Prey and Predator [Ranpo x Reader] + Bonus ✓

Bonus: Yours truly, unknown

As the night mantled over Yokohama, the moon rose against the dark sky and sat amongst the translucent clouds, brightening the city for any citizen still making their way home from work or night-owls that psyched themselves up for a night shift.

After dinner, Tarō began snoozing against Ranpo's chest, thus alerting him and me that bedtime was near and the children ought to be tucked away to bed; though it was usual for the both of us to kiss them goodnight by the foot of their beds, the black-haired male declared his independence to the task by reasoning that I looked to be tired — which was, in fact, true for I had had a busy day at work and longed to lay down in bed. Still, I kissed a half-asleep Tarō goodnight, caressing his chubby cheeks as he clung lazily to Ranpo's shoulders and heaved out a wide yawn, and received an eager hug and peck to the cheek by Roze before watching the three of them draw their distance from the door frame of mine and Ranpo's room.

In the silence of my patience, I resigned my idle waiting for Ranpo by lying down on my stomach over the bedsheets, scrolling through read emails before the hardback book I'd left on my bedside table stole my attention from the portable device. Straining for the book, I replaced it with my phone and slid the hardback under my chin, opening the cover to read the dedication written on the first page, smiling for the memories it brought back.

Roze's birthday had recently passed. The Armed Detective Agency had planned a surprise party without mine or the birthday girl's acknowledgement, each contributing fractions of their salaries to order a personalised cake from one of Ranpo's favourite bakeries, along with party decorations complementary to her favourite colours and shapes. Tucked away in the living room shelf was a photo album that treasured all the little memories captured of the day; Yosano had shared her butterfly pin with the younger girl for several group photos, while in others, Roze held Kenji's straw hat over her smaller head while the blond boy bent down to match her height.

Amongst cherished photographs, my favourites captured the birthday girl hugging an awkward Kunikida, her eyes puffy and red for she'd just learnt that he (Uncle Doppo) had been the one to legally arrange a video meeting with the prison that lodged her father so she'd be able to speak with him on her birthday. Kunikida pretended to be bothered by her tears and uncontrollable sobbing, but even four-year-old Tarō had seen through the bad acting, as the blond male had taken Roze in his arms and refused to let her go until she'd stopped crying.

Unfortunately, my brother has not been able to attend. He did, however, leave the convenience store earlier the following weekday to pick the girl up from school, bringing his wife, Chiyo, along with him so that they could present the girl with her late birthday gift. Brother crouched down to her height and presented her with a carefully wrapped rectangular shape, accented with a little bow I recognised to be the work of Chiyo's hidden talent for arts and crafts.

Roze had taken the gift with a grateful smile on her face, tearing the wrapping paper apart as I held her bag for her and my brother sighed internally with relief as she gasped in awe; she tugged my sleeve hurriedly, struggling to utter any articulate phrase as she raised the gift for me to inspect:

"Mama, look!" she called out after several failed attempts, pinching the ends of my sleeve until I knelt to her height and smiled at her enthusiasm. "Uncle and auntie got me a book by Tarō Hirai!" she read from the cover, tears of joy forming in the corner of her eyes. "This is the author that brother Tarō was named after! I've wanted to read it for so long — Where did you find it? This is, like, a really rare (limited) edition!"

Brother ran his fingers through his growing hair and smiled proudly, revealing his forehead dramatically as he cocked his chin towards his wife and earned a chuckle from her. "What can I say, Roze; I suppose I was born with a knack for finding rare books. It must be some undiscovered ability that's manifested in me!~" — He accepted the young girl into a warm hug and failed to conceal his happiness at her enthusiasm, later turning over the front cover to gesture towards the dedication he'd handwritten for her: