Sunday.
Yomiuri TV, Studio.
"Phew! Phew!"
"Sound check—"
"Microphone connected, OK."
"Good, camera adjusted as well."
"How's Mr. Hayashi doing?"
"No problem."
"Alright, then when the show begins, please pay attention to the direction of the cameraman. No need to be nervous; just try to be relaxed during the program."
The show's stage manager was very efficient.
As the director had everything ready, the program assistant also helped guide Hayashi Yoshiki into the right state.
Hayashi Yoshiki, however, was quite calm.
He looked towards the audience in the studio, and in the front row, he saw Editor Asamiya Nanae and Eri Kisaki. Eri Kisaki even gestured to him with her hands, signaling encouragement.
Hayashi Yoshiki returned a smile.
Immediately, after the director gave the command, the show officially began—
"Good evening, everyone—"
"This week, we're once again bringing you 'All Japan Detective Agency.' I, Matsuo Takafumi, will be your commentator today."
After the opening, Matsuo Takafumi, the program host with a neatly parted hairstyle and a beaming smile, spoke first.
Following closely behind him was the young female co-host, cheerfully pointing at her cheeks with both index fingers: "And your assistant host, the very familiar Ayako Nagai!"
"All the difficult cases sent to us by people nationwide will be answered by us one by one," Matsuo Takafumi smiled at the camera.
"For this, we've invited a special guest today: the mystery novelist who has continuously written three best-selling mystery novels, Mr. Hayashi Yoshiki."
At Ayako Nagai's gesture, the cameraman turned the camera to Hayashi Yoshiki.
"Hello, everyone."
Before the camera, a shallow, elegant smile appeared on Hayashi Yoshiki's exquisite face.
The audience below immediately burst into enthusiastic applause, with some girls even screaming.
"Mr. Hayashi is so handsome!!!"
Even Ayako Nagai let out a gasp. Although it was partly intentional, her reaction was genuine.
"Please, please become a regular guest here! This way, we might be able to secure the top spot in ratings!"
"You're not just trying to get the top ratings, Ayako," Matsuo Takafumi chuckled.
"Looking good and getting top ratings can happen at the same time, you know."
"But if that happens, the director will definitely make me host from off-camera next time."
"That's right, Mr. Matsuo's voice is enough."
Laughter immediately erupted from the audience.
Hayashi Yoshiki also couldn't help but smile: "I thought participating in this show would be very serious."
"No, we're always very relaxed, Mr. Hayashi," Matsuo Takafumi said.
"Yes, it's a very relaxed show."
Ayako Nagai said this, then suddenly feigned infatuation: "But Mr. Hayashi is truly astonishingly good-looking, especially sitting next to you right now, the feeling is even stronger! May I be so bold as to ask you a question?"
"You may, but it's not a confession, is it?"
Hayashi Yoshiki's smile was calm and clear as he joked back.
Ayako Nagai's face lit up: "Can I confess?"
"Please, absolutely not."
"Ah!"
Laughter from the audience returned once more, though it seemed a few female fans were displeased.
Ayako Nagai, whose face had fallen, immediately brightened with a smile again: "Okay, actually, I wanted to ask Mr. Hayashi if you have any secrets for skin care, because you look more delicate than most girls!"
"Hmm... although I might not be very conscious of it myself, besides sun protection, perhaps it's bathing."
"Sun protection and bathing?"
"Yes, frequent exposure to strong UV rays accelerates aging. As for bathing, Ms. Nagai, when you occasionally soak in hot springs, do you ever suddenly feel your skin improving?"
"Ah, that's actually true!"
"So, skin hydration is also very important."
Hayashi Yoshiki said with a smile.
Eri Kisaki in the audience watched Hayashi Yoshiki's performance on stage with a fond smile, feeling somewhat relieved seeing his composed demeanor and fluent speech.
The host, seeing that the guest and assistant host were chatting happily while he felt a bit out of place, could only smile and introduce a new topic: "Speaking of which, not just me, but the audience must also be curious about what a mystery novelist's daily work is like. Mr. Hayashi, could you tell us about that?"
"As a mystery novelist, you definitely start by thinking of a story," Hayashi Yoshiki looked at him, answering politely and gently: "Once the story is conceived, you begin writing, making revisions along the way... There's actually not much to talk about in great detail."
"I see... But Mr. Hayashi's works all feature quite ingenious methods. How do you come up with these cases?" Matsuo Takafumi showed a curious expression.
"It's mainly because I'm quite interested in detectives. I also actively seek out related information in this field. I see a lot, I think a lot, and for cases, I'm more accustomed to writing in a reverse-deduction manner."
"Reverse-deduction?"
"Yes, like the victim's state of death, the method of death, or the modus operandi... If I think of a good scene, I'll first establish that scene and then work backward to write the cause, process, and emotions of the story. It's like shooting the arrow first and then drawing the target."
"So there's this method too. What's the most headache-inducing part for you when you're creating, Mr. Hayashi?"
"The most headache-inducing part would probably be naming characters."
As if feeling a bit embarrassed, Hayashi Yoshiki's gentle voice softened slightly. He took out a black notebook from his pocket and opened it:
"Because I'm terrible at naming things, I carry a notebook with me... Hmm, when I encounter interesting people, I ask them to leave their names in it. I then use them as references when naming characters."
"You've indeed recorded many names..." Ayako Nagai exclaimed.
"Mr. Hayashi is truly dedicated. I wonder if I have the honor of leaving my name in it as well?" Matsuo Takafumi showed great enthusiasm, and continued: "Haha, if a name can serve as a reference and become a character in a novel, I think that's also a very interesting thing."
"Of course, Mr. Matsuo."
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled and handed the notebook and pen to the other party.
In front of the camera, Matsuo Takafumi happily wrote his name in the notebook. Afterwards, Ayako Nagai also joined in, leaving her name in the notebook.
It must be said that both hosts were very professional.
The agreement reached between Futaba Publishing and the program was to promote Hayashi Yoshiki's new work heavily on the show, and so from the start of the program until now, both hosts had been continuously directing conversation topics around Hayashi Yoshiki's identity as an author and his new book.