People in Tokyo, the world is clear

"I feel like you're getting stuck in a rut, Senior."

Lin Sen tried to recall some interviews he had participated in that he had heard from another life.

Let’s try to enlighten this future master of reasoning based on his own conclusions:

"In terms of trick design, you've actually reached a level most people can't even begin to reach. Awards speak louder than my words. Trying to boost sales with this kind of progress isn't a wise move."

"I think it's about playing to the strengths and avoiding the weaknesses. My editor once told me that readers care more about whether the strengths of a book are compelling than how unsightly the weaknesses are."

"I don't deny that. But... in other words." Lin Sen shook his head. "Have you heard of the barrel effect?"

"Of course." Dongye turned his head and looked over. "How much water a barrel can hold depends on its shortest part. I know similar principles, but..."

He sighed deeply, "When I actually put it into practice, I can't even find any areas where I'm lacking. Deep down, I always feel a sense of arrogance that I wrote everything perfectly..."

"I don't mean to talk about shortcomings."

"?"

"What I mean is..." Lin Sen spread his hands, "The amount of water a wooden barrel can hold is determined by the shortest piece of wood. And the orthodox style you're insisting on now is the big hole at the bottom of the barrel."

"..."

In short, times have changed.

Classical detective stories have fallen into disrepair. Generations of masters have refined the classic art of contrivance and the meticulously crafted, interlocking deductions. Over the years, they have reached several peaks, practically reaching perfection.

The classic works that have survived are enough for people to read continuously for years.

The market always likes new things and dislikes old things.

The older generation of readers are almost aesthetically fatigued, and the new generation of newcomers are also influenced by trendy comics and animations. They almost instinctively dislike this writing style that has developed over the years and is too old-fashioned and conventional.

Against this backdrop, the poor sales of Dongye’s films felt like a failure of timing and a defeat not caused by the generals.

According to history from another life, just one year later, a new style of writing called New Orthodox School would emerge, reviving the mystery genre while also wresting away the long-held orthodox position from the Orthodox School.

Dongye, who still clings to his original style, will therefore have to waste a full ten years.

From the determination and high-spirited spirit he expressed in his book White Horse Manor, "Even if I will be considered an outdated person by ordinary readers, I will continue to indulge in it!", he gradually fell into oblivion.

During this period, he parted ways with his wife who had firmly supported his writing career. In confusion, he kept changing his style but could not find a solution. Even some works that were in the style of new orthodox style received mediocre response and no one was interested.

Almost fell to the lowest point of fate.

Admittedly, the profound experience formed by such setbacks ultimately helped this great writer transform and be reborn, becoming an eternal star in the world of mystery. But in essence, it was ultimately a terrible life journey that was even unbearable to look back on.

After actually getting to know the young Dong Ye and developing a friendly relationship with him, Lin Sen naturally didn't want him to go through the same journey again.

I already have talent, so why should I suffer that kind of hardship? Of course, more importantly, it is quite fulfilling to personally improve the fate of this writer who will become a big star in the future.

Facing the experience you have summarized in the future, will you take off instantly as if you had a golden finger, or will you be unable to reverse the shackles of fate and have to walk the road of no return again?

Lin Sen is looking forward to the subsequent development.

He reached out and patted the shoulder of his fellow Qianlong, and stood with him at the door of their destination:

"My own interpretation of the specific situation might not be objective enough. Coincidentally, there's a highly accomplished senior here today. Why not consult him?"

The two young men's eyes fell on the doorplate of a room on the upper floor of the apartment building.

The two words "Akagawa" are written on it to show the identity.

Chapter 100 Small Group

If any Japanese citizen today doesn't know the specific winners of the previous Naoki and Akutagawa Prizes, it's understandable. After all, even though writers naturally enjoy a certain status in this country, there are always those who lack interest in the field.

But if anyone is not familiar with the name of Akagawa Yuki, the creator of the "Three-Colored Cat Mystery" and "Three Sisters Detective Team" series, and the top writer who occupied 80% of the bestseller lists last year, he will probably be laughed at if he tells others about it.

For young readers who are tired of the heavy and depressing style of social mystery novels, Akagawa's writing style has a freshness that is close to the currently popular comic books.

In it, one can not only find the youthful inner world recognized by the new generation, but also a unique writing style that is serious yet leisurely and light-hearted.

But the most important point is that his books always have cute characters like anime characters, especially girls.

A female college student full of curiosity and a strong sense of justice, a stark contrast to the serious middle-aged police inspector...

The three sisters Ayako, Yuriko, and Tamami, who are considered the first generation of Kudo Shinichi, are always involved in various bizarre cases...

The girl in a sailor suit with a machine gun killing everyone...

There's even a calico cat pet that's not even human. This little kitty, named Sherlock Holmes, is as clever as a cat girl. He follows his rookie detective, who suffers from "women's phobia," and secretly helps the rookie solve cases.

Each of them would definitely be considered novel and advanced characters even in later generations, and they are constantly produced from his pens.

It is no surprise that it is so popular nowadays.

So much so that Weekly Asahi, one of the three major national newspapers, once wrote an article giving a sharp review:

"In today's Japan, anyone who doesn't read Akagawa's books will certainly not know what modern life is."

Real events also prove the popularity of this brother——

After he discovered a very charming character created by a failed writer named Wu Mu, he only borrowed a little from the work and created fan fiction in a magazine, which brought in an exaggerated amount of traffic.

The effect was better than any other publicity method, and directly brought other auxiliary factors, large and small, to Lin Sen's throne as the best-selling author of the month.

I still remember that at a previous book signing event, nearly half of the people who came to ask for autographs claimed that they discovered this unpopular treasure because of the recommendation of Mr. Akagawa.

To exaggerate a little, it is not an exaggeration to say that this operation is a favor of recognition.

If Lin Sen had not been short of royalties for a long time, he would probably have immediately worshipped this man as... no, he might even have acknowledged him as his big brother.

But in other words...who would complain about having too much money?

Therefore, even now, they are ready to visit with fruits.

But in response to this thank you, the person responsible for the incident seemed quite humble:

"In essence, it's because Kobayashi's characters are so brilliant. On my part, I have to thank Kobayashi for not holding me accountable for casually borrowing such a charming character."

The bestselling author is surprisingly a nice guy. First impression is that he's peaceful and quiet.

The first few words after meeting were a familiar compliment to the charming heroine in Mr. Itsuki's masterpiece "Night Run":

"How did Mr. Itsuki conceive of such a kind and lovely girl? Her low-profile setting is the finishing touch. It always gives people a warm sense of anticipation, wondering if such a girl could appear in real life, or even quietly exist around us."

"this..."

"I can't even imagine how happy it is to have a lover like this."

"Yeah~"

"So much so that I couldn't resist creating a fan fiction, where this future couple gets involved in a mystery case I designed during their respective high school years. As they take turns helping the police officer solve cases, they keep missing each other due to fate's twists and turns, only to finally meet again far in the future..."

Having said this, Akakawa coughed lightly and looked over with a smile:

"Xiao Lin, are you satisfied with the prequel I wrote on my own initiative?"

"Don't be too satisfied. But, can you perform that again, that..."

"Such a lovely girl must be the perfect lover, right? Is that right?"

"Oh! Yes, it feels good."

——In other words, the real prototype of this character was still gently asking me for a morning kiss this morning.

As for the end result...of course he lost in the lung capacity competition.

Of course, Lin Sen would not speak out his secret joy.

I just secretly enjoyed myself while continuing to chat.

The relaxed conversation can easily narrow the distance between the visitor and the host.

After completing their first meeting with mutual teasing, Akakawa showed the two guests around his small residence.

What is somewhat unexpected is that even such a successful writer still lives in an apartment.

It can be seen that the current housing prices in Tokyo are terrifying - it is no exaggeration to say that anyone who sees it will sweat.

Of course, there are also qualities like the poor boy who never forgets his original intention after becoming famous - it is hard to imagine that the place that produces books that sell millions of copies is so simple.

There was just a simple square table and an incandescent lamp that looked a bit old.

"Is this the throne that holds the sales crown?"

Lin Sen stroked the tabletop with his hand. "I thought it would be a luxurious workbench plated with gold."

The light-hearted remarks amused the writer, who was already somewhat overweight—he laughed.

"Xiaolin is such a funny guy who really understands the atmosphere."

"I'm kind of the socially anxious type."

"Social phobia? Someone who is socially phobic and makes others subconsciously feel socially phobic?"

"I just want to have a more natural interaction." Lin Sen summarized the characteristics of this country's social etiquette and used the topic as an opportunity to elaborate. "Instead of using all those humble and respectful words that we've heard before, it's better to be more direct. Only when you're with someone you don't know well and really need to behave properly, do you act more worldly."

"Am I an acquaintance?" Akakawa asked in surprise, eyes slightly widened. "Isn't this the first time we meet?"

"Through reading Akagawa-senpai's works, I've been in the same spiritual realm as you, and we've been communicating for a long time. From the moment you chose to pay tribute to the characters in my works, I've already treated you as a friend."

This sentence can be translated as - If you praise your buddy's girlfriend for being cute and prove it by writing fan fiction, then your buddy will also treat you as a buddy.

Very reasonable!

Lin Sen's speaking habits always revolve around the core of the execution. Even his casual compliments have a sense of neither servility nor arrogance.

It may seem direct, but sometimes it is pleasant to the ear for those who can accept it - Akagawa was amused by this novel and slightly playful statement again.

"Xiao Lin is indeed as interesting as the characters you write. He's a very vivid person."

"I mean, will I have the opportunity to guest-star as a character in the best-selling master's next work?"

“I’ll definitely try it for you!”

The bestselling author is apparently more humble than you might imagine.

He found a knife from the apartment kitchen and cut the big watermelon that Lin Sen brought as a gift on the spot, and made slices to share.

Perhaps reading the air, he turned to glance at the two people who had made an appointment to visit, and then he began to talk to the one present who was clearly a bit socially anxious, who had been silent since entering the room. Aside from greetings, he said nothing, and was clearly a bit reserved and silent.

"I've seen the animation of Higashino-sensei's "After School." It's fantastic, and worthy of the Ranpo Award."

"For me, any colleague who wins an award, especially a major one, is worthy of admiration. After all, after all, the only solid honor on my roster of honors after all these years is the Newcomer Award when I debuted."

At this point in his narration, he laughed at himself and said, "In the final analysis, it's just that I have achieved some small success in business..."

"..."

Dongye glanced at his companion beside him.

I don’t know if he is heartless, but someone with the pen name Wu Mu has already lowered his head to eat the watermelon he brought, and glanced over while chewing.

It’s your turn, speak up—that’s what I read.

The relaxed attitude probably also infected the writer, who had been somewhat nervous and in a low period.

Dongye took a deep breath and looked up at the successful person sitting opposite him who had entered the industry a few years earlier.

Taking over the words he gave up:

"Small achievements are a bit of an understatement, aren't they, Akagawa-senpai...your accomplishments are truly beyond the reach of your peers."

The topic gradually became serious because of this beginning——

From the development of orthodox reasoning to the current situation where the potential of this classic genre has been almost exhausted, as well as the most critical market trends.

Every sentence points to the commercial failure of Higashino's recent two works.

Akakawa doesn't seem to pay much attention to the detailed exchanges of creative ideas narrated by a person who is in a low point.

After listening carefully, he took the initiative to lead the topic in a strange direction -

"Speaking of which, there's something that's been puzzling me. After conceiving and writing so many mystery novels, I heard from my editor that there's a particular area of ​​interest in my books. Does Higashino know what it is?"

"please say."

"They say my books always have lots and lots of girls in sailor suits, 17 or 18 years old."

"?"

"It's strange sometimes," Akagawa laughed. "When I submitted the manuscript, I was most concerned and worried about the plot and whether the logic was sound. But when I finally heard the market feedback, everyone kept saying how cute the girls were... At first, I was surprised. Then, I gradually felt relieved. Sometimes I even wondered if I made some mistakes that I couldn't justify, would people forgive me for the sake of the cute girls in sailor uniforms?"

"..."