RBCT Chapter 158 Reasoning Hall of Fame
Chapter 158 Reasoning Hall of Fame
Chapter 158 Reasoning Hall of Fame
In front of a small restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Kyosuke Maijo opened the car door for Takao Tsuchiya.
With Jiang Liumei supporting Tsuchiya Takao on either side, they walked towards the slightly dilapidated little restaurant.
Maijo Kyosuke originally wanted to take Tsuchiya Takao to a luxury hotel for dinner.
But he was rejected by Takao Tsuchiya.
It wasn't that Takao Tsuchiya was worried about the money for Kyosuke Maijo.
The reason for this is that Takao Tsuchiya is also a bit of a gourmet.
For a connoisseur who has lived in Tokyo for decades and is considered one of the top masters among classic mystery writers, what delicious food hasn't he tried?
The so-called luxury hotels are nothing but a gimmick.
The truly delicious food is hidden in the backstreets and alleys.
So, Maijo Kyosuke and Eryu Miri followed Tsuchiya Takao to a place they had never been before.
This is the sukiyaki restaurant.
Takao Tsuchiya was clearly a regular here.
As soon as I entered the house, I started chatting with the female owner, who was about fifty years old and wearing a kimono.
Maishiro Kyosuke and Eri Miri couldn't get a word in edgewise.
He then looked at the photo wall in the room.
Maijo Kyosuke initially thought the photo wall contained pictures of the female boss's family or something similar.
But upon closer inspection, it was discovered that this sukiyaki restaurant had quite a background.
Because of the photos posted on the photo wall—
It features photos of a host of mystery masters, including Edogawa Ranpo, Yokomizo Seishi, Matsumoto Seichō, Kojima Fumiki, and Koga Saburo.
The photo wall was clearly carefully designed.
The photos, from right to left, represent the status and influence of Japanese mystery writers.
Edogawa Ranpo unsurprisingly ranked first among them.
Following them were Yokomizo Seishi, Matsumoto Seichō, and others.
Clearly, this is a so-called celebrity store.
It's not a movie star store, but a mystery star store.
Just as Maijo Kyōsuke was tallying up who was on that photo wall.
Takao Tsuchiya smiled and waved to Kyosuke Maishiro: "Kyosuke, Ms. Eru, don't just stand there, come with me to the private room on the second floor. There are even more photos there than here."
With Meijiro holding Eri's hand, they followed Takao Tsuchiya and the female owner to the second floor of the sukiyaki restaurant.
We entered the innermost private room.
Upon entering, you are greeted by a wall of photos composed of pictures of mystery writers.
Compared to the downstairs area, the photo wall in the private rooms on the second floor is even more spectacular!
At a glance, there must be at least two hundred people!
Calling this a Hall of Fame for detective fiction wouldn't be an exaggeration!
Takao Tsuchiya pointed to the entire wall of photos, a rather smug expression on his face: "Kyosuke, Ms. Eru, don't be fooled by the dilapidated appearance of this shop from the outside."
"But this isn't a place that just anyone can come to."
"This is a sukiyaki restaurant that only those with a reputation in the mystery world can enter."
Takao Tsuchiya walked to the tatami mat and sat down cross-legged.
He gestured for Maishiro Kyosuke and Eri Miri to sit down.
After Maijo Kyosuke and Eri Ryumi sat down opposite Tsuchiya Takao.
Takao Tsuchiya then slowly began to speak: "Back in 1947, this place was just an ordinary sukiyaki restaurant."
"The owner is a chef who has been making sukiyaki for generations."
"Back then, I had just quit my job as a high school teacher because of my love for detective novels."
"With the guidance of Professor Edogawa, I wrote my work 'The Mask of the Tengu'."
"After I finished writing a manuscript, I would take it to Mr. Edogawa to read. Mr. Edogawa would sigh and complain whenever he saw me."
""
"I initially thought that Professor Edogawa thought I was stupid or that I wasn't cut out for this, but I never expected that after I finished writing my manuscript, I would receive high praise from Professor Edogawa!"
"So when I received my royalties, I planned to treat Mr. Edogawa to a nice meal to thank him for his guidance."
"After that, he took me to this sukiyaki restaurant, where we splurgeed on a whole four pounds of beef and drank two bottles of sake in one go!"
"Because the sukiyaki here is really good, I invite Mr. Edogawa to eat here every time I get paid for my writing."
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"Later, through the introduction of Professor Edogawa, I also met Professor Yokomizo, Professor Oshita Utaro, Professor Kiki Kotaro, and Professor Watanabe Keisuke."
"Every time I think about eating, I come here. Over time, I've become a regular here."
"At that time, mystery novels were flourishing, and Edogawa-sensei wanted to help mystery novels take root and flourish on this continent."
"Then it was proposed to form a 'Japanese Detective Writers Club'."
"The main goal is to mentor new writers and expand the mystery genre."
"And so, without any explanation or discussion, Mr. Edogawa established the Original Detective Writers Club right here in this private room!"
The door to the private room was opened.
The female owner pushed in a cart full of dishes and steaming hot sukiyaki pots, with a smile on her face.
The sukiyaki pot was placed in front of the three people, and the remaining dishes were placed on the table.
The female boss skillfully cracked an egg into the bowls of Maishiro Kagami, Eri Misaki, and Tsuchiya Takao, stirred it, and placed it in front of the three of them before slowly retreating.
Through the steam, Maijo Kyosuke watched as Tsuchiya Takao continued recounting the story that had unfolded in that private room: "Kyosuke, do you know, everyone present back then was a big shot who would influence the world of mystery!"
"There's Seishi Yokomizo, who just wrote the masterpiece 'The Honjin Murders,' and Kikuo Kakuta, who wrote 'The Takagi Family Tragedy,' sparking the 'orthodox mystery craze.'"
"He also wrote 'The Case of the Non-Continuous Murders,' making him a writer of the same caliber as Osamu Dazai, Jun Ishikawa, and Sakunosuke Oda.
"There's also Akimitsu Takagi, who wrote 'The Tattoo Murder Case,' and Kotaro Kiki, who wrote 'The Terrifying Three-Sided Mirror.'"
"These stars who are now shining brightly all sat in this box back then, becoming members of the Japanese Detective Writers Club!"
"Later, this sukiyaki restaurant became the birthplace of the 'Japanese Detective Writers Club.'"
"Anyone who has contributed to the reasoning can leave their name and photo on this wall."
"In other words, this photo wall records the entire history of Japanese mystery fiction!"
Takao Tsuchiya stood up, his back hunched, and walked to the upper middle part of the photo wall. Pointing to a young man wearing glasses, he said, "Hey, this is me when I was young."
"Throughout my life, I've only ranked in the top three tenths of Japanese mystery history."
Although Jiang Liumei is an editor-in-chief, her understanding of the history of Japanese mystery fiction is unparalleled.
However, the history of Japanese mystery fiction is divided into many schools, and there are very few that can be ranked in such a systematic way, which greatly interested Jiang Liu Meili.
"Tsuchiya-sensei, what if it were Maijo-sensei as she is now?"
Where would he rank?
Upon hearing Jiang Liumei's words, Tsuchiya Takao sat down again and then waved his hand: "As it stands? Yokomizo-sensei, Chen Shunchen-sensei, Chairman Miyoshi, and I all see that Kyosuke has great potential."
"It has quite a reputation outside as well."
"But to be blunt, there are at least two hundred people whose photos are displayed here."
"Those at the very bottom of the list must each have two books that have sold over a million copies."
"The current Jingjie doesn't have that kind of sales foundation."
"However, Miss Jiang Liu, you don't need to worry."
"In my opinion, Kyosuke's potential is far more than that."
"I believe that sooner or later, Kyosuke will stand in front of me, and even in front of Professor Yokomizo Seishi!"
After reminiscing about the past, Takao Tsuchiya seemed to have thought of something important.
He picked up his chopsticks and said to Maishiro Kyosuke and Jiang Liu Meili, "Hey—all I've been listening to is this old man reminiscing about the past!"
"Hurry up and pick up your chopsticks and eat the meat!"
"This contains the finest Wagyu beef that I ordered!"
"It won't taste as good when it gets old!"
Maijo Kyosuke and Eri Miri were amused by the contrast between Tsuchiya Takao and himself.
They all picked up their chopsticks and dipped them into the steaming sukiyaki pot.
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