How Do I Deal With Being Clung To by the Black-Bellied Ranpo?

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[This is a scheming younger cat's guide to winning back his love! You can follow the story even if you haven't read the original!]

For reasons she couldn't reveal, Mina quietly said goodbye to her friends and family and set foot in Yokohama.

As soon as she got off the train, a little nuisance latched onto her.

"Hey, I'm hungry. Those guys tricked me into coming out, and I haven't eaten for two days."

Liar. He'd only missed one meal. Was there any need to sound so pitiful? This kid just wanted some sweet red bean soup.

Mina turned to leave the nuisance behind. But when her eyes met his green ones, she inexplicably stopped.

"Just so we're clear, once you've had your red bean soup, stop following me around. You know I've got things to do."

"Yeah, yeah!"

After treating the nuisance, Mina kindly helped him look for the foster father fate had chosen for him.

Who knew? She never found the foster father, but somehow ended up becoming this kid's babysitter.

"Ranpo! I'm telling you again, throw away your snack wrappers as soon as you're done!"

"You need to brush your teeth after your midnight snack. Are you trying to get out of it again?"

Her nagging was always met with the same reply: "I definitely won't do it again!"

All right, all right. Definitely not next time, huh?

Grinding her teeth, Mina bent down to pick up the snack wrapper on the table again. Before she could throw it away, someone pinned her hand in place.

The sudden heat of his touch made her want to pull away. Then he drew closer.

His ever-bright green eyes had turned inscrutable, and the sweet, cloying scent in the air made her heartbeat grow louder.

"Thump, thump..."

In her daze, she thought she heard a sigh. The boy's clear voice had somehow grown lower without her noticing.

It made her ears tingle.

"No matter what I do, will you always think of me as a troublesome kid? Why... why won't you look at me properly, just once? Stop running away... okay?"

Her vision was obscured, and the warmth at the corner of her mouth left Mina frozen in place.

"Surely you understand how I feel now."

Huh?

Huh??

Huh???

Wait, wasn't this supposed to be the alternate version of a story about raising a kid? How is this ending completely different from the other version?!

Even at the very end, as Mina lay in the nuisance's arms drinking red bean soup, she still couldn't understand:

Had the cabbage she'd raised really turned around and made a move on her?

And how had this guy managed to get his hands on the legendary treasure of Yokohama so easily?

Edogawa "Nuisance" Ranpo:

"I told you, I'm not some cabbage. And you didn't raise me! Don't give me nicknames behind my back! Hey, give me another sip..."

[Reader's Guide]

1. This is an alternate version of the cat story next door. The characters' lives take completely different paths in this parallel world. This one is an unequivocally sweet romance!

2. I own the OOC; the characters belong to everyone!

3. The heroine has an all-knowing, all-powerful cheat ability (not really). At first, she's supposedly the strongest fighter; later, she really is. The great detective is a spoiled little wife (not really).

4. This Ranpo never met the president. He's already gone a little astray, but hasn't turned completely dark. After meeting the heroine, he gradually learns to rein himself in, but he isn't purely good! Not purely good! Not purely good! If I had to describe him, he's a little chaotic neutral (?)

5. An intense, plot-driven child-rearing story. Except for Ranpo, everyone's a kid! The main story is about the heroine and the kids cuddling up together, with everyone sharing a platonic bond. The side story is a scheming younger cat's guide to winning back his love! The leads have an eight-year age gap, which will be evened out later.

(P.S. Only adults can date. No dating if you're underage!)

6. If you don't like it, feel free to leave. No need to tell me if you drop the story. This is a new writer's first book, so there are bound to be shortcomings. Thank you for being understanding!

[Blurb screenshot dated 2024.3.27]

Theme: Everyone is the protagonist of their own story