Chapter Text
The colors were so pretty.
Ranpo stared at the concoction with avid interest as the green and purple swirled together into the greyish mixture. When the final bubbles popped, he snatched up the vial and handed it to Fukuzawa to cap off. The older man nodded in thanks as he handed Ranpo a leather file.
“The next client is in the waiting room. Please hand Sir Akimoto his elixir before you meet with her.”
“Sure thing Pres!” The alchemist in training gave a toothy smile as he tossed the vile up, catching it just before the president had a heart attack. He slipped out the door, and handed the grey mixture to the old man waiting at the counter.
“Here ya go! Please apply it daily on the affected area and you’ll be good as new!” The old man bowed in thanks before leaving the shop. Ranpo sighed in relief, glancing at the clock behind him. It was 3:00pm. The sweets shop would close in an hour. If he hurried with this last client he could get the remaining cookies for half off. With that knowledge, he hopped to his final client.
He maintained his usual smile, but as soon as he stepped into the waiting room, he could see the energy around her. He winced, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes, which only made the vision worse.
It wasn’t fun being a half prophet, especially when the half normal part of him didn’t allow him to control the visions that plagued his mind whenever he was exposed to someone with a strong energy. When he managed to catch himself, the old client stood over him in concern.
“Young man…are you okay?”
Two men stood over her grave. Two boys played at her feet. She was in a hospital bed. Said men were smiling with their wallets open. Despite the disorganization of the vision, Ranpo could get a sense of what was going on. He gripped the chair next to him before pushing himself up.
“Mam…could you tell me what you’re here for?” The old woman nodded, pushing onto her own cane as she reached out to help Ranpo. He refused her hand and offered her a seat. Then she continued.
“My head has been giving me some trouble. One minute, I’ll be perfectly healthy. The next, it’ll be so clouded I have to sit in bed out of fear of falling. My husband says it’s just nerves, so I thought I’d get a prescription of the anxiety reducing elixir your boss makes.”
She looked so trusting. Ranpo felt terrible for what he was about to ask.
“Have you had any visitors lately?” The old woman smiled.
“Just my two boys! Oh they are so busy with their businesses all the time. I was so happy to have them home. We were just talking about how they would play by my feet when I sewed their clothes. I think I have a picture of them in my locket.”
Another vision hit his mind when the woman opened the locket. He flinched before speaking again.
“How long have you had that locket?” The woman looked confused, but then smiled again as she assumed that he was just curious about her family.
“A few weeks ago! My boys bought it together as my birthday gift, to keep away bad energy”.
“And how long have you been having your headaches?”
“Hmm a few weeks no-...” She froze. For a moment, Ranpo thought she understood. But she simply looked concerned, not for herself, but for her boys. “Oh my! Do you think my boys were swindled? They were always too trusting!” When she saw the expression on Ranpo’s face though, her own face grew frustrated. “My lord! Don’t tell me you think my sons would purposely try to hurt me!”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying”.
“How dare you-”. The woman was interrupted when Fukuzawa stepped inside. He usually had to involve himself whenever a customer reacted badly to Ranpo’s blunt nature.
“Mrs. Mongreen, please do not take out your confusion on my apprentice. I understand how intimidating this revelation can be, but you came to us because Ranpo’s vision are never wrong, correct?”
“I…”
“Allow me.” Fukuzawa held out his hand, and Mongreen understood this as him asking for her locket. As soon as she handed it to him, he took a bottle from his cloak, and poured a deep, blue liquid over it. As soon as the first drop hit the metal, it erupted into red smoke, leaving only the image of her family, with her picture blacked out. The women had to step back and brace herself.
“Your sons appeared to have placed a very complex, and likely very malignant smell on the locket, meant to diminish your health.”
“No…no no…” The rest off the hour was spent consoling the poor woman, who’s sons aimed to hurt her due to expecting an inheritance. Before he knew it, Kunikida and Dazai were sent to arrest her sons, while Ranpo was assigned to the legal paperwork. There would be no time for half priced sweets.
“This sucks!”. Two days later, the man pressed his head against the desk as he signed the briefing form. “I don’t want to do this…” He looked at the piles of documents that he was in charge of. He would much rather be in the bakery or at the bookstore. But no, he’s been working for hours with there being no change in the pile’s height. To his gratitude though, the newest recruit stepped into the office.
“Atsushi!” Ranpo stood up and wrapped an arm around the younger apprentice’s back.
“Do me a favor and help me with the rest of this paperwork”
“What? Ranpo there’s no way, I already have a lot to do”.
Dammit. Too much time with Akutagawa has given Atsushi more of a backbone than he had wanted.
“Finish half and I’ll take your shift tomorrow so that you can join Lucy at the village fair tomorrow”.
“...deal.”
“Yes!”
Ranpo shoved the greater half of his files into Atsushi’s arms before running out. He figured Fukuzawa or Kunikida would scold him soon enough, but he didn’t care as he made his way to the bakery. Maybe he’d even buy a red bean bun for the others, if he felt like it.
He came back an hour later, with a box of red bean buns under his arm as he made his grand entrance into the office.
“Hey Pres! Sorry I left, but I bought you some red bean buns! Get one while they’re warm…”
His voice trailed off when he noticed how quiet the room was. The usual filled desks were empty, all except for Fukuzawa’s. The said man was standing with a firm position as he he stood aside someone else.
The stranger was tall, as far as Ranpo could tell. He was in the guest chair with his legs curled up a bit. His dark brown hair was longer than most, at least long enough to splay around his shoulders and bunch up at the purple cape that he wore. The rest of his outfit was extravagant as well, covered in golden buttons and intricate black embroidery. It was all finished together with a large brooch on his chest. Ranpo was able to see a bit more as the man turned around. The sheepish look on his face looked contrasted against the fact that he wore the royal seal, known to belong to the neighboring kingdom’s prince.