Chapter 11 Hikigaya's first pot of gold

After Hikigaya signed a contract with Sakuraba Publishing on Sunday, he received two bank account notifications the following day. The first notification was for the prize money from the All Readings Newcomer Award, which amounted to 450,000 yen after tax deductions. The second notification was for the first month's payment for his upcoming serialization of "Confessions," totaling 270,000 yen after taxes.

"I suddenly have money..." he sighed. His daily pocket money was a mere fraction of what Komachi received, and he couldn't help but feel a bit down about it. However, he soon began to worry about the 80,000 yen taken as income tax before he even got his hands on the money. He also recognized that neither his current income nor the tax amount could compare with what he would earn after the publication of "Confessions."

Hikigaya started to calculate in his mind: assuming the first print run of the "Confessions" volume would be 100,000 copies, with a selling price of 1,500 yen per volume and a royalty rate of 13%, he could potentially earn 19.5 million yen. This figure was independent of how many books would actually sell to readers. Even if no books were sold at all, he could still collect 20 million yen in pre-tax income.

In Japan, where book prices are notably high, paperback editions tend to sell several times better than single-volume editions. This trend is especially pronounced in the short mystery novel genre, where paperback sales can be ten to fifty times greater than those of single volumes. "Confessions" would likely follow this trend; while he didn't expect the single volume to perform well, he believed the paperback edition would see significant sales, forming the cornerstone of his future royalty income.

"Forget it; these are all next year's concerns," Hikigaya thought, shaking his head. He was currently more focused on immediate needs, such as finding a thin and lightweight laptop. He wanted something portable for when he needed to type outside the home, instead of struggling to use a small flip phone.

As for the typewriter he had previously considered... after searching for information about Japanese typewriters, he quickly abandoned that idea. The input method was too complicated, and he didn't want to turn into an Auto-Memories Doll.

A week of classes flew by, and Saturday arrived. Hikigaya decided it was time to shop for a laptop. In this era when thin and light laptops weren't yet mainstream, he recognized that a high-end, portable laptop was already available; the fifth generation of the MacBook Air had been launched.

Hikigaya went alone to the Apple Store on the first floor of a building in Ginza, Chiba City. After expressing his intent to purchase, he began trying out the products while the clerk followed him closely, chatting away.

He had enough money, so he paid the bill and walked out of the store, receiving bows from several shop assistants as he left. He then entered a nearby café and sat down in a secluded spot. Adhering to the philosophy of using a product immediately after purchase, he decided to utilize his brand-new laptop to start his new work.

Hikigaya felt a bit hesitant about his new project. Given that the writing style and overall tone of "Confessions" were quite unique, he wanted to ensure that his next book stayed close to that style, while also being engaging enough for serialization.

He typed the title of his prospective novel on the screen: "Malice." This was a work by Keigo Higashino from his early to mid-career years. Looking back over 20 years later, it was clear that this work had achieved great success. Commercially, "Malice" had at least three versions in both single volume and paperback formats. In terms of critical acclaim, it was widely regarded as one of Higashino's best works from that period, a key piece of social reasoning fiction, and frequently found on must-read lists.

However, "Malice" did not receive the attention it deserved immediately after its publication in 1997; in fact, it ranked only 24th in the "This Mystery Novel is Really Great" selection. It wasn't until a few years later, when it was reprinted and published by the major publishing house Kodansha, that the book finally gained widespread popularity and saw its status rise significantly.

He is not worried that "Malice," written in this era, will face the same fate of being underappreciated as before. Nowadays, information circulates extremely quickly on the Internet, and word of mouth spreads rapidly. Furthermore, the strong marketing power of Bungeishunju Publishing House will ensure that such a work does not go unnoticed.

"Malice" is also a novel well-suited for serialization. It avoids unnecessary descriptions right from the start and quickly dives into the case, capturing readers' attention immediately in the first installment. 

Hikigaya believes that "Malice" is somewhat inferior to "Confessions" in terms of commercial potential. While both are social mystery novels, "Malice" rarely touches on social issues and lacks a desire to explore them. Instead, it embodies the classic "police solving a case" mystery format. As a piece of popular literature, "Malice" is significantly less engaging than "Confessions."

The differences between "Malice" and "Confessions" are also apparent. For instance, both books revolve around meticulously planned revenge, and the final chapter of each reveals all the mysteries through a single character's monologue. Notably, neither book describes the murderer's reaction after the truth is unveiled. This deliberate blank space is a writing technique Hikigaya particularly favors.

He concludes that while "Malice" may not achieve excellent commercial success, its reputation will certainly rival that of "Confessions." However, he thinks it is too early to begin writing now. He plans to outline the general serialization framework for "Malice." In his previous life, the book was published as a single volume rather than serialized, leaving him without prior experience to draw from.

The following week, on Monday, October 22, the first chapter of "Confessions," titled "The Priest," was published in the latest issue of All Readings. Sakuraba employed a prominent promotional strategy for this Rookie Award-winning work, garnering unanimous praise from five judges—a rare achievement in history—highlighting a fifteen-year-old author, a new masterpiece of social commentary, and a profound analysis of current social issues. This combination created a sensational first impression for readers.

With the groundwork laid, the next step is to rely on the remarkable quality of "Confessions" itself to fully captivate the audience, which is the least of Sakuraba's concerns.

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