Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1. Athletic

Atsushi never considered his mentor weak. Nevertheless, he always thought he was not a person who was able to pick up a fight. He had other ways to outrange the opponent. Other agency members thought quite the same. Kunikida, his partner, had never seen him carrying, not talking about using a gun or any other weapon. Of course, Ranpo stayed silent on this matter.

After the Dead Apple incident, when all the members of the ADA and PM had to fight against their abilities, the leaders of both organizations decided to pay more attention to physical training and practice with weapons.

The joined training followed. Everyone was standing in a large gym with various equipment.

"So, who will start?" Asked Atsushi

"Hold on, at first we need to measure the level of your physical training," said Chuuya.

"Good point. Do you have any ideas on how?" Said Yosano.

"Yes. We have a system. Basically, it's an obstacle course. "

With one button pressing, an enormous road appeared. Tanizaki gulped. It looked impressive and dangerous.

"Have you completed it?" Questioned Kunikida. Chuuya sighed.

"I did, but with the usage of my ability. I know only one person who fully completed it, relying only on their physical strength and flexibility. "

"Wow. I wonder who it is, " whispered Atsushi.

"I wonder," replied Dazai with a barely visible smile.

So, testing started. Atsushi, Kyoka, Chuuya, and Kunikida got the highest scores but couldn't complete the road fully. Yosano and Akutagava were right behind them.

During the test, Mori, Elise, Q, and Kouyou came to look at their progress.

The last one to complete the test was Dazai. He stood away from others in light brown cargo pants and a loose cotton sweater, doing a basic warm-up.

When it was his turn, Elise and Q almost started squeaking in excitement.

Atsushi noticed that Chuuya, Mori, and Kouyou were also quite excited.

Dazai looked at Elise and said:

"I guess you wanna see a show?"

"You're damn right, stupid Dazai!"

"A show, then"

Dazai pressed a start button and ran. No one in the agency saw him moving like that. Despite his skinniness, his body held a lot of strength and agility, which he never bothered to show. Ex-mafioso was, in fact, athletic and did a lot of difficult tricks so effortlessly that even Ranpo looked surprised. Dazai fully completed the road in less time than it took others to do its half.

Elise and Q cheered, and everyone else was stunned. Dazai didn't even seem tired.

"You liked it?" He asked the kids.

"Yes! You are still cool!"

"Hey, I'm always cool!"

"Man, what the hell?! How did you do this?" Asked Yosano

"Well, I'm used to such training."

"I always thought that you were not into this training thing,"

"Oh? Dazai was the best fighter in the mafia without abilities, " responded Mori. Detectives looked at their colleague.

"You never mentioned that!"

Man shrugged.

"No one asked."

"Show them your tricks!" Cheered Q. Dazai smiled and ruffled the child's hair.

"Fine. But I'll show something new. "

Mori looked surprised. Chuuya, too.

"Everyone, step aside, I'll need some space!"

Dazai basically showed everyone an acrobatic trick with a perfect triple flip in the end. The landing was also perfect, seems Dazai spent a lot of time on training.

"Honestly, I'm impressed, Mackerel," said Chuuya.

"As you should. You know, doggies always cheer when their masters—"

"YOU SON OF A—"

"Chuuya, there are kids around~!"

"I know how to swear," said Elise, and Q added:

"I know the word b—" 

"A-na-na! I never doubted your talents, kiddos. Actually, I was talking about Atsushi and Kenji”.

Akutagava cracked a smile while looking at embarrassed Atsushi, who couldn't find a word to answer. Kenji looked around innocently. Yosano laughed and casually switched topics to making Dazai teach her some basics.

2. Polyglot

Kunikida was a man of ideals. In each of his notebooks, he had pages dedicated to health, appearance, work, and education. Of course, he tried his best to meet all those requirements, although sometimes it was hard. On that particularly busy day, he had a few free minutes during lunchtime, which he used to learn German. It was his third language, as he already knew Japanese and English.

He sat quietly on the sofa, where usually a certain bandage waster slept, and worked through challenging for his level vocabulary tasks.

Of course, it was impossible to be left alone when Dazai was in office. Older found it hilarious to annoy the blonde.

That's why Kunikida wasn't even surprised to hear a familiar voice calling him out.

"Ku-ni-ki-da~"

"Dazai, if no one is dying, shut it. I'm trying to concentrate, " sternly replied taller.

"So rude! What if my will to live is dying?"

Kunikida looked at the brunette.

"You are literally a suicidal maniac. Let me study"

Surprisingly, Dazai didn't respond but moved closer to his colleague so he could see his book.

Kunikida waited for some stupid joke. Instead, he was again met with silence, so decided to use the opportunity, and continued writing answers. He had to translate German proverbs and give their alternatives in Japanese.

Suddenly, he stuck at one of them, as he couldn't remember the translation. Kunikida grabbed his dictionary and started rummaging through it when he heard Dazai asking:

"Need some help?"

Surprised, the blonde looked at his colleague again.

"How would you help me?"

"Well, I see that you are stuck on task 7. I guess you don't understand this proverb. I know the translation”.

Kunikida watched him with a sceptical gaze, as he knew how much Dazai loved to play on his nerves. Brunet stood near him with a calm look on his face, the expression that he rarely wore as he annoyed him. Hesitantly, the man replied:

"Okay... I guess I could use some help here, "

Dazai smiled slightly.

" “Krummes Holz gibt auch gerades Feuer” can be translated as “Crooked logs also make straight fires”. In other words: the perfect is the enemy of the good. It's quite interesting saying, isn't it?"

Man frowned.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing at all~. It's just a translation."

Kunikida stared at the notebook for several seconds and then spoke:

"You know German?"

"Yeah, it's one of the languages I speak fluently," Dazai casually replied.

Suddenly, Ranpo and Yosano appeared out of nowhere.

"One of? How many languages do you know?" Woman asked.

"Hm... Well, I'm fluent in English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian, Hindi, Russian, and Arabic. I also know Latin and several other languages, but I cannot talk freely in them" mused the brunet.

Everyone just gawked at him.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"Yes, why I wouldn't be?"

"It's more than 12 languages!"

"Well, I had to attend a lot of negotiations. It would be foolish of me to rely on someone to express my position, during such important meetings”.

Kunikida looked at him with confusion. He knew that Dazai was in the mafia, but he always thought of him as some sidekick, not someone who would be invited to negotiations, let alone lead them. If Doppo was correct, the man was only a teenager at that time. Why would he have to express his position?

He never admitted this, but since their training with the Port Mafia, he sometimes wondered what a man was Dazai before. A lot of questions ran through his mind. How has he got into that business so young? Where are his parents? What exactly was he doing in the mafia?

Kunikida wanted to ask more, but others already surrounded the bandage waster asking about his experience in learning all those languages. He sighed and put his book away, knowing that the time was up.

He will probably finish those tasks later.

Chapter Text

3 + 4.  Trained medic + Mafia Executive.

That day started as usual for Atsushi. He and Kyouka woke up, prepared for the day, ate breakfast, and together headed to the office. Boy was ready to sit in front of his desk and write new reports from yesterday's mission. For a few weeks, the agency was abnormally busy with different missions not only in Yokohama, but in other cities too. That's how Atsushi, Kyouka, Tanizaki, and Kenji ended up working in pairs or on their own without superiors nearby.
Kunikida and Yosano went to Kyoto to investigate a strange series of similar deaths among healthy young people who had no connection to each other. Ranpo and Dazai were in Tokyo searching for a stolen painting from a National Art Museum. Both cases appeared to be trickier than seemed, so detectives were probably going to be away for a couple more days.

Nevertheless, Atsushi didn't expect to see two mafiosos in the waiting room. Nakahara-san was casually flipping through his phone, while Akutagawa looked like he didn't want to be there in the first place. Atsushi shared this sentiment. He also didn't want to see Akutagawa in his workplace. The boy didn't even have time to react, as he and Kyouka were greeted by the President. Both teens bowed politely.
"President, why Nakahara-san and Akutagawa are in the waiting room?"
"This morning, I had a meeting with Mori and Taneda-san. Apparently, there is a group that stole large amounts of weapons and plans to raid mafia and civil objects in the next few weeks. Taneda-san requested help from the Port mafia and us as a part of the tripartite system, and I want you to join Nakahara-san and Akutagawa in this case. "

Atsushi looked surprised by the new information but quickly nodded.
"Of course, sir,"
"Thank you, Atsushi. I apologize for not warning you in advance."
"It's alright, I understand, sir,"

At the same time, Chuuya walked out of the waiting room with Akutagawa following him. He greeted Fukuzawa, then the kids, and proceeded to have a short talk with the President about some mission details that concerned ADA and PM cooperation.

Atsushi and Akutagawa stood nearby in an awkward silence. They had to work together. Again. It wasn't even Dazai's wish, although the white-haired boy was sure, his mentor would anyway pair them up in the foreseeable future.

When three of them walked out of the building, Atsushi asked:
"Nakahara-san, where are we going?"
"To the warehouse where the robbery happened. And it's just Chuuya, kid, no need to be so formal with me. "
"O-okay.."

By evening, they already knew the precise location of the band that got weapons. It was one of the abandoned factories in the suburbs. According to Mafia's informant, it was a small group, of about 30 people. Mori and Fukuzawa decided it would be best to check the information and give it to the Special division.

The plan was simple: sneak inside, check info, and go away without the noise. Yes, it wasn't a typical task for mafiosos, but Chuuya and Akutagawa had enough stealth missions, so this task was a piece of cake for them. Atsushi, as a detective, dealt with such things daily.

Little did they know that the moment they stepped into the building, more than a hundred guns would be pointed at them. It was a well-planned trap. Chuuya reacted quickly, and they managed to hide behind one of the concrete partitions.
"Fuck, they locked all way outs" cursed the redhead
"We need help!"
"Already called, but we are far from our bases. It was all planned. Help will be in an hour at least. Our only option is to fight"
Chill ran down Atsushi's spine
"I won’t kill them—"
"Whatever, kid. I didn't ask you to kill. Just knock them out, so they won't cause any harm to us or someone else"
Atsushi looked at Chuuya and nodded. The next Atsushi felt was strange dizziness and suddenly Chuuya cursed again.

"For fuck's sake!"
"What's going on?" Atsushi asked. Akutagawa responded:
"They're trying to poison us. We need to get out"

Easier said than done. With the poison circulating through their veins, it was hard to keep control of their abilities. At some point, Chuuya got shot protecting both Atsushi and Akutagawa. The wound was serious, and he started to bleed out. That was the moment when even Akutagawa started to freak out. They continued the fight, as the man started:

"Chuuya-san, we need to stop the bleeding—"
"We don't have time for this. Our main goal now is to get out before the poison kicks in” replied Chuuya with clearly forced calmness.
"But—"
Redhead snapped:
"We are in the middle of the fight with a backup somewhere far away! Do you want me to tell you more about what it would mean for us to stop even for a second?! Move!"

Atsushi and Akutagawa both looked at each other. Chuuya clearly was in bad condition and won't be able to fight for long, especially with poison. The attack continued, although they knocked out many of them. Their escape route was blocked. Chuuya also knew that. Suddenly he commanded:
"Find a place to hide"
"W-what?" Atsushi questioned.
"Hide somewhere. I don't want you two to get hurt in the process"
Atsushi looked puzzled, but Akutagawa knew what was up.
"No, you can't, Dazai's not here!"
"We can die all, waiting for a backup or I can use Corruption, and you'll survive. It's an obvious choice"
"No, it's not! You can't!"
Chuuya sadly smiled at his colleague
"Ryuu, we both know that that's it. With poison and wound, I'll collapse in a few minutes if we continue this fight. We don't know when the backup will be here. It's an optimal solution"

Boy just looked at him, knowing well that he was right, but trying his best to find arguments against it. He wasn't the one to hide and let his superior die. Still, Chuuya wanted him to do exactly this.
Redhead, already too pale from blood loss, took off his gloves and said:
"Tell others that I'm sorry"
Ryuu only nodded and grabbed Atsushi by the wrist to drag him to the safe spot.

O grantors of dark disgrace, you shall not wake me again.


*******


Screams, explosions, and bone-chilling laughs filled the room. Atsushi never witnessed Corruption before. Akutagawa closed his eyes trying to manage his composure.
"I don't understand. How is Chuuya-san doing it?"
Older sighed and responded:
"It's called Corruption. It's a true form of Chuuya-san's ability, which is very powerful, but he has no control over it. Only Dazai-san can stop it. Otherwise, he will go until his body won't be able to make it"

They heard another laugh. Ryuu again closed his eyes. They sat and listened to their surroundings when suddenly the laughing stopped, and a familiar, calm, and even slightly gentle voice said:
"Chuuya, that's enough. I've got you"

The boys perked up from their spot and saw Dazai in his usual attire, kneeling on the ground with unconscious and bloody Chuuya in his arms. Nearby operated a group of mafia members all with gas masks. Dazai just gave out a short and cold command:
"Bring their leader to me. Only him."
"Yes, sir," one of the mafiosos replied with a bow and led the group away.

Dazai carefully picked up Chuuya and then said:
"Atsushi, Ryuu, come with me. We need to get you all three out of here"

They ended up in a car with various medical equipment. Dazai quickly gave them both the antidote and started treating Chuuya. He forbade them from leaving as he had to keep an eye on them too, since they inhaled large amounts of poison. Atsushi was impressed by how fast and methodically his mentor disinfected and sewed wounds and set up an IV. He also couldn't ignore how tender was Dazai to Chuuya. He didn't leave his side and made sure that the redhead was comfortable after everything was done.

During all that process the brunet didn't say a word. Although he tried to look calm in front of them, Atsushi could feel that he was fuming with rage. The boy had never seen him like this. Dazai was never mad, he never raised his voice, and never had Atsushi seen him being rude.
Finally, Atsushi hesitantly asked, trying to change the mood:
"I never knew that you could do first aid, Dazai-san"
"I'm a trained medic, Atsushi" replied Dazai.
"Really?"
"You didn't know?" Akutagawa asked, surprised.
"No?"

They were interrupted by one of the mafiosos.
"We've got him, Dazai-san"
"Great job. Take him to the undergrounds, I will 'talk' to him later. Has the clean crew arrived?"
"Yes, sir. They're starting now"
"Perfect. We are ready to go. Ishida, please, lead Akutagawa and Atsushi to my car"
Men bowed politely and stood near the car, waiting for boys. Dazai said to his apprentices:
"Follow Ishida-san, we are going to the mafia base"
Man didn't leave a room for arguing, so boys just obliged.

Already in the car, Atsushi was hit with the realization.
"Why Dazai-san is leading mafia armed groups?"
Akutagawa raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you a detective, weretiger?"
"I know that Dazai-san was in the mafia, but he was a teenager, wasn't he?"
"So what? You really doubt Dazai-san?"
"No, I just really don't understand"
Man sighed.

"Dazai-san was the youngest executive in the Port Mafia's history. The armed group that came to rescue was disciplined by him. He has their trust and respect"

Atsushi looked stunned. Dazai? Mafia executive? The man who barely showed any signs of discipline, trained such a dangerous group as a teenager?
It didn't look right to Atsushi, but it made sense. That explained his athletic skills, speaking more than 10 languages so he wouldn't have to rely on a translator during negotiations, why Mori wanted him back, and why he knew so many high-level mafia members personally. Still, Atsushi couldn't picture his mentor as an executive. The tiny voice inside him said:
"He ordered to kill everyone but the leader of the group that attacked you today"

And that realization was enough to sit in silence for the rest of the ride.

Chapter Text

Dazai sat in silence, gently holding Chuuya’s hand. Thoughts raced through his mind, and concern for the redhead’s health didn’t let him go. He didn’t forget about his mentees too, as already regretted being so cold and distant with them when they were also put in danger. However, Dazai was sure two of them would be alright in a day, as the antidote works fast.

It all felt oddly nostalgic: hard mission, Chuuya using Corruption, and he takes after what's left, ordering squads around while mending redhead’s wounds.

For the redhead’s and others' safety, the brunet was ready to do it all again, even if he was not in the mafia anymore.

Dazai never said that out loud, but he saw both ADA and PM as a found family. The Mafia wasn’t the best place for a child for sure, but they were the first to accept him, to care for him. Mori was his mentor and although Dazai will never forgive him for what he did to Oda and the kids, that man still taught him a lot and was the closest to the father figure. In the mafia, he also met Chuuya, Oda, and Ango, and no matter what their relationships looked like now, he will be always grateful for meeting them.

The agency became his second home, and although they didn’t know a lot about him, still took him in. It was hard to get used to them, as in the mafia Dazai did everything to hide the fact that he cares for others. In ADA he learned that you don’t always have to be perfect to be cared for and appreciated; something he had when he was a kid but forgot a long time ago.

Man sighed, as the thought brought memories about his family. He never talked to anyone about his past, even with Chuuya, because for many years it was painful. After all, he wasn’t always a cold, calculating man, whom some didn’t even consider a human being, not to mention he doubted his humanity himself. Kids aren’t born this way.

Many years ago, he was a boy, who loved reading and playing with his older siblings, who were cool in his opinion. He loved spending time with his mom, babbling about stories he read, and the boy always eagerly waited to see his dad, who spent most of his time at work, never really paying much attention to his kids. He loved studying at school and loved running around with his friends. Yes, it was his life. Life he loved, and memories that he held close to his, maybe non-existent, heart for all his life.

His family was noble and had many strict rules that his father was adamant they should follow, but nevertheless, life wasn’t bad.

Until the war started.

That day, when he was 9, his parents sat him down with older siblings. They said it wasn’t safe at home, and all of them would be sent to different places with nannies and guardians for some time. Dazai, Shuji back then, remembered how scared and sad he was, but he never thought that it would be the last time he’d see them.

For three months boy lived in another city with his calm and gentle teacher, who was also a nanny, and a strong, stoic, but sometimes very funny guardian, who never left his side. Shuji honestly got used to it, but still missed his family a lot, and always waited for the phone call from his parents, and all his siblings. It didn’t last long, though.

One day he woke up not remembering anything, his head and whole body hurt as hell, and his vision was blurry with something red. At that moment, not knowing who or where he was, the boy saw a destroyed building and bloodied body on the ground. It was the guardian, as he’ll find out later. That day he lost his memories and became a half-blind kid, wandering around a destroyed city, trying to survive.

A lot happened to him in a few years. It made him cold, sometimes cruel. He lost the trust in people. He suffered a lot, and when regained his memories, tried to find his parents. He fought for his life every day and didn’t want to die. The man remembered that feeling as something he couldn’t achieve anymore.

Shuji tried to take his own life the day he found out that the Tsushima family was thought to be dead. It was the same day Mori took him in. The day Dazai Osamu was born.

The rest was history. From there on he never wanted to live. Within years there were many other reasons that kept him up at night. He never mentioned his parents, and talks related to family always left him gloomy. He missed them, but never admitted it to anyone, even Oda.

Everything changed when he left the Port mafia. His heart felt a familiar ache again: losing Odasaku and leaving his only home was as painful as losing his family years ago.

He moved into a small but comfortable house in the suburbs of Yokohama and lay low.

It was only several weeks after his treason when he suddenly heard the knock on the door. Of course, it was an ambush. The fight started.

He will always remember his shock, as he saw a water blade that used one of the attakers. His brother, Katsu had such ability. He grabbed the intruder by the arm and blue light filled the room. It was the day he found out his family was alive and well and spent years searching for him.

His parents welcomed him with open arms, even after the boy honestly told them his story. They weren’t afraid or disgusted, as, to be honest, the clan had a few businesses in the shadow, they were just saddened that it happened to him. They never wanted their son to suffer that much.

It took months for all of them to build connections, but it was great, in the end. Well, except for his older brother, Ichiro. They didn’t get along. Somehow, older never viewed him as a brother, but as a threat to his future reign.

The thought of him made Dazai's blood boil. After all, he was the reason why Chuuya, Ryuu, and Atsushi got hurt in the first place. Dazai’s heart tightened with unease: quite a complicated feeling that he never wanted to acknowledge. Guilt. It was his family who harmed them.

Mentally, he screamed at himself for not preventing it, for giving Ichiro the benefit of the doubt, for bringing the whole tripartite system into his mess. It was all a well-structured plan. A strange increase in field missions for several weeks in a row should have alarmed him. It did. He still brushed it off as his anxiety. Now Dazai felt like his whole life was crashing down in front of him.

It all happened because of the sudden death in the family. Tsushima was one of the most influential clans in Japan and the world, so it’s not hard to imagine how much power holds the head of the family.

Katushito Tsushima was a very clever man who impressed and terrified his opponents with his strength, fearlessness, and occasional cruelty, which he carefully hid. After the war, the clan lurked in shadows, avoided confrontations, and members lived a quiet life, making their own careers, while following rules and traditions.

No one expected a man, who kept everything in line and was famous for his good health, to die due to a heart attack at the age of 56. It shook everyone to the core and left the family without their ruler and protector. Even if Katushito tended to be emotionally cold, he loved his family dearly and did everything for their happiness.

There was a reasonable idea to change the way the clan is managed to a board with all successors, as all of them had equal rights to rule and this model won’t burden any of them, letting them live mostly normally. However, the oldest son, Ichiro, decided to do everything his way. He wanted to expand the influence and make it noticeable. He wanted to rule alone and destroy everyone who would potentially stand in his way, be it competitors, his own siblings, or law enforcement. All his closest relatives, mother included, were against it, but there were clan members who sought more power and influence, and Ichiro got a lot of support from them.

Up until that night, he did nothing, and the family thought they had time to prepare and prevent blood-spilling. Dazai had a gut feeling they were wrong, but his siblings argued that Ichiro also lost dad and he wouldn’t do anything at least due to respect for him. How wrong they were. Now all the hell broke loose and they had to deal with the outcome.

Dazai kept his past undercover for so long that now he felt weird even thinking about revealing it. Somehow it made him nervous, but there was no way out of it now. He had so much explanation to do. Maybe others will be okay with this, but Chuuya… Dazai wasn’t sure. After the fight with Lovecraft, he really left Chuuya on the battlefield, but no one knew he went to his apartments that night and took care of him. They also talked, which was helpful. Since then, their relationship has grown stronger, but now Dazai knew that he’d probably break the redhead’s trust again.

They had to deal with so much crap together, and still, he never told him anything about his past and how it affects his life now. He didn’t even tell him his birth name. Dazai somehow felt like he was letting him down again and Chuuya would be mad at him since he was never completely honest with him. He was afraid to be rejected by the person, who knew him best. Maybe he didn’t know about his childhood, but he saw him in his most terrible moments, knew his every move, and behavior, and kept up with his thoughts.

Dazai felt guilty for never telling him about his family, for being his secretive self, and for letting Ichiro hurt him.

His mind was racing when suddenly he heard someone calling his name. The brunet looked at Chuuya and was met with tired and concerned eyes. The redhead asked quietly:

“You alright?”

Dazai stroked his hair and responded:

“You are the one with an IV and stitches. How are you feeling?”

“Like crap, as usual after Corruption. Don’t change the subject, Mackerel. Your brain is about to explode with your thoughts. What’s going on?”

Man looked at him for a second trying to collect himself and act like everything was fine. He always kept a façade with others, but rarely Chuuya. He was the only person whom Dazai trusted enough to be vulnerable around. A familiar disappointed voice echoed in his mind:

For you, even this wasn’t enough to tell him about your past.

Everything at that moment was too much. Guilt, rage, and anxiety filled him to the top, so he just sighed shakingly.

“Sorry… It’s all my fault” he murmured.

“What..? Don’t be an idiot, you haven’t done anything”

“…That’s the problem. I’m so sorry, Chuuya.”

Man watched him tired and confused. He looked like he would pass out any time.

“Osamu, I don’t have the energy to find out what’s going on in your head... Still, it’s not your fault. You’re the one who saved me, Ryuu and Atsushi. So, thank you”

Dazai stayed silent, but another thought echoed through his mind:

If you knew what was really going on, you wouldn’t be so forgiving.

Maybe Chuuya forgave him, but he couldn’t forgive himself. Suddenly, his emotions just smoothed, and he fell into his calm façade.

Dazai started to stroke the redhead’s hair again and calmly said:

“You should rest. Try to sleep, Chuuya. I promise I’ll explain everything later.”

Chuuya frowned, seeing a clear change in the mood of his partner. He had seen this before. Dazai wasn’t good with his emotions and when it all was too much, he just went blank. Of course, it was concerning, but Chuuya was too tired and hurt to try talking with him. That’s why he just followed his suggestion, hoping that the brunet would keep his promise.

********

When they got to the mafia’s base, Atsushi was surprised to see Ranpo, Yosano, and Kunikida.

“When did you return?”

“A few hours ago. I had to literally chase Dazai. Who knew that he walks so fast” said Ranpo

“We received a call from Dazai to come back, because he knows who caused all deaths in Kyoto. What happened here, by the way?” added Yosano

While the boy explained, Fukuzawa, Akutagawa, and Mori joined them. The Port mafia’s Boss was confused and a bit excited.

“Not every day The Demon Prodigy comes to my office demanding his squad” explained he to Fukuzawa. Yosano and Kunikida gawked at the mentioned name.

“The Demon Prodigy? Isn’t he just a legend?”

“No, he is, in fact, real, and currently works with you. Aren’t you detectives?” responded Akutagava

“Whom are you talking about?”

“He is talking about Dazai” calmly explained Ranpo

“DAZAI?!”

The blonde looked like he would pass out. Ranpo just sighed.

“Kunikida, you already knew that he was in the mafia. You’ve seen his familiarity with other executives, and he has skills, that clearly don’t belong to a commoner. Dazai was an executive of the Port Mafia. The Demon Prodigy is his moniker”

“B-But he was a teenager! And have you seen Dazai? He is not an executive! He has no discipline!”

“Oh, you’ll be surprised. Dazai was the youngest executive in the mafia’s history. He brought the golden age to the Port mafia” Mori replied.

Kunikida was white as a ghost. Not every day you find out that your annoying bandage waster of a partner is one of the most dangerous people in Yokohama, and probably Japan. At the same time, Yosano looked unfazed. The white-haired boy stared at her.

“Atsushi, why are you looking at me like this?” She asked.

“I honestly expected you to react more, Yosano-sensei..”

“I suspected he was an executive since our joint training. Just didn’t know about the moniker. It doesn’t change anything for me. He decided to change, went to work with us, and did a great job, even with being his annoying self. Dazai is still Dazai"

Their conversation ended here, as Mori proposed to get Atsushi and Akutagawa an additional checkup after the poisoning. Apparently, Dazai warned him about this beforehand. Mori, Fukuzawa, and Taneda scheduled a meeting where Dazai should have explained what happened, but suddenly they received an invitation from Akari Tsushima — wife of deceased Katushito Tsushima, and, apparently, the new head of the clan. They were surprised, as no one heard about her gaining this position, still, accepted the invite. Women wanted to see leaders with their representatives, so Dazai was also expected to come. To everyone’s surprise, he was nowhere to be found. No one could reach out to him, so in the end, they left without him.

When they got to the location, Atsushi was floored by the beauty of the mansion. The building was in the suburbs of Tokyo in the middle of an enormous garden.

Chuuya, still extremely tired, noted the level of security around the place. It wasn’t normal guards, no, it was clearly trained military, that got him alerted. What was going on here?

They were welcomed by the second and third sons of Tsushima, Katsu, and Minato. Ranpo was shocked, as he recognized them as Nao Shibata — the owner of the biggest bank in Japan, and Ryota Ogava — a famous scientist. Both were tall, in their late 20^th – early 30^th, with brown, slightly curly hair, and something in their faces was so familiar, that weirded out both agency and mafia.

Together they walked inside the building and to the meeting room, where Akari Tsushima was waiting for them with her oldest daughter — Ayame — owner of one of the best boutiques in Japan, whose designs were famous around the globe. Yes, apparently, all the kids in the family were successful in their careers but worked under pseudonyms.

As everyone sat down and exchanged pleasantries, Ranpo asked:

“With all due respect, Tsushima-san, there is one free spot. Are we waiting for someone else?”

“Yes, Ranpo-san. My son, Shuji is now in charge of security, due to the current situation. He may join us later”

Taneda nodded. Of all of Tsushima's kids, Shuji was the only one whose name was known to the public. He was the founder and CEO of a new, but fast-growing corporation that specializes in prostheses and devices that will help people with different disabilities and diseases. Due to his brilliant mind, Shuji Tsushima quickly began to earn millions and shared many of his works with the public. He donated a lot of money to different charities and gained respect among other businesses. Still, he never made appearances, so no one knew what he looked like.

Taneda was surprised that he was chosen as the head of security, as man was introduced as a scientist, and inventor, not a warrior.

Ranpo continued:

“May I ask if this meeting is somehow connected to the events in Yokohama, Kyoto, and the death of your husband?”

In a second everyone from guests tensed, as expected the head of the clan to be offended. Surprisingly, the woman just looked at the detective and kindly said:

“You have a fantastic mind, Ranpo-san. I suppose, you already know the answer”

“Yes, ma’am. To be honest I am more concerned about your similarities with one of my co-workers.”

No one had time to react when suddenly a familiar voice answered:

“Ranpo-san, please, show more respect to the head of the Tsushima family, and to my mother.”

Everyone turned around and saw Dazai in a gray suit with a blue shirt. There was a gun on his belt, and his brown eyes scanned the room. Now they understood what was weird about Katsu and Minato. They had similar facial features as the detective.

“DAZAI?!”

“I KNEW IT! YOU ARE TSUSHIMA!” Exclaimed Ranpo

“WHAT?!” Cried out almost everyone in the room

Man walked to the table and sat on the free chair

“You are right, Ranpo-san. Shuji Tsushima is my birth name”

“You are an ex-mafia executive and also the fourth son of the Tsushimas?!”

“Yes, I am, Kunikida” calmly confirmed Dazai.

Chuuya just gawked at his partner. He didn’t know what to say or how to react. Dazai never talked about his family and if something related was mentioned, his eyes were always saddened. Dazai was clearly unaware that it was visible, but when they were young, the redhead always had this in his mind as proof that the Demon Prodigy had a heart. He missed his parents as every kid their age would.

Chuuya always assumed that Dazai was an orphan, which also explained how he got into the mafia. Now he didn’t even know what to think.

He just stared as his partner almost with zero effort managed to draw everyone’s attention to the meeting and his mother. Chuuya again observed a molded negotiation version of Dazai dealing with everything. There were no emotions, just rational thinking.

That’s when Chuuya found out about the death of Dazai’s father and how his brother was the reason why they got hurt. Turns out Ichiro ordered his people to eliminate the mafia and agency in Yokohama and destroy peace in Kyoto, so Katsu’s business suffered losses since the main office was there.

Now Chuuya understood why the brunette apologized, still, he knew it wasn’t his fault. Man always took too much responsibility, even for something that wasn’t his doing.

At some point, the mafia's combat group intervention was mentioned, and the fact of killing was pointed out to Dazai. His siblings were shocked, but he replied:

“Yes, I can confirm that the mafia’s squad was involved in shooting under my direct command. However, no one was killed by them since everyone except the leader was never alive.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Atsushi

“You see, Atsushi, a man whom Ichiro sent there, has quite an interesting ability, called “Wirepuller”. This ability allows him to control anything that looks like humans or animals in a certain radius around him. The more things he controls, the closer he must stay to them. He uses it as the killer, so there will be no traces left.”

“So, you want to say, that we were attacked by… dummies?” Trailed boy

“By trained assassin. Don’t be so mean to yourself, Atsushi”

The wave of relief washed over Atsushi. In the past day, he found out about his mentor a lot, and it was too much for him. He loved his mentor, he was like an older brother he never but, and it was hard to accept all of his past at once. The fact that the man certainly knew that he didn’t order to kill people, something made Atsushi relax a bit. Yosano was right. Dazai was still Dazai.

“What about Kyoto?” Asked the doctor

“Another assassin. Ability: poisonous Ivy. He creates plants that produce poisonous fumes and lets them grow in the parks among other plants so it would be unnoticeable. There really was no pattern, it just happened that young people go for a run in the morning when plants were the most active. I already sent a group to take care of it.”

“And what about your brother?”

“I assure you, he won’t cause any trouble again. Since it was my brother, I am insisting on paying for all the expenses.”

“I think, we will discuss it later”

*********

That was the day when two lives of one man united, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as Shuji always imagined it. In the next few weeks, he had different talks with friends, mentees, and family. They were eye-opening, to say the least.

The biggest and most important happened at night, on the balcony of the redhead’s penthouse.

There Shuji told his story to a man he loved and cherished the most.

His life didn’t magically take a turn for the better. No, he still had to deal with the actions of his older brother, he still had bad days and faced new challenges. However, for the first time in many years, he felt like he could really do it. So he did.

After all, the future always holds something for us.