Elopment
"It's a bit tiring dressing like this."
Shiho Miyano yawned as the EO staff opened the curtains.
They were not planning to have a wedding. After all, the wedding process was a troublesome thing. According to Shukichi's instructions according to his experience, they had to go to the marriage registry the day before, and then hold the wedding, and there would probably be a wedding banquet and so on. Shiho Miyano thought it was better to go home and feed the three beagles at the lab than to waste time on the wedding and honeymoon.
Unfortunately, Mary disagrees. She had never seen Elena in a wedding dress, and at the time Mary had duties and couldn't help. She definitely wanted to give her the grandest wedding ceremony, and had already told Shukichi to organize Shuichi and Shiho's wedding and honeymoon. Aunt Fushae was still busy in Paris for next year's fall and winter series. After hearing the news that they were getting married, she returned by plane and designed a wedding dress and hood for her. It was the reason why Shiho couldn't resist the wedding ceremony.
It was her second time trying on a wedding dress, the design had just been completed, and there were only a few adjustments and embellishments left.
Pure white satin, layered white gauze, white roses scattered between the collar and her brown hair, the dreamlike white gauze fell gently, blurring over her slender neck.
To be honest outside of her white coat, Shuichi Akai almost never saw her wearing pure white, but one thing he had the same opinion with Gin was that the deep red color of roses suited her very well, but white also suited her. Any color suited her.
When he picked her up at Professor's house this morning, She had dark circles under her eyes, which made her eyes look more like Mary.
"Did you stay up all night to do the experiment again last night?".
It was a mistake to remove all the bugs in Professor's house, but it was a condition for her to agree to the marriage.
"Secrets make a woman a woman" She completely agreed with Vermouth on this point. Fashion's perspective, and did not want to change back to Shiho Miyano and still live the life of a little girl rather than a mysterious mature woman.
"Last night, Kudo threw the rare poison he extracted at the scene to me for inspection."
She took out a can of black coffee from the storage cabinet, and he consciously picked it up and opened it for her.
"I didn't finish running the data until 5:30."
So, she'd only slept just over three hours.
She saw Akai looking at herself with disapproval, knowing that she was still working in the dark on the night of the day to try on wedding dresses, she could only say, "Ah, that detective promised to give me a wedding dress. The dress I liked the other day. As for the sapphire necklace from Cleef & Arpels, I think it would be suitable for Aunt Fusae's wedding dress."
"I can afford it too."
Shuichi Akai who had always been reluctant to let the boy make her wishes known, the jewelry at the wedding had to come from him.
"But you're poor now, and the Professor only relies on laboratory funds, Mr. Detective."
Shuichi Akai also went to try on his own clothes. The last time he had worn a tuxedo was in middle school, and Mary had ordered him to do so. Mary had tried to make him a gentle man, like his younger brother. Unfortunately his curiosity fever pushed him into the smoke from the start.
When he came out of the dressing room, he saw her asleep on the sofa. The soft, clean wedding dress hung at her feet like a flowing galaxy. To cover the paleness of her skin, she applied a peanut paste-colored lip glaze, which made her sleeping face appear peaceful and soft.
In order to make time for their wedding and honeymoon, She has been catching up on experiments and classes lately. It wasn't just because of the assignments requested by the detective boy with too much curiosity and justice.
Shuichi Akai sat beside her. Shiho woke up quickly, feeling a slight movement in her side. She had never seen him in a suit. To match the suit, he took off his knitted hat, and the curly black hair on his forehead was also combed back leaving only a few disobedient strands of hair scattered on his forehead. This made his whole face look arrogant and gentle, and Shiho felt that he was probably a man of European blood, and had not fully assimilated the rudeness of the American cowboy. Her teenage heart suddenly started beating again at this moment, sending more red blood cells to the capillaries of her face - she blushed.
Those emerald green eyes looked up at her. He said, "Shiho, why don't we just elope?."
"Huh?"
He booked a flight ticket, and then drove the red mustang to the airport, dragged it through the airport, and over a number of barriers, and boarded the scheduled flight two minutes before takeoff. She boarded the plane only to find out that the flight was headed to Hokaido. She was not at all worried about where he was taking her. With him by her side, she was always safe.
Therefore after the plane took off, She quickly fell back asleep, unfortunately the flight attendant suddenly asked if she wanted black tea or coffee and woke her up. She went back to sleep sweetly and soundly.
After getting off the plane in Hokaido, he took her to the JR line. Fortunately, they bought adjacent seats for a while, and she leaned on the broad shoulder he offered. There was no denying that the smell of tobacco that she had avoided in the past was very good for her, and even the smell of leather on the coat seemed fresh.
On the way, they met the kindergarten children who were supposed to be on a short-term trip. Shiho didn't know who started singing along to "If I were in first grade". Shiho was awakened by the children singing, and said absentmindedly, "I can't imagine the experience that would suffocate me if I had a child who would sing nursery rhymes in my ear all the time."
"I think you like children so much. You are familiar with the three of them who often come to Professor's house to play. That little girl named Yoshida also wore her little skirt for you, didn't she?" He rubbed his chin over her brown hair.
"Ah, there seems to be someone who likes children more than me, at least I won't be living alone and making curry for seven people." He always said that he would make more curry, if the children went to her to play or she didn't want to cook for a rainy day.
"I can't imagine that the great, determined, and unsmiling her Shu-nii, one day wash his hands and make soup for the children."
"I think it's good to have a child who can sing nursery rhymes in my ear at any time. Although I'd rather spend the whole quiet day with you."
"I hope our child will not inherit your delusional genes."
The nursery rhymes in the ear became infrequent, and eventually stopped, and the kindergarten teacher told the children not to disturb other passengers.
"Tidak masalah jika anak kita mewarisinya, tabel periodik tidak perlu dinyanyikan. Anak kita harus menghafal deret atom sebelum usia tiga tahun."
It could be said that she was walking on thin ice when in the organization, and even she was worried about not being able to say the wrong words in her dreams, one of the features of her increasingly relaxed life in the past two years was that she would start saying some incoherent words between half-asleep and half-awake. Shuichi saw her eyelids start to drop again, so he covered her ear that weren't resting on his shoulder with his palm, blocking out all the noise on the train for her.
The scenery outside the window gradually faded, and they seemed to have actually completed an elopement that no one knew about.
When he woke her up, she knew where the trip was headed.
After getting off the tram, she smells the cold air with water vapor that is typical of the northern coast in winter. It's mid-November, and it hasn't snowed in Otaru yet. The temperature in the small town to the north is lower than in Touto. Shiho, who is only wearing a jacket, can't help but sneeze.
He bought hot milk from a vending machine and handed it to her.
"I'm not a child anymore." She held the milk in her hand and looked at the "Otaru Station" sign at the station. Although she did not particularly like romantic movies, she also understood the reason why he had come here.
"I can't say that Mr. Ace likes watching romantic movies. I thought you would only watch the thriller 'Mulholland Drive'"
He touched her nose, "Before I went to school in the United States, I went to junior high school in Japan for a period of time."
She looked at him suspiciously. According to Mary and Shukichi's statements, he in the second phase of the second period did not seem like the type of person who would get addicted to love movies.
"My mom told me to get along well with middle school friends, and to be a role model for Shukichi who lost his friends for the first time."
He wasn't a talkative person, but no matter what she asked, he would always answer.
"That's why I went there when I was invited to watch "Love Letter". I would recite those lines when I saw it later, and one time I accidentally fell asleep in the theater. But after watching the movie, what impressed me the most was Otaru, I want to bring the girl I love there."
"Ah, it seems that you have a good relationship with a woman."
She turned on her phone and flipped through it, the houses and hotels nearby were almost full.
"So, how do we finalize our accommodation today?"
She felt at this point that the people in the organization really weren't exaggerating when they said that Rye was a sociable person, good right-left, and knowledgeable. She had always wondered how he got along with the eccentrics in the organization and quickly gained a code name, but Bourbon seemed to be hostile to him.
The Japanese-style homeowner was active in New York as a glassblowing artist a few years ago, and he became an important witness in a case Shuichi Akai was handling, so he made his acquaintance. Over the years, the artist had returned to his hometown of Otaru for development, opened his own glass shop, and brought his family to the southern islands for vacations when winter approached, so he was able to lend the empty old house he had inherited from his father for them to live in temporarily.
The house was decades old, decorated with well-maintained pine and maple wood, with a light woody scent. Outside the house was a beautiful Japanese garden. In late autumn, the vegetation withered, and the green was barely visible. Red maple leaves cover half of the pond, occasionally scattered on the path paved with white stones.
"What a beautiful atmosphere this house has!"
"That boy also seemed to say that you think the Trojan apartment is nice." He said, "It's rare to hear your praise, but it's a shame it was burned. When I was a kid, I helped my mom with the gardening work at home. If we have our own house in the future, I can also take responsibility."
"Are you going to be a full-time home cook?" She still couldn't imagine how he would make cream soup without Subaru Okiya's mask and accepted her opinion humbly, let alone Shuichi Akai watering and pruning branches in the garden without Subaru Okiya's mask. He was still more pleasing to the eye when he was carrying a gun or typing on a keyboard to hack into other people's computers.
He ran a hand through her hair, "If my princess wants to dedicate herself to scientific experiments, what can't I do as a knight?" Green eyes looked at her, "Assuming James knows about my suspended animation. I really want to be the Subaru Okiya who delivers food to the little girl next door."
Shiho felt her teenage heart that had swelled up this morning start to overflow again. It was always like that whenever his green eyes looked at her.
So, she raised her hands and pulled his knitted hat down to cover the eyes that tugged at her heart. Then she heard his deep, hearty laugh.
She was a biologist and an atheist.
Didn't believe in the existence of spirits. When a person dies, it means the body can no longer function. The brain and nerves that make up the mind are simply swallowed and decomposed by bacteria and parasites over time.
Therefore, after Akemi's death, she rarely dreamed of her, so she missed her even more.
She dreamed of Akemi cooking for her.
Shiho's memories of Akemi cooking for her are very hazy, except for a few times when they were both young and before she went to study in the United States. After getting her doctorate in the United States, she quickly acquired a code name, so she had to be under organizational supervision at all times. Monthly meetings with her sister had to be approved by Gin in advance, and the meeting place had to be in a public place that was easily monitored, not Akemi's apartment.
Because of this, she hadn't eaten Akemi's cooking for a long time, and had even forgotten what it tasted like.
Akemi said, "Shiho, you are going to marry someone you like."
Who is he? Dai Moroboshi ? But that's big sister's boyfriend.
"I'll tell you a secret, it's not me that Dai-kun likes." Akemi's smile was like honey flowing in the sun. "When we're together, his eyes always stare at you unconsciously."
Big sister.
Shiho couldn't speak.
"Dai-kun is a person worth trusting. Even though he has missed his promise, he is still trying his best to protect you, Shiho." Akemi squeezed her face gently like she did when she was little, "Mom and dad must also agree to your marriage. But mom is also a little dissatisfied with Dai-kun because he couldn't save you in time back then."
Shiho Miyano could only rely on tears to convey her thoughts and guilt to her sister.
"Shiho, don't cry, be a smiling bride."
DING
Shiho was awakened by the sound of the countdown timer.
As winter approached, the heating in the house had not been turned on for a long time, so he put the kotatsu in place for her. She originally wanted to think about the next project experiment plan when her mind was blank. However, the poison detection overnight, the rushed trip, and the warmth of the kotatsu made her sleepy, which was just driven away by the cold air. It was spreading again.
The ace agent was cooking in the kitchen. He was good at firearms, good at Jeet Kune Do, and seemed to be good at everything, but he was quite troubled by cutting squid.
He noticed the voice behind him, the knife in his hand stopped, and the squid in his hand was accidentally cut into two pieces.
"You're awake." He said.
After all, the appearance of this FBI ace man who cooked without a Subaru Okiya mask was always surprising. At first, she never imagined that this gentle, black-eyed stuffing student who occasionally exuded an air of organization was the Dai Moroboshi she knew. Even if he gave out codes, she also received information in codes, but for a long time Shiho couldn't convince herself that Subaru Okiya and Dai Moroboshi were the same person - as if one person was split into two completely different sides.
"Today's dinner is tofu salad, kombu-miso soup, curry paella, and the famous white chocolate brownies. How about a little pink gin after the meal?"
Shuichi Akai turned over and continued to dream with squid. While she was sleeping, he went to the nearby market to buy fresh food. The berry-flavored red pink gin was left here by the owner of the house, telling him to enjoy it with him betrothed.
She felt the smell of coconut milk getting closer to her - he was wearing fig perfume these days, and it made him look younger. She wrapped her arms around his thin waist, and then he felt she press her forehead against his back.
"Is there any problem?"She rarely made such intimate gestures. This made him a little comfortable.
"Tell me about you and my sister," she said. He was only wearing a black shirt because he was going to cook, and felt her tears seeping down his back skin.
The conversation took place over drinks after dinner.
"Your sister said she knew I was an undercover agent, and it started when I cared too much about you. She was very sensitive and felt that I didn't love her."
He opened a berry-flavored pink gin and poured it into a liquor cup.
"And I never paid attention to her. So, when she told me that she knew I was undercover, I panicked. I thought if she who was on the periphery of the organization was aware, what about the high-level members of the organization?"
"They all found out in the end, because I had to return to the United States due to mission failure. I thought you were being closely approached by the organization, and then I found out your laboratory was burned down, you were forced to transfer. So, I'm not doing anything for two years was the best protection for you."
"Why didn't you save her back then?" She asked Shinichi Kudo this question, but when she asked the person in front of her again, she realized that the sadness and fog in her heart had not disappeared.
She still blamed herself. If it weren't for her showing a smart mind and being asked to inherit her parents' research, if it weren't for her accidentally showing the pain of making APTX4869 in front of her sister, if it weren't for her desire to escape from that prison, then her sister wouldn't have had an accident herself. She could have lived an ordinary, happy life as a normal person. It was the two of them who pulled Akemi into the darkness where they could escape.
He said, "She said that whether she would live or die this plan is an opportunity for you to leave the organization. For you to leave the organization, the most important thing is that the FBI's intervention will make the plan counterproductive."
"And, I apologize, I'm also selfish, Shiho."
His green eyes reflected her face and her soft light.
"I didn't know any information about you in the United States, and I couldn't wait for you to contact me. When I saw the news of your laboratory fire, I knew something might have happened to you. That's why I came back to Japan to look for you."
Shiho said, "She actually tolerated our sins."
Otaru snow falls at night. Perhaps the colder drift further north has influenced the climate here, allowing snow to fall earlier this winter. When she woke up in the morning, the yard was white.
There were still some fine snowflakes floating during the day. They planned to go to the cold mountains to enjoy the snow view. Their elopement to the north was a perfect fit, their city-appropriate trench coats and leather jackets unable to withstand the snow and ice. So, after breakfast, they went to the mall to buy winter hiking clothes. She has always disagreed with his dark aesthetic preferences—though she admits that black is perfect for the chain-smoking ex-agent, but she prefers a pink mountain-climbing setting for him—like the one Subaru Okiya once wore. She opted for the same mauve hiking setup.
As the ace agent queued to buy coffee and muffins, she noticed a dark gray cashmere scarf, so she pretended to be with a card – after the organization was destroyed, the card where she kept her paycheck was inside. It was released after the case search was completed which means she is now quite financially free. While the detective was buying coffee, she was never allowed to drink an Americano.
"For you."
Se handed over the paper bag.
Shuichi Akai looked at the finely folded scarf in the bag and said, "Shiho, this hiking outfit is enough, my body is not that afraid of the cold."
"Ah, you're not a child. You catch colds easily." She returned to what Subaru Okiya said two years ago, "And also, Subaru still wears turtlenecks in the summer and looks very healthy physically."
They took a bus to the snow mountain, then took a cable car to the top of the mountain. Gradually move away from the city. The hills were covered in snow, reminding her of too much powdered sugar on a cake. The brown lantern branches were like chocolate decorations.
What is the red cable car like? Cherry pie on cream cake?
She couldn't help but laugh at her metaphor. In the past, she rarely used food as a metaphor for the sights she saw, but now she didn't know if it was because she had been with Genta Kojima for a long time, and everything she saw looked like food.
Shuichi Akai asked a little hesitantly, "What is it, Shiho?"
She placed her hand between his, frankly absorbing the constant warmth of his calloused hands. Immediately grasp it warmly with her hands. She told him what she had just thought and said, "I should probably catch up on more experimental reports, or maybe the next time I see a chromic acid solution I think it's hot chocolate that's just been made and hasn't been stirred well."
"It's okay, Shiho," he said, "That's what a twenty-two year old woman should think."
The cashmere scarf she had just bought made the usually cold and stern ace agent appear gentle.
They reached the top of the mountain, and went to the lookout at the top of the mountain. Although it only snowed overnight, the snow was enough to cover her ankles which made Shiho, who was only wearing short boots, feel uncomfortable because her leather boots were soaked in snow. He crouched, and the princess wrapped her arms around him in imitation—she had entered his domain, and what was in his imitation was no longer a secret— he brought her back to the highest observation deck.
Here they can see the entire small frame. The pure white flowing from the hillside was gradually replaced by houses like white fish scales as it approached the city, and the sea spread further. Under the gloomy sky, the blue of the sea looked somewhat erratic and pale, and on the plains there was an indistinct mist.
"It's a pity that at that time, it didn't turn into snow in the end." He said.
He was done looking after her all night that day, knowing that she would be skiing with the Professor, the detective boy, and the kids, and he was ready to take this opportunity to make up for the comfortable and regular sleep of the day and night. One thing, apart from eavesdropping, he had to learn cooking quickly from Yukiko Kudo to get the little girl's approval as soon as possible.
He was about to close the circular living room curtains when he saw her in a beige trench coat walking back to the Professor's house with the detective boy.
Did something happen?
Subaru Okiya stood in a blind spot that they couldn't see, watching two elementary school students discussing in front of Professor Agasa's house.
But not long after, the little detective who was a little devil guided her to knock on Kudo's door. He ruffled her brown-pink hair, pretending to have just woken up, went downstairs and opened the door, and saw the little detective asking shyly, "Mr. Subaru, can you take us skiing?"
And the little girl was hiding behind the little detective, the hood covering her beautiful brown hair, those lake blue eyes watching frantically and intently, her face full of frost. She looked like the Sherry in the organization he had seen before.
This is what he wants.
"If that detective boy were here, it would probably be a murder scene."
She blames Shinichi Kudo's death-bearing body for her skiing failure two years ago.
"Yeah."
Before Shuichi Akai's voice fell, a woman's scream came from the other side of the observation deck. He stepped forward and protected her behind him. Those green eyes were like a hawk, examining the source. While she squeezed his sleeve gently, he could feel her shaking in surprise.
"So... so, Hiroki, do you like me?"
Whether it was the smell of the organization or the smell of the FBI, he found that they seemed to have made a mistake before they had time to get it out. The boy named Hiroki and the girl next to him seem to like each other, they came here to climb the mountains in the first snow of winter, and Hiroki showed his heart to the girl.
"I thought, you liked Nao..." There was a cry in the voice, "I saw you two walking together after school a few days ago."
"That's why she asked me to choose your birthday present. Eh? No, how should I put it." Her best friend said, "Shiori and Hiroki, huh you guys really... you have to express that you like each other. Why have you been able to hide your feelings for so many years?"
Shuichi Akai put his arm around her shoulder. She pretended to be old and said, "Only young people are embarrassed to express their feelings."
"Is that so? Shiho, you are also very young." He said.
"But you, yourself are already middle-aged, but you have to change your face to secretly live with the person you like."
"That's what you said, you will be closer to people like Shukichi..."
"So, does the FBI ace want to be liked by a woman?"
"Huh?"
"Then let's go skiing," She said, "Move your stiff body and get a woman's attention."
Shuichi Akai went to rent ski equipment, and he stayed alone just in case. The joy there remained and then gradually disappeared, leaving only Hiroki and Shiori who claimed to be hugging each other.
Shiho Miyano saw a similar sea in the affair, like their past, mixed with gray colors, not very clear and difficult to measure.
She didn't know whether the dream that happened last night was really a blessing of her soul mate for her, or her own ridiculous comfort, but no matter what, she wanted to embrace the people around her.
The man who brought beef stew with potatoes.
The man waiting there in a gentle Subaru Okiya mask.
The man who received the cherry.
The man who knows all her past.
The man who promised to fight to protect her with his life.
They apply the connotation of elopement. After arriving in Otaru, her phone ran out of power and would not recharge. They didn't find a shop to charge their phones until the plane landed in Tokyo.
Unsurprisingly, both her phone and his were filled with message texts and incoming call alerts. After all, they were all characters with special status at the moment. She didn't know if there would be any missing crows that would harm them.
The people who have the most and richest emotions are the great detectives.
From Kudo Shinichi
[Haibara! Please help me check the symptoms of morphine poisoning!]
[And, help me check morphine poisoning cases worldwide!]
[Haibara, did you see the text message?]
[I know it's been a bit troublesome for you lately, especially when you and planning your wedding. In addition to the Van Cleef & Apfel sapphire necklace you requested, I can give you matching sapphire earrings!]
[Haibara!, I just went to the Professor's house. The professor said that you guys went out to try on wedding dresses in the morning and didn't come back. Where are you going?]
[Did you guys meet anyone from the organization?]
[Hurry up and reply!]
[I checked. You guys took a plane to Hokaido, right? Are there traces of an organization there?]
From Masumi Sera.
[Shiho, where are you now? Mom and I originally wanted to come to see your wedding dress.]
[Shiho? I called you, but your phone was off. Did something happen to you?]
[Did something happen to you and Shu-nii?]
[He said you two might elope, but I always feel like something's wrong!]
And then from police officer Rei Furuya.
[Damn!. FBI dog, even if you are going to marry her, stay away from her!]
[Shiho, don't believe that fake graduate student pretending to keep you safe. You can tell me anything.]
After many text messages appeared, someone finally called.
She answered Masumi Sera's call, and Masumi was so touched that she almost cried "Shiho, where are you guys now? I haven't been able to contact you for two days."
"Well, I went to Otaru on vacation." She said.
Then she heard what Aunt Mary said, and Masumi said, "Shiho, please use speaker mode. There's something I want to tell Shu-nii."
She switched to speaker loading mode, and then heard Mary's full voice, "Bastard boy, where are you taking my niece!"