The Case of the Poisoned Latté Pt. 1

**The Case of the Poisoned Latté Pt. 1** (毒入りカフェラテ殺人事件①, *Doku-iri kaferate satsujin jiken ①*) is the 14th chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

Ron is drying out the futons when Toto visits, but Toto is surprised at how long even one section of mats that compose the "Floor of Sloth" is. Toto helps Ron in bringing and laying out the dried futon afterward. Ron says that he sometimes drops the futons when it is just him doing it.

Then, Toto gives out a long sigh, and Ron asks what is with the long face. Toto says that Ron has seemed weird ever since they came back from the Nandan Observatory, even if that said Ron has always been weird. Ron deflects saying maybe it is Toto who has gotten weird. Toto insists, saying he says some weird things. The boat that was carrying the killer from the observatory murders sank, and the entire crew went missing. Toto thinks it was the work of those who set Ron up, rather than an accident. Ron agrees without doubt: The ones who put the mark on his neck, the people involved in the Bloody Field Trip Case, also sunk the boat. Toto is highly concerned at how surprisingly calm Ron is about that, but Ron replies there is no use panicking about it, that he just needs to prepare himself and enjoy his daily life.

They move on to discussing a souvenir that got lost in Ron's suitcase, which is the reason Toto visited, to pick it up. The souvenir is for Amamiya, and Ron says she will like it. Later, when Toto hands it over, Amamiya just sets the souvenir onto a table and ignores it though.

Amamiya says she prepared a job for Toto, much to Toto's excitement. The job is not in his box, though, it is in the conference room. In conference room 3, is Chicory Monki, a reporter at Lime Weekly. Chicory admits being nervous and that she just got hired. Toto introduces himself, saying he could not divulge information on a case. But Chicory says she is there for Toto himself. The editorial department put Chicory in charge of the coming issue's "persons of note," and she chose to write about him. Toto could not believe this, but Chicory says she could not think anyone better, as Toto is the one who solved the Metropolitan Serial Drownings Case and the Hand Collector Killer Case.

Toto wonders how she knows, when they were not printed in the newspapers. Chicory says she loves him, explaining that she was involved in a kidnapping incident as a child, and a police detective solved the case and saved her. Since then detectives have been heroes to Chicory, and that led to her becoming a reporter. She is researching unsolved crimes and impossible crimes. Since Toto has been "solving" cases one after another with "magnificent deductions," Chicory says he is a hero among heroes and calls him her "god."

Toto, very aware that he cannot reveal the arrangement with Ron, asks if Chicory needs an interview. But she says she will accompany him for a day, was given permission, and is aware it is a rude request, and that being able to just meet him is inspiring. Toto, flustered, explains that he is not working on a case, but Chicory misunderstands, and beaming, thinks he is just on standby until a major case comes up.

Toto takes Chicory out, while Chicory happily gushes about experiencing the work of "a famous detective" firsthand, that in addition to investigating crime scenes, it is remarkable how much time he dedicates to organizing paperwork—not knowing that Toto's time is spent on it. Toto tries to shake Chicory off before she sees through him, and invites her for tea when he sees Pot Coffee, a nearby coffee shop.

As they are ordering hot cocoa and black iced coffee, however, the barista says they do not have that, saying the black is just brown sugar. Ron is the barista, introducing himself as Kamokyu Chasaku. Toto takes Ron aside why he has a false name and what he is doing there, which Chicory mistakes as being cautious and vigilant in Toto. Ron explains that he taught the coffee shop owner how to make his special brown sugar latté, and after that the owner said he wanted him to work a shift. He came to make the lattés and teach the other staff. When Toto notes he has a lot of free time, a looming Ron says it is because Toto would not bring him any cases.

Ron asks if Toto is on a date with the reporter, and explains how he knows: After entering the shop, Chicory's eyes went to the magazine rack before the menu. The trips of her dress shoes are scuffed so she runs in them a lot. She has a lot of business cards in her phone case. Toto is impressed, but also says that she misunderstood a lot of things.

Three girls then enter the coffee shop and are entertained by Ron, as they order three lattés. Meanwhile Ron arrives with the cocoa and black iced coffee, but Toto complains that his is pure brown sugar. Ron says does Toto think he would do that? He watered it down a little.

Afterward, Ron goes on to serve the three lattés, all with platypuses as the coffee art. Toto is impressed, and Ron just says that what is most important is feeling of uncovering the platypus buried in the latté. Meanwhile, one of the girls mistakes the platypus art as a "cute duck," to Ron's chagrin. Chicory takes a picture of Toto, then says she is grateful for such a valuable experience, and that she is very interested in the difficult cases and impossible crimes that he solved. Ron grits his teeth, hating that he was off, and did not catch that she was a crime reporter.

After a few moments Ron presents a gigantic cup (or bowl), saying it is a free sample of his brown sugar latté. Toto complains it is too big, that Ron could fit the whole platypus in the coffee art. Toto pulls Ron aside again, asking what he is playing at. Ron says that if Chicory is a crime reporter, she could be a valuable source of information for difficult cases, and that they should maintain a good relationship. All he could do is create a good atmosphere. Thus, Ron tells Chicory that he can make her some special curry. Chicory grumbles at him, though, telling Ron not to make more trouble for Officer Isshiki, as he is wasting Toto's precious time.

After that, one of the three girls—Julie—who ordered lattés drops to the floor, unconscious. Ron rushes over, telling Toto to call an ambulance, and the police. He says that it was poison.

Forensics tells Toto that they found a capsule with traces of cyanide in the cup of the girl who died. So Toto muses that Ron was right, it was not an accident, it was murder. Ron meanwhile had already lay beside the victim. But Chicory demands that Ron move away, saying a crime scene is a famous detective's battlefield, hence Officer Isshiki's turf. Chicory then gushes a little more about him, saying that while only a few journalists know about him, they know him as "the mega-famous detective" who has solved many difficult cases.

While Toto cringes, Ron just smiles and says that is reassuring, that a suspect like him can relax now. There are only three people who had a chance to put poison in Julie's coffee: Ron who made the latté, and the two girls who were sitting with the victim. The problem is who poisoned her and how they did it. But Chicory confidently says Officer Isshiki will solve the case magnificently, as Ron smiles and Toto panics.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Ron Kamonohashi
* Totomaru Isshiki
* Amamiya
* Chicory Monki
* Hayami
* Julie
* Tamada