Chapter 156

Next book? What type should I write?

Akiwara Yuto bit his pen and fell into deep thought, starting to recall the series of books he had written since coming to this world.

Up to now, he had successively written three works: *Zoo*, *The Devotion of Suspect X*, and *Death by Negligence*.

The first one helped him debut and gain a certain fame, the second one helped him gain a certain capital accumulation through self-publishing, and as for the third one, while helping him win the award, it also solved his predicament of being blacklisted.

These results were some he expected, but some were unexpected.

For example, the work *Death by Negligence* was adapted from the foreign work *Knives Out* because he didn't want to waste it.

In other words, it was purely an experimental work for testing the water.

But it was such a work for testing the water that achieved good results and was supported by a specific social group, constantly selling well.

This proved one thing: even if it is a foreign detective work, as long as the adaptation can adapt to Japanese local society and the story is exciting enough, it can still achieve no small success.

So, should he adapt another suitable work to test the water?

After all, looking at it now, he no longer had too many burdens and only needed to continue to be steady. And after continuously issuing 3 bestselling works, he also had a certain trial and error space.

However, should he not be so troublesome and directly take out the works of Miyabe Miyuki and Edogawa Ranpo?

But he only remembered a dozen Japanese detective masterpieces, and using one means one less...

Akiwara Yuto put down his pen, looked at the paper on the table, and was somewhat indecisive for a moment.

While he was thinking, the phone at the entrance rang.

Akiwara Yuto stood up, walked downstairs, and picked up the phone, "Hello, I am Akiwara Yuto, who are you?"

"Mr. Akiwara, I am Seto Tamae. Do you have time to come to the Detective Writers Association in Setagaya Ward this afternoon? President Kawai wants to talk to you simply..."

Hearing this invitation, Akiwara Yuto was somewhat surprised, but still agreed.

2:20 PM, Setagaya Ward.

Akiwara Yuto came to a building that didn't look like much according to the address Seto Tamae gave.

The building was about 6 stories high, ordinary, somewhat similar to a Japanese middle school teaching building.

But on the wall outside the building, a plaque was hung, writing the six words "Detective Writers Association."

Akiwara Yuto simply looked at it, pushed open the building's main door, walked to the front desk, and asked a "Mediterranean" man who was on duty.

"Hello, I am Akiwara Yuto, I have already made an appointment by phone before."

The "Mediterranean" man lowered his head to look at a form on the table, nodded, handed a chest card to Akiwara Yuto, and pointed to the elevator next to it.

"Mr. Akiwara, take the elevator to the 6th floor, and then the first room on the right is it."

Akiwara Yuto secretly complained in his heart, compared to the reception at Mantanshe, this is too casual, right?

But he still thanked him, took the chest card and pinned it on his chest, and left to take the elevator to the room the other party mentioned.

He walked to the room the man mentioned, knocked lightly, and after hearing a "please come in," he pushed the door open.

Inside the door was a simple reception room. Sitting on the sofa in this reception room were 3 "acquaintances."

They were writer Seto Tamae, Vice President of the Detective Writers Association Kawai Shinta, and Miyagawa Yosuke, whom he had met once at Tokyo Women's University.

After seeing the three, Akiwara Yuto immediately bowed and greeted politely, and the other three on the field also stood up and responded politely.

"Mr. Akiwara, please sit down." Kawai Shinta waved his hands and greeted Akiwara Yuto to sit down as well.

Akiwara Yuto nodded and sat down with the others.

He knew that he belonged to the younger generation, and in terms of qualifications, he only belonged to a "newcomer" who had debuted for only half a year, so he consciously sat in the position closest to the door.

This position meant his qualifications were the shallowest.

After sitting down, Akiwara Yuto looked around at the others and asked politely: "President Kawai, I am honored to receive your invitation, but may I ask you, what is the intention of inviting me this time?"

"Mr. Akiwara, don't be so anxious." Kawai Shinta smiled and took the initiative to hand a cup of already brewed tea to Akiwara Yuto, "Inviting you here this time is to give you a test."

Akiwara Yuto took the tea, but there were many more doubts in his heart.

Test? What is this?

He recalled the "riddles" he received on the night of the Detective Literature Newcomer Award, felt even more speechless in his heart, and felt that this President Kawai was indeed a strange person.

Akiwara Yuto subconsciously glanced at Seto Tamae and found that she was also smiling, in a posture of selling riddles.

Miyagawa Yosuke, sitting on the side, smiled and took over the words, "Mr. Akiwara, this test is just a routine process, I hope you don't mind. If there is no problem, I will start here."

Before this, he had learned through the mouths of the other two that Akiwara Yuto had proposed a code of conduct containing all detective trick design techniques, such as nine types of tricks.

After learning the specific content, he appreciated Akiwara Yuto's talent even more.

In his view, the so-called routine test was just an easy problem for Akiwara Yuto.

Akiwara Yuto was still confused, but he also heard the meaning inside. If he passed this test, perhaps there would be some unexpected gains?

He thought about it and nodded, indicating that he was ready.

Miyagawa Yosuke coughed and began to speak.

"Generally speaking, when an author designs detective works, they often formulate some rules or taboos for themselves in writing, so as to avoid the irrationality of their works. So today I want to ask Mr. Akiwara, what special rules do you have to follow when creating detective works?"

Pausing, he added: "Just talk about it simply."

Miyagawa Yosuke said he didn't expect it, but he was actually very curious in his heart.

After all, in his view, since Akiwara Yuto could propose theories like nine types of tricks, then some other detective theories were also normal.

Perhaps this test today could bring him different experiences.

Akiwara Yuto heard this question and fell into entanglement instead.

Detective rules?

He drank a sip of tea, frowned, and fell into deep thought.

If it is detective rules, then it is necessary to mention Knox's Ten Commandments and Van Dine's Twenty Rules. In these two rules, many design techniques for detective work have been made into frames.

But to tell the truth, these two rules are too old and outdated. Many designs inside are not only unreasonable but also full of some religious and racial prejudices.

So in this test, talking about these two rules is meaningless.

Then Higashino Keigo's *The Rules of the Detective*.

Forget it, it is full of a lot of criticism and complaints about the Honkaku school. If you really say it, it is estimated that it will cause a lot of dissatisfaction from the Honkaku school.

He didn't want to make enemies now.

But besides this, what else could he say?

Although this Mr. Miyagawa said to talk about it simply, if he talked about it simply, then the talented writer image he had established before would undoubtedly be shattered.

Akiwara Yuto closed his eyes and kept digging in his mind.

After half a moment, he opened his eyes and said: "When I write detective works, I designed the following rules..."