As a time traveler,
Kitahara Kaede didn't have any special abilities, but the knowledge he brought from Earth was his greatest asset.
Although the two worlds were extremely similar, there were still some differences.
For example, this world has Sherlock Holmes and Edogawa Ranpo, but it lacks figures like Shimada Soseki, the mentor of the New Orthodox School hailed as the "God of Japanese Mystery Novels," so their mystery novels have yet to be published.
As a time traveler, Kitahara Kaede hesitated briefly before resorting to plagiarism.
However, copying books is not as simple as it sounds, as he lacks the ability to memorize everything he reads. Copying an entire novel verbatim is nearly impossible, so he opted to plagiarize mystery novels.
Compared to light novels and other genres,
the true core of mystery novels lies in their intricate "plots." As long as the plot is faithfully reproduced and supplemented with reasonably compelling character designs, the novel meets the criteria.
Therefore, mystery novels are the easiest to plagiarize.
With his mediocre writing skills but first-rate plot devices, Kitahara Kaede plagiarized the "body-piece" plot device from Shimada Soseki's debut work, "The Astrology Murder Magic," and in Japan, where the quality of mystery novels had severely declined, he easily won the Edogawa Rampo Award and was about to debut as a mystery novelist.
In his previous life on Earth.
For mystery novel enthusiasts, *The Astrology Murder Magic* is a well-known title.
Even those unfamiliar with the novel's name have likely heard of its plot devices, as many mystery novels and suspense TV series have plagiarized them—the most notorious being the TV series *The Young Bao Qing Tian*.
Now there is another one: Kitahara Kaede.
Actually, when he submitted his work, his goal was only to be a runner-up for the Edogawa Rampo Award. In his previous life, this novel had narrowly missed winning the Edogawa Rampo Award, finishing in second place. He never expected to win first place directly.
Additionally.
There is another reason for choosing to plagiarize mystery novels.
In the literary world of this country, light novelists are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Except for a few well-known light novelists at the top, most light novelists are not respected by traditional writers, and their social status is not very high.
However, traditional novelists are different.
Even those who are not particularly well-known enjoy a high social status domestically.
Someone like him, a mystery novelist who has won the Edogawa Rampo Award, may not have many fans or even published works yet, but he has already entered of many writers and occupies a relatively high position within the literary circle.
Money and social status are essential for survival.
Originally, Kitahara Kaede wanted to obtain these necessities by attending a good university and becoming a doctor or pilot. However, he simply couldn't adapt to the Japanese curriculum, and seeing that his studies weren't going anywhere, he had to take a different path.
To achieve higher status and more money.
After winning the Edogawa Rampo Award, he did not rest on his laurels but began preparing a new work, aiming to challenge another honor in the mystery fiction world: the Mystery Writers Association Award.
The prize money and award for this prize cannot compare to the Edogawa Rampo Award, apparently consisting of only a watch and 500,000 yen in prize money.
However, this does not diminish its prestige, as it is a more prestigious honor than the Edogawa Rampo Award. Unlike the Edogawa Rampo Award, which targets newcomers, the Mystery Writers Association Award typically honors established mystery writers.
If he could win this honor, he would have firmly established himself in this circle.
However, the challenge is no small feat.
In his previous life, Shimada Soseki, the widely recognized "God of Mystery Novels," had only ever been nominated for these awards and never actually won them, so even he wouldn't dare guarantee that he could easily win the Mystery Writers Association Award.
But as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes."
All Kitahara Kaede could do now was to keep writing and see if he could win the Mystery Writers Association Award. Speaking of which, he was actually in need of a watch.
…
The next morning, Kitahara Kaede got up early.
He hadn't forgotten what Chisato had told him yesterday: Iino Yako was coming over today for a study session, so he had to prepare some snacks for the gluttonous Yako first. As long as he fed Yako and said a few nice words, that little fish would lose her guard in an instant.
Among all the female leads,
Kitahara Kaede felt that Iino Yako was the easiest to handle and the most promising to "lick," so he was very concerned about the matter of that gluttonous "small fish," and was relieved that she was friends with his sister, allowing him to get close to her.
"Speaking of which, isn't Eiriri also coming over to borrow a book today?"
Kitahara Kaede carried a large bag of snacks and a box of cake, muttering to himself as he walked home, "But I think I angered Eiriri yesterday, and she hasn't sent me a message yet, so she probably won't be coming."
His thoughts had already returned home.
He glanced at the entrance and noticed an extra pair of shoes, immediately realizing that Iino Yako had already arrived.
He entered the living room.
Kitahara Kaede noticed that his younger sister Chisato wasn't in the living room, but there was a girl wearing the Shuuchiin Academy uniform sitting on the sofa.
Even though there was no one else in the living room, the girl sat upright with proper posture. Plus, she was wearing the Shuuchiin Academy uniform on a Saturday, so even someone who didn't know her would immediately conclude that she was an overly proper girl.
"Yako-chan, where's Chisato?"
Iino Yuko immediately stood up from the sofa at Kitahara Kaede's voice and bowed, saying, "Ni-ni-san, I apologize for the sudden visit. Chisato-chan just woke up and is currently in the bathroom washing up."
Hearing Iino Yuko call him "Ni-ni-san," Kitahara Kaede paused for a moment.
It was indeed a bit amusing. His foster sister Kitahara Chisato had never called him "older brother," but Iino Yuko had started by calling him "Chisako's older brother" and then, a month ago, had changed it to just "older brother" because it was too troublesome.
This clearly meant she saw him as a reliable older brother from a friend's family.
He didn't want to be Iino Yuko's older brother; he wanted to be her boyfriend! How could that be!
Of course, he couldn't show his true feelings, or he'd scare Iino Yako. He casually said, "Yako-chan, just sit down. You and Chisato are good friends, so feel at home here, okay?"
"Thank you, older brother."
Iino Yako hurriedly thanked him, but she was still very reserved.
Kitahara Kaede didn't say anything else. He took out the snacks and ingredients for lunch and said, "I bought some cake and snacks for you, but we'll be having lunch in two hours, so don't eat the cake and snacks yet, or you won't be able to eat lunch. Can I give you a pudding first?"
"Ni... Ni-san, no... no need..."
Though she said no, Iino Yako's gaze was already fixed on the pudding and couldn't be moved.
Kitahara Kaede helped her open the packaging and handed it to her directly: "I said don't be polite."
"Thank you, older brother."
Iino Yuko held the pudding, took a small, ladylike bite, and her face immediately lit up with a happy expression, making her look utterly adorable. Kitahara Kaede wanted to reach out and touch her head.
But in the end, he restrained himself.
Because in the original story, Iino Yuko would freely banter and tease the president, Kaguya, and Ishikawa Yu, but when faced with him, she acted extremely polite and cautious.
What does this mean?
It means Iino Yuko doesn't even consider him a close friend!
In this situation, if he dared to touch her head, he'd definitely be seen as a creepy older brother from a friend's family.