January 16, 1980, four o'clock in the afternoon.
Otowa-cho Kodansha Building, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.
Jiang Liumeili first touched up her makeup with a small mirror, then loosened her hair that had been tied up all day, and walked towards the cafe across the street.
This is the place where he and Maijo Kyousuke arranged to meet four hours ago.
It's just... when Eryome entered the cafe, she couldn't see Maijo Keisuke.
"Hello, excuse me."
Jiang Liumeili walked to the front desk of the cafe and politely asked the cafe clerk:
"I would like to ask if there is a customer just now. He is in his twenties, about 1.8 meters tall, and has a thin body. He has long hair that reaches about the chin, eyebrows like sharp swords, and very sharp eyes. Have you ever seen a man with the corners of his mouth that always turn up slightly, like smiling lips?"
The coffee shop clerk thought for a moment and shook his head towards Jiang Liumeili:
"Miss, I'm sorry, I didn't notice any customers with this look coming here."
Erumei nodded to the clerk, borrowed the cafe's phone, and dialed Maijo Kyousuke's landline at Jangmei no Yu, but there was no response.
Since she couldn't contact Maijo Kyousuke, Eryome could only order a cup of hazelnut sauce mocha, and sat in the cafe with a floor-to-ceiling window, looking out the window from time to time with a worried look on her face.
Because logically speaking, Maijo Kyousuke doesn't seem like the kind of person who would be late.
If he has left the soup of longevity but has not come here to join him, then it is very likely that he encountered trouble on the way.
What troubles could there be on the road? What accident happened? Or was he unable to come to the appointment because of something important?
Jiang Liumei sat on the chair as if on pins and needles. The more she guessed, the more scared she felt!
Seeing that the minute hand on the watch was already pointing to 2, Eryumi couldn't sit still for a while, and planned to drive along the road to Jōmei no Yu to see if there was any news about Maijo Keisuke on the road.
After drinking the hazelnut butter mocha in one gulp, Jiang Liumei stood up and planned to leave the cafe.
At this moment, the phone in the cafe suddenly rang.
After the clerk answered the call, he was stunned for a moment, then looked around the room and shouted:
"Excuse me? Is Miss Jiangliu here?"
"There is a gentleman named Wucheng here who wants to see you, saying that he has something important to do."
Upon hearing the surname Wucheng, many people present were stunned for a moment and pricked up their ears.
Because in the 1980s, the most developed media was not the Internet, but print media.
As a mystery writer, Maijo Keisuke was reported by the entire Tokyo newspaper as soon as he debuted. Even though there are still many people who have not read his works, they have all heard of his name!
The coffee shop assistant's words attracted everyone's attention.
After all, the surname Wucheng is really too rare.
Although Eryumi felt a little uncomfortable being watched by so many people, in order to contact Maijo Kyousuke, she still identified herself to the store clerk and took the phone.
"Teacher Wucheng, I am Jiang Liumei. What happened to you over there?"
Jiang Liumei covered the phone receiver with her hand and spoke in a lower voice.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for about twenty or thirty seconds, and then Eryomeli heard Maijo Kyousuke say a little nervously:
"Miss Jiang Liu, although I feel a little embarrassed to say this..."
"But... can you lend me 50 million yen? I need it urgently..."
Although Jiang Liumei has a relatively calm character, when she heard such a large amount of money, she couldn't help but exclaimed:
"Fifty million yen?!!!"
"Teacher Wucheng, what do you want so much money for?"
"You shouldn't be..."
Jiang Liumei caught a glimpse of the cafe. There were already many customers blatantly raising their ears and approaching him, so he could only lower his voice a lot:
"Teacher Wucheng, have you contracted any bad habits?"
"Why do you need so much money all at once? That's fifty million yen!"
"I...where can I have so much money?"
When Maijo Kyousuke heard Eryu's beautiful words, a sigh full of regret came from the phone.
"No, I really need this money..."
Eryumi felt a little curious when she heard what Maijo Kyousuke said, and continued to ask:
"Teacher Wucheng, where are you now?"
"You weren't kidnapped, were you? The other party wanted a ransom of 50 million yen?"
Maijo Kyousuke didn't speak, and after a while he spoke:
"Although it's not a kidnapping, it's not much different from a kidnapping."
"If I had to say it, my heart was kidnapped and I really wanted to take it home."
"Miss Eryu, come to Jimbocho Ancient Book Street to find me."
"If you can't buy it, just let me stay with it for a while."
Jiang Liumeili heard the busy signal of hanging up on the phone, with a puzzled expression on her face.
What heart has been kidnapped?
What to take back?
Eryomeli felt a little confused, so she thanked the clerk, left the cafe, and drove towards Jimbocho Ancient Book Street...
——
Maijo Kyousuke hung up the phone and touched the manuscript of "The Hands of Mr. Ultramore" contained in a transparent safe with his face full of regret.
Because as the shop owner said, he simply cannot afford the high price of 50 million yen.
At this moment, I feel nothing but regret and unwillingness...
The owner opened this ancient bookstore and is also a book lover.
Although he knew that Maijo Keisuke couldn't afford this manuscript, he could see in Maijo Keisuke's eyes that he loved this manuscript.
So I didn't rush to take the manuscript back, I just silently held the knife in the cash box. If I found that Maijo Kyousuke tried to take away the manuscript, I would give him a knife on his hand!
Maijo Kyousuke pressed his face against the glass of the safe, looking at the yellowed paper inside, his eyes filled with longing.
Just like a five or six-year-old child who wants toys in a toy store:
"Boss, are there many customers asking about this manuscript of "Mr. Ultramore's Hands"?"
The shopkeeper nodded and said, "A lot."
A lonely look appeared on Maijo Kyousuke's face:
"If... I mean if, I save enough money to buy it again in a year, will it still be here?"
The shopkeeper shook his head and continued:
"Not necessarily. Last time I offered a price of 55 million, and it was chosen by a dandy."
"But that guy obviously doesn't understand mystery novels. He can't even tell the content of the story "The Hands of Mr. Ultramore"."
"Although I opened a bookstore to make money, I really don't want this well-preserved manuscript to be destroyed by such a dandy."
"I can offer you a price of 50 million, mainly because I can see that you really love mystery novels, because you can not only tell the manuscript of the story "Mr. Ultramore's Hands", but also reach the level of It’s so easy to memorize it every time…”
Kyousuke Maijo couldn't listen to a word the shopkeeper said.
All he wants to know now is how to get 50 million yen to take this "unparalleled treasure" away from here!
