Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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Early January was still quite cold, but on an open golf course like this, as long as the sun was out, it felt fairly warm, especially on a windless day like today.
Holding the golf ball, Ritsu approached his target, Masashi Muragaki. He respectfully presented it with both hands, but to his surprise, Muragaki suddenly grabbed the work badge on his chest. The photo on it wasn't his. If it were seen clearly, his cover would be blown.
Without hesitation, Ritsu threw the golf ball toward the two bodyguards who had been watching him closely. At the same time, the dagger hidden in his sleeve slashed toward Muragaki's neck, severing the left carotid artery in an instant.
Only then did the two bodyguards react, drawing the pistols hidden at the backs of their waists, preparing to shoot the unexpected intruder.
However, having trained in Krav Maga, Ritsu was faster. With a side step, he moved beside one of them, gripping the man's right hand tightly and forcing the trigger to be pulled, instantly killing the other bodyguard who had been aiming his gun.
The bodyguard whose hand was firmly controlled realized he might die because of this. Meanwhile, Muragaki lay on the ground clutching his neck, already on the brink of death. At a moment like this, self-preservation was the wisest choice.
"I'll help you dispose of the bodies, can you spare me?"
Ritsu had intended to stop, but Gin's command came through the earpiece. Frowning, he said nothing, instead kicking the man's knee and using overwhelming force to twist his arm toward himself and pulled the trigger again.
Bang!
The gunshot would undoubtedly attract attention, but in this situation, it was unavoidable. Following Gin's instructions over the comms, Ritsu could only obey and deliver a final shot to the dying man who was desperately trying to hold his wound shut.
"Check his body. There should be a key."
"Got it."
Ritsu crouched down and searched quickly, eventually finding a small key hidden in an inner pocket of the suit jacket. He slipped it into his pocket and, touching his earpiece, prepared to withdraw.
"Gin, I've found the key. Now—"
"Macallan."
The familiar voice made him stop in his tracks.
Ritsu looked up at the blond man who had just called out his codename. Never in his wildest expectations had he imagined meeting Rei again under such circumstances.
The lemon-yellow T-shirt he wore was stained with Muragaki's blood, and even his fair, handsome face was marked with streaks of red.
A flower would inevitably be stained by other colors. He had always known he would meet Rei again within the organization but never like this. A flicker of panic crossed Ritsu's eyes, an emotion he rarely revealed.
Seeing him like this… he would surely be disappointed.
"I arranged for a lower-ranking member to pick you up. Have you met him?"
Recovering first, Ritsu avoided direct eye contact and replied calmly, "Yeah, I've met him. What's his name?"
Rei looked at Ritsu with complicated emotions and said in a low voice, "Nice to meet you, Macallan-san. I'm a new member of the intelligence division, Tooru Amuro. The car is ready. Please follow me."
"Oh."
'Tooru Amuro… Got it.'
The two headed toward a nearby parking lot. The surveillance cameras there had already been disabled by Rei. To Ritsu's surprise, the car waiting for them was a white Mazda RX-7, the same model Kenji used to drive back in their police academy days.
Opening the passenger door and sitting inside, fastening his seatbelt, Ritsu turned his head toward the window and reported, "Gin, who should I hand the key to?"
"That key is leverage against Muragaki's faction. I'll come to the lab tonight, give it to me then. You can disconnect."
"Understood."
After exiting the channel and removing the earpiece, Ritsu felt somewhat restrained. The blood on his body hadn't even dried yet—he felt a little guilty about dirtying the clean interior of the car. More than that… he felt uneasy.
Letting Rei see this side of him… it really was awful.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Rei occasionally glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Just last month, he had made contact with the organization by providing valuable intelligence and successfully passed the test for lower-ranking members. After finally infiltrating it, he thought he would at last be able to see Ritsu again.
But instead, he received an email from a high-ranking figure, instructing him to pick up an operative in Saitama who was currently on a mission.
Rei had imagined many times how he would reunite with Ritsu within the organization but never like this. No wonder the higher-ups at the National Police Agency had refused to tell him which department Ritsu belonged to.
To earn the organization's trust… Ritsu had already done things that could never be undone.
This was something Rei never wanted to see. At the same time, he felt a deep discomfort. He knew Ritsu, knew what kind of person he was. How much inner struggle must it have taken for him to carry out a killing like this?
He couldn't even begin to imagine what Ritsu had gone through over the past two years… or what he had done.
A brilliant young man who had entered the police academy ranked first and graduated first, full of promise. He should have risen through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Department and become a shining figure in law enforcement.
Yet now, he sat curled up carefully, afraid of dirtying someone else's car.
Rei felt as though a heavy stone pressed against his chest, making it hard to breathe. He even felt resentment toward the National Police Agency. Why assign Ritsu to bear such a burden? Did being exceptional mean having to sacrifice more? It was too unfair.
"Macallan-san, it'll take over an hour to reach Nishitama City. Aren't you going to say something during that time?"
'Aren't you going to explain anything to me, Ritsu? You should have a lot to say, shouldn't you?'
Ritsu lowered his head, playing with the small, delicate key in his hand. Curling in slightly, he replied, "Amuro… what do you want me to say?"
If he was a new recruit, he likely had a transmitter on him. As for bugs, Ritsu trusted Rei's abilities, he wouldn't bring up such topics if there were any.
"Why did you choose to join the operations division? With your ability, wouldn't the research division suit you better?"
"If I didn't join the operations division, I wouldn't be able to come into contact with higher-level figures. I don't want Public Security to send a third person into the organization, you understand what I mean."
If there were no one in the operations division, then Hiro or Jinpei might have ended up entering the organization as undercover agents too.
Hiro was kind by nature. If he joined the operations division, the risk of exposure would be far too high, even though he was an exceptionally capable officer.
Kindness was a double-edged sword for an undercover agent. It could keep you grounded in the darkness but it could also become the very thing that trips you up, sending you falling into the abyss with one misstep.
Rei was smart. He immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Ritsu's words. Letting out a quiet sigh, he asked with concern, "Are you hurt?"
"No. The blood on me isn't mine."
"That's good."
"??"
Ritsu had expected the justice-driven Rei to scold him harshly. Instead, he had only asked whether he was injured.
Rei glanced at Ritsu, covered in blood, and said, "There's a towel beside you. Wipe yourself down a bit. My car doesn't even have tinted windows yet, if someone sees you like that, they'll send you straight to the police station for a pork cutlet meal."
Hearing that, Ritsu's lips curved slightly into a smile. As he wiped the blood off, he asked, "I ran into Kenji once before. Where have you been this past year?"
"Before sending me into the organization, the National Police Agency put me through special training," Rei said with a faint smile. "For example, my driving skills now rival Kenji's, and my intelligence-gathering is much better than before."
"I see."
How enviable.
Back then, he had been thrown straight to the United States to meet Shiho. Even learning how to use a sniper rifle had been done within the organization. Most likely, since one undercover officer had already been placed, they had time to properly train the second before sending him in.
Ritsu set the towel aside and said slowly, "When others are around, let's pretend we don't know each other."
"Yeah. I understand."
"Good. After all, I'm a codename member now and you're just a low-level recruit."
"Hey! Ritsu, you've really gone bad these past two years. Do you still remember I'm your senior?"
"Heh. Did I ever call you that?"
"…"