"Young Master Tatsuhiko, please eat something."
"Young Master Tatsuhiko, skipping both lunch and dinner is bad for your health."
Outside a bedroom in the Shibusawa residence in Tokyo's Kita Ward, the butler stood before the locked door, patiently trying to persuade the person inside.
Yet no response came from within.
The White Qilin of the Shibusawa family had always been an exceptionally difficult person to deal with.
The butler eventually turned away to consult Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's parents, only for them to shake their heads.
"Tatsuhiko-kun has his own thoughts. Let him have some peace and quiet by himself."
"He's never been close to anyone since he was a child. Even as his parents, all we can do is watch him from a distance."
The young butler was rendered speechless.
What kind of family raises their son like this‽
Recalling the aggrieved, almost pitiful appearance Shibusawa Tatsuhiko had worn when he returned home earlier that day—a stark contrast to his usual cold and detached demeanor—the butler felt as though his paternal instincts had awakened more than a decade ahead of schedule.
In the past, he would have simply left the young master alone.
After all, there were boundaries between master and servant.
But now, the young master absolutely had to eat!
After carefully reviewing every detail of the day's events and making the necessary arrangements, the butler returned to the study door and knocked once more.
"Young Master Tatsuhiko, the books you requested have already been purchased. How about having dinner before you start reading them?"
"..."
The door opened a crack.
Standing behind it was a long-haired boy, his hair hanging loose around his shoulders.
His crimson eyes were as cold and distant as ever, devoid of human warmth. There was a faint redness at the corners of his eyes—so slight it could easily have been mistaken for an illusion. Even with his hair hanging loose around his shoulders, he still wore the blue hair tie on his wrist, the same one that could be bought from an ordinary boutique.
Ignoring the intimidating chill radiating from his young master, the butler held up the tray.
"Please take care of your health, Young Master."
A single defeat was not the end.
One could always fight again.
"The books?"
"I've placed them in your study. Once you've finished your meal, you can begin reading them."
As the door started to close, the butler reacted with lightning speed and thrust the tray forward. Fortunately, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko accepted it.
The butler trusted that a young master raised by a prestigious family would not go back on his word after agreeing to eat.
The next moment—
Bang!
The door slammed shut immediately.
Had the butler not trained in traditional martial arts and withdrawn his hand at the fastest possible speed, his wrist might have been crushed by the closing door.
Still shaken by the near miss, the butler thought with satisfaction:
Young Master Tatsuhiko has been pampered and delicately raised. He's never undergone any intensive martial arts training at all. I wonder if he'll develop an interest in that area in the future...
Once the thought occurred to him, he immediately contacted the main Shibusawa family branch.
Considering every aspect of his master's future in advance was precisely what a competent butler was supposed to do.
That entire night, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko remained in his study, staying up late reading novels.
Although he had forced himself to eat some dinner despite his foul mood, he was still beginning to suffer from low blood sugar.
When a beauty stayed up all night, the effects were especially obvious.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's complexion had grown noticeably pale. Sitting in a large armchair, with cushions supporting his slender waist, he still had not fully recovered from the injury to his abdomen.
In his hands was one of the early harem novels written by the author known as "Reader."
Suppressing the intense psychological discomfort the book caused him, he turned the pages one by one, searching for anything of value hidden within the Analyst's writing.
One book after another.
Each novel ranged from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand words in length.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko read at an astonishing speed. Skimming ten lines at a glance and retaining everything he read was merely basic capability for him. His proud intellect automatically discarded meaningless plot developments, preserving only the information he deemed worthwhile.
For example, the world settings in the novels where ability users did not exist.
Or the open and covert struggles between nations during times of peace.
Or the traces of the author's own thoughts and experiences reflected in the protagonists and supporting characters.
Gradually, a hint of fatigue appeared on Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's face.
At the same time, his understanding of Asou Akiya deepened.
As he progressed further through the collection, the chaotic and nonsensical elements that had filled the earlier works became noticeably less frequent.
His page-turning slowed.
At this point, the book in the White Qilin's hands had become one of Asou Akiya's later works, a pure romance novel.
"It's completely different."
He examined the pages carefully.
"The plot, themes, and worldbuilding have all been thoroughly transformed."
The protagonists no longer pursued physical desire but emotional connection. Every line seemed infused with the sweet fragrance of love.
"Did he fall in love?"
His voice carried a trace of contemplation.
"He stopped writing those stories that indulged his whims and began writing from the heart instead."
A feeling of resistance suddenly rose within him.
"Love. What a boring thing."
He had seen too many men weakened by love.
The strong were usually people without weaknesses.
Yet his hands remained honest.
He continued turning the pages of Asou Akiya's novels.
Inwardly, he calculated that if love truly was Asou Akiya's weakness, then finding the person's lover would be equivalent to seizing control of him.
The effects of staying up all night began to show.
His heart beat a little faster.
Blood coursed through his veins, carrying warmth throughout his body.
Along with it surged an intense yearning for victory.
He wanted to win.
Just once.
He wanted to defeat the people of Yokohama.
To take.
To seize.
To claim.
Power. Power. More power.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's mind remained perfectly clear despite the sleepless night.
After setting down the book, he allowed the butler and servants to attend to him while he ate breakfast and prepared to go out.
Ten minutes later, he stood before a full-length mirror.
He carefully combed his hair, braided the two strands beside his ears, and tied them back with a ribbon, making certain that the hairstyle matched exactly the one Asou Akiya had done for him.
Looking at his reflection, now dressed in a different outfit, he saw an appearance so elegant that it would not have seemed out of place even abroad.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
A fashion designer...
Perhaps I really would like that profession.
Ah.
Someone had understood him a little more than before.
Next time, he would buy materials the way it had been described in those novels.
The aloof White Qilin picked up the shattered fragments of his confidence, painstakingly pieced them back together, glued them into a complete whole, and stuffed them back into his chest.
Beneath those crimson eyes that seemed to look down upon the world, a cold, smoldering flame burned quietly, held firmly in check.
Stepping out of his room, dressed entirely in white and immaculate from head to toe, he appeared even more attentive to aesthetic details than before.
He instructed the butler, "I'm going to Yokohama."
Shibusawa Setsuko, dressed in a kimono, covered her mouth in surprise.
Observing the recent changes in her son, she arrived at a completely mistaken conclusion.
"Tatsuhiko-kun, are you going on a date?"
"A date..."
Standing by the entrance, ready to leave, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko lifted his eyes.
A trace of weary disdain passed through his gaze.
Ordinary people always managed to connect everything to such matters.
"If that's what you think, then think whatever you like."
—I'm going to settle a score.
In Yokohama, the morning unfolded beneath the scent of the sea and the damp chill carried by the ocean breeze.
The weather in early February could hardly be described as pleasant.
The number of foreigners appearing throughout the city had also begun to decrease.
As for Yokohama's so-called "Settlement" district, it remained an area beyond the effective control of the Japanese government. As a result, its overall crime rate was considerably worse than that of Tokyo.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko observed his surroundings for a while and quickly gained an understanding of the situation.
With the police chief's hospitality, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko was able to sit comfortably and wait for his prey to walk into the trap.
Before long, Fukuzawa Yukichi and Edogawa Ranpo arrived.
"Once things settle down, we'll go pick up Chuuya-kun."
"Fukuzawa-ossan is looking for a place to live? That's not necessary. Akiya has already prepared one for us."
"Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate...?"
"It's fine. Akiya has lots of money!"
"Ranpo, you need to develop a proper understanding of money. You can't go through life without even knowing the value of things."
"I do know! I really do! When I'm solving cases, I can identify the prices of all kinds of luxury goods—! It's incredibly useful! I can even tell which ones are counterfeit!"
"Please don't learn that sort of thing from Randou-san..."
"Ah! The defeated loser is here."
Edogawa Ranpo swept into the room like a whirlwind, pushed open the door, and immediately spotted Shibusawa Tatsuhiko inside.
The calm lake of Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's heart, which had remained tranquil all morning, rippled once more.
Forced Calm Mode Activated.jpg
He had already predicted that nothing pleasant would ever come out of Ranpo's mouth.
So what was there to be angry about?
The moment he got angry, he would lose.
Such thoughts flashed through Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's mind, yet outwardly his expression remained completely composed.
"Ranpo-kun, I've come to fulfill our wager."
"Oh~?"
Edogawa Ranpo looked him up and down from head to toe.
He immediately noticed the effort that had gone into Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's appearance today.
After a moment of scrutiny, he reluctantly acknowledged that the other boy's taste in clothing was nearly on par with his own.
"I want hot water brewed with goji berries, angelica root, and ginseng. The flavor can't be too strong, and it has to be sweet."
Pulling out a chair and sitting down across from him, Edogawa Ranpo adjusted the detective cap on his head. His face was full of ill intent as he officially began making things difficult for his new follower.
"Ranpo!" Fukuzawa Yukichi tried to stop the detective cat from saying whatever came into his head.
"Very well."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko interrupted before Fukuzawa could finish speaking. He walked forward, found the area where disposable paper cups and hot water were provided without needing directions, and calmly made a phone call to someone outside.
"I need some goji berries, angelica root, ginseng, and rock sugar. Everything should be available at pharmacies or department stores."
With the assistance of money and manpower, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko quickly fulfilled Edogawa Ranpo's request. Using the proper method, he brewed the medicinal ingredients into a cup of hot tea and placed it on the desk in front of him.
Watching the scene unfold, the police chief silently sucked in a breath.
He had always known that the detective duo came from extraordinary backgrounds, but he had never imagined they could make a young master of the Shibusawa family serve tea and run errands.
Who was Shibusawa Tatsuhiko?
He was the heir of a powerful financial family, someone whom even government officials in Tokyo did not dare treat carelessly.
Edogawa Ranpo took a sip and immediately cupped his cheeks.
Even the rock sugar could not completely suppress the peculiar medicinal taste of the herbs.
He truly could not understand how Akiya managed to drink this stuff.
"As expected, it tastes awful."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko replied indifferently, "It's only a health tonic."
Was there someone around the young detective who regularly drank this sort of thing?
Who was it?
Was it Asou Akiya?
He had never stopped observing the detective boy.
And he was convinced that the opposite was equally true.
Stretching out his legs comfortably, Edogawa Ranpo waved toward the police chief.
"Come on, hurry up and give us a case already!"
The police chief hurried over, visibly flattered by their presence. "Ranpo-san, you're working today as well? The weather is so cold. Why don't you rest for a while before heading out?"
Edogawa Ranpo replied with obvious disdain, "Could you stop trying so hard to flatter me?"
He sprang to his feet and landed firmly on the floor. His trousers ended above the ankles, while a pair of short boots protected his feet. Between the hem and the boots, a glimpse of British-style wool socks could be seen.
"Starting today, for the next month, you'll be Ranpo-sama's follower!"
"Very well."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko parted his pale lips and calmly gave his answer.
Spending an entire month gathering intelligence on his enemies under the guise of servitude could certainly be considered an exercise in enduring humiliation for the sake of a greater goal.
He fell into step behind Fukuzawa Yukichi and Edogawa Ranpo, walking several paces back without speaking. He remained almost invisible, only making his presence known whenever Ranpo required something.
Fukuzawa Yukichi felt deeply uncomfortable about the arrangement. Having been raised in a prestigious family, the etiquette and values instilled in him since childhood made it difficult to accept treating Shibusawa Tatsuhiko in such a manner. However, Edogawa Ranpo refused to let him intervene. Grabbing Fukuzawa's hand, he pulled him forward.
"Fukuzawa-ossan, you'll get used to it! You're not part of their social circle anyway! You're free now!"
Listening to Ranpo's innocent and straightforward reasoning, Fukuzawa gradually let go of the reservations lingering in his heart.
His gaze drifted as he considered the matter.
When he thought about it carefully, honoring a wager and accepting defeat gracefully was a virtue.
That was right.
He would simply regard this as a game between two young boys.
Hopefully, it would not end with anyone losing their life.
After a long day of work finally came to an end, Asou Akiya finished his shift and sent a message to Edogawa Ranpo. He informed him that he would be preparing a lavish Chinese dinner that evening and reminded him not to stay out too late before coming home.
After replying to the message on his phone, Edogawa Ranpo looked up and immediately met Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's fixed gaze.
At least, that was how it appeared from Ranpo's perspective—a stare with absolutely no attempt at concealment.
"Why are you looking so eager? We're not taking you with us, so give it up!"
"..."
"...?"
Fukuzawa Yukichi looked puzzled. He turned toward Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, who had neither spoken nor shown the slightest trace of anticipation on his face.
Ranpo, how exactly are you reading anticipation from that expressionless face?
In a soft, measured voice, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko said, "Last night, I had the opportunity to read Akiya-san's works. They left me unable to sleep, and I found myself with several questions. As one of his readers, I believe I have sufficient reason to pay Akiya-san a visit."
Edogawa Ranpo immediately cut off that route with a cheerful smile.
"Akiya doesn't accept visits from any readers."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko replied, "There's no point in doing this."
Ranpo answered capriciously, "Making you unhappy is the point. My family isn't letting you through the front door, so give up! And don't forget the wager. You're my follower. For the next month, you're supposed to listen to me!"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko fell silent in thought. A trace of coldness entered his eyes.
"You made that demand deliberately."
"Is there really any difference between now and a month from now?"
"There is."
Wearing the expression of a mastermind who already knew the entire script, Edogawa Ranpo smiled without quite smiling.
"You'll be taken away by those people, and after that, you won't have time to come bother us anymore."
"..."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko said nothing.
Out on the street, Fukuzawa Yukichi felt another gust of cold wind brush past him. Holding his sword at his side, he silently drew his sleeves closer together.
For some reason, the atmosphere between those two boys had suddenly become much colder than the weather itself.
Not only was the wind biting cold, but a thin mist had begun to gather as well.
Akiya-san.
You truly are a sinful man.
In the next instant, Fukuzawa Yukichi was pulled into a world similar to the one before, where he once again saw a familiar figure standing opposite him.
Unaffected as ever by the clash between the two Tatsuhikos, Edogawa Ranpo remained in the real world and laughed triumphantly.
"I knew you wouldn't let this go so easily. Ranpo-sama accepts your challenge at any time! Whether it's abilities or deduction, bring it all on! Oh, and don't injure my guardian. At most, you can use him for a bit of training. Since you lost, just be obedient and listen to me!"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko appeared once more.
Upon hearing those words, his gaze darkened.
Ranpo, meanwhile, looked thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Follower-kun, carry me home. I happen to be tired from walking."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko froze.
"Carry...?"
You want me to carry you?
Me? Carry you all the way home?