Tokyo Mystery Writers

What is happiness?

This is an answer that many people spend their entire lives searching for.

Throughout his life, Maishiro Kyosuke has never thought about this question.

However, Maijo Kyosuke had been starving for three whole days without a single drop of oil or fat in his stomach.

Right now, I'm holding a bowl of plump eel rice and drinking a steaming bowl of miso soup.

This feeling truly made Maijo Kyosuke taste happiness!

"Please allow me to introduce Ms. Wu Cheng."

As Hideomi Uyama held the sake bottle, he poured sake for Kyosuke Maishiro and introduced him to him:

"Mr. Mai, this is Ms. Jiang Liu Meili, the founder of our Kodansha magazine."

"Don't let Ms. Jiang's youth fool you. She used to be the editor-in-chief of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine at Hayakawa Publishing."

"Ms. Eryu deserves a lot of credit for 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders' being nominated for the Edogawa Ranpo Award!"

"To be honest, if it weren't for Ms. Jiang Liu's strong opposition and in-depth analysis of 'The Astrological Murder Mystery,' I might not have been able to out-argue Editor-in-Chief Akimoto."

After finishing his speech, Uyama Hideomi looked at Eri Miya, whose face was swollen and who was glaring angrily at Maishiro Kyosuke, and for a moment he didn't know how to start the conversation.

After all, the two had a history of conflict.

Uyama Hideomi didn't know how to introduce them without angering Maishiro Kyosuke.

Ever since reading "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders", Jiang Liu Meili has developed a deep admiration for Mai Shiro Kyosuke, who was able to write such a grand and intricate plot!

She subconsciously wanted to win over Maijo Kyosuke.

After all, he had never been wrong in his assessment of the abilities of mystery writers.

As long as a mystery writer is chosen by the author, even if the early stages are bumpy, as long as they seize the opportunity, they will eventually soar to great heights and become famous overnight!

Jiang Liu Meili wanted Mai Shiro Jingjie to publish her work in the short mystery magazine she created.

That's why she tried every means to get close to Maishiro Kyosuke.

Thinking of all this, Jiang Liu Meili was no longer reserved. She pulled up Jiang Liu Meiya beside her, pressed down on Jiang Liu Meiya's neck, and together they bowed deeply to Mai Shiro Kyosuke:

"Ms. Mai, I'm sorry."

"I am very sorry for the trouble my sister, Jiang Liumei, caused you before."

"Please feel free to make any requests you may have."

"I only hope to gain your understanding!"

Jiang Liu Meili's attitude was very sincere, but she kept her head down and never received a response from Mai Shiro Kyosuke.

Thinking that Maishiro Kyosuke was still holding a grudge about what happened before, Jiang Liu Meili could only slightly raise her head and glance in Maishiro Kyosuke's direction.

Unexpectedly, I witnessed a rather comical scene.

There, sitting in a chair, Maishiro Kyosuke suddenly picked up "Watson".

While holding "Watson's" mouth shut to prevent it from opening, they waved fragrant food around "Watson's" nose.

Seeing "Watson" drooling, Jiang Liu Meili naturally understood that Mai Cheng Jingjie was taking revenge for what happened three days ago!

Uyama Hideomi didn't know whether Maishiro Kyosuke was deliberately ignoring Eri Ryumi or because Eri Ryumi's voice was too soft to hear.

Seeing that Jiang Liu and her sister were both looking down, standing still wasn't a solution.

Uyama Hideomi could only pat Maishiro Kyosuke's shoulder lightly and wink at him.

Seeing Uyama Hideomi's strange expression, Maishiro Kyosuke looked curiously across the table.

But then he saw the Jiang sisters bowing to him like statues.

Seeing this, Maijo Kyosuke sighed, put "Watson" on the ground, and smiled at Jiang Liu Meili, saying:

"Miss Jiang Liu, please have a seat."

"I, Maijo Kyosuke, am not the kind of person who holds grudges. Since Mr. Uyama said that you, Ms. Eru, also contributed to the nomination of 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders' for the Edogawa Ranpo Award,..."

"Then we're even. I'm a grown man, I'm not going to stoop to the level of a child."

Jiang Liu Meili finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing what Mai Shiro Kyosuke said.

I was just about to ask Eri Miya to apologize to Maishiro Kyosuke.

But when she looked down, she saw Jiang Liu Meiya pouting and glaring at Mai Shiro Jingjie with a displeased expression.

Jiang Liu Meili was terrified that Jiang Liu Meiya's sharp tongue would immediately utter, "I'm sorry, Moroboshi Ataru!"

She could only pull Eri Miya to sit down and change the subject to get closer to Maijo Kyosuke:

"Ms. Mai, your book, *The Astrological Murder Mystery*, is absolutely fantastic!"

"I'd love to know how you came up with such a breathtaking and astounding scheme?"

Maishiro Kyosuke took a bite of the fried pork cutlet, pondered for a moment, and then smiled and said:

"How do I come up with the concept?"

"Perhaps it's just an unwavering love for mystery novels?"

Jiang Liu Meili looked deeply puzzled when she heard what Mai Cheng Jingjie said.

Has my ability to see through people's hearts failed me?

For the first time, I felt like I couldn't see through the man in front of me:

"A love that lasts until death?"

Maijo Kyosuke swallowed the tonkatsu and nodded seriously:

"That's right, it's an unwavering love for mystery novels!"

"Only with this kind of passion can one continuously read a large number of mystery novels."

"Only by constantly reading a large number of mystery novels can you accumulate a vast reading volume!"

"Only with a vast amount of reading experience can one create truly captivating mystery novels!"

"For example, in my book 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders,' the detective Kiyoshi Mitarai and his assistant Kazuki Ishioka, this detective-assistant partnership model is inherited from Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes.'"

"Kiyoshi Mitarai's use of information from forty years ago to deduce the case is a tribute to the armchair detective in Baroness Ochs's 'The Old Man in the Corner'."

"The book mentions astrology, locked rooms, and gruesome dismemberment murders multiple times, which is a continuation of Dixon Carr's unique and eerie atmosphere."

"In addition, the book contains two challenging letters to readers, which is a continuation of Ellery Queen's 'National Names Series'."

After finishing his sentence, Maijo Kyosuke took a big gulp of miso soup and continued:

"In short, when these elements came to mind..."

"I feel like the artist Heikichi Umezawa in the journal, my mind corrupted by demonic thoughts!"

"Guided by the devil, I wrote this story on the manuscript paper!"

Kyosuke Maijo's remarks were incredibly arrogant!

The two people sitting next to him, Uyama Hideomi, and sitting opposite him, Eri Ryumi, were both stunned and speechless!

They didn't even notice when the food they were holding with their chopsticks fell onto the table!

The reason why Uyama Hideomi and Eri Miri were so shocked was quite simple.

Both of them held important positions in publishing houses; one was the deputy editor-in-chief for fifteen years, and the other was a young genius girl who took on the important task of editor-in-chief at a young age!

The two of them had met at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, mystery writers!

However, whenever the author's creative inspiration is discussed...

Most authors, however, couldn't utter a single word.

Some authors have never even read detective novels, and they even make idiotic statements like, "As long as you make money, what's the point of reading books?"

Whenever Jiang Liumei heard such an answer, she knew that the other person was not worth nurturing, because such an author was very likely to reach their peak upon debut.

Relying on good luck to gain some fame will only lead to further progress and a worse outcome!

But the Maijo Kyosuke in front of him was completely different from those people!

Although he has not published any works yet, it is clear that he came prepared!

These strange, imaginative stories and grand, breathtaking schemes had already taken shape in his mind!

All that's missing is the right moment to write them down on paper!

This feeling is like that of a soldier about to step onto the battlefield, who has already prepared his gun and ammunition, ready to fight at any time!

Jiang Liu Meili clearly realized that Mai Shiro Jingjie's appearance was destined to be extraordinary.

He will be the supernova that ignites the entire mystery genre!

Not only will it be able to shatter the "Qing Zhang curse" in one fell swoop, but it may even create a new school of mystery!

To put it bluntly, in Jiang Liumei's eyes, Maishiro Kyosuke is an envoy sent down from heaven!

The Prometheus of the mystery genre!

Because once "The Astrological Murders" is published, it will inevitably become a legend that extends the life of detective novels by more than fifty years!

The dismemberment trick in "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders" will surely remain the number one trick in the world!

If... such a person could publish short mystery stories in his own short mystery magazine.

That would inevitably make his short mystery magazine a sensation in Japan and even around the world!

A handsome appearance can make a man attractive.

However, the most fundamental factor that determines charm is the captivating aura that emanates from within.

For some reason, in Jiang Liumei's eyes, Maishiro Kyosuke was exuding a charm that could stir up fantasies!