"The Growth Diary of a Bumbling Detective" [Making Of] - I intended to write a detective novel, but when I finished, it had become a story about protecting people -

Greetings

Hello. I am Shin Komori☺️

Creative Awards 2026 Entertainment Original Work Category Entry

"The Growth Diary of a Bumbling Detective - M&K Detective Agency Case Files -"

Thank you very much to everyone who has read it🙂‍↕️

Today, I would like to talk a little bit about the making of this work.

It was supposed to be a "detective novel" at first

In its initial concept, this work was supposed to be a "hard-boiled detective story."
It was meant to be a classic, standard detective novel where a one-eyed detective and a rookie assistant use deduction to solve cases.

However,

As soon as I started writing, the plans began to go awry😱

Whenever I tried to write a case,
the protagonist, Kanon, would cry on her own, run wild on her own, and try to help someone on her own.

The "deductions" and "tricks" that are staples of mystery stories
were powerless in front of Kanon😂

And then, I realized.

"It seems I cannot write a full-scale mystery with Kanon as the protagonist...😭"

Well, I don't have the skill to write a full-scale mystery anyway...😂

Changing the title at the last minute?

The original title was,

"M&K Detective Agency Case Files - The Growth Diary of a Bumbling Detective -"

but just before submitting,

"The Growth Diary of a Lost Detective: M&K Detective Agency Case Files"

I swapped the title and subtitle like this.

This is to ensure that everyone understands that this work is a heartwarming human drama that merely borrows the form of a detective story, so there is no misunderstanding.

I thought it might be a little too cute, but

I decided to adopt it because it felt like Canon.

Is Canon a lost detective!?

By the way, how is Canon's ability as a detective?

As a detective, she only makes mistakes. She cries while looking for cats, gets too emotionally involved with clients, and gets scolded by Makoto.

Still, she cannot leave people in trouble alone.

While writing about her like that,

it changed from a "story about solving cases" to

a "story about learning to protect people."

That was a wonderful experience for me.

That was a wonderful experience for me.

The existence of Makoto

On the other hand, Makoto is not an all-knowing master detective either. He is clumsy and often skips bathing.

Even so, Makoto is

a stubborn man who has kept a promise to his late best friend for twenty years.

That is why, even while scolding Canon at times, he will always protect her in the end.

Perhaps what I really wanted to depict was not the cases, but the relationship between those two.

What I wanted to depict in Part 1

The main story consists of Part 1 and Part 2.

Part 1 (the work submitted here) features cases such as
traps
finding a cat
stalking
land grabbing
and more.

Rather than a mystery-solving puzzle, the theme was "What does it mean to protect someone?"

The cases were merely stage devices for that purpose.

And on to Part 2

In Part 1,
Canon grew just a little.

However,
the incident from twenty years ago.
Kurosaki's (father's) conspiracy.
The notebook Shinji left behind.
Nothing has been resolved yet.

The true battle for Detective Canon begins here.

*This is not included in the current submission.
*Since it is currently being written, I suppose I will post it once it's finished? ☺️

About the trailer

One day, I thought, I'd like to make a trailer for this work, like a movie or drama. Once I thought of it, I acted on it immediately!

Is that all there is to it! 🤣

When I actually made it, it was fun.

Is that all there is to it! 🤣

▼Click here for the trailer link

There is a small secret in the cover art too...

By the way,
has anyone noticed?

Actually, the cover art for this work is
secretly swapped depending on the time of day.

A blue sky from morning to noon.
A madder red in the evening.
And a night view at night...

In the story, I carefully depict the "flow of time," such as the morning sun, twilight, and night views.

Wouldn't it be interesting if the cover also changed its expression to match that time?

It was a little game I started from that whim.

It's fine if no one notices.

But, if you happen to visit at a different time,

"Huh? Has the cover changed?"
I would be happy if you could make such a small discovery.

I hope that becomes one of the ways to enjoy this work as well.

Five cover art versions corresponding to the passage of time

There are many rainy days, so I made this one too!

Which time of day for Canon do you like best?

*This is a limited event until 7/5!

Conclusion

Thank you very much for reading until the end.
I hope you will continue to warmly watch over the adventures of Canon and Makoto.

I would be very happy if you could leave a comment with your thoughts.

▼"The Growth Diary of Detective Canon - M&K Detective Agency Case Files -"
Click here for the link to the main story