chapter 7: Revisions and midnight curiosity

As Kai read through the pages, he was amazed. Even without visuals, he could feel the surroundings, the emotions of the characters—everything. The words alone painted vivid images in his mind. He couldn't stop reading, yet he eventually paused, turning to Hotaru with wide, doubtful eyes.

"Did you write this?" he asked.

Hotaru nodded. "Yeah. How is it?"

Kai hesitated for a second before answering. "It's really good. You should publish it."

She shook her head. "It's actually for the scholarship exam for the writing university."

Kai leaned back, considering her words. "I'm sure you'll pass."

Hotaru let out a small sigh. "I'm not so sure... I failed my first attempt."

Kai stared at the pages again before saying, "I don't know much about professional writing, but I think this time, you'll get in."

Hearing that, Hotaru smiled, her determination renewed. "You're right. I won't fail again."

Kai nodded and returned to reading while she left for her room to take a bath.

DINNER TIME

When Hotaru came back, she saw Kai still absorbed in her manuscript. She raised an eyebrow.

"You won't be able to finish it tonight."

Kai smirked. "I'm already on the last pages."

She let out a small laugh before asking, "What should we eat for dinner?"

"Rice with miso soup and grilled fish," Kai answered without looking up.

Hotaru headed to the kitchen, but the moment she stepped inside, she froze. The table was already set with the exact meal Kai had mentioned.

Confused, she rushed back to him. "Did you prepare this?"

Kai glanced at her. "Is there anyone else besides me?"

"But when? And how?"

He sighed dramatically. "When you were taking a bath, I prepared it. As for the process… explaining it would tire my mouth."

Hotaru scoffed. "You're unbelievable."

They sat down to eat, and after a few bites, Kai suddenly spoke. "Your book has a lot of errors."

Hotaru didn't seem surprised. "Yeah, I didn't recheck it, so I'm sure there are plenty."

"Some scenes and plots could be improved too, there are some plotholes too".

He added.

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh? Are you a writer?"

"No," he replied simply.

Hotaru smirked. "I am an aspiring writer. Are you saying you're better than me?"

Kai shrugged. "I'm not a writer, but I've read a lot of mangas. That's why I noticed some parts that could be improved. And the grammatical errors? They're just obvious."

She fell silent, processing his words. Kai finished his meal first and stood up. "I'm going to sleep. I worked hard today."

Hotaru didn't reply. Instead, she quietly took her book to her room after finishing dinner.

MIDNIGHT REALISATIONS

As she reread her manuscript, she noticed that certain sentences had been underlined, and in the margins, Kai had scribbled suggestions with numbered notes on how to improve different parts. There were also corrections for spelling and grammar mistakes.

She frowned. Was I being arrogant?

Was I overconfident?

Maybe that's why I failed last time.

She slapped herself and said, "Look at me being all negative", and with determination and fire in her eyes she said, "I should not get distracted and just do my best".

Then she went back to reading.

Then, as she came across a particular scene, she suddenly realized—Kai was right. It could be better. Excited, she ran toward his room, only to find him already half-asleep.

"Hey, wake up! I need help!" she said, shaking him lightly.

Kai groaned. "Let's deal with it tomorrow."

"No! I won't be able to sleep all night if my curiosity isn't quenched!"

He ignored her, rolling over.

Hotaru pouted. She even tried giving him her best puppy-dog eyes, but it was useless against someone as stone–hearted as Kai.

Just as she was about to give up and leave—

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~~~~~~~~The end of chapter 7~~~~~~~~

(To be continued...)

WARNING

This is the original version of the webnovel "Hotaru's assassin" by the author "Hanagaki Ryuka". Please don't copyright or upload it in your name

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1cON4UEjsjFPMZxqNSY425-fdHW19779uAKscbDsy8/edit?usp=drivesdk