Chapter 653: Crowned King

The lights in the venue dimmed rhythmically, and the people talking silently shut their mouths.

People like Kyousuke Hojo who were sitting with their backs to the podium turned around, and even Kotaro Michio, who was so excited that he couldn't help himself, shut his mouth. What Hojo Kyosuke didn't expect was that this Suiyu fan was not a real Suiyu, but had already created a work with a high degree of completion.

But when he offered to take a look at it, the boy said he didn't have it with him. It’s unbelievable. We are already in the age of electronics. In a few years, someone will use AI to help win the Akutagawa Prize. This guy is still saying, “You should use paper and a dip pen to write novels.”

Fortunately, this guy still has some self-awareness and knows that the people sitting here are all his seniors. He did not continue to talk about it, but obediently summarized the content of the novel.

The tentative name of the novel is "Crow's Thumb". Hojo Kyosuke didn't know what slang it was at first, but after explanation he learned that crow means an insider, basically referring to people like liars and thieves. The thumb represents an indispensable one of the five fingers, and the fingers represent close blood relations.

The content is about five desperate people who gathered under the same roof, five people who are not good people. The whole novel is the story that happened between them.

After listening to the content of the novel, Tsuyoshi Aisaka was so surprised that he was speechless.

"This... is completely your disciple, Hojo..." Misaki Megaku said in surprise.

"Yes! It was inspired by Mr. Hojo that I came up with such a story!" Michio Kotaro said excitedly.

"It is indeed the same as Hojo's work. It doesn't smell like a mystery novel." Aisaka clicked his tongue.

"This can no longer be considered a new character. As Kotaro said before, you are walking on a new path." Wancheng Yaji also agreed.

"..."

Hojo Kyosuke was also very surprised. After working for a long time, you are not a water friend, but a professional player. After a moment of silence, he said:

"Do you want to send your work to the Edogawa Ranpo Prize?"

It is different from the Mystery Writers Association Award. It is a newcomer award, which is the best choice for newcomers to make their debut. Even if they cannot win the final award, they can still win the favor of the publishing house as long as they can advance to the first or second round. The reason why Hojo Kyosuke did not choose to submit the manuscript was firstly because he was already famous enough, but also because he had a publisher he was familiar with and did not want to give this advantage to others. Newcomers can't get as high a share as him.

"No, my book will never win a prize if I submit it there." Michio Kotaro replied.

"You are quite self-aware."

Aisaka Tsuyoshi laughed, then patted Michio on the shoulder and whispered:

"But you can wait. When Hojo wins the award this time, the new genre he created will also be recognized by the reasoning community. Maybe he will be the judge after you officially publish it. By then, your The road will be much smoother.”

"Um!"

Michio nodded heavily, looking at the idol with sparkling eyes. This is also one of the things he admires about Hojo Kyosuke. Even though he suffered so much criticism, Mr. Hojo didn't flinch at all, but fiercely fought back with his works. He was so manly!

"This is what the masters of the genre need to do. If possible, I would also like to stand with Mr. Hojo and provide a little strength!"

he said sincerely.

At this time, the lights in the venue were almost all extinguished. Only the award podium and a circle of ambient lights around the edge were on. So when Hojo Kyosuke turned around, he could easily see Michio Kotaro's eyes, which were a pair of eyes full of faith. . His love for mystery novels and his admiration for him made him feel a little ashamed, but they disappeared without a trace in an instant.

He also patted the young man on the shoulder and whispered:

"Everything will be fine. Neon's future belongs to you."

He is obviously much younger, but when he makes such movements, he is extremely natural, and no one thinks there is anything wrong when he says such words.

Just like Michio Kotaro said, in the eyes of everyone, Hojo Kyosuke is using practical actions to practice his belief called courage. Create a path, split the thorns, and withstand the stormy waves.

After today, after climbing this mountain, no one will question him anymore.

The host had already stepped onto the stage and was adjusting the microphone. Hojo Kyousuke suddenly turned around with something in mind. Although everything behind was dim, he still caught those concerned eyes in an instant, and they were also looking at him.

Eiriri's dress was really shiny today. Even if there was only a little bit of light, it was still very dazzling, and Mitsuha and Sakura who were sitting next to her also became very conspicuous. Although he was not sure whether they could see it, Hojo Kyosuke still smiled brightly in that direction.

"Mina-san's..."

The host on the stage held the microphone and began to speak. He first greeted the guests present and introduced which celebrities in the literary world were attending. The first one named was Seiichi Morimura. The old gentleman stood up with a smile on his face. , bowed slightly to the crowd behind him, causing a burst of warm applause. Although he has many controversies, this does not affect his huge influence and appeal in the neon literary world, especially in the mystery novel world.

But Hojo Kyosuke clearly caught the reluctance in Teacher Morimura's smile. Haha, he is also an old social worker.

Several more heavyweights were named later, and Masaho Tsuruta was no exception. When this old boy stood up, his face was expressionless and majestic, and his triangular eyebrows no longer looked so funny.

Celebrities in the cultural world were followed by big figures in the publishing world. Among them, the president of Tandansha was directly present. This publishing house has a very close relationship with the Neon Mystery Writers Association. Another award of the association, the Edogawa Ranpo Award, was published by him. , is the number one sponsor. In addition, Hojo Kyosuke's manga editor Tetsuya Shimomura was also lucky enough to be named. After all, he was already the editor in chief. In addition, he was from a manga magazine. He was also a rare species here. Akamatsu next to him felt envious.

The names of the political guests were also called one by one, including Hojo Kyosuke's three prospective father-in-laws, Mr. Spencer, Mr. Miyamizu, Mr. Yukinoshita, and his new friend Yamaguchi Daisuke, etc.

Even the assistant of the big Hollywood director was called up and bowed. Although the original intention of the association was just to let all walks of life see the influence and appeal of their association, it was still a bit tough - no matter who came. He bowed to me and shouted "Hi!", even though he still didn't stand up and bend down to toast, that's how powerful he was.

After introducing a circle of people, Hojo Kyousuke didn't feel much, but he knew that the association's purpose had indeed been achieved, because Michio Kotaro, who was sitting next to him, never closed his mouth from the beginning to the end, and kept exclaiming and applauding. From his eyes, Hojo Kyousuke read the sentence "This is what a man should do."

Therefore, the sense of ceremony of Neon Man is really sufficient. After introducing such a large number of people, the atmosphere at the scene became visibly solemn. Hojo Kyosuke could even imagine what the people sitting in front of the TV looked like.

"Sikuniichi! Even xxxx and xxxx are here. I didn't expect Yukinoshita-san's father to be such a big shot!"

"Compared to Yukinoshita-san's father, I'm more surprised that Sawamura-san is actually British. His English level is obviously about the same as mine..."

"Did you hear that? Sister Sanye's father is actually a senior bureaucrat..."

"嘤嘤嘤——(As expected of aniki!)"

"Why didn't you hear the director's name? Does this host not want to do it anymore?"

"Yes, today's protagonist is obviously the eldest brother, shouldn't he be the first to call him up!"

"I'm so envious of Hata Goro and Kuroda for being able to go with them. I also want to meet those big shots."

"Yigahama, did you see the glass just now?"

"Hmm, it seems to be next to Sakura? At the same table as that girl with shiny blond hair."

"Nitro-chan seems to have mentioned that that shiny girl is Hojo-kun's exclusive artist. The two of them have been working together since Hojo-kun debuted."

"Wow... isn't this a comrade?"

"嘤嘤嘤"

"..."

Various voices sounded in various places, including the subordinates who were already drunk and almost getting high in the dojo of the Rampage Angel headquarters, the Hikigaya family, the chat group of Hojo Kyosuke's class, and the girls' respective classes. In chat groups and friends...

The cameras set up in front of and around the venue did their best to capture anyone who had a topic. Hojo Kyosuke also noticed that there was an unknown photographer whose camera was always pointed at his face. The host remained motionless despite his voice becoming hoarse.

As if noticing Hojo Kyosuke's gaze, the reporter next to the cameraman smiled at him.

Oh, it turns out to be from "Weekly Bunshun", no wonder it's so eye-catching. You guy, take some good photos for me, otherwise I won’t give you an interview opportunity later!

Hojo Kyosuke also gave him a bright smile. He was quite used to this kind of business. Although the neon paparazzi are annoying, it should be said that if we have a good relationship with them, their ability to take photos is really high. It's obviously just a street shot that captures every opportunity, but in many cases it's even more advanced than a specially shot photo. But once the relationship is bad or trouble is picked, looking at the magazine will cause doubts about "Who is this retarded person?"

After thanking the guests, the host began to introduce the process of today's press conference. The first inevitable thing is the "speech by the facilitator", that is, the speech by the president Kenzo Konno, followed by the book review award, the short story award, and finally the most important feature award.

Kenzo Konno came on stage and as usual began to thank the guests and thank everyone for their support for him and the association. After talking a lot of nonsense, he changed the subject:

"... What makes me feel a lot of pressure is that this year's Grand Prize not only has the youngest candidate ever nominated, but also caused many twists and turns. Fortunately, in the association, seniors such as Kurokawa Toyoma and Naganuma Hiroki With the support of the Association, I implemented the reform of the association’s selection system to adapt to the times and meet the needs of contemporary young people.”

Kurokawa Toyoma and Naganuma Hiroki in the audience looked at the strange looks from their literary colleagues around them and smiled stiffly.

After talking about the difficulties he encountered first, Kenzo Konno began to praise himself and the association. First, he talked about the great success of online voting. First, he broke three traditions, achieved four records, and gained a lot of attention from the society. . Let’s break down the achievements made by the association last year. How many novels were adapted into film and television dramas, how many countries it reached cultural exchanges with, and how many works were translated and disseminated...

These things are only appropriate to say on a day like this, so that the elders of the association and the viewers in front of the TV can understand in detail how dedicated and great his president is.

At the end of the sentence, Kenzo Konno left an affectionate sentence:

"Woliwaliwa Neon Mystery Writers Association is the earliest and oldest mystery fiction association in Neon. The Mystery Writers Association Award is also one of the most authoritative awards in the mystery world... but this is not the reason for us to hold back. Any Anything that cannot follow the trend of the times will be abandoned by time. In the days to come, I will join hands with everyone in the association to work hard to make the country a better place!”

As soon as he finished speaking, warm applause broke out. I have to say that this person is indeed a very capable person to become the president. He can succeed even without bullying those autistic writers.

Hojo Kyosuke in the audience breathed a sigh of relief. He was really scared. He was afraid that Kenzo Kono would suddenly say, "The silicone lovers of literary giants are being developed passionately. If you are interested, sign up as soon as possible!"

Then this press conference can really go down in history.

After the main organizer's speech, it was time for the Book Review Awards. Hojo Kyosuke didn't care about how they were selected, but the person who came to the stage to receive the award was actually Michio Kotaro. This guy didn't even say thank you when he came on stage and just held up the microphone. , shouting at him with tears in her eyes, "Teacher Hojo, have you seen that, I have lived up to your expectations, I finally did it!"

Someone becomes numb in an instant and says in his heart, "I don't have any expectations for you at all." Ten minutes ago, I didn't even know your name.

However, with more than a dozen shots on his face, even though he was cursing in his heart, Hojo Kyosuke could only show a motherly smile, give Michio Kotaro warm applause, and stood up to hug him passionately when the latter came down.

Kenzo Konno, who had already sat down, looked at the farce over there, his eyes changing.

How many other arrangements did this guy Hojo make?

Could it be that I was also arranged by him?

Next is the Short Story Award. This award also has a certain gold content. The winner is an old author who has been shortlisted for a novel once. His acceptance speech was quite touching. I heard Hojo Kyosuke silently excerpt a few sentences into his own speech.

It is worth mentioning that the award recipients are neither beautiful ladies nor sponsors, but well-known writers invited by the association.

Finally, it’s time for the Novel Award, which is also the real Mystery Association Award.

Kenzo Konno, the president of the association, returned to the stage again. (End of chapter)