rambunctious lover

"I smell blood on you. Tell me, dear Ranpo, where have you been?"

"..."

Being hooked around the neck suddenly, the strength wanders between "I like you" and "Strangle you", even the breathing that is chaotic can't help but suddenly increase.

He was silent for a moment, and when his heartbeat returned to its normal rhythm, he casually smiled:

"I met the murderer who killed Makoto."

"My God!"

An exaggerated exclamation came from behind, and Edogawa frowned in distaste.

"So how did you escape?"

"Do you know all your subordinates, Your Majesty the Ghost King?"

The two spoke in unison.

After a stalemate for a while, Kiwu Tsuji disarmed and surrendered.

"Let me ask you," he brought Luanbu closer with his arm, his chest against his back: "Do you know all the stray dogs in the community?"

Luanbu paused, and grinned, his white teeth were the only light source in the dimly lit room.

"Of course." He snapped his fingers, counting all the treasures: "The bitch with white tail downstairs is called Yuri, and the Samoyed who is pursuing her recently is called Wangjiro..."

Suddenly, Luanbu yelled in alarm, and asked angrily:

"what are you doing!"

It was as if a caterpillar was crawling along the pinnae of his ear, itching unbearably and making one's heart palpitate at the same time, it was Wumi's tongue.

"You're lying, little Luanbu." The Ghost King said in a doting tone, "Your right ankle has a scar from being bitten by a dog. How can you remember about these beasts?"

Even if the lie was exposed, Ranpo remained calm.

In other words, he had been waiting for this moment—he slammed into his chest with random strides while he was fully prepared.

Hearing a suppressed muffled hum, the famous detective pursed his lips with pride.

pat—

The light came on, and the painful expression of the man behind came into view.

He slapped away the non-existent dust on his hands in random steps, and raised his neck haughtily:

"Your men attacked me, and it's a gesture of generosity for me not to trouble you."

The words that seemed familiar, the red pupils of Wupai narrowed slightly, and smiled instead of anger:

"It makes sense. Since you have said so, you shouldn't refuse to take me in, right?"

Luanbu: "?"

A mountain protruded between Wu Mi's brows, and said impatiently:

"I resigned from the TV station and don't want to be disturbed by the media."

"Oh~ so it's like this~" Luanbu nodded in understanding, and pointed to the side: "The door is there, so I can leave without seeing it."

No misery: "..."

Seeing Edogawa walking away on his own, the King of Ghosts couldn't help lowering his voice:

"20."

"...A deal, as long as you promise not to sneak into my room in the middle of the night."

Without spying on Wu Mi's triumphant smile, he walked straight into the bedroom with random steps.

He dropped the lock, leaned his back against the door, and smiled silently.

Ranpo knew that Onimai Tsuji Wuchan wanted to spy on him, and he also... had this intention.

next morning

The crows of crows outside the window were hoarse, and they opened their sleepy eyes in disorder.

Then...the screams were deafening.

"Why are you sleeping in my bed?"

Onimai Tsujimu stood up slowly, revealing his strong chest and abdominal muscles.

"It was you who kept talking in your sleep last night, making me so noisy that I couldn't sleep. I had to come to accompany you."

"..."

"Oh, by the way, you know this kind of broken lock doesn't work for me."

Pointing to the twisted and deformed lock on the door, he shrugged and said boldly.

"..."

While they were looking at each other, the doorbell rang.

Edogawa Ranpo rushed out barefoot at the fastest speed in his life.

Standing at the door was Atsushi Nakajima, a well-behaved, sensible and refreshing young man.

"Good morning, senior. I'll pick you up to work."

"Work?" The detective glanced at the clock on the wall.

What, it's almost 9 o'clock!

He rubbed the bird's nest on his head awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, Arden. Please wait a moment. I'll be right away..."

"Sorry, he has to ask for leave today."

Kimai Tsuji, who came belatedly, put his arms around Ranpo's shoulders and said with a smile.

"...You, you were from that night..."

Atsushi Nakajima was shocked when he saw the face of the person coming, and the hand pointing at the other person's nose trembled slightly.

The curvature of Wuyou's lips remained unchanged, but his eyes were cold.

"Young man, didn't anyone tell you that it's impolite?" He deliberately released his pressure, "Anyway, please ask for a leave of absence for Ranbu."

Before the words were finished, Onimai Tsujimu closed the door with a bang.

dong dong dong-

dong dong dong-

The two tacitly ignored the annoying knock on the door.

"What are you taking me for?" the detective asked blankly.

"Accompany me to the TV station to resign, Luanbu."

dong dong dong-

dong dong dong-

In order to prevent complaints from neighbors, after a while, when the two of them tidied up and appeared at the door, Ranpo Edogawa still issued a task to Atsushi Nakajima—destination, Tosa University.

"Mr. Ranpo, do you know the murderer?" Atsushi Nakajima was overjoyed.

The detective squinted at the man beside him, and said meaningfully:

"I'll tell you more about this later."

After about three and 10 minutes,

Edogawa Ranpo and Wuyou walked at the crossroads, and the TV station building was within easy reach.

The phone in his cloak pocket suddenly buzzed.

"Hey Adon, what's the matter?"

"Mr. Ranpo, are you saying that you want to burn all the manuscripts of "Xiao Zong 2" written by Zhenbi...Xiang Kai?"

In front of Edogawa Ranpo's eyes, Hibiki Kai's head turned into ashes and the unwilling pupils embedded in his face appeared again.

He pursed his lips:

"Yes, clean it up and don't let anyone find out."

"But……"

"Incompleteness is perfection, and this is what Xiang Kai hoped for before he died."

"! You just said that Xiang Kai is dead?"

Before Luanbu could answer, the phone was easily snatched by Wu Mi.

The ghost king pressed the hang up button in front of him, speaking earnestly like a teacher:

"Luanbu, how many times have I told you, don't make a phone call when crossing the road. Who knows when you will be hit by a car and die."

Wu Mi said the most vicious words in the most cordial tone, and even smiled at him without regret.

woo woo woo—

The honking of vehicles is endless.

Wuyou stretched out his arms, and brought Luanbu into his arms, and the two walked to the other side of the road without any danger.

"We have arrived."

The building in front of it is towering into the sky, and it is also the headquarters of a well-known TV station. Tourists stop and watch it.

Oniwu Tsuji and Ranpo, whose alias is "Yuehiko", have gained a lot of fame because of the recent case and received a lot of attention.

The former program producer took it for granted and walked into the building first.

"I'll go to the minister, and you can go shopping by yourself."

Luanbu didn't move, and spread his palms in front of Wulian.

"cell phone."

"Oh, almost forgot."

It suddenly dawned on Wu Mi to pretend to be someone who could see through anyone.

"contacting via phone."

"Humph."

Edogawa stared at the man's back disappearing out of sight, and narrowed his eyes with great interest.

Interesting, let him see what this self-righteous idiot is up to.

……

"Please let it go, let it go."

Turning around, I saw a staff member approaching with a stack of cardboard boxes.

He hurried to avoid it, but it was too late.

With a "bang", the two fell to the ground in embarrassment along with the crumbled cardboard box.

"hiss-"

Luanbu rubbed the suffering buttocks, howling endlessly.

"Edogawa... Ranpo-san?"

The instigator who lost his hat raised his eyes, and the black hole on his forehead was faintly visible.

"...Is that so? You're here to resign with Tsukihiko's producer."

Luanbu and Shutianyao carried the cardboard boxes and walked side by side to the archives room.

"It's a pity. I don't think the producer should take the blame and resign. On the contrary, he should be rewarded. If something like this happens, more viewers will watch our show, right?"

Ranpo observed Suda's profile.When he said this, his eyes were a pool of stagnant water.

Remembering that this guy's emotions are different from ordinary people, the detective licked his lips and changed the subject.

"Then where is Mr. Shutian transferred now?"

"Me? After Yue Yan's producer's program stopped broadcasting, the station transferred me to the morning news. It seems a bit abandoned?"

He stopped and stared at Edogawa faintly through the two holes in the cardboard box.

Luanbu trembled for no reason, and his whole body felt cold.

"Okay? The audience for the morning news is all ages. I have a lot of fans among my colleagues, too."

To be precise, he is one of the few existences in the detective agency who does not read the news.

"Whatever, anyway, I'm used to it anyway. If Mr. Yue Yan hadn't taken in a strange person like me, he would never have been able to work in a TV station."

Shu Tianyao muttered to himself, his swarthy eyes covered with ashes.

"Ah, how about I treat you to dinner later?"

He proposed without thinking.

"……No need to……"

As if deliberately interrupting Ranbu's refusal, Shutian Haruka yelled:

"Thank goodness we're finally here!"

Archives, as the name suggests, is a place where thousands of electronic and paper materials are mixed.

It is inaccessible, and the accumulation of dust over time is also predictable.

"Ah Choo, Ah Choo. No, it's been too long since this place has been cleaned, right?"

Luanbu covered his mouth, but the dust still slipped into his mouth and nostrils through his fingers, making him sneeze several times.

Su Tianyao on the side had already put on the mask automatically, took the boxes from Ranbu and began to tidy them up.

"Thank you, Mr. Ranpo. After I finish these things, Mr. Tsukihiko should be ready to leave. Let's have dinner together again."

"..."

Why is this guy so stubborn?

Hearing this, the unsociable detective had only one thought - to escape.

"I don't know what's in this box. It has been ticking since just now. Could it be that the wall clock in some office is broken?"

Shutian Haruka said to himself, as if he had decided that Ranpo would agree to his request.

"Then I'll take my leave."

The detective answered in a voice as thin as a mosquito.

clatter clatter—

Shu Tianyao hunched over and disassembled the cardboard box.

The chaotic feet were only one step away from the door.

then……

There was a click, like poison vines entwining their prey.

"Mr. Ranpo. Please wait a moment."

Shu Tianyao turned around, his dark eyes, which had always been deep, finally had more ups and downs.

Oh no, it was a stormy sea.

Through the swaying chandelier on the ceiling, Ranbu could clearly see the countdown tied to the man...