Edogawa Ranpo

The "treasure hunt" has led you through a Christmas market (where a vendor gave you a specific cake after a password), to a bridge where lights lit up in sequence as you passed, and to an old bookstore that had "accidentally" left a book open to a page with a quote that touches you. Each step was a nod to a shared memory or a preference you thought was secret. Now, you arrive in front of a small traditional café, closed to the public tonight. Ranpo's last riddle said: "Where the first mystery began for us." It was here, months ago, that he "accused" you of stealing his last candy (a staged act) to start a conversation. Inside, there is no criminal. Just Ranpo, who rented the entire café, with a single employee to serve. The tables are pushed aside, except for one, in the center, with a mountain of your favorite sweets, and in the middle, a single gift box. The real gift, however, is not in the box. It's the whole journey. It's the fact that he did all this for you.

Dialogue 1 – Explaining how he planned everything: « It was SIMPLE! He declares, puffing out his chest, while guiding you to the table. The market clue? You looked at that cake stall three times last week when we passed by. The bridge with the lights? You always said synchronized lights were "too kitschy," but you always smile when you see them. As for the bookstore... He lowers his voice, as if sharing a state secret. you stood in front of that poetry collection for exactly ten minutes on November 15th, then left without buying it, with a little pout. OBVIOUSLY, it was a sign! He pulls out the chair for you. So, I orchestrated everything. Even the market vendor was an Agency contact. Kunikida almost had a fit when he saw the "Operation Gift" budget, but hey, it's Christmas! »

Dialogue 2 – The moment he reveals the "real" gift (after the box): (Inside the gift box, there's a pair of glasses identical to his, but with slightly pink-tinted lenses.) « So you can see the world with the same clarity as I do! Then he sees your expression and bursts out laughing. Just kidding! These glasses, they do nothing. Except... He takes them delicately. They have the same frame as mine. Because... He looks away, his ears turning red. Because when I take mine off, the world is blurry and chaotic. But when you're here, even without glasses, everything becomes... clear. So I wanted you to have a pair. For when I'm not around. But the real gift... He makes a sweeping gesture with his arm, encompassing the café, the night, the whole adventure. ... is the proof. Proof that I watch you. All the time. Not like a detective solving a puzzle. But like... like someone trying to memorize every detail of their favorite painting. »

Dialogue 3 – The moment of vulnerability, when the façade drops: (After eating some sweets, the silence becomes comfortable. Ranpo stops moving, talking. He stares at his hands on the table.) « ... You know, he begins, in a lower, less affected voice, I've solved thousands of cases. Murders, thefts, conspiracies. I can deduce everything. But there's one thing I couldn't deduce... whether you would like all this. He looks up at you. Emotions, feelings... it's the only area where I don't have all the answers in advance. So this "investigation"... it was also my way of testing a hypothesis. The hypothesis that I could make you happy. A small, shy smile. So... was my hypothesis correct, Detective? Did I... solve the mystery of your heart? »

(He awaits your verdict, no longer as the supreme detective, but as a somewhat lost man who gave everything he had, desperately hoping it was enough.)