Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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Dusk had already fallen, making it nearly impossible to see clearly. Fortunately, with thermal imaging, the sniper hiding in the bushes was still visible. Missing a shot at such close range, his skill level clearly wasn't that high.
As the knife was about to stab into his right eye, Rei clenched his teeth and raised his arm to block.
But suddenly, a powerful force slammed him to the ground. Warm blood splattered across his face, accompanied by a muffled groan.
In that instant, Ritsu raised his gun and fired at the sniper concealed in the bushes. The bullet pierced straight through the man's forehead, leaving a bloody hole. In the next second, without hesitation, Ritsu lunged forward, knocking Rei down and raising his right arm to block the incoming blade.
The knife sank deep into his upper right arm.
Even the hand pressing against Rei's shoulder trembled slightly, cold sweat running down his temples.
"Mmgh…"
Behind the gas mask, Scorpion's pupils shrank. He hadn't expected this man to be this skilled, instantly locating his hidden ally and killing him in one shot, then still managing to react and block the strike.
There was no choice now but to retreat while he was injured.
A gash nearly 15 centimeters long split open Ritsu's upper arm. Gritting his teeth, he tried to raise his gun but his glasses had fallen, leaving him unable to clearly see the fleeing figure. He could only fire blindly, emptying the magazine.
He must have hit him at least once. Too bad it wasn't a fatal shot. Did he get away?
"Are you an idiot? Why would you take that hit for me?"
"I'm the team leader. It's my duty to ensure the mission is completed and that no team member dies." Ritsu's tone was calm. "And this doesn't count as a wound. It's a medal. So don't say things like that. If you're on my team, I'd block that blade for you."
His detached tone cut off any further words. There was no need to say more, especially with the earpiece still transmitting. If anything slipped and reached Rye, it would only cause trouble.
Rei bit his lip, saying nothing. Looking at the blood seeping from the wound, he was filled with guilt.
"Do you remember where you dropped your handgun?" Ritsu asked with a frown.
"…Sorry. Probably while I was checking the area."
"Any fingerprints on it?"
"No. I was wearing gloves."
Staying here any longer was clearly a bad idea. With darkness settling in, Ritsu picked up his glasses and put them back on. Walking into the woods, he dragged the third man, the sniper he had killed, over to the car and removed the cloth covering his face.
A scruffy man in his thirties. Completely ordinary.
His shooting was poor, nothing like a trained mercenary. Otherwise, Rei would likely be dead by now.
"If there are no fingerprints, there's no need to retrieve the gun." Noticing Rei's injured leg, Ritsu spoke into the mic, "Rye, bring the car over. Bourbon's left leg is injured."
"Got it."
Even though Ritsu's own injury was more severe, he only seemed concerned about him. Rei felt a heavy weight in his chest.
As the older one, he should have been the one protecting his younger brother.
Yet somehow… it was always Ritsu shielding him, keeping him away from the darker side of things, even now, risking his life without hesitation.
What if the knife had struck his neck instead?
'This guy really never thought about himself.'
When Akai drove over, he saw the two in a sorry state. He got out, retrieved a first-aid kit from the trunk, and asked, "Can you still drive back like that?"
"I'll manage with some basic treatment."
Ritsu glanced at the artifact in the back seat, a silver enamel tray. He hadn't expected that over thirty lives would be lost just to obtain something like this.
"Take me back to my car. I need to hand this over to Gin."
"Sure. But first, let me treat your wound."
Without hesitation, Akai grabbed Ritsu's coat and yanked it off, then used scissors to cut along the collar and shoulder seam. The wound was shocking, deep enough to reach beneath the skin.
"Hurts, doesn't it? And you're still acting tough."
"You talk too much, Rye."
As Ritsu watched Akai carefully clean and stitch the wound, a thought surfaced again, Could this man really be his older brother?
He wanted to ask why he didn't remember him… what exactly their relationship was… and whether something had happened when he was four that caused his missing memories.
Rei, meanwhile, watched Akai closely, worried he might mishandle the injury, completely forgetting that he himself was also wounded, his left leg still bleeding.
After finishing with Ritsu, Akai turned to Rei, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you want me to strip your pants off, or are you going to cut the leg open yourself?"
"Rye!"
Even with his tan complexion, the blush was obvious. When it came to this kind of thing, the inexperienced Rei was no match for Akai, just one line was enough to fluster him.
Akai, expressionless, began treating Rei's wound, seeing nothing wrong with what he had said.
Seeing the two about to start arguing again, Ritsu cut in immediately, "Bourbon, after this mission, submit a written self-reflection. If that last guy had better aim, you'd be dead right now."
Rei lowered his head, dejected. He had been careless, things had gone too smoothly since joining the Organization.
"…Understood. I will."
After bandaging was complete, Akai drove them to where the GT40 was parked. Ritsu took the stolen Romanov artifact back to his own car, carefully placing it beneath the passenger seat before heading back toward Tokyo.
Based on the travel time, he would reach the meeting point before 11 PM.
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10:39 PM.
By the banks of the Okuho River in Okuho Town, 4-chome. A black Porsche 356A was parked there.
Leaning against the car, Gin held an eel hand roll from a takeout shop, finally having dinner after a long day. Inside the car, Vodka was already working on his second serving of eel rice.
It was rare for them not to rely on convenience store food but today, they had a brief window to enjoy something hot and proper.
A black-and-white Ford GT40 slowly pulled up nearby. Due to the injury to his right arm, Ritsu couldn't wear his coat and stepped out bare-shouldered.
The streetlight stretched Gin's shadow long across the ground, making his pale complexion look almost translucent. Finishing the last bite of his hand roll, he glanced at the bandage on Ritsu's arm and frowned.
"What happened?"
"A slight complication during the mission." Thinking of the mercenary who escaped, Ritsu asked, "Gin, do you know any mercenaries who specialize in aiming for the head?"
"If you want to kill someone, aiming for the head is normal."
"Fair enough."
Ritsu leaned into the car, looking at Vodka stuffing his mouth with rice. "Vodka, help me move the item from my car. My arm's a bit inconvenient right now."
"Got it." Vodka immediately put down his half-eaten meal and carried the artifact to the trunk. Then, like a nagging neighbor, he added, "Macallan, don't let the wound get wet these days. If it gets infected, it'll be a huge problem, might even need amputation."
'Could you not say things like that?' Ritsu thought bitterly.
Gin shot Vodka a glare, shutting him up, then said, "Get some rest. No assignments for you for the next few days. As for that mercenary, have the intelligence division investigate. When you find him, kill him."
"Understood. I'll be going, then."
"Mm. Stay safe."