RBCT Chapter 151: The Unconventional Mystery Masterpiece, *The Plunge*
Chapter 151: The Unconventional Mystery Masterpiece, *The Plunge*
Chapter 151: The Unconventional Mystery Masterpiece, *The Plunge*
Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Jimbocho.
In front of Tatara Old Bookstore.
Statistics have been compiled.
There were fifty writers participating in the "Unconventional Mystery" competition, including Kyosuke Maijo.
Mikoshiba Yasunori instructed Uyama Hideomi to bring a large amount of manuscript paper.
They then planned to announce the official start of the competition.
At this moment, Kiyoshi Kasai, one of the judges, suddenly spoke up: "Please wait a moment. Anyway, there are six hours in total, so a few more minutes won't make a difference. I have something I want to say."
Kiyoshi Kasai walked onto the stage, took the microphone from Katsunori Tatara, and said to the audience, "I think the rules that Mr. Maishiro just mentioned are still a bit too general."
"Although Professor Maishiro mentioned the category of 'unconventional mystery novels'."
"But I still hope that Ms. Maishiro can explain the concept of 'variant mystery novels' in detail."
"After all, I just noticed that many of the contestants are not mystery novelists, and they may not even know what 'unconventional mystery' is."
Kiyoshi Kasai's suggestion immediately drew a strong response from the audience.
"That's right! Let Professor Mai Cheng explain the definition of 'variant mystery novels'."
"So that we don't finish writing only to find we've written in the wrong direction and make a fool of ourselves!"
"Yes! Let Ms. Maishiro explain the key points of 'variant reasoning' to us!"
"Since it's a competition, explaining the rules is essential!"
At the strong request of the audience, Maijo Kyosuke returned to the stage.
The definition of "unconventional detective fiction" —
"This seems a bit too grand to talk about."
The concept of "variant reasoning" was first proposed by Saburo Koga in 1926.
Its main purpose is to distinguish it from "orthodox mystery."
'
"Honka mystery" refers to orthodox mystery novels that focus on solving and creating puzzles, while "fancy mystery" refers to mystery works with a strong sense of the unusual and not taking puzzle-solving as the ultimate goal. For example, Edgar Allan Poe's *Berenice* has a very flamboyant feel.
"But 'variant mystery' is ultimately a Japanese term, and its earliest representative work is 'The Poison of the Fool' by the medical crime genius, Fumiki Sakai."
"This ideology, which focuses on the crime itself, is full of scientific elements and a cold, inhuman style, as well as a dark and cruel mindset, was once criticized by the public as unhealthy."
"This led to the debate between 'orthodox mystery' and 'unorthodox mystery' sparked by the interactions between Kōtarō Kōki and Kōsakai Fumiki!"
"As conflicts arose, a large number of unconventional mystery novels emerged on the market, and the public gradually accepted this style."
"Thus appeared Edogawa Ranpo's *The Human Chair* and *The Shadow Beast*, Yumeno Kyusaku's *Brain Hell* and *Bottled Hell*, and Ran Ikujiro's *Dream Demon* and *God of Demons*, hailed as 'the most unconventional of unconventional works'."
"With the emergence of these top-tier works of 'unconventional mystery,' the genre finally flourished in Japan, laying the foundation for its genre!"
"Simply put, unconventional mystery" incorporates elements with an unusual flavor, such as fantasy, the bizarre, religion, legends, ghost stories, violence, monsters, gore, dreams, absurdity, and the surreal.
"The story not only features twisted psychology, a terrifying atmosphere, absurd techniques, and eerie abstract emotions, but also a chilling plot that will send shivers down your spine and leave you breathless, along with astonishing plot twists!"
"These strange smells are like the freak shows that were common from the Edo period to the Meiji period, inviting people who paid to enter a small house to watch so-called freaks, including vase girls, snake women, people who did not die even after their heads were cut off, and so on."
"Mystery stories with this kind of bizarre style are called unconventional mystery stories."
After Kyosuke Maijo gave a detailed explanation of the "Hyperversion Theory," he received a round of enthusiastic applause from the audience.
After Tadakatsu announced the official start of the match.
All the participants then began to write furiously on the paper!
The writing task was limited to a short period of six hours.
This kind of competition really tests a writer's writing ability and inspiration reserves!
Most writers are full of energy in the first hour, picking up their pens and writing a beginning of about a thousand words on paper.
But as time went on, two hours passed.
Many participants were confused and constrained, putting down their pens and beginning to meditate endlessly.
Because coming up with a starting point or an idea is very easy.
However, turning this beginning and idea into a highly complete story is an extremely difficult task!
Inspiration is a wonderful thing.
Once you stop writing, your inspiration is likely to be interrupted, and it will be almost impossible to pick up the pen again in a short time!
Not to mention that after the competition started, reporters kept bringing their cameras to report on the participants, even though they all tacitly kept quiet.
But the invisible pressure they created was like a huge rock weighing on the hearts of every participant!
So, just over an hour into the competition, one of the participants, along with a young contestant, gave up and stopped.
The choice between persisting and giving up is just a matter of a single thought.
In particular, most people have a herd mentality, and when they see someone voluntarily giving up their qualification for the competition, they also break through their psychological defenses.
In the next hour, another 25 participants withdrew from the competition.
Some of them are experiencing a creative block, some are worried about making a fool of themselves, and some feel immense pressure in front of so many people.
Several other contestants, upon witnessing the speed at which Maijo Kyosuke wrote, developed a severe sense of inferiority and were completely unable to continue writing!
There are at least six or seven participants who have this idea, if not ten.
Although they had long heard that Maijo Kyosuke was a fast writer who had once written "A Bellflower" in one night, seeing is believing.
Only after witnessing Maishiro Kyosuke's personal demonstration today did I truly understand what it means to be calm and composed, a mature writer should possess.
The so-called fast writing doesn't mean that Maijo Kyosuke's writing speed was so exaggerated that his hand and pen left afterimages.
Instead, Kyosuke Maijo sat upright, and even under the focus of dozens of cameras, he was still able to hold the brush and write smoothly on the manuscript paper with a steady hand.
That calm demeanor, undisturbed by any external influences and so composed that it seemed as if he could write without thinking, truly puts many mystery writers to shame!
Perhaps the only reason I can find is that my writing speed can't keep up with Maishiro Kyosuke's, and that I lack a beautiful woman like Eri Mimi to help me grind the ink.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, four hours of the competition had passed.
Although the weather in Tokyo is not cold today.
Large tents were also set up at the outdoor venue for the competition.
However, many participants still couldn't handle it and withdrew from the competition.
At this time, apart from Maijo Kyosuke who was still writing calmly, the number of contestants had been reduced to eleven!
Although the remaining contestants were not well-known Japanese mystery writers, they all seemed to have extensive writing experience.
Each person not only had stacks of already written manuscripts in front of them, but they also kept writing without stopping, their thoughts clear and focused, showing an attitude of wanting to compete with the remaining contestants!
With two-thirds of the competition time already gone, none of the remaining contestants, including Kyosuke Maijo, would give up.
In order to reach a decision on the competition results as soon as possible, the five judges asked Hideomi Uyama to make copies of the twelve works and give them to the five judges for cross-evaluation.
In this way, after the six-hour time limit ends, the judges will be able to read almost all the stories.
Now we're moving on to the final voting stage!
The first manuscript Chen Shunchen received was "The Unconventional Mystery Novel" written by Maijo Kyosuke, but the title was rather strange.
"A sharp drop"?
This is a title that completely obscures the content.
What does "crash" mean? Does it mean falling down? Falling from the ground into an abyss?
Or perhaps? Stocks?
Chen Shunchen was completely baffled by this title.
However, since this is a competition, I cannot help but ponder the deeper meaning of Maijo Kyosuke's title.
There are still eleven short stories to read, so let's get into the story of "The Crash" quickly.
The story of "The Crash" begins in the first person.
The incident occurred in an unnamed hospital ward.
I woke up to the sound of knocking on the door, not knowing how long I had slept.
I opened my eyes, but I couldn't see anything. My body was also wrapped in bandages and I couldn't move. The only way I could communicate with the outside world was through my mouth.
But this kind of life is about to end.
I heard a female caregiver come into my ward.
She told me her name was Tamaru and that she would be replacing Tsuchiya, the female caregiver who had been taking care of me, as my new nurse.
I don't mind this situation and I tell the other person directly that my name is very long.
But in the ward, please address me as "the Corridor Disease Expert" using the initials of my name.
Because this is part of the contract.
Because I have a cast on, I can't move my body at all; the only thing I can communicate with is my mouth.
In this situation, it felt like an eternity, so I desperately wanted to communicate with people.
Unfortunately, Miss Tamaru didn't talk much in the following days.
No matter what I talk to her about, I can't muster any interest, especially when it comes to her background. She deliberately avoids mentioning it, which is really giving me a headache.
"I'll come back again, just be patient a little longer! Keep going!"
"OK."
This was Ms. Kisaragi's kind encouragement.
I haven't been in contact with my parents for a long time, and I don't have any friends. To put it simply, in this world, apart from Ms. Tamaru who takes care of me, I only know Ms. Kisaragi.
Ms. Kisaragi told Ms. Tamaru, "I'll leave the corridor specialist in your care," and then left.
After Ms. Kisaragi left, Ms. Tamaru said to me, "Mr. Corridor Disease Specialist, Ms. Kisaragi is so beautiful. You always seem so happy when you chat with her."
When I heard Ms. Tamaru's words, I wanted to laugh but couldn't bring myself to do so. However, my voice was filled with joy: "Ms. Kisaragi is from the Fujiyama Company. After all, she has taken good care of me, so I can't neglect her."
"I'm only able to live here because of her."
"Don't let my appearance fool you, I used to be a bank employee at one of the three major banks. It's just that a lot of things happened later that caused me to fall to rock bottom."
"If it weren't for Ms. Kisaragi's help, I don't know what would have happened."
Ms. Tamaru seemed very interested in my past: "If you don't mind, could you tell me your story, Dr. Disease Specialist?"
I was already bored, and when I heard that Ms. Tamaru was so interested, I started to tell her about what had happened to me before.
I was standing in a very crowded tram, but luckily, the passenger sitting in front of me got off, which gave me a seat.
I sat in my seat feeling somewhat uneasy.
Because the company I work for is Anshin Bank, one of Japan's three major banks, it's a job that only the "elite class" can have.
Despite having a job that others dream of, I've been feeling a bit anxious lately.
Because my "personal stock price" has dropped, and I have absolutely no idea why —
Why did the stock price fall? Did I do something recently that affected the stock price?
Just as I was feeling troubled, an elderly gentleman with a cane boarded the tram.
As soon as the elderly gentleman with a cane boarded the bus, the surrounding passengers reacted immediately, and even I hurriedly stood up, but I was a beat too slow because I was thinking about something.
As a result, the old man was respectfully invited to a seat by a young man.
The young man also handed over his business card.
Those who, like me, wanted to offer their seats, but seeing the young man's proud expression, glared at him with hostility and envy, as if they had missed a golden opportunity.
It's a real shame that so few elderly people or pregnant women ride the tram, missing out on the opportunity to do good deeds and increase their "personal stock value".
Especially with my "personal stock price" falling non-stop, I feel like I have really bad luck!
After getting off the tram, I found a bicycle and planned to go back to my apartment to rest. That's when I heard a woman calling for help.
I was overjoyed to hear someone calling for help.
Without hesitation, he rode his bike towards the source of the sound.
We absolutely have to make it this time!
Please! Don't let anyone take away my opportunity to help others!
I stomped on the pedals hard, but then I saw two figures wrestling together.
I was a step too late; the drunk man who tried to assault her had already been subdued by another man.
This time, I missed another opportunity to boost my "personal stock price".
When I got home, the message from my fiancée, Emi, made me a little sad.
"Yuji, your stock price has started to fall again. Can't you find the reason?"
"My parents are very concerned, and I'm a little worried too, but I still trust Yuji. If we really can't find the reason, how about we ask the 'Shinjuku Big Brother'?"
I sighed and turned on my computer.
Sure enough, my "personal stock price" has fallen even lower than Huimei's!
This is causing me great pain!
Because if my stock price doesn't exceed Huimei's, I can't marry Huimei, and I can't take over Huimei's father's company without any problem!
I am very sad. I really wanted to give up my seat to the old man on the tram, and I also wanted to save the woman who was assaulted.
If you can give up your seat to an elderly gentleman or subdue a drunkard, it will definitely help boost your "personal stock price".
Just as I was feeling frustrated, a scrolling message appeared on my computer screen: "Daisuke Kitano saves a damsel in distress, risking his life to protect a woman—"
Seeing this message made me even angrier, because the stock price of this guy named Kitano will definitely surge when the market opens tomorrow!
These should have been mine!
I spat and lay down on the bed.
As a result, my "personal stock price" continued to fall the next day.
Although this won't remove me from the "elite circle," it still bothers me a lot.
So I decided to stabilize my "personal stock price" by increasing my number of "close friends".
Simply put, the more "close friends" with good character you have, the better your stock market rating will be.
How about Sato?
He was my high school classmate, and also a local official. He has two children, so his life is stable enough.
However—at last year's class reunion, there were rumors that he had accepted bribes from local construction companies. If Sato is arrested for bribery, his "personal stock price" will definitely plummet!
Becoming close friends with this kind of person will indirectly affect my "personal stock price".
Where is senior Anton?
He is a self-employed individual, and his stock price is much higher than mine.
However—he is also somewhat dangerous.
Rather than calling him an individual entrepreneur, he's doing nothing but speculation and profiteering, if someone reports him.
This could very well cause my "personal stock price" to drop.
I considered many "close friends," but none of them made me feel secure. In the end, I thought of the "Shinjuku Big Brother" that Emi mentioned.
I'm planning to ask "Big Brother Shinjuku" to help me analyze the real reason for the drop in my "personal stock price".
"Shinjuku Big Brother" is an economics professor who, when not teaching, sets up a table and whiteboard on the streets of Shinjuku to provide citizens with consultation services on "personal stock prices".
Because his calculations were quite "accurate," a long queue formed early in the morning.
More than an hour had passed by the time it was my turn.
I immediately started talking to this guy about the drop in his "personal stock price".
He drew a whole whiteboard full of mathematical formulas and icons for me, which I couldn't understand at all.
In the end, the reason for the stock price decline was determined using tarot cards.
The reason your stock price is falling is right here beside you.
Although I felt cheated, I still paid an exorbitantly high consultation fee.
When I returned to my post, I saw a familiar name appear on the news scrolling screen.
That name sent chills down my spine.