Kono Monogatari O Kimi Ni Sasagu - Volume 1 Chapter 3.6

Two weeks had passed since the new year began.

That afternoon, Yuto was diligently working on his supplementary assignments in a room warmed by a kerosene heater, necessary for graduating high school.

The view from the window was painted pure white by the snow that had been falling since morning. It had been three years since he moved to this town, and this was the heaviest snowfall he had seen. Even the asphalt roads were already covered with snow, showing no signs of stopping.

As for the novel, he had completed the first author’s proof about a week ago and sent it to Inamura. The revised proofs for the second author’s proof would arrive soon. Progress was smooth.

Regarding exams, he had just finished the Common Test yesterday. He planned to apply only to universities that accepted Common Test scores, so he no longer needed to study for exams. All that remained was to finish his supplemental assignments—an enormous task due to skipping school for over two months.

“How do I do this…?”

Having not used some subjects for the exams, Yuto struggled to recall the material necessary to complete his assignments. He began searching a storage box in the corner of his room for old class handouts. As he pulled out files and other materials, a black box emerged from the back. In his haste, the lid popped open.

Inside was a small package.

He wondered what it was and took it out.

Seeing the publisher’s name on the delivery slip, he remembered.

“Inamura-san sent this…”

It was something Inamura had sent months ago, which she said contained fan letters.

Normally, fan letters are checked by the editor before being forwarded to the author. Since Yuto had refused to accept forwarded letters after the incident involving his sister three years ago, several had accumulated with Inamura.

A few months ago, he didn’t feel like checking them. Without even opening the seals, he had tossed the package into the box.

But now, things were different.

He opened the package—and a pile of envelopes fell out.

“Oops…”

He bent down to pick them up from the tatami floor,

“…Huh?”

He froze, unable to comprehend.

A tingling sensation buzzed in his head.

He had found a sequence of unexpected letters.

Suddenly, a loud vibrating sound startled him.

His smartphone, on the table, was ringing.

Yuto, his mind still sluggish, picked it up.

“Hello?”

‘Oh, Nii-san?’

“…Haruka?”

‘That’s rude~’

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t expect a call from you. What’s up?”

‘I thought your exams were done, so I wanted to say good job.’

Since they regularly communicated via a messaging app, Haruka generally knew Yuto’s schedule. She had likely timed her call to coincide with the end of his Common Test.

“Yeah… thanks. It’s all done.”

‘…Is something wrong? Your voice sounds shaky.’

“…No, it’s just a bit cold.”

‘Yeah, I heard it’s snowing a lot in Gifu. It’s flurrying here too. Stay warm.’

“Yeah, I know.”

After answering, there was a brief silence. Yuto’s gaze remained on the scattered envelopes on the floor. There were about ten of them.

‘About Kotoha-san…’

Haruka started, causing Yuto to respond in surprise, “Huh?”

‘What’s wrong?’

“No, nothing. What about Natsume?”

‘Have you been in touch with her lately?’

“No, I haven’t. Why? Did something happen? Is her condition—”

‘Oh? No, no! It’s not that! I was just asking! If you’re that worried, even if you can’t visit, you could at least send a message.’

“…In two months, the book will be out. Then I’ll visit her.”

‘Got it. You’re so stubborn.’

“So, what’s up? You didn’t call just to congratulate me on my exams, did you?”

‘Oh, right. So, during the New Year’s cleanup, we found your middle school reading journal. Dad asked if you wanted it sent to you.’

“Oh, that. Well, it’s probably better to send it here than to keep it there.”

‘Got it. By the way, wasn’t it Kotoha-san who found you through that reading journal?’

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s right. Why?”

‘It just hit me… why did Kotoha-san look for a writer to work with at school?’

“Huh? Why…?”

‘Nowadays, there’s the internet, social media, novel posting sites, and all that.’

“Oh…”

Haruka was right. If Kotoha was preparing to become an editor, finding a writer at school wasn’t a bad idea. But considering she knew her time was limited, would she leisurely search for a writer at school, not knowing if there was any talent?

Time was precious to her. If so, she would likely choose a more efficient method, selecting a talented writer from a larger pool. Searching through a reading journal seemed too inefficient.

‘Also, why did Kotoha choose a high school in Gifu, far from her hometown? If she wanted to find a writer at school, wouldn’t she choose a school in a bigger city…?’

“That’s…”

Something felt off, Yuto’s rational mind noted.

But he was still reeling from the confusion caused by the fan letters and couldn’t think straight.

So, it was Haruka who provided the decisive answer to his doubts.

‘Maybe Kotoha-san knew from the start that Fuyutsuki Haruhiko was at a high school in Gifu.’

“She knew… I was there?”

Yuto muttered in disbelief. The idea was so unexpected it left him in turmoil, but he recognized the plausibility of Haruka’s theory. He recognized, but—

‘But if that’s true, how did she find out? Was it posted online?’

That was unlikely. If such information were online, there would have been issues like prank emails to the school or intrusive visits from tabloids.

‘Or was it really just a coincidence? No one else knows Wintermoon Haruhiko’s true identity and the school he attends, except for Dad and me.’

As Haruka spoke, Yuto’s thought process began to solidify.

‘Sorry, I know it’s strange. Just forget I said anything—’

“There’s one person.”

‘Huh?’

“There’s one person who knows my true identity and the school I attend.”

‘Who is it…?’

“Inamura-san. The editor.”

Yuto exhaled.

His thoughts were clear and defined.

Rather than being shocked, he felt a sense of affirmation.

‘Nii-san?’

“Actually, a few months ago, Inamura-san forwarded some fan letters to me. I just opened them.”

Yuto picked up the scattered envelopes from the floor and laid them out on the table.

Every letter was written in the same handwriting, and the sender’s name was the same. The postmarks ranged from four years ago to about a year ago.

“They’re all from Natsume.”

Haruka’s gasp was audible over the speaker.

It was hard to believe that Kotoha’s and Yuto’s encounter and the forwarding of the fan letters by Inamura happened to coincide. There was likely some deliberate action behind it.

‘Did you read them?’

“No, I was about to when you called…”

‘Read them quickly!’

“Haruka?”

Yuto was startled by her urgency.

‘Oh, sorry. But it doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem… Just read them quickly. I think there’s something important in them for you.’

“Haruka…”

‘I’ll hang up now. Tell me what you find later.’

“Alright.”

With that, the call ended.

Yuto straightened his posture in front of the table.

In front of him were Kotoha’s letters.

Realizing he was more nervous than he had been for the exam, Yuto took a deep breath.

He wiped the sweat that had formed on his hands on his clothes and took out a few sheets of stationery from the oldest-dated envelope. The cute stationery, with a small dog illustration, bore handwriting that was rounder than Kotoha’s current handwriting.

‘To Fuyutsuki Haruhiko-sensei,’