| It’s cold... So cold... |
| I’ve already lost sensation in my fingers and toes a while ago. |
| My body feels heavy and I can’t move.
At some point, I can’t even feel hunger anymore. |
| I can hear a child’s laughter from a distance.
The voices of a “family” merrily walking down the street. |
| The smell of a delicious dinner wafting from the window of a “home” somewhere.
More-so than the hunger and the cold, my chest hurts. |
| Even though I’ve never known what a “home” or a “family” is like... |
| “Come with us.” |
| |
| Hisoka | —— |
| ... |
| (That’s not right...) |
| (I shouldn’t be able to hear him anymore. August is no longer here.) |
| (Where am I... This looks like the town where I used to be.) |
| (I want to go home to everybody. But...) |
| (If that man saw my face... I can’t go back to the dorm where everybody is. If he finds out about me, I might lose my precious family again.) |
| (I don’t want to lose any more of my family.) |
| ... |
| ??? | ...There you are. |
| Hisoka | —— |
| Chikage | What are you doing in a place like this? |
| Hisoka | Chikage... |
| Chikage | Everyone’s looking for you. |
| Hisoka | ...Sorry. |
| Chikage | What did you remember? |
| Hisoka | ... |
| ...I saw a strange man. He had long hair——and he was wearing earrings. |
| Chikage | ...So he’s here again. |
| Hisoka | Again? Is he looking for me? Like August, I’m going to be—— |
| Chikage | Calm down. |
| Hisoka | I saw him that night. |
| Chikage | ——I knew it. So that guy’s the traitor. |
| I was investigating about the traitor who framed August. Strangely enough, that guy’s been acting suspicious lately, so I thought something wasn’t right. |
| But I didn’t have any conclusive evidence. I was waiting for him to give himself away, but... |
| Hisoka | He probably noticed. |
| Chikage | If he did, then he wouldn’t be walking around so carelessly like this. |
| Like I’ve said before, your identity has been falsified, so I don’t think he’d find you out right away. |
| But the other party has also tightened their net. It may just be a matter of time before he comes into contact. |
| I have no choice but to deal with him before he poses a threat to the theater troupe. |
| Hisoka | What do you mean? |
| Chikage | I meant it in the literal sense. For the time being, don’t go outside too much. I’ll take care of the rest myself. |
| Hisoka | What about the performance? I thought you resolved to live as an actor in the theater troupe. |
| Chikage | For that to happen, I’ll eliminate any danger. Anything beyond this is my job; the actor Mikage Hisoka should focus on the performance. |
| Hisoka | Chikage, you’re an actor too. |
| Chikage | I’d resolved that next time, I’d protect my family at all costs. |
| Hisoka | Well, I’m the same way. |
| Chikage | Our situations are different now. |
| Hisoka | No they’re not. |
| Chikage | They are. You’re no longer “December”. |
| Hisoka | —— |
| *LIME sound* |
Tasuku Takato Contact us when you see this |
Alice I’ve found limited-edition special marshmallows! |
| Hisoka | ... |
| Chikage | Everyone’s worried about you. Let’s go home for now. |
| Hisoka | ... |
| |
| Hisoka | “Professor Moriarty.” |
| Chikage | “You’re——” |
| Hisoka | “I’m James Addison, a first year from the math department.” |
| “Your lecture on Galois’ theory left a deep impression on me when I was in high school, so I enrolled in the math department of this university.” |
| Chikage | “Is that so. Galois’ theory is concerned not only in algebra, but in all types of mathematics. I believe you chose the correct course of study.” |
| Hisoka | “Thank you very much!” |
| Izumi | (Hisoka-san returned home with Chikage-san last night, but in the end he didn’t really tell us anything. I wonder if he’s okay.) |
| (He’s not acting out of the ordinary, but...) |
| Kumon | “...Why were you disguised like that in the first place?” |
| Hisoka | “Why, it’s for precaution. This case requires a careful precision one would have when threading a needle.” |
| “It’s a painstaking job where everything would be ruined if you so much as make one faint noise when exhaling through your nose.” |
| Kumon | “I see... You seem unusually excited.” |
| Hisoka | “Of course I am. Make no mistake, there’s no doubt that this will become a great achievement in criminal history should I accomplish it.” |
| “With that said, I shall now go into hiding for some time. I’ll entrust the rest to you.” |
| Izumi | (Holmes and Watson’s relationship feels right. Their difference in age seems to be working well.) |
| Juza | “I said leave me alone!” |
| Kumon | “I can’t!” |
| Juza | “——” |
| Kumon | “I’m a future doctor. I can’t abandon a wounded person.” |
| Izumi | (The pure Watson, and Moran who’s involved in secret work; the characters themselves are a good fit, but... Hmm...) |
| Hisoka | “Oh my. To what do I owe the pleasure?” |
| Chikage | “I thought I’d accept your invitation.” |
| Hisoka | “I believe you’ve got the wrong room.” |
| Chikage | “Galois’ theory piqued my interest when I first learned of it as well, James-kun. And so did Évariste Galois’ hapless fate.” |
| Izumi | (Hmm. Holmes and Moriarty aren’t bad either, but...) |
| Why don’t we take a short break? |
| Kumon | Yeah! |
| Juza | ‘Kay. |
| Izumi | Oh, those snacks over there are spicy. |
| Chikage | Huh. |
| Kumon | I’m gonna have some of those. |
| Hisoka | The sweet ones are over here. |
| Juza | Thanks. |
| Kumon | Ah! These spicy senbei have “Scarlet Senbei” written on them! |
| Chikage | I wonder if the name is related to the first Sherlock Holmes novel “A Study in Scarlet”. |
| Izumi | Yes. I found them when I was looking for spicy senbei. |
| Hisoka | It’s fitting for this play. I won’t eat it though. |
| Juza | “A Study in Scarlet”, huh... I haven’t read it yet. |
| Chikage | Moran isn’t in it after all. |
| Kumon | Holmes’ lines are so cool! Like that thing he said after visiting Constable Rance—— |
| Hisoka | “There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life...” |
| “Our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.”[1] |
| Juza | That sounds complicated... |
| Chikage | It’s just like Holmes to compare a detective’s job to a “study in scarlet”. |
| Okay, let’s end break time here—— Director-san, what are your thoughts on our first practice? |
| Izumi | Hmm... |
| The hostility between Holmes and Moriarty is apparent, but I can’t sympathize with it. |
| Their relationship feels a bit superficial... |
| Chikage | Superficial, huh. |
| Izumi | Also, Hisoka-san. You seem a little restless. Make sure to focus on acting. |
| Hisoka | ...Sorry. |
| Izumi | On the other hand, Watson and Moran face each other with too much feelings I think. But I suppose you can’t help it since you’re brothers. |
| Juza | It doesn’t matter if we’re brothers or not. On stage, we’re both actors. |
| Kumon | ... |
| Izumi | Well, we just started practice, so why don’t you develop your respective relationships little by little? |
| Kumon | All right—— I’m gonna avoid nii-chan! |
| Izumi | What!? |
