Tokyo Mystery Writers

Maishiro Kyosuke and Eri Miri agreed to meet four hours later, at 4 PM, and then hung up the phone.

Logically speaking, at this point, Maijo Kyosuke should have taken a nap to soothe his brain, which had been eroded by alcohol.

However, his long hair, which was almost reaching his chin, forced Maijo Kyosuke to re-evaluate his image.

Although capable people can disregard their appearance and rely entirely on their hard skills.

But he was going to attend, which was probably the most important invitation he had received since his transmigration. It could even be said that this invitation would determine his future and development for the next two to three years.

Considering this, Maijo Kyosuke felt he couldn't go there with disheveled hair like he did when he went to receive the Edogawa Ranpo Ryusho Award last time.

Even if you don't care at all what others think, you still need to respect their feelings.

After all, first impressions are very important.

If you make a bad first impression on President Noma, it's likely that subsequent contract negotiations will be fraught with difficulties.

Thinking of all this, Maijo Kyosuke changed into the handsome suit that Eri had given him and stepped out of the "Longevity Soup" after a long time.

-

Because hairdressers in Japan need to obtain a hairdressing certificate, hair salons in Japan are generally not cheap, but their reputation varies greatly...

In particular, the three most popular male idols in Japan in the 70s, Hideki Saijo, Hiromi Go, and Goro Noguchi, all had the style of long, messy hair, which made most of the fashion trends lean towards that style.

Maijo Kyosuke originally wanted to get rid of his long-haired, gloomy image and transform himself into someone like Saijo Hideki, so it's really hard for him to accept.

So, Maijo Kyosuke went to five different barbershops before finally getting his hair cut to his satisfaction.

After all, only a clean and refreshing short haircut can better showcase her relatively clean and sunny face.

He glanced at the time; there were still two hours until the time he and Jiang Liumei had agreed upon.

Since he had a rare opportunity to get out, Maijo Kyosuke decided to relax.

Of course, this relaxation does not mean going to places like Kabukicho.

Instead, we went to Jimbocho, a favorite spot for bookworms and also known as a "treasure trove of old books"!

Maijo Kyosuke took a taxi to Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward, Jimbocho.

As soon as he got out of the car, Maijo Kyosuke smelled the unique aroma of ink from the paper books.

This wasn't the first time Maijo Kyosuke had come here. In his previous life, he had also visited this place when he was browsing for out-of-print books.

Although Jinbocho had already given Maijo Kyosuke enough of a shock at that time.

But the Jimbocho used bookstore street in front of us is completely different from the Jimbocho used bookstore street forty-three years later!

A quick glance around reveals numerous shops displaying labels such as "Rare and Limited Edition," "Signed," and "Unique Item" on the street.

For ordinary people, these words don't mean much.

But for a bookworm like Maijo Kyosuke, it was as exciting as a starving ghost seeing food, a homeless person seeing a bed, or a person dying of thirst in the desert seeing an oasis!

"Excuse me! Do you have any books here that are personally signed by Edogawa Ranpo?"

"If you had 'The Human Chair,' 'The Shadow Beast,' and 'Two Copper Coins,' that would be even better!"

Jingsuke Maishiro barged into an old bookstore with a sign that read "Out-of-print, autographed mystery novels" and asked the shop owner, who was taking inventory of the books, a question.

Upon hearing Maishiro Kyosuke's words, the shop owner didn't stop what he was doing; he simply pointed to a bookshelf nearby and said:

"Edogawa Ranpo, right? There are a bunch over there, as well as Yokomizo Seishi and Matsumoto Seichō, 100,000 yen a copy. If you want autographs from Koga Saburo, Kiki Takataro, or Ōshita Utō, it'll be 300,000 yen."

Upon hearing the shop owner's words, Maijo Kyosuke rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

100,000 yen? That's cheap? You should know that forty years later, a signed copy of Edogawa Ranpo's book will cost at least one million yen!

Thinking of all this, Maishiro Kyosuke continued excitedly, asking:

"Shopkeeper, do you have any autographed copies of the three giants of the Golden Age—Agatha Christie, Quinn, and Carl?"

The shop owner remained unmoved by Maishiro Kyosuke's words, casually pointing to the maze-like back of the bookstore while checking the inventory.

"Go in from here, and when you get to the fork in the road, turn left about three times, then turn right twice, and you'll see a whole wall of bookshelves."

"The walls are covered with autographed copies by classical European and American authors. Forget the three giants of the Golden Age; even if you wanted autographs from Van Dine, William Collins, or Conan Doyle, you'd find them there!"

Before the shop owner could finish speaking, Maijo Kyosuke had already dashed into the bookstore like a shot.

Although the shop owner's directions were very clear, Maijo Kyosuke still underestimated the depth and heritage of the Jimbocho used bookstore.

Many of the antique bookstores here may have started operating in the 1880s and have been passed down from generation to generation, with countless books in their collections. They even have editions that the ultimate bookworm, Kyosuke Maijo, had never seen before.

Kyosuke Maijo was captivated by the aroma of ink around him and ended up "losing his way" here.

The reason for this is not that Maijo Kyosuke is bad at directions, but because there seems to be an endless treasure waiting for Maijo Kyosuke to discover.

It's worth noting that the autographed copies of classic detective novels by the three golden masters have been fetching astronomical prices forty years later, but here, there's even an autographed copy by Conan Doyle!

Moreover, its condition is extremely well preserved!

Looking at these autographs, Kyosuke Maijo vowed to bring back all the famous works signed by these authors!

-

An hour and a half later, Maijo Kyosuke emerged from the maze-like interior of the bookstore.

He was also holding twenty or thirty books with his autograph.

Among them are Conan Doyle's famous story "The Red-Headed League," Ellery Queen's famous story "The Tragedy of X," Agatha Christie's famous story "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," and John Carr's famous story "The Three Coffins"...

Even Kyosuke Maijo managed to find a copy of "The Maltese Falcon" personally signed by Dashir Hammett!

Being able to collect so many autographed books that even money couldn't buy in his previous life, Maijo Kyosuke's smile was so wide it almost stretched to the corners of his mouth!

He then looked at the shop owner, who was still counting the books, and asked the question he most wanted to know:

"Shopkeeper, do you have any prized possessions in your bookstore?"

"So, the most precious autographed copies, or rare books that can't be bought anywhere else?"

The shop owner, who had previously ignored Maishiro Kyosuke, reacted for the first time upon hearing his words.

He raised an eyebrow, looked Maishiro Kyosuke up and down, and said with a smile:

"As for the store's prized possession, we do have one."

"It's just that the price isn't something I'm looking down on, but I'm afraid you won't be able to afford it."

Upon hearing the shop owner's words, Maijo Kyosuke's eyes lit up: "What is it?"

The shop owner smiled smugly and walked towards the bookstore counter:

"Sir, have you ever heard of Thomas Burke's 'Mr. Altmore's Hands'?"

When Maijo Kyosuke heard the shop owner's words, it felt like a bullet had struck his temple!

"Mr. Ultraman's Hands?"

"You mean? That story, voted the greatest short story in the history of detective fiction by twelve top-tier mystery writers and critics, including Ellery Queen, Carl, and Hecklough?"

Upon hearing Maijo Kyosuke's words, the shop owner's face broke into a smug smile:

"That's right, sir, you're quite knowledgeable. It beat Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Stolen Letter,' Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Red-Headed League,' and was praised by Professor Quinn as 'the most exciting crime story ever!'"

"I have the manuscript of 'Mr. Ultraman's Hands' here!"