8:27 PM.
For once, the lights were on in Laboratory No. 5 of Meisen Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The laboratory had long since been abandoned.
Now, it was Shiho's own little world. She knew today was December 24th, Christmas Eve.
To mark the occasion, she had gone to the institute cafeteria and treated herself to a turkey drumstick. She had even packed away a chestnut cream cake, her favorite dessert.
She had intended to spend the evening slacking off here. Unfortunately, an uninvited guest had intruded upon her territory.
The moment she saw Augier appear at the laboratory entrance, Shiho's expression darkened.
Why did this man always show up without warning?
'He really had no manners.'
Ritsu had first checked Laboratory No. 4 before coming here. When he saw Shiho sitting alone, staring blankly at her cake, he had actually paused outside the door for a while before entering.
He was worried his acting might fail. Worried Shiho would notice something was off.
"Good evening, the second daughter of the Miyano family."
"I haven't organized the experimental data yet. If you want it, go look for it yourself."
Shiho stood up unhappily and added, "And next time, Mr. Augier, please notify me beforehand. Girls need personal space."
Ritsu raised an eyebrow.
That last sentence had nearly broken his composure.
Forcing a faint smile onto his face, he made a gentlemanly gesture and accompanied her toward Laboratory No. 4.
Before entering, he deliberately leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Understood. A little girl who needs personal space."
Shiho instinctively shrank her neck. Staring coldly at Augier's back, she thought,
'This guy really is the worst.'
...
As expected, teasing Sherry instantly improved his mood.
Sitting down in front of the computer, Ritsu began reviewing the unorganized experimental data. The records from ten thousand laboratory mice were an overwhelming sight.
After glancing at his watch, he realized he would probably be spending the entire night here.
"This might take until morning. If you're tired, you can go back and rest."
"No thanks."
Shiho folded her arms. "Your Operatives Division has a habit of stealing things. I don't trust you."
Ritsu couldn't help smiling bitterly.
She was obviously taking a shot at Gin. Apparently, she still hadn't forgiven him for taking the still-in-development APTX4869.
This time, however, Ritsu was actually grateful to Gin. If Gin hadn't taken the drug, Shinichi would have died for certain.
Although he knew tonight's workload would be enormous, Ritsu found himself in a surprisingly good mood.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't experienced this feeling in so long.
Working alongside Shiho again.
Researching drugs together.
For a brief moment, it felt as though he wasn't Augier. As though he was once again Nanase Tōru, the rookie researcher of the Organization.
How nostalgic.
Back then, as Nanase Tōru... As a newcomer to the Organization...
His hands hadn't been stained with blood. And he hadn't yet come to believe that the world was completely rotten.
The monitor displayed countless videos of laboratory mice identified by different serial numbers.
Watching them at normal speed was impossible.
Ritsu adjusted the playback to eight times speed. That also meant maintaining intense concentration.
If he missed even the slightest change in a mouse's condition, he'd have to start over from the beginning.
Before long, the only sounds remaining in Laboratory No. 4 were the occasional crisp clicks of a mechanical keyboard.
Even Shiho deliberately minimized the noise she made while using laboratory equipment. It wasn't because she wanted to sabotage Augier's work.
Actually, she'd much rather he leave as soon as possible.
Tap!
After who knew how many hours of repetitive typing, Ritsu rubbed his sore eyes and paused the video.
Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes for a brief rest. More than four thousand videos had been reviewed so far. Not a single successful case had appeared.
The success rate was clearly abysmal.
Opening his eyes again and massaging his aching temples, he was about to ask whether there was any canned coffee available when he noticed something.
Shiho had fallen asleep. At some point, she had collapsed onto the laboratory table.
The words he intended to speak died in his throat. After hesitating for a moment, Ritsu quietly removed his operations jacket. Moving as gently as possible, he draped it over her shoulders.
His gaze lingered on her sleeping face.
Only when she was asleep did she resemble the little girl she used to be.
'You've really grown up, Shiho.'
Returning to the computer, he deliberately pressed the keys as quietly as possible and continued reviewing the experimental footage.
Trying to find useful data among ten thousand recordings was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
But perseverance paid off. Just before dawn, he finally found three videos worth preserving.
Mouse No. 06912 and Mouse No. 07895 had both survived. Furthermore, none of their bodily functions had changed.
That didn't mean APTX4869 had failed to affect them. Rather, its effects simply weren't visible yet. These two likely experienced the same result as himself and Vermouth.
Perpetual youth.
Their age would forever remain frozen at the moment they took the drug. But the one that truly caught Ritsu's attention was Mouse No. 09174.
He watched that video three separate times to verify what he had seen.
After roughly forty seconds of violent convulsions, the mouse's body reverted from adulthood back to infancy. And there were no abnormalities whatsoever.
No physical defects.
No organ failure.
Nothing.
What did that mean?
It meant APTX4869 had finally produced a successful result.
True rejuvenation.
Reversing age without side effects.
Ritsu quickly copied all three videos onto his personal computer. At the same time, he extracted the corresponding batch data for the APTX4869 samples involved.
After securing everything, he deleted the original videos.
Then, he casually selected three failed test recordings, renamed them with the deleted file numbers, and placed them back into the folder.
No one would ever notice what he had done.
Pulling out the box of APTX4869 Gin had given him, Ritsu narrowed his eyes. He needed to compare the chemical composition.
If any of the capsules matched the data from Mouse No. 09174, then that would mean the box still contained completed versions of the drug.
His gaze drifted toward Miyano Shiho.
If there truly were finished samples inside... his plan could be refined considerably. And the risk of exposure would decrease dramatically.
Walking over quietly, Ritsu intended to retrieve his jacket.
Unfortunately, Shiho had wrapped her arms around one of the sleeves in her sleep. She was even resting her cheek against it.
His eyelid twitched.
This was troublesome. How was he supposed to pull the sleeve free without waking her?
The answer, it turned out, was simple.
He couldn't.
Even moving with painstaking care, he had only managed to free about one-fifth of the sleeve before Shiho's light sleep was disturbed.
She slowly opened her eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking back my jacket."
"??"
Still half-asleep, Shiho stared blankly for a moment. Then she suddenly felt something being yanked from her hands. The movement nearly caused her to lose balance and fall off her chair.
She was about to get angry.
Then she realized something.
Augier was putting on his jacket.
Which meant...
While she had been sleeping, this man had covered her with it because he was worried she'd catch a cold?
"To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, I should probably explain."
After putting on the jacket, Ritsu lowered his eyes and smiled faintly.
"If you get sick, it'll be troublesome."
Then he added, "Because the batch of new drugs Gin took turned out to be useful. Would you like to see what your creation did to a certain young man?"
Shiho's face instantly changed. Countless laboratory mice dying after taking the drug flashed through her mind.
Had Gin really administered the unfinished APTX4869 to a human being?
If that were true... Then she had indirectly killed someone.
Her arms tightened around herself. The wrinkles in her lab coat deepened. After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"Sure."
Her voice was strained.
"It'll provide additional experimental data."
'Still putting on a brave face. Clearly drowning in guilt, yet unwilling to lower her pride.'
Ritsu saw through it immediately.
But he chose not to expose her.
Turning away, he waved casually.
"I'll come pick you up personally."
"Sweet dreams... Sherry."
...
The laboratory door slowly closed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the brown-haired girl crouch down and wrap her arms around herself.
As for whether she cried or not...
He didn't know.