Dinner was over. Mr. Hikigaya was reading the newspaper while Mrs. Hikigaya busied herself washing dishes.
On the couch, the siblings sat side by side, watching TV.
"Hey, Onii-chan," Komachi suddenly said, lowering the remote. "What is a light novel, anyway? It sounds kind of vague. I even heard someone say they bought a BL novel recently—it was apparently super exciting. What's that?"
"Pfft—"
Hachiman nearly choked.
Since when were elementary school kids this bold? Back in his day, the wildest thing he'd done was sneak off to an arcade!
"Well, light novels are… complicated to define," he began, trying to compose himself. "Basically, they're novels meant to be easy to read. The genre doesn't matter much. As for BL novels, uh, that's… cough, cough…"
His face reddened slightly as he finished.
Komachi's cheeks also turned pink after hearing the explanation.
"So, the light novel you're writing—there won't be any 'exciting content' in it, right?"
"Of course not. My goal is to debut properly. Regular publishers don't allow that kind of stuff—it's not a doujin circle, you know."
Hachiman firmly denied it. He was a respectable man, thank you very much!
"By the way, have you decided what kind of light novel you're going to write, Onii-chan?" Komachi asked, changing the subject.
"Probably something in the isekai genre. It's easier to write, and readers are usually more forgiving toward it."
Of course, he'd already planned everything out.
"Then when you're done, Komachi gets to read it first, okay?"
Tilting her head and tapping her cheek with a finger, Komachi struck an adorably playful pose.
"Yeah, I promise," he replied with a smile.
How could anyone possibly refuse such a cute request from their little sister?
To debut as a light novel author, there were a few main routes: self-publishing as a doujin author and building popularity; directly submitting manuscripts to publishers; or the most common and practical method—winning an award in a New Writer's Contest.
Hachiman chose to submit to Fujikawa Bunko, one of the three most prestigious publishing labels in the industry. Making it in there would mean sky-high potential.
He gave himself one month—one month to complete a manuscript good enough to submit to the newcomer competition.
Time passed quickly.
School had long since started again. Just like a background character from Saekano, Hachiman existed quietly in his class. Not lonely or ostracized—just… forgettable.
That was deliberate. He wasn't about to follow in the footsteps of the "original" Hachiman and end up isolated and miserable.
"Hey, Hikigaya, wanna hang out this weekend?"
Sometimes classmates invited him out, but he always politely declined. Maintaining the perfect distance between "classmate" and "friend" was an art form—and one he'd mastered.
Besides that, nothing at school mattered to him anymore. Every bit of his focus went into one goal: becoming a light novel author.
"Done."
He typed the final sentence, leaned back, and let out a long breath. Then, as though all his strength had left him, he flopped onto his bed, a satisfied grin still plastered across his face.
After a full month of hard work, he had finally completed his masterpiece.
He was confident—no, absolutely certain—that it would be well-received. This was his magnum opus, the product of all his effort, experience, and taste.
He'd read novels for years—he knew what made a story great. His writing flowed like divine inspiration itself.
Just wait, he thought. Soon, the name Hikigaya would resound throughout the industry!
…
"So, Komachi—what do you think?"
As promised, he let his sister read it first.
"Um… so this is what a light novel feels like, huh? It's… interesting, but I don't think it's really my style," Komachi said, sweating nervously as she scrolled to the end.
Hachiman's heart sank.
That expression—hesitant, diplomatic, pained—he knew what it meant.
But he thought it was good! It was good, right? Readers would definitely like it… wouldn't they?
"Ah, Onii-chan, I don't mean it like that! Don't take it too hard, okay? I don't really understand this stuff anyway, so my opinion doesn't matter much. It's just that… your story doesn't feel as light as a light novel. It's a bit… heavy."
Komachi, always perceptive, quickly softened her wording after seeing his crestfallen face.
"Yeah, I get it. Anyway, it's too late to back out now. Let the readers decide whether it's good or not."
Hachiman forced a calm smile.
"Do your best, Onii-chan! Komachi will always support you!"
She raised her fist in encouragement.
Despite his nerves, Hachiman logged onto the Fujikawa Bunko website and uploaded his manuscript for the New Writer's Award.
The contest was held quarterly, every three months. Prizes were divided into Grand Prize, Excellence Award, and Honorable Mention.
The Grand Prize came with a medal and one million yen; Excellence, five hundred thousand; and Honorable Mention, one hundred thousand.
Typically, only those who received at least an Honorable Mention were considered for publication. So he wasn't expecting to win big—just getting that would be enough.
He'd been confident before, thinking, Writing light novels? How hard can it be?
But after seeing Komachi's reaction, it felt like he'd just received a much-needed dose of reality—an emotional vaccine against premature pride.