Ishikawa Hikaru did not answer Yuigahama's question. Instead, he looked at the others.
"What do you think is the biggest difficulty for someone who decides to become a light novel author?"
Yui Yuigahama tried to answer.
"Not having good ideas or creative experience?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka also gave her guess.
"I think it's life experience and the breadth of one's reading. After all, even if light novels are easy to read, they still require building a fictional world, portraying many characters' lives, and structuring a story. Without life experience and wide reading, the world you create won't feel convincing."
Ishikawa Hikaru remained silent for a moment instead of answering immediately. This gave Hachiman Hikigaya time to think.
"It's probably the ability to make the story light and interesting," Hachiman said. "A light novel has to be easy to read. You need interesting characters, engaging plot development, and appealing world-building to keep the reader curious. You also need a sense of market trends. Developing all those skills takes time."
Yukino Yukinoshita frowned thoughtfully before offering a different answer.
"Actually, isn't it perseverance and determination?"
"That's right."
Ishikawa snapped his fingers.
"The most important qualities for writing novels are perseverance and determination."
"Eh?"
Yuigahama looked confused.
"Perseverance and determination? Aren't those required for doing anything?"
"You're correct," Ishikawa nodded. "Those qualities are necessary for everything."
"A beginner might manage to write a hundred thousand words. But as the word count grows, the time and effort required become a barrier in themselves. And after pouring in so much effort, they might not receive praise at all—only criticism of the story they put their heart into. How many people can maintain the determination to keep writing after that?"
"And something even harder can happen. A newcomer spends enormous effort finishing their first work, only to receive almost no readers and almost no comments. Even a few encouraging words disappear like grains of sand in the ocean."
"If I spent time teaching someone how to design characters, structure plots, and manage relationships between characters—teaching them everything I know—and then one day that student said, 'Teacher, I've decided to stop writing novels,' all of that time would have been wasted effort."
Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately nodded.
"As a teacher, I completely understand. Sometimes we guide students with great effort, yet they refuse to follow the path we show them. Sometimes they even resent the guidance itself. Teaching students is my responsibility—but you have no obligation to teach Zaimokuza. That's why you would rather he give up than support him blindly."
"That's part of the reason," Ishikawa said. "But it isn't the whole reason."
"The things I said earlier that damaged Chuunibyou Otaku's confidence—and asking Yukinoshita and Hachiman-sensei to judge his manuscript—were actually tests."
"A test?" Yuigahama tilted her head.
"If I told an unpublished light novel author that I could teach them how to write novels and share my experience for free," Ishikawa asked, "how many people do you think would want to become my apprentice?"
Yuigahama thought for a moment.
"Well… probably quite a few?"
"Not endless lines," Ishikawa said, spreading his hands. "But there would definitely be people who keep failing and losing hope, who would ask me for advice so they could debut successfully."
"But teaching someone how to write could affect the course of their life—whether they might eventually earn a living through writing. How could I simply give away everything I've learned in this industry just because of a high school boy's dream?"
"At the very least, he must prove that he has the determination to keep writing. Only then would I consider teaching him. Perhaps even helping him earn money through commissioned scripts, Pixiv writing, or other writing-related work."
"Ah! I get it now!"
Yuigahama clapped her hands.
"No wonder you reacted so strongly when we asked you to teach him!"
Yukino nodded slowly.
"So you deliberately damaged Zaimokuza's confidence and observed him instead of helping immediately. But if he truly proves his determination… would you actually teach him?"
"I would," Ishikawa said calmly. "But how much I teach will depend on his talent and effort."
"Writing requires both. Talent determines the upper limit of achievement, while effort determines how much of that talent can be realized."
"And even if his talent and effort aren't exceptional—if I respect him as a person, I might still use my connections to help him make a living through writing."
Yukino nodded seriously.
"Very well. Then I will give my full effort to evaluating his manuscript."
---
19.Will the problem child receive guidance from the Azure Star?
Hachiman walked home in silence beside Ishikawa Hikaru.
In his backpack was Zaimokuza's manuscript.
In his hand was the absurdly expensive fruit cake Ishikawa had paid for.
"Do you know," Ishikawa suddenly said, "that in Latin America there once existed a radical Catholic theory called Liberation Theology?"
"The current pope, Francis of the Vatican, is sometimes considered one of its figures."
Hachiman looked uninterested.
"The most extreme idea of Liberation Theology was the statement: 'If Jesus were alive today, he would be a guerrilla fighter.'"
"Eh…"
Hachiman clearly had little interest.
"Liberation Theology proposed interpreting the Bible through Marxism-Leninism. It supported guerrilla fighters resisting oppression and encouraged priests and nuns to stand with the poor, even participating in struggles against unjust rulers."
"They read laws and scriptures to starving people, stood with the oppressed, and even died alongside them."
"These priests resembled Amakusa Shirō from Japan's Shimabara Rebellion during the Edo period—leading the lower classes against oppressive authorities."
"Like Amakusa Shirō, many were suppressed and killed."
Hachiman showed slight interest.
"So I find Liberation Theology fascinating," Ishikawa continued. "I'm planning to use its core ideas to design the backstory of the decadent female knight based on your character."
"Oh…"
Hachiman's interest dropped again.
"The idea is that commoners suffered under a cruel lord. A devout female knight stepped forward to defend them, but she was hunted by nobles, the church, and the military working together."
"She eventually realized that the corruption of the kingdom itself was the root problem."
"But because of the anti-intellectualism common among light novel readers today, this kind of background can only remain a character's backstory. It can't be explored deeply."
"So tell me—should this decadent female knight be voluptuous or slender? This will affect how the illustrator designs her."
"Teacher Hachiman, please guide my creative path as the Azure Star."
"If you're really following my guidance," Hachiman said flatly, "you should go to a hospital and get a prefrontal lobotomy."
Hikaru sighed.
"Teacher Hachiman is very strict."
"Is that so?"
"If I marry Komachi in the future, I imagine you'll oppose it fiercely."
"If you're going to dream," Hachiman said, "go back to bed—or lie down in the road and wait for a car."
"As long as I'm alive, I won't let you touch Komachi."
Hikaru thought for a moment.
"Then I suppose I should kill you first."
"Oh," Hachiman said, unfazed. "Are you going to lecture me about perfect crimes you learned from Conan?"
"No. I didn't watch Conan."
"I watched Kindaichi Case Files."
"That's not much better."
"Only amateurs would say that," Hikaru said calmly. "But since you're Komachi's brother, I'll let it go."
"Remember to say hello to Komachi for me."
Hachiman's voice turned colder.
"Last night Komachi kept asking about my school life. She was trying to figure out if I liked Yukinoshita."
"That was your doing, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Hikaru replied proudly.
Hachiman finally lost patience.
"Stop making up rumors like some shady reporter! You've already ruined my peaceful school life—now you want to ruin my family life too?"
"But aren't you already at the bottom of the food chain at home?" Hikaru replied.
Hachiman grew even angrier.
"That's not an excuse to fabricate stories!"
"Isn't that helping improve family communication?"
"You're an outsider!"
"Maybe now," Hikaru shrugged. "But not necessarily in the future."
"After all, if I marry Komachi, I'll still have to call you brother."
"I suggest anyone who thinks like that should go die."
"If heaven insists on letting me die," Hikaru said calmly, "I hope it's from old age."
He patted Hachiman's shoulder.
"You're still young. You just haven't noticed that your youth has already arrived."
"You villains always commit atrocities in the name of justice."
"It's the world's fault."
With that, Hikaru walked into the Ishikawa family house.
Hachiman sighed.
"I really shouldn't have ridden that new bicycle that day…"
If he hadn't gone out that day, he wouldn't have hit Ishikawa while saving a dog.
He wouldn't have been haunted by Ishikawa like a ghost.
—And his peaceful high school life wouldn't have been destroyed.
If not for the absurdly expensive fruit cake from WAKO BAKE, Ishikawa Hikaru would already be on his "Absolutely Unforgivable List."