(A Big thanks to Enrik410 and Rogue Cells for being a Quill Club patron.)
On July 22 of this year, the August issue of "All Reading" magazine was released, but it did not feature a new series by Mr. Hachiman. Considering Mr. Hachiman's age and the current time, readers generally believed that he must be preparing for midterm exams, which was why he had no time to work on the magazine series for the time being.
As a result, fans of Hikigaya began to express their support on Twitter, hoping for good grades in the exam so that his future writing would not be affected. The hashtag "Good luck on the exam, Mr. Hachiman" even trended on Japanese Twitter for a time. Hikigaya found the situation amusing. He was indeed preparing for an exam, but the reason for the lack of updates was simply that he and the publisher had decided to take a break of one month to extend the completion period for "The Clockwork Museum Incident."
With encouragement from his readers, Hikigaya approached the examination room with confidence. In previous exams, his grades had always placed him in the top ten of his class, which seemed impressive. However, Hikigaya was aware that this was only because Tsubakimori Junior High School, the school he attended, was not very competitive. When it came to standardized exams, his lack of preparation was quickly revealed.
His goal was to secure fifth place and strive for third place. Ultimately, he hoped to achieve first place in his grade by the final standardized exam, bringing his junior high school career to a perfect close.
The two-day teaching session concluded quickly. Hikigaya felt he had performed well, especially in math and science, which had previously been his weaker subjects. After nearly two months of tutoring from Machida Sonoko, he had noticed a clear improvement in his problem-solving abilities.
"The total score is 900; maybe I can get 700 this time..." After checking his answers for a while, Hikigaya formed a rough estimate in his mind. Just then, his phone rang. It was Machida Sonoko calling. She must have just finished work and was eager to hear about Hachiman's exam performance.
"Hello, Editor Machida. What can I do for you?" Hikigaya asked knowingly.
"You kid...stop pretending to be confused. Tell me how you felt after the test. I'm not in the mood to work today; I've been thinking about your test the whole time," Machida Sonoko replied eagerly, making Hikigaya feel quite moved.
"Don't worry, Editor Machida. I did really well on the test, especially in math and science. I can honestly say I've never had such a smooth testing experience before. You are indeed a great teacher," Hikigaya affirmed.
"That's good to hear. I feel relieved now. I've already told your mother that I will continue tutoring you during the summer vacation. Don't even think about escaping," Machida said proudly.
"…Editor Machida, how can you waste your time off to help me so much?" Hikigaya was taken aback by the prospect of continued tutoring over the summer and felt he owed her a lot. After all, hiring a tutor in Japan can be quite expensive, and she would likely refuse to accept his money.
"Actually, Hikigaya-san, there's something that has been bothering me. It would be great if someone could give me some advice. Would you be willing to listen?" Machida got straight to the point.
"No problem, Editor Machida; just tell me what you need," Hikigaya replied, happy to help.
"Well, as you probably know, I'm an editor at the Fuzugawa Library, which mainly publishes light novels. My main job is to connect with the light novel writers I'm responsible for. I provide them with guidance on their creations while ensuring that they submit their manuscripts on time."
Machida began with a brief introduction to her job. While the work content between light novel editors and popular literature editors is not vastly different, the competitive pressure in light novel publishing is significantly greater. Light novel publishing relies on small profits and quick turnover, meaning if market performance falls short of expectations, publishing can be drastically affected.
"This year, I'm responsible for a new author who debuted recently. Her pen name is Kasumi Shiko, and she's only a year older than you," Machida noted, leaving Hikigaya somewhat confused. Was she trying to arrange a blind date for him?
"Kasumi Shiko's debut novel is called 'Love Metronome.' The first volume has been published and received good reviews, selling about 70,000 to 80,000 copies. We've discussed that the novel will be published in five volumes, which is a strong start for a debut."
"However, she is currently struggling with the creation of the second volume. She has no ideas and doesn't want to write, just staring at a blank Word document every day. I can't figure out what she's thinking," Machida said, clearly distressed.
"Wow, your description is so vivid; it gives me chills," Hikigaya responded, fully understanding the frustration from his own experience.
"It doesn't stop there. After I tried everything to push her to submit her manuscript, she finally started writing. However, the content she produced is far less well-received than the first volume. The library's stance on the second volume needs to be re-evaluated; otherwise, there's a chance it may be canceled altogether."
"I understand the overall situation. So, Editor Machida, how can I help?" Hikigaya asked.
"I'd like you to do me a favor. I'll send you the first two volumes of *Love Metronome*, and you can help me identify what exactly is wrong with Kasumi Shiko, okay?" Machida Sonoko made a request that was almost exactly what Hikigaya had predicted.
"Of course, no problem. Although I don't understand light novels, some writing principles are universal. Maybe I can help," Hikigaya replied.
"That's great, Mr. Hachiman. I don't have much else to do right now. I really don't want a talented author's debut work to be cut short; it would significantly impact her confidence," Machida expressed.
The two chatted for a while before ending the call. Hikigaya Hachiman soon received an email with an attachment from Machida Sonoko.
"Kasumi Shiko, huh? She seems like a gentle and delicate girl," Hikigaya guessed, then clicked on the attachment.
"Oh, I hope Mr. Hachiman can find a solution. As an editor, I can't solve the author's issues myself, but I still need to ask another author for help. I feel like I'm neglecting my duties," Machida said self-deprecatingly after hanging up the phone.
Previously, she always thought that Naho Imamura was just lucky. With a writer like Mr. Hachiman, any editor could succeed. At this moment, she felt an intense envy for her senior schoolmate. It must be such a relief to work with a writer who doesn't require constant guidance.
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