Instead of contacting Takagi right away after getting into his car, Ritsu drove straight to Teitan Elementary School. He was already twenty minutes late, and he had no idea whether Akemi had already left.
When he arrived at the school gate, however, he found Akemi standing there alone, quietly waiting.
The sight reminded him of several years ago, when he'd accompanied Akai to see her after finishing a mission. It had been a snowy day back then. Just like now, she'd stood there patiently waiting, her face frozen stiff from the cold.
The memory made Ritsu's heart ache for his cousin.
Whether in front of strangers or family, Akemi always wore a smile. She kept her gentle, vulnerable side hidden deep inside, never letting anyone see it.
Letting out a quiet sigh, he pushed down his emotions, rolled down the window, and apologized.
"Sorry, Akemi. I'm late. Hurry and get in."
Understanding as ever, Akemi climbed into the passenger seat and removed her scarf.
"There was a case, wasn't there? If you're busy with work, you didn't have to come. I could've taken the subway home."
"You're part of the Organization now. How can a future code-name member not have a car?" Ritsu said as he fished his wallet out one-handed and handed it to her.
"My spare credit card is inside. Take it. The PIN is six zeros."
"Is that really okay?" Akemi asked with a teasing smile. "Aren't you worried I'll buy something ridiculously expensive and max out your card?"
"Go ahead. Spend whatever you want. The Operatives Division has way more money than you think. You've seen the house I live in, haven't you?"
Akemi covered her mouth and laughed.
"You really don't feel bad spending money."
"It's the Organization's money. Of course I don't."
If the Organization's two hardest workers, Gin and Vodka, heard that, they'd probably faint from anger.
The two of them survived on convenience store boxed meals, worked around the clock, and lived frugally. After all, maintaining Gin's antique-level beloved car was outrageously expensive.
.
Far away in North America, another tireless Organization workhorse, Bourbon, who was busy gathering intelligence, suddenly sneezed.
Rubbing his nose in confusion, he muttered to himself.
'Is someone talking behind my back?'
.
After dropping Akemi off downstairs at their apartment, Ritsu called Takagi. As expected, the guy had nothing substantial to report.
"There wasn't anything unusual inside the library?"
"No," Takagi answered after pulling his car over and flipping open his police notebook.
"I don't think Tamada disappeared inside the library. We searched the entire building but couldn't find him.
I think something happened to him on his way home, so I've already asked the Information Division to review the traffic surveillance cameras and trace his route."
"Good. Leave it at that for now. Let me know as soon as the Information Division finds anything."
After hanging up, Ritsu pocketed his phone instead of driving to Beika Library.
He trusted Takagi.
Since Takagi had already thought of checking the surveillance footage, it was only a matter of time before they determined exactly where Tamada had gone.
'It's nice when your subordinates grow into capable investigators.'
That meant he could finally relax.
Now he could head home, enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal, take a hot bath afterward, and curl up on the couch with a novel.
Akemi had just changed into casual clothes and was about to start cooking when she saw Ritsu come back.
Confused, she asked,
"Takashi, weren't you going to investigate a case? Why are you back already?"
"I left both cases to my subordinates. Neither one's particularly complicated. With today's surveillance network, they'll probably sort everything out within a few hours."
"That's true. Technology really has advanced. If subway stations adopted security screenings like some other countries, they'd probably be much safer."
Ritsu nodded in agreement.
"Unfortunately, everyone's so concerned about human rights these days. Sometimes even the law leaves police officers scratching their heads. You catch a criminal who deserves the death penalty, but the sentence isn't carried out immediately. Sometimes it gets reduced to a suspended death sentence, and eventually it's commuted to life imprisonment."
While washing vegetables, Akemi asked,
"But if it's changed to life imprisonment, they won't ever get out, right?"
"Some death row inmates actually want life imprisonment. Prison conditions are better than you'd imagine. Japan's not too bad, but in places like the U.S. or Canada, the food can be pretty decent. For some people, that's better than being released with absolutely nothing."
Akemi sighed softly.
"That really isn't fair to the victims."
Ritsu shrugged. Thinking about his own situation, he smiled bitterly.
"There was never such a thing as absolute fairness or absolute justice. All we can do is uphold justice as best we can... and do our best ourselves."
"So... what are you planning to do?"
"Hm?"
Akemi set down the vegetables, brushed her long hair behind her shoulder, and turned around.
"You're not just an undercover Public Security officer anymore, are you? Once everything is over... what are you going to do?"
Ritsu froze.
Then he lowered his head in silence.
It wasn't that he didn't want to answer. He had simply never thought about what awaited him after everything ended. Returning to the Public Security Bureau was impossible. There was too much blood on his hands.
Only by living under the identity of Onizawa could he continue doing the work he loved.
But after all of this... where would he belong?
He genuinely had no answer.
"Takashi... if you haven't figured it out yet..." Akemi said softly. "Then when it's all over, why don't you live with Shiho and me?"
She smiled warmly before adding,
"Besides, with your cooking skills, living alone would be pretty difficult."
The first half genuinely moved him. The second half instantly ruined the mood.
Ritsu shot her a deadpan glare.
"That was incredibly rude. If I actually try learning, I'll definitely get good at it."
Akemi smiled sweetly.
"By the time you learn, the line of taste-testers will stretch all the way from Tokyo to Osaka."
"...What does that mean?"
"The cemeteries won't have enough plots."
"..."
Ritsu suddenly realized he'd uncovered Akemi's hidden mischievous side. And it seemed to be getting worse.
Rolling his eyes, he decided not to argue and muttered under his breath,
"...One day I'll cook better than both of you and amaze everyone."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. I'm going to take a shower and change."
.
Inside the bathroom, he didn't immediately start undressing.
Instead, he leaned against the sink, pulled out his phone, and browsed through the app store, downloading several recipe apps that looked promising.
Once he had some free time, he'd ask Akemi to teach him how to cook. Otherwise, if his terrible cooking ever exposed his identity again, that would be a real problem.
He had just taken off his suit jacket and shoulder holster when his phone rang. The caller ID displayed an unfamiliar number.
A public phone.
"Hello, this is Onizawa speaking. May I ask who's calling?"
"Is this Onizawa-nii? It's Conan! We've met before!"
'Hm? Kudo's calling me?'
Naturally, Ritsu didn't expose him. His tone softened.
"Oh, it's Edogawa-kun. Is something wrong?"
"We found out that the director of Beika Library is suspected of trafficking hero—"
The call was suddenly cut off before Conan could finish.
Ritsu's expression immediately darkened.
Then, Takagi called.
He answered instantly while grabbing his suit jacket and walking out of the bathroom without even putting it on.
"Takagi, did you find out that Tamada never actually left Beika Library?"
Takagi blinked in surprise.
His superior had guessed correctly.
"Yes. After reviewing the surveillance footage, I confirmed that Tamada-san never left the library that night. Library Director Tsugawa is now our primary suspect!"
"I'm heading to Beika Library right now."
Click.
"Eh? Inspector! What about me?"
Listening to the disconnected tone, Takagi let out a helpless sigh. Judging from his voice, something serious had happened.
"I'd better drive over there too."
.
"Takashi, where are you going?"
"I'm heading to the library! Don't make dinner for me!"
Ritsu repeatedly jabbed the elevator button.
He was worried about Shinichi's situation.
If heroin trafficking was involved, things were far more dangerous than an ordinary murder case.
More importantly, Shinichi was currently trapped in the body of an elementary school child. He had no way of resisting an adult by force.
The worst-case scenario was that he'd brought his classmates along with him. If that were true, Shiho might also be caught up in all of this.
"Damn it... I should never have bought an apartment on such a high floor."
As he stepped into the elevator, he kept pressing the Close Door button over and over. Fortunately, he wasn't using much force. Otherwise, he probably would've broken the button.