novelraw Chapter 132 An Immortal Monument in the World of Detective Fiction
Chapter 132 An Immortal Monument in the World of Detective Fiction
Chapter 132 An Immortal Monument in the World of Detective Fiction
"And so, I made up my mind to slowly return to the warmth of everyday life."
"But this is not a farewell to Ryoko. I will return to the warm and cozy daily life with Ryoko."
When two avid fans of European and American detective novels get together, they're bound to start talking about Edgar Allan Poe, then Arthur Conan Doyle, and then the three great masters of detective fiction.
What if you're a die-hard fan of Japanese mystery novels?
Then one cannot escape the three great masters: Edogawa Ranpo, Yokomizo Seishi, and Matsumoto Seichō.
In other words, if one could have a face-to-face conversation with Seicho Matsumoto and Seishi Yokomizo.
This is probably something every mystery novel fan dreams of achieving.
And now, Kyosuke Maijo has done it.
Not only did he shake hands with Seicho Matsumoto and receive praise from him, but he can now also tell stories to Seishi Yokomizo and Takao Tsuchiya.
As Maijo Kyosuke finished reading the last paragraph of "The Summer of the Ubume".
The time was 1 p.m. on January 24, 1980.
Two full days have passed since Maijo Kyosuke arrived at the cancer hospital in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Over the past two days, in addition to telling stories about "The Summer of the Ubume" to Seishi Yokomizo and Takao Tsuchiya, Kyosuke Maijo also...
The story also included recounting "The Convergence" and "The Mystery of the Death Row Inmate" to the two of them.
With the advice of two masters of orthodox mystery, Seishi Yokomizo and Takao Tsuchiya.
This allowed Kyosuke Maijo to absorb a lot of excellent writing experience, and gave him enough confidence and strength to polish his work, which could have been called a masterpiece, to be even more perfect!
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
As Maijo Kyosuke closed the manuscript of "Summer of the Ubume".
Seishi Yokomizo, who was propping himself up with a pillow, and Takao Tsuchiya, who was sitting beside the hospital bed, both clapped their hands, their faces showing great admiration.
Takao Tsuchiya lowered his clapping hand, and his gaze towards Kyosuke Maijo shifted from initial admiration to doting: "Mashiro-sensei truly is a genius writer! It wasn't for nothing that I've been so optimistic about you these past few days, telling your story to Yokomizo-sensei!"
As Takao Tsuchiya savored the plot of "Summer of the Ubume," a satisfied smile slowly spread across his face: "Mr. Maijo, what you said at the Edogawa Ranpo Ryusho Awards was not arrogant at all."
"Because your book, *The Summer of the Ubume*, absolutely deserves this wonderful praise—no one has ever seen it before, no one has ever heard of it, and no other writer could have written it!"
"The last book that gave me this kind of wonderful experience was Kyusaku Yumeno's *Brain Hell*!"
"Most detective novels nowadays focus on murder cases, alibis, locked rooms, methods of committing crimes, and motives. Even Yokomizo-sensei and I are not immune to this trend."
"But in your book, 'Summer of the Ubume,' Mr. Mai, all the questions are focused on one very strange event."
"That is, the embryo is pregnant for twenty months, but does not give birth."
"These bizarre events, combined with Tatsumi Sekiguchi's mental instability throughout the story, create a strange and eerie atmosphere."
"As the case unfolds step by step, more and more bizarre events occur, such as Makirou disappearing like smoke in a locked room, Enokizu hallucinating a frog-faced baby, and babies dying mysteriously at Kuonji Hospital, pushing the eerie atmosphere of the entire story to its peak!"
"In the end, however, all the seemingly unrelated clues are connected, giving the reader a seamless and exhilarating feeling at the conclusion!"
"This rare and eerie atmosphere is something that neither Yokomizo-sensei nor I could write, and no one in the entire world of mystery literature could create!"
"Because this is your unique personal style, Teacher Wucheng, and no one can imitate it!"
Seeing that Takao Tsuchiya had finished speaking, Yokomizo Seishi removed the oxygen mask from his face and, in a hoarse voice and intimate tone, slowly said to Maijo Kyosuke, "Kyosuke, Takao once told me that you are a once-in-a-century genius mystery writer."
"Ryūfu went even further, saying, 'You have surpassed Keiki.'"
"To be honest, when I first heard Longfu praising you, I naturally thought that Longfu was exaggerating."
"After all, when Guiji debuted, I was the editor-in-chief of *New Youth* magazine, so I know very well just how talented Guiji is!"
Even now, I still believe that if that guy, Keiji, hadn't died young and had lived until now—
"Not only will he surpass me, surpass Seicho, but he might even surpass Ranpo, becoming the strongest writer in the Japanese mystery genre, without a doubt!"
"Unfortunately, there are no 'what ifs' in life. That guy died at the age of thirty-three, and for the next thirty-seven years, I haven't seen anyone with talent that could surpass Osaka Keikichi!"
"I have always hoped and longed for Japan to produce another writer who can be compared to Keikichi Osaka."
Yokomizo Seishi was speaking when his face suddenly turned ashen. He coughed violently a few times and quickly put on his oxygen mask.
After taking a few deep breaths of oxygen and his complexion gradually improving, Yokomizo Seishi continued looking at Maijo Kyosuke and said, "But today, Kyosuke, you have fulfilled a regret that has weighed on my heart for many years."
"Your book, 'The Summer of the Ubume,' has shown me your amazing talent and the path you have in the future!"
"I realize clearly that Rondo wasn't lying; you possess talent surpassing Keiki's at such a young age!"
"If 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders' is the pinnacle of trickery, 'A Lisianthus' is the pinnacle of repackaging, and 'Convergence' is the pinnacle of creativity, then 'The Death Row Inmate' is the pinnacle of logic."
"Then 'Summer of the Ubume' is the pinnacle of the bizarre!"
"The characters' behavior is illogical, and the cases are exceptionally bizarre. This writing structure, which incorporates a great deal of psychology, neuroscience, folklore, and psychic studies, tightly connects all the events like a net. Calling it the 'Fifth Great Book of Wonders' is no exaggeration!"
Seishi Yokomizo took a breath of oxygen, and his cloudy eyes cleared slightly: "Takao, could you please prepare some paper and pen for me?"
"I want to write a few words of commentary on Kyosuke's 'Summer of the Ubume' before my hands can still move."
"The Gate"—because in Kyosuke, I saw the future of Japanese mystery fiction, and even the world's mystery fiction.
"I know for sure that sooner or later, Kyosuke will defeat Kiyoharu and break the Kiyoharu curse, standing at the pinnacle of deduction!"
Even if—even if my body might not be able to hold on for that long, and I don't live to see that day.
"But if it can help Kyōsuke ascend to godhood, I will do my part."
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"I'll probably be smiling even as I walk down the road to the underworld."
After finishing his sentence, Yokomizo Seishi coughed heavily again.
Takao Tsuchiya helped Seishi Yokomizo put on his oxygen mask and took out paper and pen from a cabinet next to him.
Maijo Kyosuke then helped move out another table.
With the help of the two men, Yokomizo Seishi was finally able to stand in front of the table and hold the pen firmly.
Perhaps it was his inherent stubbornness that made Seishi Yokomizo unwilling to submit to fate, or perhaps it was because Yokomizo, who had held a pen all his life, had achieved a state where his body and pen became one.
Originally frail, terminally ill, and nearly eighty years old and withered, Yokomizo Seishi became radiant and transformed after picking up a pen!
He picked up his pen and wrote on the yellowed Xuan paper his highest praise for "Summer of the Ubume": "Heart and mind, love and hate, the entanglement of fate, the tragedy of the family."
"If Ranpo's 'The Two-Sen Coin' sparked a frenzy in Japanese mystery fiction, my 'The Honjin Murder Case' explored the limits of trickery, and Seicho's 'Points and Lines' exposed the chronic problems of the era, then Kyosuke's 'The Summer of the Ubume' is an immortal monument in the world of modern mystery fiction!"
"How many books in this world are worth rereading? I can't give you a specific number."
"But if allowed, I would like to savor the story of 'The Summer of the Ubume' one more time before I reach the end of my life, because without a doubt, 'The Summer of the Ubume' represents the future of mystery!"
After writing his comments, Yokomizo Seishi put down his pen.
Immediately, it was as if the comments had sucked away his soul, and he collapsed.
Seeing this, Maijo Kyosuke quickly stepped forward and caught Yokomizo Seishi, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Together with Takao Tsuchiya, they helped Seishi Yokomizo back to bed.
After resting for a while, Takao Tsuchiya also picked up his pen and wrote a comment on "Summer of the Ubume": "A work that is difficult for others to imitate and reach is just a hobby for Mr. Kyosuke Maijo."
Takao Tsuchiya's comments remain concise and powerful.
While not as detailed as Yokomizo Seishi's work, it is still enough to pique the reader's interest in reading "The Summer of the Ubume".
It was a rare opportunity for Maijo Kyosuke to communicate with two masters.
After receiving the comments, he didn't rush to leave but instead exchanged writing techniques with Seishi Yokomizo and Takao Tsuchiya.
But happy times always fly by.
Around 5 PM, Hideomi Uyama entered the ward and apologetically addressed Kyosuke Maishiro—
"Mr. Mai, although I don't want to disturb you and Mr. Yokomizo, Mr. Tsuchiya, from continuing your discussion."
"But the book signing is starting in an hour."
"Canceling the autograph session for two consecutive days might cause some fans to complain —"
Although Maijo Kyosuke dislikes autograph sessions, he knows he has to attend them for the sake of popularity.
He could only nod slightly to Tsuchiya Takao, and then bow to Yokomizo Seishi, a grandmaster who made indelible contributions to Japanese mystery fiction and whose influence was no less than that of Edogawa Ranpo.
After finishing all this, Maishiro Kyosuke stood up and followed Uyama Hideomi toward the door.
Just then, Yokomizo Seishi said in a hoarse voice behind him, "Kyosuke, you have to do your best!"
"I really—really want to see you lead Japanese mystery games back to their former glory."
Maijo Kyosuke turned his head, looked into Yokomizo Seishi's expectant eyes, and nodded resolutely: "Don't worry, Yokomizo-sensei, I will definitely live up to your expectations and restore Japanese mystery to its former glory!"
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