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It was raining outside, seemingly endlessly, but it was also precisely because Kamonohashi Ron felt completely at ease. He was used to blending in with the crowd, used to hiding...
But nevertheless, he gripped the handle of his umbrella tighter, pausing outside the restaurant window when he saw a familiar silhouette inside, surrounded by friends and the warm light of the building.
Isshiki Totomaru was sincerely laughing, his eyes half-closed as he responded to the teasing. His fluffy brown hair looked even more dishevelled than usual, and his behaviour revealed a complete relaxation and carefreeness that he usually suppressed during work hours. Speaking of work, his officer’s uniform had been replaced by casual clothes, and only few people would be able to guess that the man before them was a police officer from Tokyo’s First Investigative Division.
Without taking his eyes off the scene, Ron carefully took out his phone from his coat pocket and took several (to be precise, far more than several) photos, capturing the perfect angle and captivating moment each time, saving practically a living picture that carried the officer’s warmth.
Then, as if embarrassed, Ron averted his gaze and quickly put his phone away before the object of his interest could feel someone watching. It was still too early for that.
A faint smile touched Ron’s lips, and he continued on his way as if nothing happened. Yes, he was a criminal, but he knew how to appreciate beauty... and courage. Or recklessness—but that was the charm of it, after all, Ron’s leg still hurt from their skirmish. Most of the time he tried to hide his limp, but he’d wince to himself every time he put weight on the injured leg.
Upon returning home, Ron carefully folded his umbrella. His cat was, as usual, sprawled out in the middle of the floor. Lately, he hadn’t been lacking in treats at all.
“Well, did you miss me?” Ron chuckled, crouching down to scratch his pet’s stomach. “I was thinking it’s been a while since we last complicated the police’s work…”
Ron picked up the cat and carried him into the bedroom, where he had left his laptop earlier. There was a separate folder on it... a folder with a bunch of photos of one single person. And now it gained some new ones.
Suddenly, his phone rang, and Ron had to tear his gaze away from the recently taken pictures.
“Hello?”
“Seems like you’re in a good mood?” Milo chuckled, having caught the cheerful note in his voice. “Great. I wanted to ask…”
Ron didn’t bother listening to the end and irritably hung up. These trivialities again.
“He’ll change his mind,” Ron muttered. He knew perfectly well that his antics would be tolerated anyway. But right now, he really had more important things to do.
-
Toto picked up a shrimp from the salad with his chopsticks, listening to how his two senpais were actively arguing about the dishes, ignoring the sideway glances from other customers. They probably had forgotten what the original topic of the argument was.
“No, a plate with a silver pattern would be much better here,” Kawasemi said stubbornly, holding his chopsticks in one hand and his trusty tweezers in the other.
“What pattern, you idiot?” Amamiya frowned, chewing a sushi roll with excessive force. “We’re discussing the taste of the rolls being served here!”
“Presentation is very important. Incorrect plating can put a customer off, even if the taste is wonderful,” Kawasemi answered seriously. “But I thought we were discussing the dishes in general, weren’t we?”
Amamiya didn’t answer. She seemed to have lost the thread of the conversation herself.
“Tototo, are you with us??”
Toto turned his gaze to one of his few close friends, Spitz. He was a very cheerful guy, working on finding Moriarty’s traces: since they had gone quiet in England, he had been sent to Japan, where one day he met Toto. That day Spitz was passing by a modest temple when he got swarmed by cats who smelled the fish in his bag. It was Toto who bought cat food and fed them so they’d stop rubbing against Spitz.
“Yeah, of course... I just got a little distracted,” Toto answered sheepishly. He hesitated a bit before admitting, “I had a feeling someone was watching us from the street. But I think I imagined it.”
“Maybe you didn’t,” Spitz shrugged, carelessly glancing back at the restaurant window. “Many people would prefer sitting in the warmth rather than walking in the rain. So they might peek inside.”
Understanding reflected in Toto’s eyes. He nodded, turning back to the food. “Such a good day, no need to think about this nonsense,” he thought and quickly forgot about the fleeting unease. Besides, Spitz had enthusiastically started telling him about some snake-god, ghosts on the streets of London, some monster from Scotland and other nonsense that only the two of them could believe in.
Hearing the word “ghosts”, Kawasemi distracted from Amamiya, who immediately moved her chair away from him.
“Guys, you do realise ghosts don’t exist, right?” he chuckled. “Otherwise, solving crimes would follow a completely different algorithm.”
Spitz, Toto and Amamiya all frowned simultaneously but remained silent. Each was afraid to answer and be disappointed in all possible myths. Because of that thoughts Amamiya became cold again and stated dryly, “I’m going to break your tweezers if you don’t shut up.”
And so their joint dinner at the restaurant after work continued. They didn’t plan to leave until the food and the rain ran out, despite the fact that their company looked somewhat strange.
-
Toto mechanically copied reports and sorted documents. The office was surprisingly quiet and calm, perhaps because Amamiya was pacing slowly around it, flipping through files on recent crimes. The tapping of her heels echoed softly.
Soon she left, and when she returned, she placed a small box on Toto’s desk with a grim expression.
“What’s this..?” the officer asked, confused.
“How can I know? Kamoo-sama said to give it to you.”
“Kamoo-san?!” Toto jumped to his feet, but Amamiya lightly hit him on the head with a file. Obviously, she would have liked to get something from that guy too.
“He’s already gone. And you still have a lot of work, you can’t leave.”
Toto nodded reluctantly and sat down again. When Amamiya left, curiosity got the better of him, and he carefully began opening the unassuming box with a platypus sticker on top. With anticipation in his eyes, he untied the thin ribbon and looked inside. There were printed photos of Kamoo’s cat, quite funny and silly ones, and a bunch of candies. Apparently, it was a thank you for his help with the search.
“A strange, but good guy,” Toto thought, examining the photos.
-
In the darkness of the room, only the light from a small lamp and the laptop screen broke through. The only sounds were the cat’s breathing and the noise of the working printer. Sometimes, a man’s muttering from the floor was added to this.
The plain, monochrome walls became more interesting, more provocative, with each printed photo. Even Ron himself felt a bit dizzy as he observed his creation. He glued photo after photo, using special paper. He handled each one with extreme care and particular fondness.
If only Toto knew...
Oh, he will definitely know. It would be a special surprise. Ron wanted to show Toto the covered walls, see his unique reaction. Not that he considered himself obsessed, he was simply curious about the reaction of the officer who had managed to shoot him in the leg.
Definitely...
-
Toto often stopped by a café near the station to buy a cup of his favourite coffee, but on Friday evening he didn’t expect to run into Kamoo there at all, comfortably settled in a corner.
“What an unexpected meeting, Officer Isshiki,” Kamoo smiled charmingly. This time he looked tidier, dressed in a shirt, waistcoat and coat, rather than lounging clothes. His cup smelled more of brown sugar syrup than coffee.
“Kamoo-san?” Toto raised his eyebrows, taking his order from the barista and approaching the acquaintance’s table. “Do you often come to this area?”
“I generally like walking around Tokyo,” Kamoo nodded. “So don’t be surprised if you see me in some alley late at night…”
“Eh? Well, if you say so…” Toto said, puzzled. Then, remembering something, he changed the subject, brightening up. “By the way, thanks for that gift! I really appreciate it, even though the help was just part of my duties.”
“Honestly? I just wanted to share pictures of my cat.” Kamoo waved his hand dismissively. His smile was both friendly and cunning. “If your workday is over, how about we take a walk?”
Surprised by the request, Toto stared at him silently. Kamoo allowed himself a quiet laugh. “Okay, okay, I’ll just walk you home, alright? We can chat along the way..”
Toto didn’t refuse, thinking he must be lonely living alone. Kamoo behaved politely, constantly finding topics for conversation and seemed to be trying to be liked, presenting himself in the best possible light. Sometimes a slight flirtation could even be heard in his speech, but nothing more.
When they approached the familiar house in the residential area, Toto met Ron’s gaze. Ron seemed afraid to lose sight of him.
“See you, Kamoo-san, it was really fun,” Toto waved.
“Maybe we’ll see each other sometime on the weekend, officer?” Kamoo suddenly asked, taking Toto’s wrist and not letting him brush off the question. “When’s your day off? We could sit in a café or restaurant. My treat.”
“I... I don’t think that…”
Kamoo calmly let go of Toto’s hand.
“Just say you don’t want to,” he said with an unreadable expression, “I understand.”
Toto frantically shook his head, not seeing the calculating gleam in the other’s eyes. “No, no! It’s not that! I just don’t know when I’ll be free, I often work overtime…”
Kamoo smiled warmly. “I’ll give you my number. Text me when you can. I can easily clear my schedule.”
Without waiting for agreement, Kamoo took out his phone. Toto could only shyly agree. But that didn’t mean the number would be blocked immediately, not at all, Toto had no reason to blacklist Kamoo. After all, he was just a slightly strange guy living with a cat, right?
When they parted, Ron turned around and headed in the opposite direction, humming something under his breath.
In the following days, he texted Toto now and then about all sorts of little things: asked how his day was going, if he was resting, when he’d be free, sent tons of photos of his cat, which had finally found a use (that’s what he especially loved doing!). Toto answered friendly, sometimes even texting first and laughing at his jokes. He probably should have forgotten about this naive officer long ago, but somehow Ron couldn’t get out of his head either the determination in his eyes when he held the gun, or the shock when the injured Ron promised another meeting...
One evening, as Ron lay in bed watching Toto via the cameras, the doorbell to Toto’s apartment rang, and a pretty girl appeared on the doorstep. Frowning, Ron hurried to find a better view from another camera. Although the sound wasn’t great, he managed to make out words like “delivery” and “gift”. The girl handed Toto a box and, bowing, left. But instead of opening the box, Toto put it down in the hallway. Ron clicked his tongue in disappointment; why did Toto’s openness have to fail him at a moment like this?
Acting on a whim, Ron carefully moved the cat off his phone and opened his chat with Toto. He thought about the wording for a few seconds, as if preparing for a real date—in truth, Ron wasn’t thinking about why he couldn’t let the officer go; he simply didn’t want Toto to forget about him.
“Are you free on the weekend, Officer Isshiki?~ My offer still stands. Afterwards, we could drop by my place, I can properly show you my cat. What do you say?”
When Ron pressed “send”, his gaze returned to the laptop. A few seconds later, Ron was watching intently as Toto, upon seeing the message, raised his eyebrows in surprise, smiled sheepishly, and sat down on the sofa, staring at his phone. The message probably sounded ambiguous... A warm or perhaps playful smile appeared on Ron’s face.
“Of course! I’m free anytime on the weekend. You must be lonely by yourself, Kamoo-san? Where would you like to go?”
Ron hadn’t expected any other answer. The idea of going with Toto to that very restaurant where he had seen him one rainy evening was already fluttering in his head... It was unlikely Toto would understand, but Ron wasn’t going to deny himself such a pleasure.
On the agreed day and time he was already waiting at the restaurant, at the very same table—a thin, neat hint. Tapping his fingers on the table, Kamoo waited and studied the menu. Finally, Toto sat down opposite him with a smile.
“Sorry, am I late?”
“No, you’re right on time,” Kamoo smiled back, not even glancing at the time. It didn’t matter how late Toto was; what mattered was that he showed up in the end. “What do you think about this place? I’ve heard a lot of good reviews…”
“It’s really great here! I was here recently with my friends,” Toto laughed carefreely. “I think you’ll like it too, Kamoo-san. It’s quiet and the food is delicious.”
“I don’t often eat out,” Kamoo admitted, pushing the menu towards Toto. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Will you choose something for me too?”
Toto nodded without hesitation. For some reason Kamoo was slightly annoyed that he didn’t receive any compliment about the clothes he had chosen for the day... Although it wasn’t even a date! Why would Toto pay attention to such small details? “What nonsense,” flickered through his mind, only to remember later that he needed to work on this unforgivable weakness.
He didn’t really pay attention to what Toto ordered; he wasn’t picky about food. After the dishes were brought, Kamoo started a conversation about his favourite sea creatures, which made Toto stare blankly at the plate of seafood salad. Kamoo found this amusing. Talking to the officer in person was much more fun than silently watching him via cameras.
When they left the restaurant, Kamo felt a twinge of discomfort in his leg, but he continued walking with Toto down the street with an unreadable expression.
“Kamoo-san…” Toto began carefully, “I’ve noticed for a while that you’re limping. Are you okay? Have you seen a doctor?”
Kamoo nodded. “I have. It’s an old injury, it bothers me from time to time.”
The lie rolled off his tongue so effortlessly that Toto’s pure, understanding gaze didn’t change one bit.
“Nothing serious, really?.. Alright then... just be careful.”
“Do you help everyone, hm? Even those who are responsible for their own injuries themselves?”
“What difference does it make?” Toto didn’t understand. “If someone’s in pain, you should help.”
There was no response.
-
When Kamoo let Toto into his apartment, the officer nearly stepped on the cat lying by the door.
“Um.. does it always lie like that?" he chuckled, picking up the cat. “So fluffy. It kinda looks like you.”
“Really?” Kamoo raised an eyebrow, taking off his shoes. “I don’t think we look alike at all. It’s very cheeky.”
Toto didn’t reply, followed the apartment owner into the living room, and put the cat on the sofa. The cat stretched lazily, purring softly.
“I have a huge wardrobe with beautiful editions of books in my bedroom. Want to see?”
Toto nodded eagerly and headed towards the indicated room. Kamoo followed. Once they were both inside, Ron flicked the light switch and closed the door. Toto, seeing the bookshelves, looked with admiration at the covers and titles. Kamoo stood beside him, beginning to tell “real” stories how his relatives had given him these editions, how he had bought every copy he liked and spent a long time arranging them on the shelves.
As expected, after a while, Toto’s curious gaze slid towards the wall draped in cloth—not surprising, who would even need to do something so meaningless?
"What, curious?" Kamoo asked teasingly. Toto quickly turned away from the cloth.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s your house, and you can decide what its interior looks like yourself.”
Kamoo brushed it off, “Come on, why would I hide it? You can pull the cloth down.”
Toto hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting between Kamoo, the bookshelves and the covered wall. In the end, burning curiosity won, and Toto reached his hand to the cloth. He carefully tugged at it—and froze. The officer’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open slightly: almost the entire wall was covered in printed photographs of him, and not one was repeated. Toto recoiled, his back hitting the door. He threw a glance at Ron. He understood everything. The restaurant, the café, the limp... “What an idiot I am,” Toto mouthed silently.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ron asked insinuatingly, smiling. However, the moment he took a step towards Toto, a gun appeared in the officer’s hand. For a moment, the criminal couldn’t hide his confusion; where did he get a gun if he was off duty, why was he carrying it with him, and how did he take it out so quickly? Well, at least it was becoming clear that Toto shooting him in the leg was no accident, but the result of training. Ron slowly raised his hand in a placating gesture. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“You’ve been stalking me,” Toto said, tense with indignation. “Why? Revenge?”
Ron snorted. “Revenge? Nonsense. What else could I do to someone who managed to wound me?” He rolled his eyes. “You just turned out to be interesting.”
“You lied to me. Gave a fake name... Just what I’d expect from a Moriarty,” Toto replied dryly. Ron felt a little hurt.
“Kamoo-san sounded much nicer coming from you,” he complained, lowering his hands. Toto frowned. “By the way, you could show a little gratitude that I’m not a psycho…”
“...is covering a wall with someone else’s photos not the behaviour of an obsessed psycho?”
Ron was silent for a second, glancing at the fateful wall. Stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest, he answered, “It looks cool.”
Silence fell between them. In that silence, Toto reached for the door handle with one hand, but Ron sharply exclaimed, “Don’t go!”
Toto gripped the handle, not lowering his gun. His grip was confident and firm, and Ron no longer doubted that he could hit him again.
“If you don’t report me to the police... I’ll take down all the photos,” Ron offered reluctantly.
Toto silently opened the bedroom door, slowly walking out. Ron was confused; why didn’t he answer? Oh, right, Ron had already lost his trust...
“Let’s not destroy my apartment, okay?” Ron sighed, following Toto into the living room. “I don’t want to run after you with a hurting leg either, but don’t think I’ll just let you leave. Stop backing away! Let’s talk.”
Toto gave a humourless laugh. “Only if you’re in handcuffs.”
Ron didn’t think for a second, blurting out,
“Fine, put them on.” He held out his hands. Toto stared at him for a couple of seconds, but eventually deftly fastened the handcuffs around his wrists. Only feeling their weight did Ron realise what he had actually said. But it was too late to back out, so Ron sat down calmly on the sofa. Toto remained standing opposite, wary that Ron might easily remove them.
“Well.... I just wanted to say that I really never intended to hurt you, even though you hurt me plenty. By the way, I can’t shoot a gun at all.” Ron crossed one leg over the other. Although the handcuffs felt unpleasant, as if his freedom was being cruelly restricted, outwardly he acted as if he regarded them as a quirky accessory. He narrowed his eyes, examining Toto. “Besides, you have a nice face. Is photographing it a crime?”
Toto nearly choked. “You!..”
Ron became a bit more serious. “Totomaru, let’s make a deal. I’ll remove all the cameras from your apartment and take down all the photos from the wall, and you won’t report me to the police.”
“No.”
Snorting, Ron turned away.
“If I wanted to, I would have kidnapped you by now.” A smile appeared on his lips for a moment. He turned back to Toto. “Earlier you said that it doesn’t matter whether a person is responsible for their injury or not, you still need to help.” He smiled slyly. “Firstly, you shot me in the leg. Secondly…”
Toto ran a hand over his face. “You’re insufferable, Moriarty.”
“Ron. You know my name.”
The officer glanced at him. “I’m leaving.”
And he headed resolutely towards the exit. But Ron jumped up after him.
“Nooo! Totomaru, stop running away. I put on handcuffs for you, and you’re just going to abandon me like this?”
Toto didn’t take his eyes off him. “Why are you talking as if we’re breaking up!?”
“Tch… Haven’t I already shown that I don’t want to be enemies? On the contrary, I’d be happy if you were my whole world.” There was a teasing tone in his voice. “I even gave you my real number. So, do we have a deal?”
Ron could practically see Toto trying to decide what to do. His thoughts were interrupted by the click of the handcuffs: Ron had easily taken them off. Toto immediately darted to the front door and flung it open. Ron didn’t manage to stop it.
Ron grinned. It was unlikely Totomaru would give his number to the police, otherwise, it would come out that they had been communicating informally. And if the police showed up on his doorstep... it might be annoying — or fun.
Suddenly, the cat jumped onto his lap, and Ron started petting it absently, beginning to think about his next plans. Unexpectedly, the cat bit his finger.
“Hey, what was that for?” he jokingly scolded the cat. “Do you like Toto too? If so, let’s go, I’ll give you some treats~”