Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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Although it was a café, every signature dish on the menu was curry-related. Aside from desserts and drinks, there were no snacks, only curry.
Did the owner just really love curry?
With a relatively small appetite, Ritsu chose a lighter vegetable curry. The steaming curry sauce was served separately, which made sense; after all, in Japan, people were divided into two camps when it came to eating curry. One preferred pouring all the sauce over the rice and mixing it together, while the other liked keeping them separate, scooping rice and dipping it into the sauce.
Many Japanese-style curry shops chose to serve them separately for that reason.
Ritsu belonged to the latter group. After pouring half the sauce over the white rice, he scooped up a spoonful, dipped it into the light brown curry, and took a bite.
Compared to Southeast Asian curry, it wasn't as heavy on spices. Japanese curry had a milder, smoother taste. It was packed with vegetables, giving it a pleasant texture, and the potatoes, still with their skins, had likely been pan-fried in oil beforehand, carrying a faint buttery flavor.
Akemi noticed that Ritsu had already finished half his plate in no time and smiled. "Is that enough for you, Nanase-kun? Want to order another serving?"
"No, this is enough. I don't eat that much."
"Then how about trying this shop's signature dessert? The seasonal white peach shaved ice is really popular."
Ritsu shifted his gaze to the side and saw someone who had barely eaten a few bites of curry already digging into a large white peach parfait…
Curry followed by an icy dessert, wasn't that asking for a stomachache?
"Not interested?" Akemi tilted her head slightly, her gentle, almost sales-like charm making it hard to refuse. And… Ritsu had a soft spot for seasonal limited items.
Things that were limited always felt more precious. Naturally, he wanted to try them.
"…Alright. I'll have one."
"Excuse me, one white peach shaved ice, please!"
"Coming right up!"
The shaved ice was simple to prepare. The shop even sold homemade fruit preserves, and the white peach syrup drizzled over the dessert was made by the owner.
At first glance, it looked rather ordinary, just a mound of shaved ice topped with pale pink peach syrup. From its appearance alone, it hardly seemed worthy of being called a "seasonal bestseller."
But once he scooped into it with the clear plastic spoon, he discovered its secret. Inside were chunks of fresh white peach and soft, chewy mochi balls.
The sweetness of the peach syrup paired with the icy texture, the balance of sweet and tart from the fruit, and the chewy mochi, it truly deserved its reputation.
"Nee-san, in your last letter, you mentioned studying fine arts at Nanyang University, right? What kind of job do you want after graduation?" Shiho asked. She envied her sister's ability to live an ordinary life. Despite her young age and remarkable achievements, what she had lost far outweighed what she had gained.
"If possible… I'd like to become a teacher."
It suited Akemi perfectly, she would probably be very popular with children.
"I thought you'd go into finance and become a financial analyst."
"Haha, I have no interest in that at all!"
Listening to the sisters chat, Ritsu found himself distracted. Unlocking his phone, he stared at his empty inbox. The frequency of messages had clearly dropped lately.
Had they realized he might be dealing with something dangerous… and stopped writing?
Either way, he couldn't live up to their expectations.
…
The three-hour meeting passed quickly. Being allowed to see her sister only once a month, it was undeniably cruel. But Ritsu knew that from now on, the 23rd of each month would become the day Shiho looked forward to the most.
The two of them walked slowly toward the subway station. Shiho's low spirits were obvious. Ritsu wasn't good at comforting children, so he simply stayed by her side in silence.
"Next time… can we extend it by even one minute?"
"…?"
"Even just one minute… I really like my sister."
Ritsu had always thought Shiho was unusually mature, but now he understood, she only allowed herself to act like a child in front of her sister. Even then, she avoided being too clingy, just so her sister wouldn't worry.
This kid… was heartbreakingly mature.
"…That should be fine. But only one minute. If Gin-san finds out—"
Before he could finish, Shiho cut him off with a frown. "Don't mention that unlucky name on a day like this."
…Calling him "unlucky," huh? Bold.
"Alright, I get it."
They took the subway back to the institute. After changing out of their outdoor clothes, they immediately immersed themselves in their work. Only by speeding up the research could Shiho gain more leverage in negotiations with the organization.
To be honest, Ritsu was also curious whether such a "miracle drug" could truly be created.
Before this, he had looked into concepts like immortality and resurrection. Most were dismissed outright. Life was finite. The idea behind APTX4869 was far too advanced, difficult for most to accept.
And living forever… was a frightening thought in itself.
"I think we should use rigid docking here. Adjusting the spatial position and conformation of the molecules should be enough, focusing on large-scale data analysis," Shiho suggested.
"Yeah, that works."
Ritsu agreed. Rigid docking required less computational effort and was suitable for large molecular interactions. For now, they just needed to establish the framework before moving on to detailed molecular recognition.
After nearly eight hours of work, both were too exhausted to eat. They returned to their rooms, showered, and went to bed.
Skipping a meal or two wasn't a big deal.
After his shower, Ritsu slipped under the covers and checked his phone out of habit. He found not only the usual "Girl's Diary" email from Hayasaka, but also a message from Akemi.
[Hayasaka: Missing a day yesterday was awful! (;>д<) I was on a surveillance assignment and accidentally dropped my phone into a drain… I bought a new one right after finishing today. If you've been reading, were you disappointed yesterday? (｀) I'll try not to miss updates again. I'm waiting for you to come back to the Metropolitan Police Department. Hurry back, the victims need you. (^▽^)]
Still as energetic as ever. But as Ritsu read the last line, the faint smile in his eyes faded.
He wanted to go back too.
With a swipe, he deleted the email. Then another message popped up, from Akemi.
[Miyano Akemi: Hello, Nanase-kun. I'd like to ask you for a favor, could you please take good care of Shiho? She doesn't look very well… she's probably staying up too late and not eating properly. If money is needed, send me your account number and I'll transfer it. Thank you.]
"…."
Ritsu finally understood why Shiho adored her sister so much.
Even in the darkness, Akemi remained positive and kind. Her warmth was infectious, calming everyone around her…
An angel among mortals, that was the only way to describe her.
"…Even though she supports herself with two part-time jobs."
Ritsu had seen Akemi's file. During the day, she studied while working at a school cafeteria. At night, she tutored elementary students.
Despite living such a frugal life, she was still thinking about sending him money to take care of her sister…
Was she just too kind or simply too selfless?
[Nanase Tōru: Since you and Miyano share the same surname, I hope you won't mind me addressing you as Akemi-san. I'll keep an eye on Miyano, so please don't worry. As for the last point, my income within the organization is sufficient. Please take care of yourself. Goodbye.]
Having just returned to her old apartment by night bus, Akemi read the message on her phone. Her clear, gentle eyes filled with quiet happiness.
It seemed Shiho's colleague…was a good person.
Unconsciously, she treated this young man, whose youthful features hadn't quite faded, yet was actually a year older than her, as someone younger than herself.
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Bonus @100 PS