Chapter Text
*Poe's POV*
I can't remember the last time I did anything that could be considered "interesting".
Sure, I was a member of the Guild. Sure, I have a decent amount of money. Sure, I write mystery novels. But Ranpo hasn't been willing to read any of them, so what's the point?
(Then again, I don't blame him. Why would such an utterly amazing detective pay any attention to a low-life like me?)
That's what has brought me to my current state. Laying in my bed, staring at the ceiling, and sighing heavily; waiting for something, anything to happen. Even if a robber broke into my room and threatened to shoot me, that would be enough to satisfy my boredom. Wait...is 'boredom' even the right word? What even is it that I've been feeling? Numbness? Sadness? Loneliness? Maybe even... no, allowing something as common and redundant to happen to me would be an even more major disgrace. But, an author is supposed to find the right words for everything! What even am I anymore? Whatever the case, I'm starting to accept that maybe this is what fate has decided for me, and I should just face it as calmly as I can, given the circumstances.
I suddenly realize something, something that I should have realized a lot earlier. Thanks to my dramatic inner monologue, however, even the simplest things like this have slipped out of my mind. The small yet warm weight of my precious raccoon, Karl, that would have usually been in my lap was absent. No. This cannot be happening. I understand why Ranpo wouldn't want to interact with me, but please, please don't tell me that my Karl has abandoned me too! Even if I do deserve it, that is literally The. Worst. Thing. That. Could. Happen.
The sound of excited chittering comes within my earshot. The little Karl-sized door I had made for him in my bedroom door pops open. Sure enough, Karl pops in, and all my worries are soothed. I sigh again, but this time a sigh of ease and relief. How much of a fool was I, for thinking that such a loyal companion as Karl would ever leave my side!
His excited chittering refuses to cease. He seems very intent on showing me something that he has in his mouth. To get a better view of what it is, I start brushing my seemingly endless hair out of my eyes. Before I am finished, though, Karl makes a great leap onto my bed and shoves the unidentified object straight onto my face. It feels to be some kind of... paper? Does Karl want to do arts-and crafts? Could it be mail? No, that can't be it, the monthly bills aren't supposed to be here yet. To add to that, there is no-one who would be even remotely interested in investing the time and care that it takes to make a letter, only to send it to me, an unworthy man. The mattress springs start creaking under the weight of Karl's ecstatic jumping, which puts and abrupt stop to my guessing game. I reach out to quickly pet his fur to calm him down.
"K-Karl! I know how excited you are, but there's no need to break the mattress! Please just give me a second, I'll look at what's made you so energetic today!"
Finally fixing my hair, I wipe Karl's drool off the paper and turn it around, reading it. It was... a poster? I took a closer look at its details. A poster... for a pet dress-up competition? I had many questions. Didn't he find this poster outside? How long had he been outside? Am I a bad owner for not noticing he went outside? Also, since when did Karl learn how to read? The statement that I decide to roll off my tongue, however, was none of these.
"Karl... I didn't know you were into this sort of thing..."
It does not look like he's content with my observation. His claw taps one of the pictures on the poster. Not only is the dog in it dressed up, his owner is too!
Now, I know why he's so interested in this competition. Not for himself, but for me. He knows that I haven't been out of bed in a while, and hence not worn anything aside from my shabby nightclothes. Simply, he wants me to get out and about, to actually do something myself to cure my crippling boredom. Or, to cure whatever the heck it is that's been going on in my mind. Even though I am deeply, deeply grateful to him for taking the initiative to try to help me, fashion pageants are not exactly in the realm of things I am good at. I, for one, am not the type of person who likes to venture outside of his comfort zone.
"I know what you're trying to do Karl, and I understand if you want to dress up, but me? Whatever will I do? I have never done anything like this before! And you know I'm afraid of embarrassing myself..."
Upon finishing this sentence, Karl runs to my door and kicks it open. Is he really going to leave, and give up on his plan? I might not be interested in it, but I can't help but be slightly disappointed to see him go. Why isn't he using the Karl-door though...?
And yet again, my initial impression turns out to be wrong. My deducing skills have definitely degraded ever since this annoyingly emotional bout of mine started. A man stands outside my door, presumably having heard the entire thing, and Karl was just making way for him. I catch sight of the man's short stature, brown hat, emerald-green eyes, and the large variety of snacks he is somehow managing to chew all at the same time, and every possible emotion of mine goes into overdrive. Ranpo, of all people? Why is he here to visit me? Why didn't Karl inform me of his arrival? Most important of all, what would he think of me, seeing me in a state like this? Here I am, just sitting there in my bed with my mouth dropped open. My unstyled hair, my dirty clothes, my face expression... anyone could clearly tell that I haven't been anywhere but in my own mind for a long time. This is a condition unfit for greeting anyone, much less the man who is the sole possessor of all the admiration in my heart.
Why can't I find the words? What can I even say in a situation like this? His footsteps are coming into my room, my heartbeat is speeding up like a train! He's coming closer, and closer...Now, Ranpo's almost face-to-face with me. Perhaps he can see my widened eyes through my hair, which is again covering most of my face, or maybe even hear my heart beating and beating. He swallows all the snacks he was eating in one big gulp. His mouth opens to speak. He's found the words for me.
"Jeez, no need to be such a scaredy-cat!"
"R-Ranpo... I'm sorry..."
Darn it. "I'm sorry." That's all I have to say? What the hell is wrong with me?
He looks all round my room, and then at Karl, and then at the poster. Finally, his eyes go back to me, staring straight back into mine. This sort of eye contact is painfully direct, and evokes a deep sense of intimidation in me, but at the same time, it feels... nice? My hand moves on its own, brushing all the hair out of my eyes. The emerald-green, which I can see much more clearly now, is almost overwhelming.
"So... what's going on here today?"
I know I will stutter, so I take a deep breath, to try to prevent that.
"Bed... Door... Karl... Poster... Competition... Ranpo..."
Even worse than I was expecting.
"Just kidding!" He makes jazz hands. "I already know everything, thanks to my Ultra-Deduction!"
I know how amazing his Ultra-Deduction is, and he probably does know everything, but 'everything' is a word more vague than most people think. How much is 'everything'? How much 'everything' does he know? If he knows of my pathetic state of mind, I'm done for.
Ranpo is studying my face expression thoroughly, most likely relishing in my sheer embarrassment. He backs away a little bit, and thankfully, I have enough room to breathe without worrying about the strange, slightly unpleasant feeling I got in my stomach when our breaths were mingling just now. An amused smirk creeps slowly onto his face. What could the man be thinking...? The one thing I'm sure of, though, is his thoughts about me are not positive. I tilt my head down, so Ranpo cannot see the shame I feel before him.
"Also, you're going to that competition. That's final."
The initial shock of seeing Ranpo after who-knows-how-long is finally starting to wear off. At last, I can respond to him coherently.
"But why...? I mean, I don't even like fashion, or being in the public eye... I really don't think this is a good idea..."
"I say it's a good idea, so then it must be! And anyways, it'll be fun! I promise! By the way, look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you!"
I don't want to frustrate him, so I immediately tilt my head back up. Ranpo's smirk gets larger.
"Well, even if you don't like fashion, you sure do seem to love makeup. That's a lot of blush you're wearing!"
Blushing!? I had no idea was blushing! At this point, I think my embarrassment is too much to bear. I give up and fall onto the floor with a muffled thump.
Lying on the ground, I look up at Ranpo. He bends down, grabs me by my wrist, and stands back up.
" Time to go costume shopping!"
Karl happily hops along, as Ranpo proceeds to drag me out of my room like a child dragging a stuffed toy.