69novels Chapter 172 The Person Most Deserving of the Title of Genius
Chapter 172 The Person Most Deserving of the Title of Genius
Chapter 172 The Person Most Deserving of the Title of Genius
The question posed by "great collector" Otto Penzel caused everyone present to fall into deep thought.
What if the same riddle and answer as "Dear Mr. S" were given to another writer to write?
What kind of story will it become?
Seeing that everyone was deep in thought, Hirayama Yumeaki slowly raised his hand, just like a student in class.
Otto Penzel smiled and nodded at Hirayama Yumeaki.
Hirayama Yumeaki stood up happily and said, "Mr. Otto, your question is very interesting and quite imaginative."
"I wonder what the other senior colleagues here are thinking?"
"But I have also written a few pieces in private, so I do have some authority to speak on this issue."
Hirayama Yumeaki was, after all, still a student, and he was somewhat intimidated by literary giants such as Yokomizo Seishi, Tsuchiya Takao, and Gonda Manji, as well as his idol, Maijo Kyosuke.
But Hirayama Yumeaki knew that being invited by Maishiro Kyosuke to participate in the "New Orthodox Mystery Club" was a rare opportunity.
"So, in order to avoid showing a panicked expression and making too much of a fool of myself."
Hirayama Yumeaki could only press one hand tightly against his thigh, digging his fingernails into the flesh of his thigh, using the pain to maintain his composure: "If I were to write the story 'Dear S-kun' using the same subject matter and the same narrative tricks, then the final product would definitely be a very mediocre work."
"Because Ms. Mai Cheng's essay, 'Dear Mr. S,' not only employs the letter-writing structure that many great writers dare not attempt, but also incorporates a strong element of unorthodox mystery!"
Despite the force with which Hirayama Yumeaki gripped his thigh, he still smiled confidently at the crowd and continued, "You all know me because I participated in the unconventional mystery novel competition held by Mr. Maijo at Mr. Tatara's used bookstore."
"The reason I participated in that competition is because I am actually a big fan of Edogawa Ranpo and Oshita Utaro."
"Although Ms. Mai is a classic mystery writer, her works, such as *A Bellflower*, *The Astrological Murders*, and *The Summer of the Ubume*, all carry a hint of unconventional mystery elements."
"I didn't know how to describe this feeling before, but after reading 'Dear S-kun' today, I realized how powerful Ms. Maishiro is!"
"Let's get back to Mr. Otto's question. If I were to rewrite the story of 'Dear Mr. S,' I would definitely write it as follows:"
"Jack and S are a very close couple. Due to some strange circumstances, Jack and S begin to search for the meaning of life."
"Through their continued exploration, the two discovered that Jack's purpose in life was to become 'food.'"
"And the meaning of Mr. S's life is to savor 'food'."
"In the end, the two entered a wooden hut and fulfilled their respective dreams."
"S, with her huge belly, looked at Jack's remains and shed tears of emotion."
After explaining his idea, Hirayama Yumeaki blushed and scratched his head: "If it were the old me, I would have been smug about my unique technique and ingenious conception, thinking I was a genius and that my writing style was unparalleled!"
"But when I saw the way Ms. Maishiro handled things in 'Dear S-kun,' I realized how huge the gap is between me and Ms. Maishiro!"
"This gap isn't just about writing skills and structural arrangement; it's something deeper, something that someone at my level simply can't grasp or see!"
"If I had to find a similar thing to describe it, it would be mindset!"
"Mr. Mai Shiro, using his avant-garde thinking and a very unconventional mystery setting, wrote a novel that is very much a classic mystery!"
"This rare and precious mindset, coupled with an extreme level of restraint, means that there are no words of horror, suspense, or creepiness in the story of 'Dear Mr. S'."
"Yet it tells a very terrifying, horrifying, and chilling story!"
"This skill of never mentioning rain yet always talking about it makes me insanely envious."
"I think the question Mr. Otto raised is itself a false question."
"Because 'Dear Mr. S' doesn't win over audiences with its story themes, plot twists, or bizarre motivations."
"The reason why 'Dear Mr. S' was able to have such a huge emotional impact on the twelve people present is because Ms. Mai Shiro used a letter structure, 'integrating narrative tricks' and 'unconventional reasoning,' discarding the dross and keeping the essence, to achieve an ultimate crystallization!"
"What do you mean, what if someone else wrote this work?"
"The problem itself doesn't exist, because apart from Ms. Mai, no other writer, even if they spent their entire lives, could possibly come up with such an extreme idea as using the epistolary structure, the 'narrative trick,' and the 'unconventional mystery' combined with the 'classical mystery'!"
"Even if someone happens to come up with this idea, the extremely high level of difficulty and the tricky approach make it daunting and deters people from pursuing this kind of subject matter!"
Hirayama Yumeaki looked at Maishiro Kyosuke with an expression of admiration: "Mashiro-sensei, although I'm reluctant to use the overused term 'genius' to address you, at this moment, I have to admit that you are the person in my heart who most deserves the title of genius!"
Hirayama Yumeaki's words earned high praise from Otto Penzel, who not only gave Hirayama Yumeaki a thumbs up but also inspired the other members of the "New Authentic Mystery Club" to burst into huge applause in the private room!
Amidst the applause of the crowd, Hirayama Yumeaki sat back down in his chair. He saw literary masters such as Yokomizo Seishi, Tsuchiya Takao, and Gonda Manji, as well as his idol Maijo Kyosuke, all clapping and applauding him.
A profound sense of satisfaction filled every cell of Hirayama Yumeaki's body; this pleasure even made him forget the cracks and sores on his thighs from nervousness.
After Hirayama Yumeaki and Otto Penzel finished expressing their thoughts on Maijo Kyosuke's "Dear S-kun".
Gonda Manji, who had been itching to speak, stood up and said, "The evaluations and analyses of 'Dear S-kun' by Yokomizo-sensei, Otto-sensei, and Hirayama-sensei were very insightful."
"Therefore, I will not comment further on the writing techniques."
"What I want to do this time is to enumerate all of Mr. Mai's crimes!"
Gonda Manji's words shocked everyone present!
Everyone was wondering what exactly Maijo Kyosuke had done wrong and offended the commentary master, Gonda Manji.
Seeing everyone looking at him with puzzled and strange expressions, Gonda Manji couldn't help but smile: "Does everyone remember? After entering the private room, the first thing Teacher Maijo did was remind us of his piece titled 'Dear S'..."
"A short mystery novel titled 'You'."
"The inspiration came from Lord Lord Dunsony's 'Two Bottles of Seasoning'."
"I don't know if everyone here has read Lord Lord Dunsony's 'Two Bottles of Seasoning,' but it doesn't matter if you haven't. All you need to know is—"
One of the core elements of the story of "Two Bottles of Seasoning" is the ingenious trick of hiding a corpse, and this trick is the basis for "Dear S".
In the story of "The Prince," what did S do in Country B?
"Knowing that 'Dear Mr. S' was inspired by 'Two Bottles of Seasoning,' I naturally assumed that 'Dear Mr. S' would be a short mystery novel that utilizes repackaging techniques, just like Ms. Mai Cheng's 'A Bellflower.'"
"So, when I read 'Dear Mr. S' expecting to find the same trick as in 'Two Bottles of Seasoning,' I was instead terrified by its outrageous core plot and its twisted motives that defied all expectations!"
After finishing his sentence, Gonda Manji looked at Maishiro Kyosuke with a complex expression of both admiration and hatred: "This is Maishiro-sensei's crime!"
"In the story 'Dear S-kun,' Ms. Mai Cheng set up narrative tricks that were beyond what ordinary people expected, and she didn't stop there."
"Even before we read the story 'Dear Mr. S,' we were told in advance that the inspiration for this work came from Lord Lord Dunsony's 'Two Bottles of Seasoning.'"
"I initially thought Ms. Mai was acting out of kindness, but I never imagined that her words were part of a narrative trick!"
After speaking, Gonda Manji paused for a moment, then fixed his gaze on Eriya Miki, who was sitting next to Maishiro Kyosuke. "Ms. Eriya!"
Upon hearing Quan Tian Wanzhi's words, Jiang Liu Meili looked at him with a puzzled expression, asking, "Mr. Quan Tian?"
Upon receiving a beautiful response from Jiang Liu, Gonda Manji revealed a rare, mischievous smile that didn't suit his age: "Ms. Jiang Liu, I utterly despise Mr. Maishiro's 'fraudulent behavior.'"
"I hate it as much as I hate it, but I have to admire Mr. Mai's interesting little trick."
"Whether you cheat one person, a hundred, or ten thousand, it's all the same. So I hope Miss Jiang Liu will consider my suggestion—"
When the next issue of *Top Hat* magazine features "Dear Mr. S," please see it on the cover of *Top Hat* magazine, or in the article "Dear Mr. S."
Add a note before the title of "The Gentleman" that this work is a tribute to Lord Lord Dunsony's "Two Bottles of Seasoning"!
"If that's the case, when readers discover the truth of the story in 'Dear Mr. S,' they will find that the very first line is also part of a narrative trick," which will undoubtedly leave them feeling cheated and deepen the impression that Mr. Mai Shiro has on them.
"In that case, it's an excellent promotional tactic!"
Upon hearing Quan Tian Wanzhi's words, Jiang Liu Meili turned to look at Mai Shiro Jingjie beside her.
He saw that Maijo Kyosuke was looking at him with a smile.
Jiang Liu Meili smiled and winked at Mai Cheng Jingjie, a sly smile on her face.
"Sizzle!"
Jiang Liumei casually tore a piece of paper from her notebook, then took the paper and pen and walked up to Quan Tian Wanzhi. Feigning ignorance, she said, "Mr. Quan Tian, could you please write down what you just said?"
"I really want to take your advice, but I'm afraid I won't remember it."
Jiang Liumei's words and actions all indicated that she wanted to take this opportunity to get Quan Tianmanji's review of "Dear S-kun".
Seishi Yokomizo probably hadn't encountered anything happy or interesting for a long time.
Seeing Jiang Liu Meili demanding Quan Tian Wanzhi's comments in such a way, I couldn't help but laugh.
Upon hearing Yokomizo Seishi's laughter, everyone present realized Jiang Liu Meili's little scheme and joined in the laughter.
Seeing Jiang Liu Meili's obviously feigned plea for help, Quan Tian Wanzhi could only smile and shake his head. He took the pen, and with a flourish, wrote on the paper: "This work is inspired by Lord Lord Dunsony's *Two Bottles of Seasoning*. If you want to experience indescribable horror and twisted love, then *Dear S-kun* is your best choice!"
Gonda Manji wrote a comment and signed his name below it, which can be regarded as authorizing Jiang Liu Meili to use it.
Jiang Liu Meili smiled as she accepted the comments from Gonda Manji, then returned to her seat and gave Maishiro Kyosuke a cheerful high-five!
Clearly, this meticulously planned method of "deceiving comments" was something that Jiang Liu Meili and Mai Cheng Jingjie had discussed long ago.
As the laughter of the crowd subsided, Kiyoshi Kasai stood up and continued the words of his senior, Manji Gonda: "Mr. Gonda, what you just said has reminded me of something important."
Kasai Kiyoshi smiled as she looked at everyone present, finally fixing her gaze on Kenzaki Mitsuki, who was sitting not far away: "Do you all remember? Before we even started reading 'Dear S-kun,' Ms. Kenzaki asked Ms. Maishiro, 'Is 'Dear S-kun' a mystery novel with a romance theme?'"
"Does anyone remember how Ms. Maishiro answered back then?"
Upon hearing Manji Gonda's words, Mitsuki Kenzaki pouted, a complex, bitter smile on her face: "Mr. Maishiro said that, as the creator, he naturally believed that 'Dear S-kun' contained elements of romance—"
"However, now that I think about it, it's exactly as Mr. Gonda just said!"
"Ms. Mai said that 'Dear Mr. S' contains romantic elements, which is complete fraud!"
"Someone's dream is to become food, and then be eaten by someone else? What kind of love is that?"
Upon hearing Kenzaki Mitsuki's words, Maishiro Kyosuke, who had been silent all along, revealed a faint smile: "Ms. Kenzaki, didn't I already say that? And I made it very clear."
"As the creator, I naturally believe that there are elements of love in 'Dear Mr. S,' but what I can't be sure of is whether this kind of love is considered love in your hearts?"
"If not, I'd like to ask, what kind of feelings does Jack, the protagonist of the story 'Dear Mr. S,' have for Mr. S?"
"What are the definitions of love?"
Kenzaki Mitsuki naturally greatly admired Maijo Kyosuke's writing abilities.
I both admire and like Kyosuke Maijo.
In order to create an opportunity to meet and date with Kyosuke Maijo alone, Mitsuki Kenzaki spent a lot of money searching the world for Danna, the teacher from Ellery Queen!
However, Kenzaki Mitsuki still has some reservations about the story "Dear S-kun".
Of course, this disagreement does not mean that Maijo Kyosuke's "Dear S-kun" is not well written.
It might actually be because Maijo Kyosuke wrote it so well.
Therefore, when Kenzaki Mitsuki saw the ending, the final reversal where Jack wanted to become the victim, she suffered a ton of "mental blows"!
This terrifying, horrifying, and chilling truth instilled in Kensaki Mitsuki a deep-seated fear of the story "Dear S-kun".
This part of the fear stems from the almost pathological obsession and dreams of the story's protagonist, Jack.
The other part is all blamed on Maijo Kyosuke's "false advertising"!
After all, when Kenzaki Koki heard Maijo Kyosuke say that there was a "romantic element" in the story of "Dear S-kun"...
Based on Kenzaki Mitsuki's conjecture, it is natural to assume that "Dear S-kun" is a mystery story about love, just like "A Bellflower".
So, Kenzaki Mitsuki read "Dear S-kun" with the expectation of appreciating "A Bellflower".
I had hoped that in the story of "Dear S-kun", I would see a love story like that of Suzue-san, which would bring me new emotions.
However, I was almost scared to death by the dark, scary, creepy, and extremely terrifying ending of "Dear Mr. S"!
Kenzaki Mitsuki was lost in thought for a long time.
When he came to his senses, he found that everyone present was looking at him with expectant eyes.
Kenzaki Mitsuki recalled the question Maijo Kyosuke had just asked, cleared her throat, adjusted her glasses, and began to define love: "Just now, Mr. Maijo asked me what my definition of love is. I don't know what everyone's answer would be."
"But for me, love means giving everything, throwing caution to the wind, supporting each other through thick and thin, and growing old together."
In short, in my mind and world, love should be beautiful, unblemished, and something to yearn for —
Kenzaki Mitsuki paused for a moment, then continued, "Even if some love doesn't turn out as desired, it should still be like Suzue in 'A Bellflower'—unwavering, reckless, and passionate!"
"But—what's in 'Dear Mr. S'?"
"All I saw was a twisted psychopath searching for someone to help him fulfill his bizarre dreams!"
"Therefore, no matter what I do, I can't see a single trace of love in the story of 'Dear Mr. S'!"