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"I know you're integral to the Armed Detective agency, but do you really think you can stop me?" Nakahara Chuuya asked, not arrogantly but more than confidently, considering his track record, Ability and capabilities. He was a seasoned fighter, having fought his way through life for as long as he could remember and not having a single lingering loss soiling his reputation. He did not believe this lanky detective who looked like he couldn't lift a kitten without keeling over could put up a decent fight against him.
"But you've lost to Dazai before, haven't you?" Taunted Edogawa Ranpo, knowing just how to rile the ginger up to get the reaction he wanted. As he'd deduced, Chuuya's temper flared up in the blink of an eye, red engulfing him as an explosion of gravity crushed the concrete steps he was standing on, raising some dust into the air and making him glow eerily through it.
"Do you want to feel what it's like to be crushed by gravity?" The Executive questioned eerily, causing the hairs on everyone's necks to stand up on end. Even Ranpo would be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit intimidated. He knew the rumors about the younger man, he knew what he was capable of. If he wasn't careful, this could very well be his final resting place right here, right now. Thankfully, he had the best backup to help him deal with Nakahara Chuuya. Otherwise, if he fails here, should the gravity manipulator find it necessary, the Agency will be wiped out in a second.
"Nothing is impossible for a great detective," he said smugly and watched as the dubbed Mr Fancy Hat took off into the sky and hurled down like a meteor with what was nearly a deafening yell. Ranpo quickly whipped out the newest novel Poe had prepared for him, with a thousand characters and half as many villains, a riveting mystery that will no doubt keep them both busy for a while. This was Ranpo's best hope to help his colleagues as a non-combatant member and a less than ideal strategist for this war. With Dazai out of the picture, Ranpo knew they had little hope of properly predicting, let alone reacting to Dostoevsky's schemes and moves. Rescuing the President was top priority for the Detective; Yokohama will survive a change in leadership within the Mafia, as it has before.
The second Chuuya's fist came into contact with the novel, it lit up with yellow light that soon swallowed both men like they were never there to begin with. The Port Mafia members guarding the side entrance could only stare in confusion and fear as their strongest Ability user and martial artist was snatched from them by something as silly and as harmless-seeming as a book. Then they watched as a freaking raccoon ran up to the novel, turned to face them, blinked, and then just oh so casually fetched the book into its mouth. The mafioso protested but it was already running away, out of sight ...
Only to be caught by a bandaged hand, lifted from the ground by the scurf of its neck. "Pardon me, tanuki-san, but I do believe you have something of mine," the brunet said, taking the book out of the surprised animal's mouth. The surroundings immediately lit up again, but with a light of a different color. In a big, bright but far briefer flash of glacial blue, the novel spat out the world's greatest detective and the Port Mafia's gravity manipulator at Dazai Osamu's feet as he gently let go of the raccoon and even returned the novel to the shocked animal. He turned his attention to the shocked pairs of green and blue eyes and smiled with a wave. "Ya, Ranpo-san, slug. Miss me?"
"Dazai!?" Ranpo and Chuuya exclaimed, eyes wide and surprised.
"Where the hell have you been this whole time, huh!?" Chuuya, recovering first, demanded, jumping to his feet and grabbing his (former?) partner by the lapels of his coat to wrench him down, only to let go as though he'd been burned when Dazai let out a hiss of poin. "Oi, what the hell? Are you injured or some shit?!"
"Dazai, you should still be in the hospital!" Ranpo, also recovering from his shock, got up too and approached his fellow genius carefully, a severe frown on his face. "You've been shot a few hours ago! Heck, you should still be in surgery!"
"WHAT!?" Chuuya shrieked.
"What the hell are you doing here!?"
"I've heard you were making reckless decisions, so I knew I had to step in before you children burned Yokohama to the ground in your little spat," Dazai said through grit teeth, not a single hint of a smile in sight. His eyes looked cold and darker than night and Chuuya immediately stiffened as he realized the masks were off. Dazai was no longer playing around; he was serious and ready for business and a little shiver of anticipation traveled up Chuuya's spine as he recognized his partner in that look. "Ranpo-san, first of all, call everyone back. We will not be fighting the Port Mafia."
"Dazai-"
"Ranpo-san," the younger genius interrupted him with a slight narrowing of his eyes. The air around them suddenly felt a whole lot more chilled than before. "Call everyone back."
"The Port Mafia will not hesitate to retaliate against us," argued the green eyed man but Dazai just shook his head.
"They won't."
"You don't k-"
"They won't," came the sure insistence. He turned to Chuuya. "Tell everyone to cease fire. We will not be dancing to demon Fyodor's tune."
Chuuya took a moment to study his partner before nodding and bringing a hand up to his earpiece. "All forces, stand down. Don't attack the Agency. Be on standby for further orders." Almost immediately, Kouyou, Hirotsu and Higuchi were trying to get his attention, asking for an explanation and even Akutagawa commed in but Chuuya wasn't sure what yet to tell them. So he decided with an oversimplification of the current situation. "Dazai's taking over."
Not even a second later, all sounds of a live battle not far away quieted.
Ranpo's phone rang and he answered. He heard Yosano reporting to him the sudden lack of attack on their forces but he wasn't really listening. He was too focused on Soukoku having a silent stare-off before the shorter man sighed agitatedly and came closer to the brunet. In the blink of an eye, he'd rearranged Dazai's long limbs so he was taking most of the detective's weight on his injured side and Dazai sighed in relief. Then they started walking together up the stairs and into the Mori Corp building and Ranpo had no choice but to go after them, utterly confused about what was currently going on.
Together, the trio made it into a meeting room on the second floor, where they soon met up with the other Agency members who'd decided to attack the Mafia, escorted there by Akutagawa, in Kyouka's case, and Kouyou, in case of Yosano, Kenji and Tanizaki.
"You have some gal, lad," Kouyou said as she and everyone else sat down at the meeting table, frowning at the brunet who seemed paler than usual. Yosano herself was grimly refraining from telling Dazai he shouldn't be out of a hospital bed simply because it would not do to so openly reveal one of their own's weakness at the moment.
"Don't I always, Ane-san?" Dazai replied arily with a grin that was more threatening than easy-going, as one might have expected Dazai to act like in this situation, despite everything.
"You can't believe you can just walk in here and act like nothing's changed," the female Executive said sternly but Dazai only arched an eyebrow challengingly.
"Oh? So you'll break protocol, the long-standing orders your own Boss has issued in case of something happening to him that would put him out of commission?"
"We don't exactly need you to cure our Boss."
Dazai nodded agreeably. "That may be true, but in order to achieve that in your own way, you'd have to wipe out the Armed Detective Agency. And wiping out another organization with a skilled business permit issued by the Special Abilities Department would call for a revision of the Port Mafia's permit. With your recent bordering on human trafficking venue regarding Atsushi and the Guild and releasing a dangerous Ability user upon the city, it is very likely your permit would be revoked. And wouldn't that just be a pity?" Kouyou grimly stayed silent, knowing he was right, and Dazai nodded again. "Right, now that that's out of the way-"
"Dazai, if you don't mind," Yosano cut in. "Explain how the hell you got the Port Mafia to stop attacking us."
"I was just getting to that, Yosano-sensei," he assured. "You see, I've basically been in charge of the Mafia's army more or less since I was fifteen. I was the Mafia's main strategist for all that Mori-san was the Boss and had to okay any strategy I present unless it was an assignment given directly to me to complete from start to finish. From sixteen onward, I rarely had to ask for permission to do anything. Since I brought in over half of the Mafia's profit in the time I've been with them, contributing to what outsiders call 'Port Mafia's golden age', Mori-san brought about a 'law', let's call it: should anything happen to him that he is unable to lead for any amount of time, me as his right hand man was to step in as Boss until he's able to safely reclaim his duties, or simply henceforth in case of death. In case a situation just like this might come up. As such, effective immediately, until Mori-san is able to move about on his own again, I am the temporary Boss of the Port Mafia," he declared, leaning on his elbows, interlocking his fingers and leaning his chin on them. "Therefore, I propose we reestablish the alliance you lot let crumble so easily and take on Dostoevsky together. Neither side has the right resources to do this alone, for all that the Rats In The House Of The Dead is a relatively small organization. Too many will die if we don't unite forces, both our own and Yokohama's innocent civilian residents."
"How do we know we can trust them to uphold this truce and that they won't go for the President the second they find an opening?" Tanizaki asked, ignoring how offended Akutagawa, Kouyou and Chuuya were by the notion that they weren't trustworthy.
"Treason is swiftly punished in the Mafia, Tanizaki-kun," Dazai easily replied. "Anyone who steps out of line with direct orders issued will be biting the curb before they can blink." The assurance was cold and a lethal promise and the Agency members present had a hard time believing this was their goofy, lazy colleague. "The Port Mafia, the Armed Detective Agency and the Special Abilities Department are all part of the Tripartite system that governs Yokohama and the use of Abilities in this city," Dazai continued with a sigh, leaning back in his chair with a wince as it pulled on his stitches. "If the rumors we've all been hearing are true, demon Fyodor is taking us apart in order to more easily raze the city to the ground so reaching his goals will be simpler. Fighting among ourselves is only playing into his hands. Of course, so is letting our leaders die, therefore, we will work together to prevent this from happening. First of all, though, we will cease searching for the Ability user, effective immediately."
"What!?"
"You can't be serious, Dazai!"
"Lad, they have less than a day left!"
"And Dostoevsky already told us No Longer Human will be useless to stop this Ability-"
"And you believed him?" The acting Boss of the Mafia asked with an arched eyebrow. Ranpo stayed quiet, feeling like a chastised kid despite being older than Dazai. "It is true that in situations like these, the truth is far more devastating than any lie. However, little rats like Dostoevsky can't be trusted to be telling the truth," the suicidal man explained, closing his eyes mock serenely. "We will find the Rats' hideout, if only to take them out for the safety of Yokohama. However, we will not overly focus on finding the individual behind the Cannibalism Ability."
"And why is that?" Yosano asked and Dazai looked up to smile at her. It was all teeth, yet none of the wicked malice in it was directed at the woman.
"Because there is a way for No Longer Human to affect this Ability without finding the source."
Ranpo was the first to get it, green eyes growing wide. "Blood transfusion?" Dazai nodded. "Yes ... Yes, that could definitely work, right? Blood reaches everywhere, every organ, every micrometer of every tissue. And since it's Dazai-s blood-"
"And No Longer Human can be effective through a different medium as long as whatever it is is directly in contact with Dazai's skin," Chuuya continued.
"The blood could act as the connection! Dazai would just need to do a direct transfusion to one of them, or hell, even both, for a couple of minutes, just long enough for the blood cells to spread so No Longer Human can reach that parasite or whatever and nullify it!" Yosano finished, standing up in her excitement. "How didn't we think of that?"
"You guys don't exactly know the limits of No Longer Human," the Ability user of said Ability supplied with amusement. "As long as I am connected to the drip, No Longer Human will be able to do its thing and then we can focus on dealing with demon Fyodor and his lackeys without worrying about a time limit We can easily raid their hideout without concerning ourselves with the Ability user causing this beyond making sure he doesn't infect anyone else. Which is why I suggest we just let Chuuya go and deal with it. Gravity is all-encompasing and no matter where they're hiding, once it all collapses in on itself, they won't be able to survive."
Chuuya grinned a bloodthirsty baring of teeth at that. "Simple and effective. I like it."
Dazai rolled his eyes at him fondly but didn't rain on his parade. Just this once. "We'll focus on that after we make sure my method can indeed cure Fukuzawa-shachou and Mori-san. In the meantime, I'm expecting an informant of mine to deliver important intel on the Rats' HQ. I do believe the Guild has recently obtained the rumored about surveillance and facial recognition system, Eyes of God; we'll be reaching out to them regarding demon Fyodor's location. I'm sure Fitzgerald-san will be eager to pay back Dostoevsky for all the damage he's caused to the Guild ... What?" He asked as he noticed his colleagues all staring at him as though he's grown another head. The Port Mafia, however, were just sitting there and nodding, having gotten used to this level of fore-planning years ago where Dazai or even Mori were concerned.
"They're just not used to you being all serious, mackerel," Chuuya supplied when the Agency didn't answer. Akutagawa snorted at that, sneering at the offended looks the detectives shot his way. "So, when are we doing this?"
"Right now," Yosano insisted, speed walking over to Dazai and carefully helping him out of his seat. "We'll go get Lucy-san and the President. You lot prepare a decent ambulance, at the very least," she told the Executives and Akutagawa, who were extremely offended by that. Chuuya, however, stopped her from taking Dazai with her.
"He stays," he said firmly and Dazai nodded.
Yosano didn't argue.
"Besides, we have a pretty well set up infirmary here~ One of Mori-san's good contributions to the organization," Dazai said even as he started to lead the way towards wherever said infirmary was. "No one will stop you from leaving or coming back and no one will attack you when you come back with Shachou. Pick whoever you want besides the chibi as an escort if it will make you feel better. I'll be waiting."
"Is Dazai-san even well enough to give a transfusion right now?" Tanizaki asked as they followed the brunet's orders, only Yosano staying behind to prepare everything and keep an eye on the nullifier.
Ranpo had a grim set to his mouth as he replied. "He'll have to be. Hopefully, it won't take much blood or much time for the procedure to be a success. Especially since we don't even know if they have compatible blood groups."
"Dazai is actually O-," Kouyou, who was chosen to escort them as an Executive so no one would get any funny business but could be countered with Demon Snow should she try anything, casually supplied. At the questioning looks, she gave a long-suffering sigh. "All those even remotely close to Dazai back when he was in the Mafia had to know his blood type should he end up in a hospital due to either severe injuries from a mission or even training mishap or a failed attempt."
"O- is the most universal blood donor, right?" Tanizaki asked. "That's crazy convenient and a relief," he said with a sigh. Then he gave an awkward cough. "Uh, sorry for, you know, trying to kill you and your Boss."
Kouyou gave him an amused glance. "I suppose I ought to apologize as well. Though you have a lot of potential as an assassin."
"Thanks, though I think I'll stick to being a detective."
"Completely understandable."
00000
When there was a burst of glacial blue light that destroyed the intricate, shifting mandalas hovering over the two leaders' chests after only about a minute into the transfusion, everyone sighed in relief, knowing that No Longer Human had done it again. Moments later, just as Yosano finished taking out all the needles and patching up the small needle holes on all three men, Fukuzawa and Mori stirred awake.
"W-what's happening?" The elder of the two asked, looking around and letting out an Oof when Ranpo practically jumped on him in relief of seeing him awake again and on the road of recovery.
"Dazai-kun?" Mori, just as confused, immediately noticed the abnormality in his everyday life and Dazai just waved sarcastically at the former doctor. It didn't take long for Mori to understand what had happened. "Ah, it seems we owe you quite a bit, Dazai-kun."
"You say that as though you don't owe me everything you have now, but I'll let it slide this time," Dazai, being a little shit, said sarcastically but Mori only chuckled at how little his former right hand man had changed. Then he frowned as he noticed how unwell Dazai looked. Dazai, of course, noticed this and gave another sarcastic remark. "We match." He pointed to his abdomen and Mori immediately tried to sit up, practically on instinct, to look at the wound but Yosano took great pleasure in slapping him back into his cot. He gaped up at her but she said nothing, instead checking over Fukuzawa to see if there were any lingering side effects they should be on the lookout for.
"You deserved that, Rin~ta~ro~!"
"You really did," Dazai agreed and he and Elise did a non-contact high five that had Mori pouting at them. Everyone, of course, ignored him as Fukuzawa asked for details on what happened.
"Basically, Dazai took over," was all Yosano said, glancing at said brunet. "He stopped us from fighting and basically forced us to obey him."
"You make me sound like a dictator."
"Says the Demon Prodigy."
"Would you like me to remind you why I've earned that nickname, Mori-san~?"
"No, I'm fine, Dazai-kun," the Boss replied with a sweatdrop.
"So the alliance is still in place?" Fukuzawa asked and this time it was Ranpo who answered.
"Yes, by some miracle," the detective sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Chuuya, standing in the corner of the room to keep out of the way but so he can also keep his eyes on Dazai, cleared his throat awkwardly. Yosano made herself busy with clearing up her temporary workspace. Dazai just snickered at them all. "However, Dostoevsky is still on the loose, as is Pushkin, the Ability user who infected you. Dazai thinks we should work with the Mafia to deal with that, though."
When Fukuzawa looked to him, Dazai nodded, leaning back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other at the knee and placing his interlocked fingers on it in a picture of grace and power. "Working separately will only cause more casualties, be it to our own or the civilians. Katai-san and Sensei have come through and have already delivered the information we would need to track down the Rats' headquarters, where Pushkin is undoubtedly hiding. I've also contacted Fitzgerald-san and made a deal; he'll track demon Fyodor for us with his recently purchased Eyes of God. I've also called Ango and the Special Abilities Department is on standby to handle all of the arrests and prisoner transports. If everything goes smoothly, Yokohama will be purged of rodents before nightfall."
"Why do I get the feeling that we don't have a say in any of this?" The President asked and Dazai chuckled.
It was not a nice chuckle.
"Ah, Fukuzawa-shachou, I keep forgetting the Agency isn't used to me being like this," he commented amusedly but somewhat fondly. "In the event that I take over, until my strategies are carried out, not even Mori-san can interfere. The fact that he never removed this protocol from the Mafia is very convenient and not at all surprising, considering he's always asking me to come back. But let's not get into that. I do have a need for the both of you, after all."
"You want us to be bait," Mori guessed and the former Executive nodded.
"Not just bait, but a diversion, as well. Chuuya and Hirotsu-san helped me identify a rat in our own ranks, a man that's been unfortunately enough trapped with a bomb collar. He's been filling in Dostoevsky on everything that's been going on between our organizations. Thankfully, we've managed to stop the rumors from spreading that I've taken over. We owe Sensei a great deal for that, because he's making it look like I'm still recovering in a hospital. Sensei will also help you fake a battle with an ambiguous end that should buy us some time once it causes Dostoevsky to scurry out of his hole in fear of our organizations going after him to avenge you two. The rat will inform the other Rat about your possible demise with Yosano-sensei in reach so when Dostoevsky inevitably screws him over, she'll be there to heal him before he dies. I'll leave it to you what you will do with your unfaithful rat; that's ultimately none of my business. Because of my injury, however, as soon as you're done with the fake battle, you'll be leading a two-ended chase after Pushkin. Due to my injury, we're one Soukoku generation short, therefore you two owe me to put in some work for my strategy. Atsushi-kun and Akutagawa-kun will chase him out of the Rats' hideout, it is up to you to deal with him on the other end while they take down the other Rats no doubt scurrying about."
"And what will you be doing, Dazai-kun?" Mori asked, knowing his former protege wouldn't just sit behind and let others do his dirty work for him when something of this much importance was going on. Dazai hated exerting effort, even when he really needed to, but he never hesitated to do it. And with Dostoevsky involved, there was no doubt he would be 'leading by example', let's say.
"Why, Chuuya and I will be assisting the Department with detaining Dostoevsky, of course~!" Chirped the brunet with fake enthusiasm. "We're working towards minimizing casualties, after all, so a remote controlled vehicle will be taking him away using deserted roads to ensure everyone's safety, of course. Maybe one of those cliff-side or mountain roads rarely anyone uses? Ah, I heard gravity is especially vicious on such paths if one is not careful enough~"
Fukuzawa's eyes widened. "You're planning to-"
"Yes," Dazai replied instantly, tone sharp and colder than vacuum. "As much as I'd rather we do everything by the book and have him behind bars or whatever for the rest of his life, it's more likely that he'll cause more trouble for us that way than if we get rid of him as soon as possible. It is why I am suggesting this as acting Boss rather than as a strategist affiliated with the Armed Detective Agency. The Mafia is known for its swift and vicious retaliations; no one will be surprised that they've dealt with Fyodor for trying to off their Boss."
"And the Special Abilities Department will be okay with you issuing such orders?" The President asked skeptically, worried for his employee.
Dazai shrugged. "They wouldn't be able to tell that the order came from me. Unfortunately, Mori-san and I are too alike in matters of warfare. Without a witness, they wouldn't know who issued the order. And even if they did, as long as the rest of the Ministry of Internal Affairs doesn't ask questions, the Special Abilities Department will be more than happy to let Dostoevsky be dealt with without dirtying their own hands or risking him escaping and causing more damage. Just knowing he was behind the Moby Dick incident is enough to earn him the death sentence."
Fukuzawa wondered if he should argue, but Ranpo shook his head, silently telling him to drop it, that, ultimately, they would all be best off with Dostoevsky out of the picture. And, well, if the Agency's two brightest detectives agreed on something, who was Fukuzawa to tell them they're both wrong?
"So," he said instead. "What exactly is the part we play in this plan of yours, Dazai?"
The grin that curled on Dazai's lips could chill the core of the planet.
With a matching glint in Chuuya's eyes, things were bound to get interesting.
00000
In a more or less random cafe in Yokohama, Fyodor Dostoevsky stood up to leave after spending the entire afternoon there, just listening to music and sending out coded orders through classical music over the radio. He walked casually out of the cafe, tsking when one of the waitresses ran into him and nearly spilled tea on his white clothes, though she scurried away with many apologies trailing after her. He ignored her and instead moved towards the exit, when he felt it.
No, it was not a random stare, as he was used to those as a Russian man with a white fur ushanka on his head and what is basically a cape over his shoulders, clothing most certainly not common to Japan.
Instead, it was an intense stare that had the hairs at the back of his neck standing on end and his heart skipping a nervous beat.
Slowly, as though any sudden movements may have a beast descending on him - not impossible, most certainly not in Yokohama or where this particular individual was concerned - he turned his head enough to see him. Just casually sitting there, drinking tea, looking at Fyodor as though he hadn't had a sniper shoot him bad enough to be cause for hospitalization. Yet there he was, Dazai Osamu himself, with those cold, empty, bewitching eyes, smiling and chuckling in delight at how surprised Fyodor was that he'd managed to find him.
Opposite him even sat his enemy from just a couple of months ago, Fitzgerald, the leader of the Guild that had crashed and burned under the Port Mafia's and the Armed Detective Agency's alliance. They even seemed rather chummy, Fitzgerald having generously lent Dazai his new Eyes of God surveillance system so he could find Fyodor. It had to have been a recent development, as Fyodor had kept a close eye on the resurrected Guild. Truly, was ten minutes all that Dazai needed?
Fyodor felt both a thrill of excitement and annoyance at having found such a worthy opponent.
He was impressed by the timing of it all, as the Special Abilities Department's special ops team arrived to arrest him. None of them touched him; had Dazai warned them in advance? Just how much had he figured out about Fyodor's Ability?
"This won't be the last time we see each other, Dazai-kun. That much, I can promise," he said genially but Dazai just waved at him cheerily as he went back to his feet. Dostoevsky was escorted into a secure transportation vehicle and within minutes, they were driving towards the outskirts of Yokohama. There were dividers between where Fyodor was sat and where everyone else of his escort unit sat, all of them tense and their weapons ready to shoot should he make a single wrong move. Not that he was going to try and force his way out of here; he was of a fragile constitution and would get killed almost immediately should he try anything in an environment that was so heavily observing and monitoring him. Besides, being imprisoned was part of his plan and poor Dazai had just handed him a free ticket.
Dostoevsky was still internally gloating when, out of nowhere, the vehicle stopped and the military policemen guarding him in the back stood up, opening the door and all of them jumping out. Not a moment later, the driver and the guard up front also exited the truck, the movements easily identifiable by the sounds of slamming doors. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he thought he saw some trees before the carrier's doors closed. Were they ambushed?
But he doesn't hear any sounds of battle.
Meanwhile, a bit higher up on the mountain road, a certain short mafioso watched as the escort truck was safely evacuated and the military police special ops rolled around to cause minor bruising and dirty up their uniforms. Then they marched off into a second vehicle that immediately started driving back towards Yokohama and out of the danger zone. With a single burst of affirmation from his earpiece, the ginger haired Executive activated his Ability and increased the gravity of everything he'd recently touched. He floated down to the now abandoned and slightly dented vehicle as he let up the gravity to check on his work. Dostoevsky certainly looked crushed and his chest wasn't rising and falling and his breathing didn't stir a single sound-wave within the truck. Humming in semi-satisfaction, Chuuya floated up again, staying in the air, as he caused a landslide of rocks, trees and earth, letting the wave swallow the car and make it cartwheel into the stream below. It wasn't that big, but it was big enough to have its own little canyon and canyon-side mountain road. It was also deep enough that the entire truck would be submerged no matter how it landed, but Chuuya still made sure it landed on its side, submerging it more into water and letting all that debris seal the door. He applied some more pressure with For The Tainted Sorrow until the seams holding the windows and doors gave in a little, letting the car properly fill up with water, creating a watery grave for a man who deserved far worse for all the trouble he'd caused.
Reaching a finger up to his earpiece, Chuuya said: "It's done."
"Good," came the satisfied purr from the other side, Dazai's pleasure with a job well done far too obvious. "You may come back now, hatrack. A good bottle of wine awaits you, just like a lot of cleanup awaits Ango, so don't keep us all waiting. The party already began without you."
"Fuck you too, mackerel," came the reply, not at all harsh despite the words used. "You're only the acting Boss. With your plans now executed, all the power goes back to the Boss, so stop trying to order me around, oi!"
"Well, if you don't want that Petrus '89 bottle, I'm sure Yosano-sensei will enjoy it-"
"Just save me a seat, bastard."
"You got it partner~"
With that, things more or less went back to normal, as normal as things could ever be in Yokohama, that is. The Port Mafia continued to govern the night as its wardens. The Special Abilities Department declared an unfortunate natural catastrophe nearly killed eight military police officers, that they'd survived by a stroke of luck but that the prisoner they were transporting wasn't so lucky and drowned in a stream on the way. The Armed Detective Agency remained chaotic, taking on various cases that seriously made them question how certain people were even still alive to this day.
All in all, Yokohama remained safe, for the time being.
After all, there was always a new adventure...
Waiting just around the corner.
But they were ready.
They always are.
It's Yokohama.
OWARI