After leaving the snack shop, Ringo headed toward the Armed Detective Agency to take Ranpo back.
“This is far enough,” Ranpo said, hugging a huge bag of snacks while sucking on the candy Ringo had given him. “You can go home and take your time getting ready for your date, little Ringo.”
“I don’t think I can take it that easy,” Ringo replied as she checked the time on her phone. “If Osamu-kun isn’t late, the timing should be just right. Then I’ll get going?” She smiled brightly and waved. “Goodbye, Ranpo-san.”
“Wait, little Ringo.”
Just as she was about to leave, Ranpo suddenly called out to her.
Ringo obediently stopped and looked at him in surprise. His eyes were open.
“Is there something else?”
Ah… Ranpo-san’s eyes are green. When he suddenly gets serious like this, it’s actually a little intimidating.
“Do you really have to go on today’s date?” Ranpo asked, staring at her without blinking.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ringo answered, “Of course! I’ve been looking forward to today’s date for so long!”
“Then go,” Ranpo said. Hearing the determination in her voice, he returned to his usual smiling expression. “Remember to bring an umbrella, and come home early.”
“Okay.” Ringo nodded. “Thank you for the reminder, Ranpo-san. Is there anything else? If not, I’m really leaving.”
Ranpo waved at her.
“Bye-bye—”
With that, he hugged his snacks, turned around, and swaggered back inside.
“Hmph, you didn’t even wish me luck on my date.”
Ringo puffed out her cheeks before saying, “Goodbye, Ranpo-san,” and finally leaving.
When Ranpo returned to the Armed Detective Agency, he saw Akiko Yosano standing by the window, leaning against the sill with a cup of coffee in hand. Hearing the door open, she turned toward him.
“Welcome back, Ranpo-san. That girl… her name was Ringo, right? She looked really happy when she left.”
“Little Ringo is going on a date.” Ranpo set the bag of snacks on the table.
Yosano nodded. “No wonder. Girls in the honeymoon phase are always excited about dates. It’s Halloween today, so there should be lots of couples out. Though the weather doesn’t look great. I wonder if her date will go well.”
“It won’t,” Ranpo answered casually as he settled comfortably into his chair, playing a game while eating snacks. “That’s why I didn’t wish her good luck.”
“Huh?”
“A great detective never says anything unnecessary.”
After returning to her apartment, Ringo checked the time, took a shower, changed into her outfit, put on makeup, and made one last check to make sure she’d packed everything before getting ready to leave.
She had just reached the front door when her phone rang.
She instinctively flinched.
For a split second, she thought Dazai was calling to cancel their date.
She pulled out her phone, and when she saw the caller ID reading “Mom,” she immediately let out a sigh of relief before answering.
“Hello, Mom. What’s up?”
“You didn’t reply to my message, so I called instead,” her mother said with concern. “Didn’t you see it?”
Ringo returned to the home screen and, sure enough, found an unread message.
“I didn’t notice it,” she said quickly. “I happened to be out with a friend at the time.”
“With Satsuki?” Her mother also knew Momoi.
“No, no. A new friend,” Ringo explained. “Satsuki went to Tokyo to spend Halloween with her friends.”
“You made a new friend?” her mother said, sounding touched. “That’s wonderful! It wasn’t easy!”
Ringo choked on her words.
“Um… Mom, you don’t have to put it like that…”
“So are you spending Halloween with your new friend?” Her mother sounded relieved. “I was worried you’d be spending the holiday all by yourself. Though, knowing you, you’re usually happiest when you’re alone.”
“No, I’m heading out too.” Ringo’s face grew warm, and her voice became much quieter. “I… I have a date today too…”
“A date? You mean the kind with a boy?” her mother asked in surprise.
Standing in the entryway, Ringo absently scratched at the wall with her fingertips.
“Yeah. I have a boyfriend now.”
Now she could finally tell her mom!
“Really?” Her mother’s voice brightened immediately. “Then hurry and go enjoy your date! Tell me all about your boyfriend when you get back.”
Ringo nodded vigorously, completely forgetting that her mother couldn’t possibly see her through the phone.
“Mhm! I will! Then I’m heading out!”
“I saw on the weather forecast that it’s going to rain today,” her mother reminded her carefully. “Don’t forget your umbrella, and don’t stay out too late. Be careful.”
“Okaaay—”
As she changed into her shoes in the entryway, Ringo slipped a folding umbrella into her backpack.
Her mother sighed with emotion.
“Our little Ringo is rushing off to meet her boyfriend. I wonder what kind of boy he is. I’d really like to meet him.”
“You definitely will!”
After hanging up, Ringo left the apartment.
Once she boarded the train, she habitually put on her earphones, shuffled her music, and lowered her head to check everything she had brought for Dazai one more time.
Last time, Dazai had lent her his handkerchief. She had washed it, folded it neatly, and packed it in a small bag so she could return it to him today.
She had also brought him Halloween candy and a gift.
After making sure everything was in order, Ringo sent Dazai a message.
Ringo: I’m on the train to the amusement park now! I can’t wait!
After sending it, she put away her phone and sat quietly, listening to music as her thoughts drifted.
I’m really going on a date at an amusement park!
Since it was Halloween, the park would definitely be crowded. She wondered if, when she asked Dazai to hold hands again today, he would refuse her.
They had already been dating for over two months now, and Dazai seemed to have started liking her too.
So… he would probably say yes, right?
If he said no, then she’d just ask again.
Satsuki had told her it was okay to act spoiled with her boyfriend, and she’d never actually tried it before.
Come to think of it, her boyfriend seemed to be the one who was constantly acting spoiled, whether intentionally or not.
She wanted to hug him, cuddle up against him, and… kiss him too!
The moment the word kiss crossed her mind, Ringo’s face turned bright red.
She couldn’t help covering her face with both hands, only to be startled by how hot her cheeks had become.
To make matters worse, she noticed that several of the passengers around her were staring at her. She had probably attracted everyone’s attention with her overly dramatic reaction just now.
She sat frozen for several seconds before grabbing her belongings and hurriedly moving to another train car, making a swift escape from the scene of her social death.
Waaah… how embarrassing!
It wasn’t until she got off the train that the overwhelming embarrassment finally faded away.
When she arrived at the amusement park, it was still a little before five after she’d bought her ticket. She found a spot that wasn’t too conspicuous to wait for Dazai, and thoughtfully sent him a photo so he’d know exactly where she was.
The previous message she’d sent him still hadn’t been read. Remembering that Dazai had said yesterday that things were a bit rushed, Ringo guessed he probably hadn’t finished work yet and would be late again.
She honestly didn’t mind waiting.
She just wished that, if he was going to be late, he’d let her know beforehand and tell her roughly how long he’d be delayed.
An hour later.
Ringo’s legs had started to go numb from squatting. Just as she was about to stand up and stretch, her phone rang.
Instinctively, she assumed Dazai was calling. This time she didn’t even have her usual fear of answering the phone.
But when she took it out, she saw that the caller was Satsuki Momoi.
“Hello, Satsuki,” Ringo answered, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
“I was a little worried about you,” Momoi said without any preamble. “Did your boyfriend actually show up on time?”
Ringo’s voice became awkward.
“Well…”
“No way!” Momoi’s voice shot up several octaves. Ringo could hear a boy in the background asking, “Whoa, Momoi! What happened? You scared me!” but Momoi ignored him and continued, “Your boyfriend is late again? Didn’t you say you were supposed to meet at five? It’s almost six already!”
“He… might still be working…” Ringo replied quietly.
“Might? He didn’t even bother explaining?” Momoi clenched her fist. “I’m getting angry just listening to this! Seriously, you can’t keep spoiling him like this. And it’s Halloween! This time you have to be mad. If you’re not angry, I will be!”
“Mhm.” Ringo answered solemnly. “I’m angry too.”
She wasn’t just saying that to placate Momoi.
She really was a little angry.
“Are you still going to wait for him?”
“I don’t know.”
“It rained in Yokohama earlier, right?” Momoi asked again. “Did you get soaked?”
“No,” Ringo answered quickly. “I brought an umbrella!”
“That’s good.” Momoi sounded relieved before trying to persuade her again. “If he still doesn’t show up or even tell you anything, you should just go home early. Then when he finally contacts you, pick a fight with him. Don’t let him off easy!”
“Mhm! I won’t let him off!”
After hanging up, Ringo looked up at the night sky before trying to call Dazai herself.
She called three times.
Every call went unanswered.
Is work really that busy?
Ringo pressed her lips together.
After hesitating for a while, she decided to wait a little longer.
She waited…
…until the amusement park closed.
The moment the park announced the end of business hours, all of her anticipation came crashing down.
She threw away the ticket she’d been clutching so tightly that it had become wrinkled beyond recognition, then dejectedly and miserably caught the last train back to her apartment.
Dazai had completely disappeared.
The day after Halloween, Momoi returned to Yokohama from Tokyo. When she learned that Ringo had waited until the amusement park closed, she was furious. She repeatedly told Ringo not to message Dazai first, and that even if he called or texted, she should ignore him and leave him hanging for a few days.
But Dazai never sent a message.
He never called, either.
In the end, Ringo couldn’t resist calling him herself.
The result was still the same.
No answer.
“Satsuki…” Ringo looked at Momoi with teary eyes. “Did I… end up dating a jerk?”
Momoi’s expression turned equally grave.
“Did you… end up dating a jerk…? Wait, didn’t one of his coworkers drive you home before? Ask him!”
Ringo looked like she was about to cry.
“But… I don’t have Nakahara-san’s contact information…”
“Then how about putting up missing person posters?”
Momoi’s suggestion reminded Ringo of something.
Ranpo had once told her he would solve one problem for her for free.
Since it was the Detective Agency, they probably handled missing person cases too, right?
However, before she could contact Ranpo, Nakahara came looking for her himself.
“Ringo, has that bastard Dazai contacted you?” Nakahara asked anxiously, visibly irritated. From the sound of it, he hadn’t seen Dazai for quite some time either.
Ringo shook her head.
“No. I was actually hoping to ask you the same thing, Nakahara-san.”
Hearing her answer only made Nakahara even more agitated. He cracked his knuckles loudly.
“That bastard…” he said through gritted teeth. “It looks like he betrayed the organization.”