The phone rang for quite a while before it was answered. A weak voice came from the other end. "Hello? This is James. How are things on your end?"
Akai Shuichi fell silent for a moment at the other man's unusually listless state. Then, belatedly, he realized that not only had something gone wrong with him and Jodie today, but James's side probably hadn't gone smoothly either.
This immediately drew Akai Shuichi's full attention. There had to be clues hidden behind any anomaly.
He walked over to a corner, away from the crowd of onlookers, and lowered his voice. "What happened over there? As I recall, according to the original plan, Mouri Ran shouldn't have come back this quickly—did something else hold you up while you were trying to delay her?"
"..." James's voice stiffened slightly. After several full seconds, he finally spoke in a world-weary tone. "Not exactly. There was just a small accident."
Akai Shuichi frowned and pressed, "What kind of accident?"
James wiped his face hard. "...Does that matter?"
Akai Shuichi couldn't help glancing at his phone. "Of course it matters. Have you forgotten that person's favorite method?—What exactly happened to you today?"
"..."
Another long silence followed.
This time, after a full half minute, the old man finally spoke in a dry voice. "I—I'd planned to pretend I couldn't walk anymore and drag things out on the way. But who knew that, seeing we were nearly at the hospital, that child would actually hoist me onto her shoulder and dash straight across the road."
"There were cars everywhere and pedestrians all over the street... Can you understand what it feels like for a mature, dignified old gentleman to be carried across the road by a girl under eighteen? Can you imagine the agony of having everyone's