Ever since Haruno came home late with the news that she had hooked up—though the two of them had not officially established a relationship, but seemed very close—Mrs. Yukinoshita had not stopped thinking about it.
The Yukinoshita family is a prominent lineage that has been passed down for a hundred years. In a sense, they are a microcosm of Japan, a country with a rigid class structure. As the head of the family who has grown up in wealth and status, Mrs. Yukinoshita naturally does not believe in changing one's fate or ascending to a higher class.
"Mr. Yukinoshita?" you might ask. Perhaps, but marrying into another family as a means of changing one's fate seems a bit shabby to her.
According to Haruno, this Hachiman comes from an ordinary family, one you could find anywhere in Japan. Without any literary recognition, he would have likely graduated normally, become a salaryman, and faced the daily grind of capitalism—that's all.
However, when Hachiman was only 15 years old, his two literary works emerged from nowhere, shocking the Japanese mystery literary world. He became the official future leader of that genre, and now, he has a relationship with Haruno that is clearly more than just a friendship.
This situation is quite distressing for Mrs. Yukinoshita.
"Why did it have to be Haruno?" she muttered to herself.
Yukinoshita Haruno, in junior high, displayed all the qualities of an excellent successor to the head of the family: She is respectful and obedient to her family and completes all assigned training tasks excellently. Externally, she has demonstrated remarkable leadership skills, serving as the student council president since junior high. At Sobu High School, the top school in Chiba, she has turned the student council into her own one-woman show, and her ability to organize activities and make plans is regarded as the strongest in the school's history.
Mrs. Yukinoshita believes that Haruno is more reasonable than Yukino, more understanding than she is, and more decisive than her husband. There is no doubt that Haruno will one day become the head of the family.
Once she goes to college, the family will begin assigning her more responsibilities. After she graduates with excellent grades, she will enter the company's management and start participating in the formulation of significant plans that will shape the family's future. As the years pass, the energy of the Yukinoshita couple will wane, and it will be time to officially pass the torch.
Such a clear plan and smooth process have now become a source of worry for Mrs. Yukinoshita: her daughter, Yukinoshita Haruno, has fallen in love with the well-known author Hachiman, who sees her as a good friend.
As the head of the family, Haruno's spouse is expected to marry into the Yukinoshita family and work for its future. However, how could Hachiman marry into the family? When it comes to marriage, she imagines he will already belong to a wealthy family, one with influence not just across Japan, but also internationally.
The idea of someone so powerful marrying into a local family feels like a fairy tale, with the Yukinoshita family cast as the protagonists.
"If it were Yukino, then everything would be fine," Mrs. Yukinoshita said casually. Yet, as this thought crossed her mind, she found herself pondering it more deeply.
————
"Watch out! Yukinoshita!" the stable boy called out eagerly.
At that moment, Yukinoshita Yukino was riding a horse. Although she was familiar with horses, when she dismounted, it felt as if time had slipped away, and she nearly fell off.
"Thank you, I'm fine. I was a little careless just now," she said, slightly embarrassed. It was a simple action to dismount from a horse, but she had gotten distracted and almost lost her balance.
"Are you planning to go back this summer?"
Yukino was in the lounge, lost in thought. For the past two years, she had been studying abroad. She disliked the atmosphere at home and only returned to Japan during the Christmas holidays to spend the New Year with her family. Even then, she harbored no fond feelings towards them; the previous reconciliation had merely been a temporary truce. If there was no substantial breakthrough, it was just appeasement in her eyes.
Yukino believed that this substantial breakthrough would not occur while she was in the United States. She wanted to return to Japan during the summer vacation, hoping to see Hachiman Hikigaya again. Perhaps he would have a solution to her family issues. In any case, she felt that good things would happen if she went back to Japan.
When Yukino returned to her residence, she found a package at her door. Inside, she discovered a brand-new copy of "Malice." Her initial happiness was overshadowed by the realization that this gift was the result of enduring Haruno's teasing for a long time. Her smile faded, even though no one was there to witness it.
Having already reviewed the first four parts of "Malice," she knew the plot by heart. So, she turned directly to the unserialized portion of the book and began reading.
"This is really... why is there such malicious intent?" she murmured, trembling slightly as she reached the final part. The revelation of the motive in the book frightened her. Like Haruno, she couldn't fully understand the murderer's mindset, but she knew the ending was shocking.
Determined to grasp the narrative better, she decided to read the entire text again, looking for any details she might have missed. If needed, she would search for analyses online. In short, she wanted to fully understand the book.
————
"So, Mr. Hachiman, is this what you're planning to serialize next? Excuse me, but isn't this a bit... of a joke?" Naho Imamura carefully considered her words, ultimately landing on those three.
"What's wrong? This is such a heartwarming little story. But don't worry, Editor Imamura. This is the first and only article. The subsequent stories are real murder cases," Hikigaya explained.
The "joking" story mentioned by Editor Imamura was actually a short piece from the "Disintegration Causes" series that Hikigaya Hachiman was about to serialize. No one died or got hurt in this story; it simply told a warm tale about a family. Originally the sixth story of "Disintegration of the Causes," Hikigaya had adjusted it to be the first story for serialization, intending to show readers a different and more mischievous side of himself.
"So, you chose to start the series with a heartwarming little story because you want to write something particularly bizarre afterward, Mr. Hachiman?" Naho Imamura asked curiously.
"Exactly. I think readers have had enough of my dark stories. It's time for me to use my pen to heal everyone," Hikigaya replied earnestly.
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