Asou Akiya had barely returned to the Port Mafia headquarters before he was summoned.
This was the downside of being "noticed."
Fortunately, Asou Akiya had prepared his explanation in advance and had no fear of scrutiny. He stated plainly that he simply could not bear to watch a young boy starve to death.
The Port Mafia's boss neither confirmed nor denied it. He recalled Asou Akiya's well-known tendency to be a "soft-hearted do-gooder" outside of work. For the past two years, Asou Akiya had tirelessly helped the orphans of the Slums; encountering a desperate boy and lending a hand along the way was hardly out of character. However, such a personality within the Port Mafia was, in truth, a weakness—something that could be seized upon. The boss frowned, his gaze cold and penetrating as he scrutinized Asou Akiya, and gradually dispelled his suspicions about Asou Akiya deliberately approaching the son of a police officer.
Under the wary stare of the white-haired elder, Asou Akiya's heart remained utterly unruffled.
He was already a seasoned veteran.
Let alone a boss who had practically "preordered his own end-of-life medical plan," the people Asou Akiya had deceived over the years were each more formidable than the last. After repeatedly grinding through experience points, he had long since evolved from a young man who still felt shame into a con artist who could lie with a straight face.
The Port Mafia boss let out a gloomy smile. "Since that boy has no job, why didn't you introduce him to the Port Mafia?"
Asou Akiya immediately dropped to one knee, expressing his loyalty without hesitation.
"Boss, the Port Mafia is a large organization. I don't believe our entry standards are that low."
"Oh?"
"Do we really intend to recruit a thirteen-year-old brat who was expelled from a government-funded school, locked up in a military camp for reporting his superiors without thinking, and finally bullied into fleeing from a construction site by the workers there? I'm afraid even the white paperwork would laugh at us for taking in absolutely anyone…"
"..."
The string of vividly detailed social failures struck a little too close to home, and the Port Mafia boss found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
This wasn't merely bad—it was outright useless.
Today, Edogawa Ranpo had been the one to put Asou Akiya through his paces. Now, in turn, he suffered Asou Akiya's retaliation, losing what little reputation he might have had within the Port Mafia before he ever set foot inside it.
The Port Mafia boss cleared his throat a few times, tapping Asou Akiya with a measured warning. "The Port Mafia recruits talent. Let this matter end here. Next time, don't act on impulse like that. You represent the face of the Port Mafia."
Asou Akiya's expression instantly went flat, his eyes turning lifeless.
Since when did he carry that much weight?
Wasn't the so-called 'face' of the Port Mafia made up of a lunatic boss, a lolicon boss, and a suicide-obsessed boss?
"Yes," he replied calmly.
When you live under the Port Mafia's roof, you bow your head to the boss who signs your paycheck.
Back in his office, Asou Akiya folded his hands together and assumed a contemplative posture, temporarily setting aside the headache-inducing matter of making money.
His mind filled with thoughts drifting past like scrolling comments across a screen.
[Two months.]
[What kind of job should I find for Ranpo? A courier? A delivery rider? A messenger? A soba noodle street vendor?]
[The real-life Mr. Ranpo apparently sold soba for a month in winter once—people liked it quite a bit.]
[But it's summer now. Are there many people who eat soba in summer?]
[Suddenly craving it served cold.]
[Next time I'll take Randou out for soba. We never properly celebrated moving into the new house—let's make up for it.]
Asou Akiya wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
The racial talent of people from Huaxia, after all, was "eating."
Food was the heaven of the people.
He forcefully suppressed the impulse to send Ranpo off to sell soba noodles.
[Although I quite like black cats, I love the long-haired French cat at home even more. Ranpo sticking around me for too long would only lead him astray. I'm not suited for long-term companionship with him—what he needs is a serious, upright adult to instill proper values…]
[The man on Japanese banknotes! The great educator—Fukuzawa Yukichi!]
[Bodyguard bodyguard bodyguard—where's the nanny-grade bodyguard when you need one?!]
He pulled out several Japanese bills, staring at the imperial portrait printed on them, and began contemplating Mr. Fukuzawa's current whereabouts.
According to the original storyline, fourteen-year-old Edogawa Ranpo had gone to interview at the S&K Trading Company, where he encountered Fukuzawa Yukichi, who was investigating the mysterious death of the company's female president. Not long after, the highly skilled Fukuzawa Yukichi was shamelessly latched onto by Ranpo, who lacked even basic meal tickets.
But now, the chairwoman Shiraishi of S&K Corporation was still alive. She went out without bodyguards, showed little sense of personal danger, and appeared to be in a temporarily safe environment. This meant she had yet to spend a large sum hiring Fukuzawa Yukichi as a disposable, short-term security guard.
"If I monitor the female president of S·K Corporation, I should be able to locate Fukuzawa Yukichi," Asou Akiya deduced as he pieced the plot together. "In the early stages, Fukuzawa Yukichi worked within government departments. In the middle period, he abandoned his identity as the assassin known as the 'Silver Wolf' and only accepted bodyguard commissions from acquaintances. He strictly avoided personal interaction with employers outside of work. Later on, for the sake of Ranpo's invaluable deductive talent, he sought out the legendary ability user Natsume Sōseki and founded the Armed Detective Agency."
"That means…"
"With my current lack of manpower, I could potentially contact Fukuzawa Yukichi directly through President Shiraishi?"
"…President Shiraishi probably doesn't think very highly of me."
Asou Akiya stroked his chin. It was smooth—he had shaved cleanly that morning, making sure he looked irresistibly handsome.
Seduction was out of the question.
He was unwaveringly loyal to Randou; his devotion was clear for all to see. He would never leave behind any leverage that could be used against him.
Having thought it through, Asou Akiya accepted his reality as nothing more than a minor Port Mafia employee—hardly someone people welcomed with open arms.
"No matter," he said calmly. "I still have two months left. Win or lose, I'll find Ranpo a long-term meal ticket eventually."
He let out a laugh so soft it was almost imperceptible, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
So—which side would the calico cat choose to stand on?
…
At this very moment, Natsume Sōseki was utterly exhausted.
Having grown old, he no longer enjoyed appearing openly in the world as he once had. More than anything, he wished to entrust the future to the younger generation.
In late June, Edogawa Ranpo was expelled from the police academy. Natsume Sōseki had yet to learn of this incident. Instead, during the process in which Ranpo joined the military camp and underwent background investigations, someone from within the government contacted Natsume Sōseki, claiming that the son of the widely renowned "Clairvoyant" had arrived at a military camp in Yokohama.
Using his ability, Natsume Sōseki transformed himself into a calico cat and went searching for Ranpo's whereabouts. Who could have known that Ranpo would not stay long before being expelled yet again, disappearing for two whole days? By sheer misfortune, Natsume Sōseki missed the chance to meet him.
When he later discovered Ranpo working at a construction site, Natsume Sōseki felt an unexpected sense of relief.
This was a child capable of supporting himself.
With Natsume Sōseki's keen insight, he had long since noticed the dazzling talent and contradictory worldview shining within Ranpo, and he had already guessed the intentions of Ranpo's parents. Like them, he chose to observe from the sidelines while offering protection, patiently waiting for Ranpo to complete his own transformation.
That belief, however, was shattered not long afterward…
Ranpo's values had gone completely off track!
Natsume Sōseki actually witnessed the genius he had placed such high hopes in asking a middle-aged woman to financially support him!
Fortunately, someone arrived just in time and pulled Ranpo back from the brink. Otherwise, Natsume Sōseki would have been so furious that his beard would have floated straight upward, and he would have dragged out whoever had corrupted Ranpo and beaten them senseless the very next day. Upon noticing the identity of the newcomer, Natsume Sōseki remained uneasy about entrusting Ranpo to him. Moving on all four cat legs, he followed closely behind the car. Thankfully, Yokohama's streets were heavily congested—five minutes was not enough to exhaust him completely, even though he had long since stopped engaging in intense physical activity.
After witnessing the bet between Asou Akiya and Edogawa Ranpo, Natsume Sōseki squatted outside Ranpo's dormitory. The police academy had secretly preserved a place for Ranpo to stay, ensuring that he would not end up wandering the streets homeless.
A look of worry surfaced on the calico cat's feline face as he gazed at the dormitory window, already dark with lights out.
Good heavens—this child had gone to the school library to borrow books, and what he was reading was 'how to survive in the workplace!'
"Should I destroy his wish?"
"Two months… If I do not intervene, can Ranpo endure this society?"
"If he can, then that will mean he has truly grown."
Natsume Sōseki decided to observe for a while longer. Compared to choosing between good and evil, Ranpo's mental and emotional growth mattered far more.
Three days later.
Asou Akiya found Edogawa Ranpo a job that was neither exhausting nor leisurely.
—Mail delivery.
There was no need to meet people face to face; all he had to do was deliver mail into mailboxes. The sorting of items and classification of information was work well-suited to someone with an excellent memory. Asou Akiya believed that as long as Edogawa Ranpo applied himself, he would be more than capable of supporting his own livelihood.
And so, a brand-new "R-card" junior postman Ranpo made his debut, wearing a sun hat, brimming with vitality like fresh green leaves in summer.
"Uncle, leave it to me! This job is absolutely no problem!"
"Do your best."
Asou Akiya's words of encouragement carried mixed emotions, including more than a hint of I'll wait for the day you come back crying and say you quit. Edogawa Ranpo was not lacking in work ability; rather, he was usually unable to restrain the overwhelming urge to express himself, causing his behavior and conduct to deviate from the norm. Coupled with his unwillingness to conform to society's rules, this became the fatal reason he kept losing jobs.
A cat acting cute is adorable; a cat shedding tears is also… ahem
Afterward, Asou Akiya and Randou found a standing soba shop and happily ate buckwheat noodles together.
Two tall, slender young men with strikingly refined appearances stood beneath the shop's noren curtain at the entrance, chatting cheerfully. Their Japanese flowed naturally into French and back again, the switches seamless and unforced, as they savored their food and experienced, for once, the life of ordinary Japanese men. Randou had never eaten standing up before and found the experience refreshingly novel. He used his chopsticks to twirl the soba, lifted it to his mouth, and began to chew.
It was a curious flavor.
Much like what Akiya brought into his life… each day was never exactly the same as the one before.
Many middle-aged men entered the soba shop, and upon seeing them, froze in astonishment, as though two wealthy gentlemen had somehow wandered into a slum. Soon enough, however, they stopped thinking about it. Carrying the exhaustion of a full day's work, they ordered a bowl of their favorite, inexpensive soba from the owner, and amid loneliness and quiet satisfaction, spoke with envy.
"Youth, huh."
When they had been in their twenties, were they not once just as full of hope for life?
"Slurp—" Asou Akiya leaned over and snagged a strand of soba straight from Randou's chopsticks with his mouth, his eyes and brows brimming with laughter, as though saying: The food in Randou's bowl tastes better than mine.
Randou did not mind in the slightest and laughed. "Then I'll try your flavor too."
Did you really not misuse your Japanese just now?
This bowl of so-called "friendship," suspiciously resembling public dog food, vividly stuffed all the other overworked salarymen full, leaving their faces darkened one after another.