CH 71

[Hamumi PoV]

“Aah, Mou. It’s not going to end!?”

I, Hamumi Kanzaki……, no it’s Hasumi Kanzaki have been busy with deadlines.

The reason is to publish more and more while the work is on the book wave, with the release of the theatrical anime this summer.

“Let’s see, this scene can be used as foreshadowing for the previous one, so ……”

“Sis, do you want me to help?”

Misa, my sister, said to me as she brought me coffee.

“U-ugh, you’re a better writer than me, but don’t!　I have pride as a fantasy writer!”

Misa is also a popular novelist. While I am more of a fantasy writer, Misa focuses on romantic comedies and human dramas.

She loves life-remaining stories and tragic love.

Misa is a shy girl and so am I.

I think we are clumsier than most people.

The novel is our life itself.

We had to take it seriously.

I’ve been writing novels for 10 years now.

It’s been six years since I became a writer.

“Well, I’ll be rooting for you. Oh, there’s a summer festival in the shopping arcade today, so you shouldn’t go outside.”

“I don’t need to be told!　I’m going to beat the deadline quickly and tomorrow I….”

“Hehe, you are going to the movies, right?”

“I-I’m not looking forward to going to the movies!”

Misa played my line and left the room.

I promised to go to the movies with Nyanta and Pomeko when this deadline is over.

They have successfully finished their forest school and are preparing to publish their own book.

“Okay, I have to work hard too!”

I sat back down on the cushions on the tatami mats and faced my manuscript again.

A small, one-story house in a residential area of a town surrounded by mountains and the sea.

That is my house.

My father, who was a fisherman, died when I was small.

…… He saved a child from drowning in the sea on a stormy day.

My mother works as a contractor at a nearby seafood family restaurant. Due to irregular shifts, Misa and I have been alone since we were kids.

To be honest, I think our family is poor. But I think we are surrounded by a happy family.

I have a strict but kind mother and a quiet but cute younger sister.

A father who was strong and reliable.

I loved my family.

That’s why I hated it most when people made fun of my family at school.

[Her mother works at that family restaurant.]

[She can’t go to cram school because they’re too poor. She is the only one in our class who doesn’t go to cram school.]

[She always wears the same clothes.]

[Her sister wears the same clothes, too.]

[What the hell, at least get them to buy you a game. C-Can’t help it, wanna give it a try?]

When I was in early elementary school, I was told behind my back like this.

I said “Shut up!! My mother works so hard for me!　Cut it out with this nonsense!”

Perhaps they found my reaction amusing, but the teasing from the boys didn’t end until graduation.

I worked hard in my own poor way. I would alter my old clothes and try to avoid wearing the same clothes every day as much as possible.

Misa wanted to play games, so I made up my own game.

I would write down the status on a piece of paper and tell Misa a story of my own creation.

Now I know what a table talk RPG is, but at the time I didn’t even know they existed.

I just wanted to play games.

When I was playing the game, I really felt like I was on an adventure.

We both played the game like crazy.

I would spin a story that no one knew yet. I am sure that was my starting point.

I had a thin relationship with my classmates.

I felt an air of ‘you and I are different’ from the girls.

I had casual conversations with my classmates and was never ostracized in group activities.

The boys were only mean to me, but I was never bullied.

Even so, I still feel a strong sense of alienation at any given moment.

Maybe I don’t belong here.

When I graduated from elementary school…

[I-I was mean to you because I liked you. ……]

[I’m sorry about that time. Will you go out with me?]

I didn’t understand what he meant. He was teasing me, so I argued back, but my heart was hurt, and it gradually became a deeper wound.

It never goes away.

[Haa?　Are you an idiot?　I hate you!]

That was all I could do.

The trivial things didn’t matter.

I was writing a novel with my life on the line.

Bored with the game, Misa and I had started writing novels. We showed each other our novels and enjoyed telling stories.

The library was our playground.

One Christmas, I woke up to find a present next to my pillow.

Misa and I never once begged our mother for a present.

I was more worried about my mother’s health than the present.

When we opened the bag, we found a “smartphone.”

Misa and I were filled with anxiety and apology rather than joy.

[Mom, we don’t need this]

[T-That’s right. Smartphones are expensive ……]

Mom looked a little sad and hugged us.

[…… You need it for crime prevention. And since everyone else in the class has one, this way you won’t be left out. –You can use it like this. Look, there’s a website with a lot of novels on it.]

[Sister, this is awesome!!]

[I knew that!]

From that day on, we always had our phones on us.

Whenever I had free time, I would write novels.

I would go home, cook dinner, clean the house, study, and then write on my phone.

For my next birthday, I got a keyboard. I was so happy.

It was a happy time for me and my mother.

But that happiness didn’t last long.

[Sis,……,mother is going to die,……]

[Idiot!　Of course she is going to be okay!]

It was when I was in the upper grades of elementary school and my sister was in the lower grades.

My mother collapsed due to overwork.

When she was rushed to the hospital, they found she had a bad disease and had to operate on her.

[Mom ……]

[Misa!　Don’t cry! Mom will be fine in no time. …… I’ll take care of it, we’ll take care of it!”

I was trying to cheer Misa up, but I was worried.

There was no one adult close by. The manager of the family restaurant just took care of the workers’ compensation.

There was no one I could consult.

The surgery went well.

On the bed, my mother was hiding the pain and smiling.

“Haha, mom, don’t worry, you’ll be discharged soon.]

Actually, I heard mom’s murmur before entering the hospital room at that time.

[The money ……, it’s gone ……, W-what should I do ……]

I laughed in front of my mom, hiding my heart, which was tearing up with sadness.

My mother had saved money for us.

School trips, middle school and high school tuition. We had no insurance.

It disappeared with the cost of the surgery.

I was fine with that as long as my mom survived. I didn’t care about school.

This was also the first time I learned that I had a debt in my name to a relative.

I was living on the edge of everything.

I have never hated poverty as much as I did at that time.

What can a mere upper elementary school child do?　All I could do was pray?

[Sis, let’s apply for this!]

Misa showed me the screen of her smartphone.

On it were the details of a contest on a novel website.

I have to put my whole life on the line for this, I thought.

I was going to live or die trying to write it.

After leaving the hospital, Mom was no longer able to work well.

She would get short of breath when she moved. She needed to rest.

Yet, she pushed herself to go to work.

Misa and I stopped her.

And yet…

“Don’t worry. You guys are here, so I can be fine. You kids go study at school and play!]

[Don’t!!　I don’t want to see you pushing yourself too hard!　Please, mom, take a break. ……]

Mom is perplexed by my swashbuckling.

–I don’t want to see her sad anymore. I want her to be happy.

Then, the editor in charge visits us at our one-story house.

[Excuse me, my name is Ota from KADOWA. I’m here today to talk about the publication of Hasumi-san’s novel.]

“It’s been six years since then, right?”

Ota, the editor in charge, seemed like a natural blur, but he was passionate and a man about his work. He fell in love with my work and recognized me, a child, as a writer.

When I told him all about my family situation, Ota paved the way for my book to be published in an exceptionally quick time.

That was my first novel, Tetsuro.

This work contains my soul.

I gave all the royalties to my mother.

I was able to pay off various debts with it.

She would not touch my money any more than she had to.

She broke down in tears at that time, but I am very glad that she did.

We were able to have more money, but our life was the same.

I just want to live a happy life with my mother, Misa, and myself.

So I am very happy now.

Mom quit her hard-working job at a family restaurant and is now working part-time at a nearby coffee shop.

I was worried that Misa, who is a shy girl, might be bullied at school.

Since her senior year, there were times when she looked gloomy.

But after the forest school, she started smiling again. It was as if she had come back stronger.

When my life finally settled down and I started going to school, I felt strange.

I hadn’t communicated with the other students at school for so long that I didn’t know how to interact with them anymore.

After I finished writing, I stretched out a lot.

My body was so bumpy and sore …….

Lately I’ve been strangely reminded of the past.

“It was good to see Anri again.”

There are very few girls of my age who write light novels. When I met Anri at the editorial office, I was too happy and made too much noise.

Anri had the smell of a city girl.

She was so cute and graceful, my ideal girl.

That’s why I was sad when I heard that she was no longer able to write novels. …… I thought I would never see her again.

…… Suddenly, Shinjo Makoto’s face popped up in my brain–

A boy came to the editorial office with Anri.

I was so shaken up I don’t remember what I said.

“He looked just like Tetsuro. Such a thing is foul, …… idiot.”

I knew that the author, Nyanta, had been at the top of the rankings for a long time.

Both Misa and I no longer post on the web, but we like to read, so we check it every now and then.

Nyanta……, Shinjo you don’t understand your talent. That piece is badass. It’s outrageously funny and heartbreaking yet refreshing.

“You are so super talented that it makes me jealous. ……”

Shinjo-kun has surprised me in many ways.

The same goes for his works and the distance between him and Anri.

And ……, I-I-It’s really cool….

I shook my head.

I can at least understand people’s feelings of love!

Anri and Shinjo-kun are a …… good match for each other. ……

I let out a sigh.

I heard my sister’s footsteps. However, our house is small, so my sister will soon appear.

She looks so cute in her apron. She’s my sister, after all.

“Sis!　Somen noodles are ready, let’s eat!”

“Yes, I’m done, let’s go!　Oh yeah, tell me about that prince of darkness you met in elementary school at the forest school!　I want to use it as fodder for my next book!”

“Hiee!?　I-I don’t want to talk about that!　The Prince of Darkness is just a nerd!”

“Haha, it’s okay if he’s cute. I mean, you should have at least asked him his name.”

“Well, he said he was going to write a novel, so maybe he’s posting it.”

At that time, my phone trembled.

It was from Anri. A rare photo was sent to me.

It’s a picture of Shinjo-kun sleeping with his mouth open in the bus. ……

W-Why are you sending me this?!

I-I’m not upset about anything!　

Misa looked at the picture and wrinkled her brow.

“He looks like that guy, but …… with a darker vibe”

Isn’t that the call for tomorrow’s movie?

I scroll through my phone to check the message from Anri-chan.

“Baa!?　W-wait!”

I burst into tears—

Anri-chan wanted Shinjo-kun and I to go see a movie since she herself was under the weather with a cold.

Tomorrow’s movie is a special screening.

It is a special day with a stage greeting by the cast.

I’m worried about Anri-chan’s health, but a movie alone with Shinjo-kun?　H-hey, what should I do!

“Onee-chan?　Come back!　Let’s eat somen noodles.”

“Ugh, you’re being so annoying!　Let me think about it for a minute!”

I was distraught and hugged the stuffed hamster “Tetsuro” that was nearby…