Turn back the time to one hour ago.
Haruno knew there was a possibility her plan might fail, but her biggest miscalculation was competing with a fifteen-year-old mystery writer to see whose routine was more sophisticated. After hearing Hachiman's answer, Haruno felt as if she were having a heart attack and turned into a statue. No matter how Hikigaya called her, she didn't respond, as if her soul had been sucked away.
As Hikigaya was about to enter the venue, he had no choice but to write a small note explaining that Imamura Naho was just his editor and that they were both innocent. He had only discovered that Haruno already knew his identity that day. After writing the note, he placed it in Haruno's palm and helped her close it.
When Haruno regained her senses, she noticed that Hachiman had disappeared. Thinking of what he had just said made her almost burst into tears. She wanted to find a place away from others to talk, but the only person she could reach out to was her sister.
As she was about to dial the number, she discovered a small note in her left hand that read, "Sister Yukinoshita, please listen to my explanation."
Hikigaya still wanted to laugh, but he tried to hold it back, knowing that it would only lead to trouble. "It's okay, Mr. Hachiman. I won't say anything for now. The award related to you will be presented soon, so you should go and wait for the ceremony."
Haruno quickly calmed down, but she didn't plan to let the matter go. She knew it wasn't the right time to talk; it was just halftime, and there wasn't much time left.
"Yukinoshita-senpai, please," Hikigaya said as he turned slightly and extended his right arm.
"What are you doing, Junior?" Haruno asked, confused. Did this junior student mean for her to hold his arm?
"Hurry up, senior. If I take the initiative to pull you, it wouldn't align with my personality. It's better for you to do it," Hikigaya replied nonchalantly, looking in another direction.
"Y-You... Junior."
Haruno sighed happily, stretched out her slender hand, and took hold of Hikigaya's arm.
"Don't grip too tightly, Senior. This is just etiquette for this kind of situation," Hikigaya reminded her, feeling her hold was a bit excessive.
"Yeah, I understand," Haruno responded, still smiling sweetly.
The other writers were somewhat surprised to see a beautiful woman next to Mr. Hachiman, who had just returned from his break. Although this area was designated for writers, many seats were empty to allow writers to bring their relatives and friends. Therefore, everyone was curious but didn't think too much about it, simply wondering why the beautiful woman hadn't been next to him earlier.
"The winner of the 67th Japan Mystery Writers Association Award for long and short collections is—" The award presenter paused deliberately to create suspense.
"Hachiman! The winning work is 'Confession'!"
Hikigaya placed his hands on the armrests of both sides of his seat, slowly raised his head, and looked into the distance, as if soaking in the applause of the audience.
He made eye contact with Haruno, who was applauding enthusiastically, then stood up from his seat. Amid the applause and attention of the audience, he took the gift and certificate from the award presenter, and they both posed for a photo together.
After handing the prize certificate to the staff for safekeeping, Hikigaya Hachiman took out his speech.
"First of all, I would like to thank the association for granting this important award to a fledgling writer like me. I am humbled and will work harder in the future to live up to the association's recognition. I would especially like to thank Mr. Arisugawa for promoting me and allowing me to stand here today."
After saying this, Hikigaya nodded to Arisugawa, who was sitting next to the podium, and the latter responded with a thumbs up.
"I would also like to thank my editor, Ms. Naho Imamura of Sakuraba Publishing, for your excellent work in making my serialization and publication so smooth."
Hearing this, Naho Imamura felt a lump in her throat and covered half of her face, embarrassed by the envious gazes from those around her.
Next, Hikigaya thanked his absent family members, publishers, and others. After the acknowledgments, it was time for the main speech.
"There is no doubt that Japanese mystery novels are currently flourishing. It would be my honor if my works could add a touch of color to this era."
Hikigaya was modest at first. He did not belittle his own work but acknowledged that he lived in a fortunate time, which indirectly praised the other writers present.
"Currently, a widely accepted view on the development of Japanese mystery novels is that before the 1980s, Japanese mystery writers modeled themselves after Mr. Matsumoto Seicho, while after the 1980s, they looked to Mr. Shimada Soji as their role model. Each of them contributed significantly to the evolution of Japanese mystery."
After saying this, Hikigaya paused and looked at Mr. Shimada Soji, who was sitting in the chairman's seat, gazing at him kindly.
"The trend led by Mr. Shimada Soji is known as the New Orthodox Movement. Since Mr. Shimada's influence, the orthodox mystery—the oldest and most captivating type of mystery novel—has returned to the forefront of Japanese mystery literature and shines brighter than ever."
Hikigaya's remarks praised many writers present, especially the main members of the association, most of whom were proponents of orthodox mystery, longing for Japan to revive the golden age of orthodox mystery.
"Although my first two works were both solid social reasoning pieces, it feels a bit embarrassing to mention. However, I have always aimed to create a true mystery story, and I have begun to put some ideas on paper."
Upon hearing that this talented young man on stage was also going to write a mystery novel, the audience stirred with excitement. Mystery novel enthusiasts cannot resist the allure of the genre, and many of these mystery writers regard mystery novels as beautiful as first love, although some have temporarily strayed from the social school.
"I hope to create some new orthodox works and inject new vitality into orthodox reasoning. If I can achieve that, I will truly be worthy of being called a mystery novelist."
Hikigaya made a bold declaration of his commitment to orthodox reasoning. After the award ceremony, his acceptance speech would be published on the official website of the Mystery Writers Association, ensuring that mystery fans across Japan would know Mr. Hachiman was entering the realm of orthodox reasoning.
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