Bungou Stray Dogs random ships

Sweet tooth and remedies - Ranposano

It was a lazy afternoon at the Armed Detective Agency. The sun streamed in through the windows, casting warm light across the room, but most of the agency’s members were out on assignments. The office was unusually quiet—except for the occasional sound of pages flipping from Ranpo's magazine and the gentle clink of tea cups.

Yosano Akiko, who had been quietly reading a medical journal, sighed and set it aside. “Ranpo-san, you’ve eaten nothing but sweets all day. Aren’t you worried about your health?”

Ranpo Edogawa, who was lounging on the couch, popped another piece of candy into his mouth without even glancing up. “Nope. Sweets are brain food, Yosano-chan. The smarter you are, the more you need them.”

Yosano raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “And who came up with that theory?”

“Me,” Ranpo said matter-of-factly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Yosano chuckled, shaking her head. “Well, if you get a toothache or a stomachache from all that sugar, don’t come crying to me. I might not be so gentle in fixing you up.”

Ranpo finally looked up from his magazine, giving her a playful smirk. “You’re always so mean, Yosano-chan. I thought you liked taking care of people.”

Yosano rolled her eyes, though there was a small smile tugging at her lips. “There’s a difference between taking care of people and dealing with someone who refuses to take care of themselves.”

“Oh, so you do care.” Ranpo leaned back, his tone teasing. “Admit it—you’d be worried if I wasn’t here to brighten your day with my brilliance.”

Yosano sighed, standing up from her chair and walking over to where Ranpo was lounging. She plucked the bag of candy out of his hands, ignoring his exaggerated gasp of betrayal. “I’m confiscating these for your own good.”

“Yosano-chan! You monster!” Ranpo cried dramatically, though there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. “How could you take away my lifeline?”

“You’ll live,” Yosano replied dryly, crossing the room to set the candy down on her desk. “If you’re so smart, you should know when to moderate.”

Ranpo stood up and stretched lazily, wandering over to Yosano’s desk with a mischievous grin. “Alright, alright. How about a trade then? You give me back the candy, and I’ll… hmmm…” He pretended to think hard, then snapped his fingers. “I’ll solve a mystery for you. Any mystery.”

Yosano narrowed her eyes but played along. “Alright, Mr. Genius. What mystery could I possibly have for you?”

Ranpo grinned, sensing the challenge in her tone. He leaned in close, eyes glinting behind his glasses. “How about the mystery of why you keep those flower clips in your desk drawer but never wear them anymore?”

Yosano blinked, caught off guard. She hadn’t expected him to notice something so small—let alone bring it up. “You went through my desk?”

“Nope!” Ranpo said cheerfully, stepping back and clasping his hands behind his head. “It’s called deduction. I noticed that you used to wear them often, but not recently. So, I figured you either stopped liking them, or you were saving them for something.”

Yosano was silent for a moment, her hand instinctively brushing against her hair. “They… they were a gift from a patient a while back. A little girl I helped. But I suppose I stopped wearing them because I didn’t want to risk damaging them.”

Ranpo nodded, a rare softness in his eyes. “I think she’d want you to wear them. Don’t you?”

Yosano looked at him for a long moment before a gentle smile spread across her face. “Maybe you’re right, Ranpo-san.”

Without another word, she opened her desk drawer and pulled out one of the flower clips. With a quick motion, she clipped it into her hair.

“There. Happy?” she asked with a mock glare.

Ranpo’s grin returned full force. “Very. See? Solved another mystery.”

Yosano sighed, shaking her head. “Fine. Here.” She handed him back the bag of candy, and Ranpo accepted it with exaggerated reverence.

“You know, Yosano-chan,” Ranpo said as he popped another candy into his mouth, “you’re actually pretty sweet when you want to be.”

Yosano swatted him lightly on the shoulder but smiled nonetheless. “Don’t push your luck, genius.”

And just like that, the quiet afternoon resumed, with Yosano back to her medical journal and Ranpo happily munching on his sweets. But this time, there was a soft sense of understanding between them—an unspoken bond built on teasing and little acts of care.