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When the judge declared the not guilty verdict, Ryunosuke could finally relax.
He had spent the entirety of those past three days dedicated to that complex case, doing everything in his power to prove that his client was innocent and had only been in the wrong place at the wrong time. With the help of Susato, Sholmes, and Iris, he managed to find all the evidence he needed to make all the pieces fall into place, creating a clear picture of what had actually happened.
“Congratulations!” said Susato. “You did an amazing job.”
“Thanks…” Ryunosuke smiled widely. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
They left the courtroom, moving straight to the lobby, where his client awaited, profusely thanking him for everything he had done. That, more than anything else, was the reward he needed for his efforts. Honestly, he was so relieved that everything seemed to be spinning around him, the world becoming a blur of colors and sounds.
Wait… That wasn’t normal, was it…?
“Ryunosuke?”
He could hear Susato’s voice, soon joined by others, but couldn’t really understand what they were saying. He thought he heard Kazuma among them all…
Ah, right… Kazuma would probably compliment him for his hard work that day. Thinking about it made him happy, despite how exhausted he felt.
When Ryunosuke came back to consciousness, he was in the bedroom he shared with Kazuma in Sholmes’ attic. He blinked a few times, wondering how he had ended up there—the last thing he remembered was standing in the lobby of the Old Bailey, and then… Nothing.
He glanced around, recognizing a group of familiar faces in that room: Kazuma, Barok, Susato, Sholmes, and Iris. As soon as his eyes fell upon Kazuma, he too looked at him, leaning in his direction.
“He is awake,” Kazuma said. “Ryuu, can you hear me? How are you feeling?”
He sounded concerned, which made Ryunosuke slightly furrow his brow: he was very confused, yes, but generally speaking…
“Fine…?” He considered it briefly, then confirmed. “Yes, I’m fine.”
The air in the bedroom seemed to instantly become lighter.
“That’s good to hear,” said Susato.
“Indeed, it is.” Sholmes nodded. “That was quite the fright you gave us, my dear fellow.”
“I’m glad you’re fine now,” said Iris. “But you shouldn’t scare us like that, Runo.”
Ryunosuke furrowed his brow. “Scare you?”
Barok looked at him, unsurprised. “You don’t remember it, do you?” Then, without waiting for a response, he added. “You fainted a little after that trial reached its end.”
Oh… That explained a few things. Especially all those worried faces looking at him.
“That makes sense…” said Ryunosuke. “I felt weird all of a sudden, and next thing I know, I’m waking up here.” He paused, offering them a reassuring smile. “But I’m much better now.”
“Are you sure?” asked Kazuma. “If you’re not well, we can take you to a hospital.”
The suggestion was enough to make him shudder. “No, I’m really fine!”
The others still seemed uncertain, so Ryunosuke soon continued.
“I was so busy with that trial that I haven’t slept at all these past few days, and didn’t even eat that well, so I was feeling pretty weak.” He grinned proudly. “But it’s all over now, and it was worth it in the end!”
A heavy silence filled the bedroom, making Ryunosuke look at the others. But their eyes, fixed on him until seconds before, were now on his best friend. Barok placed a hand on Kazuma’s shoulder, and from Ryunosuke’s point of view, that seemed like the only thing keeping his friend from jumping at his throat.
“Is that so…?” Kazuma muttered under his breath.
A cold feeling went down Ryunosuke’s spine: maybe he had been too honest about it.
“Kazuma…”
But his quiet plea wasn’t enough to placate Kazuma’s fury. The tension kept growing inside the bedroom, like a bubble about to pop. Ryunosuke didn’t dare to breathe, afraid that it would be the one thing to finally break the stillness.
Unfortunately for him, no one in that bedroom was willing to face Kazuma’s rage—not even for his sake.
“Maybe we should give them some space,” Susato suggested.
Barok sighed. “I agree.”
“Why don’t we go prepare some snacks?” said Iris. “Runo needs to eat something, and I’m sure we’re all hungry now that the worry is gone.”
“Excellent idea, my dear,” said Sholmes.
Traitors…
They moved out of the bedroom, leaving him there, alone with his best friend, who stared so intensely at him that Ryunosuke could feel himself shrink into the mattress.
“Ryunosuke Naruhodo…” Kazuma said in a low, paused manner. “What is wrong with you?”
Ryunosuke forced a nervous smile. “Am I in trouble?”
“Yes, you are.” Kazuma leaned over him, placing one hand on each side of his head, staring into his eyes. “What were you thinking, pushing yourself like that? Spending all these days with no sleep and little food… You’re not a child anymore, you should have known better!”
Ryunosuke narrowed his eyes at him: hearing that from Kazuma Asogi of all people made him want to rebel. “So says the king of pushing himself past his limits…”
“I’m not the one who collapsed after that trial, was I?”
“No… Because you weren’t hiding an unhealed stab wound this time.”
Maybe he shouldn’t have brought that one up… That response only made the flames in Kazuma’s eyes burn brighter—rebelling had been a terrible idea.
“You…” he grunted, “are an… impossible little…”
Ryunosuke forced a smile. “I’m sorry…?”
“You’re not sorry!”
If he kept retreating, that argument wouldn’t end anytime soon. So, Ryunosuke took a deep breath, meeting Kazuma’s gaze.
“Well, you’re right,” he admitted. “I am sorry for worrying everyone, but that’s all. I don’t regret anything else… Sure, these past few days have been a nightmare, but knowing my client was proven innocent makes all those troubles seem small in comparison.”
Kazuma didn’t respond. Ryunosuke raised his hand, lightly squeezing his arm.
“You might be angry now, but you understand it, don’t you?”
A few quiet seconds passed. Kazuma let out a small sigh, moving away from Ryunosuke, sitting at the border of his bed with his eyes low. Ryunosuke waited in silence until he finally spoke again in a calmer voice.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was when I entered that lobby to congratulate my best friend, only to see him falling to the floor like that?”
Ryunosuke’s heart stung. “I… can imagine it.”
“No, you can’t,” Kazuma retorted, looking at him. “If you could, you wouldn’t have done it.”
“I assure you, I can,” Ryunosuke insisted. “You scared me before, too… And it wasn’t for just a few minutes.”
Kazuma opened his mouth to respond, but then stopped, as if finally understanding what Ryunosuke meant. His defiant attitude quickly faded, replaced by a shadow of guilt.
“I’m not blaming you for it,” Ryunosuke quickly added. “But thinking I lost you was the worst thing that ever happened to me… I’d never do it to you on purpose.”
“I know.”
And now he sounded remorseful, which almost made Ryunosuke wish he were yelling instead. Not wanting things to continue like that, Ryunosuke sat up, and Kazuma immediately looked at him.
“You should stay down,” he said.
“I’m sleep deprived, not bleeding from a stab wound.”
“Can’t you just let that…” Kazuma groaned, probably aware that Ryunosuke would never let that one go. “And I thought you’d be a little less difficult after all this…”
Instead of retorting, Ryunosuke stared right back at Kazuma with a serious expression. “Kazuma…”
“What?”
In response, Ryunosuke opened his arms wide. Kazuma twisted his lips, staying still for a few seconds, only to soon give in and move closer, allowing Ryunosuke to close his arms around him as he did the same.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” said Ryunosuke.
“Of course not. But it doesn’t change the fact that you went too far this time.”
“I didn’t really think about it,” Ryunosuke admitted. “I just wanted to prove that my client was innocent, and… I think I forgot about everything else.”
“This doesn’t help me worry less about you…” Kazuma paused, then added in a softer voice. “But it’s also why you are such an impressive attorney.”
His words made Ryunosuke chuckle. “Are you scolding or praising me?”
“I’m praising your resolve, not your behavior.”
“Understood…”
Kazuma moved slightly away, looking at Ryunosuke’s face. “Just try to take better care of yourself, alright?” He paused, offering him a smile. “And… Congratulations. You did great, partner.”
Hearing those words made Ryunosuke so happy he couldn’t contain a small laugh. “You didn’t make it easy for me.”
“I didn’t. This is how you know that I mean it.” In a moment, however, the scowl was back on his face, and he poked Ryunosuke on the forehead. “Don’t look so happy, I’m still angry at you.”
Ryunosuke pouted. “I thought you’d be nicer to me since I passed out…”
“I can’t be too nice, or you’ll do it again.”
“I won’t,” Ryunosuke assured him. “Really.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Kazuma observed him, suspicious. Then, his expression relaxed once again. “Fine… I’ll believe you, then.”
Which was a relief. Still, Ryunosuke couldn’t stop thinking about how mad his best friend had been: Kazuma had an aggressive way of showing care, but to someone who knew him as well as Ryunosuke did, his true feelings were quite clear.
“You were really worried about me, weren’t you?” asked Ryunosuke.
“Of course I was.” He responded immediately. “You’re my partner… If anything happens to you, no one in the world could ever take your place.”
“Aww… You can be so sweet when you want to.”
Kazuma narrowed his eyes. “This is why I can’t be too nice to you.”
“Can’t you try?” Ryunosuke widened his smile. “Just a little?”
“No.”
Ryunosuke kept staring at him with a sad expression, until Kazuma finally broke, raising his hand to pat his head.
“Fine…” he said, defeated. “I can’t stay mad at you.”
Ryunosuke giggled, pleased with himself. “I know.”