Net King Whale Fall

Having been lying down for a long time, when Atobe Keigo suddenly got up, he felt a blur before his eyes and almost lost his balance.

Sanada Rin grabbed Atobe Keigo's arm. She wanted to ask if he was really alright, but she swallowed the words back. He wouldn't want to hear them.

Atobe Keigo's expression changed slightly, and he fell into an eerie silence.

Sanada Rei felt that continuing in silence was not a good thing, and she didn't like this kind of guessing game where no one was saying a word.

Sanada Rin took the initiative and said, "Would you like to sit down and have a proper chat, Keigo?"

Atobe Keigo's breathing became heavier. "Okay."

The two sat on either side of the sofa.

Even now, Sanada Rin is still somewhat puzzled; she simply can't understand why Atobe Keigo would be so angry this time.

"You've been acting strange ever since we came back from the snow mountain. Why, Keigo?"

Why? A bitter smile crept across Atobe Keigo's lips. What other reason could there be?

Atobe Keigo couldn't help but retort, "You really don't know?"

Sanada Rin thought for a moment, then reached out, revealing the mechanical watch on her wrist. "Because of it?"

“There’s a locator inside, which I didn’t tell you about because I didn’t think it was important.”

Atobe Keigo felt a sharp pain in his eyes. "The locator isn't important, the voice-activated armband isn't important, so what is important, what's worth telling me?"

Sanada Rin paused for a moment and said, "But this is just a locator. Don't you have a locator on you when you travel? It has the same function."

Atobe Keigo smiled wryly, "These are completely different." They are two entirely different concepts.

The tracking device on him was specially prepared by his parents in case he was kidnapped while he was away; most scions of wealthy families have one.

The locator on Sanada Ryou's watch is shared with Kudo Shinichi, and only the two of them can see the shared location.

Atobe Keigo looked at Sanada Rei's calm yet slightly puzzled expression, and felt a slight pang in his heart. What he was afraid of was that she really didn't think there was anything wrong.

It made Atobe Keigo seem petty, fussing over trivial matters.

Sanada Rin thought for a moment, then realized it wasn't the locator. "Is it because of Shinichi Kudo? What else did you talk about that day? His situation is rather complicated."

When Atobe Keigo heard the name Kudo Shinichi, his mind went blank, as if a steel needle had pierced the back of his head, and he even found it hard to breathe.

Atobe Keigo lost his composure and stood up abruptly. "Could you please stop mentioning his name?"

"Why does Shinichi Kudo always have to be between us?!"

“I don’t want to know about him, and I’m not interested in his situation.”

Sanada Rei was startled for a moment, "You..."

She truly hadn't expected that Atobe Keigo would have such a strong reaction to just one name.

Atobe Keigo's chest heaved, his eyes reddening. "I know I'm late. He's been by your side from the very beginning."

“I know that you two are always together when we’re on a case. He can follow your train of thought and knows what you want to do.”

“I know you have countless topics to discuss in depth, but you’ve excluded me.”

“I know that every time you have an accident, every time you are hospitalized, he is the first person to appear and stay by your side.”

"I also know that in a life-or-death situation, the only one who can pull you back from the brink of death is Shinichi Kudo."

Atobe Keigo turned his face away, quickly wiping his face with his fingers. "But you, you've never told me that on your own initiative, not even once."

"Isn't this important enough? Isn't it enough for me to care about?" "Put yourself in my shoes. If I had a friend of the opposite sex like this, wouldn't you be angry or bothered at all?"

Sanada Rin took a long time to process what Atobe Keigo was saying. She rubbed her fingers together and said cautiously, "He should be considered my older brother."

Atobe Keigo smirked, "You might as well not have said anything at all."

What kind of older brother? The kind with no blood relation?
Sanada Rin only knew that they didn't get along, but she never thought about it deeply, so she didn't know that Atobe Keigo's resentment was so deep.

Atobe Keigo looked into Sanada Rin's eyes and said, word by word, "You subconsciously excluded me from your world."

"In that world, there is you, there is Shinichi Kudo, and even there is Dai, but there is no me."

“Every time, whenever Shinichi Kudo is around, do you still think I'm in your way and shouldn't be there?”

Upon hearing this, Sanada Rei immediately replied, "No."

But Atobe Keigo showed no joy. He slumped back down and said, “The bond between you and Kudo Shinichi is very deep, so deep that I dare not even think about it.”

"But what else could I do? I was too late, and every step after that was too late."

"We met for the first time, and you were interested in him and asked for his contact information, but you avoided me like the plague."

"You are sworn brothers, you trust each other completely, and you can entrust your backs to each other."

"And what am I? Just something to amuse you when you're bored?"

"Keigo!"

The last sentence is clear: "I have never had such a thought, so don't overthink it."

Saying all this was exhausting. Atobe Keigo leaned back on the sofa and covered his eyes with his hand.

Sanada Rin moved to a different spot, leaning against Atobe Keigo, and took his other hand in hers. “I’m with you because I like you. I’ve been serious from the beginning and my feelings have never changed.”

"The case is my job, but you are my life, and you are equally important."

"I can't live without a job, and I can't live without you."

Atobe Keigo's eyes were red as he stared at Sanada Rei without saying a word.

A slight tremor ran through a corner of Sanada Rei's heart. She pulled her wandering thoughts back and locked them in place. Stop! She couldn't stray from the topic at this moment.

Sanada Rei looked up and kissed him twice on the lips. "Don't be angry."

Atobe Keigo's hands clenched uncontrollably at his sides as he asked, almost self-destructively, "When you kissed me first, was it simply because you liked me and wanted to be close to me?"

"Or is it that you don't want to explain any further in order to interrupt me and stop me from asking further questions?"

Sanada Rin was a little flustered. How should I put it? Sometimes, when the emotions and mood are right, a kiss is a natural progression, right?

But sometimes, Sanada Rin really didn't want Atobe Keigo to keep asking. She knew this trick was effective, so she kept using it without changing it.

Sanada Rin didn't say anything, but Atobe Keigo already understood the answer from her silence.

Atobe Keigo didn't know whether to cry or laugh for a moment.

He truly loved her.

It really hurt.

"Could you give me some time?" (End of Chapter)