Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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19:07
It was right at dinner time, so business at Kyūrin Yakiniku was naturally good. However, since the prices were fairly high, there weren't that many customers. At the entrance, only four people were waiting for seats together.
Ritsu sat quietly in the waiting area while the other four excitedly gathered around the menu, discussing what they should order.
"That thick-cut beef tongue looks insanely good. We need two portions."
"The premium triangular wagyu and the skirt steak are this restaurant's signature dishes. Do you think two plates will be enough?"
"Beef tenderloin… and this Kobe wagyu foreleg cut looks great too. Let's order one to try."
"Hahaha, Hagiwara is definitely going to regret not eating with us. A mixer can't beat high-end yakiniku!"
Listening to their discussion, Ritsu began to wonder if he had withdrawn too little money.
Twenty minutes later, they finally got seated.
Since the four of them had already decided what they wanted, they quickly went through the menu and ordered nearly every signature grilled meat dish available while also adding a few draft beers.
When eating yakiniku, alcohol was practically mandatory.
Ritsu silently drank his Calpis with ice. He even volunteered to help grill the meat… but before he could grab the tongs, Rei snatched them away.
"Remember the 'rainstorm' that happened at home two years ago? You're in charge of eating. Don't even think about grilling."
Ritsu awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Last time, not only had he burned the meat, but he also created so much smoke that the smoke detector went off. The automatic sprinkler system activated and soaked the entire living room.
"I'll do it," Morofushi said, taking the tongs.
He started grilling skillfully. Every piece of meat came out perfectly cooked.
The finished meat was placed along the outer edge of the grill to keep warm.
But the grill had limited space, while their appetites were unlimited.
Every time meat was placed on the edge, it disappeared in less than ten seconds.
Ritsu finally managed to snatch a piece of premium triangular wagyu from under Jinpei's chopsticks.
This cut came from the outer part of the cow's hind leg near the femur. It wasn't marinated, meant to be eaten with dipping sauce instead.
Grilled to about medium, the meat was dipped in the restaurant's secret sauce and placed into his mouth.
The grilled meat lingered briefly between his teeth.
The moment he bit down, rich juices burst out, tender and flavorful. The texture was so soft it practically melted in the mouth.
Combined with the dipping sauce, the subtle aroma of sesame oil and pepper salt created a perfect balance.
The beef fat blended with the sesame oil without feeling greasy at all.
It almost made him want to take a sip of draft beer.
Without thinking, Ritsu grabbed Morofushi's beer glass beside him.
But Date slapped his hand away from across the table, nearly causing the beer to spill.
Ritsu obediently took a sip of his Calpis instead.
Honestly, it still felt pretty good.
"Excuse me, could we get a few bowls of rice?" someone called to the server.
"Make them all medium size!"
"Coming right up!"
When the fragrant bowls of white rice arrived, Rei immediately picked up a piece of grilled skirt steak.
Since it was already marinated, it could be eaten directly.
The chewy skirt steak bounced playfully across his tongue. Even though it was technically an organ cut, it still had a strong meaty texture without any unpleasant beefy smell.
The sweet-and-savory marinade matched perfectly with Japanese tastes.
It made him want to take big bites of rice.
It really was the perfect rice companion.
After eating several pieces of skirt steak and marinated chuck, half of his rice bowl disappeared instantly.
Rei sighed in satisfaction.
"Yakiniku really has to be eaten with white rice. Especially the marinated kinds."
"Exactly," Morofushi said with a smile.
"When the meat juices and sauce soak into the rice and you take a bite, it's unbelievably satisfying."
He placed two more plates of seasoned short ribs onto the grill.
While waiting to flip them, he quickly grabbed another bite himself.
"The best part is the draft beer~ Ahh! That hits the spot!"
Jinpei didn't have time to talk.
His mouth was far too busy eating.
Despite not looking like someone with a huge appetite, he had already eaten more than anyone else at the table.
A true food warrior—that was Matsuda Jinpei.
Meanwhile, Ritsu, despite being tall, had a comparatively small appetite.
He had already finished three glasses of Calpis.
Compared to eating meat, he clearly preferred drinking beverages.
But drinking too much meant needing the restroom.
He stood up.
"I'm going to the bathroom."
At that moment, Jinpei finally spoke his first sentence since the food arrived.
"Hehe! While Ritsu's in the bathroom, let's finish all this meat! Hurry!"
"There's no need to rush," Morofushi said calmly. "Ritsu is probably already full. He's never eaten as much as Zero or I do."
"Huh? But we've barely started," Jinpei said. "I was planning to order a second round."
Meanwhile, Ritsu had already reached the restroom.
Out of habit, he washed his hands first.
The men's restroom had a strange layout, it consisted entirely of private stalls.
So he walked to the innermost one and locked the door.
After finishing and preparing to leave, he suddenly heard two sets of footsteps entering.
"Lock the door. What if someone comes in?"
"Heh… don't you like doing something a little exciting?"
Clack.
The restroom door was locked.
Ritsu had just unlatched his stall door when he froze for a few seconds.
Those two short sentences seemed to carry a lot of implications.
Just as he hesitated, strange sounds started coming from outside.
They sounded… wrong.
Hesitation means defeat.
Ritsu covered his face with one hand.
For a moment, he didn't know whether he should interrupt them or simply cover his ears and stop listening to the torture.
"Are we going to keep going?"
"We should head back soon. If we stay in the restroom too long, people might get suspicious."
"Fine, I'll let you go for now. You go ahead, I'll wash my face first."
"Okay~"
Hmm?
That voice sounded somewhat familiar.
After one of them left, Ritsu stepped out of the stall with a very unpleasant expression.
Anyone who experienced something like that wouldn't exactly be smiling.
He stood at the sink, washing his hands several times before splashing water on his face as well.
After drying himself with a handkerchief from his pocket, he returned to the table.
Then he suddenly remembered why that person had looked familiar.
Earlier, when they were waiting outside the restaurant among the group of four people waiting for seats with them…
he was one of them.
"What's wrong? You don't look so good," someone asked.
"Something… happened in the restroom."
Jinpei chewed his meat and mumbled,
"Ugh, don't tell me you got some on your hands?"
"…That's something you would do."
"Ahem," Rei coughed lightly.
"We're eating here. Can we not talk about things like that?"
He then waved to the waiter.
"Excuse me, we'd like to add two plates of nigiri sushi."
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The Real Author Notes:
[Original Case — Start!]
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