It would be a few weeks after the events concerning the malevolent bank robbers that a vacation would be considered. Ritsu, in all of her wisdom, had decided the best course of events would be a minor hiatus. Even the ever-focused detective who would literally run herself into the ground when absorbed in a case enjoyed leisure time. It was difficult to pinpoint Ritsu's moods, in one instance she may be obsessed with an interesting case and would undergo a liberal fasting to solve it, and in another she would be incurable lazy and sleep for hours, even days, without any interaction. Both instances, however, served detrimental to her physical health as Ui would observe, but there would be little physical evidence. One who would abstain from food for days on end would showcase symptoms like irritability, exhaustion and even succumb to illnesses if the condition is exacerbated enough. Ritsu, however, would spring with seemingly inexhaustible energy.

Ironically enough, her two care-takers, the Hirasawa sisters, would exhibit more physical exhaustion than the great detective. It should be noted, therefore, that when Ritsu suggested a small break into the country the two sisters responded with an exuberant "YES!"

Recoiling from the sudden paroxysm of conjoined enthusiasm, Ritsu smiled sheepishly, "Are you guys really that tired? I haven't seen you two agree on anything so fast before."

Ui nodded without hesitation, "We don't have the energy you do, we need a break!"

"Exactly Ricchan! We need to be taking care of our health," agreed Yui, "Let's go to the beach."

"Wait, wait, we should just go somewhere to relax," if one would agree on Yui's suggestion the consequences would be dire. Yui was never one to hold back when it comes to fun and enjoyment and while Ritsu would happily partake in the fun, she was concerned with Ui. Although Ui wouldn't admit it, lest she disagrees with her sister, she just wanted a moment of peace where she would be able to enjoy a peaceful and serene environment.

Yui reflected on Ritsu's response and expressed her dismay in an appropriate and elegant manner, "Ehhh? Ricchan the beach would be fun though! Let's gooo!"

Raising her hands up, Ritsu needed to devise a way to coax Yui into another idea without making her intentions obvious. For she had detected a hint of worry in Ui's eyes when Yui suggested the ocean. It would take a subtle manner of speech that requires a timely execution of an intelligent and clever train of thought.

"No," said Ritsu flatly, "We should go into the countryside to visit your family!"

This was, however, a costly mistake. Ritsu, at that time, had no knowledge of how excitable and eccentric the Hirasawa family was. She had calculated that due to Ui's cautious and reserved nature that her family would follow suit, and not that Yui's odd and childish behavior would dominate the majority of the family. So, the suggestion of visiting their family was initially designed to be a safe option but when Ritsu saw Yui's face break out into a heart-wrenching innocent smile she knew she made a mistake.

"That's a great idea!" Yui exclaimed with impossible energy, "I think grandma's birthday is in a few days anyways! I was gonna send a letter, but visiting is a much better idea! Oh, I should inform my patients I will be leaving too."

With that, Yui walked off recollecting fond memories of her parents and the possibilities that will occur upon her visit.

Ritsu, with a crestfallen expression, sighed and looked at Ui who wore a diplomatic and sympathetic smile.

"Sorry, I probably should've suggested a spa or something," said Ritsu. Ui merely shook her head and, to Ritsu's shock, hugged her.

"No, it was a great idea. I can't wait to see mom and dad again." Admitted Ui.

Although Ritsu was a bit happy that Ui hadn't expressed any regrettable feelings, she was still concerned about how the Hirasawa family would behave. It isn't a surprise that Ritsu cared for the Hirasawa sisters and doesn't mind their curious personalities, but the possibility of having to deal with a great number of people like Yui was exhausting.

Despite this, however, Ritsu would not retract her suggestion and after a few phone calls notifying potential clients and Ichigo that they would be taking a short absence (to which Ichigo responded with unnecessary happiness) they packed and made their way to the country.

In order for the visit to be an official family reunion, Ui had called her parents and informed them of the visit, "She'll probably call everyone else and they'll gather rather quickly," said Ui to which Ritsu sighed with concern.

"I guess there's no turning back," Ritsu muttered under her breath.

The trio then set off with adventure in their hearts, smiles on their faces, and enlightenment set in their eyes. Ui deviated from this paradigm as confusion set upon her expressions when she eyed a motorcycle with a sidecar attached at the side of it.

"Er, what's this?" she asked.

"A motorcycle," answered Ritsu as she firmly tested the carriage's stability.

"Yeah, I mean what happened to the car. Remember? The one we had months ago?"

"Oh, that. Um, I forgot to mention but there was something wrong with it so I sent it in to get repaired."

Ui raised a suspicious eyebrow, "What happened?"

As naturally and calmly as possible Ritsu recollected the events of the Persian assassins that attacked her because she refused to take a case from an important politician. They had assaulted her while she was driving, leaping from a bridge overhead and stabbed through the windshield. Ritsu then crashed and had to combat them hand-to-hand. When the battle had concluded the car was in terrible condition. Afterward, Ritsu used her rather considerable funds to purchase a motorcycle, and managed to keep all of this under wraps for three weeks.

"D-don't tell me we're seriously traveling in that?" asked Ui. Ritsu was a careful driver but her sudden burst of emotions causes her to become reckless at times, and the idea of that occurring while she is operating a motorcycle was terrifying. Yui, however, was excited and called dibs on the sidecar.

The three then took off for the countryside, a three hour trip in total. The initial first two hours was relatively okay in terms of Ritsu's driving. She was tame and respectable due to a necessity of traffic laws and such, but when they actually got into the more mountainous and, consequently, emptier roads, Ritsu sped up considerably.

One instance in particular when she was weaving on the roads that navigated around and through the rocky hills she drove like a madwoman. Yui cheering at the sidecar didn't help matters as Ui, firmly attached to Ritsu's waist, screamed at her to slow down. As a result, Ui was exhausted by the time they reached the small little town