Chapter 24: Childhood Friend of the Story

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

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It was 9:00 PM. After getting out of the taxi, I raised the collar of my coat against the cold winter wind and slowly walked towards the front of the house. The nameplate read “Aizawa,” and the warm light from the entrance illuminated the area. In the quiet of the night, my breath turned white and melted into the air, and I could hear the faint crunch of frost underfoot.

As I opened the door and was about to take off my shoes, an unfamiliar pair of shoes caught my eye. Black pumps and boots with a feminine design.

Wondering if someone was visiting, I hesitated for a moment before stepping into the house, feeling a bit nervous.

As I made my way toward the living room, I faintly heard the sound of cheerful laughter. The voices of several women blended together, creating a lively and warm atmosphere, unlike the usual quietness of the house.

Thinking “Could it be?” I opened the door, and for a moment, I froze at the sight before me.

Sitting around the living room table was my mother, whom I recognized immediately. Shoko Aizawa – her gentle, slanted eyes and the short haircut that softly swayed by her ears, the neatly trimmed nape of her neck that gave off a sense of cleanliness, and her calm smile that created a warm atmosphere in the house.

Next to her was my editor, Misa Hizaki.

In her late twenties, she had a calm demeanor, and her well-maintained medium-length hair gave off an intellectual air. With her translucent white skin and sharp observational skills, she also had a friendly vibe.

But more than that, what caught my attention was the presence of Marin and Kagura.

The moment I saw them, I involuntarily gasped.

“Eh… Why are you two here…?”

At my words, my mother and Hizaki chuckled softly.

Marin was holding a cup of tea, her long black hair flowing over her shoulders as she looked happy. Her eyes sparkled, and she seemed to be in a particularly cheerful mood, as if she were enjoying a special moment.

On the other hand, Kagura, in contrast, had a composed smile as she tilted her cup. Her sharp eyes fixed on me, and a small smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

“You're late, Hajime.”

My mother noticed me and smiled gently.

“Everyone has been waiting for your return.”

“…I didn't get any notice about this?”

I asked, confused, and my mother kindly explained.

Hizaki had come to visit me, but when she was told that I had gone out to dinner with Kyoko-nee, she had planned to leave. However, my mother invited her in, suggesting that since she had come all this way, she should stay.

“I understand that, but… why did Marin and Kagura come as well?”

“Well, that's…”

Hizaki began to explain.

“Actually, there was a meeting about the movie adaptation of Hajime-sensei’s novel Two and One. Something came up during the meeting, and there was something I had to tell you directly. When I was about to leave, Marin and Kagura asked if they could come with me… and so, I brought them along.”

“So, they're here because of that?”

“Um…”

Marin, who had been sitting on the sofa, shyly spoke up.

“I… I really wanted to see you again, Sensei…”

“Really?”

My mother exclaimed in surprise. Hizaki smiled wryly, and Kagura laughed as if she found it amusing.

“I'm not really… I just thought I'd follow Marin if she was going.”

Kagura said it as if it were no big deal, but next to her, Marin puffed out her cheeks and immediately spoke up.

“But Kagura also said, ‘I want to see Sensei!'”

“Wha…!”

Kagura flushed red up to her ears, flustered by the unexpected counterattack.

“Heh…”

My mother, grinning, turned toward Hizaki.

“So, Misa-san, what is the relationship between my son and these two?”

“Eh… well…”

Misa Hizaki seemed at a loss for words, but quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic.

“Anyway, what I wanted to talk to Hajime-sensei about is this: tomorrow, there will be a press conference to officially announce the movie adaptation. We want Hajime-sensei to attend it.”

“A press conference?”

I was surprised. I knew about the movie adaptation, but this was the first I was hearing about a press conference.

When I won the Namiki Prize, both my parents and I had declined to attend the press conference. I was still a minor at the time, and I didn't feel comfortable showing my face publicly. But it seemed like the situation was different this time.

“Hajime-sensei, we need to gather sponsors for the movie as soon as possible. For that, we really need you to attend the press conference.”

“But… showing my face might be…”

Seeing my hesitation, Misa Hizaki nodded slowly.

“Don't worry about that. Actually, something was decided at the meeting: we've thought of a way for you to attend the press conference without showing your face. For example, by wearing a mask.”

“A mask…?”

“Yes. I understand that you're hesitant about showing your face, but it's important that you attend the press conference. To gain the trust of the sponsors, it's crucial to show that the author is involved.”

Seeing that I was still uncertain, Marin and Kagura leaned forward eagerly.

“Sensei, let’s go together!”

“Please!”

The two of them looked at me with serious eyes, leaving no room for refusal.

“…Ugh… Are you sure an mask will be enough?”

“Of course! And having you at the press conference is important for us!”

Hizaki-san nodded vigorously, while Marin and Kagura exchanged happy glances. There was no way out now.

“…Alright.”

I sighed, resigned to it, and the three of them smiled all at once. The matter was finally settled, and Mom headed into the kitchen to brew more tea.

As I watched her go, I suddenly felt a gaze on me.

Marin and Kagura were looking at me with an almost fidgety air, their eyes full of hidden expectation. I had a bad feeling about it.

“I want to see your room, Sensei!”

“Eh?”

I was at a loss for words.

“I’ve always wondered. What kind of place does Sensei write in…?”

“I also want to see. What kind of environment inspires Sensei’s creativity?”

Kagura said this with a small smile, but there was a strong interest in her gaze.

“Well, but…”

As I tried to decline, their eyes locked onto me, filled with expectation, curiosity, and just a hint of pleading. I couldn’t resist, and in the end, I gave in with a sigh, “Alright…”

“Yay!”

Marin and Kagura exchanged happy glances, and I reluctantly stood up. They immediately followed me as I walked down the hall.

The house was wrapped in the quiet of the night, and every step up the stairs creaked softly, leaving an odd sound that echoed in my ears. It left me with a slight sense of tension as I moved carefully, aware of the two of them following right behind me.

“Heh, your house is quiet and peaceful.”

Marin murmured, her voice carrying a sense of admiration. Combined with the stillness of the house, it created a comfortable atmosphere.

“During the day, Mom's usually home, and at night, our whole family is together… It’s quiet, but it gets lively. My parents get along really well,” I explained, and a small laugh escaped behind me.

“That sounds just like you, Sensei.”

“Yeah, your mom seems like a kind person, and a family that gets along like that really fits your image.”

Kagura smiled as she said this, and Shinrin nodded lightly. A strange sense of pride mixed with a little embarrassment swirled inside me, making me feel a ticklish sensation in my chest.

While having this conversation, I slowly stood in front of the door to my room. After a brief pause, I grasped the doorknob and quietly opened it.

As soon as I stepped into the room, their eyes lit up.

“So this is… Sensei’s room…!”

A quiet, almost awed voice echoed.

The room was simple. The walls were mostly white, with minimal furniture arranged. There were no game consoles or comics, but a bookshelf was neatly organized, filled with reference materials for novels, lined up with care.

On the desk were several well-used notebooks stacked on top of each other, with sticky notes and pencil marks scattered across them.

The computer screen showed the text of an open manuscript, with the light from the screen illuminating the dedication of the writer.

On the windowsill was a small potted plant, adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise sterile room.

Under the dim light, the room seemed to be cloaked in stillness, like a sanctuary detached from the outside world.

“…There's nothing here to play with, like a normal student's room. It's a boring room, isn't it?”

Yes, a truly boring room. Since middle school, I've been writing novels to become a professional novelist. I've ignored everything else.

I never even looked at popular games or toys, just relentlessly focused on my writing, keeping my promises.

“I had no choice but to write novels… thanks to that, my classmates still call me a gloomy shut-in.”

As I said this self-deprecatingly, Kagura suddenly hugged me.

“That's not true!”

“Eh…!”

Before I could react, Marin quickly followed suit and hugged me as well.

“Sensei, we want you to be proud of yourself!”

“Yeah, don't worry about those childhood friends who look down on you!”

“They look down on me…?” I thought back to the time in the café with Miyabi and Aoi.

They must have felt it then, the disdain in the gazes from Miyabi and Aoi.

The sincerity in the words of the two girls came through, and I felt their warmth spread in my chest, causing my heart to stir.

“…Thank you.”

Without thinking, I gently patted their heads.

“Ah…”

The moment my hand touched them, their movements stopped. Their cheeks quickly flushed, and they looked up at me in surprise.

“Is it… okay for us to be Sensei’s childhood friends?”

“…Huh?”

“Even if we’re not real childhood friends, we'd still like to be Sensei's childhood friends, even if only in the story!”

Their unexpected words left my mind blank.

At that moment, the door to the room suddenly opened.

“Hajime, I've made the tea—what…?”

Mom and Hizaki-san froze on the other side of the open door.

“…I guess I'll have to seriously ask about what's going on between my son, Marin, and Kagura, huh?”

Mom stared at me, her gaze piercing.

“Please calm down…!”

Hizaki-san urgently tried to calm her down as the two girls still clung to me.

I, on the other hand, could only stand there, unsure of what to do, and let out a deep sigh.