"Minamoto-sensei, congratulations! Your novel Astrology Murder Magic has sold over half a million copies! With portable devices becoming more and more popular, this is truly an incredible achievement."
"It's all thanks to the support of my readers and fans. I'm really grateful. Honestly, I never expected so many people to enjoy this book. I'll continue to work hard to improve myself, and I hope everyone will look forward to my future works as well."
"Great! Then let's move on to the reader letters. First up, we have a fan from Takamatsu City in Kagawa Prefecture, who goes by the pen name 'Strawberry Shortcake Is Delicious.' He says he's also a middle schooler, just like you, Minamoto-sensei. He's very curious—how did you come up with such ingenious tricks for your mystery?"
"Starting off with a tough question, huh?"
"Well, it really is that amazing. I've read your novel too, and the way the murder tricks are designed is astonishing. In fact, the top comment on your book's page at BookPush.com says, 'This horrifying, twisted design is beyond what any normal human could conceive. The author must have brushed shoulders with the devil himself and brought back this wicked inspiration.'"
"Haha, saying it came from the devil is too much. Actually, I already hinted at the inspiration through the detective's lines in the novel. It came from a petty currency crime that happened many years ago."
"A currency crime?"
"Yes. Toward the end of the last century, there was a wave of such crimes in Japan. I happened to stumble across an article online about it, and that gave me the inspiration for the novel."
"I'm really curious—could you explain it to us?"
"Of course. That's what I'm here for today—to answer everyone's questions. It's simple. Imagine I have twenty ten-thousand-yen bills. I divide each bill horizontally into twenty increments. On the first bill, I cut at the first increment. On the second bill, I cut at the second increment. And so on, until I've cut all twenty bills into two pieces.
Now comes the key part: I take the left 1/20 piece of the first bill and tape it to the right 19/20 piece of the second bill. Then I take the left 2/20 of the second bill and tape it to the right 18/20 of the third bill. Continue this way through all twenty bills, and in the end, I'll end up with an extra bill that has 19/20 of its left side intact.
Since each reconstructed bill is only missing one-twentieth, they can still pass in everyday transactions if no one examines them too carefully. With this method, you turn 200,000 yen into 210,000 yen."
"I see…!"
———
"So that's it! He borrowed a real-life criminal trick and transformed it into a fictional murder method for a mystery novel!"
Watching Minamoto Senya's TV interview, Touma Youko wore the same look of realization as the young, beautiful interviewer on screen.
Beside her, Kudou Miyoko set down her juice and smiled. "When I first heard Senya explain it during the recording, I was shocked too. To be able to take information like that and reshape it into his own creative inspiration—it's really amazing."
"It's sold over five hundred thousand copies already, and it's been less than a month since release, right? Compared to all the prize money he won from contests and that endorsement deal, this time he's actually making serious money," Youko said, genuinely impressed.
Miyoko, calculating silently based on the contract she'd signed, thought to herself: At this sales pace, with the novel priced at 998 yen, Senya's confirmed earnings are already close to 70 million yen. And that's before taxes.
"How many reprints is this now?"
"The fifth one."
"At this rate, they'll have to do a sixth soon. Breaking a million copies is only a matter of time."
"With the current sales and reader reception, yes."
"Unbelievable… He's still just a middle schooler, and already worth over a hundred million yen."
"Right? Honestly, working with him has reignited that same fiery passion I had when I first joined you to start this agency. He's had so many events to attend lately, more than I expected."
"Isn't it exhausting?"
"Not at all. On the contrary, as his assistant, I actually get treated with a lot of respect. It makes me pretty happy, really~"
While Youko and Miyoko chatted casually, Touma Kazusa sat nearby, eyes glued to the TV.
She felt an odd sense of irritation.
Not because of the two adults beside her, but because of the female host on the screen.
What was with that forced cutesy voice? The overly sweet tone? Just watching her act all flirty made Kazusa angry.
Youko noticed her daughter's mood and chuckled lightly. "Senya's so young and already successful… I wonder if that's really a good thing. When people get money early, they're often exposed to the decadent side of society. It's common for them to lose their way and forget themselves.
Miyoko, you've been with him every day lately. Have you noticed anything unusual about him?"
Kazusa didn't move her eyes from the TV, but her ears twitched slightly.
"No, not at all. He's actually more reserved than I expected. After banquets, interviews, or signing events, I always send him straight home. He never makes extra plans. For all the praise he gets as a genius, he's surprisingly much of a homebody."
"Ah, a homebody, huh? That's just like my daughter here."
Youko laughed and gave Kazusa a fond glance.
Kazusa didn't reply—just lowered her eyes slightly and glanced back.
Miyoko tapped her chin thoughtfully. "But… even though Senya himself isn't the showy type, you know how handsome he is. Whenever we're at events, all kinds of girls come up to him to start conversations."
Kazusa's ears perked higher.
"How does he handle that?" Youko asked.
Miyoko shrugged. "The way we agreed beforehand—whenever he doesn't know what to do, he just lets me deal with it."
"Haha, sounds like he's gotten very good at using you, Miyoko."
"Could you not phrase it like that, President? It sounds weird…"
"I'm going to practice piano."
Even though she was annoyed by the TV host, Kazusa felt a little better after hearing that bit from Miyoko. She left the living room with a lighter step.
Once Kazusa was gone, Youko dropped her casual air.
"All right, now let's talk about the real situation."
Miyoko nodded, knowing exactly what she meant—after all, that had been the main reason she was sent to assist Senya.
"It's… not too encouraging. You're right to worry. Senya ignores advances from strangers, but his circle of friends… well, they have a very strong presence. Especially those two girls, Buzushima Saeko and Kasumigaoka Utaha—they approach him constantly."
Youko sighed deeply.
They still had over a year before high school, but if things kept going this way… it didn't look good.
Then a sly thought occurred to her.
"Miyoko, what if I invite Senya out for dinner, then get him and Kazusa a little drunk, and toss them in the same room together? Think that'd work?"
"President! What are you plotting with minors?! And is Kazusa really your daughter?!"
"Exactly because she's my daughter! I don't want her to end up alone like me. If you had a daughter, wouldn't you want to pair her up with Senya too? Honestly, if not for the age gap, I'd want him for myself…"
Miyoko shook her head, chasing off those improper thoughts.
"You're overthinking it. And besides, that plan's unrealistic."
Youko sighed heavily, gazing at her silently until Miyoko squirmed.
Finally, Miyoko relented with another sigh.
"Fine, I get it. If the chance comes, I'll try to create an opportunity for Kazusa."
"That's why I like you, Miyoko. Besides Kazusa, you're my favorite. Once I'm less busy, I'll set you up with a good man."
"No need. I don't like forced arrangements. I'll just go with the flow."
———
By late February, the weather was starting to warm.
With Astrology Murder Magic thriving in both sales and reputation, Minamoto Senya's wallet had grown fatter too.
Kodansha had already wired over thirty million yen into his account, with more scheduled in installments.
At the same time, his frequent appearances in magazines and social media raised his public profile.
Now, whenever he walked down the street, strangers often recognized him. It fed his vanity, sure, but it also brought a lot of hassle.
Who knew how things would be once the hype settled, but for now, he couldn't freely go shopping with the girls around him anymore.
Meanwhile, his family's bar and beauty salon saw booming business thanks to his fame.
His father had even flown back from overseas, belatedly throwing a celebration party for his son's success.
This time, Toka didn't skip it like before, but Senya could feel her attitude hadn't changed since that moment he first noticed it.
She was, of course, happy for his achievements—but only from the standpoint of family, nothing more.
Senya hated that.
He wanted things back the way they used to be: the tension, the sparks, the quickening heartbeats… the sweet, ambiguous feeling between them.
But whenever he tried to bring it up, she deflected easily, as if she already knew what he'd say.
Sometimes she'd steer their talks into the living room where their parents were.
Other times, she'd drag Rikka into the mix.
Her defenses were airtight. No matter what he tried, he couldn't break through, and the frustration gnawed at him.
He couldn't just let it stay this way forever.
He needed a chance to break the stalemate. But where could he find such a chance…?
That morning, Senya went to school as usual.
Even though the school bent the rules for him, he couldn't just stay home all the time.
It wasn't just boredom—school was one of the few places he could actually relax socially.
"Morning, Minamoto-kun."
"Good morning, Minamoto-sensei!"
As soon as he entered the classroom, classmates greeted him—some shyly, some with enthusiasm.
Senya smiled and replied to each one before settling into his seat.
Soon after, Haruhara Youhei walked in, dropped his bag, and strode over.
"Yo, morning Senya."
"Morning." Senya looked up. Youhei's nose was red, but his complexion seemed fine. "Looks like you've recovered pretty well."
He'd been out sick yesterday with a fever.
Youhei waved it off. "Just a little cold. My body's tough."
Senya chuckled.
If we're talking physical toughness, mine is practically abnormal. I haven't even caught a light cold in years.
Youhei leaned back with his hands behind his head, sighing wistfully. "Still, getting sick once in a while isn't so bad."
Senya pulled out his textbook for first period. "Because you get to skip school and lie around at home?"
"That too, but I mean… my mom and my little sister. They were so nice to me, for the first time in ages. No nagging, just fussing over me, making porridge, treating me gently."
"Well, of course. They're family. They worry about you…"
Wait.
Senya froze. A sudden idea struck him.
"What's wrong, Senya?"
"Nothing." He quickly recovered, smiling. "To celebrate your miraculous recovery, lunch is on me today."
"Seriously? Then I'm getting udon with katsu!"
"No problem. Add some tempura shrimp and fish balls too."
"Damn, you really are loaded now…"
Senya's grin widened.
He'd been searching for a chance—and now, it seemed, he'd just found one.
...…
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