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Having arrived back in Japan just six months prior, Ryunosuke has grown quite accustomed to not practicing law. Certainly, he was allowed to act as a lawyer, however, given that he was never given his own lawyer badge in Japan, he wasn’t legally allowed to set up a law firm. So, Ryunosuke spent most of his days studying to be a better trained lawyer. However, studying wasn’t needed at this time of year. After all, who studies during the summer?
Ryunosuke flipped through Iris’s copies of the Adventure of Herlock Sholmes while at his home. Iris managed to pull some strings to have books delivered directly to Ryunosuke and Susato, all the way from England. It was useful, as it did double in practicing his English. Still, Ryunosuke found himself quite bored. With a sigh, he placed the book back in the pile of the other books, and walked out into the outdoors of the Imperial Yumei University. The construction of the rivers and the park made it quite the desirable spot to hang out on campus. However, with the lack of students during the summer time, the park was deserted. Walking through the well-kept dirt road, Ryunosuke took in the environment. After mindlessly wondering for a few minutes, Ryunsouke heard a familiar voice.
“...-ust once more? You really do look quite dashing in that attire!”
Ryunosuke recognized the voice immediately. It was Rei Membami’s voice. Ryunosuke was about to wave at her, until he saw the person next to Rei. After the quick glimpse, Ryunosuke hid himself near some bushes. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Although Ryunosuke couldn’t get a clear view of the person, Rei was talking to… a man. The man nodded, and the two began to dance. Ryunosuke knew Rei’s feelings towards Susato, and knew Susato’s feelings towards Rei. Although uncommon, the two women were definitely in love. So… what was Rei doing with this man? Talking, sure, he could understand. But, dancing? Calling him dashing? Ryunosuke felt that, whatever he was witnessing here, wasn’t something that Rei would openly admit to him. Keeping quiet, Ryunosuke hurried back to his dorm. He… needed to figure out what was going on.
After returning to his dorm room, Ryunosuke started pacing around. He had to establish the facts. That was the first step in a deduction, if Sholmes taught him anything. The first fact was that Rei called the man “dashing”. The second fact was that Rei asked, presumably, to dance “once more”. With the final fact that the two of them were in a very quiet location, things weren’t looking good. Ryunosuke decided that he needed to head and talk to Susato. Susato was the more mature person in the relationship, so Susato would be better if confronted with the information than Rei.
—- A few hours later —-
Susato opened the door to an exasperated Ryunosuke. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
“Are… are you feeling ok, Naruhodo-san?”
“Not exactly, Susato-san. Can we… talk, for a bit? In private?”
Susato closed her eyes, in an attempt to prepare herself for whatever was coming.
“Certainly. What’s on your mind?”
Susato let Ryunosuke into the Mikotoba household.
“It’s about Membami-san.”
Susato’s expression grew dark in a fraction of a second.
“What happened? To Rei?”
Ryunosuke gulped. He knew that, if Susato didn’t believe him, he could very well experience yet another Susato-Takedown.
“She’s… I saw her dancing with a man.”
Susato put her hands on her hip, and tilted her head sideways, with an annoyed face.
“Naruhodo-san! What awful nonsense are you talking about? I have half a mind to take you to the floor!”
Ryunosuke felt the all-too familiar beads of sweat dripping down his face.
“I’m not lying! I saw her at the garden eali-”
Within a moment's notice, Ryunosuke felt himself hurled to the floor. With his mind spinning, he could only barely hear Susato’s words.
“If that’s all you have to talk about, then leave. I’ve had person after person talk to me about those half-baked rumors, and I won’t have you talking to me about them as well.”
Ryunosuke scrambled to get onto his feet, and exited the household. So much for talking to Susato. Still, Ryunosuke knew what he saw. If Susato wasn’t going to hear a word about it, then Rei would be the other option.
Still… Naruhodo couldn’t help but feel that, right as he said “dancing with a man”, for the briefest of moments, Susato smiled. That… had to be a trick on his eyes. Shaking his head, Ryunosuke went back to the dorm to sleep.
—- The next day —-
Ryunosuke looked throughout the main hub of town. Rei liked to go out and buy some Mochi ice cream at this time. After looking through various stands, Ryunosuke found Rei. She was enjoying Mochi by herself. Ryunosuke waved at her, and she waved back, motioning him to sit down next to her. After Ryunosuke sat down, Rei went back to plowing through the Mochi.
“Membami-san? I… need to ask you about something.”
Rei swallowed her Mochi, and nodded.
“Are… are you seeing a man? Romantically?”
Rei dropped the rest of her Mochi, and immediately brought her hands into a pre-Susato-takedown pose.
“Impossible! Inconceivable! Me, and another man?! What on earth are you talking about, Naruhodo-san?”
Despite the yelling, nobody turned to look, given the hustle and bustle of the town. Ryunosuke took a deep breath in, and looked at Rei.
“Yesterday, I saw you dancing with a man at the Yumei University park. I’m quite certain of what I saw. I went and talked to Susato-san, but she didn’t believe a word of what I said.”
“Well, of course she didn’t! W-... Susato told you that she didn’t believe a word of it?”
“Y-Yes. (She… just stopped. Why did she stop to confirm what she just heard?)”
“Well, o-of course she didn’t! I don’t recall dancing with a man at a Yumei University park, nor do I recall ever dancing at the For-”
Rei put her hands to her mouth.
“For-, what? What do you mean by For?”
Rei started to sweat. She grabbed her purse, and hurriedly packed up.
“I- I have somewhere else to be! I must go now, Naruhodo-san!”
Rei rushed off without another word. As Ryunosuke watched her run, thoughts ran through his mind. Certainly, Rei was definitely seeing a man. By her expression, she was clearly upset at the idea that Susato was believing in her. But… that didn’t explain the “For-” portion. Ryunosuke ordered some ice cream, and began thinking. When Rei said “For-”, it was followed previously with an “at the”, so “For-” must mean a certain place. As Rei obviously was trying to keep this a secret, she wouldn’t be dancing in an open environment, unless she was certain that no one would be there….
A closed environment…. For-..... Could it be? Ryunosuke placed a pin on the thought, and picked up his ice cream. Walking about through the town, Ryunosuke understood exactly where Rei was referring to, in terms of dancing with this mysterious man. Rei worked at the Forensic lab at Yumei University. During the summer, the head of the Forensic Lab allowed some students sign-in sheets to reserve labs. No one, other than the students themselves, would occupy the labs at the time. If… Rei wanted somewhere to be alone with someone else and not get caught, the labs would be the place. With that in mind, Ryunosuke headed back to the dorm. If he wanted to get proof, he needed permission from the head of the Forensic Lab.
—- A day later —-
Ryunosuke knocked on Professor Mikotoba’s door.
“Come in.”
Ryunosuke pushed the door open, and saw Yujin writing on some documents.
“Ah! Naruhodo-san! Good to see you.”
Ryunosuke shuffled through the cramped office, and sat at the chair opposing Mikotoba’s desk.
“Do you need something from me?”
“Yes, Professor. I… need to know about room reservations. Particularly Membami-san’s reservations.”
“... Continue.”
“Has… has Membami-san have any assistants as of late?”
Yujin put his hand to his chin, clearly thinking of past events.
“Now that you mention it, yes. She introduced me to a man named Ryutaro. Apparently, he’s her assistant in lab work.”
“He… may not be.”
Yujin looked at Ryunosuke with surprise.
“Pardon?”
“I’ve… come across a sight. I think this ‘Ryutaro’ is actually a man that Membami-san’s been seeing behind Susato-san. And… I think she’s been using these times to stay in private with him.”
Yujin’s brows furrowed.
“Well, I can’t exactly let Membami-san see someone else behind my daughter’s back without consequences. Here, I’ll give you explicit permission, and I’ll change the lab rooms just for you. Oh, and give me a photo, will you? I need to ascertain if Membami-san is really seeing another man behind my daughter’s back.”
Ryunosuke nodded.
“Of course, Professor! When is Membami-san’s next reservation?”
“In… 15 minutes.”
Ryunosuke stepped back in surprise.
“15 Minutes?!”
Yujin laughed.
“Here, I’ll give you a camera. I always keep one in my office. Though, be warned, you’ll only be able to take one picture, though I can copy it quite easily.”
Yujin searched through the drawers, and gave Ryunosuke a camera.
“Due to the walls being one way mirrored, as long as you’re in the right room, you can see Membami-san without her, and Ryutaro, seeing you. Go to Room 12-34.”
With a nod, Ryunosuke rushed through the halls. Closing the door after entering the room, Ryunosuke locked the door. He quietly waited, until he saw Rei and this ‘Ryutaro’ come in.
Right on que, Rei and Ryutaro entered the lab. Ryunosuke did a clap, testing to see if the others would hear. They didn’t react to it, though Ryunosuke could hear Rei talk.
“Yes, I’m certain that Naruhodo-san can’t convince Susato. Y-, Susato has an unfailing belief in me, afterall.”
Rei was putting her hands next to her cheeks, attempting to stop her blushing. She was obviously smiling. The man, ‘Ryutaro’, still had his back facing the wall. Despite the angles Ryunosuke could capture, capturing the man’s face would be difficult, if not outright impossible. Rei suddenly went as red as a strawberry.
“You… Want to kiss?! Here?!”
‘Ryutaro’ tilted his head.
“No, no, no! I’m… perfectly willing! It’s just… being kissed by such a dashing man is…”
As Rei attempted to avoid eye contact with ‘Ryutaro’, he took that chance to tip Rei’s chin, and stole a kiss. Rei’s already strawberry colored face somehow became even more red. Ryunosuke readied the camera. There was only going to be one chance at capturing the moment.
Rei looked straight at the man’s face. Her face conveyed a single emotion. Lovestruck. She went lovestrucked with just a single kiss.
“Do… that again.”
As the man tipped Rei’s chin once more, Ryunosuke captured the scene. The moment of the crime, so to speak.
With the picture of the kiss in hand, Ryunosuke was armed with evidence. He unlocked the door, and opened to exit. Ryunosuke could hear Rei’s faint whispers.
“Sh! Someone’s exiting the other room! Hide in the closet!”
Ryunosuke knew that he had to get the photo to Yujin, but…
Ryunosuke placed the camera and the photograph right outside the doorway, where it wouldn’t be visible to Rei. Ryunosuke opened the door. Alone in the lab room was Rei.
“Oh! Hi, Membami-san!”
Rei looked genuinely surprised.
“Oh! Naruhodo-san! What are you doing here?”
Ryunosuke put his hand behind his head. He… didn’t come prepared for a question like that.
“I…. was wondering about the school! It’s quite quiet here, so I went into the other room to think. What are you doing here, Membami-san?”
Rei’s face went that classic Flustered-Red-Rei color again.
“I… was working on some science! I was just about to start!”
“Oh, good to know! I’ll leave you to it!”
Ryunosuke went out into the hallway, and closed the door. He went back to Professor Mikotoba’s office.
“I’m back, Professor.”
“Come in.”
Ryunosuke opened the door, and handed Mikotoba the photograph. Yujin looked over it.
“Well, if you look at this photograph. It seems that Membami-san isn’t as loyal to Susato as she tries to be.”
“What should I do?”
“... I have an idea. I can convince them to go to that garden by telling them that there’ll be extra credit if they go there, and you can show Rei and Ryutaro that photograph. I’ll also make sure to show Susato the photograph as well. I’ll copy it right here. It’ll take just a moment.”
Yujin took out some device that was clearly made by Herlock. After pressing a few buttons, a copy of the photo came out.
“Here you go. Good luck, Naruhodo-san.”
Ryunosuke was led out of the building by Yujin. Before Yujin could close the door, Ryunosuke spoke up.
“Ah! One more thing, professor.”
“Hm?”
“You said… ‘That Garden’... I never mentioned anything about a garden to you.”
Yujin put his hand to his chin, thinking again.
“You’re a sharp man, Naruhodo-san, but I think you just misremembered this time. Do visit whenever you can!”
With that, Yujin closed the door.
—- Later that day —-
It was nighttime, and fireflies were fluttering about. Ryunosuke was hidden inside of a bush. Over the past hours, he observed nearly every detail of the photo. He was certain that, even if he didn’t have the photo, he could draw it out… to whatever degree that he could draw. Though he was certain that he successfully memorized the photo all the same.
Ryunosuke observed Rei and Ryutaro walking down the dirt road, to where they danced a few days prior. Now, seeing Ryutaro’s face, Ryunosuke couldn’t help but find it vaguely familiar. Rei was sticking to Ryutaro with such love in her eyes, it would break Susato’s heart if she saw. The two walked nearly to the spot where Ryunosuke was hiding.
“So, the Professor said we’d have to be here?”
Ryunosuke felt surprised at hearing Ryutaro speaking. His voice sounded distinctly feminine.
“Y-yes! It was strange of him to ask, but… that’s how he worded it!”
Ryunosuke slowly, stealthy, escaped out of his hiding spot, right behind Ryutaro. Meanwhile, Rei kept mumbling about.
“Sorry, it’s so hard looking at you, when you look… so………… dashing………”
Rei brought her hands to her mouth, as she looked behind Ryutaro, seeing the unexpected visitor. Ryutaro tilted his head, and followed Rei’s view.
“So, Ryutaro-san, we finally met!”
Ryutaro looked quite flustered, and quickly lowered his cap to hide his face. Ryunosuke looked at Rei smugly.
“Dating a man, and behind another woman’s back? That’s low, Membami-san… really low.”
Rei’s hands quickly turned into fists.
“W-wait! I can exp-”
Ryutaro motioned for Rei to stop.
“No, it’s alright. I want to see if Naruhodo-san can figure it out.”
Figure… it out? Does… does Ryutaro expect him to deduce something? As Ryunosuke walked around Ryutaro, he observed the back of Ryutaro’s head. Ryutaro was wearing hair-bands. Why would a man be wearing hair-bands, pink of all color op-
Ryunosuke took a step in surprise. While he couldn’t see it, he could tell that Ryutaro was grinning.
“So, have you figured it out?”
It… all made sense. Why was Rei so in love with this man? Why was Rei so certain that Susato would still believe in her? Why did Ryuatro have a familiar face? Why was Ryutaro’s voice so feminine? Why did Professor Mikotoba know about the Garden incident? And… most of all, why did Susato smile, right before doing her Susato Takedown, two days prior?
“You’re…. Susato-san?!”
Ryutaro took off the cap, and turned around. Ryutaro smiled.
“I knew you’d figure it out eventually, Naruhodo-san!”
“What’s all of this about?!”
Susato laughed.
“Naruhodo-san, do you recall when I defended Rei back then?”
Ryunosuke nodded. He recalled reading the telegram.
“How do you suppose I defended her?”
….
“oh.”
Ryunosuke felt dumb. Of course, if she wanted to defend Rei, she would have to dress as a man, as females aren’t allowed inside Japanese courts (aside from testifying).
“But, why? Why did you hide it from me?”
Susato chuckled.
“I thought you already knew. So, when you came talking to me about Rei seeing a man at a garden, I realized that you didn’t know. I just wanted to have a little fun with you, that’s all. You had fun as well, right, Rei?”
Rei was speechless the entire time, but having heard Susato ask about her brought her back to Japan.
“Right! It… it was embarrassing, lying to Naruhodo-san, but it was fun!”
Ryunosuke sighed.
“I’m sorry for doubting you, Membami-san.”
Rei put her hands into the pre-Susato Takedown stance.
“No! It’s nothing! I’m sorry for putting you through the trouble, Naruhodo-san!”
Susato laughed.
“Well, we’re here, in this romantic atmosphere. Why not kiss while we’re at it?”
Rei’s face grew a strawberry red. And she nodded.
The two kissed, and Ryunosuke watched, happy that the relationship was never in any danger at all.