Two people were walking down the streets of Miyako, a city in an eastern country named “Yamato.” While they might look like a normal blonde girl and a tall black-haired man, those two had an unusual profession.

They were detectives.

The blonde girl was Amelia Watson, an ex-doctor. She was found one day by an old man who became her mentor. Even though she no longer practiced medicine, her intellect was still used in her new profession.

Meanwhile, the black-haired man was Shellin Burgundy. He was Amelia’s senior student and her rival. When Amelia showed her skills, he became her rival since he knew that she could become an amazing detective. Shellin might have more experience than her but he didn’t want to take it easy because he knew that Amelia would catch up to him if he ever did.

“Why are we heading to the Sakasaki manor?” Amelia asked.

“Ranpo found this little box and he deduced that it belonged to them. He also said it must be important so they would be thrilled to have it back as soon as possible. That’s why we’re here while Ranpo is dealing with another case”, Shellin answered.

They then arrived in front of a large house. Amelia could sense an anti-magic barrier surrounding the entire area and that was a sign of prestige and cautiousness.

“Who are the Sakasakis?” Amelia asked.

“Myohito Sakasaki is an accomplished Mind Mage. He has made several contributions already and has many research projects funded by big-name sponsors. His wife, Rina Sakasaki, is also a Mind Mage equal to him and their partnership has brought significant advancements”, Shellin said.

A scream echoed and the two of them immediately dashed inside.

“SOMEONE CALL THE SAMURAI REGIMENT! PROFESSOR SAKASAKI DIED!” a man’s voice shouted.

Amelia and Shellin arrived and saw four people standing in front of an opened door. From their surprised faces, they knew that it was trouble.

A young woman covered her mouth while looking at the room in horror. A middle-aged woman just stared blankly while a man was standing. There was another person there and his face was paler than a ghost.

“F…Father? M…Mother?” the young man whimpered.

He was about to enter the room but Shellin grabbed his shoulder and stopped him from making a step.

“Don’t take a step inside. This is a crime scene so if you want justice, don’t make any unnecessary moves”, Shellin told him.

Amelia entered the room and put on gloves. She touched the green-haired man and the silver-haired woman who were hunched over on a table.

“No good… They are already gone”, she shook her head.

“N…No way”, the green-haired young man knelt down.

“Cause of death?” Shellin asked after approaching her.

“Judging from their purple lips, it’s an Asenia overdose. Most likely a concentrated one too.”

Shellin looked at the cups on the table and took out a bottle. After spraying on them, a purple glowing light appeared on the lids and insides.

“I see. So the drinks were spiked with Asenia”, he muttered.

They looked around the room and it was completely messy. Papers, books, folders, and envelopes were scattered around the floor. The table the dead bodies were hunched on was clean except for the cups which were lying down before Shellin picked them up.

Amelia walked towards the door and saw that the door frame was damaged. She then picked up a hair clip and a plastic bag before walking back to the woman with short silver hair.

“Mother… father… They are dead?” the green-haired young man whimpered.

“Hey! What do you think you are doing? If you mess with the crime scene, the samurai regiment will have a hard time! Who are you?!” a woman shouted.

“Amelia Watson…”

“Shellin Burgundy…”

They stepped forward and looked at the four other people.

“Detectives”, they said in unison.

###

The samurai regiment had already arrived and investigated the crime scene. They were also interviewing the four people who were present and discovered the bodies. However, Amelia and Shellin already did their investigations and were trying to figure things out.

“Do you think this is a suicide?” Shellin asked.

“I doubt it. The tea cups clearly had Asenia but there are no spills on the table or floor”, Amelia said.

“An obvious red herring. What’s bothering me is that there’s a hair clip and a plastic bag near the door. I don’t think the clip was Rina’s.”

The two of them walked towards the door and inspected it. It had a thumbturn lock and a handle that needed to be pulled downward in order to be opened. The door frame was fine except for the damage near the lock when the four of them broke it down.

They already questioned the four suspects.

The first one was their assistant, Waga Wahanin. He said that he received an important document from the deceased Sakasaki couple. However, he had some questions so he came during lunch time and stayed in the longue with the two other girls.

The second was a girl named Kaoru Shirasagi, a graduating student from the Yamato Central Magic Academy. She had an appointment with Rina Sakasaki in order to interview her about Mind Magic for her thesis.

The third was a woman named Nicole Yizma, an editor from the Shuu Publishing house. She wanted to finalize the details about the grimoire that the deceased couple wrote for a long time already.

The last was the only son of the couple, Rihito Sakasaki. They couldn’t interview him effectively since the shock of his parents was too much for him. However, they could tell with their gut feelings that he was genuinely devastated so they gave him some time to process things before they could begin their interrogation.

Luckily for them, the investigator in the samurai regiment that was in the scene was aware of Ranpo’s achievements so he allowed them to investigate freely. That was why Amelia and Shellin investigated the entire manor.

“I’m stumped”, Amelia sighed.

“The windows are all locked and the only exit is that door. The four of them actually confirmed it was locked before Waga kicked it down since the Sakasaki couple wasn’t responding to them”, Shellin said.

“Yeah. I have no clue.”

“I guess it’s my win!”

“Huh?”

“The locked-room trick is very simple! All you need is a plastic bag and a hair clip! I can’t believe you didn’t get it.”

“Oh? That? I figured it out already.”

“Huh?!”

“I’m having problems in finding the evidence to convict the murderer.”

“Wait! You know who the murderer is?!”

“Oh~~? Don’t tell me you didn’t notice the weird thing that person did?”

Shellin’s eyes widened when he recalled what happened when the body was discovered.

“But even if that person is suspicious, we have no evidence. We can’t start accusing and risk jeopardizing the investigation by making the culprit aware that we know. Let’s just watch and see”, he said.

“Are you an idiot? If we do that, then we’ll make Rihito’s mind become plagued with thoughts that his parents committed suicide and abandoned him! The samurai regiment will definitely arrive at that conclusion and it’s up to us to prevent that! Or are you saying you want to burden him just because you want to capture the criminal?!”

“Amelia. We are detectives, not gods. We can’t do everything and make things fair for everyone. We have to do what we have to do to reach the best possible future in this bad world.”

“The thought of having your parents die and not being able to do anything about it is something I don’t want anyone else to feel.”

“And what can you do about it? Frustration is a normal emotion and it’s neither bad nor good. What’s bad is if you’re going to let that frustration cloud your judgment. Think rationally and be calm. The truth will reveal itself to those who are patient and persistent. Give it some time.”

“Time? Yeah… I have time on my side.”

Before Amelia could take out her pocket watch, the two of them heard a man chuckling. They turned around and saw an old man smiling at them.

“What are you two doing?” he asked.

“Ranpo, Amelia’s being a stubborn and reckless fool again”, Shellin answered.

“Ranpo, Shellin’s being a cautious and overthinking coward again”, Amelia said.

“Are you picking a fight? You’re better off using that energy to dedicate yourself to watching the culprit!” Shellin argued.

“Do you think justice means striking down the evil ones? Even if that means the innocents are harmed? Is it justice to let a criminal roam around while the victims are suffering?”

“If we can’t do anything about it, then we can’t do anything at all. That’s how the world works! We just need to take it slow and prepare ourselves! That’s what we can do to make living more bearable!”

“For you, probably. But Rihito’s going to lose sleep thinking that he’s left all alone without a proper goodbye! I’m not going to let that happen even if that means breaking some rules!”

“What the hell are you talking about, Amelia?”

Before they could argue even further, Ranpo cleared his throat. The two of them looked at him and he was smiling like a grandfather watching his grandchildren having a quarrel.

“You two kept on arguing about Rihito’s well-being. Shouldn’t you learn more about him before arriving on what you think is best for him?” he looked back and forth between the two of them.

“But what can we do?” Shellin asked.

“Before I stumbled on you two arguing, I snooped around here because you two were late even though it’s just a simple errand. I happened to find out that Rihito came from his field trip just this morning… And he may or may not have helped out with his parents’ work.”

Amelia and Shellin looked at each other and nodded. They figured out what they could do in order to bring justice.

“Then do you know what you can do as detectives?” Ranpo stopped smiling and looked at them with eyes filled with righteous fury.

“A deduction show!” the two of them said.

###

“No! They didn’t kill themselves! Father and mother promised to go play with me tomorrow! They don’t break their promises!” a green-haired young man shouted.

The two samurais looked at him with a frown while tears ran down his face.

“Sorry, kid. But this is suicide. We can’t see anything wrong here”, one of the samurais patted his shoulder.

“You’re lying!” he shouted.

“No. They aren't lying. They are simply not looking properly”, Ranpo said.

They turned around and saw Ranpo, Amelia, and Shellin entering the room. Ranpo stared straight at the deceased Sakasakis and sighed.

“Who are you?” a samurai asked.

“Ranpo Doyle, a detective”, he introduced himself.

Everyone looked surprised when he introduced himself and the investigator looked really thrilled.

“It’s quite convenient that everyone is gathered in this room. So allow me to show you a little deduction which involves revealing the ugly side of a person willing to rob a child of his parents”, Ranpo said.

“You know who killed my parents?” Rihito asked.

“Yes… And it’s none other than you, Waga Wahanin!” he pointed at a man.

Everyone looked at him while sweat ran down his face. He then put on a smile after chuckling.

“This is suicide. The room is locked from the inside so how can I get out?” Waga asked.

“The room is awfully messy, isn’t it?” Amelia asked.

“Yes. Papers, folders, envelopes. There’s even a hair clip that a short-haired woman can’t use and a plastic bag!” Shellin added.

Waga looked uneasy when he saw those two items.

“It’s quite simple, actually. First, you just need a hair clip to fasten to the thumbturn lock. After that, you place the plastic bag on the handle of the door while hanging it on the hair clip. Of course, the plastic bag has something heavy inside for the trick to work”, Ranpo explained.

Shellin set up the trick as explained by Ranpo and then he stood on the other side of the door.

“Then, you slowly close the door while making sure that the plastic bag won’t fall off. When it’s finally closed, you just need to pull the handle of the doorknob downward and the trick is complete”, Ranpo said.

When Shellin pulled down the handle of the doorknob, the plastic bag fell down. The weight of the plastic bag made the thumbturn lock rotate as it fell off and then the momentum made the hair clip come off.

“It’s locked…” the samurai muttered.

“That’s why the room is messy. If the plastic bag and the hair clip was found on the floor, the trick will be exposed”, Amelia told them.

“The cups have Asenia on them! It’s just a coincidence that a trick like that is applicable here! Even then, you have no evidence to make suicide out of the question!” Waga argued.

“Or do we?” Shellin asked as he entered the room after Amelia opened the door.

“Your mistake here is the tea cup. The amount of Asenia used will make any drink nasty. And yet the Sakasaki couple drank all of the tea that’s supposedly spiked with Asenia. Even if they wanted to commit suicide that way, once forensic analysis would take place, we can come to the conclusion that the sheer concentration of the Asenia they drank would cause them to be in serious pain that they shouldn’t be able to finish a cup of tea”, Ranpo said.

“Then why me?! These two could do it too! Even that Rihito kid can do it! If you’re going to accuse me, then show some evidence!”

“What did you come here for?” Shellin asked.

“I told you that I received the paper that Professor Sakasaki printed last night! I came here to ask for some clarifications!”

“Are you sure that it was printed last night and that you didn’t bring it anywhere else?” Amelia glared at him.

“Of course! You can check the camera footage of my apartment and I didn’t leave my room! And if you’re that curious, you can ask the printing press and they can show that the Sakasaki couple printed this last night! This is an important document so the owner of that shop will remember printing it himself!”

“And you didn’t show it to anyone else?” Shellin looked at him.

“Of course not! This is important and classified research! In the wrong hands, it could bring danger!”

“Then you are indeed guilty”, Ranpo said.

“H-Huh?”

“Rihito. Can you please tell me what you did this morning?” Ranpo asked.

“I came back from my field trip and ate breakfast with my parents. I also entered this room and helped organize this room. That’s why I was surprised that it became messy”, the young man answered.

“Do you remember touching some papers here and there?”

“Yes. I arranged them in piles as instructed by my father.”

Waga’s face paled when he saw Amelia, Shellin, and Ranpo’s smirks.

“Then, Waga Wahanin... If we see Rihito’s fingerprints on the documents you supposedly received last night and supposedly didn’t show to anyone else, do you have a proper explanation? Especially when Rihito just came back this morning?” Ranpo asked.

###

“Thank you very much!” Rihito bowed down to Ranpo.

Waga admitted to the crime because he knew that he couldn’t explain things. Thanks to Yamato’s law having the punishment being lessened if the culprit would confess before getting a guilty verdict in court, he thought that it was the best option for him.

“If… If you weren’t there…. Mother and father would never get justice”, Rihito sniffled.

“You’re welcome”, Ranpo smiled.

“How did you guys suspect him?”

“Do you remember what he said when the body was found?”

“He shouted that we needed to call the samurai regiment.”

“Wouldn’t a person normally ask for an ambulance when they see that scene? If he instantly assumed that they were dead and that it was a crime, wouldn’t that mean he knows more than just someone who discovered the body?”

Rihito smiled when he saw the logic and he realized how admirable Ranpo was.

“You are really amazing… I have a bad curse inside me so I know that I can never be a Mind Mage like father and mother… And I hated how I was powerless to even save them before they died…. I couldn’t even accept that they already died…” he said.

“True. This world is really unfair and people die whether we’re aware or not. Crime and injustice happens no matter how hard we try.”

Ranpo stepped forward and patted his head.

“But if I can’t prevent tragedies, I’ll become someone who can turn the horrible present into a better future. If I can’t save people, I’ll be sure to avenge them and bring justice in a way that the victims and the survivors would live happily”, he said.

Amelia and Shellin stepped beside him as Rihito’s lifeless eyes began to have a spark inside them again.

“Because I’m Ranpo Doyle, a detective”, he winked.

“A… detective…” Rihito muttered.

Ranpo, Amelia, and Shellin walked away while Rihito just watched their backs. When they were finally out of sight, Ranpo sighed.

“You two are still green. You have a long way to go”, he looked at his two students.

“... Sorry”, Shellin slightly bowed down.

“It’s all Shellin’s fault”, Amelia muttered.

“Amelia…” Ranpo smiled at her.

“Fine. I’m sorry too.”

Ranpo stopped on his tracks and rubbed his neck.

“You two go on ahead. I think I can smell a case so prepare dinner first while I talk to my client”, he said.

Amelia and Shellin walked away while Ranpo waved goodbye. And when they could no longer see him, Ranpo headed towards an alley and saw a cloaked man.

“Alright. What do you want?” he asked.

‘Ranpo Doyle, you’re a detective who wants to bring justice to this unfair world. You seem fit to join our ranks”, the cloaked man told him.

“If this is a case, I’d rather have you approach my office than glare at us from a distance. You can give the wrong idea.”

“Did you ever think that this world is tragic because a drama filled with suspense at the corner is going to sell well? That all of our suffering is an entire show for someone’s enjoyment?”

He then looked at Ranpo as a red rectangular object floated near him.

“What are you trying to say?” Ranpo asked.

“What if I told you that…”

And that ends the day when the four detectives’ paths crossed.