December 31st.
The final day of the year, and the day people welcomed the New Year.
The holiday atmosphere throughout Tokyo was especially strong, but people lazing around indoors like couch potatoes couldn't really feel it.
On his hard-earned day off, Ritsu spent the entire day analyzing APTX4869. By the time he finally crawled out of his small laboratory, ten hours had already passed.
After preparing himself a cup of Shin Ramyun with kimchi flavor, a flavor he had never tried before, he sat cross-legged on the floor with his back resting against the sofa.
People could be strange sometimes.
Even though they owned complete dining table sets, they still preferred curling up around the coffee table in the living room while eating.
The television displayed crowded scenes outside Sensō-ji Temple at dusk, along with middle-aged men and women shopping for New Year's goods at Tsukiji Market. A hardworking reporter holding a microphone was enthusiastically introducing the giant hairy crabs that were famous in his hometown.
Swallowing a mouthful of kimchi-flavored noodles, Ritsu found that slightly spicy food was quite suitable for winter and the noodles were chewier than he'd expected.
His gaze landed on a group of teenagers writing ema-plaques on the television screen.
Suddenly, a gentle and youthful voice surfaced in his mind.
His noodle-slurping came to an abrupt stop.
—
"Got any plans today? How about we go to a shrine and draw a fortune slip?"
—
Back before entering the police academy, he had indeed been persuaded by Hiro to write an ema expressing his hopes for the future.
What had he written back then?
Surprisingly, he couldn't remember. Looking down at the half-finished cup of noodles, Ritsu suddenly lost his appetite.
Leaning back lazily, he dialed a number he contacted frequently and waited for the call to connect.
The phone was answered after three rings.
Vermouth's distinctive voice came through the speaker.
"Calling me at a time like this? Are you checking whether I've fallen asleep?"
Hearing that, Ritsu chuckled.
"Did I interrupt a pleasant dream?"
Vermouth had no intention of sleeping in the first place. She sat with her legs crossed while admiring New York's nightscape.
Narrowing her beautiful eyes, she asked, "Sounds like you're trying to create a dream for me, Augier."
"I have some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Naturally, the bad news."
Ritsu had already expected her answer. Deliberately lowering his voice, he said,
"Kudo Shinichi was forced by Gin to take APTX4869. He's currently missing, and can essentially be presumed dead."
He was curious what kind of expression Vermouth would be making right now. Unfortunately, this wasn't a video call.
The other end remained silent for a full ten seconds.
Then, instead of the reaction he expected, Vermouth casually replied with an unreadable tone,
"Does that count as bad news? Now I'm curious about what the good news is."
"Didn't you always want the APTX4869 project shut down? Well, now your opportunity has arrived."
Picking up his phone and switching it from speaker mode to the receiver, he watched his shark swimming leisurely through an aquarium and continued,
"If Sherry learns about this, what do you think she'll do?"
The hand gripping Vermouth's wine glass unconsciously loosened. The moment she heard those words, she understood Augier's plan.
To her, this truly was good news.
And the person delivering it... was another pitiful soul who had suffered a fate similar to her own.
"You have APTX4869?"
"That's right. Interested in making a trip to Tokyo personally and feeding her the fatal poison?"
"You can keep that delightful task for yourself."
After a pause, she added, "Though I'd appreciate it if you gave me one pill."
Ritsu frowned slightly.
"Someone you want to execute?"
"Yes. It seems she's finally stepped into a trap I've been preparing for years. Ending her life with the drug created by her own younger sister..."
Vermouth's smile deepened.
"Don't you think that's beautiful?"
Based on what he knew about Vermouth, she didn't harbor much hatred toward Akemi. That meant she wasn't referring to either of the Miyano sisters.
Then who was her intended victim?
'A drug created by her younger sister...'
Could Miyano Elena have had an older biological sister? But Akemi, who had actually lived with her parents, had never mentioned such a thing.
It seemed he would have to investigate the Miyanos more thoroughly. There was still information he hadn't uncovered.
"Fine. I'll have Calvados deliver it to you. No need for a superstar like you to make the trip personally."
"That kid?"
Vermouth laughed softly.
"Just don't tell him what's inside."
"Of course. Do you really need to remind me of that?"
Ritsu smiled.
"Then here's to the success of our plan. Good night, Vermouth."
Watching the disconnected call screen, Ritsu pushed himself off the sofa. After cleaning up the unfinished food on the coffee table, he was in an unusually good mood.
Then, a sound came from the entryway. The call was from the apartment's security desk.
Walking over, he answered,
"Can I help you?"
Very few people in the Organization knew this safe house existed. Even the address registered with the MPD wasn't this one.
So who could possibly be looking for him?
"Good evening, sir. There's a courier here with a package delivery. May we allow them upstairs?"
'A package?'
"Have him place it inside the elevator. I'll call the elevator up myself."
"Understood."
Who would be sending him a package?
Opening the security door, Ritsu pressed the button to bring the elevator up.
When the doors slid open, he found himself staring at an absurdly extravagant bouquet of red roses.
Ninety-nine of them.
His mouth twitched.
Only after confirming there was nothing suspicious hidden inside did he pick it up. A card was tucked among the flowers.
Written on it was a single line,
[Happy Birthday, Handsome Guy. Congratulations on remaining twenty-four forever.]
The nickname alone was enough to identify the sender. This was exactly the sort of thing Vermouth would do.
As Ritsu was about to leave the bouquet outside his door, his phone vibrated.
It was an email.
[Vermouth: Don't throw away the gift I sent and leave it at the door. I'd be heartbroken.]
His eyes immediately narrowed into a deadpan stare.
After thoroughly checking the bouquet for hidden cameras or other surveillance devices and finding none, he muttered quietly,
"Can this woman really predict what I'm thinking?"
In the end, he obediently placed the bouquet on top of the shoe cabinet in the entryway. Besides, roses would wilt within a few days anyway.
He'd throw them away eventually.
Thinking about how Vermouth had taken the bait and how his plan could finally move forward, Ritsu's mood remained excellent.
Everything had unfolded exactly as he'd predicted.
She had no interest in carrying out the act herself. The only unexpected part... was that there seemed to be another person she intended to poison.
As for the incomplete APTX4869 pill, who knew what kind of effects it would produce? At this stage, producing a perfected version was impossible.
That person's fate would simply depend on luck.
Pulling the card from the bouquet, Ritsu tossed it casually into the trash. Only then did he remember why he had the day off in the first place.
It was his birthday. Although Onizawa's official birthday wasn't actually today.
"Maybe I should go buy a cake."
Looking at the shark swimming in the tank, he asked, "What do you think, Gingerbread?"
The lemon shark was currently bearing a burden it was fundamentally incapable of handling.
As a creature that couldn't speak and certainly couldn't understand human language, it merely swayed its sleek body from side to side as if saying,
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Then I'll buy one."
Ritsu nodded to himself.
"Hayasaka mentioned that Shine Muscat cream cake isn't overly sweet. That should be about the level of sweetness I can tolerate."
Before leaving, he tossed a small fish into the aquarium. Recently, Gingerbread's appetite had noticeably increased. And its body seemed much larger than when he first bought it.
Back then it had only been around sixty centimeters long.
Now it had clearly grown considerably.
"I'm heading out."
Looking toward the aquarium, he smiled faintly.
"Take good care of the house for me, Gingerbread."