The cool breeze carries the strong scent of the sea, waves lapping the sand beneath red and white slippers. A bunch of birds – Are those seagulls? – sail the blue sky, merging with the wisps of clouds then reappearing only to continue their flight as streaks, then dots, away, farther and farther, farther and farther…

"You know," Shinichi starts, his eyes clouded and his gaze off to the ship in the horizon, "here feels free.."

Then why are your eyes sad? I wanted to ask, but I've since learned that his dazed spells end much better without prying about feelings.

He chuckles softly, "…supposedly."

"Supposedly?" I mutter involuntarily, knowing where this conversation is going.

A slight smile graces his face. A guilty one – or is that a trick of the light? – and a longing one – which I hope is just a trick of the light.

"Yes, a client," he sighs. He shifts his focus from the faraway ship to the calm water some paces in front of them.

You mean, The Client. Again. Hoping I'm wrong, I question, "Which case is this?"

"The case four months ago," he answers.

The Case with The Client, of course. I feel my heart sink, Ah, I shouldn't have expected something else.

He turns to face me and forces a grin, "Let's go, Ran."

He takes my hand, and red and white slippers leave footprints in the sand. The waves reach the prints and seemingly return them to the ocean, away, farther and farther, farther and farther…

I squeeze his hand, Stay, I'm here for you.

His gaze remains fixed forward yet unfocused, appearing to the world as if solving the otherwise impossible but really imagining the past, I suspect with chagrin. Not much difference.

Drifting away, farther and farther, farther and farther…

Don't go.

You continue walking. I follow.