Tokyo Mystery Writers

Chapter 80 President Noma's Invitation

The phenomenal sales of Top Hat magazine have terrified many publishing houses' magazine departments.

The core members responsible for all of this are currently suffering from a hangover in the longevity soup.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The rhythmic knocking woke Maijo Kyosuke from his sleep.

Maijo Kyosuke slowly opened his eyes, and the chandelier on the ceiling split into two hazy phantoms.

Kyosuke Maijo knew very well that this was a side effect of a hangover.

I don't know why, maybe I was infected by that old drunkard, Hideomi Uyama.

Kyosuke Maijo felt that this dizzy state suited him very well.

I raised my wrist and looked at my watch. At that moment, the hour and minute hands of the watch were completely aligned, exactly at twelve o'clock.

Based on this situation, it should be noon on January 16th.

After all, I was still sleeping at noon on January 15th.

So it can only be January 16th now. It's impossible that he got drunk and slept for a whole day and two nights, right?

Even if other organs can handle it, the bladder cannot.

Maijo Kyosuke propped himself up on his elbows, and after a long struggle, he finally sat up from the ground. Then, supporting himself on the ground, he stumbled to the door and opened it.

Standing in front of me was a kind old lady, though her face was full of wrinkles.

However, one can still discern the relationship between her and Mingshen Qingyin from their bone structure:

"You must be Teacher Wucheng, right? My daughter Xiaoyin often mentions you. I've read your books too, they're very good. One is very gorgeous, and the other is very delicate. It's hard to imagine that these two styles could come from the same person."

Maishiro Kyosuke looked at the other person, feeling somewhat confused for a moment:

"So? Grandma, what's wrong?"

Upon hearing what Maijo Kyosuke said, the old lady realized that she hadn't introduced herself yet:

"Mr. Maishiro, I'm sorry, as I get older, not only does my brain not keep up, but my mouth has also become a bit rambling. Please allow me to introduce myself first."

"My name is Myojin Kusako. Myojin Seine is my granddaughter. If you don't mind, Mr. Maishiro, you can just call me Kusako."

"I came here because I heard someone keep calling you, but you haven't answered."

"Given that you and that editor were drinking all night yesterday, I was worried something might have happened to you, so I decided to come up and check on you..."

No sooner had Myojin Kusako finished speaking than the phone in the room rang again.

The old lady glanced at Maishiro Kyosuke, a kind smile spreading across her face. She gestured for him to answer the call quickly, then turned and walked downstairs.

Jingsuke Maishiro walked to the phone, put the receiver to his ear, and the voice coming from it was all too familiar to him.

Because that voice belonged to Uyama Hideomi, the man who had been drinking with him yesterday.

"Ms. Mai, I don't know what your plans are today, but whatever they are, please cancel them immediately!"

"Our Kodansha president, President Noma, will personally entertain you and your staff at 6 PM today!"

Uyama Hideomi's voice seemed even happier than when he himself was promoted yesterday, which surprised Maishiro Kyosuke somewhat:

"Mr. Uyama, is there something special about President Noma's invitation to me?"

Uyama Hideomi paused for a moment after hearing Maishiro Kyosuke's words, then excitedly said to Maishiro Kyosuke:

"Ms. Mai, don't you know?"

"You are now a renowned mystery writer throughout Tokyo! Your masterpiece, 'A Bellflower,' was published in the magazine 'Top Hat,' causing the magazine to sell 800,000 copies in just two days!"

"This outstanding performance, along with its astonishing circulation, not only broke the record for the highest circulation of a magazine's first issue ever!"

"It even defeated Takarajimasha's 'Fiction Mystery' magazine, allowing 'Top Hat' magazine to rise to the top three of Japan's short story mystery magazines in just two days!"

"Attention! This isn't just today, it's all of history! The top three in the history of Japanese short story mystery magazines!"

"While this success includes the efforts of Ms. Jiang Liu leading the magazine department, the strong support from President Noma, and the sales tactics of Department Manager Mikoshiba, everyone knows that 80% of the reason why *Top Hat* has achieved such phenomenal success is thanks to your story 'A Bellflower,' Mr. Maishiro, and your challenge to all mystery writers in Japan!"

Uyama Hideomi paused here, his voice suddenly becoming much softer and echoing, clearly because he had covered the microphone with his hand:

"Ms. Mai, you're only going to say this once, so listen carefully!"

"This time, President Noma not only promoted me from deputy editor to editor-in-chief, but also increased Ms. Jiang Liu's magazine revenue sharing, and even promoted Editor-in-Chief Akimoto to deputy head of the publishing department."

"This is clearly an attempt to win over people associated with you. This is especially relevant to what I heard from my colleagues in the design department in the cafeteria today: they are designing paperback and collector's editions of 'The Astrological Murders'."

"It's practically equivalent to, Mr. Maishiro, your work receiving high praise from all departments and even President Noma!"

"This time, President Noma's visit is less about entertaining you and more about courting you; he wants to discuss an 'exclusive partnership' with you!"

"Mr. Maishiro, today is the day to see if you can become a pillar of Kodansha, not just a flash in the pan! You must seize this opportunity!"

After Hideomi Uyama finished speaking, a commotion of footsteps came through the phone, leaving only Hideomi Uyama uttering the following sentence:

"Ms. Mai, I have to go to the conference room for a meeting. Remember what I said, you absolutely must negotiate the terms carefully!!!"

Kyosuke Maijo's brain had not yet recovered from the effects of the alcohol.

Even so, Maijo Kyosuke was well aware that he had gone from an unknown new writer to a rising star with some fame!

Just as Maijo Kyosuke was pondering how to discuss his terms with President Noma, the phone rang again.

The person making the call this time was once again an old acquaintance, Ms. Jiang Liumei:

"Ms. Mai, I've been calling you since 11:30, why are you only answering now?"

After hearing Jiang Liu Meili's words, Mai Shiro Kyosuke finally understood what Myojin Kusaka had meant by the phone ringing incessantly.

It turns out that it wasn't just Uyama Hideomi who was looking for him at this moment:

"Um... I was just on the phone with Mr. Yushan."

Upon hearing Maishiro Kyosuke's words, Jiang Liu Meili hurriedly asked:

"Ms. Mai, is Mr. Uyama here to tell you that President Noma is going to host you?"

Maijo Kyosuke immediately replied:

"Yes, that's it."

"What? Miss Jiang Liu, is this also why you called me?"

Jiang Liumei spoke in a very serious tone:

"Of course! Mr. Mai, this is a very important matter!"

"This not only concerns your future, Mr. Maishiro, but also the future direction of the Japanese mystery fiction market!"

"To put it simply, Ms. Mai, while you may not yet be considered a 'famous author,' you possess the qualities of one!"

"The reason I'm calling you is to remind you of something else: never underestimate President Mikasa, that guy... he's dangerous!"

"Let's discuss the specifics when we meet?"

"Once I finish my work, I'll come to see you. I'll then explain in detail how you can leverage this huge advantage to negotiate the best contract!"