Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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After driving back to Beika Hospital, Ritsu carried two bags of takeout up to the third floor.
Just as he stepped out of the elevator, he paused and silently stepped back in. He remembered that at this hour, they should have already been moved to a different room on the sixth floor. Pressing the button, he waited for the elevator to continue upward.
Pushing open the door to Room 610, he saw Akemi sitting in a chair, peeling an apple. She turned around, and upon seeing Ritsu, smiled. "Thanks for your hard work, Tōru."
Ritsu placed the bags on a nearby table. Noticing it was still a bit early for dinner, he didn't unpack them yet. Even if the food got cold, there was a microwave in the room, another advantage of a private ward.
"Hello, Nanase-san."
Only now did Ritsu really pay attention to the man who had been hit by the car. After setting the bags down, he turned and carefully sized him up. If this man had any ill intentions toward his friend, he wouldn't just stand by.
The man had long, jet-black hair that was clearly well cared for. His eyes were slightly large, with dark green irises. The shadows beneath them almost looked like thick lower lashes.
His features were sharp and mature, giving off a faint sense of mystery. He looked to be around twenty-five years old. From observation, Ritsu concluded he likely wasn't fully Japanese, probably mixed-race.
Ritsu's gaze lingered on his long hair, and for some reason, it reminded him of Gin's silver hair.
"Hello. I don't think I caught your name?"
"My name is Moroboshi Dai. Thank you very much, Nanase-san, for arranging a private room for me. I appreciate the trouble."
"It's nothing."
Though what Ritsu actually thought was, 'I didn't move you here for your sake. It's because those rooms without an attendant bed would tire Akemi out. If a certain sister-obsessed someone found out, she'd go berserk. So really, Moroboshi, you're just along for the ride.'
While Ritsu was observing Moroboshi, Akai was also studying him.
Since the FBI's main operations were based in the U.S., they didn't have extensive intel on Japan. This man didn't appear in any of the organization lists the FBI had compiled… which meant he needed to be careful. This guy didn't look simple.
There was a slight bulge at his left waist, likely concealing a firearm. In the organization, only members of the operations unit could carry guns so freely.
Nanase Tōru… what kind of position did he hold within the organization?
"Moroboshi-san, shall I adjust your bed?" Akemi asked, having finished peeling and cutting the apple into small pieces.
"Mm, thank you."
"I'll handle it."
Ritsu bent down and cranked the bed up in just a couple of quick motions. He deliberately didn't go slowly. This was a test, to see if the man's reaction would reveal anything suspicious. Perhaps he had approached Akemi with ulterior motives.
At the time of the accident, Akemi had been driving slowly, under 30 km/h. Logically, a crash shouldn't have happened so easily. Combined with the fact that the road wasn't known for accidents, it was reasonable for Ritsu to suspect Moroboshi's identity.
"Tōru! You need to be gentler, if you go too fast, Moroboshi-san might—"
Sensing Ritsu's wariness, Akai slightly furrowed his brows and put on a faintly uncomfortable expression. With a wry smile, he said, "I'm fine. No need to worry."
Seeing him press his lips together slightly, Ritsu slowed down and adjusted the bed to a comfortable angle. "Sorry about that, Moroboshi-san. I wasn't being careful enough."
"It's fine."
Akai glanced at the plate of apples and asked, "Could you pass me the apples? I actually skipped lunch, so I'm a bit hungry."
"Really? Then should we just eat dinner now? It's not good to eat fruit on an empty stomach," Akemi suggested.
Without waiting for a reply, Ritsu turned and started unpacking the food. Eating dinner a bit early wouldn't hurt. He placed the rice and steamed mandarin fish onto the small table over the bed and said, "For your condition, something light like fish is better. I'm not sure if it suits your taste, but give it a try. If you don't like it, I'll go get something else."
"I'm not picky."
As the lid was lifted, a fragrant aroma filled the air. Even though Akai had actually eaten lunch, the smell instantly stirred his appetite. Having spent most of his time in the U.S., he rarely had Chinese food, this was his first time trying it.
The fish was firm and tender. Though steamed, it wasn't bland at all. Seasoned with soy sauce, white pepper, salt, and a touch of sugar, the fish was delicious, even on its own.
With a couple spoonfuls of the sauce poured over rice, one could easily eat two bowls.
Akai ate with clear enjoyment, it suited his taste well. Ritsu turned to Akemi and asked, "Shall we eat too? If we eat now, there's no need to reheat it, it's still warm."
"Let's eat together then. The smell alone is making me hungry."
Ritsu stepped outside to the vending machine and bought two bottles of Calpis. When he returned and saw the three dishes laid out on the table, his expression instantly darkened, no, it practically turned black.
Why?
Green peppers. Bitter melon. Cilantro.
Every single dish contained something he disliked. The shredded pork with green peppers was barely tolerable since he could at least pick out the meat but the other two dishes? They looked like something straight out of a nightmare.
"…"
Silence filled the room. Ritsu regretted not asking the Chinese-speaking server to translate the menu earlier. Now… he could only pick out the pork from the green pepper dish.
Akemi couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Having hosted Ritsu a few times before, she knew his tastes well, he completely avoided bitter foods. Garlic and ginger were fine as seasonings, but not something he would eat directly.
If there were three ingredients Ritsu hated the most, they were bitter melon, ginger, and cilantro.
"Should I go to the hospital cafeteria and get you something else?"
"No need. I'm not that hungry… I can manage with the pork."
Picking through the shredded pork, Ritsu also tried scooping out the filling from a piece of stuffed bitter melon. Unfortunately, he underestimated just how strong the bitterness was, even the meat tasted slightly bitter.
His entire handsome face twisted in agony. He couldn't spit it out, but he couldn't swallow it either.
Watching this unfold, Akai let out a short chuckle.
His sense of humor was a bit unusual. Ever since his younger siblings were born, he had taken on the role of a dependable older brother, laughing less and less over time. Yet here he was, unable to hold it back.
A faint curve formed on his lips. Hearing the laugh, Ritsu's expression grew even darker. He grabbed a bottle of Calpis and took several gulps to wash away the bitterness, suddenly feeling like he had kindly bought dinner… only to feed an ungrateful donkey.
"Sorry. I just didn't expect you to make that kind of face. I didn't mean to laugh."
"Oh, I don't mind."
'What an unstraightforward person.'
Akai mused to himself. If this young man truly belonged to the operations unit, then perhaps the FBI's understanding of it was flawed. Not everyone seemed as ruthless as Gin.
It seemed that while getting closer to Akemi, he should also take the time to learn more about this young man named Nanase Tōru.