Chapter Text
“Ah, Poe-kun! Over here!”
A man named Poe timidly entered the room.
This wasn't the first time he'd been here, nor would it be the last.
Poe was somewhat of a regular here. He would usually bring Ranpo a new mystery novel draft, watch it get solved in under a minute, and sit there awkwardly for a while. If Ranpo found a plot particularly interesting, he might share some of his candy.
They were good friends.
“Say, you two have been hanging out a lot.”
Naomi, one of the agents, casually sat herself next to them. It seemed they were in the middle of arguing about something.
“Are you two perhaps... in love?”
“No! We're rivals!!”
“Aww... but you just bounce off each other like an old couple, y'know?”
“Ah—Naomi!” Tanizaki stepped in while Poe was muttering and stuttering. “I'm so sorry, Ranpo-san, Poe-san, I—eek!”
“Oh, Nii-sama, where did you go? I was worried, you know!”
The siblings (?) retreated into the background and did... whatever it is they did.
Ranpo stood still throughout the entire exchange. He didn't realize that he'd been wearing a strange look on his face.
...In love?
After that mini fiasco, the two eventually settled back down and continued their debate. Although there was something different in the air this time. Something was... off, from Ranpo's perspective.
Well, for one thing, Poe was more nervous than usual now. But he also felt that he himself was a little out of it. There was an uneasy, tense air around him. Still, he hid it to the best of his ability, and that seemed to be enough for Poe.
Perhaps he was overthinking it.
When it was time to go home, Poe waved goodbye and slipped away as he always did.
The uneasy feeling did not go away.
Once Poe had left, Naomi came up to Ranpo to apologize. “Sorry for assuming,” she said with a smile. “I'm sure you'd know your own feelings better. It's not my place to pry.”
“...Yeah.”
Did he know better though?
Poe was his rival, of course. He just happened to also be a nice source of entertainment. He liked reading his manuscripts and generally enjoyed having him around.
But was he in love? Romantically?
From his own observations, he learned that some people seemed more nervous around specific people, though it's more like nervous excitement. Sometimes their blood would also rush to their face. He'd learned that others called that a crush, which indicated romantic attraction, and it usually came with a feeling akin to “butterflies in one's stomach”—whatever that means.
He thought back to his interaction earlier. Is that what he felt?
...
Objectively speaking, that general description seemed to fit his rival, but he wasn't sure about himself.
Or maybe that uneasy feeling was the legendary “butterfly feeling”.
...Apparently you're supposed to enjoy it, though.
He took a deep breath and slowly released the whole-body tension he didn't realize he felt. He'd have to think about it another day. He somehow felt drained, even though he hardly did anything different today. Hopefully he'd feel better next time.
He looked forward to reading the next story.