It was already late by the time Edogawa Ranpo came home—even later than Randou, who had only just returned from the gathering.
Outside the villa, the streetlights illuminated his way. Under a sky bright with moonlight and scattered stars, he said goodbye to Fukuzawa Yukichi at the flowerbeds before breaking into a run. He dashed toward the villa and threw himself into the arms of Asou Akiya, who had come outside to meet him.
Smiling, Asou Akiya hoisted him onto his back, spun around once on the spot, and carried him inside.
"We're home."
The last cat of the household had finally returned to its nest.
The refrigerator was stuffed with snacks and souvenirs brought back from their trip, while even more treats covered the coffee table, all waiting for their young owner to pick through them. Ranpo was already exhausted, but he forced himself to stay awake long enough to gather an armful of snacks and stash them away in his bedroom before clattering back downstairs.
Just as he'd expected, a late-night meal had been prepared for him.
While eating the chilled soba noodles, Ranpo carried his bowl over to the kitchen doorway.
Inside, Asou Akiya was washing a pot. He looked over with a smile.
"What's wrong?"
Ranpo hesitated before saying, "Akiya... Fukuzawa-san and I found Natsume Souseki."
"That's good news."
Asou Akiya turned off the tap, wiped the water from his hands, and revealed skin that remained as smooth as ever. The life of a wealthy man meant he never had to worry about the daily burdens of earning a living or putting food on the table.
Truthfully, for a villa this large, not having a housekeeper or butler was almost unbelievable.
Partly because Asou Akiya genuinely enjoyed cooking from time to time and didn't want strangers constantly coming and going through the house. Partly because Illuminations came with its own "hourly workers," so cleaning was never an issue. More importantly, he wanted to cultivate independence in the two children rather than raising them into pampered young masters.
After all, when it came to raising children, nurturing their interests and teaching them to stand on their own feet mattered far more than anything else.
"The man gave Fukuzawa-san and me a condition."
"Is it difficult?"
"We have to protect the Skilled Business Permit."
"So it's that..."
Asou Akiya tossed the hand towel aside, his expression turning serious.
"For how long?"
"One month," Ranpo replied.
In the living room, Randou had been looking over Chuuya's exam paper. Hearing their conversation, he casually signed a parent's name at the bottom before walking over.
"What's a Skilled Business Permit?"
Massaging his temples, Asou Akiya answered, "A certificate valuable enough to tempt even the Port Mafia."
Once Randou understood that its value was matched by the danger surrounding it, he turned to Ranpo.
"Do you want my help?"
"No."
Ranpo shook his head without the slightest trace of worry.
"If it's just Fukuzawa-san and me, we can just hide for a month. No one's going to be able to snatch it from us."
What truly gave Ranpo pause wasn't the permit itself—it was Akiya.
"Akiya, you should be extra careful for a while. I'm planning to stay away from home for the next month."
"All right."
After weighing the situation, Asou Akiya concluded that Ranpo would be safer staying with Fukuzawa. That way, his whereabouts would be much less likely to be exposed.
Ranpo looked crestfallen. "I thought you'd try to stop me."
"Why would I object to something that's good for you?" Asou Akiya said, pinching Ranpo's slightly chubbier cheek. "You should be happy. You'll have a whole month to eat and drink to your heart's content, and you won't have to come home for your physical training."
Ranpo rapped his chopsticks against his bowl with a loud clack, clack.
"I'm not getting fat!"
Asou Akiya replied bluntly, "Then get on the scale."
The moment Ranpo finished eating, he stuffed the empty bowl into Asou Akiya's hands and bolted.
"I'm going to bed! I'll leave tomorrow!"
Knowing full well how hopeless Ranpo was at packing, Asou Akiya turned to Randou.
"Randou, could you help Ranpo pack the things he'll need for the trip? Otherwise, he'll probably show up tomorrow with nothing but a suitcase full of snacks."
After a moment's thought, Randou decided that was indeed a very real possibility. He hurried upstairs to look after the childlike Ranpo.
Downstairs, Asou Akiya turned toward Nakahara Chuuya with a warm smile.
The orange-haired boy instantly grew uncomfortable and hurriedly hid his test paper behind his back. He knew Mr. Randou didn't care about grades, so he'd deliberately waited until his father wasn't around before asking Randou to sign it.
"Chuuya, for the next month, do you want to stay here with us, or go back to Suribachi City?"
"Huh? You guys just got back. Of course I'm staying with you..."
With nothing left weighing on his mind, Nakahara Chuuya chose to stay with his family. Most of his friends in Suribachi City had already started school, so they wouldn't be wandering around provoking dangerous adults during the day. That meant there wasn't much need for him to stay behind to protect them.
"Yokohama might get pretty chaotic soon," Asou Akiya warned. "Be extra careful for the time being."
Nakahara Chuuya didn't think much of it.
"That's nothing. Ever since Dad left, it's been pretty chaotic around here anyway. There are shootings all the time. I've already told everyone to stay away from anyone wearing black suits."
Listening to Chuuya describe Yokohama's current state, the pleasant mood Asou Akiya had been in completely dissipated.
...Sigh. Everywhere else really was better.
"If anyone contacts you claiming to be me or Ranpo, ignore them," Asou Akiya said, lowering his voice to whisper into Nakahara Chuuya's ear. "Ranpo and Fukuzawa-san are carrying something that a lot of powerful organizations want. Don't get dragged into it. Just focus on going to school and live your life."
Nakahara Chuuya looked uneasy.
"Can't I help Ranpo?"
Asou Akiya gently ruffled his hair. The orange locks he had carefully raised were now soft and smooth, no longer the coarse, unruly mess they once had been.
"Have faith in Ranpo's abilities."
In Yokohama, aside from Randou, there was currently no one capable of taking on the Ranpo–Fukuzawa Duo head-on.
With Asou Akiya's reassurance, Nakahara Chuuya quickly let go of his doubts. Coaxed upstairs to bed, he drifted off to sleep. Just before consciousness slipped away, a hazy thought crossed his mind.
This is Ranpo's problem... so why did Ranpo tell Dad to be careful? Dad has to be stronger than Ranpo... right?
In the master bedroom on the second floor, Asou Akiya held Randou in his arms while thinking about what tomorrow would bring.
Randou slipped one hand out from beneath the covers, spread his fingers, and placed his palm over Akiya's face.
"You think too much," he said, his tone carrying an uncharacteristic firmness. "You'll end up with insomnia."
With his eyes closed, Asou Akiya murmured, "I am sleeping."
Randou let out a quiet laugh.
"When I was with the Black Lizard, I learned how to tell from a person's heartbeat and breathing whether they're actually asleep."
Left with no room to argue, Asou Akiya resigned himself to trying to sleep.
...Ah.
He still couldn't.
In the silence of the room, Randou listened to the heartbeat echoing in Akiya's chest.
"Is it because of that permit?" he asked softly. "You can tell me what's bothering you. I wouldn't mind tearing that permit to pieces for you."
Asou Akiya let out a muffled laugh. "Ranpo will cry."
"That's still better than my boyfriend worrying himself sick and not even being able to sleep," Randou replied.
Asou Akiya pulled Randou tighter into his embrace. Randou loved him more than anyone else in the world.
"I'm just a little anxious."
In the original story, Natsume Souseki had simply handed Fukuzawa Yukichi a Skilled Business Permit. But this time, with Akiya having become Natsume's disciple first, it had become much harder for anyone else to do the same. As a result, the conditions for obtaining a Skilled Business Permit had become far more demanding. In the worst-case scenario, every ability user organization in Japan would have their eyes on the two of them.
It wasn't that he doubted Ranpo's intelligence or Fukuzawa Yukichi's strength. Rather, the Port Mafia would inevitably join the struggle. They, too, needed an opportunity to legitimize their organization.
As Ranpo's guardian—and at the same time the Port Mafia's Analyst—how was Asou Akiya supposed to avoid a conflict of interest?
He couldn't exactly go and steal the Armed Detective Agency's Skilled Business Permit, could he?
The contradiction between his two roles was bound to surface sooner or later...
His nerves had already tightened in anticipation. With every breath, he could almost sense the accusations closing in on him.
"Randou... I kind of want to send Ranpo away in the middle of the night."
"Stop thinking about it. He's already asleep."
"Sleeping soundly?"
"Mhm. When I went to check on him, he was already fast asleep. I could even hear him snoring."
"...Tch."
Being trusted by the world's greatest detective came with an overwhelming amount of pressure.
Fortunately, the Randou in his arms was the pillar that kept the whole family at ease. As long as Randou was beside him, Asou Akiya never had to worry about being assassinated in his sleep.
The night passed without dreams, and he welcomed the morning sun in peace.
Watching Fukuzawa Yukichi arrive to pick up Edogawa Ranpo, Asou Akiya handed over two suitcases packed to the brim.
"So much luggage?" Fukuzawa Yukichi asked.
Looking embarrassed, Asou Akiya replied, "Randou packed everything. Sorry for the trouble."
Randou merely maintained an elegant, perfectly polite smile, deliberately refusing to look at the suitcases.
Behind him, Nakahara Chuuya poked his head out, silently sympathizing with Fukuzawa. Spending every waking hour together for an entire month, the poor man is definitely going to be driven up the wall by the pampered Ranpo.
"I'm off! See you in a month!"
Edogawa Ranpo sat happily atop one of the large suitcases, hugging a pile of snacks as he headed out the door. Fukuzawa Yukichi pushed both Ranpo and the suitcase along together.
The two gradually disappeared into the distance.
Asou Akiya raised a fist to his lips and cleared his throat.
"All right. Your turn now, Chuuya."
Nakahara Chuuya immediately became wary.
"Me?" I didn't do anything!
Asou Akiya drove the car out of the garage. Randou opened the rear door and motioned for Nakahara Chuuya to climb in with his schoolbag before taking the front passenger seat himself.
Asou Akiya stepped on the accelerator.
"As your parent, it's time to take you to school."
Looking at the two adults in the front seats, Nakahara Chuuya suddenly realized that, with Ranpo gone, he finally knew what it felt like to be an only child.
He couldn't help but rejoice inwardly.
Ranpo, stay away as long as you can!
To have the whole house to himself, Nakahara Chuuya abandoned brotherly affection without a second thought!
…
At Port Mafia headquarters, the Intelligence Division received a crucial piece of information.
A Skilled Business Permit issued by the government had surfaced in Yokohama—and it had yet to be registered.
Whoever obtained that permit would be able to write the name of their own "company" on it.
There was no way information this important wouldn't reach the Port Mafia Boss.
No matter how much a mafia organization or any other illegal group looked down on the government, every one of them dreamed of becoming "legitimate."
The Port Mafia Boss immediately thought of another possibility.
If he offered the Skilled Business Permit as payment and requested that every ability user in Japan try to cure his illness... who could possibly refuse?
"Hahaha! Excellent! The Port Mafia must obtain that permit!"
Whether for an organization or for an individual, it was an invaluable treasure.
"Boss, you're getting too excited. It's time to check your blood pressure this morning," Mori Ougai said with concern as he focused on caring for the Port Mafia Boss's health. "Extreme joy, anger, or grief are all harmful to the body."
The Port Mafia Boss beamed.
"I want that permit! I have to get it—it may be the key to restoring my health!"
Mori Ougai opened his mouth as if to speak, then thought better of trying to dissuade a patient carried away by excitement.
After issuing several orders to his subordinates, the Port Mafia Boss quickly lost interest in his personal physician. He waved him away.
"You may leave for now. Come back when I need you."
"Yes," Mori Ougai replied. "Please take care of your health."
Carrying his medical case, Mori Ougai took the private elevator down from the Boss's office and left Port Mafia headquarters.
He looked back at the five towering buildings behind him, his gaze dark and unreadable.
[A boss who cares less about the organization's interests than his own health is nothing more than a cowardly parasite. He's actually treating the priceless Skilled Business Permit as a bargaining chip to cure his illness.]
[Analyst... can you really tolerate this?]
[Or is the future of this city no longer something you care about?]
[No wonder Natsume-sensei is considering me instead... When it comes to this, you're not the better choice.]
A new struggle was about to engulf Yokohama.
As the local powerhouse, the Port Mafia held a tremendous advantage. They obtained the intelligence before anyone else and were the first to identify the permit's holders—the "Detective Duo" that had recently become the talk of police circles.
Yet just as they were about to move, the operation came to an abrupt halt.
The Black Lizard unit and the other combat squads, all standing by for deployment, were thoroughly bewildered. They couldn't understand why no orders had come down from above. Shouldn't they have struck first while they still had the initiative?
Sitting alone in a corner of the lounge, Randou remained silent, his indifferent gaze sweeping over his armed colleagues.
...So this is what Akiya was worried about.
Akiya...
Having been promoted to one of the Black Lizard's Squad Leaders, Randou no longer had to answer to countless superiors. He walked straight over to Hirotsu Ryurou.
"Monsieur Hirotsu," he said, "I'm going to see Akiya. I won't be going out on field duty today."
Hirotsu Ryurou quietly gave him a pass. "Go ahead."
Then he added a reminder. "But if an order comes down for a full mobilization, you must return immediately."
Randou nodded and headed toward where Asou Akiya was.
At that moment, however, Asou Akiya was not in his office. He had been summoned by the Port Mafia Boss.
Inside the Boss's office, the elderly man lay propped up in his hospital bed. Supporting himself into a sitting position, he looked at Asou Akiya with barely concealed excitement beneath his sickly complexion.
"Analyst, you've come!"
Ever since his health had deteriorated, the old man had almost stopped calling him by name.
Asou Akiya couldn't help but feel that he had been reduced to a label—a measure of his usefulness.
Analyst.
"Boss, you summoned me so urgently. Is something important the matter?"
The order he had received was to put aside all work and report to the Boss immediately.
The old man got straight to the point.
"The Skilled Business Permit!"
Asou Akiya blinked in surprise.
"Has the government decided to issue the Port Mafia a Skilled Business Permit?"
The old man's eyes burned as he stared at him.
"Don't play dumb with me!"
Asou Akiya stepped up to the bedside.
"I'm not. You've completely lost me. A permit that authorizes ability user organizations to operate legally—how could something like that possibly have anything to do with someone as insignificant as me?"
Drawing a ragged breath, the old man rasped,
"But it has everything to do with that brat you're raising!"
"Edogawa Ranpo. Did you really think I'd forget that name?" He fixed Asou Akiya with a piercing glare. "Analyst, you truly have an eye for investment. That brat you picked up on a whim—even after getting expelled from school—still possesses extraordinary talent. I never cared enough to make an issue of it before. He's just a deduction prodigy, nothing compared to you. But now I need that Skilled Business Permit."
His voice rose with excitement.
"Bring it to me, immediately!"
The Port Mafia Boss grabbed Asou Akiya by the wrist and yanked him forward, nearly making him stumble.
At a moment like this, it became obvious just how vigorous the old man's spirit still was.
"Hurry up and make the call! Tell that brat to hand it over! I can overlook your refusal to let an ability user join the Port Mafia. I can even make you an Executive!"
An Executive?
A Skilled Business Permit for a seat among the Executives?
A complicated mix of emotions welled up inside Aso Akiya. If this had happened a few years ago, he probably would have been delighted.
"Boss, I've already told you. I don't know."
"Analyst!"
"Whether you send people to seize it by force or have me wage war against other organizations, I won't object," Asou Akiya replied calmly. "But please try to understand how a parent feels. I don't want to take something that belongs to a child."
The Port Mafia Boss exploded with rage.
"Have you forgotten the Mafia's rules?! You obey me unconditionally!"
"That child is already gone," Asou Akiya said. "He left my home today."
The excuse only made the Boss tremble with fury.
"Excellent! So you're going to defy my orders again?! Have I been too lenient with you? Have I let you believe that because you're good at making money, you can forget your place again and again?!"
"Boss..." Asou Akiya said quietly. "There's something I'd like to ask you as well."
Beneath Asou Akiya's lowered lashes, dark emotions churned within his black eyes.
"Considering everything I've contributed to the organization over the years…"
"Don't I deserve those things?"
...
Is it really such an impossible dream in the Mafia to live with dignity? To stand upright as a human being, without lowering your head and learning to bark like a dog?
One hundred million dollars wasn't enough. One billion dollars wasn't enough. How much money would ever be enough?
Non-ability users have their pride as well.
I don't have an ability.
But I can accomplish more than ability users can! I can grasp the pulse of this era itself!
I have already surpassed most of you—!
I have been unwilling to accept this for far, far too many years.