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

You're welcome!

"No, you're sticking too tight. You can let go now."

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.

Inside the Yuan family's living room.

After everyone's excitement subsided a little...

On the television, the judges began their evaluation of the winning entries.

"【The Astrological Murder Mystery】is undoubtedly a pioneering work in the genre of classic mystery novels. The author, 【Gen Chiyo】, incorporated grand and intricate celestial hypotheses into the plot, making it not only gorgeous but also quite awe-inspiring!"

"As a professional mystery novelist, I never imagined that mystery novels could be so crazy yet so rigorous. Please forgive me for not being able to reveal too much about the specific content of this novel, but please believe me, by the end of this novel, your hearts will definitely be trembling."

"The first two teachers praised the novel's achievements in terms of its mystery, but in my opinion, the novel's ambition goes far beyond the design and deciphering of the tricks. The novel also explores multiple themes such as war trauma, family curses, and the alienation of modernity. The author's ambition is great, which gives his mystery novels a Dostoevsky-like depth of spiritual inquiry. This is definitely one of the most worthwhile novels to read in recent years."

"..."

On the sofa in the living room.

The girls' faces were flushed with excitement; the more the judges praised Qianye's novel, the happier they became.

Not enough, not enough! Praise me more!

As for Gen Chiya himself, his face was also red, but he wasn't excited. Instead, he was a little embarrassed. In the end, he still couldn't get enough thick skin. He silently apologized to the original author of "The Astrological Murder Mystic Code".

The judges on TV were still praising the winning entries.

His choice of words and phrases is unique, praising without being clichéd. That's why he's considered a literary master.

The art of language has been mastered!

Just then, Gen Chiya's phone rang.

He stood up and answered the call; a woman's voice spoke respectfully on the other end.

"Hello, this is Kodansha. Are you Mr. Chiya Minamoto?"

…………

Volume 1: Chapter 148: The Long-Awaited Blissful Troubles (6000 words) (7/12)

In the United Kingdom, far across the ocean, it is 1 a.m.

Yukino Yukinoshita, unusually, did not go to bed on time today.

Instead, he sat at his desk, his eyes glued to his phone screen, watching the live stream of the Edogawa Rampo Award.

The moment the judges announced the winning entries, and I realized that Qianye had indeed won.

Like the other girls in the Yuan family, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Her face, which had been tense with nervousness, instantly broke into a smile.

She was one of the first people to read the novel "The Astrological Murders".

Even setting aside her own fondness for the author of "Childhood Sweethearts," she still felt that this was a truly excellent novel, and the award was well-deserved.

Qianye... he really has been this amazing since he was very young.

Yukino couldn't help but recall the various remarkable deeds that had accompanied him on his path of growth.

She opened the drawer, held the small pendant he had given her in her palm, and her bright, clear eyes softened even more.

Alright, now that we know the result, it's so late, we should get some rest. Everything's planned out; I still need to finish reading "The Stars of Humanity" tomorrow.

That's what she thought, but after Yukino lay down on the bed, she kept her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, without the slightest hint of sleepiness.

In the dimly lit room where moonlight streamed in through the glass window, she clasped her hands together in front of her lower abdomen. Perhaps feeling uncomfortable in the lying position, she turned over.

This restless movement continued intermittently and repeatedly.

Ten minutes later, Yukino got up again, unplugged her charging phone, and the lit screen revealed her delicate, slightly flushed face.

Based on the time difference between Japan and the United Kingdom, it's morning there, the time of day for daily activities, so it shouldn't really be considered a disturbance...

With that in mind, she opened her chat with Yuan Qianye on the messaging app.

【Congratulations.】

She quickly typed out those two words, but after thinking about it, she felt it was too brief. Being too simple seemed to make her attitude appear aloof, which was not appropriate.

So she changed her mind, pursed her lips, deleted the period, and added a few words after it—

[Congratulations on winning the award! You're really amazing. Should I start calling you Teacher Qianye from now on?]

In Japan, besides regular teachers, there are other specific professions such as writers, politicians, lawyers, and doctors.

People who can help others are respectfully addressed as "sensei," which means "teacher" or "sir."

Among these professions that are already at the top of the pyramid, writers are clearly above the others.

Lawyers can help people protect their rights when legal disputes arise.

Legislators can improve people's lives by enacting amendments to laws and passing various decisions.

Doctors, adhering to humanitarian principles, do everything possible to relieve patients' pain and save lives.

When it comes to writers, the way they help others takes on a much higher purpose, elevating it from the physical level to the spiritual level.

On a more immediate level, writers can use their works to engage in social critique, guide intellectual progress, and make indelible contributions to education.

In the long run, good literature can also improve the public's cultural literacy, enrich national culture, and enhance national self-confidence.

From these perspectives, the writer can indeed be called the national educator of the entire country of Japan.

Yukino referred to her childhood friend as "teacher" in the message, but she didn't think too much about it.

Of course, she didn't believe that Qianye could now compare to the great literary figures of history.

It was just a lighthearted joke, a way for a young girl to express her congratulations in a playful manner.

She leaned against the headboard, her fair little feet curled up and pressed against the bed, her toes gently lifting the sheets.

Their chins rested lightly on their arched knees, and they unconsciously kept pursing their lower lips.

She was unaware of her current state, experiencing a kind of conflicted emotion that she rarely felt before.

After repeated internal struggles, she took a deep breath and made up her mind, her eyes becoming resolute.

She and Qianye have been inseparable since kindergarten, and after starting elementary school, they spend all their free time together.

With such a past and such a good relationship, I should have no worries at all. Why have I become so timid and insecure now?

This shouldn't be the case.

Having figured this out, Yukino no longer hesitated and pressed the send button. Finally, after more than ten minutes of typing the message, she managed to send it out.

After doing all this, Yukino let out a long sigh of relief, as if she had just finished an important exam.

She locked her phone and put it aside, then lay down again.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes...

She still couldn't close her eyes peacefully, and kept turning her head to look at her phone, which was facing upwards.

The room was dimly lit, and the screen, which had been off, never lit up again.

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.

Yuan's house, living room.

Ever since the Edogawa Rampo Prize was officially announced.

The caller ID on Yuan Qianye's phone never stopped ringing.

As soon as one call ended, another call came in almost immediately, without any interruption.

The first to call was Kodansha.

Kodansha, officially known as Kodansha Co., Ltd., was founded in the early 20th century and has since become Japan's largest comprehensive publisher and copyright holder.

It is also one of the major manga publishers in Japan, and together with Shueisha and Shogakukan, it is known as one of the three giants of the Japanese manga publishing industry, which shows its influence.

The Edogawa Rampo Award is held by the Japan Mystery Writers Association, which selects the winning works each year.

After the winning entries are selected, Kodansha, a partner of the Edogawa Rampo Award, will proactively contact the authors of the winning works.

They discussed and signed contracts, and arranged a series of matters such as the printing and distribution of the award-winning novels and IP licensing.

The first phone call that Gen Chiya answered was from a woman with a deep, magnetic, and slightly hoarse voice—one could roughly imagine a mature and voluptuous woman just by listening to her voice—who respectfully explained the cooperation matters on behalf of Kodansha.

Of course, this was just a general explanation of the process. After Yuan Qianye said she understood, she quickly arranged to meet him and offered two solutions.

"...If it's convenient for you, Mr. Yuan, you can come directly to our Kodansha headquarters. We will send someone to wait for you downstairs. If you are short on time, we can send someone to come to you. You can choose the location."

There were only a few sentences in total, but every half sentence was accompanied by a respectful "you" (formal).

Previously, when Yuan Qianye was invited to attend the light novel annual meeting with Shiyu, a professional writer who had been exposed by the media for repeatedly cheating was speaking on stage. The other people in the audience did not seem to notice anything unusual, and some even whispered that they were envious.

At that time, he didn't have a deep understanding of the profession of "writer," but now, he has truly experienced it firsthand.

Yuan Qianye is not the kind of arrogant person who becomes conceited and thinks he is the only hero in the world after achieving some success.

The virtues of humility and modesty are ingrained in our bones and souls from a young age.

Unless a powerful Category 17 typhoon hits, it won't drift.

Chiya had arranged with the liaison from Kodansha that he would visit Kodansha this afternoon.

He originally wanted to schedule it for tomorrow, but the young lady sounded very urgent and explained the specific reasons.

It turns out that the Edogawa Rampo Award is very popular in Japan. Every time the award is announced, a large number of enthusiastic mystery novel enthusiasts want to read the winning novels as soon as possible.

Therefore, as soon as the award was announced, Kodansha had to contact the original author as soon as possible to sign a contract, and then quickly send the original manuscript to the printing plant after it was checked by the proofreader. The manuscript was then printed and distributed online and in bookstores for widespread sale.

We must ensure that as many readers as possible have the opportunity to read the winning works during this brief but crucial period following the announcement of the Edogawa Rampo Award, when its influence is at its peak.

With the current media frenzy, this is the perfect time to expand brand awareness. If the buzz can increase rapidly in a short period, it might even break out of its niche and pique the interest of people who don't usually pay attention to mystery novels, leading them to buy and read them.

During this period, time truly is money!

The team leader from Kodansha who was in charge of this matter originally planned to go to Gen Chiya's house on the spot to complete the process.

However, considering that meeting in the afternoon wasn't too late, and that my company was a large one, I couldn't appear too eager or impatient, so I held back for the time being.