By the time Ritsu returned to Tokyo, it was already the next day.
The alarm dragged him out of his hazy sleep, he hadn't even gotten three full hours. When he woke, he couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about, only that his head felt heavy.
Lately, his sleep had been pitifully short.
Getting up and walking into the bathroom, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under his eyes were especially pronounced against his pale complexion.
After a quick wash, he changed into casual clothes. Rarely, he had no mission today. Before returning to Tokyo, he had already arranged to meet with Hiro.
There was a note left on the dining table by Rei, telling him breakfast was in the fridge, just heat it up in the microwave.
A ham-and-egg sandwich.
Knowing Ritsu didn't like raw tomato slices in his sandwiches, Rei had thoughtfully removed them.
Ignoring the heating instructions, Ritsu paired it with cold milk and hurriedly finished his meal. There were only two minutes left before the agreed time, he didn't want to make Hiro worry.
The meeting place was an autumn festival in Kawasaki City.
Crowded places like this wouldn't attract members of the organization, so they were being unusually bold, planning to walk around the festival together.
As soon as Ritsu parked and reached the entrance, he saw Hiro in a gray suit, frowning as he checked his watch, clearly anxious.
"Hiro."
"!"
Hiro looked up at the sound of his voice. Seeing Ritsu with his right hand tucked in his pocket, he quickly stepped forward.
"Did something happen? You're twenty minutes late."
"No… I must've set the alarm wrong last night. Overslept by twenty minutes."
His azure eyes were filled with fatigue, and the dark circles beneath them were even worse than Akai's.
Over the past month, Ritsu had been undergoing disguise training under Vermouth while also handling numerous missions. Thankfully, Rena had become capable of handling things independently. Otherwise, he felt like he'd need to carry heart medication with him at all times.
Sensing his friend's exhaustion, Hiro handed him a bottle of Calpis he had bought earlier.
"Drink something you like. It'll help wake you up."
"Yeah. Thanks."
The two walked into the festival grounds. Since it wasn't evening yet, there weren't many visitors. This should have been a time to relax but they were here for work.
Wanting to finish quickly and get some rest, Ritsu deliberately walked on Hiro's right side and spoke in a low voice,
"Half a month ago, I reported to you about meeting that 'boss' from the organization. Yesterday, I carried out a mission related to another mysterious organization."
"The one searching for the Pandora gem? You ran into them?"
"I only encountered one of their members, codename Leo. I'll send you his details by email later. The reason I asked you to meet is to talk about something important."
Recalling the events from yesterday, Ritsu's expression turned serious.
"I fought Leo. His original strength wasn't on my level but he suddenly injected himself with some kind of drug. It was like his body's potential was completely unleashed, he became extremely dangerous."
"A drug?" Hiro rested his chin on his hand thoughtfully. "From your description, it sounds like some kind of physical enhancement drug. Like stimulants banned in sports competitions?"
"It's similar… but there's a better word for it."
"What word?"
"Berserk."
Thinking back to Leo's expression when he lunged at him and the way he bit into his wrist like a wild beast, Ritsu's face darkened.
"'Berserk' fits his state perfectly."
"Berserk, huh… that does sound like something out of a game," Hiro said thoughtfully. "Did the effect last long? Usually, in games, once the effect wears off, the user becomes weak."
'So that's the kind of guy you are, Hiro. Playing games in your spare time?'
"The duration was short. Leo looked confused too, like he didn't realize it would wear off so quickly. And just like you said, once the effect ended, his body became weak."
Hiro blinked his sharp, phoenix-like eyes as he processed this.
"Do you think the drug might still be in the experimental stage? And Leo didn't know, which is why he was surprised?"
Ritsu nodded.
"That's possible. So I asked you out for two reasons. First, to report this drug. Second, I want you to keep an eye on any intelligence related to gemstones. Though I guess that's technically the Second Investigation Division's job."
"I still have plenty of contacts there," Hiro smiled. "You remember I used to work in that division, right? Anything else you want me to look into?"
"Yes. I want you to send me all the information about Kuroba Toichi's accidental death five years ago."
"Kuroba Toichi? Who's that?"
"A genius magician." Ritsu recalled what Vermouth had said.
If that mysterious organization really had any connection to Kuroba Toichi's death, then this man was far from ordinary. Something about him must have led to his demise.
His "death" might be the key.
They needed to find out what connection existed between him and the organization. For some reason, Ritsu had a feeling, it might be related to gemstones.
"Alright. I'll send it to your email once I find it. But before that…"
Hiro suddenly stepped to the side, switching positions with Ritsu. Reaching out, he grabbed his upper right arm and lifted it.
The bandaged wrist that had been hidden in his pocket was exposed.
"So you are injured. I knew standing on my right side meant something was up."
"I just didn't want you to worry. It's just a minor injury."
"A minor injury?"
Hiro slid his hand down and lightly pressed the bandage. His sharp eyes locked onto Ritsu's face and caught the briefest flicker of a frown. Even if it lasted only a tenth of a second, it didn't escape him.
"Go home and rest properly. You can rely on Zero sometimes too, you don't have to carry everything by yourself. If Zero finds out you hid this, he'll definitely be mad."
Hiro knew Rei all too well.
Rei hated being deceived.
Back in middle school, Hiro had forced himself to play tennis with him while feeling unwell. When Rei found out, it resulted in three days of cold war and three full days of apologizing.
"…Yeah, I know. I'll head off first. We shouldn't stay together too long."
Lately, Hiro had been having the same dream over and over again. In it, the person before him suddenly disappeared, completely gone, impossible to find.
He was afraid. Afraid that one day, the dream would become reality.
"Ritsu."
"?"
The black-haired young man paused and turned back. In his azure eyes, Hiro saw his own worried reflection.
"You'll be alright… right?"
It clearly wasn't a question Ritsu had expected.
A gentle warmth spread across his usually cool features, like sunlight breaking through at noon. For once, he showed a bright, open smile.
Just like before, he raised his bandaged right hand and lightly tapped twice against the left side of his chest.
The motion pulled at his wound, making him wince slightly.
—I'll come back safe.
Hiro understood the meaning behind the gesture. He smiled helplessly and waved him off.
"Go on. Get back safely."