Chapter 14: There is no progress with Yukinoshita Haruno

**Preface:** This chapter and the next discuss some narrative techniques used in "Malice," written by Keigo Higashino, without revealing any spoilers. If you read this chapter before the novel, it may affect your interpretation and lessen the impact of the ending, so please keep this in mind.

A month passed quickly, and the December issue of *All Readings* was delivered punctually to thousands of households across Japan. After receiving the magazine, many readers began searching for the page in the catalog where the second volume of *Confessions* was listed.

Since the first volume of *Confessions* was published, it has undoubtedly been a social topic over the past month, with even some members of parliament quoting its content in their political commentaries. While everyone praised the excellence of the novel, their curiosity about the mysterious "Hachiman" intensified. The more enigmatic the person, the greater the public's desire to learn about the 15-year-old junior high school writer.

Yukinoshita Haruno was one such individual, and she was the first to investigate Hachiman. On the night the first chapter of *Confessions* was published, she learned through her father's connections that Hachiman was likely living in Chiba City.

"Japan is large, but Chiba is small," Yukinoshita Haruno thought at the time. With the Yukinoshita family's network, locating a talented junior high school student in their hometown would be simple.

Although there are many junior high schools in Chiba City and countless students, Yukinoshita believed that nothing happens without warning. She was convinced that Hachiman must be an exceptional writer and thought she could find clues from the essays submitted in various school competitions.

As for the pen name "Hachiman," Haruno didn't dwell on it. She looked it up online and discovered that Hachiman is a name of a location in Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It seemed unremarkable. Maybe the author chose the name from this place or maybe not; it didn't matter much to her. Haruno assumed that no one would use their real name as a pen name, questioning the point of such mystery.

In conclusion, Yukinoshita Haruno, whose search parameters were completely misguided, naturally found nothing in a month. Instead, she read numerous competition essays penned by junior high students, but did not identify any that matched Hachiman's style.

Although she researched Hikigaya Hachiman's middle school, her preconceived notion that writers wouldn't use their real names as pen names led her to overlook the name of the top-ranked student in liberal arts during the second-year junior high school midterm exams.

Hikigaya was oblivious to the investigation against him. In fact, he wouldn't be concerned even if he knew. His choice of "Hachiman" as a pen name was intentional for two reasons:

First, the primary readership of *All Readings* consists mostly of office workers. College students who enjoy literature might subscribe, but by high school, *All Readings* has largely vanished, while junior high students have never even heard of it. Thus, there is minimal risk of his true identity being discovered among classmates.

Second, Hikigaya himself was virtually unknown. Before his soul traveled through time and space, he was a loner with an instinctive resistance to social interaction. Now, consumed by writing, he had little time or energy for communication. Most of his classmates only had a vague impression of him, making it difficult to connect him directly with the name "Hachiman."

At this moment, Hikigaya was engrossed in *Malice*, having already reached the part where Nonoguchi Osamu confessed to his guilt and accepted punishment. While he found the detective segment—accounting for less than one-third of the book—exciting, he knew that seasoned mystery fans would likely recognize many tributes to classic novels, making it easy for them to predict the outcome.

When readers are surprised by the arrest of the murderer and have preconceived notions about the victim, Hikigaya's goal is achieved. Whether this will have the intended effect on readers depends on two editors, Imamura and Machida, who volunteered to provide feedback. Machida's reaction can be seen as representative of general readers, while Imamura reflects the perspective of seasoned mystery fans.

After sending the electronic version of "Malice" to both editors, Hikigaya completed this stage of his work and began to wait for their responses in a rare moment of free time. During this interval, he decided to browse online reactions to the second chapter of "Confessions."

A Tokyo council candidate quickly took to Twitter to share his thoughts: The second chapter, titled "Martyr," addresses the pressing issues of school violence and educational negligence. It deeply analyzes the causes of school violence and the irreversible psychological damage that bullying inflicts on students. This includes the juvenile crimes mentioned in the first chapter that occur frequently but remain uncomfortable to discuss. It has taken a 15-year-old boy to bring these dark topics to the forefront and spark widespread discussion. This reflects the sadness of our time! (The following section is a campaign promotion link and has been automatically omitted.)

The earlier portion was a generalization, leading into the candidate's call for votes. Many politicians began to pay attention to "Confessions" and employed it as a propaganda tool without hesitation. Naturally, they, in turn, became instruments of promotion for "Confessions," a development that Hikigaya Hachiman did not mind.

Additionally, numerous readers with personal experiences of bullying began sharing their stories online, recounting encounters with ineffective teachers. 

"Middle school students often act impulsively due to their developing brains. After experiencing a rapid growth spurt, they have the physical means to commit acts of wrongdoing, yet their mental maturity is lagging. This disparity makes middle school students the most prone group to engage in school violence," stated a former junior high school teacher.

A parent of a student responded: "Precisely because junior high school students are mentally underdeveloped, they need teachers to guide them better, right? If individuals like Mr. Lianghui from the chapter 'Martyr' exist, wouldn't they unwittingly contribute to the occurrence of school bullying?"

Another user, accessed from an overseas IP address, commented: "In fact, bullying in primary schools is also very serious and unjustifiable. Students may even bully others simply out of jealousy for their talents." This comment received many responses, possibly from international students.

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