Ordinary office workers usually looked forward to Fridays.
But for those employed by the Metropolitan Police Department, weekends were practically a foreign concept.
Even on their days off, the moment they were needed, they had to report for duty as quickly as possible.
Having just wrapped up the John the Pet Dog Murder Case, Ritsu filed the completed case documents away in the archives. Picking up his black trench coat, he looked toward Takagi, who was still working overtime.
"Takagi, don't forget to lock up before you leave."
"Yes, sir! Have a safe trip home, Inspector!"
After putting on his coat, Ritsu stood before the elevator and waited.
Come to think of it, after solving Atsuko Kosaka's case, he should have been promoted to Superintendent (Keishi) without any problems.
Who would've thought that his promotion would be rejected because of his age, his relatively short time in the MPD, and his overseas experience?
'Seriously... I may not have been here long, but my clearance rate and the number of cases I've solved are both outstanding. How does that justify rejecting my promotion?'
His half-lidded eyes twitched as he jabbed the button for the first floor.
He had every reason to suspect the higher-ups were worried that once he became a Superintendent, he'd dump all the work on everyone else, leaving the slower-working Megure team to handle the remaining cases.
...Well, of course he wasn't saying Inspector Megure lacked professional ability.
Ahem.
"Oh well. It's not like I make a living off promotions anyway. If they don't want to promote me, then so be it."
The elevator doors slowly slid open.
The first thing Ritsu noticed was a pair of polished black leather shoes. Looking up, he found Hiro standing outside the elevator, wearing his usual gentle smile.
"So, Onizawa-kun," Hiro asked with amusement, "I didn't know you had a side job."
"..."
'Is the soundproofing in these elevators really that terrible? He actually heard me?'
Adjusting his glasses with a smile, Ritsu replied, "What other side job could I possibly have? Living off my parents, of course."
Hiro hadn't expected that answer. Chuckling softly, he stepped aside to let him pass.
"I didn't know you were this funny, Onizawa-kun. Stay safe on your way home."
"You too. Hang in there with the overtime."
Ritsu quickened his pace out of the lobby, slipped into his car, and let out a long sigh of relief.
'Good thing I didn't say, 'Luckily the Organization's salary is enough to support me.'
That would've been a disaster.'
...
After returning to his apartment, he didn't head into the kitchen to boil water for instant noodles like he usually did.
Instead, he went straight into the bathroom and removed the disguise from his face.
Today was the day the plan would finally be set in motion. To ensure that the research on APTX-4869 would come to a complete halt.
And to keep Shiho alive at the same time.
He had waited a very long time for this day.
The white-haired young man in the mirror traced the cross-shaped scar on his face with a slender finger.
What he needed to do was nothing more than perform a one-man play. All the other party had to do was fall for the lie he had carefully woven.
Because Ritsu understood Shiho better than anyone.
Just as Macallan and Sherry had once shared an unspoken bond.
He was certain that when the time came to eliminate the final loose end, she would throw herself into the script he had prepared without hesitation.
Changing into his black mission attire, he swung onto his motorcycle.
After fastening his helmet in proper accordance with traffic regulations, he skillfully started the engine and sped toward Nishitama City, dozens of kilometers away.
...
Far away in the laboratory, Shiho had just finished her irregularly timed lunch.
Holding a cup of coffee, she gazed at the calendar hanging on the wall.
If she hadn't checked the date, she wouldn't even have realized another year had slipped by inside this research facility.
Her brows knitted together in displeasure.
Lately, aside from that insufferable Augier, hardly anyone ever came to the lab. As a result, contrary to what had been promised, she hadn't seen her older sister for two months.
On her desk lay a Christmas postcard that had arrived well after the holiday.
The handwriting belonged to Akemi. It had been written and mailed on Christmas Day, yet it hadn't reached Shiho until half a month later.
Picking up the postcard, Shiho smiled faintly.
The card itself was tiny, but every inch of it was packed with neat handwriting.
It began with words of concern for her well-being before moving on to little stories from Akemi's everyday life.
An ordinary, peaceful life.
The kind of life Shiho had always dreamed of.
The sound of someone entering the passcode at the laboratory door echoed through the room. She set down her mug and quietly tucked the postcard into a drawer.
The warmth in her eyes vanished instantly.
She already knew who had come.
"Good evening, the second young lady of the Miyano family."
Shiho's expression darkened even further. She had never understood why Augier insisted on addressing her that way. She would much rather everyone in the Organization simply call her by her codename.
She had her own selfish reason.
She wanted the name Miyano Shiho to disappear from the Organization's memory. It was the name her parents, whom she'd never had the chance to know, had given her.
It didn't deserve to be spoken by people like them.
"The latest batch of lab mice is still being raised. I don't have any new experimental data for you."
"I'm not here for your research data."
Ritsu made no move to enter the laboratory. Instead, he curled a finger toward her.
"I'm here to take you somewhere. Come with me. You should be happy to finally have a chance to leave work for once."
Not wanting to lose verbally, Shiho removed her white lab coat and put on her coat for going outside.
Arms folded across her chest, she stepped out of the laboratory and replied coldly,
"I find it impossible to be happy when I'm forced to spend time with someone like you."
Ritsu merely smiled without answering.
He slipped both hands into his pockets as he arrived at the research institute's entrance. A black Toyota sedan was already waiting.
Displaying impeccable gentlemanly manners, he opened the rear passenger door.
"After you."
Shiho didn't give him the slightest satisfaction.
Without even looking at him, she walked around to the opposite side and got into the car through the other rear door.
'Still as bad-tempered as ever. But that's exactly like you.'
Left with no choice, Ritsu ceremoniously closed the rear door he'd opened, only to reopen it himself and climb into the back seat.
The lower-ranking driver silently witnessed the bizarre sequence of events.
He wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.
After all, neither of the two people in the back seat was someone he could afford to offend.
'Better to drive in silence.'
Seeing Augier sit beside her, Shiho instinctively curled herself away from him as though avoiding something filthy, pressing herself as close to the left-side door as possible.
Ritsu, on the other hand, was in an excellent mood.
'If she's giving me more room, who am I to refuse?'
Without the slightest concern for gentlemanly decorum, he spread his legs comfortably, leaned back into the seat, twisted his waist a little, and settled into the most relaxed posture he could find.
It was as if Onizawa's character sheet had somehow been swapped with Augier's, and Ritsu himself hadn't even realized that Augier was already drifting completely out of character.
Only after noticing the strange look on Shiho's face did he suddenly remember.
'Right... Augier wouldn't sit like this.'
He slowly drew his legs back together and straightened his posture.
'Let's just pretend none of that happened.'
Ahem.
"Mr. Augier," the driver asked, "you still haven't told me our destination."
"21, 2-chome, Beika Town."
After entering the address into the car's GPS, the driver realized it was a residential neighborhood.
Looking puzzled, he asked, "Mr. Augier, are you taking Miss Sherry to visit someone?"
"That's right."
Ritsu answered calmly.
"We're paying a visit to the high school detective whom this Miss Sherry here killed."
"...Killed?"
Shiho's expression immediately changed.
She frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Seemingly satisfied by the reaction he'd been hoping for, Ritsu caught the unmistakable flash of anxiety in her eyes.
Keeping a perfectly straight face, he said, "I mean exactly what I said."
"Have you already forgotten what I told you some time ago? You should remember."
"Your expression just told me you do."
Shiho turned her head toward the window without another word.
Outside, the scenery rushed past in a blur. The light in her ice-blue eyes gradually faded.
'Could it be... Did the drug I created... really kill someone?'