12 [12] (Edited)

After typing the final word, Hachiman released a sigh of relief. His gaze shifted to the completed manuscript on the computer screen, and a satisfied nod followed suit. With a sense of urgency, he rushed to complete the second volume before the holiday ended.

"Compared to other light novelists, I am remarkably diligent," he mused. Completing two volumes in a month filled Hachiman with a surge of pride. True, he was primarily a copywriter, but he had skillfully revised the original work, earning his due credit.

It's worth noting that these Japanese light novel writers are renowned for their hard work, often taking two to three months to finish a single volume. Each volume typically spanned around 100,000 words. This led to Japanese light novelists being capable of producing between 500,000 to 600,000 words per year under regular circumstances.

The authors of these light novels in Japan often faced the persistent nudges of their editors. The thought of striving to write 400,000 to 500,000 words a year while still requiring editorial prompts left Hachiman slightly astounded.

Naturally, this was influenced by Japan's unique circumstances. Most Japanese light novels were still rooted in physical books. The journey from submission to revisions, followed by securing an artist for illustrations, and finally culminating in the printing process, consumed nearly a month for each installment to hit bookstore shelves.

Furthermore, publishing houses handled not just one author's work, but a multitude of them. With limited capacity, releases were scheduled in succession.

Although Hachiman will return to school in two days, his daily routine didn't allow for extensive writing time. Yet, maintaining an output of 5,000 to 8,000 words per day. This regimen enabled him to produce up to 200,000 words within a month.

Hence, Hachiman's capability to craft a volume every month remained unhindered, setting a noteworthy benchmark within the industry.

After saving the manuscript, Hachiman stretched his waist and directed his attention to his current attributes.

[Host: Hikigaya Hachiman]

[Age: 16 years old]

[Module loaded:

Cooking level 3 (2140/10000)

Learning level 3 (350/10000)

Kendo level 3 (340/10000)

Writing level 3 (1850/10000)

Physique level 3 (1080/10000)

Conversational level 3 (120/10000)

Acting level 3 (120/10000)

Fighting level 2 (1240/5000).]

Most of my skills have been elevated to level 3. While I haven't dedicated much effort to skills beyond cooking, physique, and writing—skills that find frequent use—I've managed to accumulate proficiency naturally. And surprisingly, even the most recent addition, the fighting skill, has ascended to level 2.

Reveling in a comfortable stretch, his gaze shifted, landing upon a bag of premium dog food resting in the room's corner.

This bait was initially set up to lure Sable, yet after Hachiman grew acquainted with Yuigahama, even the allure of Sable faded, not to mention the bag of dog food.

"It's a shame to just discard it, especially considering the amount of money I spent on it. I'll offer it to Sable tomorrow as a token of appreciation for being a loyal companion. Thanks to that dog, I got to know Yui," he mused, a smile gently curving his lips.

Following a month of unwavering dedication, he and Yuigahama had blossomed into close friends.

As for Yui, the innocent yet somewhat naive, even she couldn't escape the subtle influence of Hachiman's increasingly adept conversational skills.

As expected, Yui is too young to perceive the true nature of someone like me, a scoundrel.

Bright and early the following morning, Hachiman embarked on his routine morning jog, accompanied by the bag of high-quality dog food.

While waiting at the traffic light intersection, he coincidentally crossed paths with Yuigahama, who was out for her customary morning jog with Sable.

"Good morning, Hikki."

"Morning, Yui-san."

Hachiman and Yuigahama exchanged greetings simultaneously. After a month of spending time together, their bond had grown strong enough for them to address each other by name.

"Woof woof!"

At that moment, the once-composed Sable grew became excited, catching the scent of the coveted high-quality dog food.

"Hikki, did you buy something?" Yuigahama inquired with curiosity upon seeing what Hachiman held in his hand.

"Ah, this, well, it's a bag of dog food!" Hachiman raised his right hand, the bag of dog food swaying within his grasp.

"Dog food? Hikki, do you have a dog at home too?" Yui's inquiry carried a note of puzzlement.

"No, this was left behind when a relative's dog was placed in our care temporarily. Since I don't have a dog, I have no use for it. But then I realized that you have Sable in your family, so I thought maybe this bag of dog food would be suitable for you." Naturally, Hachiman refrained from revealing that this was initially part of his scheme to get closer to her. Instead, he concocted a reasonable explanation.

"Wow, woof, woof!" Sable, at Yui's feet, wagged its tail even more enthusiastically upon hearing this.

"I'm not so sure about this..." Yui hesitated, observing that the dog food in Hachiman's hand was of a high-end variety.

"It's alright. I don't have a dog either. If you don't take it, I'll end up tossing it out, and that feels like such a waste. It makes more sense to give it to Sable, especially since I also like Sable." Anticipating her potential refusal, Hachiman had rehearsed his speech. Thanks to his adept level 3 acting skills, Yui, the naive one, failed to see through his artful deception.

"Well... I guess so!" Eventually, Yui agreed to take it, swayed by the notion of not letting it go to waste. If it was as Hachiman suggested, better to offer it to Sable than to discard it, even if receiving dog food from a guy was quite odd.

Observing Yui consent, Hachiman grinned, extracting a few pieces of dog food from the bag and fed them to Sable.

"Crack! Crack!"

Sable, finally indulging in the high-grade dog food it had longed for, wagged its tail with fervor and lovingly licked Hachiman's hand after its meal.

Witnessing this scene, Hachiman's smile deepened as he gently patted Sable's head.

"Sable seems to really like you, Hikki!" Yui, standing to the side, couldn't help but beam with delight.

With the dog food exchange accomplished, Hachiman and Yui continued their morning run, their connection growing stronger with each stride.

Unbeknownst to Yui, the sweet yet gullible girl, she remained blissfully unaware of Hachiman's ulterior motives.

"See you tomorrow, Hikki!"

"Yeah, goodbye, Yui!"

Back at the traffic light junction once more, the two engaged in a brief chat before parting ways, each heading home.

The next day would mark the start of school, with Hachiman advancing to Sobu High School, embarking on his high school journey.

What sort of youth-oriented romantic comedy awaited him?