Sogo Doma was "terrified"

A Discussion of Japanese Mystery Fiction.

That was the name, yes.

On the day of the meeting, Sogo Doma was a little late due to some business (making bento for a certain good-for-nothing's little sister). Fortunately, such gatherings were meant to be serious, and he wasn't the only one who arrived late.

It was called a discussion session.

But in reality, it was just a group of acquaintances chatting and joking around. Although these people held quite high status—in Japan, professions like writers, as long as they weren't light novelists, were still quite enviable.

"Boohoo, Teacher Kimura's Flowers and Blades captures the current state of Japan."

"Teacher Suzuki isn't bad either. His Wailing not only expresses the final cry humans can emit when enduring unbearable weight, but also expresses..."

"Did you forget Teacher Natsume?"

The above were all traditional literature.

However, it was rather peculiar for a group of mystery writers to be discussing traditional literature. In such an atmosphere, it seemed like one would be looked down upon if they didn't mention a few works of traditional literature...

Sogo Doma had been in the venue for about a few minutes. He was keeping a low profile, just staying in the hall for a while, and he was bewildered.

"Excuse me, is this a mystery fiction discussion session?" Sogo Doma raised his hand and asked, looking at the mystery novel creators who were still discussing traditional literature!

Asking when you don't understand is a very good habit!

Silence, silence was the theme of the moment, and the expressions of a few authors changed slightly.

Then.

"Hahaha..."

"Mr. Ishibata's The Second Page's Slaughter is the true representative of the mystery world!"

"Mr. Kanzaki's Wasteland is also of utmost importance!"

"What about Northern Sun Manhunt?"

"Ah, that's also a good work," someone said, stroking their chin.

A group of people started making awkward small talk, all while cursing inwardly: "Who the hell is so clueless about the atmosphere?"

Did they not know this was a mystery fiction discussion session? But compared to mystery novels, traditional novels were clearly more sophisticated...

It was like everyone else was discussing Beethoven, but you were talking about Cai Xukun...

When others quoted Symphony of Fate, you opened your mouth and sang, "Singing, dancing, RAP, basketball is good."

Similarly.

In Japan, traditional literature held a much higher status than mystery novels. Before the meeting started, discussing traditional literature clearly sounded more refined and sophisticated.

There was no way around it. In the literary world, authors of traditional literature often looked down on authors of mystery novels, and authors of mystery novels looked down on authors of light novels—even the authors themselves thought this way, let alone others.

If that weren't the case, they wouldn't have been discussing traditional literature so extensively.

Of course, these were all superficial phenomena—

Just like the guy discussing Beethoven with you might actually be a fan of "Classmate Xiao Ming," and the guy quoting Symphony of Fate might privately listen to Two Wives and One Husband.

And the guy who sings, dances, does RAP, and plays basketball might be able to play Chopin's Nocturne if he sat down.

After all, a guy who looks sloppy might be wearing the same brand of underwear as JACK.

So, these guys who always quoted classics and talked about art might be secretly fantasizing over Playboy.

Sogo Doma didn't think much of such people, especially those who appeared traditional on the surface but fantasized over Playboy. If he encountered them, he would definitely confiscate their books and refuse to read them, as he was a noble person...

Of course, this wasn't the main reason Sogo Doma spoke up. The main reason was that he genuinely couldn't understand what these people were discussing.

How long had it been since he woke up from his confusion? How could he possibly read the famous works of this world?

Originally, he thought that a mystery fiction discussion session would probably just be a gathering of writers playing mystery games, or at most discussing some popular mystery works.

To that end, Sogo Doma had even crammed some of this world's mystery novels. To be honest, he almost cried—his powerful logical thinking ability often allowed him to figure out the killer halfway through the book.

Once or twice was fine, but after being spoiled seven or eight times...

Sogo Doma: "Rage (ノ｀ー′)ノ~~┻━┻".

What the hell!

This was like being transported from before and watching Detective Conan, then having someone point at a character with a red pen and write, "This is that little black guy"—I thank you for not directly telling me who the killer is.

Suppressing the urge to curse, Sogo Doma flipped through more than a dozen mystery novels. After reading them, he felt a sense of existential despair.

There was no way around it. Mystery novels relied on suspense to attract readers. How much literary depth could they be expected to have? Perhaps such mystery novels existed, but they were often a clear stream in the mystery genre. If the plot didn't collapse, they would surely cause a sensation in the industry.

These kinds of novels were not worth looking at; just follow along and agree.

Moreover, such novels wouldn't be discussed for too long. It was impossible; their success was too great, and discussing them would always lead to a feeling of inadequacy. Therefore, a few words would suffice to indicate that everyone had mentioned them, without being too embarrassed.

The above was all Sogo Doma's consideration and preparation.

However, after preparing for so long, the venue turned out like this:

"Ooh, Teacher Kimura's Flowers and Blades truly captures the current state of Japan."

Sogo Doma: "@_@"

Who the hell is this? And what the hell is Flowers and Blades?

"Teacher Suzuki..."

Sogo Doma: "@_@"

Wait!

He needed a moment to process this. What on earth did mystery novels have to do with the unbearable weight of humanity? Besides, wouldn't it be better to describe it as a scream?

At this, Zhou Shuren unleashed a death stare.

Come to think of it, he couldn't have gone to the wrong venue, could he?

He looked up at the banner—Japan Mystery Novel Appreciation Meeting. He hadn't gone to the wrong place.

After listening for a few more minutes, Sogo Doma couldn't sit still. At this moment, he felt like a husky—no, a South China tiger—that had wandered into a pack of wolves.

He was young to begin with... twelve, or was it thirteen? Surrounded by a group of adults, Sogo Doma felt himself trembling; he was even so terrified that he let out a yawn.

In this situation, he didn't even dare to interject—seriously, what on earth were these people discussing?

It was precisely to avoid this feeling of fear that Sogo Doma spoke up weakly and raised his hand to ask a question.

Ah, one really must bravely take the first step.

Look, they were finally talking about something serious.

Hearing a work that sounded somewhat familiar, Sogo Doma felt much better. His fear had eased significantly; perhaps he could join in and share his thoughts too.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Just as he was thinking this, the topic of conversation shifted again. The several big shots, who had been in the middle of a heated discussion, felt they had been interrupted. They first asked the familiar authors beside them: "Do you know whose child this is?"

They all shook their heads.

Immediately after, they began to question the staff.

The staff member was also bewildered. In his memory, there were absolutely no invitees who had brought children today.

"Impossible. If not, then what's up with that kid?"

Staff member: "..."

He didn't know either, but in the service industry, even if you don't know, you have to find the answer.