Thursday, February 21
At the cocktail bar on the top floor of the Daikoku Building, Ritsu sat alone in a corner, dressed in his black operations outfit.
Having arrived far too early, he had nothing better to do than play with the Rubik's Cube provided on the table. His fingers moved deftly, and in no time at all, he had solved it.
Hearing footsteps approaching along with the familiar scent of tobacco, he lazily raised his eyes toward Gin, who was dressed in his usual black trench coat.
Only today, Vodka wasn't by his side.
"Where's Vodka? Did you actually show him mercy and give him the day off?" Ritsu asked as he crossed one leg over the other.
Gin snorted as he sat down. Lighting a cigarette, he answered with a question of his own.
"Did you prepare what I told you to?"
Ritsu pulled a paper file from the inside pocket of his jacket and laid it flat on the table before sliding it toward Gin.
"This is Intelligence Division work, isn't it? Did you think I've been too idle lately, so you decided to give me something to do?"
The document contained an overview of the Tokiwa Group, along with the schedule for the opening ceremony of the Twin Tower Skyscraper in Nishitama City, built with Mount Fuji as its backdrop, and the list of invited guests.
"Heh. You know I've never liked mysterious types. And Kir's in Kyoto because of her television station job," Gin said as he looked over the file with satisfaction.
"Sending you to the MPD was the right decision. The report is very thorough. You'll be participating in this operation as well."
"What operation?" Ritsu asked curiously.
"A game engineer from the Tokiwa Group named Hara Yoshiaki is one of the Organization's lower-ranking members. He previously designed some security software. He's certainly smart, but he used that intelligence in the wrong place."
"He attempted to alter the firewall data and was caught by the anti-tracing system you designed."
Hara Yoshiaki.
The name wasn't unfamiliar to Ritsu. After all, he had been the one who personally recruited him.
To be more accurate, he had threatened him into joining the Organization.
Frowning, Ritsu asked, "He's just a lower-ranking member. Is there really any need for me to get involved?"
"It was a last-minute decision."
Gin tapped the section listing the invited guests and smiled.
"Didn't you receive an invitation? I don't trust Pisco, so you'll be assisting him."
"That old fossil is still allowed to stay in the Operatives Division?" Ritsu scoffed.
"Gin, you should've kicked him over to Logistics years ago."
"There aren't many code-named members in the division that can actually be used. You know that better than anyone."
Ritsu stood up and waved dismissively. Before leaving, he couldn't resist one last jab.
"That's because you're way too paranoid. In the past seven years, you've eliminated more than five rats, haven't you? I'm leaving. Next time, remember to buy me a drink."
Without changing his expression, Gin took out a lighter and burned the document. Only after ensuring every last scrap had turned to ash did he stand and leave.
He really was cautious.
He had to be.
After all, there were still rats lurking inside the Organization. If he became even slightly careless, he would become the one being hunted.
Leaving the Daikoku Building, Ritsu received an unexpected phone call. After answering, he immediately asked,
"Is something going on with Kogoro?"
"You really are smart," Akemi laughed.
"Why didn't you assume I was calling to ask what you wanted for dinner?"
"I just asked casually. Did he go to the hospital to pick up his examination results?"
"Mm. Isn't your software connected to his dashcam? I can see his car parked in Lot B of Beika General Hospital."
Ritsu unlocked his car and got inside.
"Got it. Log out of the software. I'll head over right away."
"Okay."
...
As evening approached, Kogoro had just parked his car in Lot B of Beika General Hospital. Feeling uneasy, he slowly made his way toward the hospital lobby.
Perhaps all middle-aged people were afraid of hospitals.
Or perhaps they were even more afraid of seeing the results of their medical examinations.
Because once you got checked, you usually discovered an entire list of health problems.
And that meant saying goodbye to beer.
After retrieving his examination report from the automated kiosk, Kogoro finally understood why young people enjoyed opening blind boxes.
He sat in the waiting area for a long time, unable to bring himself to open it.
What if...
What if his health was terrible? What if he had some terminal illness?
What would happen to his precious daughter? What about Eri?
Thinking about how he had repeatedly fallen asleep for no reason lately, and, more importantly, somehow solved murder cases while asleep without remembering any of it afterward.
Kogoro buried both hands in his hair.
He simply couldn't muster the courage to open the report. He was at a complete loss when a voice caught his attention.
Looking up, he found Onizawa standing in front of him.
"Inspector Onizawa? What are you doing here? Are you sick?"
Pretending that he had just finished visiting a patient, Ritsu smiled.
"I just came to visit a friend who broke his leg. Thanks for asking. But Kogoro-san, you don't look very well. Did something happen?"
Kogoro figured it would be better to let someone else read the report than to force himself to do it. Standing up solemnly, he handed the examination report to Onizawa.
"Inspector... could you help me read this medical report? I... I'm not very knowledgeable about this sort of thing."
There was no way he could admit that he was simply too afraid to look.
That was the last shred of his pride.
Ritsu understood perfectly but chose not to expose him. Smiling, he accepted the report.
"Of course, Kogoro-san. I'm fairly knowledgeable about medicine. Please give me a moment."
After giving it a quick scan, he found nothing unusual.
Aside from a few slightly elevated indicators, everything else looked normal. Those minor issues were simply the result of dietary habits and a lack of exercise.
Kogoro had once been a police detective.
After resigning and becoming a private detective, his level of physical activity had naturally declined. A mild case of high cholesterol wasn't particularly surprising.
"There's nothing to worry about, Kogoro-san. You're in very good health. You just need to exercise a little more in your daily life. And try drinking a little less alcohol."
"Otherwise, you may develop alcoholic liver disease in the future."
Closing the report, Ritsu handed it back.
"Alright, alright, I'll definitely pay more attention."
Even so, recalling how he inexplicably solved cases while asleep, Kogoro still couldn't put his mind at ease. Rubbing his hands together awkwardly, he asked,
"Um... Inspector Onizawa... Are you free right now? How about I treat you to dinner?"
Just as he'd expected, Kogoro had begun questioning why he had become the SleepingDetective.
Naturally, Ritsu knew the true cause of his condition. Having already prepared his response, he smiled and nodded.
"You're too kind, Kogoro-san. You've helped reduce our workload at the police. This dinner should be my treat instead."
"Hahaha! Oh, I couldn't possibly let you do that!"
'You don't look all that reluctant.'
Otherwise, how did half of your wallet disappear back into your pocket so quickly?
Pretending not to notice, Ritsu simply acted as though he were blind. Making an inviting gesture, he politely said,
"Then let's head to the parking lot together. My car is parked in Space 29 of Lot B. You can just follow me afterward."
"Hm? What a coincidence. I'm in Space 28."
"Then it seems we are quite fated. After you."
To avoid arousing Kogoro's suspicions, Ritsu made a point of calling Akemi while they walked toward the parking lot.
He told her he wouldn't be coming home for dinner that evening and asked her to eat without him.
Watching the affectionate exchange between the newlywed couple, Kogoro couldn't help thinking of Eri.
But the expression on his face quickly soured, because he immediately remembered his own wife's cooking.
It really wasn't something he could praise.
---
bonus chapter every 20 PS; currently 613 PS
read ahead on my patreon(.)com/Siamus404