Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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After hearing that the police had already been called, Ritsu knew he couldn't stay any longer. He walked over to the two children, crouched down, and said, "Take good care of your friend. Big brother has something else to do, so I'll be leaving now."
"Nii-san, can I know your name? I want to… thank you."
His name?
"Then just think of me as… Holmes."
"Huh? Onii-san, you like Holmes too?!"
Ritsu hadn't expected such a young boy to be reading something as sophisticated as Sherlock Holmes. He reached out and ruffled the boy's hair. "What, you like him that much?"
Shinichi was clearly very passionate about Holmes. With a slight blush on his cheeks, he said excitedly, "I—I'm Kudo Shinichi! I-I'm a disciple of Sherlock Holmes!"
"Shinichi, you're bragging again. You're not anyone's disciple~" Ran chimed in with a childish voice, exposing him without mercy.
"S-Stop it! I'm going to become a detective just like Holmes someday, just wait and see, Ran!"
Ritsu, who was usually expressionless, couldn't help but chuckle softly. 'Kids really do say the boldest things…' Not just anyone could become Holmes.
Ran blinked in surprise. Shinichi had actually made this serious-looking big brother laugh, how impressive. It was almost like magic… huh? Why did that suddenly remind her of the time Shinichi's mom took her to the beach?
Shinichi frowned slightly, looking anxious. "Nii-san, I really will become Holmes!"
"I'm not laughing at you." Ritsu didn't want to crush the boy's confidence. After all, he had seen how hard Shinichi tried to save the girl. Smiling, he said, "I believe you'll become someone like Holmes. Just make sure you protect your companions, okay?"
"Yeah! I will!"
Ritsu stood up, picked up the car keys from the ground, and walked around to the driver's seat. Opening the door, he said, "Then as the future Holmes, I'll leave the police statement to you… see you."
"Goodbye, Holmes-nii-san! M-My name is Mouri Ran!"
"I'll work hard! We'll meet again someday!"
The sports car roared to life and sped away, quickly disappearing down the street. Ritsu trusted that the boy named Kudo Shinichi wouldn't mention him running the red light.
He glanced at the kitten sleeping on the passenger seat, then removed his mask and cap, revealing his handsome face. At that very moment, a passing police car carried a rugged man with a toothpick in his mouth. The man's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
'Captain Date…?'
Focused on driving, Wataru didn't notice Ritsu at all. Even if he had glanced over, the tinted windows would have made it impossible to see who was behind the wheel.
'So captain is on duty in this area… Tokyo really is a small place.'
Watching the police car fade in the rearview mirror, Ritsu pressed the accelerator and drove toward the research institute…
'Now still isn't the right time for us to meet, Cap.'
Back at the institute, Ritsu parked the car and carried the black kitten toward Laboratory No. 5, where he happened to run into Shiho, who was heading out to buy a drink.
Noticing the kitten in his arms, she asked in surprise, "Why did you bring a cat back to the institute?"
"It's a stray I found on the way. It's too small, so I brought it back. I'll raise it for a while and then find it a home."
Shiho suppressed the urge to pet the cat, maintaining a cool expression. "Oh. Do you even know how to take care of a cat?"
"Yeah."
"Then do you have the time? I mean… you're always going out on missions. Will you be able to look after it?"
That was indeed a problem. What if it slipped out of the room and got taken into a lab by another researcher?
After thinking it over, Ritsu looked at her and said, "Um… could I ask you to help take care of it? I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it with anyone else but with you, it's fine."
"Then I'll reluctantly help you take care of it."
Reluctantly, she said but inside, she was already overjoyed.
After watching Ritsu return to his room, Shiho finally let her smile show. Her little scheme had worked perfectly.
Thinking about being able to cuddle a cat in the institute, she hummed cheerfully as she walked toward the vending machine.
Ritsu changed out of his outdoor clothes. Since he didn't have any pet supplies in his room, he decided to wait until Shiho returned before going out to buy things like cat litter. For now, he wouldn't rent an apartment, he was currently in debt, after all. If Gin found out he was spending money on rent, it might give the impression that he wasn't serious about repaying his debt.
That wouldn't be worth it.
Hearing footsteps outside, Ritsu opened the door. "Miyano, could you watch it for a bit? I'll go buy some supplies."
"Okay."
The kitten didn't seem resistant to Shiho at all. It nestled comfortably in its "second owner's" arms and even licked her cheek with its tiny pink tongue, acting spoiled.
About half an hour later, when Ritsu returned with bags of supplies, the kitten had already lost interest in him, fully absorbed in its new owner's embrace.
"…Did you cast some kind of spell on my cat? It's ignoring me now," Ritsu said, sounding slightly aggrieved as he set everything up and sat down on the floor.
"Maybe it's attracted to its own kind. Ferrous oxide, it's a female kitten."
"Fer… ferrous oxide?"
"Yeah. That's the name I gave it. Pretty fitting, right?"
Ferrous oxide, one of iron's oxides, appears as a black powder. Its chemical formula is FeO.
Most people would've named it something simple like "Blacky" or "Shadow." But of course, a chemistry genius like her couldn't stray far from her field, even when naming a pet.
"Don't you think the name's a bit long?"
"Then give it a nickname. Let's call it 'Kurotan.'"
"…Okay."
Ritsu didn't dwell on the name. Instead, he installed a small camera in the room so he could monitor it remotely from the lab computer while both of them were working, preventing it from causing trouble.
The progress on APTX4869 was still stuck in the development stage. Combined with the instructions he had received from above, Ritsu naturally slowed the research pace to the bare minimum.
If it could be delayed, he would delay it.
He worked until around 1 a.m. before returning to his room. Charcoal was already fast asleep in its new bed. Afraid of waking it, Ritsu moved quietly, finishing his bedtime routine like a thief. After changing into his pajamas and getting into bed, he noticed an email from Akemi.
She hadn't contacted him since last time, what could she need now?
[Akemi:Nanase-kun, I hope I'm not disturbing you. There's something I need to ask again. The day after tomorrow is Shiho's birthday, could you help me pass along a birthday gift?]
The day after tomorrow? Ritsu glanced at the date. That meant tomorrow was August 18, Shiho's birthday.
[Nanase:Why not surprise her on the day? If Gin asks, I'll explain. I'll bring her to see you on the 18th.]
To his surprise, Akemi replied instantly.
[Akemi: Thank you so much, Nanase-kun. Then let's meet tomorrow at Toto Department Store in Beika Town.]
[Nanase: Okay.]
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Bonus:
[Heiji Hattori: Why does that cat have the same "nickname" as me? Is that polite?]
[Rei Furuya: That cat is even darker than me? Impressive.]