"Akechi-kun, you're participating in this discussion too..." Mori Kogoro looked at the person standing in the doorway, his surprise genuine.
The invitation had come from a media outlet collaborating with the magazine, and the person he was supposed to be discussing matters with was an elderly, established author. He truly hadn't expected there to be a third participant in the conversation.
"Ah, I am participating, but perhaps not in the way you imagined." Tangze wore his usual gentle smile as he explained, "My experience naturally isn't sufficient for me to join the teachers' discussion. The newspaper invited me to serve as the host for the talk."
"So that's how it is..." Mori Kogoro suddenly understood and silently praised the newspaper.
It wasn't their planning he was praising, so much as their financial resources.
Akechi Goro, thanks to his outstanding public relations skills and his knack for dealing with the media, took on many jobs that Mori Kogoro couldn't manage. Combined with his excellent screen presence, he had always been a favorite of the cameras.
For a media outlet, inviting Akechi Goro to appear was not much different from inviting him onto a television variety show.
His fee was probably a little higher than Mori Kogoro's...
As Mori Kogoro sighed inwardly, Masutaka Shirokuchi turned his head and scrutinized the overly youthful, handsome face of the boy by the door, frowning.
Of course, as a mystery novelist, he knew this detective who had become famous recently.
Precisely because he knew him, his feelings were rather complicated.
Opinions varied on just how capable this young man truly was, and how much of the aura surrounding him came from public opinion and popular affection rather than his own abilities.
But one point was abundantly clear: celebrities with this level of exposure commanded very high