Chapter Text
Ranpo Edogawa was following Ougai Mori and Elise to have a ‘chat’ and a meal.
Ranpo was interested only in the latter, Mori only in the former and Elise in neither. And she was making it everyone's problem.
“Rintarou! Why do we have to stay with this guy?” She looked at Ranpo, grimaced and turned around to face Mori. “He stinks”
“Elise-chan, I know he hasn’t had a bath for a while, but he is our guest” Mori didn’t seem to mind Elise’s tantrum.
Ranpo groaned. If the strange man didn’t offer a meal, he would stay as far as possible from him. Ranpo hated the adult world but he hated it even more when the adults talked to children in that condescending tone.
He was a child and he definitely knew less than an adult, but that was not a reason to treat him like that.
Elise though… Elise was strange. She was no normal child, he could see that much. But what was she then? Not that it was his problem, Mori knew what he was doing. He was the adult, he knew more and better than Ranpo.
They stopped in a Japanese-style tea establishment. There were only a handful of customers and they were all minding their own business.
The employees all seemed to know who Mori was. They didn’t ask for a reservation or a name.
Ranpo didn’t really care. He was just hungry.
The waiters lead them to a table situated at the far corner of the place. The other tables were all further away than they probably should have been if that was a normal table. It was clearly reserved for special customers, like Mori.
“So… Ranpo-kun. What are you gonna do from now on? You’re an orphan now, aren’t you?”
Ranpo eyed Mori questioningly but he just smiled sweetly. “I’m gonna go to the Police Academy. My father knew someone there”
“Makes sense” Mori nodded in understanding. “What do you want to order? Eat as much as you want, it’s my treat”
Elise scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“Zenzai”
“Excellent choice”
It wasn't. Ranpo could tell when at his third bowl he eyed Mori. His expression said it all.
"Why are you leaving the mochi?"
"It's not sweet"
Mori nodded slowly "I see"
He didn't. He was probably wondering why did he choose zenzai if he wanted something sweet, why not yokan jelly or maju bun?
The answer was obvious, but the adult was set on faking ignorance it seemed.
Ranpo really couldn't understand when adults did that, but he was still a child. Adults knew better than him, it was only natural.
"Ranpo-kun, I meant to ask, how did you find your parents' murderer?"
Ranpo stopped eating - he was at his sixth bowl - and stared at Mori.
"What? Surprised I knew who you were searching for?"
No. Ranpo wasn't surprised at all. It was pretty obvious. But adults never said things out right like that.
He didn't answer.
"Let's say I'm a really intuitive man" Mori winked.
He continued staring.
Elise decided it was the best moment to start her string of laments again.
Ranpo continued eating while Mori tried to reassure Elise they would go home soon.
It was best this way. Ranpo didn't have to answer stupid questions Mori already knew the answers to and Mori didn't have to waste his breath posing them.
Evidently, only Ranpo thought that because just one second after calming Elise - Promising her some sort of cake - he pressured Ranpo for an answer.
Ranpo rolled his eyes "It's obvious. I simply followed the evidence until they all pointed to one man."
"It's incredible. And how old are you exactly?"
"Thirteen. In two months I'll be fourteen. Why?"
"You are really smart"
"I pale in comparison to you adults."
Mori hummed in thought.
"I know very few adults who would have found the man in this short period of time. How long has it been since your parents' death? Three weeks at best, right?"
"Two"
"The point is, there are only a few people who are as intelligent as you"
"That's not true" Ranpo dismissed easily.
"Why not?" Mori challenged him.
"Because I'm a child and you adults know better?"
Mori studied him in silence.
"Tell me Ranpo-kun, who am I?"
Ranpo seemed surprised by the question, nevertheless he started looking at Mori with newfound curiosity.
"You are a Doctor like you say, you live in the suburbs of this city but still are a pretty important and known person in the richest part of the city. You are a regular customer of this restaurant, but you never come here alone. You only come when discussing affairs with others and don't often take Elise with you. You have a military past, probably a head doctor for the Great War, and are definitely involved with illegal activities." He squinted in concentration "You also dislike raw food." He added matter of factly.
Mori, that maintained his expression neutral for the whole exchange, couldn't help but laugh at the last sentence.
"I do indeed dislike raw food" He didn't acknowledge any other point of the list that Ranpo made.
He left Ranpo to his food and patiently waited for him to finish his eighth bowl before calling for a waiter.
"One last thing" Mori called again before letting go of the man "We are conducting a social experiment, it's really easy. Could you please tell me anything about me you can deduce from seeing me for the first time?"
Mori smiled sweetly while the waiter tilted his head in confusion. Nonetheless the man answered, unsure of his words he muttered "I'm guessing you are a regular here, sir," He eyed the bowls on the table "and that you don't like mochi?"
"Thank you very much for your answer" Mori then proceeded to order some more zenzai for Ranpo and him both.
"That was an unnecessary display of your strange adult society" Ranpo pouted.
"Maybe so, but have you ever considered that you are more intelligent than others?"
"Don't think you can control me with a few compliments. My mother told me to never look down on others"
Mori seemed to be taken aback by this. He stayed silent for a long time. Elise stared at Ranpo with big eyes as if fascinated by his behaviour. Ranpo continued eating without minding the two.
With a sigh Mori started talking again "There's really no way to convince you that you're special, is there?" He tilted his head and smiled innocently.
"Exactly. I'm not special in any way, so there's no way you're going to make me buy a lie"
"A lie, you say? You can tell when people are lying, though, can't you?"
Ranpo furrowed his brows "Yes, like everyone else. What are you trying to say?"
"Well, then, tell me Ranpo-kun, am I lying when I say these words?" Ranpo stopped eating and eyed the adult warily "You are smarter than most. You are smarter than you think."
Ranpo's eyes widened almost comically.
"Ranpo-kun, you want to go to the Yokohama Police Academy, yes? You go there and start opening your eyes instead of just trusting the adults and then," Mori slid a piece of paper to him "when you'll be ready to face the truth you call me."
Ranpo was stunned into silence.
Could it be? Could it be that people around him were just idiots? Could it be that he understood the adults better than anyone, but didn't know? Could it be?
"Come on now. Chop-chop, you're not gonna rob me of any more Zenzai"
Ranpo got up and he almost saw the truth.
It couldn't really be, right? His parents would have said it to him, right? His parents wouldn't have lied to him so blatantly, right? It couldn't really be, right?
Ranpo wasn't ready to see the truth, not yet. But he would be, eventually. And then he would be unstoppable. He would be the Greatest.