Chapter Text
Kaipo holds BamBam tightly to her chest, looking at the six new people with apprehension. They look back at her with varying emotions. She notices how…different they look from most people.
Especially the blonde with short hair and the black-haired girl with a long ahoge.
A little scared and very anxious, Kaipo hides behind Yosano, her head poking out slightly, a small frown on her face. She gently tugs the doctor’s skirt to get her attention, “You never said that so many people would be here…”
Yosano kneels to match Kaipo’s short height, “Sorry I didn’t tell you about that…I bet you’re nervous about meeting so many people, right?” She smiles kindly, “But you don’t need to worry…they’re all very nice people and they’ll treat you well.”
“Really?” The child asks, innocently blinking a couple of times. “...can I meet them one by one?” She’ll get overwhelmed if she talks to too many people at once. “Or…is that going to be tough?” Kaipo adds on as she notices Yosano’s uncertain expression.
“Well…that might be difficult, but I’ll try to introduce you to them one by one,” She says, trying to accommodate the kid’s notable anxiety. “Oh, what’s your name? I just realised that you didn’t tell me.”
Hesitantly, she answers, “Kaipo.”
“Kaipo?” Yosano echoes, slightly puzzled by the singular foreign name. However, she shakes it off, offering a gloved hand to the child again. “Are you ready or do you want to wait a little longer?”
Looking behind the doctor, she observes the people in the room, stalling. They’re working at the various desks scattered around, and despite how busy they seem…she can’t help how she notices some of them taking the occasional glance towards her.
“I…” She looks down at BamBam for guidance, his button eyes full of warmth and encouragement she hasn’t seen from anyone else. “After…” Kaipo swallows, “After you’re done introducing me to everyone…are you going to ask me questions?”
Magenta eyes blink, surprised and a little impressed at how she managed to predict the Agency’s intentions. “Yes,” Yosano confirms hesitantly, “but we only want to know about your family situation and how you ended up where you were.”
“That’s it?” Kaipo tilts her head, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion. What does that word mean anyway…”family”? Yosano talks about it like she should know what it means…but she doesn’t. However, the doctor doesn’t know that and Kaipo isn’t keen on letting her know just how little she knows.
“That’s it,” Nodding, Yosano confirms and the child searches magenta eyes for hints of a lie.
“...you’re hiding something.” She calls her out.
Again, Yosano is taken aback by how perceptive this little kid is. It’s…abnormal. “You’re clever, you know that?” Grinning, she retracts her hand.
Kaipo doesn’t answer, her eyes only narrowing further.
“I am hiding something,” Yosano admits. “But it’s nothing bad, I promise.” Holding her hands up, she does her best to reassure the girl. “We are going to ask more questions about you depending on your answers. They may get a little invasive.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?” Kaipo sighs, slightly exasperated, a small pout gracing her face. “Then you wouldn’t have been hiding anything and I wouldn’t have been doubting your intentions.”
Covering her mouth with her hand, Yosano turns her head away as she chuckles. “My apologies,” She says once she’s done laughing, facing the girl once more, “You seemed a little apprehensive about answering our questions and I just wanted to let you know that it would be nothing too intrusive.”
“So you were trying to reassure me?” Blinking, Kaipo is a little taken aback before her neutral face transforms into a small frown. “To disarm me?” Yosano doesn’t seem like the person who would sugar-coat her words, however, appearances can be deceiving and the small girl has firsthand experience falling victim to someone who was faking their words.
“Not disarm you,” The doctor is quick to assure Kaipo. “I was trying to comfort you…I don’t want you to be tense and anxious, or wary of the people here. We all want the best for you, okay?” She says kindly. “I’m sorry that I phrased my explanation the way I did, okay? I’ll be straightforward with you from now on.” Promising, Yosano gives the child an encouraging smile, closing her eyes.
Light brown eyes widening, Kaipo gazes at the doctor, her breath catching in her throat. Never…never has she heard an adult apologise before. It was always her apologising for her mistakes…
Swallowing, she looks down at her bandaged feet, holding BamBam close, her hands squeezing him tightly. “...okay.” She agrees softly. A moment of silence passes between the child and the doctor. “Thank you,” Kaipo quietly adds following a few seconds of trying to gather her thoughts that have been scattered to the winds after Yosano’s surprise apology.
The older woman’s eyes soften at the gratitude she’s shown. “Of course.”
“I think I’m ready to meet everyone,” Kaipo takes a deep breath after her admission, her grip tightening on the panda she holds dear.
“Okay,” Yosano agrees, nodding. She holds out her hand for the young girl to take if she wants. After staring at it for a few seconds, Kaipo apprehensively takes hold of it. The gesture makes the doctor smile gently. “Do you have anyone in particular you want to start with?” She asks softly, turning her head to look at the various people doing various activities around the large room.
Mimicking her, Kaipo does the same, observing the members of the Armed Detective Agency.
A short brown-haired guy is eating some unknown object. A blonde, tall man holding a notebook is arguing with a tall, brown-haired guy and someone else with a horrid hairstyle but beautiful eyes sweatdrops at their interaction. Behind them, the odd-looking girl is holding another unknown object and seems to be eating it happily despite there being no smile on her face. Finally, another blonde-haired boy is writing something down.
He…seems the calmest.
“Him,” Kaipo points at the blonde-haired boy.
“Ah,” Yosano chuckles slightly, standing up to her full height and brushing off her skirt with her free hand, her other still holding onto Kaipo’s. “I can’t say that I’m surprised. Kenji-kun always has an aura that draws people to him.”
“...” What does aura mean? Again, she comes across a word that she doesn’t know, but she doesn’t ask the doctor what it means, as that would show that she doesn’t know something she should. “Kenji-kun..?” She echoes instead.
“That’s his name,” The older woman informs the child, gently leading her over to Kenji-kun, who looks up when they approach him, blinking.
“Yosano-sensei,” He greets her cheerfully, a bright smile on his face as he looks at the woman and her smaller companion. “I see you’re up and about!” Kenji-kun notes to Kaipo, causing the small girl to hold BamBam closer. However, she relaxes as she reads his face, her posture slightly easing as she nods.
“I’m Miyazawa Kenji,” He introduces himself, getting up from his desk to get closer to the two, squatting so he’s at eye-level with her. “What’s your name?”
“Kaipo,” She replies, frowning. It’s…strange how both Yosano and him said two names…which one is she supposed to use? Swallowing nervously, she looks between the two, confused, before she decides to voice the source of her perplexion. “Uhm…both you and her gave me two names…which ones do you want me to use?” She blinks, slightly worried they may think she’s odd for asking this. How come they both have two names? Is that normal? It must be…for it to happen twice.
…
Why doesn’t she have two names?
Miyazawa Kenji and Yosano exchange looks before the former speaks up, “Well, you can call me Kenji!” He says cheerfully, smiling.
“And Yosano, for me.” The doctor adds on.
“Okay…” Her frown is still present. “How come you both have two names then? And why did Yosano call you ‘Kenji-kun’?” Kaipo is still confused and slightly anxious. Is this some secret that everyone knows except her?
Her anxiety only grows when she notices how the two look at each other again. Since the bottom of their faces aren’t covered like she’s used to, she can see their emotions…though she isn’t good at discerning them.
“Do you…not know what surnames are?” Yosano asks gently.
“Is…it a bad thing if I don’t?” Kaipo mumbles anxiously, looking down and holding BamBam close for comfort. She messed up in letting them know that…she shouldn’t have said anything.
Kenji and Yosano exchange another look before the latter speaks again, “Well, it certainly raises a few questions…but we can wait until you’ve met everyone before we ask you, okay?”
Swallowing, Kaipo looks up and nods at the both of them. “O- Okay…” She agrees, still nervous about her lack of knowledge.
“As for your second question, ‘-kun’ is a Japanese honorific usually used on people you’re friends with, and it’s more masculine,” Kenji explains, his cheerful voice and demeanour making the child relax. “There’s different honorifics to address different people depending on your relationship to them,” He elaborates, grinning. “You can ask me about them later if you want! I don’t mind teaching you about them.”
“I…would like that,” Kaipo mumbles, her brown eyes darting up towards him before looking down. “It was…nice to meet you, Kenji.”
“You too, Kaipo!” He exclaims, still wearing that bright smile. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me, okay?”
She nods, then immediately asks him a question, “Why…why are you and that girl over there,” she points to the dark-haired girl eating an unknown food, “different from everyone else?”
He seems a little confused by her question, slightly tilting his head before he understands, “Oh! You must mean our ages! Kyouka-chan and I are younger than everyone else here in the Agency. We’re both fourteen years old,” He explains. “Hopefully that answers your question!”
“-chan” must be another honorific, Kaipo deduces.
As he states that he and the girl -Kyouka- are fourteen, she hums thoughtfully. That’s why she feels drawn towards those two the most; they’re around her age, after all.
“Thank you, Kenji.” She blinks at him before turning to Yosano, who’s watching their conversation with a small smile. “Yosano..?”
“Yes?” She asks, looking down at Kaipo as Kenji stands up from his squat, stretching out his body. “Are you ready to move to the next person?”
The kid nods, “I’d like that.”
“It was nice meeting you, Kaipo-chan!” Kenji waves goodbye and she hesitantly mimics him, unsure of what he’s doing, but going along with it.
“Uh…you as well…” She mumbles awkwardly, watching Kenji as he gets back to writing something out.
“Do you know who you want to meet next?” Yosano asks Kaipo, ensuring the girl knows she’s free to do what she wants next.
“Uhm…” Looking around, Kaipo observes the room again, noting how the blonde man and the tall, brown-haired guy stopped arguing and how Kyouka is talking to the man with the bad hairstyle. The other brown-haired guy is laying his head down on his desk, eating another unknown food, and staring off into space. “Him,” she points to the short brown-haired man.
Yosano nods and walks over to him, gently leading Kaipo along by the hand. “Ranpo,” She greets him, a smile on her face.
“Ah, Akiko?” The man stretches and sits up, swivelling his chair in the direction of the two. “This must be the kid the president mentioned, hm?” He looks down at Kaipo with closed eyes. “...She looks young for being out on the streets. How old did you say she is?” He turns to Yosano.
“I haven’t asked her, since Fukuzawa-san and I decided to wait until she’s done meeting everyone before we ask her questions.” The doctor explains.
“Okay,” Ranpo glances at Kaipo again, his eyes open this time. “She looks about five or six.”
“I’m six.” She confirms his suspicions before turning to Yosano. “Is he the intelligent person who helped you?” Light brown eyes give away her curiosity, and once again, the woman is surprised by the child’s perceptiveness, especially since she’s quite young.
“He is,” She nods, an impressed smile on her face. “How’d you figure that out?”
“Your first name,” Kaipo says, “he called you by it. From what I’ve gathered, people usually call others by their surname and they normally only use first names when they feel comfortable…or they’re close to that person.” She explains. Not to mention how she feels Yosano relax around him; it’s obvious that the two are close. Also, despite his lazy demeanour, she can see that he’s intelligent…perhaps more intelligent than anyone she’s met before. Yosano mentioned that the person who helped her was a “very intelligent boy”. She figured could be wrong (before the doctor’s confirmation), but her hunches are rarely incorrect.
“Oh, good,” Ranpo sighs in relief, grinning. “She’s not dumb. I don’t know what I’d do if the president took in a stupid kid."
Yosano simply gives him a half-exasperated, half-amused look before turning to look at the girl again. “That’s high praise coming from him, so you should be proud.”
Ranpo laughs, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees as he stares at her. “I’m Edogawa Ranpo, the greatest detective in the world!” He announces proudly. “You should be honoured to be in my presence, Young Child!”
“I’m Kaipo. What’s a detective?” She asks bluntly. “Earlier, Yosano mentioned that we’re in the Armed Detective Agency. What’s that as well?”
He looks at her, taken aback. “How…how can you be so perceptive…yet so dumb?”
Oh…does that mean he takes back what he said earlier about her not being stupid?
“Never mind, I bet you’re just…” He glances at her up and down, his green eyes scanning her, observing her, “Well, I’m not saying anything now.” Leaning back in his chair, he sucks on a shiny sphere attached to a stick.
“...” She frowns, turning to Yosano, who answers her questions.
“A detective is someone who solves crimes, like murders, or kidnapping cases.” The doctor explains, “We do that here, as well, but we’re different from most other Agencies.”
“Different how?” Kaipo questions.
This time it’s Ranpo who answers her question, “We all have abilities.” He says bluntly. “I’m going to assume that you don’t know what they are.” Kaipo stays silent and he takes that as a confirmation that he’s right. “Abilities are supernatural powers, in a way. For example, my Ultra Deduction allows me to know all evidence of a crime, how to find it, the culprit, and how to get the culprit to confess.” He explains.
“My ability,” Yosano chimes in, “lets me heal all external wounds in a person, as long as they’re fatal.”
Kaipo makes a small sound of amazement, “What’s yours called?”
“Thou Shalt Not Die.”
“Pretty…” She mumbles.
Ranpo, wanting to show off, says, “It’s not as cool as my Ultra Deduction, but it is impressive, I guess.”
“So…the Armed Detective Agency…is named the way it is because you guys…have abilities and you solve crime?” She tilts her head.
“Not just any crime,” the detective corrects her, “we solve cases that the police find too difficult to handle, or we can be hired for a case as private investigators. Sometimes, we’re even used as bodyguards.”
“Huh…” Kaipo mumbles thoughtfully.
She…didn’t know that there were others with abilities…she thought she was the only one…
But they can’t know that…she doesn’t know what they’ll do if they figure out her ability. Kaipo doesn’t want a repeat of what happened last time…
After a few seconds of deliberating silently with BamBam, she decides to keep her ability hidden for now.
“What’s Kenji’s ability?” She asks, drawing attention away from how she went quiet for a bit.
“His is called Undefeated By The Rain and it grants him super strength and somewhat invulnerability when he’s hungry,” Yosano explains, causing Kaipo to glance back at the blonde she met not too long ago in slight admiration.
“But my Ultra Deduction is better,” Ranpo calls the attention back on himself.
“It is,” Yosano agrees, humouring him.
“What…what about the others?” Kaipo wonders out loud.
“I’m sure you’ll get to that when you meet them,” he dismisses her question with a wave of his hand.
She frowns at him, her eyes narrowing slightly before she sighs and nods, “I…suppose that makes sense.” The best explanation for someone’s ability should come straight from the source…and Kaipo would be lying if she said that she isn’t curious about the others…and how their abilities match up to hers.
“So do you want me to call you Ranpo or Edogawa?” She tilts her head, slightly confused.
“Ranpo’s fine,” He grins leaning forward, getting closer to Kaipo, “You better not forget my name!”
“I’m…sure I won’t,” Not just because he’s the greatest detective in the world…but because he’s a threat. For that moment when he opened his eyes and gazed into her own, she could see the intellect behind them. She knows full well not to underestimate him. Mistakes or slip-ups cannot be made around this man, for he’ll figure her out and expose her.
After turning away from him, she tugs on the doctor’s skirt. “Yosano..? Can we move on to the next person, please?”
“Why not? I’m sure you’re just dying to see everyone’s abilities, huh?” She teases the young girl, giggling.
While she is correct…it’s for the wrong reasons. Kaipo wants information on the other's abilities in case of a fight, a time when she needs to use that knowledge to her advantage or to compare her ability to theirs.
“I’d like to see…those two,” Feeling more confident, Kaipo picks out the next people she’s interested in meeting: the boy with the bad hairstyle, and Kyouka.
“You want to meet them at the same time?” Yosano asks, making sure that the child is sure before they go over to them.
“I’ll…be fine.” Hopefully.
Kaipo turns to Ranpo, “You’re interesting,” she states bluntly, “it was nice to meet you.”
“Same to you!” He smiles widely, his mouth still full of that unknown object on a stick.
With that, Yosano leads her over to the boy with pretty eyes, and his companion, Kyouka. The two look up from talking to each other as they sense the doctor and the kid approaching.
There’s a moment of silence between the four, as no one seems to know what to say.
Kyouka ends up breaking the silence, “Do you like pandas?”
Staring back at her, Kaipo nods. “I do.” She holds up her stuffed animal, showing him to the older girl. “His name is BamBam.”
“BamBam is a good name,” Kyouka nods.
“I know,” Kaipo responds.
Despite their…odd and seemingly basic conversation, there’s a level of mutual understanding between the two girls that’s hard to come by with most people.
They both have/had the eyes of a lost child…only Kyouka found her place and her eyes are much shinier and full of hope compared to Kaipo’s, whose dull eyes don’t have any light.
“BamBam is indeed a cute name!” The guy with the bad hairstyle chimes in, laughing awkwardly. “Why’d you name him that?”
Looking up at the new person, she hugs her companion close to her chest once more as she explains, “Well…pandas eat bamboo…and naming him BooBoo sounds weird.” It’s a creative way for a young child to name her stuffed animal…most children would have come up with a basic name, such as “Pandy”.
It makes Yosano narrow her eyes a little. This child…certainly isn’t a normal child. With the way she acts and how she doesn’t understand certain things, the doctor arrives at a conclusion that she doesn’t like…especially considering what she was wearing when she first laid eyes on her.
“Wow! Really?” Smiling, the boy with pretty eyes compliments Kaipo, “That’s a very interesting way of naming him!”
“Thank you,” She nods in acknowledgement. “...What are your names?” She asks the two, turning her head to look between them. “Kenji...said that your name is Kyouka, right?” Blinking at the dark-haired girl, she waits for confirmation.
“Yes, that’s right.” Kyouka nods, confirming her name. “I’m Izumi Kyouka, but you can call me by my first name. I don’t mind.”
“Ah, I’m Nakajima Atsushi! The same applies to me,” He bows politely in the kid’s direction and she blinks at him, slightly confused, but mimicking his action.
“My name is…Kaipo. It’s nice to meet both of you,” Standing up straight, she hugs BamBam close to her, feeling a wave of anxiety come over her for a moment before it soothes out. “What are your abilities?” She asks curiously, tilting her head.
Atsushi replies first, “Mine is called Beast Beneath the Moonlight and it lets me transform into a tiger!” He grins, laughing sheepishly. “But it’s not as impressive as everyone else’s abilities.”
“Ooo…” She makes a small sound of amazement, looking into his eyes. “That…must be…” Picturing a large tiger in her head, she makes another small, impressed noise. “Do you let people ride on your back?” Kaipo asks curiously.
“Unfortunately, he doesn’t.” Someone sighs dramatically and the child looks towards the new voice. It’s the tall brown-haired man who was arguing with the tall, blonde guy earlier.
“D- Dazai-san!” Atsushi flushes, “I’m not some ride you find in a carnival!”
“You could make a pretty penny at kid’s birthday parties, though.” Dazai sticks his tongue out at the were-tiger.
“He’s not wrong, Atsushi.” Yosano giggles, covering her mouth as her eyes narrow slightly in amusement at the idea of the orphan in his tiger form giving rides to young children. “Just imagine the money you could make~”
At the sound of money, he seems hesitant, but his pride gets the better of him and he continues to protest Dazai’s suggestion to both of them.
A tap on Kaipo’s shoulder brings her attention to who touched her: Kyouka. “You asked me my ability. It’s called Demon Snow and it protects me.” She explains.
“Oh, that’s interesting…does it protect you from anything?” Kaipo asks curiously, wanting to know more about this ability.
“It used to work only when someone gave orders through this cell phone,” She pulls out a strange device hanging from a string around her neck and she shows it to the other girl. “But after I passed my entrance exam and joined the Agency, the president’s ability activated and I can control Demon Snow better now.” Kyouka looks down at the cell phone, “I still need more practise though.”
Kaipo’s attention is drawn away from the black-haired girl when she hears someone smack someone else. Looking behind her, she focuses on the tall, blonde-haired man punching Dazai in the face, “Didn’t you listen to Yosano-sensei?! She said to not talk to the girl until she chooses to talk to us! Are you trying to mess up my schedule?!”
Dazai only makes a small, dazed sound in response, his eyes spinning around. “I couldn’t not give my insight to that question, though~” He whines.
The small girl blinks at the interaction. “...This looks normal,” she looks in Yosano’s direction, “For you guys, at least.”
“It is. Kunikida-san tends to take his schedules and ideals very seriously.” The doctor smiles in their direction, though…her smile seems dangerous. “Boys~ I suggest you stop fooling around with Kaipo-chan here watching before I take some action.”
The two immediately stop what they’re doing. Kunikida straightens and pushes his glasses up his nose. Dazai sits up and smiles apologetically, “My apologies, Yosano-sensei~”
“You better be,” She grins, before placing her hand on the Kaipo’s back. “Now you two better introduce yourselves to our guest.”
“I offer you my apologies, Yosano-sensei.” Kunikida bows deeply before turning to the girl. “My name is Kunikida Doppo. It’s nice to meet you, Kaipo-san.” He smiles at her, though…it’s quite the strict smile.
However, the young girl can tell that he’s trying his best and she nods politely at him. “Yes, you as well.”
“You’re very articulate for a child,” Dazai hums thoughtfully at Kaipo before grinning. “I’m Dazai. Dazai Osamu.”
“And…you two have abilities as well..?” She asks them, tilting her head, her eyes narrowing at Dazai. Kaipo…feels a sense of kinship with him…but she doesn’t know how to feel about it. Despite that, she can tell that he’s the dangerous type, just like Ranpo.
“Indeed~ Everyone you’ve met has abilities!” Dazai exclaims, smiling widely. He’s lying…but Kaipo feels like pressing him for answers is a bad idea. So, for now, she’ll pretend like she doesn’t know he’s lying.
“Mine is called The Matchless Poet and it lets me create objects from my notebook, as long as it’s smaller than the notebook itself.” Kunikida holds up his notebook, making Kaipo observe it curiously.
“...anything? There’s no limits?” She sounds a bit sceptical but impressed at his ability nonetheless.
“Indeed, anything, as long as it’s smaller than the notebook.”
“Huh,” Kaipo hums thoughtfully.
“Man~ after that you just might think that my ability is the lamest thing ever!” Dazai sighs dramatically, causing the kid to tilt her head and stare at him curiously with her dull eyes. “You’re still curious, huh? Well, I don’t blame a kid like you for feeling that way! My ability is No Longer Human, and it lets me null other abilities on touch.” He can sense her growing question, so before she can ask him, he answers, “And yes, there are no exceptions, unless it’s not an ability.”
So he can nullify her ability…all the more reason to be careful around him.
“So, do you have any questions for us, before it's our turn to ask you questions?” Yosano asks Kaipo, causing the young girl to look over at the doctor.
She thinks for a moment, taking in all the conversations and interactions she's had with everyone. Does she have any questions..? What questions can she ask without sounding suspicious?
In the end, she shakes her head. “No, I…don't have any questions for you guys.”
“Well then~ let's start with the questioning!” Ranpo comes over, propping himself up on the desk.
Everyone perks up slightly and Kaipo frowns, narrowing her eyes as she takes a step back. “You…said that you just wanted to know more about how I got where I was found…right?” She double-checks.
“That depends,” Ranpo smiles, the white stick hanging out of his mouth gone, “on what you say.” His eyes open and intelligent green eyes narrow at her, observing every little movement she makes.
“Now, now~ don't make the girl too uncomfortable, Ranpo-kun!” Dazai smiles, rolling his chair forward, until he's closer to Kaipo, enough to make her back away, into Yosano's skirt. “You might scare her off.”
The doctor places her hands on the girl’s shoulders as the rest of the Agency members surround them. “You look too intimidating,” she scolds them all. “I mean…she's scared stiff.”
“I'm not scared,” Kaipo protests, frowning, as she holds BamBam closer to her. The young girl backs away from Yosano until she has her personal space.
“You look like you're scared,” Kunikida points out, pushing his glasses up his nose bridge.
“...let's just get this over with.” She huffs, anxious and slightly frustrated.
“Y’know, we’re not some do-gooders who help random kids down on their luck,” Ranpo explains. “Our original plan was to figure out your home situation before sending you to an orphanage or whatever.” His eyes narrow and open and he stares at her, his gaze calculating. “But I realised that you most likely have a connection to a case we’re working on.”
“What…connection?” Kaipo frowns, staring at the detective.
He reaches into his inverted cape and searches for something before revealing a printed picture. Flipping it over, he reveals it to everyone present, including the young girl.
It’s a picture of a laboratory.
A familiar one, to Kaipo.
Taking a step back, her face twists in distress. “How did you know…”
“It’s obvious. Your intelligence for your age, not knowing basic things that everyone knows, the hospital gown you arrived in, the countless scars on your arms and legs that Akiko discovered when she cleaned your bandages,” Ranpo stares at her with his intelligent eyes as members of the Agency move stealthily behind her, to prevent escape, “you were a lab experiment, weren’t you?”