Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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Ritsu tried to smash the glass and enter the truck to take control, but because the vehicle was unstable and the passenger side was scraping against the guardrail just to maintain a straight path, he couldn't get inside.
"Ritsu! Are you okay?!"
Hearing Hiro's voice, Ritsu, crouching on top of the truck, turned his head and looked back. On the back seat of an electric scooter was Hiro wearing a helmet, and in the front seat…
Was that Class Rep Date?
"Class Rep?"
"Heh, I just happened to pass by and saw Hiro running around looking panicked. Hang in there for a bit! Rei and the others are on their way!"
"I'm fine."
From not far away came the roar of a sports car. Ritsu couldn't help glancing back and noticed a white RX-7 FD3S. Like most guys, he had a natural love for cars, and Ritsu was no exception.
After spotting Kenji in the driver's seat, Wataru laughed and said, "Hey, haven't you heard? I'm pretty sure police academy students aren't allowed to drive, right?"
Jinpei narrowed his eyes into a half-lidded glare and pretended he couldn't hear. Leaning toward the window, he shouted back, "Huh? What'd you say? The engine's too loud, I can't hear you!"
Sitting in the back seat, the anxious Rei shouted to Hagiwara, "We have to find a way to stop the truck! Kenji, can you do it?!"
Kenji, completely confident in his driving skills, grinned mischievously.
"Ah… isn't that simple? We just crash into it and stop it physically!"
Crouched on top of the truck, Ritsu clearly hadn't expected them to try something like that. He was just about to warn them that the weight difference between the two vehicles made that impossible!
But the car had already rammed into the truck.
If he hadn't been prepared, he would have completely lost his balance and fallen off.
When Jinpei realized that approach didn't work, he frowned. "Hey, Hagi… can you do that?"
"Heh, easy."
Sensing something subtle in their exchange, Rei asked suspiciously, "What do you mean by that?"
The two men in the front seats exchanged a knowing grin but didn't answer him.
Instead, Jinpei shouted toward the elderly man in the car being dragged behind the truck:
"Hey! Open the sunroof!"
"O-Okay!"
Still confused about what they were planning, Rei suddenly felt his collar being grabbed. He blinked rapidly, completely bewildered.
What were they doing?
"Zero… try not to bite your tongue."
"What are you two even planning?!"
"You'll find out soon enough—"
Suddenly, Kenji's face lit up with an extremely excited expression, so intense it almost looked terrifying. He gritted his teeth and laughed.
"—right now!!"
The sports car surged forward in a bizarre maneuver. Kenji grabbed the small portable police light mounted on top of the car and tossed it onto the road ahead.
At that speed, the car's left front tire ran straight over the light. Instantly, the vehicle launched into the air.
At the same time, Jinpei flung open the car door, and he and Rei leapt out together, landing on the roof of the car being dragged behind the truck.
"Grandpa! Grandma! We're here to save you!" Rei shouted.
"Zero, help me take off the bumper," Jinpei said as he pulled tools from his pocket.
"Got it."
Watching all this unfold from the top of the truck, Ritsu couldn't help curling his lips into a smile.
But that smile quickly vanished.
There was no road left ahead.
Driving alongside them, Kenji shouted anxiously, "Ritsu-ya! Get inside the truck, quick!"
"Got it!"
Ritsu grabbed the railing along the top edge of the truck with both hands. As his body swung backward, he kicked forward with force. The glass shattered under the impact.
Ignoring the risk of cutting himself, he hurriedly climbed through the passenger side and made his way to the unconscious driver in the driver's seat.
Ritsu didn't have a driver's license yet, so he didn't really know how to drive, but he could at least tell the difference between the gas pedal and the brake.
At this speed… even slamming the brakes wouldn't stop them before reaching the broken bridge.
"The gas pedal!!!"
"Step on it, Ritsu!!!"
Same idea.
Ritsu slammed his foot down on the accelerator.
The massive container truck roared to its maximum speed and shot straight across the broken bridge. But being a truck, its center of gravity dropped heavily, and the front slammed into the far edge of the broken roadway.
Fortunately, luck was on their side. The entire truck flipped forward and managed to land on the other side, sliding across the road.
There was just one small problem.
The truck was upside down.
"Ritsu!"
Kenji ran over to the vehicle in panic. Then he saw Ritsu, who had clearly prepared for this, climbing out from the passenger side while supporting the unconscious driver.
Although Ritsu's arm had been cut by the shattered glass, the injury wasn't serious. The driver, however, was in a far more dangerous condition.
Ritsu quickly told Kenji to call an ambulance and provide the exact location.
At the same time, he began administering first aid. He carried the driver a safe distance away from the truck and laid him flat on his back to ease the symptoms caused by the heart attack.
Next came chest compressions.
Using CPR to restart the man's heartbeat, Ritsu continued until the rhythm returned to something closer to normal.
Just then, the ambulance that had been called earlier arrived at the scene.
After briefly explaining the situation, one of the medical staff smiled and said, "Your first aid was excellent. Leave the rest to us."
"Doctor, please take him to the hospital to disinfect his wounds as well!"
"Hm? You're injured too. Hurry and get in."
Ritsu felt his wound wasn't serious and tried to refuse, but Kenji pushed him straight into the ambulance.
So he obediently sat down and was taken to the nearby Fuchu City General Hospital for treatment.
After getting out of the ambulance, he walked into the emergency department on his own. The one responsible for disinfecting his wound was a young female doctor. Judging from the badge on her chest, she was still an intern.
The moment she saw Ritsu, she instantly switched into "kind big sister" mode, comforting him not to be afraid while telling him it might hurt a little.
…He wasn't a child.
And injuries like this were nothing new. Back when he used to get into fights as a kid, things like this were practically routine.
"Sasajima-kun, your hands are very beautiful. Your fingers are so long…"
"…Are they?"
"Yes! They'd be perfect for a surgeon," she said while rinsing the dried blood from the wound with hydrogen peroxide. After carefully checking that no glass fragments remained, she disinfected the wound with iodine.
The cut wasn't deep enough to require stitches. The doctor wrapped it with sterilized gauze, then glanced at Ritsu, who was staring expressionlessly at his wound.
"You really have a high pain tolerance. Disinfecting wounds like this usually hurts a lot. Um… Sasajima-kun, may I ask something a bit personal? Do you have a girlfriend?"
"…"
The question had absolutely nothing to do with the previous topic. Ritsu had no idea how this talkative intern had arrived at that line of inquiry.
"No."
Noticing her eyes suddenly light up, he immediately added.
"At this stage, I have no plans regarding that."
"I see…"
Her expression dimmed slightly. After checking that the bandage was secure, she gave him some instructions.
"Don't let the wound touch water for the next twenty-four hours to prevent infection. If there's any discharge, remember to change the gauze frequently. Once it scabs over, you won't need the bandage anymore."
"Try to keep your diet light for the next few days. Avoid irritating foods like spicy dishes. Drink plenty of water, don't stay up too late, and make sure you get enough sleep. Understood?"
"Mm."
"Oh, wait. You also have a cut on your finger. Let me disinfect it with alcohol and wrap it with a bandage. Sit still."
"Okay."
After wrapping two fingers on his left hand together with bandages, the doctor said, "I have to go take care of other patients now. Goodbye, Sasajima-kun."
"Goodbye."
When Ritsu stepped out of the emergency department, he immediately noticed Hiro and Wataru waiting outside.
Seeing him emerge, Hiro hurried over.
"How is it? Is your hand okay?"
"Don't worry. The cut is shallow, it should heal in a few days."
"That's good. But Kenji and the others weren't so lucky."
"?"
Wataru chuckled with a toothpick between his teeth.
"They got caught by Instructor Onizuka for damaging the car. They're fully responsible for the sports car's repair costs and they also have to work in the cafeteria washing dishes for a day!"
"If it's the repair cost, I can pay for it. But washing dishes… my wound can't get wet."
"Hahaha! Of course an injured person doesn't have to do manual labor! But the power of money? We'll be counting on you for that~"
"The power of money," huh…
That phrase somehow hit Hiro's strange sense of humor, making him burst out laughing.