Tokyo Mystery Writers

Chapter 32 Factional Struggle

The praise given by Chen Shunchen, the master of historical mystery, to Maishiro Kyosuke was not as fiery as that given to Miyoshi Toru and Tsuchiya Takao.

But for some reason, it struck a nerve with Hiroyuki Itsuki, a representative of contemporary Japanese literature.

Hiroyuki Itsuki adjusted his square-framed glasses and gave a cold snort:

"Teacher Chen, you can't just say half of what you mean!"

"As Seishi Yokomizo once said, mystery novels should soar to the sky, but Seicho Matsumoto also said that mystery novels should keep their feet on the ground!"

"In your view, the development of detective novels relies on tricks and logic, but in my opinion, detective novels will inevitably follow the path of Mr. Seicho Matsumoto in the future."

"I'm not talking about social realism, classic mystery, or even science fiction; I'm talking about literary merit!"

"Constantly engaging in factional disputes is, in my opinion, a very childish thing to do."

"Since the purpose of the Dragon Ascension Award is to select a standard-bearer who will have an influence on future generations, why not choose based on literary merit?"

"Although Izawa Motohiko's literary style seems a bit immature at present, it is far from the wild and unrestrained feeling of Maijo Kyosuke."

"But if I had to choose, I would still prefer the solid quality of Motohiko Izawa."

"Because the madness in Maijo Kyosuke's words was so terrifying, it was as if a demon was whispering in my ear!"

"If someone like that really wins the Dragon Award this time, I really don't know what kind of strange stuff he'll write next time!"

Takao Tsuchiya and Shunchen Chen expressed their support for Kyosuke Maijo to win the award, while Tetsu Miyoshi and Hiroyuki Itsuki believed that Motohiko Izawa was the best candidate for the Dragon Award!

The four judges each chose their own stance on stage, and the result was surprisingly a two-to-two tie!

With this draw, the four of them naturally turned their attention to Gonda Manji, who was standing to the side!

Because at this moment, the most important vote is in the hands of this master of reasoning and commentary!

Manji Gonda was, after all, a mystery critic and a well-known figure in the mystery world. He not only wrote the famous "On Japanese Detective Writers" which introduced a group of mystery writers, but also influenced many well-known editors!

He can be considered the "Edogawa Ranpo" of the Japanese commentary world!

If you could get the cover he wrote, it would definitely increase the sales of your work by hundreds of thousands!

Seeing the four people around him staring intently at him, and the hundreds of Kodansha staff members below the stage also looking at him, Gonda Manji hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand on the manuscript of "The Astrological Murder Magic" and began to speak:

"If I had to choose subjectively who is more deserving of the Rising Dragon Award, I would definitely choose without hesitation 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murder Mystery' by Kyosuke Maijo!"

"Just as Professor Chen Shunchen said, reading 'The Astrological Murder Mystery' gave me the feeling of my feet leaving the ground and soaring into the sky!"

"Similarly, I finally understand why other people's books are called 'Events' while this book is called 'Magic'."

"Because of Mr. Maijo Kyosuke—no, from now on we should call him Teacher Maijo Kyosuke!"

"Master Kyosuke Maijo has truly devised a grand scheme that is unprecedented and will likely remain so!"

"I can foresee that once 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders' is published, it will likely remain a staple on the world's mystery bestseller lists for the next fifty, or even a hundred years!"

As soon as Gonda Manji finished speaking, a deafening sound erupted from the audience in the conference room!

Nearly half of the Kodansha staff stood up and cheered happily!

Needless to say, these are all people who support Maijo Kyosuke's "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders"!

Uyama Hideomi is Maishiro Kyosuke's editor.

Furthermore, he discovered that Maijo Kyosuke's people, upon hearing Gonda Manji's approval, immediately jumped up, raised their fists, and shouted like a child:

"Hail, Mr. Mai!"

"Astrological murder magic is the most powerful!"

The deafening cheers seemed to lift the roof off the entire conference room!

Even the two mystery masters on stage, Takao Tsuchiya and Shunchen Chen, couldn't help but show a relieved smile.

Jiang Liu Meili, as the editor-in-chief of Maishiro Kyosuke's magazine, is also the person who has been in contact with Maishiro Kyosuke the most recently.

Upon learning that Maijo Kyosuke's "The Tokyo Zodiac Murder Mystery" had won the Ryuga Prize, Eryu Mimi hugged Eryu Miya and cheered happily!

Before Jiang Liumei could even say a few words, Quan Tianwanzhi turned on the microphone on stage and let out a heavy sigh:

"Although Mr. Keisuke Maijo's 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders' showed me the future of classic mystery, his writing style, tricks, and even ideas deserve the praise of being a standard-bearer of the new era."

"But I still want to cast my vote for Motohiko Izawa's *Sarumu Gensokyo*!"

As soon as Gonda Manji said those words, not only Uyama Hideomi, but also Eri Miri and the others in the audience were all stunned.

Even Tsuchiya Takao, standing to the side, frowned in displeasure, completely baffled as to what Gonda Manji was up to!

Chen Shunchen, who hadn't yet openly broken ties, suppressed his anger, stood up from his seat, walked to Gonda Manji's side, turned off the microphone in front of Gonda Manji, and then questioned him with barely suppressed rage:

"Gonda Manji! What are you up to?"

"You said you admired Kyosuke Maijo, but in the end you voted for Motohiko Izawa?"

"What do you think you are, taking the Edogawa Ranpo Prize for your own home!?"

Chen Shunchen pressed his hand on Gonda Manji's shoulder and patted him hard:

"Gonda Manji, let me tell you! This is the Edogawa Ranpo Prize, not your home!"

"Don't think that just because you can influence the critical world, you can have absolute power in the literary scene!"

"I, Chen Shunchen, am not as spineless as others!"

"You want to play house? Fine, but go home and play!"

"This is not a place for you to run wild!"

Chen Shunchen's words were a bit harsh, which made Miyoshi Tetsu somewhat dissatisfied.

Because Gonda Manji was a judge he had invited, even though he didn't understand what Gonda Manji was up to.

But as the chairman of the Japan Mystery Writers Association, I absolutely cannot let Gonda Manji suffer Chen Shunchen's scolding!

"Teacher Chen, Brother Quan Tian has his reasons for making this choice, but what you just said was indeed a bit too harsh..."

"Shut up!"

Before Miyoshi Toru could finish speaking, Tsuchiya Takao suddenly interrupted him:

"Sanhao, you have no right to judge others, do you?"

"Do you think I can't tell just because I'm old? Look at the lineup of judges this time!"

"You and Mr. Chen Shunchen write historical mystery novels, Hiroyuki Itsuki writes popular literature, and Manji Gonda writes mystery commentary."

Takao Tsuchiya pointed to his wrinkled nose and said fiercely:

"Only me! I'm the only one who writes classic mystery novels!"

"If it weren't for Mr. Chen Shunchen's support, would you have wanted 'Sarumaru's Vision Journey' to pass with four votes?!"

Takao Tsuchiya, mimicking Miyoshi Toru's earlier actions, slammed his hand on the table, then pointed at Miyoshi Toru with his swollen, red hand and demanded:

"You're always bringing up your name! Chairman of the Mystery Writers of America, come out and talk this out!"

"Isn't it just because I'm not high enough in status? Don't we, the true masters, have anyone else?"

"If you really like seniority-based ranking so much, should I invite Professor Takagi Akimitsu over?"

"If you feel that Professor Takagi Akimitsu's status isn't high enough, should I bring over Professor Yokomizo Seishi, who's currently undergoing surgery in the hospital?"

"I'd like to see if you'd still dare to use your lousy chairmanship to intimidate him if Professor Yokomizo Seishi were here!"

Although all the microphones on stage were turned off, the silence in the meeting room, coupled with the loud arguing among the five judges, created a powerful atmosphere.

Everyone knows that this time, the five of them will probably fight to the death for their own factions!