Work Text:
Ryunosuke Naruhodo – the lawyer who wasn’t quite fired yet but still wasn’t allowed to practise law – was starting to climb up the walls with boredom.
It had been a gruelling few months since that terrible case that had banned him from the courtroom. Law was his purpose, really – it was evidenced by the band around his arm and the katana by his side. Now that he couldn’t do that, he found himself wondering what he used to do with himself before that certain fateful event had turned his life upside-down.
The simple answer was that he used to spend a lot of time with his best friend, Kazuma. Clearly more time than he’d thought. He hadn’t really had other friends, he realised, until Kazuma had asserted himself into his life.
But lack of company wasn’t the problem, of course. Ryunosuke currently lived in the attic of two of the most interesting people he knew – or perhaps “eccentric” or “ridiculous” would suit better. A great detective, and a genius little girl who secretly penned all his stories that the people of London adored.
Not poor company by any means, but hard work compared to his judicial assistant Susato-san, who was always happy to write notes or make tea while simply sharing the same room. And who never tried to make deductions about him whenever he walked through a doorway.
Perhaps it was strange that Ryunosuke missed her presence so much. After all, they had actually spent little time together in the grand scheme of things, and mostly in a professional context.
...But he still missed her all the same.
Ryunosuke stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of him. It’d been blank for a few days now. His idea of writing a letter to Susato had turned into writing up some old cases, then his idea about writing up some old cases had turned into writing a journal for himself, then his idea of writing a journal turned into just writing anything, because the page was still blank, and mocking him with its glare.
Something. Anything, he pleaded to his brain, but his thoughts felt as scattered as they were empty. He sighed and dropped the pen, defeated again.
As if on cue, a singsong voice echoed up the stairs.
“Runoooo! Breakfast is ready down here!”
“Oh dear,” said Iris, her face dropping in concern the moment Ryunosuke entered the room. “That’s an even bigger sigh than usual.”
“...I don’t think I sighed, did I?”
“The biggest sigh I’ve heard in months,” announced Sholmes from the sofa. “You look positively miserable.”
(And good morning to you, too.)
“Haaaah...” Ryunosuke sighed, out loud this time.
He plonked himself opposite Sholmes on the sofa, and picked at the scrambled eggs and bacon Iris had cooked for him. “I’m sorry. I’m just, well... Not sure what to do these days.”
“Only boring people get bored, Mr Naruhodo,” declared Sholmes, taking a sip of some tea. “There’s plenty to see and do in London!”
“Don’t listen, Runo,” said Iris, shovelling bacon into her mouth so she could finish and rush to her typewriter as soon as possible. “Hurley complains about being bored all the time.”
“I can’t claim to understand the feeling of boredom,” Sholmes continued, “But I must confess, when I haven’t had a case in a while, I do start to lose some purpose. I don’t quite know what to do with myself at times.”
(You understand perfectly well, then?)
“Perhaps you could tidy your office?” the detective suggested. “I remember it being in some state of disarray when I last saw it.”
Ryunosuke glanced round the living room. The place was stacked floor to ceiling with books, papers, gadgets, a giant machine in the corner that Ryunosuke has never discovered the purpose of, and random “keepsakes” from old cases. A skull. A shoe on the mantelpiece. Another, different shoe on a shelf. A bust of Napoleon. Surely not all these things were crucially relevant?
“You don’t need to be a great detective to notice that glance,” said Sholmes, raising an eyebrow slightly, “But I assure you that this room is as tidy as can be. I have a system.”
“Sorry?”
“A delicate balance, Mr Naruhodo! Even the slightest movement could send everything toppling to the ground!”
Ryunosuke gave that giant lump of machinery in the corner another, more cautious glance.
(Maybe it IS better if nobody touches it...)
“I’m sorry I can’t help, Runo, but I have a manuscript to work on! The deadline is coming up!” said Iris sympathetically, tapping a few keys on the typewriter to illustrate her point.
“D-don’t worry about me,” said Ryunosuke hurriedly. He was starting to feel like a demanding toddler.
“If I get enough work done this morning, maybe I can take you for a walk later?” she suggested.
(And now I’m a pet? It’s getting worse!)
He put his hands up. “Really, it’s fine. As Mr Sholmes said, there must be something. Right?”
He turned around to talk to Sholmes, but was greeted by an empty chair instead. “...What?”
Sholmes burst through the door, fully dressed in his detective gear, with a glint in his eye. “The game is afoot! I have a new case to investigate!”
“You found one in the last five minutes?” asked Ryunosuke incredulously. “We didn’t even see you leave!”
The detective tipped his deerstalker. “As I always say, there’s no time like the present!”
“Oh! Enjoy your case, then.”
There was a pause.
“Don’t give me that gormless expression, Naruhodo! You’re coming too!”
“I... I am?”
“Yes!” He tipped his deerstalker again. “As I always say, another pair of eyes and ears is helpful in any investigation.”
“Do you say that?”
Sholmes gave him a look. “Of course! Did I not say it just seconds ago? Come now! Finish your breakfast!”
“But what-“
“I’ll explain in the carriage on the way!” he replied impatiently. “Iris, hold down the fort while we’re gone.”
“I’ll be writing, so I probably won’t notice if someone breaks in,” said Iris, tapping away, “But I’ll try my best.”
“Good enough! Naruhodo, hurry with that breakfast!”
The eggs and bacon were still hot, and Ryunosuke had only just started eating. However, the urgency of the conversation set off a spark of adrenaline in him. So he wolfed down the food, wished Iris good luck with her writing, pulled on his cloak and hat, and followed Mr Sholmes out of 221B Baker Street.
As Ryunosuke Naruhodo and Herlock Sholmes sat in the rickety carriage, Sholmes was, once again, trying to pitch his own book series.
“A great detective, solving crimes and making genius deductions! ‘The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes’ by Dr. John Wilson, in all major London bookshops and receiving rave reviews! Does that not interest you at all?”
(Iris must have taken some creative liberties when she added “genius” to those deductions...)
“....And since you’re friends with the star and the author, I could even give you a discount!” He brought his pipe to his mouth. “After I run the idea by Iris, of course.”
(...She’d let me borrow a copy, surely? We all live together!)
“Very generous of you, Mr Sholmes. Though you seem to be forgetting that I’ve already read Miss Susato’s copy of that book...”
In truth, after Susato-san had forced that book onto him with the demand that he read it at once, he’d really only skimmed it. He felt that seeing the “Great Detective” in action had somewhat ruined the illusion. And even though Iris had taken many creative liberties with “The Speckled Band”...he still found it very difficult to get through.
And after that, aside from glancing at Iris’ chalkboard for title ideas occasionally, he hadn’t kept up with anything since. He had to live with it, after all. He didn’t have to read about it as well.
“You really should keep up, Naruhodo!” exclaimed Sholmes, who must’ve noticed a look on his face. “You appear in one or two stories, you know.”
Ryunosuke blinked. “Is that true?”
“With your name changed, of course. We can’t include the name of the man who leaked all that sensitive information to an entire courtroom. Bad for the image, you understand.”
Ryunosuke shot a nervous glance in the direction of the cab driver.
(And bad for my privacy as well!)
Ryunosuke had felt rather on-edge since that day. More on-edge than he usually felt. Even as someone who was never caught up on current events, and who wasn’t even British, he knew how much of a commotion he’d caused that day. It hadn’t been his intention, even though he’d known at the time that he’d face some kind of consequences for those actions. But none of that mattered – not when he had to save Gina. He didn’t regret it, not even for a second.
But now he felt as if he was being watched. As if he’d opened up something that could never be closed. And it made him uneasy. Even, if he could dig down deep enough to admit it... a little fearful for his life.
“Don’t look so glum!” exclaimed Sholmes, making him jump in his seat. “After all, you still feature!”
“Y-yes. There’s still that.” There was a pensive pause. “Mr Sholmes? You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”
“Ah! Apologies, it completely slipped my mind. I have a few errands, you see. I pawned my Stradivarius violin.”
Ryunosuke’s brow furrowed slightly. “Again?”
“I do it quite frequently, yes.”
“And what about the case? The one you were so insistent I joined you to solve?”
Sholmes laughed. “Don’t worry, the pawnbroker hasn’t been murdered this time! That’s only happened once or twice. But after that case a few months ago where my violin was stolen, I’ve become wary of the security at Windibank’s. I’ve pawned it in a different part of town.”
“I don’t recall your violin being stolen, Mr Sholmes. Wait, did you say once or twice-“
The carriage came to an abrupt stop that would’ve launched Ryunosuke straight out of his seat, had he not instinctively grabbed Sholmes’ arm for stability.
“You really must get used to these stops, Mr Naruhodo,” Sholmes laughed. “They’ll be the death of you!”
The two left the carriage, and Sholmes tipped his hat at the driver, with Ryunosuke following suit a tad more reluctantly.
Ryunosuke Naruhodo was a man who was hopelessly enchanted by small, useless knickknacks, and was also someone who frequently lost track of his own spendings. Pawn shops were a very dangerous place for him.
Mr Sholmes had handed him the redemption card and given him the watchword, before taking off to some other part of the area he needed to run an errand in, reassuring Ryunosuke that he’d return soon. Ryunosuke feared he may never see the man again. At least he had his address memorised.
After spending several minutes gaping in awe at all the items in the little nooks and crannies, he finally made his way to the front counter, carrying a wooden model of a cat that reminded him of Wagahai, a framed photographic print of something he couldn’t make out (but it must be good if someone framed it!), and even a collection of nice-looking rocks to decorate his growing aquarium.
The man at the counter gave him what could only be described as a withering stare. A far cry from Mr Windibank. “Is that all, sir?” he asked gruffly. His eyes fell on the collection of rocks.
“N-no, actually!” Ryunosuke spent some time trying to awkwardly shift everything to a single arm, and managed to dig into his pocket for Mr Sholmes’ redemption ticket. “I’m redeeming this Stradivarius violin for my friend.”
The man raised an eyebrow. “Already?”
“What do you mean?”
The man shook his head. “Don’t matter.” He disappeared into the storage room, and returned with the violin, placing it on the counter. “Watchword?”
“Ah yes! The watchword...” Ryunosuke trailed off, knowing that this was going to sound a little absurd. “I believe the word was just... ‘Stradivarius’?”
“Correct.” The man pushed the violin across the counter, and Ryunosuke carefully picked it up with his free hand.
“Did you worry that it was too easy to guess?” he couldn’t help but ask.
The man shrugged. “You could’ve mugged the gent for the card and just guessed the word. Wouldn’t be ‘ard, would it?”
“...How do you know I didn’t?”
The man shrugged again, returning to the book he’d been reading. “Bloke knew the risks.”
“I see...”
(Perhaps Mr Sholmes should start worrying more about the security HERE...)
As Ryunosuke walked out the pawn shop, having worked out a way to carefully balance all his items in his arms, he immediately jumped in a way that could’ve sent them all toppling.
“Mr Naruhodo! You’ve been in there for ages!”
Mr Sholmes obviously sensed the urgency of the situation before Ryunosuke even opened his mouth, and leapt forward to catch his violin before it dropped to the cobbles. As he did, Ryunosuke lost his grasp on his rocks, and they clattered onto the ground, scattering in all directions.
“Haaah...”
He knelt down to pick them up. Sholmes leant down too and took the cat and the framed photograph out of his arms. He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think you could’ve been carrying too much?”
(Please don’t point out the obvious. I feel silly enough already...)
As Ryunosuke finished scooping up his collection of rocks from the London streets, much to the restrained yet confused looks of the public, Sholmes procured a bag from somewhere to dispense everything into.
“Who, I wonder,” the detective mused as he handed over the bag, “Would pawn rocks? And who would buy rocks?”
“They’re for my aquarium,” admitted Ryunosuke. “I think they’ll look quite nice in there. Perhaps someone else has an aquarium too?”
“That fad died down some decades ago. But it’s not impossible, I suppose. How much were they?”
“Um...”
“I can deduce that you probably paid more than they’re worth,” said the detective, bringing his pipe to his mouth again, “Which is to say, you paid anything at all.”
(Now that he mentions it... I did just spend my money on rocks, didn’t I?)
“It’s very peculiar, don’t you think?” Sholmes continued. “Even if the item had been forfeited, why would a pawnbroker put a price on some rocks? Something that someone would never be inclined to buy? Except you, of course.”
“They’re nice rocks,” said Ryunosuke weakly. He put his free hand to his chin in thought. “What... Do you think that they mean something?”
“Quite possibly. There could be some kind of code contained within them. One that you, inadvertently, just destroyed.”
“Oh dear...”
Ryunosuke felt a little anxious at the thought of getting caught in conspiracies again.
“So when we return after lunch, would you be kind enough to forfeit these rocks for my analysis? They can go in your aquarium after the fact, of course.”
“Um. Certainly.”
“Fabulous! Then let us continue our errands!”
Ryunosuke came to the inevitable conclusion that Mr Sholmes had either forgotten about the case he’d found this morning, or had never had one in the first place. After the two had finished running errands, they both crashed through the door at 221B with bags full of completely random items.
Iris looked up from the typewriter. “How have you been?”
“Very productive!” grinned Sholmes. “Wouldn’t you say, Mr Naruhodo?”
“Haaaah...” Ryunosuke responded. He couldn’t help it. It just slipped out.
“Hurley, you’ve got him sighing again!” Iris scolded. “But anyway, I’ve reached a natural stopping point now, so...” She turned around on her stool. “Runo! I promised to go on a walk with you, remember?”
“Oh Iris, that’s fine. I’m not-“
“Too late! I’m going now!” she declared, jumping to her feet.
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to interrupt your writing-“
Iris shook her head firmly. “I’ve just had my lunch, and going on a walk after lunch is perfect for boosting creativity! And we could buy some new herbs for my tea!”
(More errands then. Got it.)
But, of course, Ryunosuke would never have the heart to turn down that excited little smile, so he put his bags down on the sofa and turned right around to leave 221B Baker Street for the second time that day.
“Hope you enjoy yourselves!” Sholmes called after them as they walked out of the living room. Ryunosuke noticed him exchange a look with Iris, but couldn’t even begin to deduce what it could mean.
Ryunosuke and Iris’ trip to her favourite herbal tea shop didn’t take nearly as long as Sholmes’ ventures all around town, and was thankfully much less eventful. As the two walked back, Ryunosuke was somehow carrying the bags again, and Iris had a spring in her step as she babbled excitedly about all the new blends she wanted to try.
“Are you tired, Runo?” she asked suddenly, completely changing the subject.
“Hm? No, not at all. Don’t worry.”
(A little. I’ve been carrying a lot of bags today...)
“You should’ve said something!” she gasped.
“What?”
She grabbed his sleeve and pointed up the road. “There’s a nice park up that way. Do you want to go there and sit down for a bit?”
“Well, only if that’s what you want to do-“
“Okay!” she chirped. “Let’s go!”
Ryunosuke was – to tell the truth – extremely thankful to get a chance to properly sit down. The two reached the park and found a quiet bench in a shaded spot underneath a tree. It was relaxing to feel a warm, gentle breeze, and watch people feed the ducks at the pond. Iris sat sifting through the bags and inspecting the things she’d bought.
“Is the fresh air helping?” she asked.
“You know... I think it is,” said Ryunosuke. “Thank you for taking me here.”
“Of course! I’m surprised you haven’t seen this place before. It’s not a long walk from home, you know. I used to come here a lot when I was a child.”
(You’re still a child, Iris.)
There was a long and comfortable silence.
“I wanted to give something to you, Runo,” said Iris, not looking up.
Ryunosuke gave her a curious look. Since Iris was always so confident, it was strange to pick up a hint of nervousness in her voice.
“Give me something?” he prompted gently.
She glanced up to give him a smile, and then started rummaging around in the little rucksack she always carried. “Close your eyes, okay?”
Ryunosuke closed his eyes as instructed, and felt Iris place something small into his palm.
“And... Ta-daaa!”
Ryunosuke didn’t know what he’d been expecting, because coming from Iris, this really could’ve been anything. But when he looked at what she’d given him, he really was surprised.
Sitting in his palm was a small, round mouse made of felt. It had big ears decorated with a flower pattern, a sweet little face, and was even wearing the same university outfit as him, complete with a tiny hat.
His eyes fell to a little stick at the mouse’s side with a bit of red ribbon tied around it, and that’s when it hit him.
(Is this little mouse... Me?)
“Surprise!” squealed Iris with delight. “I’ve been working on it for a while!” She lifted up her bag with both hands to show him. “Have you ever looked at Hareley and Bearis here? I made yours to match!”
Ryunosuke took the bag from her to inspect the keyrings. He’d never looked at them closely enough to make out all the tiny details, but now that Iris said it, the little pink bear and the little blue hare did bear a striking resemblance to her and Mr Sholmes. The hare was even wearing a miniature version of Sholmes’ favourite deerstalker hat.
He looked down at his mouse again, and felt as if he could burst into tears. “You’re very talented, Iris. The attention to detail is just incredible...”
Iris beamed at him. Any semblance of doubt had completely vanished. “I’m so happy you like it! I was going to surprise you with the next part, but then I realised I’d need you as a model, so...”
“...Sorry, I don’t follow.”
Iris pointed to the mouse again. “A new outfit!”
Ryunosuke held it up. “An outfit for a mouse?”
“No! An outfit for you! To go with the mouse!” She closed her eyes in thought. “The black clothes you usually wear is just a school uniform, isn’t it?”
“A university uniform, yes.”
“So I thought I’d make a new outfit for you!” She clapped her hands together in delight. “Something more stylish! Plus, you look like you’re going to overheat sometimes...”
Ryunosuke didn’t feel like he could judge which clothes were “stylish” and which clothes weren’t. When he’d tried on a top hat like a proper English gentleman, both Iris and Susato had just laughed at him. So, in an odd way, he felt like he should trust her with this one.
“You can have the mouse as a keyring like mine,” Iris continued, “or I could work him into your outfit somewhere...”
With a smile, Ryunosuke carefully balanced the mouse on his left shoulder, where it sat proudly on display. “Right here! It makes Chuunosuke look a bit like a guardian angel, doesn’t it?”
“Is that what you’ve named him?”
“Um.. Yes. It’s a play on words. Because a mouse says ‘chu’, and that sounds a bit like ‘Ryu’...”
“Really? Because here, mice say ‘squeak’!” Iris cocked her head thoughtfully. “Do Japanese mice sound different to English ones?”
“I don’t think so. I think it’s just how we interpret them.”
“Wow... I never even knew!” The little girl’s eyes were sparkling in the way they always did when she learnt something new. “Here, it’s trains that go ‘choo choo’!”
“It’s lucky that he looks nothing like a train then,” Ryunosuke laughed. “There’s no confusion there.”
“I’m making one for Susie too, of course. For when she gets back. Would you like to see it when we get home?”
Ryunosuke leant back on the bench, and couldn’t help but grin ear to ear.
“I think I’d like to see it when Miss Susato does.” He took the mouse off his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sure she’s going to love it, you know.”
Ryunosuke and Iris had spent more time in the park than intended. When they returned to the house, Ryunosuke scuttled upstairs to read a book before anybody else asked him to leave.
After a couple of hours, Iris called upstairs again.
“Runooo! We have dinner!”
The moment he entered the room, he sensed something was off. Both Sholmes and Iris were grinning at him.
“D-Do I have something on me?”
“Hear that, Hurley?” smiled Iris.
Sholmes grinned. “Indeed. Not a single sigh to be seen!”
“The perfect display...” Iris struck a pose. “...Of an expertly executed plan!”
Ryunosuke stared at them both. “What?”
“You’re telling me you didn’t notice?” Sholmes struck a pose too, with a glint in his eye. “This whole day has been part of our plan!”
“Sorry? A plan?”
Iris nodded with a grin, and clapped her hands together. “Operation: Buck Up, Runo!”
Ryunosuke frowned a little. “...Have I heard that before, somewhere?”
Iris nodded cheerfully. “It’s been written on my blackboard for months! Though it didn’t seem to be having much effect...”
“I thought that was a title idea! I didn’t realise it was aimed at me!” protested Ryunosuke, genuinely. But he was a lawyer. He knew when an argument was falling flat.
Sholmes puffed his pipe. “Don’t try to deny it, my dear fellow! Both of us have noticed you growing more despondent by the day. Which is why I deployed my coded phrase this morning, spurring us both into action!”
“What?”
“The phrase was ‘positively miserable’!” chirped Iris.
Ryunosuke brought a hand to his chin in thought. “I feel like I hear you say that one a lot, Mr Sholmes.”
Sholmes struck another pose. “Which is precisely why we had to act, my dear fellow!”
“So you claimed to have a case... And took me on errands... Just to get me out of the house?”
The detective nodded.
“And Iris walked me to that park for the same reason?”
The little girl nodded with a grin.
“But...why? Why go to all that trouble?”
“Do you even have to ask?” gasped Iris. “It’s because we’re your friends! And we want to cheer you up!”
“And Iris here deduced the real root of the problem,” added Sholmes, tipping his deerstalker again, “And decided that spending time with your friends is exactly what the doctor ordered.”
Iris nodded. “You’re not sad because you’re bored, Runo.”
Ryunosuke stared at her. “...I’m not?”
“You’re sad...” She struck a little pose. “...Because you miss Susie!”
(...Susato-san?)
And then it finally hit him. While the Great Detective’s numerous deductions were hit or miss, Iris had a better knack for making deductions sparingly, and hitting the nail on the head pretty much every time.
He already knew, of course, that he missed his assistant. But perhaps he hadn’t quite realised the extent to which he missed his friend.
His friend. His friend, who was happy to sit and share a space with him. His friend, who stopped him from spending all his savings on random knickknacks. His friend, who laughed at Mr Sholmes’ antics and chided him for making sarcastic comments about them. His dear, dear friend, who was Japanese like he was, and in a way, his greatest ally in this strange country.
Ryunosuke felt like a fool for needing a ten year old to deduce his own feelings for him, but perhaps that made sense. He’d never missed someone like this before, had he?
...After all, the last time he’d come to miss a dear friend, the circumstances had been very different.
“...Perhaps you’re right, Iris,” Ryunosuke admitted, with a defeated sigh. “It’s not that you aren’t good company, but... It’s a different kind of company.”
Sholmes laughed at that. “Why, of course! A man could be surrounded by his friends and still miss the sole person who isn’t by his side.”
Ryunosuke gave the two a real smile. He wondered how it had come to this. How these two eccentric friends of his had come to understand his emotions even better than himself.
(...Or maybe this is just what having true friends is like.)
“Thank you for your help. Truly.”
There was a pause.
“...Even though it seems you faked an entire case, Mr Sholmes.”
The detective puffed his pipe. “Are you so sure about that, Mr Naruhodo? Because I can tell you that we have something to investigate tomorrow morning!”
“Don’t you have a saying over here? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...”
Sholmes laughed. “You misunderstand! You see, I mentioned your funny collection of rocks to an insider at Scotland Yard...”
“Wait, is Gregson-”
“And” the detective continued, ignoring him entirely, “It turns out they’ve been suspecting some illicit ill-doings stemming from that very pawnbroker! So your rocks may actually be valuable clues!”
“Are-are you serious?”
“Quite so. In fact, I’m afraid you can’t use them for your aquarium. I’ve been doing a lot of chemical testing.”
“Well. You win some, you lose some...”
Iris tapped her goggles. “And I know exactly what to do in the meantime!”
“And what would that be?”
She struck a pose again. “Write a letter to Susie, of course! We can see how she’s doing! And before you say ‘I’ve already tried to do that’...”
Ryunosuke closed his mouth.
“...I’ll help you! We can write one together! I’ll dictate.” Her expression shifted into a sad smile. “I miss her too, you know. And so does Hurley.”
“That... That sounds like a plan!”
So that is how things went. Ryunosuke and Iris sat down at the coffee table and composed a letter to Susato together, which was more fun and more heartfelt than he ever could have expected, and lasted well into the evening.
In the morning, he’d visit that odd pawnbroker with Mr Sholmes again, and he’d try to assist in the investigation. He had a suspicion that neither of them were supposed to be investigating at all... But that had never stopped them before, had it?
Ryunosuke Naruhodo could never have predicted the company he would one day keep.
An eccentric detective. A child genius. An incredible girl with talents in both law and martial arts. And the soul and memory of a brave, fierce ally who’d always believed in him.
As he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, he couldn’t help but smile, thinking of his friends here, and his friend far away.
He wouldn’t stop missing Susato, he was sure. But she wasn’t gone forever. One day they’d reunite again, and this strange home would truly feel like home again.
He’d find things to occupy himself in the meantime.
Many days later, miles and miles across the ocean, a sixteen year old girl finished reading a letter that brought tears to her eyes.
...and we’re all excited for when you return! 221B hasn’t been the same without you.
From your friends in London,
Naruhodo and Iris.
Then, scrawled hastily in English at the bottom-
AND Sholmes!!
“Soon...” said Susato, a small smile spreading across her face. “Soon, I am sure.”
She got out her own paper and pen from her desk, and immediately started writing a reply.
After all... She had much to talk about as well.