Chapter 30 The Clockwork Museum Incident by Hachiman Hikigaya

Hikigaya invited the two editors this time primarily to gather more information from them about the development of current mystery literature. Imamura Naho is an absolute expert in this field. As a mystery literature editor, her knowledge is far superior to that of Hikigaya, the transmigrator.

Machida Sonoko, while not specialized in mystery literature, brings valuable experience as an excellent editor with considerable reading volume and publishing knowledge, which could also be useful to Hachiman. Additionally, there is another reason for inviting Machida: if Hikigaya only made an appointment with Imamura and not with her, Machida would certainly make a fuss upon finding out.

"I actually have a very bold idea in mind. This idea involves the core trick of the story, but I won't reveal it just yet. Right now, I want to know one thing: how is the development of Japan's new orthodox mystery novel?"

The term "new orthodox" emerged in the 1970s when readers of the popular mystery novels grew tired of the social mystery stories that had dominated the Japanese literary scene for decades, largely influenced by Matsumoto Seicho. Some publishing houses and magazines seizing this opportunity began to promote the "revival of orthodox" mystery, cultivating and discovering a group of outstanding orthodox mystery writers.

However, while these writers' orthodox works initially received a positive response, they ultimately failed to leave a lasting impression on readers. It wasn't until the "god of reasoning," Soji Shimada, published "Astrology Murder Magic" that everyone's perception of orthodox reasoning changed, leaving the reasoning community struggling to accurately define the novel for a long time.

In summary, with "Astrology Murder Magic" as a guiding reference, a new type of orthodox mystery novel emerged, characterized by a more bizarre atmosphere and grander techniques—this is what is known as new orthodox mystery. In this world, the development of mystery literature has only progressed to this point, and the rest is beyond Hikigaya's understanding. He knows that there must be a new orthodox school in this world, but he lacks knowledge about its specific progression.

"New orthodox? Let me think..." Naho Imamura began. "After the last century's wave of orthodox mystery, many works did come out, but there weren't many standout publications or representative writers. In today's new orthodox development, there are only a few writers who repeatedly utilize these narrative tricks in various ways. While there are many topical works that have received good commercial feedback, their reputations are just average."

Hikigaya considered, "Are there no representative writers? It seems the disappearance of those key figures in the new orthodox school during the 1980s and 1990s has had a significant impact."

"I've read a few of the narrative tricks she mentioned, and while they're quite flashy, they tend to overshadow the actual story. It's almost as if the entire success of the book hinges on the ability to fool the reader, rather than focus on the narrative itself. I believe this goes against the original intention of the genre," Machida Sonoko added, expressing her criticism of works that meticulously craft hundreds of thousands of words just to execute a narrative trick, considering it a disservice to the greater good.

"Well, I understand. You two are indeed well-read, and I have gained a lot from our discussion. Your insights have strengthened my confidence," Hikigaya said sincerely, eliciting slight smiles of embarrassment from the two editors beside him.

"My new work is tentatively planned as a classical piece, or more accurately, a neo-classical work. It will include detectives, a suicide squad, a clock tower, a castle, a mysterious old family, a locked room, a serial murder case, and impossible crimes. This is the kind of story I intend to write."

"Just hearing that description makes me want to read it right away..." Machida Sonoko replied, seemingly in a daze.

"So what you wrote, Mr. Hachiman, is actually a stunning new orthodox mystery akin to 'Astrology Murder Magic,' rather than one that relies on narrative techniques to stand out, correct?" 

Naho Imamura was professional and hit the nail on the head.

"Yes, Editor Imamura. I believe that an excellent orthodox mystery can better showcase the fundamental skills of a mystery novelist. The content of this book will be longer than my previous two works, likely exceeding 200,000 words. I probably won't serialize it; the serialization process takes too long, and my creative process may struggle under that model since it can take a significant amount of time just to draft an outline."

"You're not going to serialize it anymore... I'd say that's a pity, but the publisher will definitely respect your decision," Imamura replied, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"This is how new orthodox mystery works operate. If serialized, it becomes challenging to provide the best reading experience. Please convey my thoughts to others. Thank you for your understanding."

"Mr. Hachiman, do you have a title for your new work?" Machida Sonoko asked curiously.

"Of course. It's called 'The Clock House Incident.'"

"The Clock Museum Incident," written by Ayatsuji Yukito—a new orthodox genius who plays mahjong as his main job (he even won the Meijin tournament championship)—is recognized as the best in his 'Museum' series. It has won the Japan Mystery Writers Association Award and ranks highly in the 'Weekly Top 100 Mystery Novels.' It is a work celebrated by significant awards in the mystery genre and admired by mystery fans.

Hikigaya chose this work to fill the gap in this world line's Shin-orthodox school, which lacks essential representative works. According to Editor Imamura's description and his own observations, this world's Shin-orthodox school is still recognized as an important mystery tradition, but the absence of high-quality works is an undeniable truth. If "The Clockwork Museum Incident" were presented in this timeline, it could potentially inspire a new Shin-orthodox movement.

The more he thought about it, the more excited Hikigaya became, and he couldn't wait to get home and start writing.

"Mr. Hachiman, according to the publisher's survey, the audience for your 'Confessions' series is becoming increasingly younger. It may soon gain popularity among high school and even junior high school students," Naho Imamura shifted the topic.

"That's to be expected. After all, it tells the story of middle school students. It's natural for it to resonate with younger readers," Hikigaya said with a smile. He wasn't surprised; he had met a high school girl and a junior high girl at a party last year, both of whom were fans of "Confessions," even though at that time only three chapters had been serialized.

"The sales in the second month were also strong, with a total of 180,000 copies sold, and the second print run of 600,000 copies has already been distributed to bookstores nationwide."

Hikigaya was aware of this. The royalties from the second printing had already been credited to his account, totaling more than 70 million yen, with 30 million yen going to taxes. His savings had officially crossed the 100 million yen mark. However, he expected the third printing to come out at the end of the year.

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