Chapter 580

【Natsume Chikage: Mm.】

【Fujiwara Aoi: (? 3【▓▓】 It's getting late, goodnight!】

【Natsume Chikage: (? 3【▓▓】 Goodnight.】

After replying to everyone's messages, Natsume Chikage noticed that there was finally a response from Kondo Miki.

【Kondo Miki: I got your contact information from my mother. You don't mind, right?】

【Natsume Chikage: I don't mind. Is there something the matter?】

The message took several seconds to be replied to.

【Kondo Miki: Actually, there's nothing special. It's just that I feel it's a bit strange that we've known each other for so many years and still don't have each other's contact information. Plus, since we're in the same high school now, I thought I'd add you as a friend so it's more convenient to contact each other in the future.】

【Natsume Chikage: So that's how it is.】

【Kondo Miki: By the way, I heard you say before that the reason you rejected Tsukishima-senpai and other girls was that you had no mind or time for romance; is that true?】

【Natsume Chikage: It's true. But why are you suddenly asking this?】

【Kondo Miki: It's nothing, just that a girl I know in my class found out I know you and asked me to ask about the situation. But I didn't expect that you would cut your hair after entering high school... and become so popular. But I have to say, your current hairstyle is indeed much more spirited than before; it suits you very well.】

【Natsume Chikage: Thank you.】

【Kondo Miki: It's very late; let's leave it at that for today, I'm going to sleep.】

【Natsume Chikage: Mm.】

After replying to all the messages, Natsume Chikage took one last look at the total word count of the "Snow Country" document before going to sleep.

The screen showed one hundred and twenty thousand words.

It was still about forty thousand words away from completion.

Elsewhere in the city.

Inside a room, clothes and various items were piled up somewhat casually, revealing a sense of unconstrained living.

Sakai Shion was wearing a set of loose cotton pajamas.

This pajama style was simple and plain, but worn on her, it unexpectedly set off her exquisite and nearly perfect body curves.

At this moment, she had a pair of thin-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose, which was a far cry from her usual cold and glamorous image of wearing contact lenses and always being meticulous; she had a little less of the seriousness from the podium and a little more of the domestic softness and scholarly air.

She sat upright at the desk, the desk lamp casting a warm halo of light, and was concentrating on reading "The Devotion of Suspect X," written by her student—Natsume Chikage.

As the pages turned, the words on the paper seemed to have gained life, intertwining in her mind into clear, movie-like scenes.

Time passed quietly, and when she turned the last page and finished reading that shocking reversal ending, the clock on the wall already pointed past one in the morning.

She sat silently in the chair for a long time without moving, obviously still immersed in the huge impact brought by the story.

She had never expected that the truth and the characters' motives behind this case, where the culprit seemed to have been clear from the start, would be so twisted, profound, and full of tragedy.

The seemingly casual foreshadowing in the early stages now fell into place like puzzle pieces.

Especially the clues about the homeless man; the subtle foreshadowing, and the truth finally revealed, were cruel and cleverly heart-stopping.

What made her sigh even more was that the protagonist had calculated almost everything and exhausted all his schemes, but he was the only one who hadn't calculated the human heart.

And the heroine's final choice out of conscience made the whole plan fall short... If she had chosen to remain silent, perhaps she could have really escaped the sanctions of the law.

Sakai Shion gently closed the novel and placed it flat on the desktop.

She took off her glasses and rubbed her somewhat sore nose bridge, her face intertwined with surprise, confusion, and a hint of deep emotion.

She knew Natsume Chikage's academic performance very well—it was at the bottom of the grade.

Precisely because of this, she hadn't held high expectations for the literary quality of this book.

However, after actually reading it, this book performed quite excellently in narrative rhythm, logical structure, and suspense setting, completely exceeding her expectations.

It seems that this student indeed has a unique talent for weaving stories.

Sakai Shion stared at the cover of the book, lost in thought.

As a Japanese language teacher, she majored in liberal arts, and in her college days, she had also harbored a literary dream, trying to create and successfully publishing a novel.

It was a work with a literary style that explored the inner heart; although it received some good reviews in the circle, it was ultimately niche, with mediocre sales, and it was never reprinted after publishing more than ten thousand copies.

After graduation, she devoted herself to the cause of education, and her busy work made it difficult for her to pick up the pen again.

Although she understood some rules of the publishing industry, her judgment on the specific market for suspense and mystery was not particularly professional.

Based on her experience, the quality of Natsume Chikage's book might be able to gain some word-of-mouth, but thinking of the dismal results of most authors... she really found it hard to have too optimistic confidence in the sales of this novel.

She initially estimated that the fate of this book might be similar to her work back then, and might even be more difficult because the subject matter was relatively niche.

In this field of suspense and mystery novels, it is often the top few works that occupy most of the market.

The others will all be drowned under the light of these masterpieces.

However, in any case, for Natsume Chikage's current family situation, being able to have such an additional source of income was already a very good thing.

Thinking of this, Sakai Shion nodded with satisfaction.

This student, in the situation of family hardship and difficult studies, could still calm down to complete a work that could be published; this persistence and talent were worthy of affirmation and encouragement.

Of course, from her professional perspective as a Japanese language teacher, this book still had a lot of room for improvement in the tempering of writing, the carving of details, and the deep depiction of certain scenes.

Mm... I'll find an opportunity to chat with him later; perhaps I can give him some advice on improving his writing and story structure.