Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 5 - Chapter 27

Those three dazzling years I spent with her. 

After the confrontation with the?Phantom Thief?Arsene, Siesta and I stopped by a restaurant before heading straight back to our hotel. Our goal was to have dinner and reflect on our failure to catch Arsene… 

"Don't strain yourself, Siesta." 

I didn’t know where the food went in that thin body of hers, but Siesta deftly emptied her plate at such a dizzying pace, that there's no time to talk about Arsene. 

"But you know, we should eat while we can." 

"What do you mean, you know? You can always eat again." 

Siesta didn't listen to me and looked at the menu again. I was disgusted with her…but I also felt a sense of nostalgia. 

We used to be together all the time, always sitting around the table like this, discussing requests, making plans for future work, or just talking about trivial things… In any case, this sight of seeing Siesta eat anything delicious was the one scene that reminded me most of those three years we spent together. 

"Oh, by the way, what's your favorite food?" 

Siesta suddenly asked me while we were waiting for the next dish to be served. 

"What? You're talking like we’re two strangers who've just met." 

"No, I just thought that we haven't talked like that before." 

Yeah, she’s right. It seems to me that we've always been bantering each other without talking about the important, basic things. 

"Come to think of it, I don't even know your real name, where you're from, or how old you are." 

"Well, that's true, but I've rarely asked you what you really think." 

Yeah, of course. We never really pried into each other while we walked side by side, or sometimes front and back. We never really tried to understand each other. And I've never really thought about whether that’s the right thing to do. 

"Basically, anything is good as long as it tastes good." 

I answered Siesta's question, not necessarily because of that, but because of what I'd just said. 

"Richly flavored food. It's not even a genre." 

"Anyway, as long as it tastes good and satisfies me." 

During those three years, in particular, I ate a lot of pizza and junk food…and it’s probably because of the strong memories of those flavors that I was always strongly reminded of Siesta. 

"What about you, Siesta?" 

"Hmm, hard to say. I don't have anything I don't like." 

I asked, then Siesta stopped reaching for her glass. If I remember correctly, Siesta seemed to enjoy every kind of food that she ate. The only time she frowned was when I made her a bad curry…it seemed there’s nothing that she would call her favorite dish. 

"But if I had to think about my last supper in life." 

Siesta then responded to my question with this analogy. 

"I think I would want to have dinner with the person I enjoy being with the most." 

She smiled thinly and gave an answer that was a little off from the original question. 

"…I ate too much." 

I fell on my back on the hotel bed, still in my clothes. 

"Fufu, you've got a big belly." 

Siesta, on the other hand, must have emptied her plate even more than I did…and she sat down on a chair by the window with a cool smile on her face. After a long dinner, Siesta and I were back to the hotel where we were staying…And one more thing. 

"By the way, I didn't expect you to back down so easily." 

Still, on the bed, I turned my head to the ceiling and discussed about Arsene to Siesta again. A few hours ago, Siesta and I were surrounded by men in that office, and we ended up letting the ?Phantom Thief?escape. 

"We didn't know how Arsene got those men to follow him. I couldn't just use brute force." 

…I see. If we hadn't backed down, we didn't know what he would have ordered them to do. The only way to ensure the safety of everyone there was to pretend to be helpless. 

"Besides, even though I lost, the?Famous Detective?hasn’t." 

Siesta said adamantly. 

"One day, Nagisa Natsunagi will defeat the Phantom Thief." 

"…Yeah. Now I'll have another reason to wake her up." 

There's no way that girl would forgive an enemy who takes control of other people’s minds. 

Nagisa Natsunagi—if it's her passion, surely. 

"But that's not the biggest reason for you." 

The bed creaked. Siesta straddled my body and peered into my face. 

"The only reason you want to wake up Nagisa Natsunagi is because you want to see her again." 

"…Don't try to speak for me." 

"But I'm right, aren't I?" 

We’re in a dimly lit room. The moonlight shone through the curtains, and Siesta's smile became more radiant. 

"…Who knows." 

I knew I didn’t have to bluff it, but it still tingled me that Siesta could see through me, and I involuntarily turned my head away. 

"Tsundere men aren’t the in-thing, you know?" 

"That's none of your business." 

But today's Siesta didn't let that stop her from pursuing the matter. 

"Then tell me one thing you like about Nagisa." 

What's with the ‘then’? I had a similar situation almost three weeks ago…well, I guess I had to answer this time too. 

"…Natsunagi, well, anyway, she’s, well…cute, I guess?" 

"……" 

Why the silence? Or should I have said something about her personality first? 

"No, when I hear the word 'cute' from your mouth, it kind of makes me shiver." 

"That's unreasonable." 

Don't get goosebumps over that. 

Give me some credit. I tried my best to say something I wouldn't normally say. 

"Hmm. But now that I think about it, it's getting interesting." 

"Interesting? It's not going to be fun for me, is it?" 

"Because even when you’ve been teasing Nagisa and giving her the cold shoulder, you've actually been thinking, 'My partner is super cute,' right?" 

"Stop your calm analysis! I definitely didn’t make such a face!" 

…Damn it, Natsunagi, you put me to shame. 

"That's it, isn’t it?" 

"So don't read my mind." 

And you, get off of me. I pointed to the bed next to me and told Siesta to move. Good thing I got a twin room. 

"…No, that's not what I meant by that." 

For some reason, the famous detective started to lie down beside me instead of on the bed next to me. 

"Oh, that's right. I didn't notice that." 

She’s clearly doing this on purpose. 

Siesta said in a monotone, stared at my sidelong face, and her face relaxed. 

"What do you want?" 

"I was jealous of how much you talked about Nagisa, so how about…?" 

"If you were more emotional, I might have hugged you." 

"You're the one with no emotion in your words." 

We said this to each other and ended up blowing out the wind. 

"We haven't changed, have we?" 

"Yeah, we're the same as we were a year ago." 

We’re in a room with the lights out. Siesta and I stared at each other on the narrow bed. 

"Well, now that you've satisfied your need for sleep and appetite, I'm actually wary of the possibility of you asking for the other one." 

"…So you said I only have two major needs. And vigilance." 

Siesta's eyes narrowed in frustration. 

"You say that, but didn't you say that back then?" 

"That time?" 

It's been over a month now. When we fought the runaway Chameleon on the cruise ship, Siesta, who had borrowed Natsunagi's body, said to me. 

"I thought you could sleep with me for once…" 

"…….!" 

Siesta looked uncomfortable for a moment. 

"…I was sure you'd be happy to hear that. It sounded like you wanted it more than I did." 

She retorted. 

Back then, I didn't expect to see you again like this. 

"That's why I thought you'd be the one who'd lose control of your emotions at seeing me again after a year and hug me." 

And then Siesta, who has somehow gained the upper hand, starts to berate me…uh oh. 

"You're so self-conscious, you know that?" 

I was about to flick her forehead right before she slept next to me. 

"Because," 

Siesta suddenly gives me a sad look. 

"Because you're being too reckless for my sake." 

On the contrary, her hand gently touched my cheek. 

…Ah, she knew that I consumed the?seed?. 

"Though the seed was removed from your body, once you've ingested it, you might have to suffer its side effects someday." 

Perhaps it was my imagination, but Siesta's eyes seemed to be moistening. 

"For example, you might not be able to see your beloved Nagisa, or hear from your beloved Yui, or quarrel with your loathed Charl, and yet you—" 

"I don't care." 

I said as I hugged Siesta who was lying next to me. 

"I chose to see you again that day because I knew it wouldn't matter." 

Because I wanted to see Siesta again, no matter what it cost me. 

"I'm sorry. I know I just said I wouldn't change, but I've learned to be a little more honest." 

Because I've known the regret of not doing so, twice. 

"…Are you a fool?" 

I hear Siesta's weak voice in my chest. 

"Then you're just like…me." 

But the words didn’t follow. 

She just wriggled a little in my arms and…eventually sighed loudly. 

"I think…you're going to get stabbed by someone someday." 

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?" 

Even with this nature of mine, I wouldn't want to be involved in such an incident. 

"Hey." 

Then Siesta popped out of my arms. 

There was no dampness in the air. 

"By the way, I didn't ask you then, but I’m sure you’ll answer now." 

Siesta prefaced her question by asking me. 

"How did you feel about those three years?" 

That was the question a month ago on the cruise ship. 

Back then, Siesta said while protecting me from the enemy’s attack. 

"The dazzling three years I spent with you were memories more important than anything else." 

But at that time, I had no answer to her words. 

And now, I've got a chance to answer her question again. Then... 

"That's obvious from the start." 

I said with a smile, knowing that she wouldn’t see clearly in the dark anyway. 

"Annoyingly, it was fun." 

Hearing my answer, Siesta said, 

"I see." 

Siesta muttered, looking somewhat relieved. 

And this time, she hugged me instead, and said, 

"Thank you." 

Ah yes. 

That was a promise I made a year ago. 

If I ever live to see you again, spoil me in your breasts. 

And now, after a year, that wish has come true. 

"What do you mean thank you?" 

But as usual, I talked lightly and wrapped myself in the warmth of Siesta's arms. 

Without a chance to struggle against my weighted eyelids, I slowly fell asleep. 

—The next morning. 

When I woke up, Siesta, who was supposed to be sleeping next to me, was already gone.