Our Existence

Ch.13 All's Well That's Well For Me

Somehow in his panicking state, Sugimoto finds a way to answer.

"O-Oh, I know! Recently, Yamagiwa-senpai was investigating a political corruption case and the activities of the Port Mafia. The mafia kill people just like this when they retaliate. Perhaps Yamagiwa-san got too close in her investigation and-"

"That's not it." a serious voice interrupts.

I look over a see Dazai all serious now.

"Huh?" Sugimoto confusingly speaks.

"A Port Mafia retaliation is like a calling card. It's strictly defined in how it's done. They make the traitor bit down on the stone curb and then they stomp on the back of their head, shattering their jaw... The victim, who is writhing in pain, is then rolled over and gets three bullets in the chest."

He's right. That's how they do things.

"Precisely speaking, that's true, but..." Sugimoto thinks.

"This is similar to the mafia's handiwork, but it's not the same, which means..." Dazai continues.

"The killer is trying to pin the crime on someone else." Minoura says out loud.

"How could they fire two more shots into a body just to hide their tracks... That horrible." Sugimoto sadly speaks.

"Time's up!" Ranpo suddenly shouts, scaring the poor young officer.

"Well, that's it. You're nowhere near being in my league by the looks of things. At the very least, I think this proves that not all of your officers are as capable as me." Ranpo smirks.

"Enough! I've had enough of this great detective crap! You've just been reading too much fiction! This case is going to be solved by thorough investigation, information gathering, and forensic research!" Minoura argues.

"That sounds like it takes forever. Just have Ranpo solve it in seconds. Great detectives don't need to investigate. I'm tired."

Minoura sends a glare my way. Ranpo just happily pats my head.

"See? How can my rookie colleague see more than what the police can? She only just became a detective three days ago. This is sad."

That comment pissed Minoura off.

"Was that a compliment?" I questioned my superior.

Ranpo ignores me and continues speaking to the grumpy officer.

"My Ultra-Deduction ability lets me tell who did it, how and when they did it, all in an instant. Not only that, but also the location of the evidence and which strings to pull to make the culprit confess all appear in my mind like some kind of revelation. I do have supernatural abilities, you see."

"In my line of work, we hear about people with supernatural abilities. If convenient powers like that existed, cops like us wouldn't be needed."

"Yes, exactly! You're finally starting to catch on!"

"Wh-why you!!!"

Dazai quickly gets between Ranpo and Minoura.

"Don't mind him, officer, he's always like this."

"My moto I live by is "All's Well That's Well For Me", after all!" Ranpo happily said.

""What's Better Than Being Alive"?" Atsushi mutters his moto to himself.

"Well, well..." Dazai rubs his neck.

I know his moto. It's "Have a Pure, Cheerful, Energetic Suicide". My moto is "Beat It, If It Still Moves, Beat It Harder".

"Okay then, why don't you show us this amazing ability of yours then, huh?" Minoura taunts Ranpo.

"Oh! Are you asking me to help you now? You could've just done that in the first place."

"You're pretty confident for someone looking at a case with no clues whatsoever. How about I time that 60 seconds for you?"

"I won't need that long to wipe that smirk off your face! Show him under 30, Ranpo-san!" I barked.

Ranpo smirked.

"I won't need that long, Shiori."

Ranpo draws a pair of glasses from his pocket.

"Enjoy the show, you two. This is the ability that supports the agency. When Ranpo-san puts those glasses on, he enters Ultra-Deduction mode." Dazai whispers to us.

"An ability that shows him the truth of a case... Is it really possible?" Atsushi mumbles to himself.

"It better be, or I just made myself look like a fool." I replied.

Dazai's smile disappears as he watches. He looked like he was deep in thought.

"Supernatural ability, Ultra-Deduction!"

The wind around Ranpo picks up as green rings appear around him. He then opens his eyes for the first time. They were bold green, a pretty color to just stare at.

"I see..." he says to himself.

The light around him disappears, leaving Minoura confused.

"What the hell do you mean by that? Are you trying to say you know who did it?"

"But of course."

"Huh?"

"The killer..." Ranpo begins to say as he points towards someone.

"...It was you."