Ringo stood frozen in place for a long moment, too shocked to process what she’d just heard.
The culprit behind her speechless state, however, looked completely at ease. As if nothing unusual had happened, he leisurely finished eating his snack before asking, “Can we go now?”
“Huh? W-Wait!” Snapping back to her senses, Ringo stared at Ranpo with her eyes wide. “What do you mean by ‘take you back’?”
“Mmm… exactly what it sounds like.” Ranpo held up one finger. “I don’t know how to ride the train, so I can’t get back by myself. And you look like a nice person.” He added, “Oh, right. My name’s Ranpo Edogawa. What’s yours?”
“Ringo Shirakawa… No, wait.” Ringo shook her head vigorously. “Why are we suddenly introducing ourselves like that…?”
And what did he mean he couldn’t ride the train?!
“Come on, let’s go,” Ranpo urged.
She had a feeling… there was no getting rid of him now.
Checking the time, Ringo saw there was still quite a while before dinner. She sighed in resignation before asking, “Where are you trying to go? Your school?”
Was he a middle schooler? Or a high schooler?
“I’m not a student,” Ranpo said seriously. “I’m an adult. I’m a detective, and I’m amazing at my job!”
As he said it, a childishly smug expression spread across his face.
…He didn’t look like one at all!
Stare—
Ranpo leaned a little closer.
“You’ve got ‘I don’t believe you’ written all over your face.”
Having her thoughts exposed so accurately, Ringo awkwardly turned her head aside and scratched her cheek.
“Uh… well, that’s not really important. So… where are you going?”
“The Armed Detective Agency.”
He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her.
“The address is on here.”
Ringo accepted it. One side was printed with the name “Ranpo Edogawa,” while the reverse bore the words “Armed Detective Agency.” Beneath that were two smaller lines—one with a phone number and the other with the address.
“Please give me a moment.”
After speaking, she took out her phone and entered the address.
Ranpo waited patiently beside her without rushing her.
Once Ringo had figured out the route, she handed the business card back.
“You keep it,” Ranpo said instead. “If you ever run into trouble someday, come find me. I’ll solve one problem for you free of charge.”
Did she really look like someone who attracted trouble?
Why had Yamamoto said something similar… and now Ranpo too?
Still, Ringo had never been good at refusing other people’s kindness, so after thanking him, she tucked the card away.
The two of them headed toward the train station.
As they walked, Ranpo said, “My consulting fees are usually very expensive. Even the Hunting Dogs come to me for help. In fact, they picked me up today and took me to a crime scene.”
Ringo looked curious.
“Then why didn’t you ask them to take you back?”
“Because I wanted to buy snacks,” Ranpo replied matter-of-factly. “I asked them to come with me, but they refused.”
Ringo’s expression turned complicated.
“I think… most people… would probably refuse…”
“Hm?”
Ranpo’s ears twitched, and he leaned toward her.
“What did you say?”
“N-Nothing,” Ringo said hurriedly, shaking her head. “This way.”
An incredible detective… who couldn’t ride the train?
What a bizarre combination.
Since they had only just met, Ringo had no intention of exhausting herself trying to come up with conversation topics. What she hadn’t expected was that Ranpo was incredibly talkative.
Before they even reached the station, he’d already coaxed a surprising amount of information out of her—including how she and Osamu Dazai had first met.
“Um…”
“No more questions!”
Ringo looked at Ranpo in alarm.
“At this rate, you’re going to figure out how much money my family has!”
What kind of terrifying social monster was this?!
Ranpo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“I can’t determine the exact amount, but I can narrow it down to a rough range through deduction.” Then he accepted the train ticket she’d bought for him. “Though that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Since you were kind enough to take me back, here’s a piece of advice.”
He looked at her.
“You should break up with that boyfriend of yours as soon as possible.”
…Did this man have absolutely no sense of social etiquette?
Ringo was utterly dumbfounded.
Who tells someone to break up with their boyfriend the very first time they meet—and so bluntly at that?!
She stood there in complete disarray for quite a while before finally managing to ask with great difficulty,
“…Why?”
“Hm? Isn’t it obvious?” Ranpo looked puzzled instead. “Why are you even asking?”
“It’s not obvious at—”
Before she could finish, Ranpo interrupted.
“Alright, let’s go. I need to get back as soon as possible.”
“O-Okay.”
Ringo nodded and walked ahead to lead the way.
“This way.”
Once they boarded the train, Ranpo stopped eating snacks and didn’t say another word to Ringo. Instead, he took out a handheld game console and started playing.
Ringo secretly glanced over.
It reminded her of the last time she’d gone on a date with Dazai. He’d been playing this very same game.
I wonder what Osamu’s been busy with lately…
It’s already been a week since our last date.
I really miss my boyfriend…
Thinking that, Ringo took out her phone and sent him a message.
【Osamu, it’s been getting colder lately. Remember to wear something warm. It’d be awful if you caught a cold. (=^-ω-^=)】
Knowing Dazai wouldn’t reply anytime soon, she was just about to put her phone away when Ranpo, having finished a round of his game, leaned over.
“Messaging your boyfriend?”
Ringo hurriedly clutched the phone to her chest.
“Don’t peek!”
“Even if I did, there wouldn’t be much point.” Ranpo shrugged. “I can already guess what girls text their boyfriends.”
He held out his phone.
“Let’s exchange numbers.”
It wasn’t phrased as a question. After making the declaration, he simply handed the device to her.
“But… didn’t you already give me your business card?”
“This is the personal number of the Great Detective Ranpo Edogawa!”
That… somehow sounded incredibly impressive.
Come to think of it, when Yamamoto had given her his number, he’d also said it was his personal one.
Did that mean he had an amazing job too?
She still didn’t know what kind of work he did.
If she saw him when she went home during winter break, she’d have to ask.
Since Ranpo had already thrust his phone toward her, Ringo felt too awkward to refuse. She accepted it, handed over her own, and the two exchanged contact information before returning each other’s devices.
The moment she got her phone back, a reply from Dazai arrived.
【Osamu: Got it.】
He replied so quickly today…!
Beside her, Ranpo tilted his head slightly as he watched the girl practically radiating pink hearts. It was almost as if flowers were blooming around her, complete with imaginary sound effects.
“Little Ringo.”
“Hm? What is it?”
Still basking in her happiness, Ringo didn’t even notice anything strange about someone she’d only just met calling her by such an affectionate nickname. She answered him instinctively.
“Don’t fall so hard.”
“There you go again, saying weird things.”
After leaving the station, Ringo followed Ranpo to the Armed Detective Agency.
“I’ll just wait downstairs, okay?” she asked quietly, looking up at the slightly weathered building before them. “You can bring the money down to me…”
“No.”
Ranpo rejected the suggestion without a second thought.
“After the great Detective Ranpo finishes a case, it’s time for snacks and a well-earned break. I’m not coming back downstairs.”
He waved her along.
“Come on, hurry up and follow me.”
What a willful person… QAQ
Ranpo had already started walking away, so Ringo had no choice but to follow. Even so, she still tried to negotiate with him.
“I can just wait by the entrance, right?” It was obvious that if she followed Ranpo inside, his coworkers would definitely notice her—and she absolutely did not want that kind of attention!
“Hmm… fine.”
“Ah, thank goodness—”
Ringo followed Ranpo up to the fourth floor and set the shopping bags she’d been carrying on the ground while waiting for him to bring out the money.
Probably because he expected to be back out quickly, Ranpo didn’t shut the door all the way. Through the narrow crack, Ringo couldn’t resist sneaking a peek inside.
She had never actually seen the inside of a detective agency before, but from what she could see, it didn’t look much different from an ordinary office.
Just then, a man’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
“What are you doing here?”
Ringo instantly froze. The little cowlick on top of her head twitched as if it had been shocked by electricity.
Slowly turning around, she saw a middle-aged man in a kimono standing behind her with his arms crossed. He looked dignified and imposing.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Ringo hurriedly bowed.
“I’m just waiting for someone!”
Yukichi Fukuzawa frowned slightly.
Did he really look that frightening?
Why was this young girl trembling so badly?
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Ranpo came out carrying his wallet. The moment he spotted Fukuzawa, his eyes lit up.
“President! You’re back!”
Ringo looked at Ranpo, then at Fukuzawa.
“President?”
“This is the President of our Armed Detective Agency,” Ranpo explained to Ringo before turning to Fukuzawa. “This is Little Ringo, the kind person who brought me back today. She’s not suspicious.”
“I see.”
Understanding immediately, Fukuzawa gave Ringo a polite nod.
“Sorry for troubling you. Thank you for bringing Ranpo back.”
“N-No, it wasn’t any trouble at all,” Ringo said, waving both hands. “Please don’t worry about it.”
“Here, your money.”
Ranpo took some cash out of his wallet and handed it to her.
“I included the train fare too. See? I told you I wasn’t trying to scam you.”
“Okay.”
Ringo accepted the money and put it straight into her bag.
Watching her, Fukuzawa asked, “Aren’t you going to count it first?”
“Hm?”
Ringo blinked in surprise before shaking her head.
“It’s alright. Then… I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”
Ranpo waved enthusiastically.
“Bye-bye, Little Ringo!”
After watching Ringo leave, Fukuzawa turned back to Ranpo.
“A new friend?”
“I suppose so,” Ranpo replied with a cheerful smile. “Little Ringo’s a good person. She just has terrible taste in boyfriends.”
“You figured that out too?”
“I’m the Great Detective, after all!”
Ringo, of course, never heard that exchange between Ranpo and Fukuzawa.
Carrying her shopping bags, she walked out of the building and stopped by the roadside. Taking out her phone, she began searching for the best route back to her apartment.
Momoi’s classes should be ending soon.
She needed to hurry home.
Just as she’d finished looking up the route and was about to head for the station, a heavy motorcycle suddenly roared to a stop right in front of her.
Startled, Ringo instinctively stepped backward.
The motorcycle stopped directly before her.
The person riding in the back removed his helmet, revealing a face Ringo knew all too well.
“Little Ringo?”
Ringo’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Osamu?!”
Then the person in front…
Chuuya removed his helmet as well and raised a hand in greeting.
“Yo, Ringo.”
“Hello, Mr. Nakahara.”
Ringo looked from Chuuya to Osamu, delight instantly filling her face.
“What a coincidence! I can’t believe I ran into both of you!”
Osamu asked curiously, “What are you doing here?”
“I ran into someone while shopping who didn’t know how to ride the train, so I helped bring him back,” Ringo explained. Then she asked the two of them, “Did you just finish work?”
“I guess you could say that,” Osamu tilted his head slightly. “We could’ve finished much sooner, but Chuuya kept holding me back.”
Chuuya clenched his fists, so furious he looked like smoke might come out of his ears.
“That’s my line!”
Then he looked at Ringo.
“Aren’t you his girlfriend? Do something about him! Stop him from constantly making trouble for me!”
“Huh? Is that so?”
Ringo hurriedly bowed to Chuuya.
“Thank you for always looking after Osamu. I’m so sorry he’s caused you so much trouble.”
Osamu immediately leaned backward in exaggerated disbelief.
“What are you doing, Little Ringo?!”
Even Chuuya was dumbfounded.
“You actually said it?!”
“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?” Ringo asked blankly. “My mom always says things like that to my dad’s coworkers.”
…She’s really a child from a healthy, loving family.
—Thought both Osamu and Chuuya simultaneously.
“…Forget it.”
Osamu looked away awkwardly. Then his gaze fell on the shopping bags in Ringo’s hands.
“Did you buy a lot?”
“Mhm. My friend next door suggested we have hot pot together tonight, so I went shopping for ingredients.”
She looked at Osamu expectantly.
“Osamu, would you like to come too?”
Inviting her boyfriend over for dinner—
“I’ll pass. I still have to go back and report on the mission.”
After a moment’s thought, Osamu climbed off Chuuya’s motorcycle and placed his helmet on Ringo’s head.
“Chuuya, give Little Ringo a ride home. You’re not busy anyway.”
A question mark slowly appeared over Chuuya’s head.
“…?”
“What the hell is wrong with you, you damn bastard Dazai?!”