"You want chocolate donuts from Mistress? Oh, I'm actually in Beika Town right now. I'll pick some up and bring them home."
As Ritsu stepped out of the fast-food restaurant, he received a call from Akemi. After hanging up, he headed toward the newly opened donut shop in Beika Town 1-Chome.
Seeing the words World'sBest written beneath the Mistress signboard, he couldn't help chuckling.
'That's a pretty bold claim.'
"Welcome! Sir, will you be dining alone?"
"Yes. I'd like two orders of the chocolate donuts to go, please."
The server replied politely,
"Our donuts are baked fresh, so would you mind taking a seat while you wait? They'll be ready in about fifteen minutes."
"Sure, that's fine."
After paying, Ritsu found a seat in the corner and ordered himself an iced lemon tea.
Thinking about how he would most likely see Hiro that evening, a strange feeling welled up inside him.
Humans really were contradictory creatures. On one hand, he didn't want his identity to be exposed. On the other... he secretly hoped the people he cared about would recognize him.
He was no longer deliberately hiding who he was. He simply didn't know how to face them.
"Ayumi, shall we sit here?"
"Okay, Ran-nee-chan!"
The conversation behind him nearly made Ritsu spit out the mouthful of iced lemon tea he had just taken.
He slowly slid down against the booth seat until the two people behind him could no longer see him.
For some reason, it suddenly felt like he was eavesdropping.
Ayumi sat obediently in the booth, looking remarkably similar to Mitsuhiko just a short while ago, as she began sharing her worries with Ran.
"Ran-nee-chan... I really, really like Conan-kun. But... He already likes someone else."
"Don't tell me you mean Ai-chan?"
"No, I mean you, Ran-nee."
Listening to the girls' conversation, Ritsu couldn't help giving a silent thumbs-up. At the same time, he inwardly complained about a certain shrunken detective.
'Seriously, out of everything you could've become, you just had to become a little girl's heartbreaker.'
Ran blinked in surprise before laughing awkwardly.
"No way. How could Conan possibly like me?"
"It's true! Conan-kun definitely likes you, Ran! So I was hoping you'd tell him that you already have Shinichi."
"Tell him to give up. Otherwise, Conan-kun is just too pitiful."
Hearing those words, Ritsu felt an inexplicable pang of sadness.
He remembered a certain girl who had been obsessed with Mamoru Chiba, yet somehow ended up falling for Ritsu-senpai after knowing him for barely a month.
'Strange, why am I looking at that memory from a third-person perspective?
Have I already convinced myself that the black-haired young man who dreamed endlessly about the future before joining the Organization and the me whose hands are now stained with filth are no longer the same person?'
Whether it was Onizawa, Augier, Conan, or Haibara; they were all false identities that were never meant to exist.
None of them should be remembered by anyone. Because sooner or later, they would all disappear.
There was no point in leaving behind memories.
No matter how beautiful they were... once parting came, all that remained would be regret and pain.
Ran still couldn't believe that a child ten years younger than her could genuinely have feelings for her. Smiling gently, she replied,
"But we don't actually know whether Conan really likes me, do we?"
"I'm absolutely sure!"
"What makes you so certain?"
"A woman's intuition!"
"Pffft—"
This time, Ritsu couldn't hold it in.
He sprayed the iced lemon tea all over himself. Frantically wiping his soaked shirt with a handkerInspector, he grimaced.
'This is bad... I was planning to wear this to tonight's opening ceremony.'
Hearing the strange noise, Ayumi poked her head around the booth and immediately spotted Onizawa wiping his clothes.
"Onizawa-nii? What are you doing here?!"
Ran had been wondering how to respond anyway. Squinting with a mischievous smile, she said,
"Onizawa-san, you didn't happen to hear everything we were talking about, did you?"
Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, Ritsu forced a smile.
"I... wasn't doing it on purpose."
"Well then, as a successful adult who's accomplished both in love and in his career, what do you think?"
Ran asked.
Ritsu had never imagined the conversation would suddenly be thrown at him. He had merely been an innocent customer quietly enjoying some gossip while waiting for his order.
Glancing at Ayumi's hopeful expression, he could only make something up.
"Edogawa-kun is the mature-for-his-age type. So, I tend to agree with Ayumi. He really is the kind of boy who would like someone older than himself."
Ran froze.
'So... Conan really likes me? Then... what am I supposed to do?'
"See? Even Onizawa-nii thinks my intuition is right! Ran-nee, please talk to Conan-kun!"
Knowing the truth, Ritsu could only think,
'Even if you explain it to Conan, it won't make any difference. After all, Kudo and Edogawa are the same person. Born from the same root.
It's all the fault of that irresistible charm of his.'
"Sir, your order is ready!"
Ritsu silently thanked the server for rescuing him from the romantic discussion. He quickly stood up.
"Akemi's waiting for me at home with these donuts. I'll get going, see you tonight."
"See you tonight, Onizawa-san!"
"See you tonight, Onizawa-nii!"
After leaving the donut shop, Ritsu returned the way he came to the outdoor parking lot.
Before he could even start the car, his phone rang.
It was Hayasaka.
"Hello? What's the matter? Or is there another case?"
Yuna's voice was urgent.
"There is a case. And it involves you, Inspector."
"It involves me?"
Ritsu frowned.
'Did I come into contact with either the victim or the suspect? Wait... Could the Organization have eliminated one of the targets ahead of schedule without informing me?'
"The body of Councilman Iwamatsu was discovered by a cleaner inside a suite on the sixty-seventh floor of Tower B in the Twin Tower Building.
I've already notified everyone who was present to come to the MPD for questioning."
"Inspector, please come over immediately."
Ritsu's expression darkened.
'Could it be... Is the Organization testing me by deliberately moving up the operation?'
"Understood, I'll be there right away."
After ending the call, Ritsu drove toward the MPD while immediately dialing Gin. He needed to determine whether Iwamatsu's death had anything to do with the Organization.
If it did, he could no longer involve himself deeply in the investigation.
"Hello, Gin. It's me."
"Calling at a time like this? Has something gone wrong with the mission?"
Hearing Gin ask that question, half the weight on Ritsu's shoulders disappeared. In a low voice, he said,
"I just received word that one of our targets, Iwamatsu Oki, was found dead in a suite on the sixty-seventh floor of Tower B. Don't tell me Pisco acted ahead of schedule?"
"Heh, looks like more than one person wanted him dead. You're heading to the MPD now, aren't you?"
"Yeah. As long as the Organization wasn't responsible, I can investigate freely."
"I don't think I need to tell you what to do."
Ritsu smiled faintly.
"You want Pisco to make use of the real killer and then eliminate Yoshiaki?"
"Exactly. And there's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"The lost kitten has been found."