Miyano Shiho propped herself up by her head, slowly raising her body.
She felt dazed and heavy all over.
Because her sister had been mercilessly killed by the organization, she had halted her drug research in protest and was subsequently imprisoned.
She had originally intended to commit suicide by taking APTX4869, but unexpectedly, after ingesting the drug, she transformed into the form of a child.
Yet, because of this, she successfully managed to escape from the organization.
After escaping, she had been planning to find Kudo Shinichi, who had also turned into a child.
But on the way, she nearly collided with someone, then fell onto the road and lost consciousness…
‘Where is this?!’
Recalling the entire sequence of events, Shiho’s heart first tightened with fear that she had been recaptured by the Black Organization.
But she quickly realized, from the sofa beneath her, the blanket covering her, and the bright, warm decorating style of her surroundings, that she was not in an organization holding cell.
She immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, she began to carefully assess the surrounding environment.
She was currently on the sofa in the living room.
Before the sofa stood a large coffee table, piled high with all sorts of manga books, game cartridges, figurines, unopened snacks, a large shopping bag full of things…
It looked like these items had just been purchased by the owner of the house and, after being placed on the coffee table, hadn’t yet been tidied up.
Besides the area of the sofa and coffee table where she was, the furniture elsewhere was all arranged quite neatly.
But this didn’t seem like the result of the homeowner’s regular tidying; rather, it looked more like those areas were rarely used.
Additionally, she noticed that the white lab coat she had been wearing had disappeared at some point, although her undergarments, which hadn’t been soaked by the rain, were still properly on her body.
Most importantly, the children’s clothing she was now wearing was not newly bought.
Click.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
The bathroom door opened, and Ritsuka, having finished her shower, walked out in her sleepwear.
Her delicate skin, just emerged from the hot water, looked flushed and rosy.
A mist of steam swirled around her.
Her hair, tied up during the day, was now let down, making her look even cuter than usual.
Shiho recognized the cute young lady before her as the person she had almost collided with on the street earlier.
It seemed she had been rescued by this person after fainting and brought back to her home.
“How’s your body feeling?
Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
Seeing Shiho awake, Ritsuka poured a cup of hot water and brought it over, only to find the coffee table entirely cluttered with her belongings, without a single bit of free space.
“Uh…”
She hurriedly managed to clear a small area and set down the water cup, laughing somewhat awkwardly, “I just moved in here, so I haven’t had time to tidy up yet.
Ahaha.”
“Sorry for almost bumping into you earlier.
You fainted on the ground, and with the heavy rain outside I was a bit worried, so I took the liberty of bringing you back here.”
“…It’s fine.”
Finally, after being silent for a long moment, Shiho slowly uttered a few words.
She had been quietly observing from the start.
She hadn’t sensed the aura of an organization member from this person, and her words and actions indicated she was simply a kind-hearted, ordinary girl.
If it weren’t for this person bringing her unconscious self home to care for her, in a rainy night like this, with her body already in such a weakened state, she might never have had the chance to get back up again.
“Thank you for taking care of me.
I should be going now.”
This person was her savior, but precisely because of that, she could not afford to implicate her.
She didn’t know if the organization had already discovered her defection, but it was certain that the longer she stayed here, the more dangerous this young woman’s situation would become.
Then, she gravely admonished Ritsuka, “Also, please don’t tell anyone anything about me.
I can’t explain the reason, but I’m begging you.”
“Must you leave right now?”
Hearing that Shiho was preparing to leave, Ritsuka didn’t try to forcibly keep her.
But looking at the still-pouring rain outside the window, she scratched her cheek and said, “It’s so late now, and it’s still raining heavily outside.
It’s very dangerous to be alone out there, isn’t it?
I ordered takeout.
How about we eat first, and then I’ll take you wherever you want to go?”
“No need, I’ll be fine on my own.”
Shiho firmly refused the kindness.
She didn’t want this young woman to become involved with any of this in the slightest.
However—
Grrrr—
A long, drawn-out rumble emanated from her stomach, making Shiho freeze on the spot.
A crimson blush slowly crept from her neck up to her cheeks, making her wish she could die of shame.
But this couldn’t be helped.
She hadn’t eaten properly after being imprisoned, and the journey escaping the organization to here had consumed a great deal of her stamina.
Her body was extremely weak and instinctively craved replenishment.
Knock, knock.
Just then, the sound of knocking came conveniently from outside the door.
Ritsuka said happily, “It seems the takeout has arrived.
Let’s eat first!”
Watching Shiho blush and nod slightly, changing her mind, the orange-haired girl smiled and jogged over to open the door.
“Coming, coming!”
Since things had come to this, Shiho could only sit back down.
But at that moment, a distinct sound of Bang!
came from the entrance, immediately followed by the pained cry of an unfamiliar man.
Shiho’s face instantly turned pale.
She rushed towards the entrance, shouting, “No!”
Just as she burst into the entryway, the scene before her made her freeze again.
She had originally thought the Black Organization had tracked her down and found the house.
But what unfolded before her was an unknown man collapsed in the genkan, and Ritsuka standing beside him with a bewildered look on her face, as if she had no idea what had happened.
“…What’s going on?”
Not only was Shiho puzzled, but Ritsuka herself was also somewhat baffled, saying, “I don’t really understand it clearly either, but he’s not the delivery person.
The moment I opened the door just now, he suddenly lunged at me, and then I instinctively countered, and things ended up like this.”
“Is he some kind of pervert?”
Shiho’s expression instantly became serious.
Although she was somewhat surprised by the combat prowess the other girl had indirectly displayed, the more pressing matter was dealing with the pervert before them.
Just then, Ritsuka finally got a clear look at the man’s face and let out a surprised “Huh?”
Seeing Shiho turn a questioning gaze toward her, she explained, “This man, I think I’ve seen him around my house before.”
“That means…
this probably wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment attack.”
Hearing this, Shiho’s eyes sharpened.
She suspected this man might have been planning this for a while, having previously cased the area around the house in preparation for the crime.
“Anyway, let’s call the police first.”
So Ritsuka called the police to report the incident, then asked Shiho to fetch tape from another room so they could bind the man securely.
Before long, the police arrived.
Leading them was a familiar face, Inspector Megure.
Upon seeing Ritsuka, Megure Juzo’s face showed an unreadable expression.
With mixed feelings, he said, “It’s you again, Ritsuka?
This is the third time already, isn’t it?”