Chapter 7 Hikigaya Hachiman : God Rewards Hard Work

"Hikigaya-san, your phone received two calls on my way here. Didn't you call back?" 

"What did you say? Oh, it might have been an advertisement or something—just ignore it," Hikigaya replied, startled by Nakamachi's reminder as his thoughts drifted elsewhere. 

"But would a sales call come twice in a row? And each time I had to wait until the beep sounded before I was forced to hang up? Aren't sales calls all about timing? I think there must be something urgent." 

"Damn it! Such a sensitive girl; I hate this kind of self-proclaimed gentle concern the most," Hikigaya complained silently to himself. 

"Then I won't bother you anymore, Hikigaya-san. Just don't be so careless next time. Bye." 

Noticing that Hikigaya seemed a bit uneasy, Nakamachi-san, mature for a junior high student, read the atmosphere well and decided to leave. 

Hikigaya waved goodbye with a stiff smile, surprised that the quiet Nakamachi had such devilish qualities. He quickly walked out of the classroom and headed to a deserted area on campus. This flip phone had only ever been used by Hikigaya's family since it was purchased, and he had never exchanged phone numbers with any classmates. The only time he had shared this phone number was when he registered for the Newcomer Award. 

"Registration for the Newcomer Award..." Hikigaya muttered. 

"Every year, the All Readings Newcomer Award receives around 2,000 submissions, but only five winning and candidate submissions are published. I certainly can't call each of the others who weren't selected; that would be too much work." 

The more Hikigaya pondered this, the more confident he became. He needed to convince himself that the call must be good news, and then he would find the courage to call back. 

... ...

Meanwhile, Naho Imamura was feeling confused. 

In her opinion, whether Mr. Hikigaya, the author of "Confessions," was a part-time novelist with a full-time job or a full-time novelist making a living by writing, he should still have time to answer calls at noon on a weekday, especially as a college student who had not yet graduated. 

However, after calling twice and receiving no answer each time, she thought it would be impolite to call again. 

"I'm going to report the situation to the editor this afternoon. Mr. Hachiman, please don't mess with me… Call me back soon..." 

Anxious, Imamura began randomly tapping on her mobile phone's keyboard to relieve stress. Then she remembered seeing people online say things like "pressing 1 really works." Desperate, she started frantically tapping the number 1 button. 

To her surprise, her luck turned; Mr. Hachiman called back. Naho Imamura hurriedly took a deep breath to avoid sounding too excited on the phone. 

"Hello, this is Naho Imamura from the editorial department of All Readings. Are you Mr. Hachiman?" 

"Ah... yes, Ms. Imamura. Hachiman is my pen name," he replied, feeling high-spirited and confident. 

However, Imamura thought his voice sounded too young—like that of an energetic boy. Nevertheless, since the other party had revealed his identity, she decided to get straight to the point. 

"Mr. Hachiman, allow me to congratulate you! Your work 'Confession' has won the unanimous recognition of the judges for the All Readings Newcomer Award. Congratulations on winning this year's award!" 

In that moment, Hikigaya wanted to roar with joy. That's right! Not only did he win the award, but it was also unanimously recognized! Legendary writers in their 50s and 60s had unanimously praised his work! What had he been worried about? 

Hachiman's right hand clenched into a fist, his nails digging into his flesh.

"Okay... OK, I understand. Thank you very much for recognizing me. What should I do next?"

"We want to thank you, Mr. Hachiman. It is our honor that you chose to submit your work to All Reading. Your novel will be published in the November issue of All Reading in ten days. Before that, Mr. Hachiman, do you have time? I hope to discuss some contract-related issues with you in person. I will come to you."

"Of course, no problem. I'm free both days of the weekend. If it's convenient, we can meet at 11:00 AM on Saturday at a restaurant called Katsura, located across the street from Chiba City Tsubaki Junior High School. We can eat and chat at the same time."

Hikigaya randomly found a restaurant near the school, even though he had only been there once.

"Sure, Mr. Hachiman. I'll remember that. I'll discuss the details when we meet. If you don't have anything else to ask, I won't bother you anymore."

"Wait a moment, Ms. Imamura."

There is one important thing Hikigaya hasn't mentioned yet.

"Please speak, Mr. Hachiman."

"On Saturday, I need to bring my parents to meet you. There is no other meaning; primarily, due to my age, I may not be allowed to sign a contract alone."

"... Mr. Hachiman, can I understand your words to mean that you are not yet sixteen years old?"

Naho Imamura felt a bit stunned.

"Yes, I just turned fifteen two months ago, although I didn't really celebrate it," Hikigaya replied, with a hint of complaint.

"That's... I think it's okay."

Imamura couldn't think of anything more to say, not even a respectful title.

"Okay, see you on Saturday then. Have a nice day, Editor Imamura."

Teacher Hachiman hung up the phone, leaving Naho Imamura alone.

...

"You mean, Mr. Hachiman is actually still a junior high school student?"

The editor-in-chief also found this hard to believe.

"Yes, Editor-in-Chief Matsui. I must meet with his guardian, otherwise we would be breaking the law."

"All Reading's Newcomer Award has indeed seen many young talents, but Mr. Hachiman is just a teenager. Can you really be sure it's him? How can a second-year junior high school student possess such writing skills?"

"If the information you have given me is correct, I believe he is the author, Mr. Hachiman. I think all my questions will be answered after we meet on Saturday."

"That's all we can do."

Editor-in-Chief Matsui leaned back in his chair.

"Don't let his age affect your mission. I want to emphasize again that you must confirm with Mr. Hachiman whether he has completed the later part of 'Confessions' and what his progress is. If he has a manuscript for the later content, persuade him to let you read it. If there isn't a manuscript, ask him to outline his general ideas verbally. Your retelling and evaluation of the subsequent content will directly determine our magazine's and publishing house's future promotional efforts for 'Confessions.'"

"Understood, Editor-in-Chief Matsui!"

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