In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

That means, why not make it clear to yourself from the beginning?

"Terrible~"

Yoko handed over the scissors.

Kazusa took it and opened it.

Inside were souvenirs such as fish cakes, black omelets, and wagashi (Japanese sweets).

"Hakone special edition... Chiya's gone on vacation, huh?"

"Ah."

Kazusa gave a soft reply.

During casual conversations, Yuan Qianye had mentioned this matter, so she knew about it.

More than the gifts, she took out a note from inside the bag.

The handwriting above is flowing and elegant, making it unforgettable.

The content is very simple, just one sentence—

I tasted some delicious local food on the way here, and thinking you might like it, I brought it back and sent it to you. I hope you like it.

Yoko leaned closer and said, "Kazusa, Chiya's handwriting is much better than yours."

Kazusa blushed slightly and retorted, "Mom, aren't you the same?"

Yoko giggled, "At least you're much better than Kazusa."

Instead of arguing with her mother, Kazusa took her phone, thought for a moment, and simply took a picture of the package and sent it over, adding a "thank you" message.

In that brief moment of inattention, Yoko had already opened a box of desserts, tasted a piece, and couldn't help but nod in approval: "It tastes good."

Upon seeing this, Kazusa quickly brought all her belongings over and placed them on her bedside table.

There was no going back on what she had already eaten, but it was clear that she didn't intend to let her mother interfere with anything else.

"You stingy Kazusa, you can't possibly finish all that!"

Kazusa remained unmoved by her mother's protests and even physically pushed her out of the room.

"Sigh... did I raise a daughter or a possessive little dog?"

Yoko, pushed out the door, sighed helplessly, pressing her forehead to her hand.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A similar scene, the same thing, is happening at the Shinomiya Bessou.

"You stingy Hayasaka! There are so many black eggs out there, what's wrong with letting me try one!"

“Miss, as a lady, you shouldn’t use words like ‘egg’ so easily. Reduplicated words won’t make you any cuter. Also, we can’t guarantee that things sent from outside are completely harmless. For your safety, if you want to eat eggs, you can ask the chef at home to make them. Whether they’re black, yellow, or red, they can make them. They’re of average Michelin two-star quality, so you don’t have to worry about the taste at all.”

"I don't want it, I just want to eat this!"

"Don't be so willful, Miss. I've already said it's very dangerous. If someone poisons it and you, someone of noble status, get hurt, I won't be able to explain it to the Master."

"This was sent to you by your friend, how could it possibly be poisoned!"

“My friend would never poison it, but there’s no guarantee that someone might secretly do something during the mailing process, so we must be careful.”

"It's not that exaggerated, Hayasaka, you're just stingy!"

"Miss, it's time for dinner. You'd better go and eat quickly, there are other arrangements later..."

No matter how angry the young lady Shinomiya was, she stomped her foot.

Hayasaka Ai always had a blank, expressionless face.

The meaning is very clear: you can't have any eggs, not even one.

In the end, Lady Shinomiya had no choice but to give up with an angry "humph."

There was nothing she could do, even though on the surface she and Hayasaka Ai were master and servant.

The maid should obey whatever the master says.

But she didn't actually see Hayasaka as her subordinate in such a simple way.

In her heart, Hayasaka was actually a good friend who had always been by her side since childhood and no one could replace her.

Therefore, she simply couldn't use her master's tone to give her orders that she didn't want to carry out.

Hayasaka Ai watched Kaguya storm off, feeling apologetic in her heart.

I can give you anything, but this is the only thing I can't share, the things he gave me... I really can't share even a little bit of it.

In reality, this was just a passing fancy for Lady Shinomiya.

After she had dinner, finished her etiquette class, and received a promise from Hayasaka Ai that she would send someone to Hakone to buy back the black eggs she was interested in for her to try, her anger completely dissipated.

They became inseparable mistress and servant, as well as best friends, once again.

After that, Lady Shinomiya went to bed early.

The maid, who had been busy all day, finally returned to her room around 11 p.m.

He couldn't wait to reopen the package that Yuan Qianye had sent, and carefully read through the note tucked inside—

Here's a small gift for you. Good luck at work! Remember to take care of yourself while you're working hard. I hope you're happy every day.

The souvenirs are simply accompanied by text in a very brief and formulaic way.

But Hayasaka Ai interpreted it in a completely different way.

Even when traveling with friends, he didn't forget about himself; he still thought about and cared about himself...

Hayasaka Ai's cheeks flushed red, and she gradually entered a subtle state of evaporation.

She sat at the table and peeled away the black eggs that Miss Shinomiya had been clamoring for.

Only the shell is black; the inside is not much different from a regular boiled egg.

"I'm starting to eat."

She clasped her hands together, and the taste was actually quite ordinary when she put it in her mouth.

But with the surge of emotion in her heart, she felt exceptionally satisfied and grateful.

[Hayasaka Ai: The egg was delicious, thank you.]

[Yuan Qianye: grinning.jpg]

[Yuan Qianye: Let's hang out again sometime.]

[Hayasaka Ai: Hmm!]

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On January 10th, the afternoon after returning from her hot spring trip, Yukino boarded a plane to travel abroad again.

The following day, January 11th, all schools in Japan started the new semester.

In the uneventful days, January 15th arrived.

The Japanese Writers' Mystery Association.

The review office of the Edogawa Rampo Prize.

An elderly man with glasses and a refined demeanor suddenly stood up, deeply moved. His hands, holding the manuscript, trembled uncontrollably, his expression one of extreme agitation, bordering on madness.

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is! Brilliant... Brilliant!!!"

…………

Volume 1: Chapter 146: The Day the Awards Were Announced

The Edogawa Ranpo Award is an award established in memory of Edogawa Ranpo.

It is hailed as "the highest honor in the world of Japanese mystery novels".

The prestige, reputation, and influence of this award are second to none in Japan and even worldwide.

After winning the award, one can not only gain honor, but also sign a contract with a major company to publish a book, reaping both fame and fortune.

Furthermore, based on the sales performance of their novels, there will be IP incubation and licensing for the novels.

Radio, stage plays, live-action film and television adaptations... all sorts of lucrative collaborations come knocking on your door, even while you're at home.

It can be said that winning such an award would prove one's talent and would put one foot in the field of a full-time mystery novelist.

As such a prestigious and highly regarded award.

Winning in such a situation is naturally very difficult.

The annual selection process for the numerous submissions from the public can be roughly divided into three stages.

The first stage involves editors with experience in writing conducting an initial review.

Every year, there are hundreds of submissions, with the highest number ever reaching over five hundred in the past.

With so many entries, the preliminary editors will use their experience to quickly scan through them and eliminate a batch of novels that are clearly not up to standard.

In the second phase, the process becomes much more rigorous.

The process of evaluating whether a novel could enter the final stage was changed from the initial review editor to the Edogawa Ranpo Selection Committee.

The selection committee consists of six to more than a dozen people.

Those who are able to enter are mostly well-known mystery novel critics, university professors of honor, mystery literature researchers, or established mystery novel writers.

Their vision and professionalism can be guaranteed.

They will carefully read and savor the novels that passed the initial review, and then select the ten most outstanding ones.

Then comes the final review stage.

After discussion, the members of the selection committee, following the traditional practice of majority rule, will select one novel from the ten to receive the award.

And this moment.

One of the members of the selection committee.

Shin Kunitake, who was awarded the honorary professorship after retiring from Keio University, is currently experiencing a career resurgence as a novel critic.