Dazai had been unusually busy lately. It wasn’t until the day before Halloween that he finally called Ringo to confirm they would be spending the holiday together.
“So I’ve got the time,” Dazai said lazily as he walked with his phone to his ear. Walking ahead of him, Chuuya turned around the moment he heard Ringo’s name.
Why the hell hadn’t this lying, cheating scumbag been dumped by his girlfriend yet and tossed back into the trash where he belonged?
“The amusement park!” Ringo answered without a second’s hesitation, excitement evident in her voice. “The amusement park is really fun during Halloween! Can we go there?” She stood in the entryway changing her shoes. “But I have classes tomorrow morning. If you have time, could you come pick me up at school? We can have lunch together, then go to the amusement park in the afternoon!”
“I’m fine with whatever. I’m just going because it’s with you,” Dazai replied casually. “But coming to your school won’t work. I’ve still got things to do tomorrow, so it’d make me late.”
Chuuya instinctively leaned back.
The way he said, I’m just going because it’s with you, was so infuriatingly smug. But hearing Dazai—of all people, the king of standing people up—actually warn someone in advance that he’d be late was eye-opening.
“I see… Hmm… Then how about we meet at the entrance to the amusement park?” Ringo suggested as a compromise. “Would three o’clock work?”
“That’s a little rushed.”
“Then five?” Ringo proposed again. “Since it’s Halloween, the amusement park will stay open into the evening.”
“That works.” Dazai lowered his head slightly. “Five it is.”
“I’ll bring you a present, Osamu!”
Her cheerful tone made Dazai smile a little.
“Oh, right! Do you want some candy? You said Halloween is the holiday where you ask people for candy, right? If you want some, you can ask me. I don’t mind.”
“Oh?” Dazai suddenly sounded interested. “Is little Ringo going to buy candy for me?”
Ringo absentmindedly twirled a strand of blonde hair beside her cheek around her finger.
“I don’t need to buy any. The big brother who lives next door to my family’s house sent me a whole box of candy. I can’t finish it all, so if you want some, I’ll bring you a few!”
“Ah…”
Dazai’s footsteps paused.
“The big brother who watched the movie with you the other day?”
“Yep, that’s him!” Ringo sounded pleasantly surprised. “You remembered?”
Dazai’s tone turned strangely ambiguous.
“So you’re giving me candy another man gave you?”
Standing nearby, Chuuya felt goosebumps all over his body.
That resentful tone had actually come out of Dazai’s mouth?
Was he possessed or something?
Back! Back! Begone!
“It isn’t that serious,” Ringo hurriedly explained. “If you don’t want it, then I won’t bring you any.”
“I just don’t want candy another man gave you,” Dazai declared self-righteously. “How can that count as candy from little Ringo?”
Chuuya’s fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
This bastard was way too demanding!
“I understand,” Ringo replied after thinking it over. “I’ll bring you candy. Ah, I need to leave for class now. Bye, Osamu.”
“Bye—”
After hanging up and putting away his phone, Dazai looked up to find Chuuya staring at him with an indescribably complicated expression, one fist still clenched at his side.
“What?” Dazai asked matter-of-factly. “I haven’t done anything to annoy you today.”
Through gritted teeth, Chuuya growled, “Your girlfriend still hasn’t seen through what a scumbag you are and dumped you?”
“What are you talking about, Chuuya?” Dazai looked up at him slightly. “Your jealousy is written all over your face. Not only have we not broken up, but we’re going on a Halloween date tomorrow. You’ve never experienced dating a girlfriend before, have you? The best you can do is get drunk with a bunch of smelly guys—and you’re always the one paying.”
…Why did treating your subordinates to drinks somehow sound so bizarre when Dazai said it?
Enraged, Chuuya swung a fist at the face he hated so much.
Dazai, who had clearly expected it, dodged with practiced ease.
“By the way,” Dazai said, suddenly dropping his lazy demeanor.
The seriousness of his expression made Chuuya freeze.
“Should I get little Ringo something too?” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’ve ever given her a present.”
After thinking for a moment, he nodded decisively.
“Yeah. Never.”
“…Huh?”
Chuuya stared at him in disbelief.
“You’ve been showing off the cookies and sandwiches your girlfriend made for you these past few days, and you’re telling me you’ve never bought her a single present?!”
Wait.
Now that he thought about it…
Living off his girlfriend like some kept pretty boy actually did sound exactly like something Dazai would do.
It wasn’t like he was broke!
“So,” Dazai asked with an eager-to-learn expression, “what should I buy?”
“A gift?” Chuuya rubbed his chin. “Since it’s Halloween, just get something with a Halloween theme. Pumpkins, ghosts, stuff like that. Or if you’re just buying her a present, anything works. Girls like clothes, jewelry, handbags, hats… that sort of thing. Your girlfriend dresses in that preppy, academy style, so you could buy something that matches it.”
“Chuuya—!”
Dazai looked at him in utter shock, his pupils trembling.
“You actually know that? Even though you’ve never had a girlfriend!”
Chuuya’s fists hardened all over again.
“You damn mackerel—!”
“You’ve never had a girlfriend, yet you know so much. But despite knowing so much, you still don’t have a girlfriend.”
Dazai’s voice was full of sympathy.
“I honestly can’t decide which is sadder.”
“What are you so proud of? Trash like you is going to get dumped and thrown back into the garbage sooner or later!”
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
…
Meanwhile, Ringo had already started class.
As she took notes, she wondered how she should distribute all the candy Takeshi Yamamoto had sent her.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to keep it for herself.
There was simply too much!
Because of her social anxiety, Ringo didn’t have many friends. She had already given some to Momoi, and shared some with the classmates in her club that she was relatively close with, but there was still a lot left at home.
Dazai didn’t want it, either.
As she continued writing, she suddenly remembered the detective she’d met not long ago.
Ranpo loved snacks.
Although Ranpo could be rather willful and self-centered, and the way they’d met had been rather inexplicable, after spending time with him, Ringo felt that he was really just an innocent, straightforward child at heart. He would naturally start conversations on his own, and being around him never felt awkward.
Remembering that, she quietly took out her phone and sent him a message.
Ringo: Mr. Ranpo (＾v＾)丿
Ranpo: What’s up? Is little Ringo treating me to candy?
Ringo: How did you know? w(?Д?)w
Ranpo: Because Halloween’s almost here.
Ringo: Mm-hmm! So do you want some? (=^-w-^=)
Ranpo: I never turn down snacks~ Any kind of candy is fine.
Ringo: You answered before I could ask what kind you liked! (」゜ロ゜)」
Ranpo: That’s how clever a great detective is. (￣▽￣)丿
Ringo: Then when should I give it to you? Today or tomorrow? (：3 」∠ )
Ranpo: If it’s today, you can bring it to the Armed Detective Agency, but I won’t be there. I’ll have time tomorrow instead. （ ^ω^）
Ah.
Mr. Ranpo had started using her kaomoji too.
Going to the Armed Detective Agency alone was absolutely out of the question.
There was no way she’d go there by herself. Even if she did, she wouldn’t know who to hand the candy to.
Just imagining the situation made panic start to well up inside her.
She quickly replied.
Ringo: Tomorrow then! QVQ I have some free time around noon tomorrow, and I need to go buy some candy too!
Ranpo: Sounds good. See you tomorrow at noon. Come find me at the Armed Detective Agency~
Ringo: Okay OVO
…
The next day, after her morning classes ended, Ringo headed to the Armed Detective Agency with the candy.
Just as she arrived, Ranpo happened to be coming out.
“Right on time!”
He raised both hands in celebration.
“Let’s go have lunch first. There’s a café downstairs.” He waved his wallet. “My treat today!”
Ringo looked puzzled.
“Huh? Why?”
Ranpo answered with complete seriousness.
“The President said relationships should go both ways.”
“But you already paid me back last time, Mr. Ranpo.”
“I’m talking about this time. Aren’t you giving me candy?”
Before Ringo could respond, Ranpo had already started walking.
She hurried after him.
“Wait for me, Mr. Ranpo!”
The two of them had lunch at the café downstairs, and Ringo gave him the candy she’d prepared.
Since she still needed to buy candy for Dazai afterward, Ranpo offered to come with her.
“I’ve got a snack shop I go to all the time. I was going to buy snacks anyway.”
He stood up.
“Let’s go.”
As Ringo followed him, she suddenly remembered something.
“Huh? Then I’ll have to walk you back afterward too, won’t I?”
“Correct. No prize for getting it right.”
“That’s so mean!”
Ringo only needed candy.
After arriving at the snack shop, she picked out what she wanted, while Ranpo expertly piled basketfuls of his favorite snacks inside as though he were raiding the store.
The owner was clearly used to this.
Grinning, he called out, “We’ve got a new product. Want to try it? Halloween limited edition.”
“Limited edition!”
Ringo’s ears immediately perked up.
Ranpo tilted his head at her.
“You girls really seem interested in anything that’s limited edition.”
“Is anyone immune to limited editions?”
“I am.”
As the two chatted, the door opened and a man in a trench coat walked in.
He was tall, with dark reddish-brown hair and stubble on his chin. His entire appearance gave off a somewhat scruffy, exhausted impression.
“Welcome.”
The owner greeted him, and the man simply nodded slightly.
Noticing the two other customers carrying shopping baskets, he picked one up from the entrance as well.
“Little Ringo, aren’t you buying anything else?”
“Hmm… Is there anything curry-flavored? Preferably spicy!”
Ranpo rubbed his chin.
“But you don’t eat spicy food.”
Was it for someone else?
“It’s a gift for my boyfriend’s friend.”
Ringo smiled happily.
“My boyfriend said his friend likes spicy curry!”
Passing by Ringo at that exact moment, Oda Sakunosuke happened to overhear her.
His footsteps paused.
At the same time, Ringo looked around and met his curious gaze.
She instinctively shrank back.
Realizing his stare had made her uncomfortable, Oda explained,
“Sorry. I just happened to hear you mention spicy curry. I like it too.”
“Oh!”
Ringo’s eyes lit up.
“In that case, could I ask for your advice? If it were you, what kind of gift would you want to receive?”
Ranpo watched silently from the side.
Little Ringo really did forget about her social anxiety whenever the conversation involved her boyfriend.
Oda thought for a moment.
“It’d be enough to eat curry together.”
“You could give him rice crackers,” Ranpo suggested, pointing at several snacks in front of him. “There are spicy curry-flavored ones. Oh, and by the way,” he added to Oda, “all of these are good for kids.”
Having been struggling to decide what to buy, Oda gratefully accepted Ranpo’s advice.
“Thank you.”
Ringo blinked before turning back to Ranpo.
“Mr. Ranpo, how did you know that gentleman was buying snacks for children?”
Ranpo shrugged.
“Wasn’t it obvious?”
“Huh? Not at all.”
“Little Ringo, you’re too slow.”
In the end, besides the candy, Ringo also bought two bags of spicy curry-flavored rice crackers.
Perhaps because Ranpo was a regular customer—or perhaps because the owner wanted Ringo to become one too—he also gave her a small sample pack of the rice crackers.
Standing outside the shop, both of them stared intently at the sample in Ringo’s hand.
“It looks…”
“…pretty tasty. Want to try it?”
The two looked at each other.
Ringo tore open the package.
Each of them took one cracker and bit into it.
The next instant, they both stuck out their tongues, their faces scrunching up at the same time.
“So spicy—!”
“Mr. Ranpo, didn’t you say it was good? Why do you think it’s spicy too?”
“Being delicious and being spicy aren’t mutually exclusive!”
When Oda came out, the first thing he saw was Ringo and Ranpo standing outside, continuously fanning their mouths.
He looked puzzled.
“What are you two doing?”
Ringo immediately shut her mouth.
Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
“I-it’s too sp-spicy…”
QAQ My tongue won’t cooperate anymore!
Meanwhile, Ranpo was already eating jelly to cool the burn.
Oda’s gaze fell on the rice cracker in Ringo’s hand.
Noticing where he was looking, she cautiously asked,
“Um… if you don’t mind… would you like to try it? There’s one piece left…”
Oda was about to decline when Ranpo spoke up.
“If you don’t take it, she’ll probably throw it away.”
He stuck out his tongue while fanning his mouth.
“So spicy…”
That’s exactly the same reaction Dazai has whenever he eats spicy curry, Oda thought.
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
He took the remaining rice cracker from Ringo’s hand.
“Please, don’t.”
Ringo also accepted a jelly from Ranpo to soothe the burning in her mouth.
The two tearful, spice-defeated victims watched with wide eyes as Oda calmly finished the rice cracker without the slightest change in expression.
“It’s very delicious.”
He inclined his head slightly.
“Thank you for the treat. I think your friend who shares my taste will like it too.”
“Really?”
Ringo’s eyes widened, and she smiled.
“Thank you.”
“No, I’m the one who should be thanking you. Both of you.”
Oda nodded.
“Well then, I’ll be going. Goodbye, you two.”
“See you.”
“Bye-bye—”
After saying goodbye to Oda Sakunosuke, Ringo needed to take Ranpo back to the Detective Agency first.
“Looks like it’s going to rain today.”
“Nooo, please don’t! QAQ My date!”