Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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Gin hung up the phone without a shred of mercy. Ritsu silently swore that one day, he'd hang up on Gin too, just to let him have a taste of it.
Sliding the balcony door open, he stepped back inside. Sitting on the sofa, Shiho frowned and asked, "Was that Gin?"
As sharp as ever. Ritsu didn't bother hiding it and nodded. "Yeah. I'm heading out on a mission now."
At those words, both Miyano sisters' expressions changed. They hadn't even made a wish or cut the cake yet, Shiho hadn't even received her prepared gifts.
"Gin-san said I'll come pick you up after I finish the mission, so you can stay here tonight."
"R-Really?" Shiho's eyes widened in disbelief. Gin being that kind? That was less likely than the sun rising in the west.
Ritsu himself didn't know why Gin would agree to something like this. But thinking about it, it was probably a test, to see whether Shiho would try to escape. There were likely low-level operatives stationed around the apartment, watching.
"It's true. I'll head downstairs now." Ritsu changed his shoes at the door and added, "Don't go out today. There'll be people monitoring the area."
"Okay."
"I'm off then. Happy birthday, Miyano."
"Thank you."
Shiho felt deeply grateful. Ever since he appeared, her life had started to change. Not only could she see her sister more often… it even felt like the organization treated her better than before. The people constantly assigned to monitor her had disappeared, and she could even pet cats at the lab.
Wait, pet cats?
"Alex, what about Kurotan?"
She really was a kind kid, thinking about the cat even at a time like this.
"Don't worry. Someone will take care of it."
Ritsu stepped outside. Sure enough, four men and women in black suits were already standing below the apartment building. It was his first time seeing female operatives dressed entirely in black as well.
"Macallan, Sir, here are your round-trip ferry tickets."
"Mm."
Ritsu pulled out some cash from his wallet and handed it to the man who looked like the team leader. "If they need anything, use this to buy it. If it's not enough, cover it yourself and I'll reimburse you later."
"Yes, sir."
Without further conversation, Ritsu headed straight to the roadside, got into his Ford GT40, and sped off toward Pier No. 5 in Koto Ward.
Passing through Roppongi, he successfully arrived at Pier No. 5. It was the largest port in Tokyo, with the most frequent departures but ferries to Tsukikage Island only ran twice a day.
On the vast sea, a mid-sized cruise ship moved steadily forward.
The sea breeze tousled his dark hair as Ritsu leaned against the railing, closing his eyes to feel the August wind, slightly warm, carrying a faint salty scent.
Not far away, a few children were holding bread, attracting a flock of fearless seagulls. A timid girl, "attacked" by two of them, stood frozen in place, looking rather pitiful.
But Ritsu had no mind to enjoy the scenery or have fun. He was here on a mission, to retrieve illicit funds from drug trafficking.
At 4:45 PM, just as the sun was about to set, he finally arrived at the small island called Tsukikage Island.
The scenery was indeed beautiful, no wonder it was a popular tourist destination. He'd even heard the seafood here was cheap and delicious.
Still, Ritsu had no intention of dining. He headed straight for the agreed meeting location, even though the scheduled time had been changed to 5:30 PM.
Just as Gin had said over the phone, Tsukikage Island fell under the organization's sphere of influence, though contact was infrequent. The funds he was retrieving this time were in the form of gold worth 500 million yen, a considerable weight.
It had been two years since the last retrieval. If the people here had decided to keep the money for themselves, Ritsu would have no choice but to eliminate them all. That was why scouting the area in advance was necessary, understanding the terrain would increase the success rate.
After obtaining a map of the island from the village office, Ritsu disguised himself as a tourist and headed toward the community center.
The building blended traditional Japanese and modern styles. Looking around, he noticed there weren't many people. At this hour, most tourists who had just disembarked were either checking into their inns or looking for somewhere to eat.
He stood out a bit.
He took a white baseball cap from his backpack and wore it backward, instantly giving off a youthful vibe, his boyishness at its peak. Ritsu then walked toward the beach behind the community center. The fine white sand felt soft underfoot, waiting here wasn't a bad choice.
He could even watch the sunset.
Time passed quietly, with little movement around him, until the wooden door behind him creaked open.
Maintaining his vigilance, Ritsu spun around instantly, his hand moving to his waist. If the other party showed even the slightest threat, he would draw his gun and fire without hesitation.
Standing at the top of the steps was a slightly overweight middle-aged man. He clearly hadn't expected the contact to be such a young man, the one he had dealt with before was a cold man with long silver hair.
Triangular drooping eyes, a thick beard, and a high hairline. Ritsu recalled seeing a photo earlier at the village office.
The man before him was none other than Tsukikage Island's mayor, Kameyama Isamu.
The mayor himself involved in drug trafficking? On such a peaceful, beautiful island… how ridiculous.
Ritsu's expression darkened as he flipped his cap forward and said coldly, "Hand it over."
Kameyama sensed the killing intent radiating from him. He had personally come to deliver the goods to show that he intended to honor the agreement from years ago.
Not daring to delay, he quickly said, "I've put everything in the piano room, under the piano. That's where we usually conduct our transactions!"
Under the piano. Retrieving it would require crouching down, leaving one's back exposed and movements restricted.
A trap?
Ritsu said nothing. He strode forward, towering over Kameyama, staring down at his nervous expression. "Don't try anything funny. Otherwise… I won't mind destroying this entire island."
Gulp.
Kameyama swallowed hard, nearly choking on his own saliva. He wasn't a brave man… Ever since that incident years ago, he had been unable to find peace. Even now, he would sometimes dream of that piece of music in his sleep.
Ritsu entered the piano room. It was spacious, with only a single piano sitting alone. The room looked newly renovated, and it didn't seem like anyone ever used it.
Why would a community center have an unused piano room?
Whatever. He was just here to collect the payment, no need to waste brainpower on it.
Crouching down, he pulled out the heavy case of gold. Glancing at Kameyama, who didn't dare even look at the piano, Ritsu figured there was definitely a story behind it.
"I've got the goods. You can get lost now."
"Y-Yes… sir. Take care."
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[Notes: Getting a head start on writing the Tsukikage Island arc]