Tokyo Mystery Writers

Chapter 82 The Kidnapped Heart

January 16, 1980, 1 p.m.

Otowa-cho Kodansha Building, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

Jiang Liumei first touched up her makeup with a small mirror, then let down her hair, which had been tied up all day, and walked towards the coffee shop across the street.

This is the place where I arranged to meet Maijo Kyosuke four hours ago.

However... when Jiang Liu Meili entered the coffee shop, she couldn't see Mai Shiro Jingjie anywhere.

"Excuse me, may I bother you?"

Jiang Liumei walked to the front desk of the coffee shop and politely asked the staff:

"Excuse me, was there a customer just now? He was in his early twenties, about 1.8 meters tall, slim, with long hair that reached about chin length, sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and a slightly upturned mouth, like a smiling mouth?"

The coffee shop employee thought for a moment, then shook his head at Jiang Liumei:

"Miss, I'm sorry, I didn't notice any customer with that appearance had come in before."

Jiang Liu Meili nodded to the clerk, borrowed the coffee shop's phone, and dialed Mai Shiro Kyosuke's landline at the Long Life Hot Spring, but there was no response for a long time.

Unable to contact Maijo Kyosuke, Jiang Liu Meili could only order a hazelnut mocha and sit in a café with floor-to-ceiling windows, glancing out the window every now and then with a worried expression.

Logically speaking, Maishiro Kyosuke doesn't seem like the type of person who would be late.

If he has already left the Longevity Soup but has not yet come here to meet me, then it is very likely that he has encountered trouble on the way.

What trouble might you encounter on the way? What unexpected events might you run into? Or was it something important that prevented you from keeping your appointment?

Jiang Liumei sat on the chair, feeling extremely uneasy. The more she guessed, the more frightened she became!

Seeing that the minute hand on her watch had already pointed to 2, Jiang Liu Meili became restless and decided to drive along the road to the Long Life Hot Spring to see if there was any news of Mai Shiro Kyosuke along the way.

After finishing her hazelnut mocha in one gulp, Jiang Liumei stood up and prepared to leave the cafe.

Just then, the phone in the coffee shop rang.

After answering the phone, the shop assistant was taken aback at first, then looked around the room and called out:

"Excuse me, is Miss Jiang Liu here?"

"There is a Mr. Mai Shiro here who wants to see you. He says he has something important to discuss."

Upon hearing the surname Wu Cheng, many people present paused for a moment and pricked up their ears.

Because in the 80s, the most developed media was not the internet, but print media.

As a mystery writer who was reported by the entire Tokyo newspapers as soon as he debuted, even though many people had not read his works, they had all heard of his name!

The coffee shop clerk's words immediately drew everyone's attention.

After all, the surname Wucheng is extremely rare.

Although Jiang Liu Meili felt uncomfortable being watched by so many people, she still revealed her identity to the shop assistant and took the phone in order to contact Mai Shiro Jingjie.

"Ms. Wu Cheng, this is Jiang Liu Meili. Is something wrong on your end?"

Jiang Liumei covered the telephone receiver with her hand and spoke in a low voice.

There was a silence of about twenty or thirty seconds on the other end of the phone before Jiang Liu Meili heard Mai Cheng Jingjie speak somewhat hesitantly:

"Miss Jiang Liu, it's a little embarrassing to say this..."

"But... could you lend me fifty million yen? I need it urgently..."

Even with Jiang Liumei's relatively calm personality, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise upon hearing about such a large sum of money:

"Fifty million yen?!!!"

"Ms. Mai, what do you need so much money for?"

"You wouldn't happen to be...?"

Jiang Liumei noticed that quite a few customers in the coffee shop were blatantly pricking up their ears and approaching her, so she had to lower her voice considerably.

"Ms. Mai, you haven't picked up some bad habits, have you?"

"Why does it cost so much money all at once? That's fifty million yen!"

"I... I wouldn't have that much money."

When Maishiro Kyosuke heard Jiang Liumei's words, a sigh full of regret came from the phone.

"No? I really need this money..."

Jiang Liu Meili, intrigued by Mai Shiro Kyosuke's words, pressed for more information:

"Ms. Mai, where are you now?"

"You haven't been kidnapped, have you? And they're demanding a ransom of fifty million yen?"

Maishiro Kyosuke remained silent for a long while before finally speaking:

"Although it's not kidnapping, it's not much different from it."

"If I had to say something, it would be that my heart has been kidnapped, and I really want to take it home."

"Miss Jiang Liu, please come find me in the Jinbocho used book district."

"If I can't buy it, let me stay with it a little longer."

Jiang Liumei heard the busy tone of the phone call ending and looked puzzled.

What has been kidnapped?

What should I bring back?

Jiang Liumei felt a little confused. She thanked the shop assistant and left the cafe, driving towards the Jimbocho used bookstore district...

-

Maijo Kyosuke hung up the phone, touched the manuscript of "Mr. Ultraman's Hands" which was in a transparent safe, and looked at it with regret.

As the shop owner said, he simply couldn't afford the exorbitant price of fifty million yen.

At this moment, I feel nothing but regret and resentment...

The owner of this antique bookstore is also a book lover.

Although he knew that Maishiro Kyosuke couldn't afford the manuscript, he could still see the love for it in Maishiro Kyosuke's eyes.

So he didn't rush to take the manuscript back. He just silently gripped the knife in the cash box. If he found that Maijo Kyosuke was trying to take the manuscript, he would cut his hand!

Maijo Kyosuke pressed his face against the glass of the safe, staring longingly at the yellowed papers inside.

Like a five- or six-year-old child wanting toys from a toy store:

"Boss, do you get a lot of inquiries about the manuscript of 'Mr. Ultraman's Hands'?"

The shop owner nodded and said, "A lot."

A look of dejection appeared on Maijo Kyosuke's face:

"If... I mean if, I save up enough money a year later and come back to buy it, will it still be here?"

The shop owner shook his head and continued:

"Not necessarily. Last time I offered 55 million, but a spoiled brat took a liking to it."

"But that guy clearly doesn't understand detective novels; he couldn't even tell you the plot of 'Mr. Altmore's Hands'."

"Although I opened the bookstore to make money, I really don't want this well-preserved manuscript to be destroyed by those spoiled brats."

"The main reason I can offer you 50 million is that I can tell you truly love mystery novels. You can not only recite the manuscript of 'Mr. Ultraman's Hands,' but you can even recite it backwards..."

Maijo Kyosuke wouldn't listen to a single word the shop owner said.

All he wants to know now is how to get fifty million yen and take this "priceless treasure" away from here!