Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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After finishing a delicious bowl of ramen at Ramen Ogura, Ritsu was in anything but a good mood. Why? Naturally, because of that guy named Shukichi Haneda.
After asking the owner to pack a serving of Enma King Ramen to go, Ritsu didn't even spare Hiro a glance. Like he was avoiding the plague, he quickly disappeared from the shop.
Sitting at his seat, Shukichi scratched his cheek awkwardly and smiled bitterly at the owner. "Seems like I got disliked."
The owner teased with a grin, "At this rate, that handsome guy might never come back here again. Haneda, you've got to bring that pretty girlfriend of yours next time, help me make up for losing such a good-looking customer!"
"Haha, Yumi's been a bit busy lately. I'll bring her next time. I'll get going too." After paying the exact change, Shukichi left the shop. Thinking about the look of annoyance from that guy who resembled "Young Ritsu," he couldn't help but sigh.
Should he tell his older brother about this? The resemblance was about seventy to eighty percent, but the personality and skin tone didn't match. Forget it, his brother was busy lately. If they happened to meet again, he'd test things out then.
Meanwhile, Ritsu arrived downstairs at Rena's apartment with the takeout ramen. Standing at Room 306, he rang the doorbell.
No response came at first. About a minute later, the sound of the security lock unlocking finally rang out. Rena stood inside, wearing a light blue long-sleeve T-shirt, her hair loose and unstyled. She widened her beautiful cat-like eyes in surprise.
"Macallan-san? What are you doing here?"
"You're probably not in a condition to cook, so I brought you lunch."
Rena glanced down at the takeout bag in his hand, a bit surprised, then smiled. "Thank you for the trouble. Please come in. I don't usually have guests, so I don't have spare slippers, sorry about that."
"It's fine." Ritsu stepped onto the wooden floor in his socks. Seeing that she had to support herself against the wall, he offered his hand. "Lean on me, it'll be easier."
"Ah… thank you."
After helping her to the living room and sitting her down, an awkward atmosphere naturally formed with the two alone together. Ritsu wasn't good at interacting with women his age either. Remembering what Gin had said, he spoke up:
"There's something I need to tell you. The higher-ups are very satisfied with your capture of the undercover agent. You're no longer a newcomer."
Rena paused mid-motion while opening the takeout box and looked up in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Kir. That's the codename the Organization has given you." Ritsu pointed at the unopened bag beside her. "Inside is a bottle I got you, same name as your codename. Consider it a gift."
A codename and trust from the Organization… bought with her father's death. There was no way she could feel happy about it.
"Thank you. So, Macallan-san… will I be working with you from now on?"
"Yeah. Gin wants me to build my own team. You'll be the first member."
Staying close to him wasn't a bad thing. It would give her access to more information about the Organization and maybe even his habits. When the time came to reconnect with the CIA, she might get her chance to kill him and avenge her father.
"In that case, to celebrate my codename… shall we have a drink?" Rena asked, taking out the bottle of Kir he had given her.
"No need. You're not fully recovered yet, so skip the alcohol." Ritsu took off his coat and placed it on the sofa, then grabbed a rag from under the coffee table. "Focus on recovering these next couple of days. I'll take care of cleaning."
Rena frowned slightly as she watched him kneel down and carefully wipe dust off the TV cabinet. It was hard to hate that serious, composed face. Not because he was handsome, but because nothing about him resembled someone as ruthless as Gin.
Looking down at the still-warm ramen, she took small bites, her emotions tangled. She couldn't understand how someone who seemed so gentle could pull the trigger without hesitation, killing her father… and indirectly driving that agent named Barney to death.
'If you're just like Gin, then don't show concern. Don't use kindness to mask your crimes.'
Ritsu, of course, had no idea what Kir was thinking. After thoroughly cleaning every corner, he checked the time, it was nearly evening. He pulled out his phone and ordered clay pot porridge to be delivered in two hours. It wasn't appropriate to linger in a woman's home any longer, so he prepared to leave.
He had done everything he needed to do for today.
"Kir, I've ordered dinner for you. The place is cleaned, I'll head out now."
"…Alright. Take care, Macallan-san."
"No need to be so formal. Just call me Macallan."
"Okay. Stay safe."
At the entrance, he noticed there were four security locks on the door. For someone with such a strong will, she was surprisingly concerned about break-ins.
After the door closed, Rena, sitting on the sofa, let out a long breath. She truly hated being in the same space as him. Suppressing the burning desire for revenge inside her was incredibly difficult.
Even worse was having to smile and speak politely to the man who killed her father. It was nothing short of torture.
But that very torture constantly reminded her, her father died because of her carelessness. Only by becoming stronger could she achieve revenge… and fulfill his final wish.
"Father… I have a codename now. I'll wait until the CIA comes for me and complete the mission you left behind."
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After leaving Haido Town, Ritsu drove back to his apartment in Kawasaki City. Neither Akai nor Rei were home. Recently, Gin hadn't been assigning the three of them joint missions anymore, probably redistributing resources.
After all, their mission success rate was 100%.
After showering and changing into pajamas, Ritsu curled up on the sofa, eating fries and crispy chicken from a nearby fast-food place, dipping them in ketchup and tartar sauce, paired with a fizzy cola. Life felt pretty comfortable.
A variety show was playing on TV, and the guest for this episode happened to be the Earth Ladies Team. Ritsu couldn't help but think of Vodka, an obsessive fan who would definitely be glued to his TV watching the replay… maybe even swooning over it.
Ding.
An email notification.
Ritsu picked up his phone and checked—it was from Hiromitsu Morofushi. Had the National Police Agency already uncovered Hondō's identity?
[Hiro: His full name is Ethan Hondō. Just as you suspected, he's an agent of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA. We can't determine when he infiltrated the Organization or how much information he had. The attached file might interest you. Delete it after reading.]
Opening the attachment, Ritsu's eyes flickered with surprise when he reached the "Family Members" section.
So that was it.
That subtle feeling he couldn't quite place, now he finally understood where it came from.