Chapter 292: Working Hard
On the afternoon of the last day of March, Masumi Sera met with Akikawa Kyousuke at the National Art Museum in Roppongi.
The Minato district, where Roppongi is located, lies halfway between Shibuya, where Akikawa Kyousuke lives, and Koto, where the explosion occurred this time. It is a lively and prosperous area of Tokyo.
This meeting was deliberately planned because Sera Masumi did not want others to know she had a private connection with Akikawa Kyousuke.
After checking the schedule of her two classmates, Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran, who were part of their small study group, she purposely chose a location in the opposite direction of where the two girls were spending their day.
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Masumi Sera arrived at the National Art Museum fifteen minutes before the agreed time.
Akikawa Kyousuke, on the other hand, arrived almost late, appearing at the museum just as the clock was about to strike eleven in the morning.
"Did you arrive early?"
"I just got here myself."
"I see."
After a brief exchange of greetings, Akikawa Kyousuke and Masumi Sera entered the National Art Museum.
---
Since the museum's permanent exhibitions are usually free, there was no need to buy tickets to enter.
As a result, there were still many visitors wandering around the museum. However, because admission was free most of the time, the museum didn't attract too many people unless there was a special themed exhibit.
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"Thank you so much, Mr. Akikawa, for what happened at the last Showa exhibition."
While casually admiring the paintings in the gallery, Masumi Sera expressed her gratitude for the events that occurred a few days ago at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center.
"In the end, wasn't it Kaitou Kid who failed to steal the gem? What is there to thank me for?"
"If it weren't for you, Mr. Akikawa, I'm afraid we wouldn't have uncovered Tsukino Takashi's true intentions."
"Moreover, it was only because you figured out that the gem was fake that we were able to discover that Tsukino Takashi and the detective from the First Investigative Division were involved in an illicit deal."
"As a police officer, he abused his position to frame others and embezzle someone else's property."
---
Akikawa Kyousuke noticed the visible displeasure on Masumi Sera's delicate cheeks as she mentioned this.
This reaction aligned perfectly with Akikawa Kyousuke's initial impression of her.
Masumi Sera, a detective with a strong sense of justice, couldn't tolerate injustice, especially when it came from law enforcement.
---
It was precisely this purity in her beliefs that made Sera despise Toda Kyouji so deeply.
"Not everyone becomes a police officer to uphold justice."
"When faced with enormous interests, it's hard to say who wouldn't give in."
Akikawa Kyousuke spoke lightly as he stared at the ink painting before him.
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"At least from what I've seen, most detectives in the First Investigative Division have a strong sense of justice."
"Like Officer Megure and Officer Sato, they're the kind of people willing to risk their lives for what's right."
"Isn't it the same for you, Mr. Sera?"
---
Masumi Sera looked at Akikawa Kyousuke in surprise.
She saw his deep blue eyes, which had been gazing at the painting in front of him, now fixed on her.
"When we were in Hakone, didn't you immediately decide to ambush the organization after learning about Kunio Koizumi's deal with them?"
"Yes, because opportunities to get close to the organization are rare."
"At that moment, I was certain people from the organization would show up, so I thought it was a great chance."
"The organization is involved in dangerous activities, so it's absolutely necessary to stop them from achieving their goals."
Sera Masumi replied with a smile.
---
"And yet, didn't those two women nearly kill you?"
Akikawa Kyousuke's words caused Sera Masumi's smile to freeze, leaving her visibly embarrassed.
She had initially thought Akikawa Kyousuke brought this up to praise her for sharing the same kind of unwavering courage as officers like Megure Juzo and Sato Miwako.
But now, it seemed Akikawa Kyousuke did not think such actions were praiseworthy at all.
---
"Ahem."
Sera Masumi cleared her throat, awkwardly avoiding Akikawa Kyousuke's gaze.
If anyone else had made this remark, she would have fiercely refuted them.
Often, opportunities last only for a fleeting moment.
If she had taken the time to carefully weigh all the pros and cons, the opportunity would likely have slipped away.
---
Whether it was Vermouth or Chianti, there was no doubt they were dangerous individuals.
Even if she knew she was no match for them, Sera Masumi would still have chosen to fight.
Because leaving the organization unchecked would only lead to more dire consequences.
---
However, such reasoning only applied when dealing with those who criticized her from a moral high ground.
For someone like Akikawa Kyousuke, who had risked his life to save her in Hakone, it was impossible for Masumi Sera to argue with him.
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"But Mr. Akikawa, you're not the type of person who acts selfishly after calculating every risk, are you?"
"When we were in Hakone, if you hadn't raised the room's air conditioning and opened the windows for ventilation, you wouldn't have exposed your identity to me."
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Sera Masumi believed that for Akikawa Kyousuke at the time, if he had chosen not to save her, he could have eliminated Chianti and avoided exposing his identity.
The fact that Akikawa Kyousuke chose otherwise showed he wasn't devoid of emotion.
Of course, Masumi Sera had deduced this long ago.
After all, how could someone willing to risk his life for his mother be heartless?
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"That's because I calculated it would be more beneficial for you to survive, Mr. Sera."
"Let's just leave it at that," Sera Masumi replied with a smile.
---
She had a complicated impression of Akikawa Kyousuke.
She knew he wasn't someone who would hesitate to retaliate against those with ill intentions toward him.
Yet now, seeing Akikawa Kyousuke deflect with such detachment, she found this contrast in his personality rather intriguing.
---
What Masumi Sera didn't know was that Akikawa Kyousuke had nearly died of hydrogen sulfide poisoning at that time.
Had things gone differently, it might have been Akikawa Kyousuke's decision that killed her.
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After Akikawa Kyousuke learned from the original owner's physical examination report that the owner had not been responsible for his mother's death, he felt relieved.
Not only because he wasn't the perpetrator of the car accident, but because the original owner had no history of murder.
---
Thus, even when faced with Vermouth and Chianti, Akikawa Kyousuke chose not to kill them.
Because, for him, once something began, it was difficult to turn back.
This was also one of the main reasons why Akikawa Kyousuke had refrained from killing those who had been malicious toward him.
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(End of Chapter)