Tokyo Mystery Writers

This year's Edogawa Ranpo Sho by Kodansha is different from previous years.

In the past, the Edogawa Ranpo Award mostly just invited the authors who submitted their work, and then invited a few veteran mystery writers to make an appearance, and that was it.

But this time it's completely different!

This year's Tenglong Award not only attracted various contributing writers, but Kodansha also invited many well-known journalists and top writers to preside over the event.

Not only did they invite Seiichi Morimura, a giant of the social realism movement.

Masters of classic mystery novels: Akimitsu Takagi, Tetsuya Namikawa, and Takao Tsuchiya.

Futaro Yamada, the master who wrote "Kouga Ninpocho"; Chen Shunchen, the master of historical mystery; Kazutaro Nakajima, a master of classical Chinese studies; and Manji Gonda, a mystery critic.

They also invited Toru Miyoshi, the fifth chairman of the Mystery Writers of America, Hiroshi Sano, the fourth chairman, and Kazuo Shimada, the third chairman.

Most importantly, they invited the second chairman of the Mystery Writers of Japan, the one who brought Japanese mystery literature to the world stage.

Seicho Matsumoto is a literary giant whose influence rivals that of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie!

If the judging panel for the last Dragon Award was half of the Japanese mystery literature world, then...

This awards ceremony can be said to represent the entire Japanese mystery literature scene!

Because, apart from the fact that the first chairman of the Mystery Writers of America, Edogawa Ranpo, had passed away, and the grandmaster of orthodox mystery, Yokomizo Seishi, was unable to attend due to serious illness.

At this point in time, in 55, almost every mystery writer with a bit of fame attended the Ryusho Award ceremony!

The reason why this Dragon Appointment ceremony was so grand and why so many mystery masters were invited is...

This is mainly because this is the first time in the 25-year history of the Edogawa Ranpo Prize that a special prize has been awarded.

Such a special award, if not given in a grand manner, will inevitably attract criticism from peers.

This makes other companies or authors feel that the Edogawa Ranpo Award lacks depth and its former glory.

The most crucial point is that Kodansha president Genjiro Noma saw the enormous potential in Kyosuke Maijo!

Noma Genjiro is making a gamble, a high-stakes gamble that could change the history of mystery!

He was betting that the genius writer Kyosuke Maijo, the genius magazine editor Miri Eri, and the hardworking deputy editor-in-chief of the publishing department, Hideomi Uyama, would become the three driving forces in the history of mystery fiction, earning Kodansha a huge fortune and becoming another legend after Seicho Matsumoto!

The reason for inviting so many mystery masters to the "Ryusuke Award" is to increase the fame of Maishiro Kyosuke!

This is to help Jiang Liumei's "Top Hat" magazine sell better.

After all... the first issue of "Top Hat" had a print run of 500,000 copies, which far exceeded the circulation of "Novel Mystery" published by Takarajimasha for decades!

If the first issue doesn't sell, it could cause Kodansha a loss of nearly 100 million yen!

This will result in a deficit in the next quarter's financial statements!

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6 PM, Tokyo Imperial Palace Hotel.

The Edogawa Ranpo Ryusho begins on time.

Among the nearly two thousand mystery writers present, Matsumoto Seichō was the most prestigious and qualified to present the award. Dressed in a coarse cloth robe, he stepped onto the stage and, in his thick Kyushu accent, announced the start of the award ceremony:

"Welcome to the stars who will shine in the world of mystery literature, to the Edogawa Ranpo Special Award, the Rising Dragon Award ceremony!"

"I believe everyone here knows who I am, and I also believe that you did not come here to see this old man who is about to be buried."

Matsumoto Seichō's words are just like his writing style; they are like those of an old man who has seen through the fickleness of human relationships—not using many flowery words, but exuding a very down-to-earth strength.

"Next, let's give a round of applause to our talented author, Mr. Keisuke Maijo, who has won the Ryuga Award!"

As soon as Matsumoto Seicho finished speaking, Maijo Kyosuke, wearing his extravagant top hat, walked onto the podium.

With an elegant gesture of removing his hat and waving to the audience, Maijo Kyosuke immediately grasped Matsumoto Seicho's hand, his face showing excitement!

Although... I wrote "The Astrological Murder Mystery" with the intention of breaking the "Kiyoshi Curse".

However, the "Seicho Curse" was not intentionally created by Seicho Matsumoto. The reason why the "Seicho Curse" was formed was that Seicho Matsumoto's personal charm was too strong, and he influenced the Japanese literary world for decades with his own strength!

As a mystery novelist who traveled from another era, and a fervent fan of Japanese mystery novels, Maijo Kyosuke actually greatly admires and respects this great historical writer.

Being able to see Seicho Matsumoto alive in person naturally made me very happy, and I couldn't contain my emotions!

Matsumoto Seicho's hand was held tightly by Maishiro Kyosuke, and one could see the adoration in Maishiro Kyosuke's eyes.

Geniuses always admire each other. Seicho Matsumoto, an elderly writer, won the 28th Akutagawa Prize as soon as he debuted. He also greatly admired Kyosuke Maijo, who wrote "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders" and "A Bellflower".

When Seicho Matsumoto was reading "A Bellflower," he had for the first time hope that the Japanese mystery literature scene would have a successor!

Considering all these factors, Matsumoto Seichō naturally intended to use his influence to mentor the younger generation.

Matsumoto Seichō, like an elderly grandfather, gently patted Maijo Kyōsuke's hand.

When Maijo Kyosuke reluctantly let go, Matsumoto Seicho handed the Sherlock Holmes statue to Maijo Kyosuke from the stage and stuffed the five million yen prize money into Maijo Kyosuke's hand.

"Mr. Maishiro, congratulations on becoming the winner of the Edogawa Ranpo Award and the Rising Dragon Award."

"I'm getting old. In a few years, I might be going to meet Edogawa-senpai. The hope for the future of Japanese mystery literature might just depend on a new generation of geniuses like you!"

"The tricks in The Tokyo Zodiac Murders are truly astonishing. Even an old-fashioned person like me who values ​​realistic logic believes that The Tokyo Zodiac Murders will become a masterpiece that leads a new era."

"However, compared to 'The Astrological Murders,' I personally prefer your story 'A Bellflower.'"

"Ms. Suzue's passionate, fiery love, like a moth drawn to a flame, truly touched my heart!"

"On behalf of the readers, I sincerely hope that Ms. Mai Cheng will create more moving works in the future, leading a new era and becoming a new legend in the mystery genre!"

Matsumoto Seichō was, after all, a great writer who influenced the world. These few words alone are worth more than the joint comments of the previous five judges.

As soon as Matsumoto Seicho said these words, thunderous applause immediately erupted from the audience!

Seeing such valuable footage, the renowned journalists naturally couldn't pass up the opportunity to grab the front page headline.

The shutter and flash of the camera in my hand started spinning at high speed!

The high-speed flashes of the cameras created a blinding white light. Maijo Kyosuke stood in the very center of the podium, shining like a star!