Case. Joseph found his father's will.

Characters. Megu and Kazuma had a short talk.

*Note. To avoid language confusion, dialogues in English will be in italic.

Chapter 6. The Legacy

They gathered at Kinta's room, waiting for Joseph. It was after some time after dinner already. "Do you think he has to stay at the hospital?" Megu asked.

"Hmm, that's possible," Ryuu answered.

But moments later, the door opened and Joseph went into the room. He looked a bit pale and very tired. "Joseph," Ryuu helped him to settle on his bed. "I'm so tired. It's a good thing they let me come back here," Joseph laid back with a weary smile.

"What happened?" Kyuu asked seriously.

Joseph's smile widened at the question, "My blood works."

"Yes, that's great!" Kinta exclaimed and threw up his fist.

"Yeah, but because of that they took quite a lot of blood from me and they still have to do it a couple of times in a few weeks time," Joseph continued. "Stephen is still unconscious, but they told me his condition is getting better."

"It may need some time," Ryuu crossed his arms. "So, what are you going to do after this?"

Slowly, Joseph leaned his body forward and looked down at the floor. "Hmm, I still don't know. Ilios offered me to work for them. Stephen was a biology researcher, and they offered me to help their research in chemistry, which is actually what I do all this time," he laughed a little. "I can imagine their resources and research are far bigger than my company, and I think I could do better with them. But, I still don't know..."

He raised his head and his face turned serious, "I'm glad for my dad, though. Melvin Rios, I mean. He made a hard decision back then, but he followed through it until the end. He raised me well too, like I'm really his son."

He took neat folded papers from his back pocket and opened it. "I went to the lab once more before I went here. I remembered that Bismuth, the 83rd element, was founded by Claude François Geoffroy. Claude, the same name as my... as the one who bore me," Joseph paused before adding, "I had a hunch about it and I found this letter inside the book."

"His will?" Ryuu asked.

"Yeah, but actually, it's more of a letter to me," Joseph said. "He wrote the whole story in this letter. His considerations, his feelings, all of them."

Joseph's hands tightened as he spoke. "He always told me that sometimes we can't get what we want, but the most important thing is what we need. I didn't quite understand what he meant, but now I do."

Our detectives listened carefully as Joseph continued, "My dad loved Claude. He always wanted to be the man of her dream, someone who gives something to the world. In this letter, he wrote that Claude looked up to Joseph Lister, a chemist who invented anesthesia which brings soothness to people. That's why Claude became a chemist. She also fell in love with Stephen because Stephen dreamt to be a surgeon. Well, that was before he worked for Ilios, but Claude's love didn't fade when Stephen accepted the offer. In the end, she was pregnant with Stephen's baby."

"On the other hand, my dad was a programmer. He knew he was not the ideal man for Claude. He was close to both Stephen and Claude. So even though he loved Claude, he was happy that Claude got to be with Stephen. My dad accepted his fate that he couldn't get what he wanted. That's why," Joseph breathed deeply, "he was surprised when Claude told him about her pregnancy, and when she entrusted me to him."

Joseph smiled as he read the letters again. "My dad thought he could never make it so far, but he did. When he wrote this, he said that he finally figured it out. He wanted Claude, but what he actually needed... was me," he paused and added, "He wrote that raising me was his utmost joy and he wanted me to someday find and fulfill my own needs."

After some moments, Joseph folded the papers back. "So if you ask about my plans, I honestly don't know. There are many choices and I want to take it slowly. Hopefully, I'll figure out what I really need," Joseph smiled genuinely.

They were at loss of words. Even Ryuu was silent.

Joseph stood up and there was a sincere bright smile on his face. "Okay, that's it. Let's go to bed now. Tomorrow morning I'll take you guys to the airport and you can fly back to Japan!"

"Joseph," Ryuu said.

"It's okay, Ryuu. I'm fine. I'm glad I could tell it all to you. I really owe you guys much, thank you." His face was truly in peace. Ryuu believed him and nodded, "Okay, I'm glad for you too, Joseph."

They then went back to their respective rooms and went to bed. That night, their minds lingered on the legacy of the deceased. About what they want and what they need.

They landed in Japan the next morning and they were greeted by Kazuma's SUV. Kinta helped the driver put their luggages into the trunk before sitting in the front seat. Kazuma and Megu sat in the middle seat while Kyuu and Ryuu took the back seats. Time passed quickly as they updated Kazume about the case. In a moment, they arrived at the intersection where Kinta asked to get off. Kyuu and Ryuu politely asked to take their leave there as well. DDS granted them a day off and it looked like our detectives were going to make the rest for the day.

Megu and Kazuma waved goodbye to the other three men. Megu's apartment was in the same direction as Kazuma's mansion and she had become comfortable in several of Kazuma's cars.

After the car moved again, Megu showed a troubled face. Kazuma looked at her but did not start a conversation.

At last, Megu started it. Her voice was a bit low when she said, "Hey, Kazuma..."

"What is it, Megu?" Kazuma asked softly.

"Is it possible for boys to like a lot of things at the same time?" Megu asked.

Kazuma raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

Megu's cheek became red and she shook her head. She chuckled and quickly said, "I'm just kidding. Nevermind!"

Kazuma followed her into chuckles, but then Kazuma pondered the question seriously. "Hmm... I don't think I'm there yet, but it's true that in puberty, men tend to be interested in many things. Sometimes, we can also do stupid things. I know some of my friends tried and became addicted to smoke and alcohol and other things."

Megu turned to look at Kazuma. She was quite surprised with the honest answer.

"But in the end, I guess we will all become mature. When the time comes, maybe we will decide what's best for ourselves. My dad was a heavy drinker once, but he broke himself free from his addiction. Well, he still drinks a lot, but he is not addicted anymore." Kazuma scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

It was not the answer Megu was looking for, but somehow she became more relaxed after hearing it. The sun was shining on Kazuma's face and that's when Megu realized, she did not have to look down to see Kazuma anymore. Maybe Kazuma had gone taller through the year. It was almost a year after Kazuma graduated from his elementary school.

"That's really nice of your dad," Megu smiled widely and Kazuma suddenly blushed.

"We're here, master," the driver suddenly said.

True, they had arrived in front of Megu's apartment. Megu somehow felt a bit sad, their trip felt too quick. Wait, why was she feeling like that? She thought. "Thank you Kazuma, as always!" Megu smiled before leaving the car. The driver dropped her suitcase and went back to the car. Kazuma lowered the window of his car and waved to Megu, "Have a nice rest, Megu!"

Megu waved back. "I will. See you tomorrow, Kazuma!" She said with a heartfelt smile.

Kazuma's face was also painted with a smile as he left his pink haired friend.