"Do you still remember why I kidnapped Sonoko that time?"Ren Kuroda asked casually, his tone unhurried. In his mind, he was already spinning the perfect excuse.
"Of course I remember," Shinichi replied without hesitation. "You were drowning in debt back then. But later that loan shark was burned alive by someone, so your debt got wiped clean. You even returned that hundred million yen to Sonoko."
"That's right," Ren nodded with a weary sigh. "That's what I thought too. But… turns out I was too naïve."He looked away, voice calm but edged with irony. "They said the IOU was gone, sure—but apparently, they still remember I owe them money."
"So I didn't have a choice. I had to… work it off for them."
"Work it off?" Shinichi's eyes widened. "Ren, that's illegal!"
"So is loan sharking," Ren countered lightly.
"But if you get caught, you could go to prison for years!" Shinichi said urgently.
Ren waved it off. "Relax. The police rarely bother with gang skirmishes. Besides—" he smirked "—I'm only seventeen. Juvenile protection laws are on my side."
He spoke with alarming confidence. "Once I turn eighteen, I'll quit. That way I'll still have time to clean up my record and apply for the civil service exam later.Pretty perfect plan, right?"
"Uh…" Shinichi froze, completely thrown off.
He had assumed Ren had been forced into this out of desperation—not that he was intentionally committing crimes while planning around the legal loopholes!
"That's knowing the law and breaking it anyway!" Shinichi exclaimed, sitting straight up in bed. "You can't be serious!"
Ren gave a helpless shrug. "What can I say? I didn't have the money. Unless… you'd like to lend me some?"
"I—I don't have that kind of money!" Shinichi stammered. "But maybe you could ask Sonoko again? She helped you once already, didn't she?"
Ren shook his head solemnly. "Once money gets mixed into a friendship, that friendship's no longer pure."He said it with such conviction that Shinichi couldn't even argue.
Before Shinichi could reply, Ren smoothly changed the subject. "Shinichi, your dad's a famous mystery novelist, right? His books sell worldwide."
"Yeah…?" Shinichi said cautiously.
"Then he's loaded," Ren said flatly. "Why don't you ask him to lend me some cash? I'll pay him back once I'm back on my feet."
"Ehh… I really don't think he'd agree. Especially not that much money…" Shinichi scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
He couldn't help. He couldn't fix anything. And yet, his conscience wouldn't let him look away either.The whole situation made his chest tighten painfully.
"Then what about going to the police?" he asked desperately. "Wouldn't that solve it?"
Ren snorted. "If that worked, you think I'd be in this mess? You're the detective here—you should know exactly what kind of people can afford to lend at high interest."
"…"Shinichi fell silent. He knew Ren was right.
He stopped trying to convince him to quit the gang. All he could manage was, "Ren, no matter what, you can't kill anyone, okay?"
Ren raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax. For the kind of pay I get, I'm not throwing my life away. Believe me—I value my life more than anyone."
"…"Shinichi groaned and sank back into bed, utterly defeated.This reckless stunt of his… he was sure Ren would never let him live it down.
He lay there staring at the ceiling, feeling sick.Ren Kuroda worked for the underworld. That was a crime. But Ren had also saved his life.How was he supposed to condemn that?
He wanted to believe in justice, to persuade Ren to walk away—but what right did he have?The clash between his ideals and reality tore at him until it felt like his brain would split apart.
Ren saw the look on Shinichi's face and could tell exactly what was going through his mind.Smiling faintly, he stood up. "You think about it. I'll give you some space."
With that, he left the hospital room quietly.
The Corridor — Outside the Ward
Ran and Sonoko were waiting just outside."All done," Ren said, closing the door behind him. "You can go in."
He noticed immediately that both girls looked uneasy.
Ran forced a small smile. "I'll bring him his water," she murmured, slipping past him into the room.
Sonoko lingered, handing Ren a canned coffee. "Here, for you."
"Thanks," Ren said, cracking it open with a hiss. "You two don't look too happy. Something happen?"
Sonoko sighed. "Ran just told me… she's thinking about her feelings for Shinichi again. She says he's too immature—always running into danger, never listening. She's tired of worrying about him."
Ren took a sip of the bitter coffee and nodded. "Can't blame her. Being cautious about relationships isn't a bad thing."
Sonoko was about to respond when a familiar voice called out, "Sonoko! Long time no see!"
"Huh?" She turned around, then broke into a smile. "Inspector Megure! It's been a while!"
"Didn't expect to run into you here!" Inspector Megure said warmly. Then he glanced at Ren and gave a polite nod. "Kuroda-kun, I presume? Is Shinichi awake? I need to ask him about the incident."
"He's awake," Sonoko said, leading him to the door. She knocked lightly before opening it. "Shinichi, Inspector Megure's here to see you!"
"Inspector, I'm fine," Shinichi said with a grin as Megure stepped inside. "Just a bump on the head."
"That's good to hear. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you exactly what happened at the scene," Megure said.Beside him, Detective Takagi quickly flipped open a notebook to take notes.
Ren stayed outside the room. He could still smell the faint trace of gunpowder clinging to his clothes.If the police caught even a whiff of that, it'd raise too many questions—and while they weren't as sharp-nosed as Shinichi, Ren wasn't about to take chances.
Roughly thirty minutes later, Megure and Takagi left the ward, finished with their questioning.
Shinichi soon followed, bandaged but discharged from the hospital.
As they stepped outside, Sonoko sighed. "My mom heard about the incident at Torabika Amusement Park. She's worried sick. I have to head home now… Looks like dinner's off."
"Understandable," Ran said softly. "Mrs. Suzuki must be terrified."
"Next time, then," Ren offered.
"Can't," Sonoko said regretfully. "I've got a dinner party in London tomorrow night."
Ren chuckled. "Sounds rough being a rich girl."
Sonoko pouted, but smiled anyway. "We'll hang out another time, okay?"
"Deal," Ren said.
She waved goodbye and climbed into her family's car.
The three of them watched her leave.Ran turned to the boys. "It's getting late. Why don't we grab dinner somewhere?"
"I'll pass," Shinichi said, rubbing his temple. "Lost too much blood today. My head's spinning. I just want to lie down."
"Then why not rest at the hospital?" Ran asked pointedly.
"Because my own bed's more comfortable," Shinichi said matter-of-factly. "At home I can lie down and read detective novels at the same time."
Ran sighed. "Honestly… how can I trust you to be alone like this?"
She looked over at Ren, as if silently asking for backup.
Ren smiled faintly. "Then let's make sure he gets home first. After that, we'll decide."