Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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About 300 yards west of Mobara Municipal Hagiwara Elementary School stood a six-story residential building, this was the sniper point Ritsu needed to carry out the assassination.
Calvados, meanwhile, waited in a nearby office building to the south. If Nanase failed to kill the target with a single shot, he would handle the cleanup. Their positions were deliberately separated to ensure a safer and more convenient escape.
Opening the long case he had taken from the trunk, Ritsu had already studied the locations of all nearby surveillance cameras while still in the car. Moving carefully through their blind spots, he took a slight detour before reaching the apartment building.
Since it was an older residential building, there were no surveillance cameras installed. Ritsu easily made his way to the sixth floor, stopping at a unit far from the stairwell. According to the organization's investigation, the apartment had been vacant for half a year.
Using a paperclip, he quickly picked the lock. As he stepped inside, he didn't forget to slip on shoe covers, minimizing any traces he might leave behind.
Standing by the study window, he lowered his head and opened the case on the desk. Inside was the same AWP sniper rifle he had used during simulated sniper training.
This rifle was a police model, so instead of the AWM's signature bright green, its body was entirely black, more in line with the organization's aesthetic. Measuring 44 inches in length, it could fit into a guitar case. After attaching the suppressor, he carefully wiped down the gun with cleaning tools.
Once everything was prepared, Ritsu raised the AWP and aimed through the optical scope at the elementary school. His first task was to locate the target's exact position.
"Nanase, the target has finished her patrol. Once she enters a secluded area like an office or restroom, you can take the shot."
Calvados's voice came through the earpiece. Ritsu took a deep breath, calming his restless emotions, and replied quietly, "Understood."
Through the scope, he had already locked onto Ayano, dressed in a pale yellow dress. She looked exactly like the photo he had seen in the car; gentle features, around twenty-five years old, youthful. Her ponytail swayed from side to side, and her red lips moved as she hummed softly, clearly in a good mood.
If Ayano knew that two sniper rifles were trained on her, what would her reaction be?
In his scope, she walked toward the office. However, because her seat faced the window, it conveniently blocked the shot at her throat. He had no choice but to wait for another opportunity.
According to the dossier, she was a low-level member of the organization who had once participated in a robbery. Unable to bear the weight of her conscience, she chose to defect, changing her identity and moving from Yamanashi Prefecture to Chiba Prefecture.
For two months, she had lived in constant fear, worried the organization would come after her. But after those two months passed without incident, she finally let her guard down, ready to embrace a new life.
Unfortunately, the organization had always known her whereabouts the moment she defected. They had simply chosen to play a guaranteed game of cat and mouse.
The mouse that once circled nervously around the cheese, afraid to take a bite, was now happily devouring it, completely unaware that the real danger, the cat, lurked in the shadows.
"The target has entered the restroom. Take the shot."
Knowing he had no choice but to follow orders, he decided it was better to complete the task cleanly and efficiently.
Calculating the timing and position, Ritsu waited for the exact moment the target pushed open the restroom door. Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Whoosh—
A 7.62mm NATO round tore through the air toward its target. Unaware of anything, Ayano had only taken two steps into the restroom, reaching into her makeup pouch to take out lipstick for a quick touch-up, when she heard the sound of glass shattering.
Before she could react, the bullet pierced straight through the middle of her throat and embedded itself into the door with a dull thud. Trembling, she clutched her neck desperately, trying to call for help, but only a hoarse whimper escaped her lips…
Leaning against the door, Ayano slowly slid down, her hands still pressed tightly against her throat. Her eyes widened, filled with fear and confusion, as her young life slipped away.
The contents of her makeup pouch scattered across the floor. She had only wanted to freshen up before leaving work, to look her best for a long-awaited class reunion. Instead, she lay in the cold restroom…
And no one knew who would open that door tomorrow, or when, and discover her already lifeless body.
"Bien fait! (Well done!)" Calvados couldn't help but shout in his native language, clearly in high spirits. Nanase's shot had been flawless, his timing precise to the last detail.
With the target confirmed dead, it meant the operations team would soon gain a new member. As one of the team's hardest workers, Calvados felt he could finally look forward to some time off.
Ritsu had no desire to respond. With a dark expression, he packed the sniper rifle back into its case, carefully wiping away every trace of his presence before leaving.
His shoes tapped lightly against the stairs as he descended, his deep blue eyes growing increasingly hollow…
Fifth floor. Fourth floor. Third floor.
The flickering wall lamps of the old apartment building cast a dim glow, as if silently marking his descent into something deeper and darker.
"Nanase, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Calvados-san… what did your first mission feel like?"
Ritsu wanted to know; what did these people, who could so casually take a life, feel the first time they killed?
Caught off guard, Calvados slid into the car and thought for a moment before answering, "Nothing special. I just felt like I'd finally earned Gin's recognition and became part of the operations team."
As expected… criminals felt no compassion.
They didn't feel sick to their stomachs for taking a life.
"I see…"
"What about you? How do you feel?"
"I don't feel anything special. Calvados-san, I'm downstairs."
"Alright, I'll be there after I turn the corner."
A red Honda NSX slowly pulled up in front of Ritsu. The color resembled the blood that had burst from Ayano's throat… His left hand, hidden in his pocket, clenched tightly, though his face remained expressionless as he walked to the back and placed the case in the trunk.
He opened the car door and got in, fastening his seatbelt as usual. Beside him, Calvados began talking about a friend.
"There's a girl in the operations team I get along with pretty well. We joined the organization at the same time. Her codename is Chianti."
"Chianti?"
"Yeah. She's different from us. I remember during a mission last year. After killing someone, she stayed excited for a long time… There were even a couple of times she asked me to let her take the kill."
Turning the ring on his index finger, Ritsu frowned slightly before asking, "So you always let her?"
"Most of the time. Otherwise, she throws a tantrum, it's a hassle."
They talked about killing as if it were nothing, like they were playing an FPS game, even using terms like "stealing kills."
Ritsu had once thought there were more people like Shiho in the organization.
But now, it seemed he had been mistaken…
There were no good people here.
Only madmen who killed without hesitation, treating human life as worthless.
"Take me back. I still have work at the lab. Sorry for the trouble, Calvados-san."
"I've been meaning to tell you, you'll be getting your codename in a few days. So you can just call me Calvados."
"Alright. I'll remember that."
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Author's Note: The protagonist was originally a righteous police officer with hopes for the future. Barely a month after graduating, he was assigned to go undercover. In such a short time, he naturally needs a process of growth. I hope readers can understand—he's still an ordinary person, and it's only natural for him to feel fear after killing. He's not someone born without empathy, nor a cold-blooded killer.
What I want to portray is a protagonist who "grows" step by step—not someone who changes overnight.
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