Coming to Hokkaido to escape the summer heat really was a great choice. The moment he got off the plane, Ritsu immediately felt the chill in the air. He quickly pulled a jacket from his backpack and put it on, then glanced over at Hayasaka, who had practically wrapped herself up like a polar bear.
He hadn't expected her to be this afraid of the cold. The temperature didn't even seem that low.
"So, are we heading straight to your villa, or are we going to look around nearby first?" Ritsu asked while taking out a mirror to check his disguise.
After confirming there were no issues, he swiftly changed his contact lenses while Hayasaka wasn't paying attention to him. He was worried that too much time had passed and his original eye color might start showing again.
"Let's hang around nearby for a while first. We can just store the suitcases at a hotel."
After checking her email on her phone and confirming the location of the rental car, Hayasaka crooked her finger toward Ritsu.
"The villa's out in the countryside, so heading there immediately would be a waste of time. Come on, the rental car's ready."
'As expected of a Kyoto heiress, she really was rich. Everything had already been perfectly arranged.'
Ritsu suddenly felt like he was acting as some kind of companion for hire. Heh, wait, don't tell him he was also going to end up as the chauffeur.
When they arrived at a certain spot in the airport parking lot and he saw that the rental car was actually a Volkswagen Beetle, Ritsu's mouth twitched slightly.
Just how much did this rich young lady like Beetles? Had she considered the suffering of his long legs having nowhere to go?
"I'll have to trouble you to drive, Inspector. You're always riding in my car, so let me experience it for once today."
Hayasaka expressionlessly tossed him the keys, though the mischievous glint hidden in her eyes made it obvious she had been thinking about doing this for quite a while, just like how the old Ritsu had always wanted to hang up on Gin mid-call.
"…Right."
It was a bit disappointing not to freeload off someone else's driving, but at least being behind the wheel meant he could slide the seat all the way back and create the most comfortable driving environment possible.
After noticing what he was doing, Hayasaka suddenly asked, "Are you implying my legs are short?"
Ritsu clearly hadn't expected her to interpret it that way. Smiling, he went along with it.
"I never said that. You're the one making assumptions."
Hayasaka rolled her eyes and decided not to bother arguing with him. After silently cursing him out in her heart a few times, she simply leaned back in her seat to rest. You could never expect ivory from a dog's mouth, just like you could never expect kind words from Ritsu.
"Where are you planning to go?"
"Otaru."
"And where exactly is your villa?" Ritsu searched for the address on the car's GPS while asking the question.
After thinking for a moment, Hayasaka answered, "I think it's near Mount Kariba in Setana."
Looking at the distance between Otaru and Mount Kariba, Ritsu felt helpless. That really was remote. Even with minimal traffic lights, the drive would still take around two hours.
"Go ahead and sleep. I'll wake you up when we reach Otaru."
About half an hour later, they arrived in Otaru from New Chitose Airport. After admiring the Otaru Canal from Asakusa Bridge, they continued driving toward Lake Toya over a hundred kilometers away. By the time evening arrived, both of them were starving, so before heading to the villa, they decided to find a well-reviewed restaurant nearby.
When it came to famous Hokkaido cuisine, the first things that came to mind were probably Jingisukan grilled lamb and soup curry. Since they wanted to try both, Hayasaka filtered through quite a few restaurants before finally settling on a place called Jiyuudo.
The interior design gave off a Southeast Asian vibe, but the moment they stepped inside, the first thing that caught their attention was the enormous reindeer head mounted on the wall. It was hard to tell whether it was fake or one of the owner's hunting trophies.
At this hour, the restaurant was still fairly crowded. After waiting around twenty minutes, they finally got a two-person table tucked away near a corner.
Already starving, Hayasaka eagerly grabbed the menu. Completely forgetting there were only two people dining, she somehow ordered enough food for four.
"Don't you think that's a little too much?" Ritsu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We came all the way to Hokkaido. We can't leave with regrets."
Hayasaka took a sip of the lemon water on the table before asking, "Aren't you ordering anything?"
"…No need. We already won't be able to finish all this."
The restaurant served the food surprisingly quickly. After placing several dishes on the table, the waiter introduced them.
"One fried chicken leg soup curry and one mushroom soup curry with cheese rice. Also, one Jingisukan platter with lamb skirt meat and lamb chops. The kimchi and sauces are complimentary. Please enjoy."
Ritsu rarely ate lamb in his daily life. He leaned closer and sniffed the meat first to confirm there wasn't any strong gamey odor before finally picking up a lamb chop with his chopsticks and taking a bite.
The instant his teeth sank into the meat, rich juices burst out. The marinated lamb carried a subtle sweetness from the onions, unexpectedly making him crave a mouthful of white rice.
—"Yakiniku tastes best with rice, especially marinated meat like this."
Remembering what Rei once said, Ritsu had to agree. Good grilled meat really was incredible when paired with rice.
The rice topped with melted cheese carried a rich milky aroma, and paired with the slightly sweet lamb chops, it created an unexpectedly delicious combination. It almost felt like eating baked lamb chop rice gratin.
"Aren't you going to try the lamb skirt meat? I think it tastes even better than the lamb chops."
"Alright."
Just from its appearance, the lamb skirt meat looked like it had been marinated longer. Ritsu picked up a piece, coated it with sauce and kimchi, and took a bite.
The dominant flavor at first was the bold taste of the kimchi, but the more he chewed, the more the meat's rich flavor emerged. Compared to the lamb chops, the skirt meat was much more tender and retained even more juices. Combined with the crunchy texture of the kimchi, every bite felt more layered and satisfying.
Enjoying good food really did improve one's mood. He took a sip of sparkling water to cleanse his palate before saying,
"It really is delicious. You picked a great restaurant."
Hayasaka dropped her usual cold expression. Wrinkling her nose proudly, she declared, "Of course. I have a food radar."
"A food radar?"
"Yep. Good food heals the soul. Don't you get exhausted constantly running around crime scenes every day?"
By now, Hayasaka no longer disliked Onizawa as much as before, and she was more willing to open up about herself.
"When I have free time, I post reviews of restaurants I like on social media."
"So my subordinate is secretly a food reviewer."
"There's a lot you don't know about me."
Ritsu shrugged. Everyone had secrets, but he had no curiosity about digging into them.
Scooping up a spoonful of cheese rice, he paired it with the soup curry and took a bite. Soup curry was actually quite different from Southeast Asian curry. The broth wasn't thick, but the flavor was incredibly rich and more savory than most other curries.
Paired with the cheese rice, it didn't feel strange at all. In fact, it felt like the combination was meant to exist. Clearly, the owner of this restaurant had put a lot of effort into researching soup curry. So far, there wasn't a single dish that failed to satisfy his picky palate.
After finishing their meal and eating their fill, Ritsu didn't let Hayasaka pay again. As her superior, he felt obligated to treat her to dinner at least once; otherwise, he would genuinely start feeling like some pampered kept boytoy.
"Whew… I seriously didn't expect us to finish everything. Good thing I didn't order the baked potatoes too."
The already stuffed Ritsu instantly felt even fuller after hearing that sentence.
"So, should we walk around a bit more, or head straight back to the villa?"
"Let's head back early. It'll be hard driving those mountain roads once it gets too dark."
"Alright."