rambunctious lover

"Of course, classmate Xiang Kai can't see the light. Ah Cheng is his only friend."

"Oh." Ranpo nodded noncommittally.

In the distance, the girls swarmed towards Mabe like bees finding flowers.

The poor pug was squeezed out one meter away in an instant.

Crash, the information in his arms became a boulder that crushed the puddle.

The pug hastily bent his waist into an arch bridge, and the rainwater slid down his matted black hair.

"Go, help." Luanbu walked into the rain screen with his hands in his pockets.

"Ah, good, good Mr. Ranpo!" Atsushi Nakajima followed suit with an umbrella in his voice, with urgency hidden in his voice.

Edogawa pursed his lips at random steps, and walked towards Xiangkai.

Surrounded by girls as the dividing line, Pug and the writer live in two completely different worlds.

"Ah Cheng, you are amazing! If you win the top 1 reasoning award tomorrow, remember to treat us to dinner!"

Luanbu picked up a piece of manuscript paper stained with mud, the title - "The Disappearing Corpse".

He passed it to Xiang Kai as if nothing had happened.

"Well, something fell."

"Of course, those who see it will have a share!"

Xiang Kai raised his head, and was taken aback for a moment by Shang Luanbu's drooping eyebrows.

"Stupid" is the best word to describe him at this moment.

Immediately afterwards, the soles of Xiang Kai's feet seemed to be loaded with springs, and he jumped up with a bang.

He wiped his hands on his trousers embarrassingly, and asked cautiously:

"You, you are, Mr. Ranpo, right? I, I am your fan. My, my name is..."

"Xiang Kai, I know. I substitute for Edgar Allan Poe."

"what?"

Annoyance flashed across Xiang Kai's face, and he crumpled the manuscript paper in his hands as if giving up on himself.

After a while, he mustered up the courage to look directly at Ranbu.

"Ran, Mr. Ranpo, look, have you seen "The Vanishing Corpse"?"

For some reason, Pug's words ooze unrealistic expectations.

It seems that he yearns for the sun because of his severe skin disease.

Luanbu: "I'll see when I go back."

"Hey, Xiang Kai. Have you dawdled?"

Makoto Mabi came over aggressively after dealing with the fans, his probing eyes focused on Ranpo's face.

"Makoto Makabe, that girl seems to be talking to you."

The famous detective proudly raised his chin toward Makabe Makoto's right rear, his height of 168cm was trying to create an aura of 2.8m.

While speaking, the twisted braid wearing bulky black-rimmed glasses hesitated to approach.

"Is this person familiar?"

"It's the student from the class just now, named Ayumi Hayashibara."

The white-haired boy reminded the famous detective.

"Lin Yuan, what's the matter with you?"

Makoto frowned and took a step back.

"I... Ah Cheng, you can write novels again. I... I'm so happy for you. I hope you will..."

"Okay, okay, I don't have time to listen to your platitudes."

The writer waved the fly away impatiently.

He turned around, took Xiang Kai's manuscript roughly, and hit him with a backhand.

"What did you do, you can drop something even if you take something!"

"Yes, sorry. I'll pay attention next time."

"Humph."

After venting, the writer took a wild look, leaned back, and walked away proudly.

Almost at the same time as he disappeared, Lin Yuan blushed and bowed to Luanbu, and hastily ran away with braids.

"...Ranpo-san, I really hate this Makabe."

Atsushi Nakajima said in a low voice.

"Same feeling."

Turning around, the door of the teaching building was already empty.

As for the sworn goatee...

Luanbu sneered: "Friend?"

At night, Edogawa walked into the living room with bare feet wrapped in a towel.

He forgot to put a change of clothes in his bag again, but it didn't hurt.

Anyway, I live alone now.

His cheerful nasal song changed its tune in horror when he saw the figure sitting upright on the sofa.

"How did you get in!"

What responded to him was a T-shirt flying over his face.

The famous detective, whose reaction power is inversely proportional to brain power, subconsciously picked it up, and the loose towel slipped down.

There was an eerie silence in the room.

For a moment, the gentleman in the suit roared:

"Edogawa Ranpo! Don't pollute my eyes!"

"hateful!"

Mr. Detective fled.

It was only 5 minutes later that they met again on a narrow road, and the neatly dressed chaotic steps reappeared, the dripping water on the short hair and the residual red on the cheeks made him look extraordinarily cute.

"How did you get in?"

Luanbu brings up old things again.

Oni Wu Tsuji rolled his eyelids lazily, flipping the silver phone between his slender fingers.

He spoke from left to right:

"I didn't expect Edogawa Ranpo to read the boring mystery novels in his mouth, the sun from..."

The ghost king paused apprehensively:

"... Have you changed your gender?"

Ranbu who was teased was furious:

"Who told you to peek at my phone?"

Wu Mi sneered:

"It's not that I want to see it, but your screen is always on. I happened to see the text on it, that's all."

He looked into the cat-like clear emerald eyes, as if he had noticed something, a smile appeared on his lips.

"Is your power-on password still my birthday?"

He casually entered a few numbers under the shy and indignant stare.

With a click, the phone is successfully unlocked.

Ranbu: "..."

The detective's face turned from white to red, and then suddenly turned gray.

Wu Mi seemed to be surprised at the infatuation of his former lover, after a while he looked at him with pity, and his lips parted slightly:

"Sorry, but the birthday I told you is also fake."

"..."

Ranbu, who was mocked again and again, walked to the sofa expressionlessly.

pat—

He snatched the phone.

"If you have something to say, it's okay to go away."

"Tsk."

Wu Pan looked up at him, his Adam's apple rolled and made a cheerful grunt.

"At 08:30 tomorrow night, go here to record a show."

He stuffed a business card into Ranbu's hand.

"...Tsukihiko, the program producer?"

"I'm going to do a live broadcast for tomorrow's damn mystery award. There is no better guest than a detective who meets once in 50 years."

Luanbu tilted his head and smiled, and threw the crumpled business card into the trash can on the spot.

"You can choose not to go, or I can kill that woman named Sayuri."

"You do not dare."

Wu Mi stood up, condescending, with an arrogant posture.

"You forgot, even if I can't find the 'enemy of fate', as long as I am alive, they will come to my door one day. So..."

Like a pet, the King of Ghosts ruffles the detective's wet short hair wantonly, bends down and leans in front of his eyes, and exhorts in a loving manner:

"Don't forget to dry your nest before going to bed."

next day dressing room

Puffed up and fiddled with by stylists.

"What time does the awards end?"

"I heard it was ten o'clock."

"What, ten o'clock!"

The young man who went to bed early widened his eyes in disbelief.

"what happened?"

With a deep voice, Wu Mi is approaching.

He supported the tense shoulders of the famous detective, looked at the black eyes of the person in the mirror, and deliberately said in a worried tone:

"Did you not sleep well yesterday, Mr. Ranpo?"

"..."

Luanbu said nothing, avoiding his gaze.

Wu Mi didn't care, glanced at the detective's empty neck, and casually took off his black velvet bow tie to the stylist.

"Put it on for Mr. Luanpo, then comb his hair up and wax more to make him look more energetic."

"Oh, oh yes, Producer Tsukihiko."

Wu Mi dismissed his subordinates, leaned close to Luanbu's ear, and used a volume that could only be heard by two people.

"Don't make trouble for a while, do you hear me?"

Wu Mi was very close, and even the temperature of his cheeks was transmitted unsuspectingly.

Seeing the intimacy of the two in the mirror, Luanbu suddenly burst into laughter.

"roll."

He protested silently.

In the studio

Ranpo accidentally found an acquaintance in the auditorium.

"Shanshita and Linyuan, are you here too?"

"That's right, Mr. Ranpo. We are here on behalf of Dongsha. I didn't expect you to be the guest tonight. You really deserve to be a famous detective once in 50 years."

Edogawa seemed to be smiling but not smiling, his frown was stretched a little, and his eyes wandered around.

"Where is Xiang Kai?"

For the recording at night, even Xiang Kai, who cannot see the light, can participate, right?

Aren't he and Makoto really inseparable?

"Oh, Makoto Mabi seems to be afraid of his embarrassment, so he deliberately doesn't let him come with him. However, Ah Cheng looks very nervous today."

"Friends are indispensable."

Luanbu sneered half-truthfully.

official recording

Three guests appear one by one—two novel critics who are over half a century old and...

"Finally, we invite Mr. Edogawa Ranpo, our famous detective who has repeatedly solved strange cases!"

There was thunderous applause.

Luanbu walked into the audience's field of vision with confident steps.

"Tonight, the list of winners of 'This mystery novel is amazing!' will be announced. Without further ado, let's ask the three of you to predict the top3, shall we?"

The corner of Luanbu's mouth twitched when he heard the words.

At best, he only flipped through "The Corpse Elimination", how could he predict it?

Seeing this, the old man on the left stroked his beard, and made an attack slowly:

"It's not my prejudice. Although Mr. Edogawa is a detective, it doesn't mean he can appreciate mystery novels, right?"

Ranbu frowned, realizing that this recording was not easy.

The so-called novel critics have a high probability of being outrageous.

The two people beside him have gray hair, and their skills must be even more extraordinary.

Just as the famous detective was about to turn on the mouthpiece mode, there was a sudden threat from the earphones.

"Jiang, Hu, Chuan, Luan, Bu."

Ranbu tilted his glasses angrily, covered his half-open mouth with his hand, and pretended to yawn.

"You are right, I may not be able to appreciate mystery novels. But if you go to the crime scene, you will definitely be able to solve the case~"

Bearded: "...Hmph, of course."

"Push."

Another Mediterranean critic couldn't help but chuckle.

……

The ranking of shortlisted novels will be announced in turn.

Seeing Top5, the confrontation between the two critics has intensified.

Bearded: "Many people are optimistic that "The Corpse" will reach the top. In my humble opinion, even if the result is so, it is mostly because the committee encourages young authors. What does the detective think?"

The Mediterranean was filled with righteous indignation, and by the way pulled off a few fragile strands of hair.

"I don't agree. Although the author of "Eliminate the Corpse" is still young, his method of letting the murderer pretend to be dead before committing murder is cleverly designed. He deserves the title."

The two were blushing from the fight, and they both looked at Luanbu at the same time.

"What does Mr. Edogawa/Detective think?"

Ranbu tried his best to open his heavy eyelids, and nodded seriously.

"Totally, agree."

Beard & Mediterranean: "Absurd!"

The invisible gunpowder smoke in the arena made the hostess unable to resist, and she almost swallowed her saliva.

"Then, before the first three are announced, let's start with an advertisement. Later, the live broadcast will continue."

after a few seconds

Those who touch up makeup on the stage, those who check manuscripts...there are a lot of people.

The two critics left the camera without looking at each other, interpreting "differences do not conspire" vividly.

No one paid attention to Edogawa Ranpo who was drowsy on the sofa.

Oh no, the hostess pulled her professional skirt and walked over with steaming coffee.

She bent her knees and patted Ranbu's shoulder tenderly.

"Mr. Edogawa, are you sleepy? There is still a while to shoot, how about some coffee?"

"Well, well... well. Thank you."

The sleepy Edogawa poured the hot coffee into his mouth in one gulp.

"Hiss—what's this?"

Simultaneous control room

Tsukihiko commanded his subordinates methodically through the headset.

"The competition for the awards is already heating up. Let the two candidates enter the studio for interviews later."

"Hiss—what's this?"

Tsukihiko glanced at the embarrassed Edogawa Ranpo on the screen.

What's wrong with this guy?Never let him worry!

Yue Yan was about to ask, when the staff hurried in.

"Producer, Makoto Mabi refused to be interviewed. He locked the door of the room and said he would come to him after he was sure."

A dangerous light suddenly appeared in Yueyan's plum red vertical pupils, and the low air pressure around him made others feel shuddering.

"He really said that?"

"……Um."

"Hmph, whatever he wants."

Tsukihiko walked out of the control room with a frosty face.

On the screen, Luanbu's thin figure trembled like an electric shock.

Director: "3, 2, 1, cut."

The detective raised his head abruptly, blinking his eyes as if reborn, and an unstoppable light burst out from his long and narrow pupils...