Chapter Text
"Chuuya-san. I have news. Another millionaire has just been robbed, it's the same person--"
“ The Demon Prodigy , I know..." He sat there gritting his teeth in annoyance.
Akutagawa stared at him with the same bored look. They have been trying to track down this Demon Prodigy for months now, yet they have nothing.
Chuuya was getting more and more frustrated as the days went by, case after case and still no lead.
"Well, the Boss is sending you over to investigate."
Chuuya rolled his eyes, "The only damn thing I'm going to find is another note with the Demon Prodigy's signature! He's too good, Akutagawa... It pisses me off..."
The dark haired man sighs, being subjected to another rant.
Chuuya stands from his chair and pulls on his coat, "Whatever. I'll be off then," He leaves the office and heads over to his motorcycle. He's already checked his phone for the location so he knows where he's going. The cold wind whips him in the face as he rides.
He arrives at the mansion with time to spare, and he waltzes right in as if he owned the place.
Everything inside looked spotless, no one would suspect a thing. That's what made the Demon Prodigy such a hard man to catch, he never left any traces, he was careful with his steps.
Chuuya walked up the stairs to the master bedroom where the robbery had taken place. The millionaire reported that his prized jewels had been stolen.
He inspects the surrounding areas, and as usual, he finds nothing.
Nothing except for the note signed, "Demon Prodigy."
Chuuya let out an annoyed groan, crumpling the piece of paper in his hand, "What is the fucking point of all this?! Demon Prodigy, when I find you, I am strangling you, and I don't care if it gets me in trouble..." He spoke to no one but himself. He was truly going crazy.
He turns to leave, already texting the Boss of his "findings" until he looks up and spots a man lurking in the corner of the room.
"Who the hell are you?" Chuuya calls out to him. From this distance, he couldn't see the man's face.
He slowly approaches.
"Isn't it obvious? It's me! The Demon Prodigy!" The man waves his hands around as if he were a magician.
Chuuya looked him up and down, and saw nothing but a clown, "Stop fucking with me, who actually are you? You aren't supposed to be in here, you know?"
"I know that! Ugh, you're so stupid! I am the Demon Prodigy! How many times do I have to say it? No wonder why you haven't been able to catch me yet, you have the brain of a chihuahua!" The man had an annoying shrill voice, and Chuuya wanted to smack his mouth.
"Shut up!"
Chuuya isn't taking any chances. What if this really is the Demon Prodigy?
He steps forward and takes out his gun, pointing it at the man. "Turn around."
"Woah! No need to get all feisty!" He complies, and even puts his arms behind his head.
Chuuya moves closer to him. He really can't tell if this man was bullshitting or not. He puts the gun back into his holster and reaches down to get his handcuffs instead.
Unfortunately for him, the man kicked back and knocked him to the ground.
How is he so fast?!
In an instant, Chuuya is on his back with the man hovering over him, his gun thrown to the other side of the room.
"I know you can easily beat me in a fight, Chuuya, but at least hear me out! As much as I like stealing from these arrogant millionaires, there's one thing-
-that I like even more!" The brunet exclaimed. Chuuya silently curses the man in his head, that damn mask he was wearing hid his identity well.
He continued, "See I like a challenge, and right now, I'm not getting anything! So I'll give you a hint..."
The man whispered in Chuuya's ear, "Yokohama Modeling Agency."
He then threw a smoke bomb into the room, causing Chuuya to cough. Once the smoke cleared, that man was gone.
The only thing left was once again a note on the ground that read, "I'll see you next time, Chuuya!" Signed by the Demo Prodigy.
How did he know his name?
Chuuya sighs, patting his coat down. He smiles, retrieving his audio recorder from his pocket.
Now he has a lead! Yokohama Modeling Agency though? What could that possibly mean?
He leaves the mansion and sends a text over to Akutagawa, letting him know he's done.
Chuuya hops onto his motorcycle, going fast. He just wants to finish this day, it was already getting dark, and the bright billboards were on.
He stopped at a red light waiting for it to turn green when he sees a somewhat familiar face.
To his right was a large billboard.
Dazai Osamu, Yokohama Modeling Agency.
His eyes widened.
Could Dazai Osamu possibly be the Demon Prodigy?
How would he prove that? Dazai is one of the top modes in Japan, and he is well loved by the public.
Chuuya doesn't realize how long he's been at this stoplight, not until a car behind him honks.
Snapping back to reality, he drives off.
He has a lead.
***
“Akutagawa! I have a lead!” Chuuya slammed the door open, spooking the younger man.
He placed the audio recorder onto the table and played it.
The Demon Prodigy’s voice is heard.
They listened intently, and Akutagawa hums in approval.
“So he really just showed up at the crime scene like normal?” Akutagawa raised an eyebrow.
“Well, yes! I guess for someone calling himself Demon Prodigy, he’d be corny like that.” Chuuya shrugs.
“I suppose we should hand this over to Kouyou-san.”
Chuuya nodded, placing the audio recorder back into his pocket, “Yup. I bet Ane-san will be delighted with this, after months of nothing…”
“Wait but you said you had a lead? Who do you suspect it is?”
Chuuya grinned at the younger man, gripping onto his shoulders like a mad man, “Let me show you!”
He fished his phone out and searched something up. Chuuya then showed Akutagawa the photo. The dark haired man only frowns. “Dazai Osamu? Are you serious?”
“Uh, Duh! Who the hell else would it be?” Chuuya rolled his eyes as if it were the most obvious answer.
Akutagawa sighed, closing his eyes, “Perhaps, but this is Yokohama’s top model! He’s already rich, why would he need to be stealing from millionaires?”
“Who knows? I just know its him, Aku, I just need to prove it…” Chuuya had a determined look on his face, and although his idea was insane, Akutagawa couldn’t help but respect him even more.
“Alright then, if you’re so sure… We should probably go see Kouyou-san now.”
They head towards her office, the hallways gloomy.
Chuuya knocks only once before letting himself in. “Hi, Ane-san!” He greeted her with a large smile, and the older woman returned the gesture.
“Chuuya, Akutagawa. Have you got something for me?”
“Yes, I do,” Chuuya places the audio recorder onto her desk, playing it so she could hear.
She had a glint in her eyes as she listened. When the audio was over, Kouyou looked up and smiled at them, “Well done. This is a great start to finally finding the Demon Prodigy.”
Akutagawa next to Chuuya sighed, which caught Kouyou’s attention, “Chuuya-san says he already has a clue on who it is…”
Kouyou tapped her nails against the wood, “Oh? Do tell…”
“Ah, well I just have a suspicion that it might be Dazai Osamu…”
She studied his face for a minute, trying to look for signs of a smile, “…Is this a joke?”
Chuuya groaned, craning his head back, “No! I’m being serious right now!”
“You are aware that Dazai Osamu is a well beloved man, right?”
“Ane-san, believe me please… I’ll prove it.”
Another moment goes by before she sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, “We don’t have many suspects right now, and you are one of best detectives, so I trust you, Chuuya… Let’s just hope you aren’t screwing around. If we accuse this high profile guy of being an infamous criminal, who knows what will happen to our agency? Gather some proof, then we will see…”
Chuuya nods to her, bowing down before taking his leave, “Thank you, Boss, and don’t worry, you can count on me.”
Chuuya and Akutagawa leave her office, letting out a sigh of relief once the door closes behind them, “I still think this is a crazy idea, but I support you, Chuuya-san.”
The redhead laughs, slinging an arm over Akutagawa’s shoulder, “Thanks! Hey, how about we go out for some drinks? To celebrate the Demon Prodigy case finally getting somewhere!”
Akutagawa thinks about the proposition, before nodding along, “That does sound like a good idea.”
“Great! Let’s go!”
There was a bar not too far away from their agency building, so they found themselves there, enjoying a few rounds of drinks.
The atmosphere in the bar was nice, no noisy drunkards or creepy men leering his way. Chuuya moaned against his drink. He was enjoying himself a lot.
“Mm. Isn’t this the best, Ryuu? We’re finally catching a fucking break after months! God, I seriously hate the Demon Prodigy for doing all this bullshit. I mean, what kind of tacky name even is ‘Demon Prodigy?’ It’s so stupid!” Chuuya rambled on and on. Akutagawa was forced to listen to it all. Damn, he should have declined that offer after all!
“I do agree with you, Chuuya-san, the Demon Prodigy has brought me numerous headaches…”
“You get it!” Chuuys exclaimed loudly, causing his drink to spill.
“Ah, fuck,” He tries to call over the bartender to bring him another drink, when money was placed next to him.
“Hey, next drink on me?” He looks up to see a tall brunet man wearing a huge grin on his face.
“Dazai Osamu?” Chuuya’s mouth was agape, and even Akutagawa next to him was shocked.
Quickly, the man put a finger up to his lips, silencing him, “Shh! The public can’t know I’m here!” Dazai complained, a desperate look on his face. Chuuya immediately sobered up.
He sat up straight and crinkled his eyebrows, examining Dazai before him. It seems the brunet has noticed since he now has a smirk on his face, “What? Am I truly that unresistable? I get it, I am hot!”
Chuuya put his hands up, his face slightly red as he wore a scandalous look, “Hell no! That’s so gross I could die!”
Dazai shook his head, tsking at the redhead, “It’s okay, you can admit it! You want me!”
“No!”
“You do!”
“Shut the fuck up!” Chuuya covered his ears.
Akutagawa just wanted to leave.
Finally, Dazai sighed, taking a sip from his whiskey, “I never got your name, you know?”
Chuuya stilled. Should he tell him his name? Well if Dazai Osamu really is the Demon Prodigy, he’d know that already, “It’s Chuuya…”
“Oh, Chuuya! How cute! It reminds me of those short, angry, yapping dogs! What are they called again? Chihuahuas?”
“Go to hell! I am not a goddamn dog!” Chuuya flipped him off, but Dazai continued to laugh.
“Man! I love your reactions! You’re truly interesting, Chuuya…”
Dazai purred out that last part and it made the hairs on the back of Chuuya’s neck rise.
Suddenly, Chuuya stands, taking one last gulp of his wine before grabbing Akutagawa and leaving. “Wait! Take my number, at least!” Dazai ran up to him and placed a piece of paper in his hand.
On the paper was a number. Chuuya was debating on whether or not he should toss it out, but he supposes he could use this. “Bye, Dazai Osamu!” He made sure to yell out that last part. Every patron in the bar turned to look over at them, swarming to Dazai.
The look on Dazai’s face was priceless. Chuuya chuckles underneath his breath, clutching onto the piece of paper.
Once he and Akutagawa were out of the bar, he jumped in joy. “This is perfect! Oh, Ryuu! Now that I have his number, I can easily gather evidence!”
Akutagawa sighed once more, holding Chuuya up to prevent him from falling. Chuuya hasn’t looked this happy since he got promoted…
“Dazai Osamu, I will capture you!” Chuuya was drunk. Absolutely drunk.
Akutagawa wanted to leave.
Somewhere behind the bar, Dazai Osamu smiles as he listens to Chuuya’s rants.
***
When Chuuya got home that night, he immediately wrote in his journal, more notes about the Demon Prodigy. He cataloged Dazai’s number into his phone, and saved the contact.
He’s finally made progress after months of nothing! Chuuya was ecstatic!
He goes to sleep that night feeling giddy, smiling about the whole situation.
The following morning, Chuuya woke up as usual. He slid out of bed, made his coffee, and dressed for work.
Except today something was a bit off.
When he went to check his phone, he had dozens of notifications. Did he say something while he was drunk?
He first opens the messages from Akutagawa. It was straightforward and to the point.
It was a simple message that read, “Check the news.”
Chuuya didn’t like the sound of that.
He sighed, bracing himself for the worst. What could have possibly happened?
Chuuya turns on his TV and flips to the news station.
What he sees shocks him.
There on the front cover was Dazai Osamu, and clips of him from last night!
With Chuuya!
The detective swore under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He listens to the news reporter.
“News about Dazai Osamu seemingly trying to flirt with someone has made its way onto the headlines! Has Yokohama’s top model finally decided to give love a chance? Stay tuned for more information!”
Chuuya switched the TV off, not wanting to hear more of that bullshit.
He’s scared to check his phone again.
He relents.
Chuuya scrolls through his messages and sees that even Kouyou has contacted him about it. Shit, he has royally messed up.
But Kouyou’s message wasn’t the one that bugged him.
He received a different message.
From him.
Chuuya opens his chat and rolls his eyes.
Dazai has sent him a waving emoji along with a text that said, “Hi Chuuya! It was fun talking to you last night!” A cat picture was attached.
Chuuya was seriously contemplating things. How should he respond?
It’s too early in the morning for this.
He decides to text back anyway, he needs more information on Dazai Osamu. Perhaps he can seduce him and get evidence. Chuuya shakes his head, blushing at the thought.
“Hey. You’re actually serious about this?” Chuuya hits send, and almost immediately he sees a bubble responding back.
“Of course I am! I mean, I don’t give out my numbers to just anyone you know.”
Chuuya rolls his eyes once more, he seriously doubts that.
“So when can we meet up and talk? Away from the paparazzi of course…” Dazai sent to him.
“Tonight is fine. I’m not too busy.” This is the perfect chance! A one on one conversation with Dazai Osamu, he can easily gather information on the Demon Prodigy.
Dazai replies back, “Of course, I can do it tonight. Does 6 PM sound good? My place of course, I’ll send you the details.”
“Yup. Fine by me. See you later, asshole.” Chuuya was smiling from ear to ear. He even has the chance to go into his home?! This is perfect!
Although it does make him suspicious. Why would Dazai Osamu let in a complete stranger into his home? After one day of knowing them too…
He shrugs it off. Chuuya has dealt with worse. Dazai is probably just a shitty lover and partner anyway.
He leaves for the office, texting Akutagawa back a thumbs up emoji, making sure he knows that everything is fine.
Chuuya is already dreading that talk Kouyou is going to give to him.
He just needs to focus on the “date,” that’s all.
***
His day at work ended faster than usual. Maybe because he was so focused on his pretend date that time went in 2x speed.
Currently, he was focused on making sure he looked good, after all, he’s having dinner with Yokohama’s top model.
Chuuya can’t lie, Dazai was pretty good looking. He has to admit, the man is worthy of that “top model” title.
Dazai’s features were unique, his beautiful chestnut eyes, his soft hair, and his gorgeous face.
Paired with that charisma, no wonder why he’s the top model.
Why the hell was Chuuya thinking about this?
He shakes his head, fixing his hair.
Chuuta feels a vibration in his pocket, and he goes to check it. As expected, it was Dazai messaging him.
The brunet was supposedly outside of his apartment right now.
Chuuya opens his door and is met face-to-face with a bouquet of roses. He gingerly accepts them, a wry smile on his face. “Hey…”
Dazai gave him a look over, smiling brightly, “You look nice, Chuuya. Ah, let’s go, our ride is here.” Dazai holds out his hand for him.
Chuuya takes it, their hands intertwined.
It was so strange, the way Dazai looked so passionate about this date. Chuuya doesn’t know how to feel.
The car ride was a bit awkward. They sat in silence, only the music from the radio playing in the background.
It wasn’t until they arrived at this luxurious building overlooking the sea. “Woah. You seriously live here?”
“Yup. Being a model pays a lot. Would you want a taste of that money? You can always be my sugar baby!”
“Urgh, don’t even suggest that!” Chuuya stuck his tongue out.
That was the grossest suggestion ever.
Once they got out of the car, they entered the lobby and Chuuya’s jaw was just on the ground. Everything was so fancy.
They head over to the elevator, and Dazai selects the button that reads “PH.”
They eventually reached the very top, and Dazai unlocked his door.
The inside was just as beautiful as the outside.
Dazai sees Chuuya gawking, and elbows him, “Pretty nice, right? Ah, let’s go over to my dining room.” He drags Chuuya over there and sits him down.
Dazai removes his coat for him and hangs it. Chuuya is honestly still very suspicious. So far, he hasn’t seen any Demon Prodigy items, so he’s a bit disappointed.
“So… What are we having for dinner?” Chuuya asked him. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was a 5 course meal.
“Oh! I got seafood takeout! Actually, I think the delivery man should be right outside! Let me go get the door…” Dazai leaves the table.
This gives Chuuya the perfect chance to snoop around the dining room.
He stands and sees all the photos, people he doesn’t recognize.
They looked very normal, like the photos a regular person would have in their home. He hears Dazai’s footsteps and retreats back to his seat.
Chuuya makes a face at the food, “Seafood? Seriously?”
“Yes! I love seafood! Come on, don’t tell me you hate crab…”
“I don’t, but I didn’t expect to be served this. Is this what you usually feed your dates?”
“Aha! So you’re finally calling it a date! And no, I don’t go out much. Too risky,” Dazai tucks in a napkin into his shirt while pulling on gloves. He passes the items over to Chuuya.
“Y’know, I really thought you were a playboy or something. I always saw you messing around with those fangirls on TV.” Chuuya cracks open his crab, biting into it. He nods in approval of the food, it was good.
“Ah, that’s just so I could be more popular.”
Chuuya raises an eyebrow at him, prompting Dazai to explain, “Basically, the fans love an interactive celebrity! Sure, I’ve been called many names, but in the end it’s very worth it! And what do you work as? I’m guessing a detective?”
Chuuya nods. Dazai only knows that because he was wearing his detective outfit when they met at the bar, “Yeah. I enjoy my work a lot, even if it doesn’t earn me as much money as what you have.”
“I respect it. Working for the side of good. It reminds me of someone I know…”
“Oh? Who does it remind you of?” Chuuya passed his ministrations, eyes off the crab and onto Dazai’s instead.
“Just an old friend of mine, Odasaku. He uh, died.”
“I’m sorry to hear that…” Damn. Chuuya feels bad now.
“It’s fine, it was a while ago anyway.”
They continued to eat their dinner in peace, few conversations here and there, some bickering, but it was overall good. If Chuuya wasn’t investigating Dazai right now, he would definitely be considering having him as a boyfriend.
When they finished up dinner, it was time for Chuuya to leave. He’d sad that he hasn’t found any good evidence yet, but the evening wasn’t a complete waste.
“You know, the public is going to have a riot over this. Are you sure you want to risk your model job by pursuing someone who’s in a way lower class than you?” Chuuya asks him solemnly. It was an honest question.
Dazai held his hands, and brought them to his lips, kissing each knuckle tenderly. “Of course, Chuuya…”
Chuuya smiles at him, and waves him goodbye, “Alright then. Until next time, Dazai Osamu…”
“Goodbye to you too, Chuuya Nakahara!
When the door closed, Dazai fell on the ground and sighed, covering his face with the palms of his hands. His heart was beating fast, and his face was hot.
What the hell is he going to do?