Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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"Traitors."
After forcing himself to finish his meal and practically fleeing the cafeteria, Ritsu saw the two people waiting for him at the entrance and couldn't help blurting it out.
"I told you, Ritsu would definitely finish everything before coming out."
"Alright, alright… I'll buy you a popsicle like usual."
"Halessis yogurt flavor."
To his surprise, the two of them had actually made a bet. Ritsu swept his expressionless gaze across their faces and snorted in dissatisfaction before walking ahead.
Seeing that Ritsu was sulking, the two exchanged a smile and quickly caught up to him, one draping an arm over his shoulder and the other around his back, just like old times.
After wandering around the academy for over an hour and familiarizing themselves with the roads and facilities, they looped back to the sports field near the cafeteria, planning to have a running race.
But instead, they spotted two particularly eye-catching boys.
They were none other than their classmates, Jinpei and Hagiwara.
Leaning against the railing, Jinpei wore a half-lidded glare and muttered something under his breath. Meanwhile, Hagiwara was surrounded by several girls and looked completely at ease, chatting and laughing with them.
Rei had originally planned to take a walk around the field after lunch, but seeing Jinpei made him frown. He turned around, intending to leave.
However, Morofushi, standing beside him, reacted faster and waved to them first.
"Matsuda, Hagiwara, you're here for a walk too?"
Hagiwara smiled while chatting with the girls. "Oh, it's you guys. Come here, let me introduce you. These three are my classmates, and they are—"
"Ah! I know, I know! That's Sasajima!"
Ritsu's popularity was unexpectedly high. The girls who had originally surrounded Hagiwara immediately rushed over to Ritsu, starting another round of questions.
A new wave of the "population survey" had begun, catching Ritsu completely off guard.
"Wow… the male lead shows up and suddenly I'm reduced to the tragic second male lead?" Hagiwara shrugged helplessly.
Still, a shy boy whose face turned red just from talking to girls was indeed quite popular… especially when he was handsome. The kind of handsome that would make someone say "double the stakes" in a card game.
"Tch. What's so great about being popular?" Jinpei lazily looked toward Rei, who stood a few meters away, and smirked provocatively.
"Hey, blondie. Want to compete in stamina with me?"
Rei had been thinking about how to help Ritsu escape the situation when he heard Jinpei's challenge.
He wasn't someone who liked causing trouble. After coming to the police academy, he simply wanted to graduate smoothly and become the police officer he had always admired alongside his friends.
But avoiding trouble didn't mean he had no temper. Since childhood, he had rarely lost to anyone, and he carried a certain pride.
So when faced with Jinpei's provocation, he naturally accepted.
"Sure. Just don't cry when you lose."
"Tch. Only weak little kids cry!"
"Hey, Jinpei—"
"Zero, don't go overboard!"
In the blink of an eye, the four of them had rushed onto the track, leaving Ritsu as the only one still surrounded outside.
Ritsu sighed and lowered his expression. Just as he was about to chase away the chattering group of girls, a voice spoke beside him.
"Hey… don't you think you're bothering him?"
Standing nearly six feet three inches tall, Date had an imposing presence. Looking down at the girls from above, he spoke with a stern expression.
"Ah… we were just…"
"Just what?"
"S-Sorry, Instructor! Sasajima-kun, we'll leave now!"
Date crossed his arms helplessly.
'Do I really look that old?' he thought. 'I'm a hot-blooded 21-year-old, you know!'
Ritsu pressed his lips together slightly. He hadn't expected someone to help him out.
"Thanks for the help, Date-cho."
"You know," Date said with a laugh, patting Ritsu on the shoulder, "you've got to learn how to refuse people. Whether you're in school or out in society, not knowing how to say no will only make things harder for yourself."
"…Alright."
"Anyway, I'm heading out. I still need to call my girlfriend today, I should check in so she doesn't worry."
"Oh. Take care, Class Leader Date."
'A girlfriend?'
For some reason, Ritsu suddenly felt like he had been force-fed a dose of romantic bragging.
He placed one hand on the railing and effortlessly vaulted over it into the field. It was much quicker than walking all the way around to the entrance.
Looking at the two runners who seemed evenly matched, Ritsu walked over to the other two who were cheering them on.
"What lap are they on?"
"Almost the fifth," Hagiwara said. "Judging from their pace, they should already be getting tired."
Morofushi smiled bitterly.
"They started off sprinting like it was a 100-meter dash because neither of them wanted to lose. They must've burned through a lot of stamina already. They're probably close to their limits."
Breathing heavily, Jinpei, who wasn't as strong in endurance, felt his legs becoming as heavy as lead. If he hadn't started so fast, he wouldn't have burned through his energy so quickly.
He licked his dry lips, tasting a faint hint of blood in his throat. Looking at Rei running beside him at nearly the same speed, he said,
"Looks like you're completely exhausted! Why don't you just give up?"
Rei chuckled softly while trying to steady his breathing.
"Heh. I think the one who's finished is you. You should admit defeat."
"Who says I'm finished?!"
Grinding his teeth, Jinpei suddenly accelerated again, trying to shake Rei off. But once the fifth lap ended, he truly couldn't run anymore and could only keep moving forward through sheer willpower.
"Tch… you're really stubborn."
"Right back at you."
Noticing Hagiwara and the others approaching, Jinpei grinned and lowered his voice so they couldn't hear.
"Hey… 1 a.m. tonight. Think you've got the guts to meet me on the dorm rooftop for a fight?"
"No way. Lights out is at 10 p.m."
"What, afraid you can't beat me?"
Rei frowned.
Normally, such a simple taunt wouldn't work on him.
But for some reason, hearing Jinpei say something that irritating made it impossible not to accept.
"Don't be late."
"Heh. You'd better show up!"
The competition on the field ended there.
Covered in sweat, Rei went to the public bathhouse with Ritsu and the others to rinse off. After changing into a clean spare uniform, he diligently washed his dirty clothes and hung them out to dry on the dormitory balcony.
By the time they returned to the dorms, it was already 3:30 p.m.
Ritsu sat at the desk in his room and took out the drawing paper he had brought with him. Using a 0.25 mm black pen, he began sketching lines and outlines, gradually filling in the details.
From memory, he was drawing a map of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Academy.
After spending an hour finishing the rough map, he placed the materials in his drawer. Then he took out another book from his suitcase.
Moore's Essential Clinical Anatomy.
Recently, he had been studying this subject. It was somewhat related to the field he had studied in college.
However, he hadn't been reading for long when a knock sounded at his door.
Closing the book, he opened the door to find Rei standing there.
"Come on," Rei said. "It's time for dinner."
"Alright."