessions,' and 'Malice' is intended to change that perception," Hikigaya remarked. While 'Confessions' had brought him significant commercial success, 'Malice' was establishing his reputation within the mystery genre.
"You're right, Hikigaya-kun. Traditional mystery literature is often too mundane for magazine serialization and too risky to publish directly as a book. That's why the mystery genre is now exploring new writing styles that are more eye-catching. I've written a few new orthodox novels, but I still lag behind those younger writers," Arisugawa sighed. He was now writing purely for pleasure. The royalties from his novels over the past few decades had brought him in more than 40 million yen a year, and he frequently received requests for film and television adaptations. Having achieved financial stability through his writing, his drive to create was no longer the same. He had been elected president of the "Honkaku Mystery Novel Association" and served as a judge for the "All Readings" Newcomer Award. Though his life was fulfilling, he found he had less and less time for writing.
"Mr. Arisugawa, you didn't drink during this time, did you? You still need to drive me back," Hikigaya asked with concern.
"Huh? Drinking? Unless I want to return home at night and suffer from gout, I won't touch a drop of alcohol," Arisugawa replied, his eyes showing determination against the struggles he faced with alcohol.
"By the way, Hikigaya-kun, I have some good news for you. There's an award called the 'Japan Mystery Writers Association Award' given annually, and its status in the mystery world is quite high. Every April, they begin collecting novels published in the past year for selection, with the awards presented in July. Considering that your 'Confessions' was published last year, it will definitely be included for selection. This award is typically not given to the same writer multiple times, and several popular mystery novels this year were written by award-winning authors. You know what I'm getting at, right? You are almost certain to win the prestigious Best Novel Award in this competition next year," Arisugawa shared, surprising Hikigaya with the unexpected news.
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