Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Atsushi winced at the throbbing of his skull. He lifted himself off the floor, kneeling on the ground as he rubbed his head. 

‘Where am I?’ he wondered, blinking his bleary eyes. 

“Atsushi-kun? Are you alright?”

Similarly kneeling beside him was Dazai, his eyes alert and focused despite having woken up at the same time. 

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Atsushi groaned. He looked around. The other ADA members were picking themselves up off of the floor, clutching their heads. 

Tanizaki helped Naomi and Ranpo up just as Kunikida and Yosano leaned on each other to stand. Kenji pulled Kyouka to her feet while Fukuzawa got to his feet on his own. 

Atsushi leaned on his knees for a moment before pushing himself up, following their lead. 

It took him a moment to realize the ADA weren’t the only ones in the room. 

Picking themselves off of the floor were members of the Black Lizard—Hirotsu, Gin, and Tachihara. 

Behind them stood Akutagawa and Higuchi. Atsushi’s eyebrows furrowed upon seeing his enemy standing so nonchalantly. 

Looking further, Atsushi began to notice people whose faces he didn’t even recognize. 

Chuuya brushed himself off, giving his subordinates a once over, then nodding to himself once he deemed them unhurt. 

Lucy looked around. The Guild members were missing with the exception of Edgar. He stood up beside her and reached a hand out. 

‘How oddly nice of him,’ she thought.

She was about to take his outstretched hand when Karl beat her to it as he scampered up Poe’s arm and into his embrace. He held Karl to his chest as he analytically scanned the others in the room. 

‘Of course,’ she thought dryly, getting up by herself. She shouldn’t have expected otherwise. 

Poe let out a small curse under his breath, his eyes narrowing underneath his mop of hair. Lucy stared at him in surprise. She never heard him cuss before. 

“What is it?” she asked him. 

“It’s him,” Poe whispered frantically. “My nemesis!”

She turned. Sure enough, Poe’s self-proclaimed nemesis stood amongst the crowd, his hat askew on his messy hair. 

She sighed. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day. 

Nearby, Sigma glanced around, not knowing who the people around him were, nor how he got there. He clenched his fists close to his sides. 

Watching everyone carefully were the Hunting Dogs, Teccho, Jouno, and Teruko. 

“Hey, look,” Teruko pointed out quietly. “It’s Tachihara.” 

She tried to discreetly wave at him to which he immediately turned around, avoiding her. 

“Stop that,” Jouno warned. “You’ll get him caught.”

“Um,” a timid, feminine voice interrupted. “Excuse me…”

The ones nearest to her turned, though the ones farther away didn’t hear her.

The girl was short, barely a teenager, and wore clunky, thick glasses. 

“Excuse me,” she tried again, a little louder. 

Teruko sighed. “Hey!” she yelled. Everyone quieted down. “Kid’s trynna talk.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kenji apologized, bounding toward her. “Hello! I’m Kenji. What’s your name?”

“Meg,” the girl replied. “Meg Murry.”

“It’s very nice to meet you,” he said, taking her hand with a disarming smile.

The girl let out a small laugh. “Likewise.” She glanced around the room. “Oh, but…well, I’ve already met quite a few of you already, actually.”

Kenji looked surprised. “You have?”

“Yes!” Meg said. “A lot of you, I’d say.”

“When?” Kunikida asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. He usually had an impeccable memory, and he couldn’t recall her at all. Many people in the room thought similarly. They eyed each other, wondering which ones among them she had met. 

Meg looked downcast for a moment before responding, “In the future. I’m an Armed Detective Agency member in the future. You all sent me back here to help you.”

Ranpo stepped through the crowd to see her clearly. He opened his eyes, putting the intensity of his green-tinted brown eyes on her. 

“Help us how?” he asked. 

‘She’s telling the truth about being from the future, then?’ Fukuzawa noted. 

“Well,” Meg said. “At some point twenty years from now, you all have to work together. Then, someone mentioned how it would have been helpful if you all knew more about each other during this time period, because then so many misunderstandings wouldn’t have happened and it would be easier to work together. 

“So, you all figured out a way to send me back here with information that could help you understand each other more.”

“I see,” Ranpo said. “And your ability, if you don’t mind us asking, is?”

“It’s called A Wrinkle in Time. It…lets me show you the events of the past and future to help you all understand each other more, as well as the events you all went through. You guys said that it would help you all resolve your misunderstandings and trauma, and so you would be able to work together to defeat the future threat easily.”

Ranpo nodded. “Alright.” He turned to the ADA members. “She’s telling the truth,” he said. Then, privately, thought, ‘Though she is purposefully being vague. I wonder why.’ 

The ADA accepted Ranpo’s assessment easily. 

“Wait,” Lucy said. “Hold on, why should we believe any of this? I don’t even know who you are.”

“Sure you do,” Dazai said. “Lucy Montgomery, right? And Edgar Allan Poe? You’re Guild members. You’re the ones who sent the Port Mafia after Atsushi-kun.”

The Port Mafia members eyed her and Poe warily. 

Lucy took a step closer to Poe. She eyed the boy Dazai had pointed at, Atsushi. So he was the man-tiger Fitzgerald was after, she thought. 

Atsushi glanced between the two Guild members and Dazai. “They were the ones…?”

Dazai nodded without turning away from them. “I was going to let you know this morning, but we seem to have woken up here, instead.”

“You must be the Armed Detective Agency, then,” Poe said, noticing Lucy’s unease. He looked to the Port Mafia members. “And you must be part of the Port Mafia.”

He turned to the others. “The Hunting Dogs,” he noted, eyeing their uniforms. Finally, he turned to Sigma. “And…who are you?”

Sigma took a step back. “I’m no one.”

Dazai tilted his head. “I’ve never met anyone who was no one. You sure about that?”

Sigma gulped. The man before him looked too similar to his old captors than was bearable, with his calculating eyes. 

“My name’s Sigma. I really am no one. I…don’t remember anything about myself. I have amnesia,” he explained.  

Ranpo’s eyes narrowed. “I see.”

Meg tried to get their attention again, clearing her throat awkwardly. This time, everyone settled down easily. 

“My ability makes it so that no time passes while we are in this space. You can think of it as a pocket dimension. But, uh, it’ll still feel like time is passing for us, and I’m not sure how long it’ll take to show you everything. So, get comfortable. I’ll set up the screen on the far wall over there.” She pointed to a wall of the room. 

Jouno turned to Teccho. “You should sit near the back, your tall ass would block the screen.”

Dazai snickered. “By that logic, Chuuya, you should sit right in the front! You’re the smallest one here!” 

Chuuya’s eye twitched as he kicked at Dazai’s shins. Dazai danced around the kick easily. 

“Missed me,” he teased. 

Atsushi looked at his mentor. 

“You know him, Dazai-san?”

Dazai smiled softly. “Chuuya and I were partners back when I was in the mafia,” he answered easily.

“Ah, I see.”

He blinked. 

“Wait, what?”

He blinked again. “Dazai-san, you were part of the Port Mafia?” he yelled. 

His exclamation caught the attention of the other detectives. 

Kunikida stepped forward first. “Are you joking?” he asked, already knowing the answer. 

“I’m afraid not,” Dazai shrugged. “The president already knows, of course.”

Fukuzawa nodded to the detectives, causing them to settle down before they could begin to grow rowdy.

Kunikida nodded to Dazai. It wasn’t like it changed anything, in his eyes. 

Dazai allowed a small, sincere smile to find its way onto his face. 

He didn’t know what he was expecting their reaction to be, but it went far better than he had imagined. Then again, it wasn’t like they had made any fuss when they accepted Kyouka with open arms, either.  

“Guys!” Naomi called out. She was sitting on the floor leaning against Tanizaki. She waved her hand around, unaffected by the news, and gestured for the ADA members to settle in around them.

Atsushi smiled. “Come on,” he said, pulling Dazai’s arm. The two of them went to sit down on the floor with their group. A few of them leaned on the wall to their right, sitting sideways so that they could press their backs against it. 

The Port Mafia members sat to their left, sitting similarly against the left wall. Poe and Lucy exchanged a look with each other before sitting behind the mafia members, leaning against the wall to their backs. The Hunting Dogs sat next to them without a word. 

Sigma sat beside Teruko, a rather large distance away, and leaned into the corner of the room. 

Jouno hummed. “Isn’t it strange that Fukuchi-san isn’t with us?” he wondered aloud. 

Teruko sat up straighter. “You’re right. Do you think something’s wrong with him?”

Jouno shook his head slightly. “There shouldn’t be,” he said. “A few members of other groups are missing. The boss of the mafia, for one. Not to mention the entire Guild other than these two.” He gestured with his chin to Poe and Lucy. “And I’m not entirely sure if that Sigma guy has an organization he’s a part of, but it would make sense if he was.”

The three of them pondered over it, lost in thought. 

“I’m going to start now,” Meg called out. A light began from her chest that encircled the room. It began to concentrate on the wall in front of them until a large screen was produced from it. 

Lucy pulled her knees up to her chest as Poe buried his hands in Karl’s fur. 

The ADA members whispered to each other as the room’s lights dimmed. 

The screen flickered to life. A white text with a simple font overlaid a black screen. A voice began narrating the words. 

[...A single bowl of chazuke—tea over rice…]

[Pickled plums, shredded seaweed, some leftover chicken from the evening meal smothered in piping hot tea seasoned with dried strips of kombu.]

[Ah, how sweet it was…the chazuke I made for myself on the sly in the orphanage’s kitchen.]

“Is that Atsushi-kun narrating?” Tanizaki asked aloud. 

“I think so,” Atsushi said. “I remember this. This is the day I met Dazai-san and Kunikida-san.

“Ah, good times,” Dazai reminisced. 

“For you, maybe,” Atsushi grumbled. 

[Although, it must be said…]

[I’m so hungry, I could die.] 

Atsushi lay face down on his stomach in torn clothing, his arm reaching futilely toward the river. 

“Woah, Atsushi-san, are you alright?” Naomi asked worriedly. 

Atsushi rubbed the back of his neck. “Not really,” he chuckled. “I felt like I was dying of hunger. I probably was.”

Kenji frowned. “I’m sorry you felt that way, Atsushi-san.”

“It’s alright, Kenji-kun. I’m okay now.” Atsushi smiled gently at him. 

[Title card: Bungo Stray Dogs: Chapter 1 - Looking the Gift Tiger in the Mouth] 

[An image of Atsushi, Dazai, Kunikida, Yosano, Kenji, and Ranpo standing around the title was shown]

“Oh, hey, we’re there, too,” Yosano commented. 

“Bungo Stray Dogs,” Poe mumbled. “I wonder why…”

“What was that, Poe-san?” Lucy asked. 

Poe gestured to the title. “Well, usually there’s a reason for a title. I’m wondering what the meaning of this one is.” 

[My name is Atsushi, and certain circumstances…have left me at Death’s door.]

‘Kicked out of the orphanage, no food, no shelter, not even brave enough to steal…and now, I find myself here. I know I have to rob or steal in order to live…but…’

Atsushi looked up at the sky, his mouth turned downward and his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes looked tired. 

"We have no need of your ilk!”

"Find yourself a ditch somewhere in which to curl up and die!”

“Woah, hey, who are they?” Yosano asked. 

Atsushi looked uncomfortable. “The people at my old orphanage,” he explained. “They didn’t like me very much…”

Lucy pressed herself against the wall, gripping her forearms close to herself. Poe glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Awkwardly, he sat a little closer to her, so that they sat shoulder to shoulder. 

She tensed, then slowly relaxed. She wasn’t there. She wasn’t. 

Akutagawa found himself looking at his rival. He knew the weretiger had such a past, but it was odd witnessing it for himself. 

“Want me to kill them for you?” Yosano offered. 

“It’s alright, Yosano-san,” Atsushi said, though he looked grateful for the thought. 

Yosano pressed her lips together but nodded.

Fukuzawa looked between her and Atsushi. He would invite Atsushi to tea soon, he decided. 

A darkness settled over Atsushi’s face as he remembered those words. “Shut up! I refuse to go out that easily…” 

He clenched his fist and stood determinedly. 

‘I need to live…I’ll attack the next man who passes by…and steal all his money!’

“That’s the spirit,” Ranpo grinned. 

“Mhm,” Kyouka said, determined on Atsushi’s behalf. 

His face took on a look of seriousness. His senses picked up on someone’s presence. 

“...Someone’s coming!”

Two legs facing up drifted into view. Atsushi stood there in disbelief, watching the upside-down person drowning in the river. His legs submerged in the water with a ‘plop.’

Fukuzawa sighed. “Don’t tell me that’s…”

Kunikida let out a tired groan. “I tried to stop him,” he mumbled. 

“Still doing stuff like that?” Chuuya made a purely judgemental face at Dazai. “Have you even grown up?”

Dazai lifted his eyebrows. “Have you? Could've sworn you’re the same height as you were when we met.” He shrugged. 

“You—”

“Now, now, Chuuya-kun,” Hirotsu admonished. 

“How old were you two when you met?” Atsushi asked curiously, ignoring their squabble. 

“Fifteen,” Dazai replied. 

Atsushi’s eyes widened. “It’s been a while, then,” he noted. 

“Yeah, I guess it has.”

“Okay, the guy after this…!” Atsushi determined, sweat dripping down his face in concern and bewilderment. 

He watched as birds began to attack the man’s feet, and he flailed in the water. Atsushi grew more concerned. In a split-second of decision-making, he pushed off of the harbor and leaped into the river. 

A moment later, he was coughing the water out of his lungs and heaving for air, the man he saved laying beside him. 

Dazai blinked his eyes, and like a vampire rising from a coffin, sat up suddenly, surprising Atsushi. 

Tanizaki clutched at his chest. “Why did you sit up like that,” he wheezed. 

“Nearly gave me a heart attack,” Atsushi commented. 

“...Are you alright? You were swept up by the current,” Atsushi said, trailing off. 

Dazai simply looked around, his head swiveling from side to side. 

“...I’m saved then?” Dazai, looking fairly disappointed. “...Tch.”

Shocked, Atsushi mentally exclaimed, ‘Did he just say “Tch”?!’

The ADA members laughed, while Gin and Hirotsu let out small chuckles. Lucy allowed a small smile to make its way onto her face. 

“Was it you who interrupted my asphyxiation?” Dazai asked. 

“‘Interrupted”? I was trying to help you—” Then, looking confused, asked, “...Asphyxi-what?”

“Apologies. You are unfamiliar with the term?” Dazai held a hand up as he explained. “I mean to convey that I was committing suicide.”

“Huh?”

“Props to you for apologizing, I guess,” Yosano mumbled. 

“Don’t encourage him,” Kunikida sighed. 

Dazai grinned. 

“I was endeavoring to shuffle off this mortal coil, and you had to involve yourself…” He sighed and put his hand to his head, looking resigned. “Such a bother…” he mumbled. 

“Uh…okay?” Atsushi looked confused. ‘Huh? Why’s he mad at me?’ he wondered.

“Ah, well,” Dazai stood. “My intent was to pursue a clean, pure suicide—one that imposed on no one. And yet you were nonetheless entangled. I must offer some sort of recompense for this awful imposi—”

His apology was cut off by Atsuhi’s growling stomach. They looked at each other for a moment before Dazai snickered. “Are you hungry, lad?”

Another round of snickering went off. 

“Pathetic,” Akutagawa mumbled. ‘How could he show weakness so easily,’ he wondered. Didn’t he know that weaknesses shown were opportunities waiting to be exploited? 

Atsushi pitifully replied, “I…I actually haven’t had anything to eat in several days…”

Dazai’s stomach growled as well. They looked blankly at each other. 

“Nor have I,” Dazai admitted, looking thoroughly deadpan. “And the river absconded with my wallet.”

“Huh?” Atsushi exclaimed. “I thought you’d at least treat me to lunch for rescuing you.”

“?”

“Don’t ‘?’ me!” Atsushi cried. 

Akutagawa frowned at that as everyone else laughed once more. Dazai was also admitting to a weakness, it seemed. But why? Why in front of this boy? What did he have that Akutagawa did not?

They were interrupted by a man in a suit, his arms crossed and looking disapprovingly at them. “Hello!” he called from the other side of the river. “Is this where you’ve been, you stupid oaf?”

“Kunikida-san, it’s you!” Kenji pointed at the screen. 

“Yes, it is,” Kunikida adjusted his glasses, though he smiled at the boy. 

Dazai perked up immediately. “Oh! Kunikida-kun! Thanks for coming!”

Kunikida’s veins pulsed as he waved his notebook about. “You have subjected me to a great deal of grief today, you suicide-obsessed maniac!” he angrily shouted. “Why must you constantly ruin my plan?” 

“Ah, yes!” Dazai snapped his fingers. “I have a smashing idea, my lad. That is my co-worker. Perhaps he can feed us!”

“Huh?”

In the distance, Kunikida yelled, “Listen to me, you!”

Chuuya chuckled. “I truly feel for you,” he deadpanned. “I’ve been in your shoes a million times.” 

Kunikida made eye contact with the executive. ‘Ah,’ he thought. ‘I feel as if this man truly understands.’ 

Dazai looked between the two. “Woah, hey, stop that eye contact,” he complained. “Enemies, remember? You should hate each other!” 

Kunikida whacked Dazai on the back of the head. “The point of this viewing is to form amicable ties with each other, remember?”

Dazai tutted but nodded in agreement. “Correct as always, Kunikida-kun.” 

Dazai ignored him, turning to Atsushi instead. “What is your name?” he asked. 

Tentatively, Atsushi replied, “Um, Nakajima Atsushi, but…”

Dazai began walking, waving off his hesitation. “Well, Atsushi-kun, follow me. What sort of food do you crave?

Atsushi rubbed the back of his head. “Um…well,” he shyly said. “Some chazuke would be nice.”

Dazai let out a puff of amusement before fully laughing. “Ha-ha-ha! A child mere inches from death, seeking a bowl of chazuke? So be it, then. I’ll have Kunikida-kun treat you to thirty or so bowls if you like!”

Atsushi flushed. “Well, what else was I supposed to eat?”

Dazai shook his head with a smile. “I think it was a very ‘you’ choice, Atsushi.”

Kyouka nodded beside him. “I would’ve chosen tofu,” she said quietly to him. 

Atsushi smiled. “Good choice,” he whispered back. 

Kunikida angrily stomped in the distance. “Stop being so generous with my money, Dazai!” he yelled. 

“Dazai?” Atsushi noted. 

“Yes. That is my name. Dazai…Dazai Osamu.”

The screen filled out to show Dazai’s full body, as well as a bust shot. His hair flowed with the wind, and he wore a gentle smile on his face. 

“Look at you, being all dramatic,” Yosano laughed. 

“Hey,” Dazai complained. “Let me have my moment.”

“If it were up to you, all moments would be your moments,” Chuuya grumbled, crossing his arms. 

Ranpo sighed. “I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of Atsushi-kun and Dazai.”

Dazai laughed good-naturedly. “I’m sure you’ll have your time to shine, too, Ranpo-san. You are the most important member of the agency, after all.”

Ranpo grinned. “And don’t you forget it.” 

Chapter Text

The scene was cut to a restaurant. Atsushi was shoveling food down his throat frantically.

“Damn, you were hungry,” Tachihara commented. 

Atsushi turned to him in surprise. This was the first time any member of the Port Mafia had made a remark. Honestly, Atsushi almost forgot they were watching, too. 

“I was,” Atsushi said, trying to be civil. He didn’t think he could ever forgive the mafia for their actions against Kyouka or Yokohama, but he knew that the purpose of being in this room was for them all to get along. He would feel bad if he was the reason they were stunted from doing so. 

Dazai gave him a small nod of approval. Atsushi smiled, glad he did the right thing. 

Hirotsu also gave Tachihara a small nod for taking the initiative to begin talking casually. Tachihara tried not to look pleased, though his eyes twinkled with subdued pride. He side-eyed the Hunting Dogs from where they were sitting diagonally behind him and leaning against the wall behind them. 

He pressed his lips together and looked back at the screen. 

“We have to return to work, Dazai,” Kunikida said as Dazai rested his head on his hand, content to watch Atsushi eat. “What kind of fool says ‘Oh, what a fine river’ and dives in headlong during work hours?! Look what you’ve done! Now we’re hideously behind schedule,” Kunikida complained. 

“You do love your appointment books, don’t you, Kunikida-kun?” Dazai noted nonchalantly. 

Kunikida stood and slammed the table.

Lucy flinched back, pressing herself closer to Poe. Fitzgerald hardly ever got angry, to the point of yelling, but the years between her and her childhood did nothing to stop her from getting scared of loud noises. 

Poe stiffened beside her, uncomfortable by the proximity. 

Beside them, Jouno frowned. ‘So loud,’ he thought, wincing, carefully keeping his hands from rubbing his ears and showing weakness. 

Not noticing the reactions occurring behind them, the ADA members laughed.  

“You sure love riling him up, Dazai,” Yosano chuckled. 

“He makes it so easy!” Dazai shrugged helplessly in return. 

“It’s not an appointment book!” he exclaimed, seething. “These are my ideals! The precepts that guide my entire life!”

The camera zoomed in on the book in Kunikida’s hand titled ‘Ideals’ in kanji. 

“And,” he continued, “nowhere does it advise partnering with a suicide aficionado!” 

“Mfh nf mnrrginian frnwmn?” Atsushi asked with his mouth full. 

Kunikida tilted his book open. “Silence. My financial ledger says nothing about ‘feeding a foundling all the chazuke he wants’ either.”

Tachihara balked, playing into his role of mafia, deciding to ignore the Hunting Dogs for now. “How did you understand that?” he said with a crooked grin.

He had to lean forward to ask, peering over the other mafiosi’s bodies. 

Kunikida worked his lip between his teeth for a moment, feeling awkward at having to interact with the Port Mafia without hostility. Fukuzawa sent him a look. With his permission, Kunikida replied, “I’m used to teenagers mumbling.”

Atsushi laughed. “Oh, yeah, I forgot you were a teacher.” 

Kyouka tilted her head. “You were a teacher?”

Kunikida sighed, irritated by the reminder. “An instructor, but yes. Students tended to sneak food into their mouths during class, so I got used to deciphering them.” 

They all nodded along, interested in the information. 

“I would’ve hated that,” Jouno remarked. 

The ADA had to turn around to see him, suddenly remembering that people were sitting behind them. None of them had ever met a member of the Hunting Dogs before. It would be far easier to get along with them than it would with the mafia, though with Tachihara attempting to be amicable, perhaps neither groups would be difficult to get along with. 

“It was,” Kunikida searched for the word to describe it. “An experience,” he settled on.

Several people snickered. 

“Hngh rmmh?”

“I said— we are working!” Kunikida emphasized his point by slamming his notebook onto the table. “The military police assigned us to corral a ferocious—”

“How are you speaking to each other?” Dazai questioned in confusion. 

“Ha-ha! Even Dazai was questioning it,” Yosano laughed, Kenji smiling brightly with her. 

Sigma’s shoulder began to untense in the corner he was holed up in. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad, he thought. 

Eventually, Atsushi set down his final bowl. “Whew! What a meal!” 

The bowls stacked on top of each other made quite the sight. 

Kenji clapped his hands together and leaned forward. “Wow, that’s quite the meal!” he exclaimed. “The sight of it is making me hungry!”

“Me too,” Atsushi sighed. “But all I have with me are candies to bribe Ranpo-san with—”

The ADA members shook their heads wildly, making cutting motions with their hands. He frowned in confusion. 

‘What…?’

Ranpo’s eyes lit up. “You have sweets for me?” 

“Uh…” Atsushi looked between him and the other members. “No…?”

Ranpo grinned. “You sure about that?” 

Atsushi sighed. The agency members groaned in disappointment. 

“We really need to work on your lying,” Dazai noted. 

Atsushi chuckled good-naturedly. He began pulling out lollipops, pocky, and a bottle of Ramune soda from his pockets. “We can all share,” Atsushi noted. Ranpo quickly claimed the soda and a packet of pocky. 

“How did that fit in there?” Tecchou wondered aloud, noticing the soda. 

Teruko looked impressed. 

“All right, everyone,” Kunikida sighed. “Turn out your pockets. It’s only fair.” 

As one, the agency members began pulling out various sweets and snacks from their pockets. They amassed quite the pile between them. Ranpo cackled gleefully at the sight. 

“All this for me?” he laughed. “You shouldn’t have!” 

“Well, it’s for all of us now,” Kunikida corrected. 

“Please don’t bribe him with sweets,” Fukuzawa sighed. 

“Aw, but Pres…” 

Dazai chuckled. “Well, you heard your dad. Guess we can’t give you sugar anymore.”

Ranpo blushed. “He’s not my dad,” he mumbled through a pout. 

Fukuzawa sent him a small, proud smile. 

“Sure he isn’t,” Dazai agreed. 

“Here,” Atsushi said gesturing at the snacks to the mafia members next to them. “Feel free to take some.” Then, turning around to look at the others, said, “All of you go ahead.” 

Tecchou was the first to stand and claim a bag of chips from the pile. Despite its small size, he held it out for Jouno and Teruko to take from. 

Poe made himself smaller against the wall, not wanting to attract attention. Lucy felt similarly, though luckily, Karl made the executive decision to jump off of Poe’s shoulder and grab a pile of pocky, skittering back to them. 

“Thank you, Karl,” Poe said, ruffling the raccoon’s fur. 

“Woah!” Kenji exclaimed, having been the only one to notice the raccoon taking from the pile. “You have a raccoon!” 

Poe flinched back. “Y-yes, I do,” he said quietly. “This is Karl.”

“Hello, Karl!” Kenji greeted, standing up. “Would you mind if I pet him?” he asked. 

The agency smiled fondly as Kenji moved over to the Guild members, sitting beside them. 

“Well,” Poe began, then paused, noticing that Kenji truly was asking for permission and hadn’t begun to reach out to Karl yet. “Yes, I suppose you can,” he said. 

Kenji smiled. Karl skittered down Poe’s head and perched himself next to his lap, instead. Kenji let Karl sniff him before patting his head softly. His smile grew wider. 

“He’s soft!” he declared. 

Karl chittered happily. 

Chuuya glanced around at the mafia members. They each had picked out a snack already, he noticed. Taking a lollipop and sticking it into his mouth, he scanned over the others. 

He spotted Sigma sitting at the corner of the wall, making no move to get anything for himself. 

“Higuchi,” Chuuya said. 

“Yes, sir?”

“Go ask if he wants anything,” Chuuya said, gesturing with his chin to Sigma’s figure. 

“Yes, sir.”

Higuchi returned after managing to get Sigma to accept a bar of chocolate from her. 

As everyone began to quiet down, the screen began to play again. 

“I don’t even wanna see chazuke for another ten years!” Atsushi exclaimed, patting his full stomach. 

Kunikida’s vein pulsed. “You…”

Atsushi smiled gratefully, a warm look on his face. “You guys sure saved my hide, though! Ever since I got kicked out of the orphanage and arrived in Yokohama, I’ve been homeless and starving.”

Then, a little hesitantly, he said, “I feared I’d meet my end soon!”

“Atsushi…” Tanizaki frowned. 

“It’s okay,” Atsushi smiled. “I met you guys, after all.”

Tanizaki and the rest of the agency smiled softly. 

Dazai perked up in interest, sitting up from his slouched position. “Oh? You come from a children’s home?”

“I did,” Atsushi admitted, his smile becoming empty and forced. “Until they booted me out, yeah. Something about lack of funding and having to downsize…”

Dazai tapped a finger on his arm. “Rather a heartless orphanage, no?”

“Dazai,” Kunikida began, sensing a side-quest about to begin if he let Dazai stay longer. “Let’s get back to work. We aren’t do-gooders passing out alms to every street urchin we see.”

“We kind of are,” Ranpo laughed. He began counting on his fingers. “Me, then Yosano, technically Dazai, Kenji, Atsushi, Kyouka…”

“Not technically,” Dazai hummed. “It wasn’t like I didn’t have housing or anything.”

“Nah,” Ranpo replied. “You count.” 

Kenji tilted his head. “Even me?”

“Sure,” Ranpo said. He tapped his head. “All of us were missing something that the president gave to us. It didn’t necessarily have to be a home.” 

Kenji smiled. “Ah, I see now.”

“What kind of work do you do…?” Atsushi asked, interested. 

Dazai smiled. “Oh, that?” He lifted a finger. “We are detectives.” 

Atsushi looked at him blankly, unimpressed by the information. 

“Hey, now,” Yosano called. “Don’t diss us before you even meet us.”

Atsushi paled. “Sorry!”

“And when he says that,” Kunikida said, “he doesn’t mean we hunt down lost cats or wayward spouses. Our domain is in the realm of more…dangerous work”

Dazai leaned his head back down on his fist. In the background, he could be seen deep in thought.

Kunikida continued, “Have you heard of the ‘Armed Detective Agency,’ home to those with unusual abilities?”

Atsushi’s eyes widened. 

[I heard the name, at least.] Atsushi narrated. [A detective company specializing in hazardous work too dicey for the military or police to handle…A group standing on the twilight, ruling over the threshold between the worlds of day and night.]

The agency members’ blurry outlines were shown. Fukuzawa stood in the middle with Ranpo and Yosano bracketing him. Tanizaki stood behind Ranpo, and Kenji held on to his hat behind Yosano.

[And I’d heard that most of its members possessed some type of special, supernatural ‘skill.’]

“It’s us!” Kenji pointed out.  

Now that he was seated in the back, the others felt more included in the general conversation as the ADA members kept turning around for him. 

He smiled to himself, glad he was able to break the ice at least a little bit. If that girl, Meg, had really time-traveled just to help them all get along, it must be really important for them to do so. He would help in any way he could. 

Dazai’s eyes brightened. “That lintel looks rather sturdy,” he noted aloud as he eyed a horizontal beam on the ceiling near them. “I wager it could even support a person’s weight.”

“Stop gauging opportunities to prepare a noose at every teahouse we visit!” Kunikida yelled, irritated. 

“Pshaw!” Dazai scoffed. “You have no concept of the merit of the neck stretch?”

“What, is that good for your health?” Kunikida questioned. 

Jouno snorted, unable to keep it in. “Did you really fall for that?” he teased. 

“He can be very persuasive,” Kunikida grumbled. 

‘For real though..?’ Atsushi thought, wondering how Kunikida fell for such a blatant lie as Dazai began to explain the imaginary procedure. 

“W-well, then,” Atsushi interrupted. “What kind of case are the two of you working on?”

Kunikida’s face took on a serious air. “We are seeking a tiger,” he said. Dazai appeared to be casually interested while gauging Atsushi’s reaction. Kunikida adjusted his glasses. 

Atshushi’s eyes widened. “...A tiger?”

“Are they talking about you?” Tachihara asked Atsushi.

“Yeah. I didn’t know about my ability back then.”

Tachihara nodded. He hadn’t known about his ability for the longest time, either. 

Naomi hummed questioningly. “I thought people are usually aware of their abilities,” she said. 

“Not always,” Dazai corrected. “They can lie dormant sometimes, or, like in Atsushi’s case, an ability user’s power may cause them to black out and not notice what they’re doing.”

Chuuya nodded along, his own power doing the same, albeit for different reasons. 

“Huh,” Naomi replied in intrigue. 

“The more you know,” Tanizaki joked. 

“Yes,” Dazai said. “A man-eating beast that has terrorized the city as of late. It has ravaged storehouses, chewed up acres of farmland…The creature is running rampant.”

He held his chin between his fingers in thought. “Apparently, it has recently been sighted in this district…”

Atsushi’s chair clattered to the floor as he fell out of it in freight. A look of pure horror befell his face as other patrons in the restaurant stared. He began to try to crawl away. 

“Woah, hey, what’s that about?” Tachihara mused. 

“I…I-I-I’d best be on my way, now,” he said frantically. 

“Hold it,” Kunikida said, grabbing hold of Atsushi’s collar and pulling him into the air. Atsushi flailed helplessly as he tried to get away. Dazai casually leaned back in his chair and watched them over his shoulder, his legs still crossed with no intent to get up. 

“Not planning on helping?” Yosano asked him. 

Dazai shrugged. “I was connecting the dots,” he said, tapping his temple. 

Ranpo nodded. “Not bad.”

“Thank you.”

“I-I can’t stay here!” Atsushi cried, terrified. “Nobody can defeat that monster!”

“You,” Kunikida began, sounding shocked, “know about this man-eater?”

“It’s been after me! It almost killed me!” he whimpered. “If it’s nearby, I need to run, or—”

Kunikida’s hold on him tightened as he swept his leg, causing Atsushi to lose his balance and fall on his chin. “I told you,” Kunikida said, sitting on Atsushi’s back and pressing his arm down, “the Armed Detective Agency deals in risky cases like these.” 

He clenched Atsushi’s arm tighter as several patrons looked frightened at the display. “You may pay for your meal with your arm—or by telling us all you know.”

Atsushi gasped in pain and fright. 

“Oh, dear,” Hirotsu commented, slightly stunned. 

Atsushi winced, rubbing his shoulder. 

“How did he not see that coming,” Akutagawa muttered. Gin bumped shoulders with him lightheartedly. 

“You have commendable strength,” Tecchou noted. 

“Thank you,” Kunikida replied, looking awkward as he tried to avoid Fukuzawa’s stern look. “Apologies, sir,” he said. “I got ahead of myself. It won’t happen again.”

Fukuzawa nodded decisively. “See that it doesn’t.”

“Oh, come now, Kunikida-kun,” Dazai finally said. “The boss himself warned you that the gathering of intelligence needn’t be an interrogation.”

Kunikida huffed but stood. 

“So, what’ll it be?” Dazai asked as he crouched down to Atsushi. Kunikida could be seen shooing the crowd away in the background. 

Atsushi hesitated, but eventually said, “That tiger wrecked my orphanage. It destroyed our fields, tore our storehouses to shreds…”

The screen showed a flashback to his orphanage, its fields in ruins as Atsushi walked down its path. 

Several people winced, seeing the destruction. 

“No one died, thankfully, but the orphanage was too cash-strapped to recover,” he continued. “So they tossed me out to save money.”

"This is all your fault, you accursed freeloader!” a faceless man said. A crowd of faceless adults in white stared down at Atsushi. 

Atsushi’s young face looked upset. "Why?” he thought. "I didn’t do anything…”

"We have no place for freeloaders here. There is no place under the sun where you might dwell! You are nothing but a strain on the world! Begone and vanish from this earth forever!”

A large creaking door swung shut behind Atsushi’s retreating form as he got kicked out. 

Lucy hissed. “Those good-for-nothings.” 

Atsushi sent her a surprised look. 

Dazai’s expression darkened. “Atsushi-kun, are you alright?”

“Y-yeah,” Atsushi stammered. “I am now…Mostly.” 

Dazai looked like he wanted to say something else, but clenched his jaw. 

“You can talk to us if you ever need it, kid,” Yosano said, not wanting to push him, especially if he had already put it behind him. 

Atsushi nodded but remained silent. He’d rather not talk or think of his time at the orphanage at all. What would the agency think of him if they saw all of his pathetic life before he met them? 

He shuddered to think of it. 

A steaming cup of tea was placed in front of him. Atsushi looked down at it in silence, lost in his memories. 

“...Sounds like quite the disaster,” Dazai commented. 

“So, my boy,” Kunikida said, business as usual, “this beast 'almost killed’ you, then?”

“That man-eater wasn’t satisfied with the radishes in our fields,” Atsushi remarked angrily. He slammed his fist into the table. “It followed me all the way here!”

“How did you see it if it was you?” Higuchi pondered, becoming more comfortable with talking aloud in the room of strangers. 

Her question was answered a moment later. 

[After leaving the orphanage,] Atsushi narrated, [I was wandering along the Tsurumi River when—]

Trash was piled up alongside a bridge. Among them was a cracked mirror. Atsushi looked into it, frowning, then suddenly flinching in freight. The tiger was right behind him, its eyes as wide as Atsushi’s own. 

Several people winced. 

“Yeah, that does look pretty scary when you see it like that,” Tanizaki said. 

“I was terrified,” Atsushi nodded. 

“That animal chased me to this very city!” Atsushi yelled, distressed. “My mind clouded with hunger. I have no idea how I escaped…”

Dazai took on an oddly serious expression. “And when was this?” he asked. 

“Looks like you figured it out,” Ranpo noted. 

“That was kinda fast,” Tanizaki said. “It probably would’ve taken me way longer.”

Naomi nodded her agreement. 

“Of course Dazai-san would figure it out easily,” Akutagawa said boldly. “Do not doubt his capabilities.”

His eyes glittered with complicated emotions: disdain for his mentor and the need to surpass him. How could the detectives not know that Dazai was capable of most things, as random and surprising as they may often seem? 

Tanizaki pressed his lips together awkwardly. 

“I was evicted two weeks ago. I saw it by the river…four days ago.”

Kunikida flipped through his notebook. “Yes, the attacks began roughly two weeks ago…and we have eyewitness accounts of the beast by the Tsurumi River four days ago too.”

Dazai’s expression darkened. 

“Uh-oh, I know that look,” Chuuya sighed. 

Dazai smiled. “Whatever do you mean, Chibi?” 

“That’s the look you make when you’re aboutta be a menace,” Chuuya replied. 

Dazai snickered. 

“Are you free right now, Atsushi-kun?” he suddenly asked with a bright smile.

Atsushi jolted up in his chair and shuddered. “I have an incredibly bad feeling about this,” Atsushi said, his face pale with fright. 

“Good on you, kid, don’t let him take advantage of you that easily,” Chuuya remarked. 

“If the tiger is pursuing you, it’s perfect!” Dazai smiled angelically. “Would you like to aid our tiger hunt?” he asked. 

Atsushi stood in a hurry, his chair clattering to the ground. “N-no thank you! You want to use me as bait!? Who would ever willingly—?”

“We offer payment,” Dazai said simply. 

“Oh, come on,” Chuuya complained. 

“Not everyone’s as rich as you, you know,” Dazai commented. 

“Still,” Chuuya griped. “I didn’t have money when we were kids. Didn’t mean I went with you willingly.”

“You kinda did.”

“Not because of you!”

Atsushi’s attention was caught. 

“Kunikida-kun, deliver this to the boss back at the office,” Dazai said, holding a note between two fingers. 

“Hey,” Kunikida said, “you’re going to hunt it now? We need to verify this intel first…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Dazai waved him off. Kunikida took the note, sensing Dazai’s confidence. 

“And, um, how much payment may I expect?” Atsushi asked, rubbing his hands together. 

“About this much,” Dazai offered, writing it down. Atsushi’s eyes widened incredulously. 

“Fair enough,” Tachihara said. “A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do.” 

Sigma nodded resolutely, though only the Hunting Dogs noticed him. 

“Thanks, Tachihara-san,” Atsushi smiled a small smile. That was a statement he never expected would come out of his mouth. Maybe this whole ‘bonding’ thing had some merit to it, after all. 

Chapter Text

The scene changed to a warehouse by the port. Dazai and Atsushi both sat on top of separate containers. Atsushi watched Dazai as he read his book. He eyed the title. 

He balked at it once he read, ‘The Complete Suicide.’ 

“You just carry that around with you?” Tachihara asked, sending him a judgemental look. 

“He does,” Kunikida sighed. 

Sigma leaned against the wall, getting more comfortable in his corner. ‘What a strange man,’ he thought. 

“Is,” Atsushi began. “Is it really going to come here?”

“It will,” Dazai replied, leaving no room for argument. Then, upon seeing the look on Atsushi’s face, tacked on, “Nothing to worry about.”

Atsushi smiled seeing Dazai care for his mental wellbeing. 

Akutagawa, conversely, frowned. Why did Dazai care enough to ease the weretiger’s worries when they had only just met? Dazai wouldn’t have done that in the past.

Or, perhaps it was Akutagawa himself who was at fault? Was something wrong with him that Dazai saw and was disgusted by that made him refuse to acknowledge him?

Gin pressed herself closer to her brother, noticing his distress. 

Higuchi glanced at them from Akutagawa’s other side, frowning. Her jealousy was overridden by her wish to ease her boss’ mind. His usual apathetic behavior being overtaken by such an agitated expression worried her. 

“Are you alright?” she whispered. 

He looked at her in surprise but gave a curt nod. 

He turned back to the screen, a wall separating his emotions from his facial expression. 

She pursed her lips but nodded. 

Dazai set his book down on his crossed legs. “And when it does, it will be far outclassed. I am an Armed Detective Agent, mind.” 

Atsushi laughed. “Ha-ha. You’re so confident. At the orphanage, people always told me I was worthless…”

He brought his knees up to his chest. “I have no idea where my next meal will come from…or my next bed…”

"There is no place under the sun where you might dwell! Begone and vanish from this earth forever!” the past words of his headmaster repeated. 

Atsushi buried his head in his knees. “No one would care if I died in the street. I might as well just let that beast eat me and be done with it,” he mumbled into them. 

Sigma curled into his spot in the corner. Those words were familiar to him as they were ones he often found himself repeating in the depths of his mind. ‘No one would care if I died.’ 

Teruko tilted her head to the side, not quite understanding Atsushi’s line of reasoning. Why should he care about others? He should live for the sake of living, and screw everyone else, she thought.

She didn’t voice her thoughts out loud, though. She may be insensitive at times, but she still had some tact. 

Sitting up at the front of the room, several agency members frowned. They looked at Atsushi with worried eyes but didn’t know how to begin to address the elephant in the room. 

“Hey,” Yosano said, nudging Atsushi with his elbow once she realized no one else would speak up. “You have thoughts like that often?”

Atsushi looked to the side, sheepish. “Sometimes,” he murmured. “I just,” he trailed off and shrugged helplessly. He couldn’t describe why thoughts like those penetrated his mind. 

Kyouka found his hand resting on his thigh and squeezed it. “I would care if you died,” she said simply, a small furrow between her brows. 

Atsushi smiled. “Thank you, Kyouka-chan. But, believe me, I’ve gotten a lot better since joining the agency. I just…Well, sometimes it gets hard to remember the important things.” 

Fukuzawa stared directly at him. “My door is always open if you want to talk.”

“Thanks, sir.” 

Dazai looked down at his young protege, unable to form any words of comfort. The thought of Atsushi dying hurt him, but how could he encourage life when he himself did not know the reason for it? 

He had already made the mistake of promising Akutagawa a reason for living, and, likely irreparably, ruined the boy’s psyche. He didn’t want to make such a mistake again. 

He settled for ruffling Atsushi’s hair gently. Atsushi smiled at him. Maybe he could do something right by him, after all. 

An unknown expression crossed Dazai’s face.

Ranpo eyed the expression, then Dazai, who was still looking at Atsushi. He nodded, closing his eyes once more. 

His eyes lit up in the moonlight. He looked up, noticing its appearance. 

“Now then,” Dazai said, causing Atsushi to look up too. “It should be arriving soon.”

Atsushi looked worried. A slamming sound came from behind them. Atsushi jolted and looked over his shoulder. “What…was that noise just now?”

“Yeah, what was that?” Tachihara commented, trying to ease the tension once more. “If you’re the tiger, how are their sounds coming from behind you?”

“I’m not sure,” Atsushi replied. “Dazai-san said it was probably the wind.”

“What indeed…?” Dazai remarked. 

“It has to be the tiger, Dazai-san!”

“Hardly.” Dazai sounded bored. “Just the wind, I imagine.”

“It’s the man-eating tiger! It’s come to gobble me up!” Atsushi rose from his seat, looking around frantically. 

“Do sit down, Atsushi-kun. No tiger will appear from out there.”

“H-how do you know that!?”

Dazai closed his book with a thud. “Do you not find it remotely peculiar, lad? Poor finances or no, would an orphanage simply dump its charges on the streets, like a family of starving farmers in ages past?”

“Time for the big reveal,” Ranpo commented. 

“I am interested in Dazai’s line of reasoning,” Kunikida begrudgingly mentioned. 

Poe silently agreed, wanting to know just how the mystery was solved. 

Dazai pressed the sides of his book between his hands. “Besides, simply expelling a ward or two would hardly alleviate their budgetary woes. They would halve their numbers and move children to another facility instead.”

“Dazai-san, what are you—” Atsushi trailed off, the moon catching his attention. His pupils constricted in its light. 

“You came to this city two weeks ago. The tiger also came two weeks ago,” Dazai explained as Atsushi’s heart pounded in his ears. 

Everyone leaned forward in their places, eager to hear Dazai’s explanation. 

“You were wandering along the Tsurumi River four days ago. The tiger too was sighted there four days ago.” Dazai stood, his hands hovering at his sides. 

“As Kunikida-kun said, the Armed Detective Agency is a collective of individuals with certain abilities. Though hardly public knowledge, some in this world possess otherworldly skills.”

Atsushi groaned while Dazai continued. “Some use these skills to earn their keep in life…”

Atsushi opened an eye, their whites becoming black and his iris glowing yellow. 

“...While others, unable to master those gifts, come to ruin by them.”

An image of Atsushi’s faceless headmaster showed on the screen. 

“I think the facility knew what the tiger was all along…They just never told you. In fact, you are the only one who was oblivious to this.”

“That’s horrible,” Lucy gasped, realizing the insinuation. Atsushi was being hurt because of his ability, every ability user's worst nightmare. 

Atsushi frowned. He had barely processed Dazai’s words before, his mind being taken over by the tiger at the time. Now that he heard them again with clear thoughts, they hurt far more. 

Dazai put his hands in his pocket stepping in front of the crouched cat’s silhouette. “You have a certain ‘skill’ too…One that transforms you into a slavering beast beneath the moon—”

The camera panned to show Atsushi’s full tiger form as it roared, its maw open and furrowed. 

“Woah,” several people gasped. 

“I’ve never seen you in your full form,” Kenji commented. “It’s very beautiful. Majestic, I would say.”

“Agreed,” Yosano added. 

“Thanks, guys,” Atsushi said. “But I don’t think I’m ready to transform completely like that yet.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“That’s what the president’s ability is for,” Dazai said soothingly. 

“Besides,” Ranpo cut in. “We all know I’m the real star of the agency. We don’t need you to use your full ability when you don’t want to since we have me, anyway.”

Atsushi laughed gratefully. 

Yosano smiled, remembering the similar words Ranpo had spoken to her years ago.

The tiger lunged for Dazai, who finally took his hands out of his pocket and stepped back. He jumped out of the way as the beast crashed into the wall behind him. 

It angrily rose and lunged at him again, pawing at his face. Dazai ducked. 

“Well, this is a doozy,” he said. “He could easily take off a man’s head.” 

Atsushi cringed. “Sorry about that,” he said. 

Dazai waved his hand. “No need for that. You couldn’t have hurt me if you tried.”

Dazai jumped again as the tiger pounced. 

“Good to see you kept up your training,” Chuuya commented. 

“But of course,” Dazai replied. “Can’t have myself falling behind a slug like you.”

The back of Dazai’s foot touched the wall. There was nowhere left to go.

“Oops,” he said, reaching out behind him to feel the wall. 

“Yikes,” Tachihara said. “Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Or a wall and a man-eating tiger, I guess.”

Teruko snickered from the back and he felt himself grin, knowing that he made her smile. 

His face took on a grave look. 

He stood still as the tiger pounced again. 

“Death at the claws of a mad predator does possess a certain appeal…” 

He opened his eyes and reached a hand out. “But sadly, you cannot kill me.”

With a few fingers, he touched the beast’s muzzle. 

“My power allows me to nullify the gifts wielded by others merely by touching them,” he explained. 

“Useful ability,” Jouno noted. 

“I’d best stay away from him when I enact my revenge,” Poe muttered to himself, quiet enough so that only Lucy and Kenji could hear. The eye that peeked through his bangs darkened with sadistic glee. 

Lucy sweatdropped as Kenji looked at him. 

‘Crap,’ she thought. 

Kenji simply smiled though. “Revenge?” he asked. 

Poe nodded, seemingly oblivious. “Edogawa Ranpo is my nemesis. I will create the greatest mystery novel of all time, such that even he won’t be able to solve it!”

Lucy sighed, clutching her head. 

Kenji’s smile widened. “That sounds fun! I’m sure Ranpo-san will have a blast solving it. Can I read it too?”

Poe looked up from his musings, realizing what he revealed. “Really? You’d want to?”

“Of course!” Kenji replied. “I’m not as much of a detective as Ranpo-san or Dazai-san, but I do still enjoy it.”

Poe nodded. “That’s good. Mysteries should be enjoyable for all, no matter their aptitude in solving them.”

Lucy blanched. ‘No way are they getting along right after Poe-san revealed he wanted revenge on that Ranpo guy…’

Atsushi returned to his human form and listed forward, unconscious on his feet. 

Dazai caught him with an arm.  

He remained silent for a moment before letting Atsushi fall to the ground, face-first. “Apologies,” he said. “I find no joy in embracing other men.”

The ADA members snickered at the scene. Higuchi bit her lip until she couldn’t contain it much longer and began laughing along with them. 

Affected by her, Gin let out a soft giggle. 

Hirotsu and Tachihara looked at her in surprise. She flushed underneath her mask and cleared her throat. 

“You know,” Hirotsu said quietly. “No one will think differently of you if you want to speak or let your mask down.”

Tachihara nodded in agreement. “Everyone knows you’re a total badass already.”

Gin huffed in amusement. She shook her head. She didn’t like how ‘dainty’ her voice and face made her appear, and she would hate to appear that way in a room of people she didn’t know very well. 

It was fine to let her mask down around Hirotsu or Tachihara—they knew she would nearly kill them if they tried teasing her, but others tended to look down on her for her feminine looks. She may not currently consider everyone in the room an enemy, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want them to feel threatened by her. 

“Hey! Dazai!?” Kunikida stood at the entrance to the warehouse. 

“Ah, yes,” Dazai said, then pointed at Atsushi's unconscious form. “You’re late. I’ve caught our tiger.”

Kunikida looked at him in shock. “That kid…? So this is the one?”

“Yes,” said Dazai. “He transformed into it. He must not remember anything in animal form.”

Kunikida scratched the back of his head. “For goodness’ sake…At least tell me beforehand. I was rather alarmed, you know.”

The screen panned to the note he was holding. ‘The tiger will appear in the western warehouse in District 15. Build a perimeter to ensure it cannot escape.’

“You’re crazy,” Sigma said aloud. Everyone turned to him, surprised the mysterious man was finally talking. 

He flinched back when he noticed everyone’s eyes on him. 

“Uh, I mean…” he trailed off, sweat sliding down his neck. 

Dazai huffed in amusement. “I do get tended to call that, yes,” he said easily, waving his hand about. 

“Deranged is a better-suited word,” Chuuya added. “Manic. Insane. A—”

“We get the picture,” Dazai interrupted. “But, my, I didn’t know a dog like you knew so many words, huh, Chuuya.”

Chuuya swiped at him. Dazai ducked away quickly, snickering. 

‘Crazy,’ Sigma repeated in his head. 

“I even scared up some off-duty staff for backup. Treat them to some sake,” Kunikida said. 

“Hey, we never did get treated, did we?” Yosano realized. 

“Oh, I already cashed in a different favor,” Ranpo said. 

“And Kenji’s too young to drink,” Dazai added. “But the two of us could go out if you want?’

“Sure,” she agreed. “It’s been a while since the two of us hung out without the stragglers.”

“Stragglers,” Ranpo gasped in offense. “You all love me.”

“You wish.”

Walking through the entrance behind Kunikida were Kenji, Yosano, and Ranpo. 

“What?” Yosano said with a frown. “No casualties? Well, that’s just downright boring.”

[Yosano Akiko—Skill: Thou Shalt Not Die]

“Cool,” Yosano commented. 

“I like the effects,” Higuchi said, noting the nameplate that displayed her ability’s name.

“Ha ha ha!” Ranpo laughed brightly. “You’ve certainly made yourself useful, Dazai…Not quite up to my level yet though.”

[Edogawa Ranpo—Skill: Super Deduction]

The ADA members looked at each other knowingly. They all held a similar thought, ‘Would Ranpo learn that he didn’t have an ability because of this?’

They sighed internally, not wanting that to be the case. 

Poe narrowed his eyes, watching his nemesis haughtily making his entrance on the screen, seething. 

“You know,” Kenji said, “I think Ranpo-san would quite like you!”

Poe turned to him, his anger dropping. “What?”

Kenji smiled. “He’d think you’re interesting. You should talk to him when you get a chance.”

Poe blinked rapidly behind his messy bangs. Was this kid being serious? Him? Talk to his nemesis?

“But what are we going to do with him?” Kenji asked. “He knew nothing about this, right?”

[Miyazawa Kenji—Skill: Undefeated by the Rain]

“Oh, look,” Kenji cheered. “It’s me!”

“Well, what’ll we do, Dazai?” Kunikida asked his partner. “The city has already labeled him a dangerous beast.”

[Kunikida Doppo—Skill: The Matchless Poet]

“Hee hee,” Dazai giggled conspiratorially. “As it happens, I have already decided the matter.” 

[Dazai Osamu—Skill: No Longer Human]

Dazai glanced down at Atsushi’s unconscious form. 

He recalled Atsushi’s words from a few minutes prior, "No one would care if I died in the street. I might as well just let that beast eat me and be done with it…”

Dazai closed his eyes and then smiled at his co-workers. “We shall take him into our employ,” he said simply. 

Everyone turned to Dazai, thoughtful expressions on their faces. No one had stopped to think of why Dazai had brought Atsushi to the agency, simply chalking it up to the fact that the agency tended to bring in a lot of strays, Atsushi being no exception. This felt something more personal on Dazai’s part. 

“Dazai-san…” Atsushi began. 

Dazai smiled at him. 

‘It’s a little frightening,’ Dazai thought, ‘that everyone can see my thoughts. I wonder what else will be revealed.’ 

“Don’t make a big deal of it,” Dazai laughed aloud. “I only did what anyone should do.”

‘Something Odasaku would want me to do…’

Kunikida blanched while Ranpo smiled. 

“WHAT!?” Kunikida exclaimed. 

[Thus begins the story…], Atsushi narrated

[The bizarre tale of a truly eccentric detective agency in a city packed with strange, wondrous mysteries…]

‘Eccentric is right,’ Sigma thought. 

“I wouldn’t call us eccentric,” Yosano denied. 

“I would,” Tanizaki huffed. “I’d say Atsushi may as well have called us ‘crazy’ and I would agree with it.”

[And this was just a taste of what was to come…]

Atsushi’s peaceful sleeping form was zoomed in on. 

[Nakajima Atsushi—Skill: Beast Beneath the Moonlight]

The screen faded to black and the lights became brighter. 

“Say,” Ranpo said, turning to the little girl sitting in the corner, playing on her phone. “How many ‘chapters’ are there?”

Meg grimaced. “A lot.” 

Chapter Text

“I’ve been wondering,” Naomi began, stretching out her legs. “What are we going to do about food if we’re stuck here?”

“And bedding,” Yosano added. “I’m assuming your ability only has this one room?”

The girl, Meg, nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Well,” she trailed off, thinking over the dilemma. “I could go get food and leave you all in here…”

She took on a stern look unfitting her youthful face. “Can I trust all of you not to fight each other if I leave you?” 

The different groups looked at each other. 

The Hunting Dogs shrugged. The only ones they really had a problem with were the Port Mafia, but it wasn’t like they were currently under orders to do anything about them. 

Poe and Lucy couldn’t care less about Fitzgerald’s plan to get Atsushi, and didn’t really see the need to do anything to further his plans. 

Sigma hadn’t wanted to be included in all this in the first place. 

The ADA and PM members eyed each other warily, the only two groups that truly had bad blood between them. 

Dazai clapped his hands together, laughing brightly. “We wouldn’t possibly, right, everyone?” 

The two groups tensed. 

Dazai raised his eyebrows at the Port Mafia. 

“I make no promises about not killing you,” Chuuya said, the highest-ranking member of the mafia currently present. “But, I won’t hurt your friends.”

Hirotsu nodded. “We won’t either,” he said for the Black Lizards. 

Akutagawa nodded, Higuchi following suit. 

“Good enough for me,” Dazai replied. 

Fukuzawa nodded. “We will extend the same courtesy, of course.”

Meg exhaled warily. “Alright, I guess. I’ll set up the screen so that it starts playing the episode in ten minutes so that you guys get situated. It’ll probably autoplay the next episodes if I’m not back by then, so get comfortable.” 

She pulled out her phone. “Food, bedding, anything else you guys want while I’m gone?”

Jouno raised his hand. “Do you think you can break into a government-sanctioned apartment?”

Meg tilted her head. “Maybe? Probably.”

“Then my headphones, please, I left them on my desk. I can write down the address for you.” 

She handed him the phone for him to type it out. He passed it to Tecchou who wordlessly wrote it out and passed it back. 

“Anyone else?” she asked. 

“More snacks would be nice,” Ranpo said after a delay. 

Gin raised her hand. Once she had Meg’s attention, she mimed writing down. 

Meg looked thoughtful for a moment before guessing, “A notepad and paper?

Gin nodded. 

“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll head off now. Play nice, everyone, the point of all of this is for you to grow closer, not cause more rifts.” 

“Oi, wait,” Chuuya called, pulling his wallet out from his coat pocket. He took out a credit card and handed it to her. “Use this,” he said.

“Thanks.”

With that, she disappeared in a burst of light.

“That’s odd,” Dazai said. “You, willingly giving money from the goodness of your heart?”

Chuuya grinned. “Oh, that wasn’t my money. That was yours.”

“What.”

Chuuya shrugged. “You blew up my car, remember? I broke into one of your safe houses for reimbursement.”

Dazai’s eyes twitched. “You knew that was me?”

“Obviously, asshole, who else would blow up my car?”

Everyone watched their bickering devolve into an argument. 

“I suppose,” Kunikida said, ignoring them as he was used to doing when it came to Dazai. He sighed. “I suppose we should make friends.” He forced the words out as if they were a pain to speak out loud. 

He shuddered. 

Yosano stood up, her knees popping as she did. “Yeah,” she said. “Let’s divide and conquer?”

She looked around, trying to find a person to talk to. 

Ranpo scanned the room once and knew where he wanted to go. He jumped easily to his feet and crossed the room to where Lucy, Poe, and Karl were sitting. 

“You,” he said, pointing down at Poe. “Edgar Allan Poe, right?”

Poe’s eyes widened under his hair. “You remember me?” he asked. “I mean,” he cleared his throat. “Yes, it is I! Edgar Allan Poe, your greatest nemesis.” 

Ranpo squatted down in front of him. He scoffed. “Riiight. As I recall, I beat you fair and square back then. Not much of a nemesis if you weren’t much of a challenge.”

Kenji pouted. “That’s not very nice, Ranpo-san,” he scolded. 

Poe glared at Ranpo. 

Ranpo sighed. “Fine. I guess…We could be friends, instead. As I recall, you’re pretty smart. Not as smart as me, of course, but…”

Poe sat up in confusion. “Friends?” 

Up until a second ago, he was prepared to kill Ranpo, trapping him in a book for eternity. Where did this idea of friendship come from? 

“Sure,” Ranpo said. “The president’s always saying I should make some. I can’t see anyone more worthy than you, seeing as you’re the smartest out of the rest of these sheep.”

Poe flushed slightly. “Oh…Alright.”

“That easily?” Lucy exclaimed. “How?”

Kenji laughed. “Well, what’s so hard about making friends? Here,” he said, extending his hand to her. “I’m Kenji. Can we be friends now, too?”

Lucy stared at his hand incredulously, then at Poe, who had seemingly accepted his fate already. 

Hesitantly, she took it. “I suppose…” she agreed. “I’m Lucy.”

Meanwhile, Dazai moved closer to Chuuya. 

“Not going to go make friends?” he asked. 

Chuuya lifted an eyebrow. “Why bother?”

Dazai shrugged. “What do you think of all this?” he asked. 

Chuuya narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Why, what?”

“Why’re you asking me; I’m sure you have an idea, already.”

Dazai shrugged again. “Sometimes you have a unique perspective.”

Chuuya looked disgusted. “Was that a compliment?”

Dazai’s face scrunched up. “Ew. No.”

Chuuya sighed, deciding to answer seriously. “I think something big must have happened for you to send a little girl all by herself across time just to show us all this. Something important.”

Dazai nodded. “Yeah…”

He put a hand to his chin, lost in thought.

Chuuya let him space out, turning to the other mafia members. “You all. Go make friends or something. Shoo.” 

Akutagawa looked down at his hands, silently refusing to get up. Higuchi glanced at him and chose to stay by his side. 

Chuuya groaned. “Tachihara, Gin, up. Go.” 

Tachihara and Gin exchanged a look before standing up, awkwardly surveying the area. 

Tachihara didn’t want to go near the Hunting Dogs for fear of getting caught, nor did he want to be particularly close to the agency’s doctor. He turned to Gin, silently telling her to make the decision for them. 

Gin gestured toward Atsushi, Tanizaki, and Naomi. He nodded in agreement, the two of them moving as one toward the group. 

Fukuzawa moved to silently sit next to Sigma. 

Sigma eyed him from the corner of his eye but said nothing, awkwardly sitting as still as he could. 

The Hunting Dogs didn’t bother to move, figuring they were in between everyone one way or another. 

Yosano moved to sit next to Jouno, sitting in between him and Kenji who had moved aside for Ranpo to sit next to Poe. 

The lights began to dim as everyone settled down. The screen flickered on. 

The scene opened up where it had left off. 

“We shall take him,” Dazai said with a smile, “into our employ.”

“Whaaaaat!!?” Kunikida exclaimed. Ranpo grinned while Yosano and Kenji looked thoughtful. 

Atsushi lay unconscious without a care in the world. 

[Title card: Bungo Stray Dogs: Chapter 2 - A Certain Explosive] 

[An image of Atsushi sitting against his tiger form lying curled around him was shown. They both looked content.]

“Woah,” Tanizaki said. “That looks cool.”

Naomi nodded in agreement. 

Atsushi yawned and rubbed at his eye. The sun glared into his eyes. 

“Um,” he wondered aloud as he sat up in a cot on the floor. “Where am I…?”

“Where’s the orphanage’s morning bugle? The early roll call?” 

A shrill ringing of a phone cut off his thoughts as he jolted forward. 

“Oh no! It’s ringing” Atsushi frantically picked up the phone and fiddled with it. “Wh-which button do I press!?”

Lucy snickered into her hand. “Reminds me of you,” she said to Poe who huffed and crossed his arms. 

“Ah, I was also like that with my first phone,” Kenji said. “Modern technology is so confusing.” 

Eventually, he figured it out and held it to his ear with both hands. “Um, hello?”

“Hello, Atsushi-kun. Sleep well? How do you like your new lodgings?”

The events of the previous night came back to him. 

‘Oh, right…’ he thought. 

“Very well, thank you,” Atsushi replied. “You introduced me to quite the lavish dormitory, I see.” He felt blissful and lethargic as he bathed in the sun. 

“Oh, you look so comfortable,” Naomi noted. “I feel like I’m living vicariously through you.”

Atsushi laughed. “Well, it was the first time in two weeks I was sleeping with actual bedding. It felt really nice.”

“Well by capital!” Dazai replied, the screen switching to show his smiling face. “By the by, I must request a favor…”

“Help me,” Dazai said. “I am going to die here.” 

Atsushi blanched at the admission. 

Dazai looked up at him from the inside of an oil drum, his feet sticking out of it.

“What the hell are you doing this time?” Chuuya scoffed. 

“Why, wanna try it out?” Dazai said in return. He stuck his tongue out. 

“You know,” Atsushi said leaning into the group of teenagers. “I don’t think I ever see Dazai-san acting so childishly as he does when he talks to Chuuya-san.”

Tanizaki nodded. “He doesn’t even act this badly with Kunikida-san, I’d say.”

Tachihara hummed, joining in. “I can’t say I know Chuuya-san that well, but I think it goes both ways.”

Gin nodded. 

Atsushi looked thoroughly done with his antics. 

Everyone let out a laugh. 

Even Sigma chuckled at the scene. 

“They are very charming, wouldn't you say?” Fukuzawa said quietly to him. 

“Yes,” Sigma agreed. They were certainly weird, yes also oddly endearing. 

“How exceedingly kind of you to come!” Dazai exclaimed. “May I ask for a helping hand?”

“Uh,” Atsushi started. “What are you doing?”

“Well, what do you think?”

Atsushi sweat-dropped. “Am I hallucinating?”

“Ha-ha!” Yosano laughed. “Poor Atsushi.”

“I take it this happens often?” Jouno remarked. 

Yosano waved her hand. “Oh, this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg for us.”

“You are not.” Dazai lifted a finger. “I heard tell of this new method of suicide, so I thought I would make the attempt! However, it seems rather more painful than lethal.” A diagram of the oil drum was shown with the method. “If I relax my abdominal muscles, I keep falling farther in. I’m about at my limit!”

Hirotsu hummed in concern. “That looks more like a torture method than anything, Dazai-san…”

Dazai sweatdropped. “Yeah, I realized.”

Chuuya rolled his eyes. “Dumbass.”

“Rude! Kunikida-kun, Chuuya’s being mean to me,” Dazai pouted. 

Kunikida sighed. “You’ll live.” 

“Uh…okay.” Atsushi looked weirded out. “So keep it up, then. Don’t you want to kill yourself?”

Dazai sent him a dirty look. “I have no desire for it to be painful, silly. Who would?”

“I see,” Atsushi said, very clearly not understanding. 

Tachihara laughed, reminded of himself during the early days of the Hunting Dogs in which he couldn’t understand Teruko’s antics whatsoever, being pulled around left and right by her. 

He risked a glance over his shoulder at her. 

She caught his eye and sent him a grin. 

He turned back around quickly, forcing his emerging smile down before anyone could notice. 

[My name is Atsushi. Unbeknownst to me, I was transforming into a man-eating tiger and spreading havoc citywide.] A collage of the previous night was shown in the background. [Until Dazai-san here saved me. Dazai-san is part of the famous Armed Detective Agency, each member gifted with special “skills”...]

“Ooh, a recap,” Ranpo said. “Say, Poe-kun—”

“Huh?” Poe exclaimed in shock at the familiar address. 

“What?” Ranpo asked. “We’re friends now. You don’t have a problem with it, right?”

“I suppose not…”

“Good. As I was saying,” he huffed, clearly not used to being interrupted. “Don’t you find it odd how this ‘show’ is structured?”

Poe perked up. “Yes, in fact,” he said. “The title cards, the character introductions, and now, there is even a recap. Meg’s ability appears to have cataloged our lives—or, rather, Atsushi-san’s life—as a sort of modern-day television show, or novel.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Ranpo agreed. “It takes on the form of a show, but I’d bet it was supposed to be a book.”

Poe tilted his head. Ranpo seemed to be implying something with those words. “You can’t mean…I had something to do with all of this?”

He didn’t bother to wonder how Ranpo knew of his special ability. Ranpo knew most things, as far as he was concerned. 

“The future-you, at least,” Ranpo said. “Don’t you find it odd that an ability called ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ would be able to show us all of this?”

Poe hummed. “Well, I suppose so…A Wrinkle in Time. Upon hearing it, I had guessed that the ability would have to do with time travel or something within that realm…”

Ranpo nodded. “My thoughts exactly. I don’t think Meg was being very forthcoming with all the information she knew.”

Poe put a hand to his chin. ‘If Meg can time travel, how are we here in this room?’ he thought. ‘And how are we watching the past and future on television? Something isn’t adding up…’

“Regardless, one thing is clear,” Ranpo said. “You must have written out the events we’re seeing on the screen; that’s why it seems to be more natural for it to be a book. How it's being shown on TV instead of a book, though, I’m not sure of, yet.”

Poe nodded. “One more thing is revealed,” he mused aloud. “The fact that the future-me is involved at all implies that I’m working with you in the future…”

“Why didn’t you ask someone else in the agency for help?” Atsushi asked. 

“I did,” Dazai explained. “What do you suppose they said when I informed them ‘I am going to die?’”

“‘Go right ahead’?” Atsushi questioned, already knowing the answer. 

“Precisely!” 

Akutagawa frowned. What if Dazai had been serious? Would they still have ignored him? He needed Dazai alive, he couldn’t be allowed to die just yet…

As if reading his mind, Ranpo said from the back, “I would have known if it was an emergency, so don’t worry.” 

Akutagawa turned to him. Ranpo was speaking to Karl who he was holding on his lap, though he briefly looked up to catch Akutagawa’s eye. He looked back down to Karl just as quickly. 

‘I take care of one of my own,’ he seemed to silently say. 

Akutagawa turned back around. 

A flashback showed  Dazai calling the agency. 

“Help me!”

“Why?”

“I’m gonna die.”

“Fantastic news!”

“Y-yes, but…”

“Farewell,” followed by a click, signaling that the call had ended, leaving Dazai stranded. 

Poe tapped his arm. 

The more he thought of it, the likelier it was that he truly did have something to do with all of this. He didn’t have much experience in writing a script, but he could recognize some of his writing habits in the spacing. Showing a flashback mid-conversation even when it wasn’t too important to the story other than comedic relief.  

However, it couldn’t be possible for him to know the exact nature of all of the agency’s past conversations. Had they used some sort of Ability to do with the memory for Poe to write down the transcript of? 

He wondered how many people had worked together to allow them to watch this ‘show.’

Himself, a memory manipulator, Meg. Likely others from the ADA. The scope of this was far bigger than he had initially thought. 

It must have been very important for their future selves for them in the current time to see all this. 

Was it that important for all the people in the room to become friendlier with each other? Just what did the future have in store for them? 

Atsushi scratched his temple. [Yes, the boundlessly famous Armed Detective Agency…]

The scene changed to a little while later in which Dazai was walking alongside Atsushi on the sidewalk, free from the oil drum. 

“Where are you going today though?” Atsushi asked. 

“I was about to secure you a bit of work, actually.”

Atsushi’s eyes lit up. “You were!?”

“Oh,” Tanizaki remarked. “It’s the day of your entrance exam…”

He sighed, not wanting to see himself acting the part of a villain again. 

Naomi laughed at him. “I thought you did wonderfully,” she said. 

Kyouka sat up a little. “I want to see your entrance exam,” she said quietly. 

“It wasn’t anything remarkable,” Atsushi laughed nervously. 

“I know just the person to ask too! Let us be off to the agency first.” Dazai put a hand to his chest. “You have nothing to fear with Dazai on your side! I have the full confidence of my firm and the reverence of the common man on my—”

“Ah-ha!” He was cut off. “There you are!” Kunikida stood at a distance, panting and pointing at Dazai. “You…sorry waste of good bandages!”

Dazai and Atsushi froze. 

Dazai put a hand to his face, a little hurt. “I am unsure if I care for that appellation, Kunikida-kun…”

Kunikida looked at him. “Did that actually bother you?”

Dazai waved it off. “Nah, it’s fine.”

“Why are you sauntering out on the street in this emergency!?” Kunikida yelled. “Off with you, right now!” 

“You are full of pep this morn, eh?” Dazai put his hands on his hips. “All that shouting will make your body secrete harmful toxins…that could cause hemorrhoids!”

Kunikida was shocked. “Is…is that true!?”

“Best make a note of it,” Dazai said seriously. 

Kunikida began to write it down when Dazai grinned. “I’m lying.”

Kunikida sighed frustratedly. 

Jouno snickered in disbelief. How could a man be so naive?

Atsushi stared unimpressed as Kunikida beat him up. 

“So,” Dazai began as Kunikida pulled at his arms and dug his leg into Dazai’s back. “Ah, what was the ‘emergency’?”

Kunikida snapped to attention. “Ah! Right! Get to the agency! I need all the hands I can get!”

“Did you guys forget about the entrance exam?” Tanizaki asked. “Is that why I was forced to sit on top of that desk for so long?”

Kunikida awkwardly coughed into his hand. 

Dazai laughed. “Sorry about that,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We got carried away.”

“What for?”

“There’s a mad bomber…He’s holed up in the agency with a hostage!” 

Tanizaki groaned and put his head in his hands. “This is going to be so embarrassing,” he wallowed. 

“It’ll be okay,” Atsushi said. “I thought you made it look pretty real.”

“Can’t wait,” Tachihara said. “You guys are making it seem epic.”

“It’s really not,” Tanizaki moaned. 

Atsushi laughed nervously. “I’m sure there’ll be more embarrassing moments coming in the future for us to laugh at of the other members. We just have to get this one over with.”

Chapter Text

The scene changed to show the agency. Tanizaki sat atop a desk with Naomi on her knees before him. Tanizaki pulled a knee to his chest and clutched it. 

“I can't take it,” he said. “I can’t take any more…”

He held a remote in his trembling hand, his expression dark and frightful.

“Oh, geez,” Tanizaki said as he covered his face. “Do we have to watch this?”

Tachihara laughed. “Dude, what’s up with that? Why’re you acting all crazy?”

“This was part of my entrance exam,” Atsushi explained. “Tanizaki-san had to act like a bomber in order to test my reaction.”

Tanizaki sighed. “I may have gotten a bit carried away in my role…”

“And I may have been terrified,” Atsushi said, flushing and burying his face in his hands. This was going to be so embarrassing. 

“This is all their fault,” Tanizaki seethed. “The Armed Detective Agency’s fault! Where’s the boss!?” He angrily pulled Naomi by the shoulder. “Get him out here now! Or else…I’ll blow myself and all of you to smithereens!”

Atsushi sweatdropped. “I genuinely thought I was going to die.”

“Sorry, Atsushi-kun…”

Kyouka looked between them. This didn’t seem like it was going to be as cool as she was expecting it to be. 

“Ay-yai-yai,” Dazai complained from where he, Kunikida, and Atsushi were ducking out of sight behind a potted bush. “Quite the grudge.”

“The suspect has some complaint against the agency,” Kunikida reported. “He wants to see the boss, or else he’ll blow the place up.” 

“Yes, we do tend to attract enmity from a variety of sources.” Dazai peaked his head past a wall of bushes. He spotted the explosives near Naomi. “Ah, yes…Those are high explosives there. Enough to destroy the room, anyway.” 

“He’s so calm,” Tachihara noted. “Is he always like that, or is it just because he knows the scenario is fake?”

“From what I’ve seen,” Atsushi said, “he’s always like that.”

Gin nodded in agreement. 

Atsushi looked at her in slight surprise. “You know Dazai-san?” he asked. 

Gin rubbed the back of her hand, her usual stoic expression failing her. 

“Gin’s been in the mafia for a while,” Tachihara said in her stead. “He probably knew him when he was younger.” Then, a little slyly, mocked, “Aw, wait, does that mean Dazai-san knows what tiny-you looked like? Do you think he has any pictures?”

Gin had a hand on his throat before he could hope to continue. He raised his hands in surrender. 

“Bet you were cute,” he teased, just to be annoying. “Tiny Gin—”

Gin began squeezing his neck, light enough to serve as a warning rather than bruise, but painful nonetheless. 

Tachihara laughed, tapping her hand. “I’m kidding!”

She huffed, letting go. 

Atsushi glanced between the two of them. They seemed close, though they weren’t afraid to hurt each other. The mafiosos truly were a different breed. 

Hirotsu sighed from where he was watching them. ‘At least they haven’t pulled out their weapons to fight, yet,’ he thought. 

None of them noticed a certain Hunting Dog member frown at the interaction. 

Dazai pulled himself back under the cover of the bush. “We could cover the bomb with something to dampen down the explosion…but not in this situation.”

“So what’ll we do?” Kunikida pondered. 

“Why don’t we let him see the boss, then?”

“Because he’ll try to take his life, that’s why!” Kunikida glared. “Besides, the boss is out of town!” 

Dazai fingered his lip with his thumb. “In that case…we’d best do something about that hostage.” 

Yosano’s eyes narrowed. Now that she knew Dazai was a previous member of the mafia, she couldn’t help but notice all the similarities between him and Mori. They both put their hands on their faces when they were thinking—their chin, cheek, or lips. 

She hated the thought as soon as it came to her, but she couldn’t shake it off. 

Dazai and Kunikida took similar serious expressions. As one, they threw their hands up, in sync, and put up the hand sign for scissors. Atsushi sweatdropped. They repeated the motion several times, playing rock, paper, scissors with intense focus. Eventually, Dazai’s paper beat Kunikida’s rock. 

Teruko grinned. “That’s how we do it sometimes, too!” she exclaimed. 

Lucy shuddered. “I don’t know what the Guild would be like if that's how we decided on things. Sounds chaotic.”

Sigma smiled softly. They may have been crazy, but they sure seemed fun. 

Dazai grinned mockingly and waved his hand about while Kunikida clenched his fist. Dazai bowed, gesturing for Kunikida to go on. 

“Damn, I do not miss that,” Chuuya commented, feeling himself growing agitated just by seeing the man’s mischievous smile. 

“Tch!” Kunikida turned as Dazai waved from behind the bush. He put himself in Tanizaki’s line of sight. 

“You,” Kunikida said, causing Tanizaki to flinch to attention. “Calm down, young man,” he began. 

“Stay away from me!!” Tanizaki yelled. “I’ll blow this place sky-high!” He waved the remote in front of him. 

“Damn, Tanizaki-san,” Tachihara laughed. “You ever think about joining the mafia? You’re pretty good at that.” 

Tanizaki scratched the back of his neck. “I’m fine at the agency, thanks.”

Tachihara shrugged. 

Jouno’s brows frowned infinitesimally. Why did he not hear Tachihara’s heart skipping like it usually did when he lied? Was he that deep in his role that he didn’t consider it an act anymore? 

Earlier, too, Tachihara was completely calm when interacting with the Black Lizard member, Gin. He was even being playful with her. Jouno rubbed his index finger over his thumb, uneasiness stirring within him. 

He didn’t feel as if Tecchou or Teruko had noticed the ease with which Tachihara interacted with the mafia. Jouno might have to tell Fukuchi about his observation once they returned to the normal world. 

Ranpo eyed Jouno from the corner of his eye, then Tachihara. ‘So that’s how it is,’ he thought, his fingers carding through Karl’s fur. ‘Interesting…’

Kunikida put his hands up placatingly. 

“I know you,” Tanizaki pointed, his hand still on the remote. “You’re Kunikida! You’ve got one of those freakish ‘skills,’ don’t you!? Any funny business, and I’ll take all of you with me!”

“Freakish?” Kunikida grumbled. 

“My bad,” Tanizaki laughed nervously. 

“Well, that’s not good,” Dazai remarked from behind the bush. “His beef truly is with us, then, if he knows our agents’ names and faces.”

He put a hand to his chin. “My appearance would merely arouse greater suspicion…What to do, what to do…?”

He looked up and made eye contact with Atsushi. A wide, menacing grin spread across his face. Atsushi blanched, his eyes wide. 

Atsushi shuddered, remembering the scene. 

Teruko laughed. “Your face!” 

Silently, she thought, ‘It reminds me of when I make Tachihara do something he doesn’t want to!’

The scene transitioned to a little while later, Atsushi now in Tanizaki’s line of sight. 

“Hey!” Atsushi yelled into a rolled-up newspaper acting as a speakerphone. He was pale with fright. Kunikida looked at him worriedly, unsure of the plan. “Uh, uh…Can you knock that off, maybe!? Your parents are crying right now!”

“Great plan, Man-tiger,” Tachihara said sarcastically. “That’ll definitely work.”

Atsushi sighed. “I know, I know…”

“Who the hell’re you!?” Tanizaki yelled back menacingly, his finger hovering over the button. 

Atsushi flinched back. “Eeep! Scary! So scary!”

“Sorry, Atsushi-kun,” Tanizaki said, downcast. 

“It’s alright, Tanizaki-san,” Atsushi reassured. 

“Pathetic,” Akutagawa muttered under his breath. 

Tachihara and Gin were trying not to burst into laughter, holding onto their sides. They avoided eye contact, worried they would break down laughing. 

A flashback showed his previous conversation with Dazai behind the bushes. 

“Sending more agents will only serve to agitate him,” Dazai had said. “We have to send you. As you are yet unaffiliated, he would not know your face.” 

Atsushi’s expression was filled with dread. “But I-I-I can’t do that! How could I stop him anyway?”

Dazai calmly replied, “Merely engage the suspect’s attention. We shall handle the rest. —Oh! Perhaps you could pretend to be some down-on-his-luck transient to distract him?”

“No way, no way,” Atsushi repeated, crossing his hands in front of him in an ‘X’. 

“Oh, have some faith in me,” Dazai grinned. “Trouble of this nature is a cinch for an agency like ours.”

Atsushi smiled privately. 

He hadn’t realized it back then, but Dazai was telling the truth. An attack like that really was just a normal Tuesday. 

Cutting back to the present moment, Atsushi tried to reason with Tanizaki. “I…I…I’m just a passerby who saw what you were d-doing! There’s, uh, so much to live for!” 

Gin’s shoulders were trembling with silent laughter. Higuchi was biting her lips to stop from smiling, and failing horribly. She side-eyed Akutagawa. How he managed to keep such a straight face, she couldn’t tell. 

He didn’t sound very convinced with himself. 

Lucy snorted at his expression, covering her mouth quickly out of embarrassment. 

Even Sigma was beginning to smile, the ridiculousness of the scene getting to him. 

“I don’t know who you are,” Tanizaki shouted, “but quit giving me that crap! I just need all of you to die, okay!?” 

Tachihara smirked. “Did you run out of lines?”

Tanizaki sighed. “Yeah, unfortunately. I’m not cut out for improv!”

“Then you shouldn’t have lost rock, paper, scissors,” Yosano sang from the back. 

Atsushi looked at them in surprise. “You guys played for it?”

Tanizaki nodded. “Yeah, it was between me and Yosano-sensei by the end of it. I almost asked Kenji-kun to do it but he looked so excited to win the game that I didn’t have the heart to.”

Kenji laughed from the back. “Aw, you could’ve still asked me, Tanizaki-san,” he called. 

“It’s alright, Kenji-kun, it’s in the past, now,” Tanizaki replied. 

“L-look at me!” Atsushi tried, waving his hands about. “I’m an orphan with no family or friends. I was kicked out of my last orphanage! I have nowhere to go—no one to turn to!”

Tanizaki looked taken aback. “Uh…yeah. Great…?”

Ranpo snorted. “His face,” he snickered, pointing at Tanizaki’s flabbergasted expression. 

Sigma began laughing, unable to keep it in anymore. To those who turned to look at him, he was ethereal, his long hair shaking with his every movement. His eyes creased as he lifted his fist to politely cover his smile. 

Fukuzawa glanced at him, glad he was loosening up. 

“So don’t fall into despair! You need to keep living! So…s-s-s-so, ummm…”

“Atsushi-kun,” Dazai smiled from where he was peeking out from behind the bush. “You do excel at acting like a worthless vagrant.”

“Hey!” Atsushi pouted. 

Dazai snickered into the back of his hand. “Apologies, Atsushi-kun. I only meant to compliment you.”

“Yeah, right,” Atsushi replied. 

Akutagawa crossed his arms. Insults. That was more Dazai-san’s style. But, why did it feel different when he insulted Atsushi in comparison to when he did it to Akutagawa? 

“Even worms have a drive to keep living!” Atsushi proclaimed, to which Tanizaki hesitantly and confusedly agreed.

“Okay?” Atsushi said, a menacing look overtaking his face. “So just drop the bomb…and let’s go look for work together.”

Startled by Atsushi's words, Lucy went off on another round of laughter, clutching her stomach. “It’s so pathetic!” she laughed, tears pricking her eyes. 

Tanizaki looked confused. “Huh? N-no, um…I’m, uh, I’m not really too…”

Kyouka tilted her head to the side. 

“You’re not a very good villain,” she remarked. 

Tanizaki sighed, burying his face in his hands. 

Dazai peered over the bush and made a hand signal to Kunikida. ‘Now!’ he thought. 

Kunikida stepped into a fighting stance. “I’m going to use a page from my notebook,” he said, “and I’d hate for it to be in vain.”

“The Matchless Poet!” He scribbled into his notebook quickly and pulled out the page. ‘Wire Gun,’ he had written. 

Kunikida adjusted his glasses as the page glowed in his hand. His ability caused a wind to pick up and flow around him. 

“Looking good, Kunikida,” Yosano cheered. 

“Yes!” Kenji agreed enthusiastically. 

Kunikida smiled faintly, a small blush on his cheek as he adjusted his glasses. “Thank you,” he said. 

“This page in my book,” he explained as the wire gun began to form in his hand, “shall transform into a wire gun!” 

He took aim and shot, hitting the remote out of Tanizaki’s hand. 

“Wha…?” Tanizaki exclaimed as the remote clattered to the ground. 

Tachihara whistled. “Nice aim, man.”

“It’s secure,” Dazai called out. Kunikida leaped over the table separating himself from Tanizaki. Tanizaki flinched, but Kunikida was faster. He kicked Tanizaki’s jaw with incredible strength. 

Atsushi covered his face as Kunikida and Tanizaki crashed to the floor. He looked up hesitantly to see Kunikida on Tanizaki’s back, restraining his arm to the floor. 

Tanizaki winced, seeing himself on the screen. 

“That was genuinely painful,” he said, rubbing his jaw. 

Atsushi nodded. “Kunikida-san is surprisingly very strong. It’s a kind of pain you can only know after you experience it.”

Kyouka hummed. She stood and moved toward Kunikida. 

“Arm wrestle with me,” she said. 

Kunikida was flabbergasted. 

“Right now?” he asked. 

She nodded decisively. 

Not one to turn away a child, he nodded. 

“And that is a wrap!” Dazai called, making his way over to them. 

Atsushi wobbled from where he stood. He looked down at the bomb, noticing it was no longer on. ‘Oh, thank heavens,’ he thought. 

Kyouka struggled under the force of Kunikida’s hand. After several futile seconds, she gave up. 

“You have commendable strength,” she complimented, once he pressed her hand down as gently as he could. 

“Thank you,” he replied. 

He noticed Dazai looking at him. Dazai lifted his fist with a smile. Atsushi smiled back, giving a small wave in return. However, he didn’t notice a hand hovering behind him. It gave him a push, causing him to fall to the floor. 

Atsushi playfully glared at Naomi, shaking his head at her. “I can’t believe you pushed me,” he complained. 

“Sorry, Atsushi-san,” she laughed. “It was all part of the plan, though!” 

“Oof!” he groaned as he fell to the floor. He heard a small beeping sound. In horror, he lifted his head. His hand had fallen onto the detonation button. “Ah!” he exclaimed, lifting his hand. 

“Ah,” Dazai and Kunikida said in tandem, watching him. 

The bomb blinked back on, five seconds on its clock. 

“Aaah!??” Atsushi yelled. “The bomb! The bomb! Five more seconds!?”

Kunikida’s face took on a look of horror, matching Atsushi’s. Dazai watched blankly. 

“Pretty good acting skills you’ve got there,” Teruko said to Kunikida. 

‘Why is everyone complimenting me today?’ Kunikida wondered, thanking her. 

‘Is it going off!?’ Atsushi thought. ‘Is it gonna blow up the room!? Gotta find something…something to cover it up with!’ He sat up hurriedly. 

Dazai jolted, noticing what Atsushi intended to do. His lips parted and his eyes widened. “Wha—?”

Atsushi was cradling the bomb to his chest, horrified by his own actions but unmoving on top of it. 

Akutagawa frowned. “Idiot,” he said. 

Atsushi turned to him, offended. “Oh, what, like you could do better?”

Akutagawa looked unimpressed. “Yes. I would have used Rashomon to cover it, not my own body. Your tiger form is bulletproof. That, at the least, would have been smarter to use than your susceptible-to-injuries normal body.” 

He coughed into his hand once he finished. 

Atsushi was stunned. He hadn’t thought of that. He pressed his lips together, turning away. 

Higuchi smiled, proud that her boss managed to defeat his enemy at least in this battle. 

‘Huh?’ he wondered as the timer had two seconds left. ‘Wait, what am I doing?’

“You fool!” Dazai yelled, panicked. 

Atsushi hummed. 

“Why did you sound so worried, Dazai-san?” he asked. “You knew it was a fake scenario.”

Truthfully, fully truthfully, Dazai had been surprised because the first time he had met Atsushi, the boy was willing to steal and beg to live. People who chose life were so intriguing. Odasaku and Ango were the same way. 

He hadn’t thought Atsushi would so willingly give his own life. Not that he had thought Atsushi wasn’t morally good, rather, he was surprised that someone who wanted to live could exchange their life for another. 

It sounded so similar to the life Odasaku envisioned for him in an ideal world, one where he didn’t want to die and still chose the side of the light. Saving people, not because he wanted to die, but merely because he wanted to save them. 

Dazai scratched his cheek with a finger. He couldn’t very well say all that, though. It could sound creepy to admit aloud that he thought people who found value in life fascinating. 

He opted for another answer, one that was still true, but less close to home. “Well, it may have been a scenario, but that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t have done that had it been real. My purpose for bringing you to the agency is not for you to throw your life away for the sake of others, you know.” 

Atsushi looked askance. 

Dazai smiled at him. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of the decision you made, but I would hate for you to risk yourself in a real situation like that. Akutagawa was right, you should have found another way. You should be far more important than the lives you save. If only you are alive can you continue to help others.”

Atsushi and Akutagawa’s eyes widened as one. 

Atsushi didn’t think his life was more important than anything, really. If the situation called for it, he wasn’t sure he would make the choice that saved his own life over others. 

Akutagawa was left reeling over the fact that Dazai said he was right about something. 

Dazai scooted closer to Atsushi, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know you don’t understand yet,” he said. “But one day, I hope you will.”

Atsushi nodded. 

Akutagawa watched the two of them, a feeling of jealousy and discontent bubbling inside of him, and a third, unknown emotion, rearing its head after hearing Dazai admit that he was right. 

Atsushi clutched his eyes closed and leaned forward, trying to cover as much of the bomb as he could. 

The explosion he was waiting for never occurred.

Chapter Text

The explosion Atsushi was waiting for never happened. He tentatively opened his eyes. He looked up. Dazai was looking down at him, a hand put on his hip. Kunikida was on his left, his arms crossed thoughtfully. Tanizaki stood to their right, peering out from behind Dazai. 

“Oh, brother,” Dazai laughed. “I thought he was a fool, but not to that extent! He has the makings of a suicide enthusiast, I see.” 

“Poor Atsushi-san,” Kenji laughed brightly. “He must have been so confused!” 

“I was,” Atsushi laughed, not feeling bitter about the experience at all. 

Kunikida frowned. 

“Huh?” Atsushi said. “...Um?”

His confusion was interrupted by Naomi launching herself at Tanizaki. “Ahhh! Oh, that was great, Nii-sama! Are you okay!?”

The wind got knocked out of Tanizaki’s body, and they could hear something crack in his ribs. 

Everyone winced upon hearing the fracture. 

Yosano raised her eyebrow. “You never came to me for that,” she remarked. 

Tanizaki blanched. “W-well, you ended up taking care of it later, anyway…”

She frowned. “No hiding injuries from now on.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oww!?” Tanizaki groaned. “Oww, you’re breaking my ribs, Naomi…Oh, wait. You already did!”

He yelped in pain. 

Tachihara snorted. 

Akutagawa looked on in unimpressed silence. He couldn’t imagine such a relationship between himself and Gin. How would that even work? 

Atsushi looked at them incredulously. “....What?”

Teruko snickered, feeling no sympathy for the poor boy, taking glee in his misery. 

‘I’d be mortified if I were him,’ Poe thought. Thank goodness he was high-ranked in the Guild and wouldn’t go through such hazings. 

“My lad,” Kunikida began. “You can blame Dazai for this…or yourself, for seeking work from the wrong agent.”

“True that,” Chuuya commented. “When in doubt, always blame that stupid idiot.”

Dazai stuck his tongue out at him. 

Chuuya flipped him off. 

Atsushi sweatdropped. How had these two worked together when this pairing seemed even more unlikely than Dazai and Kunikida’s partnership? It seemed that all they did was antagonize each other. 

“Indeed,” Dazai agreed. “There you have it, Atsushi-kun.” He lifted a finger. “Call this a sort of…entrance examination.”

Atsushi looked at him in shock. “An entrance…exam?”

“Exactly.” Fukuzawa walked out of his office. 

[Fukuzawa Yukichi—President of the Armed Detective Agency]

[Skill: All Men are Equal]

‘All Men are Equal?’ Sigma pondered, glancing at the agency’s president from the corner of his eye. ‘What a nice name for an ability.’

“Boss,” Kunikida bowed respectfully. 

“B-boss!?” Atsushi exclaimed. 

Fukuzawa wore a stern expression. “Dazai over there informed me of a young man he called ‘promising’…I wanted to test the veracity of this upstart’s soul.” 

‘He looks intense,’ Lucy thought. 

Dazai smiled easily and explained. “I recommended you to the boss, but remember, you remain wanted by the local ward…in your beast form. There was some debate over whether we should protect you.” Atsushi’s jaw dropped. “Thus, our boss decreed that we stage all of this.”

“So,” Kunikida inquired. “Sir…your decision?”

Fukuzawa looked down on Atsushi with intense eyes. He closed them, then turned on his heels. “I leave it in Dazai’s hands,” he declared as he took his leave. 

Atsushi smiled, knowing what was coming next. 

‘He puts a lot of trust in his employees,’ Jouno thought. 

“You hear that?” Dazai asked. “You passed.”

Atsushi gasped. “So…? That work you said you’d give me…”

Dazai snickered as Atsushi said, “Was it a post here…?”

Dazai extended his arms outward. “Welcome to the Armed Detective Agency.”

Atsushi looked terrified. 

Tachihara sent Atsushi an amused glance. “Why were you so scared?” he asked. 

Atsushi raised an eyebrow. “Have you seen the people in this agency? Eccentrics, all of them. It was like being thrown into a lion’s den.”

“Hey!” several detectives cried. 

Yosano crossed her arms. “Don’t lump me in with them,” she huffed. 

Dazai upturned his head poshly. “Frankly,” he said, “I don’t believe we can all be lumped into the same category like that, Atsushi.”

“How am I eccentric?” Ranpo grumbled. “I’m the best!”

Atsushi looked at them in disbelief. He snorted. “Right. My bad,” he said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. 

They bristled, pouting at him. 

Kunikida adjusted his glasses, choosing to remain silent, but disagreeing with Atsushi in his mind. Surely Kunikida couldn’t be considered on the same level of crazy as the rest of them. 

Kenji simply smiled. “I take it as a compliment!” he claimed. 

Karl scampered over to him, running around his outstretched feet. 

“Aw man,” Ranpo sighed at the loss of Karl. “I just got him to get drowsy on my lap, too.”

Poe teared up, restraining himself from pulling out his handkerchief to tug on. To think Karl was choosing his enemy-friends over him, the hand that fed the mischievous raccoon since he was but a kit! He paused. Perhaps rival was a better word…?

“Hee-hee!” Naomi giggled conspiratorially as she leaned over Tanizaki’s shoulder. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

“O-ow!” Tanizaki cried. “That hurts, all right? I’m sorry, Naomi! I’m sorry!”

[Tanizaki Junichiro—Skill: Light Snow]

[...And his sister, Naomi.]

“Yes, I finally get an introduction,” Tanizaki exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. 

“Mine’s kinda boring, though,” Naomi huffed. Then, quickly said, “Not that I don’t like being known as your sister!” 

“I know, Naomi,” he consoled. 

Tanizaki slumped over a desk, looking dead. 

An arrow pointed to Naomi’s pocket, in which a plastic arm was sticking out. She noticed Atsushi looking at it and giggled, waving it at him. 

Tecchou looked at the arm with interest. Perhaps he could pull off a prank with—

“No,” Jouno said immediately. 

“I didn’t say anything,” Tecchou said. 

Tachihara tried not to grin from the exchange, keeping his head determinedly facing forward. 

Teruko leaned in close to Tecchou. “Whatever you’re planning, I want in,” she whispered. 

“I can hear you,” Jouno deadpanned. 

Meanwhile, Atsushi frowned in confusion. “Where did you even get that?” he asked Naomi. 

She shrugged. “You’d be surprised by the amount of things in the Agency’s storage closet. “It’s like Narnia in there.”

“Wait,” Higuchi said. “So, Naomi-san was the one who pushed the man-tiger with that hand? Why didn’t you just push him with your own hand?”

Naomi shrugged again. “It was more fun that way.”

Higuchi looked like she wanted to ask another question but stopped herself. ‘The detectives sure are eccentric,’ she thought. ‘Every last one of them.’

Atsushi was speechless. “All this elaborate nonsense…just to test me?”

He leaned on the desk behind him. 

“If this is enough to shock you,” Dazai smiled, “I fear you’ll not last long.”

Atsushi put a hand up and waved it frantically. “N-no! I can’t deal with a workplace as insane and dangerous as this one!” 

“But you stayed,” Kyouka said. 

“But I stayed,” Atsushi agreed. 

“Oh?” Dazai put his hand to his lips. “Well, if you say so, I certainly cannot force you.” 

Atsushi perked up. 

“You will need to vacate from the company dorm posthaste, keep in mind.”

Atsushi was instantly filled with dread. 

Daizai shrugged. “You owe us for the dorm’s food stipend of course, as well as for your telephone…Are you good for that, lad?”

“Manipulative bastard,” Chuuya glared. “Still up to your shitty tricks.”

Dazai raised his hands as if to say, ‘What can I say?’

“It’s alright,” Atsushi said. “I’m glad he made me stay.”

Chuuya sighed. The boy trusted Dazai far too much. Then again, so did he, and he’d been fighting with the man since they were teenagers. He supposed he didn’t quite have a leg to stand on, in terms of trusting that bastard after all. 

He clenched his jaw. Didn’t mean he had to like him, though. 

Atsushi comically processed his situation, tears beginning to stream down his face. ‘I…I don’t have any choice at all, do I? Help meeee….”

The screen zoomed into the closed door of the agency, the agency’s plaque on its back. 

The screen faded to black. Nearly immediately, it began to start up again. 

“I wish the episode weren’t queued up already,” Poe commented quietly, expecting only Lucy to hear. “I would like to stretch my legs.”

Just as the words were uttered from his lips, a pause button appeared on the screen. Poe blinked. 

Ranpo looked at him, then at the screen.

He hummed. 

“Play,” he ordered. The video remained paused

Poe mimicked Ranpo’s movement, his head swiveling between his rival and the TV. 

“Play,” Poe said. The video began to play. “Pause,” he said. The video paused. 

Everyone was now looking at Poe, turning their bodies from where they were sitting to face him. 

Ranpo put a hand to his chin. “Interesting,” he commented. “Say, Poe-kun, what was your ability, again?”

Poe blinked. On one hand, revealing his ability puts him at a disadvantage. On the other hand, he was no longer trying to kill Ranpo. 

He hummed. Perhaps if Ranpo knows his ability, it would make defeating him taste all the sweeter. Breaking out of his daydreams of revenge, he said, “I don’t believe I’ve introduced it, though it is called Black Cat in the Rue Morgue. I can transport people into books that I’ve written.”

As soon as he said the words, his eyes widened in realization. 

“I wrote this,” he breathed. 

“Indeed,” Ranpo replied. 

Lucy and Kenji who sat beside them looked confused, though Jouno, sitting beside Kenji, put a hand to his chin. 

“So, we’re inside of a book you wrote?” he asked, interrupting them. 

Everyone began to catch on to their words. 

“We must be,” Poe replied, leaning forward to see him. “If we lay out the facts, I believe we can paint a rather full picture. Sometime in the future, I will write a book. The setting of this book takes place in a room with no exits.”

“A forced proximity simulator,” Ranpo joked. 

“Yes, I suppose so,” Poe agreed. “And in this room, there is a TV that allows us to view past and future events. I likely collaborated with another ability-user to accurately portray both the past and future events.”

“Then, we sent Meg, who is apparently an Armed Detective, to the past, aka our present, and put each of us inside the book at the same moment in time, which brings us here,” Ranpo concluded. “Good deductive work,” he complimented. 

Poe flushed. “You too…”

Dazai hummed, his finger rubbing over his lower lip. “I wonder what happened for us to send Meg back in time, though…”

Everyone went silent, pondering the words. 

Chapter Text

[Title card: Chapter 3 - Yokohama Gangster Paradise, Part 1] 

[An image of Atsushi looking over his shoulder; Dazai, Kunikida, Tanizaki, and Naomi were walking in front of him]

The screen was still paused on the title card as everyone pondered Dazai’s words. What could have happened for them to send a teenager back in time alone? 

Ranpo clapped his hands once, startling them out of their reverie. 

“What else can you do?” he asked Poe excitedly. 

Poe stared blankly for a moment. “Pardon?”

“Well, it’s your book, right? So, could you change things around in it?”

“Oh,” Poe blinked. “Yes, I can.” 

Golden kanji appeared in the air around them, before a water bottle materialized and hovered before it plopped into Poe's hand. He held it up for Ranpo to see. 

Ranpo grinned. “You know what this means, right?” he snickered. 

Dazai was quick to join in, catching on. “Oh, that poor girl. We sent her out to get food when she hadn’t needed to to begin with!” he laughed. 

Atsushi looked pained as he realized. Meg had gone to get them all necessities when Poe could have summoned them with only a single thought. 

“Oh, dear,” he said with a small laugh. “I hope she doesn’t have too hard a time…”

Tanizaki grinned. “If she’s an Armed Detective, then she’s probably used to it. I wouldn’t worry too much.”

Tecchou frowned quietly. 

Kenji, contrarily, smiled brightly. “We shouldn’t eat without her after she went through all the trouble,” he said. 

“Some snacks wouldn’t hurt, though,” Yosano added. 

Poe nodded, using his ability to conjure snacks. He knew Ranpo had a sweet tooth, so he mainly focused on sugared goods. 

Dazai took one look at the sweets and laughed. “Hey, make something for us, too,” he teased. 

“Ah,” Poe realized. More snacks piled on, ranging from salty to spicy. 

Jouno claimed an onigiri from the pile before anyone else could even begin to move. 

“Some cushions to sit on would be nice,” Lucy commented. Poe nodded, obliging.

Soon, everyone had a snack in hand and a cushion under them. 

“Sigma-san, did you find a flavor you like?” Fukuzawa asked Sigma, who was attempting to find the flap that would unwrap his onigiri. 

“Yes, thank you,” Sigma replied, slightly confused as to why the president of the detective agency was talking to him. 

Ranpo interrupted his thoughts as he declared, “If everyone’s ready, I think we should start.”

With everyone’s nods, Poe said, “Play,” and the screen began to move. 

Tanizaki slammed his hands onto the table in front of him and bowed deeply. “I most sincerely apologize!”

Several people jolted backward at the sudden loud noise. Jouno winced. 

“Huh?” Atsushi questioned. 

“It may have been just a test,” Tanizaki said pitifully, “but I was deeply rude to you.” 

Kunikida sipped his tea while Dazai grinned. 

“Oh!” Atsushi exclaimed. “N-no, it’s all right…”

Privately, to himself, he thought, ‘A nicer man than I thought…’

Tanizaki jumped, clutching Atsushi by the shoulders.

“You thought I was mean?” he cried. 

Atsushi laughed awkwardly. “Well…a little?”

Tanizaki hung his head in defeat. 

Atsushi patted his shoulder in a poor attempt at consolation. 

“Are you groveling, Tanizaki?” Kunikida frowned. “That was all part of the job.”

“Indeed!” Dazai agreed. “And so was that pompous way you finished it, yes?” He teasingly mimicked Kunikida adjusting his glasses. “The Matchless Poet!” He struck an intense pose. 

“Wh…No!” Kunikida exclaimed, annoyed. “Not at all! That’s just how I do it, all right!?”

The group snickered at Dazai’s imitation. 

“Spot on,” Yosano said, clapping. “You should really become licensed in imitating Kunikida, Dazai.”

Dazai laughed pretentiously. “Oh, I know, I really should,” he replied. “It’s truly a skill.”

Kunikida held him by the scruff of his neck. “Why you…”

Dazai plied himself free, a tentative smile on his face. “You wouldn’t hurt a poor, defenseless soul, would you?” he asked, talking in his baby voice. “Right, Kunikida-kun?”

“I don’t see a soul like that here,” Kunikida replied, though he let go. 

Dazai pouted, then smiled again, fixing his shirt’s collar. 

Kunikida huffed. “Regardless, lad. Starting today, you are now part of the agency. Do not do anything that interferes with others or besmirches our good name. I and everyone else here, take that very seriously. Right, Dazai?”

Dazai swooned, his attention caught elsewhere already. “Ah, that bewitching server…Were I to ask her to strangle me, I wonder if she would accept…”

“I’ll strangle you, if you want,” Chuuya offered offhandedly. 

Dazai’s lip curled involuntarily. “No, thank you,” he said. “I don’t care much for dying by the hands of a chibi like you.”

Chuuya scoffed, restraining himself. 

“Silence, you disseminator of discontent!” Kunikida admonished. 

Chuuya snorted. “Good one.” 

“Thank you,” Kunikida replied. 

Dazai crossed his arms unhappily. 

“Erm…” Tanizaki said awkwardly as they could hear Kunikida yelling at Dazai in the background. “Let me introduce myself again. My name’s Tanizaki. I’m something of a sales clerk here at the agency. And this is—ow!”

Higuchi balked. “A sales clerk?” she asked, turning to face him. She rubbed at her neck, the phantom feeling of his fingers wrapped around it remaining. 

Tanizaki glowered, his expression changing in less than a second. “I don’t like it when people hurt Naomi.”

Naomi giggled, clinging to his arm. “Aww,” she cooed. “I don’t like it when people hurt you either!” 

She booped him on the nose before turning to Higuchi with a fierce glare. 

Shivers ran down Higuchi’s spine. 

At the back of the room, Ranpo unwrapped a lollipop, popping it into his mouth. ‘Seems like tension’s still running high,’ he mused. He wondered how successful Poe’s forced proximity simulator would be, and if they could really change the future for the better by becoming closer. 

Naomi launched herself at him. “I’m his sister, Naomi!” She wiped her smile, glaring. “If Nii-sama here needs my help, I’ll do anything he wants!” 

“Uh,” Atsushi trembled. “Are you guys really related?”

Tachihara eyed the two of them. “Now that I think about it, you really don’t look all that much alike.”

“Don’t question it,” Atsushi said quickly. “Seriously.”

Naomi pouted, unable to do her bit of making people uncomfortable. Tanizaki patted her back in consolation. 

“Oh, do you doubt me?” Naomi purred, putting her hand up Tanizaki’s shirt. “We are though. Fully connected by blood! Our figures are almost exactly the same, right around here…Aren’t they, Nii-sama?”

Atsushi averted his eyes. “Y-yes, but…”

Those unfamiliar with the ‘siblings’ felt their eyebrows raise in disbelief. 

“That’s…” Tachihara couldn’t even begin to find the words. 

Akutagawa felt physically repulsed, unintentionally gagging, causing him to have a coughing fit quickly after. Gin shuddered. 

Tecchou frowned. “So…are they siblings or not?” he asked, confused. 

“I think it best we don’t ask,” Jouno replied. 

Kunikida placed a hand on his shoulder, silently saying, “Do not pursue the question any further!”

“Um…All right.” Atsushi tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. “So what did all of you do before you joined the agency?” 

The group leaned forward. A small question mark hovered over Atsushi’s head. 

“I like the effects,” Kyouka mentioned. 

“Me too,” Kenji agreed. 

Poe’s cheeks warmed slightly, aware that they were complimenting his own stylistic choices now that they’d understood they were in his book. 

Dazai tilted his head resting on his hand. “What do you think we did?” Dazai asked. 

“Huh?”

“Let us make a game of it. Try to guess what we all were before, lad.”

Atsushi put his thumb to his chin, reminiscent of Dazai. “Um…Let’s see…”

“Oh, hey,” Yosano said, noticing immediately. “Atsushi, it looks like you picked up a habit from Dazai already.”

Atsushi looked at the screen, then Dazai. 

“Huh,” he said. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Dazai felt something in his chest thud for a moment before masking it with a swoon. “My student wants to be like his mentor, eh? I can’t blame you, I am amazing, after all.”

He hoped Atsushi would only adopt his good qualities, if he had any in the first place. 

“Yes, yes,” Atsushi agreed, indulging him for once.

Akutagawa frowned, wondering what he had inherited from Dazai. He came up blank. 

“Tanizaki-san…Were you and your sister students?”

Tanizaki and Naomi perked up. “Ooh, good guess!” Tanizaki said. 

“Well, you look the part in that uniform, Naomi-san…Tanizaki-san isn’t too much older than you, so—you know, I just figured.”

“A fine detective in the making,” Yosano teased. 

“Indeed,” Fukuzawa agreed, an odd sense of pride filling him. 

Atsushi flushed at the praise.

“Nice work,” Dazai complimented. “What about Kunikida-kun, then?”

Kunikida jolted in his seat. “Knock it off! My previous work doesn’t matter…”

“Hmm,” Atsushi hummed. “A government official?

“Close. He formerly taught mathematics at a licensed school,” Dazai explained. 

Kunikida looked constipated while Atsushi exclaimed, “Wow!”

Kunikida adjusted his glasses. “It’s in the past. I hate to even recall it.”

‘It makes sense,’ Atsushi thought to himself. ‘Better not say that though. He’ll toss me out the door.”

Kunikida gritted his teeth, then sighed. 

Atsushi sweatdropped. He never imagined Kunikida would hear his thoughts like this. 

He began to spiral. ‘What other things have I thought that’s going to be shown?’ he thought worriedly. 

An image of Kunikida in a suit and in front of a chalkboard yelling at students appeared in Atsushi’s mind. 

The group laughed at the image. 

“Is that what it was really like?” Kyouka asked him. 

Kunikida adjusted his glasses. “It’s not very far off, so, yes, I suppose so,” he sighed. 

“Now,” Dazai said, pointing at himself. “What about me?”

“Dazai-san, huh…?”

Dazai smiled innocently at him. 

‘I fail to even imagine…!’ Atsushi realized once he couldn’t come up with anything. 

“You really had us fooled, Dazai-san,” Atsushi hummed good-naturedly. 

“Why,” Dazai said. “I wouldn’t say ‘fooled,’ it was more so an omittance of information.”

“And we all know how you love those,” Chuuya said under his breath. Then, louder, asked, “How did you manage to keep it from them for so long?”

Dazai shrugged. “Beats me,” he said. “Guess I’m a pretty good actor.”

Ranpo nodded. “You rarely ever gave out hints. The moment that really solidified it for me was during the first case I brought Atsushi along on.”

“Ahh,” Dazai said, realizing. “I’d forgotten about that. Whoops.”

He should have been far more careful speaking with Ranpo so close by, he chided himself. 

Atsushi looked between the two. He couldn’t recall Dazai dropping any hints about his profession. He scratched the back of his neck. 

Then again, Ranpo wouldn’t be Ranpo if he didn’t notice things that others missed. 

“It can’t be done, lad,” Kunikida explained, taking pity on him. “His prior vocation is one of the great mysteries of this agency.”

“I think there was a prize for the first person who guessed it,” Tanizaki mused. 

“Quite true,” Dazai said, stirring his tea. “A rather hefty purse too, as no one has claimed it yet.”

“I’m sure he was some kind of ruffian, but he swears he wasn’t,” Kunikida said. “How could a man like him hold any respectable sort of job?”

Kunikida froze for a moment before saying, “I was right, then.”

Dazai twitched. “I wouldn’t say that…”

Tanizaki shook his head. “No, I think Kunikida-san’s right. I’m pretty sure this means he won the bet, right?” 

Atsushi nodded. “I think so.”

“But he didn’t even say the actual occupation!” Dazai argued. 

“Accept it, Dazai-san,” Naomi said. “Kunikida won.”

Kyouka nodded. 

Dazai slumped over. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll hand over the money when this is all over.” He crossed his fingers behind his back. As if he would do that. He’d just wait until everyone forgot about it. 

Dazai chomped on his spoon. 

“How much is this pot, then…?” Atsushi asked, leaning in.

“Oh,” Dazai grinned. “Care to try your luck? Right now…it currently stands at 700,000 yen.”

The room sucked in a breath of air. 

“Damn,” Tachihara said. 

Poe blinked. He leaned into Lucy. “Is that a lot?” he whispered. 

She sighed. “Yes,” she snapped. “Damn capitalists,” she cursed under her breath.

Atsushi snapped up, his eyes glinting at the thought of the money. Tanizaki flinched away from him, shuddering. 

“And I get it all if I guess it correctly?” Atsushi asked determinedly. 

“A suicidal man never lies,” Dazai replied. 

“Pfft— yeah, right,” Chuuya laughed. 

“When have I ever?” Dazai asked, offended. 

“That time you told me Mori-san had a mission for us and you dragged me to a different country because you were throwing a tantrum. Ring any bells?”

“Hmmm, no, sorry. Must’ve been your imagination,” Dazai said with a shrug. 

Atsushi laughed. “You really did that?” he asked in amusement. 

Dazai simply put his hands up. “Who’s to say?”

“Office work.”

“No.”

“Lab researcher.”

“No.”

“Factory worker.” 

“No.”

“Writer.”

“No.”

“Actor.”

“No…but I like the sound of that!” Dazai blushed. 

“Don’t get too cocky, now,” Yosano said. 

Dazai tucked part of his bangs behind his ear and batted his eyelashes. “What, you don’t think I’m pretty?” he asked. 

Yosano balled up a stray wrapper and threw it at him. He dodged easily. 

“Hmmm. Hmmm…” Atsushi pondered. 

“I told you, he was either homeless, a scoundrel, or both, right?” Kunikida asked. 

Chuuya snorted. “Right on the money,” he said. 

Dazai narrowed his eyes. “Technically, I wasn’t homeless.”

“You kinda were.”

Atsushi looked between them. “You were homeless, Dazai-san?” he asked. 

Dazai hummed, not wanting to deny his mentee an answer, and shrugged. “It depends on how you think of the word, I suppose. I had a roof over my head. Was it a house, or a home? Not quite.”

Atsushi chose not to pry further, satisfied with the answer. Unlike him, however, the others in the room wanted a clearer answer, either to know him better, or for the sake of gossip. 

“Not at all, my good man,” Dazai said as he stood up, a hand on his hip. “When it comes to this, at least, I promise I won’t lie.” 

A few huffs of amusement resounded in the room, now aware that Dazai had lied through his teeth. 

Dazai merely grinned and bore it. His actions and choices were his own. If he began to regret them now, he’d simply drop dead without hesitation, and Oda would not want that for him. Not before finding his reason for living. 

Tanizaki was distracted from the conversation of Dazai telling Atsushi to add money to the pot since he gave up. His phone went off in his pocket. 

“Hello?” he greeted, picking up the call. “Huh? You have a job for us?”

The screen changed to show the outside of the agency. Higuchi sat on the agency’s couch, her expression serious and her posture poised. Her hair was down for once.

Tachihara glanced between the Higuchi shown on the screen and the one sitting near him. He elbowed Gin in the side. 

“Have you ever seen her with her hair down?” he asked. 

Gin shook her head no. 

“Me neither,” he said. “Feels weird.”

Higuchi straightened in her seat. “What do you mean weird?” she asked, a small frown beginning to form. She self-consciously tucked a strand of hair that escaped her bun behind her ear. 

Tachihara shrugged. “Nothing bad, it’s just, like…weird. Like seeing Gin’s hair down the first time. That was beyond weird.”

Gin jabbed him in the stomach. 

“I’m not saying bad!” he said again, clutching his stomach. “Geez.”

‘Why are all the women in my life so violent,’ he thought miserably. 

Tanizaki sat in the armchair in front of her, a clipboard held in his sweater-pawed hands. Naomi, Atsushi, Kunikida, and Dazai stood behind him. 

Dazai held a hand to his chin. 

“You clocked her immediately, huh,” Teruko noticed. 

“But of course,” Dazai agreed. Then, privately fussed over the fact that so many people were catching on to his minor tells. 

“As expected,” Ranpo said. 

“Um,” Tanizaki began, consulting his clipboard. “So, you wanted us to investigate something? What sort of—?”

He was cut off by Dazai. “You are stunning,” he said, grabbing hold of Higuchi’s hand. He knelt beside her on one knee. “Such fleeting flory, like the petals of a water lily…and such touching sweetness!”

The air around him sparkled. 

Tecchou tilted his head to the side. “I don’t understand,” he said. “If you knew she was from the mafia, why did you court her?”

“Court!” Higuchi balked, disgusted. 

Dazai snickered. “You’ll see,” he said. “I’m sure it’ll be shown.”

“What?!” Higuchi exclaimed. 

“How would you like to join me in a lovers’ suicide—?”

Kunikida whacked him upside the head before he could continue, dislodging their linked hands. 

“Wha-wha-wha…?” Higuchi looked taken aback. 

“Um, I’m sorry. Forget about him,” Tanizaki apologized. 

Sigma looked on judgmentally. 

‘The detectives act as if this behavior is normal for him,’ Sigma thought. ‘Just what kind of person is he?’ 

Kunikida dragged Dazai outside by the scruff of his neck. Dazai could be heard complaining in the background. 

“So,” Tanizaki asked as Higuchi side-eyed them. “How can we help?”

Tachihara laughed. “Poor Nee-san,” he cackled. “Just wanted to do her job and ended up smack-dab in the most eccentric detective agency ever.”

Tanizaki felt no pity for the woman who shot Naomi, but he did let out a laugh for the sake of their future selves who put them in this situation. He didn’t want whatever they had planned to be in vain because he couldn’t put the past behind him. 

Higuchi picked up a cup of tea, thanking them for it. “I am calling upon you because, behind our company’s building…some people of low character are hanging about.”

‘Right back to normal…?’ Tanizaki thought. ‘She must be used to weirdos…’

“Ah, I should’ve suspected it more,” Tanizaki said with a groan. 

“Just the fact that you thought it was odd is incredible, Tanizaki-san,” Atsushi encouraged. “I didn’t even think anything of it.”

“Still,” Tanizaki sighed. 

“Low character, you say?” he asked aloud. “How so?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” she explained, “but they dress in rags, skulk about in the shadows, and speak a foreign tongue with which I am unfamiliar.”

“Smugglers, I would assume,” Kunikida said from the doorway. “No matter how much the military cracks down, they swarm like wharf roaches.” He adjusted his glasses. “They’re part of any port city.”

Teruko felt her lips downturn. “Hey,” she said. “Don’t insult the military, we’re busy with other stuff! It should be the police’s job to do stuff like that,” she huffed. 

Jouno shrugged. “Technically, it is part of our job, we just can’t be bothered. It’s quite boring to watch such people squirm when we could go after higher stakes cases.” 

Chuuya waved his hand about. “The Port Mafia usually regulates smugglers decently well, anyway,” he said. “Yokohama isn’t like other port cities.”

“Yeah,” Tachihara said, a fake sneer on his face. “We pick up your slack, you sadistic bums.”

Teruko stuck her tongue out at him, holding back a grin. How ironic that Tachihara still upheld some of his Hunting Dog tasks within the mafia. 

“Indeed, Higuchi agreed. “And if I had some evidence they are breaking the law, I could bring that to the police. Thus, my visit today.”

“So,” Kunikida hummed. “A stakeout and evidence run, then…?” He made a decision. “Here, lad. You handle this.”

Atsushi gasped. “Huh!?”

“Smugglers may be outlaws, but they’re mostly harmless,” Kunikida explained. “Provoke them, and they scurry like mice. A fine case for your first job!”

“B-but…”

“Tanizaki, you join him,” Kunikida said decisively. 

Naomi hugged her brother tightly. He trembled in her hold. “If Nii-sama’s going, so am I!” she declared happily, cartoon hearts floating in the air around them. 

‘Seriously, just what is their relationship?’ several people thought. No one voiced it out loud, though, in fear of the answer. 

“Nice effects,” Ranpo said, completely dismissing the odd relationship in favor of nodding toward the animated hearts. He’d figured out their relationship upon their first meeting, after all. 

“Thank you,” Poe replied, also dismissing it, not because he figured it out, but simply due to the fact that he didn’t quite care enough. Ranpo’s opinions on his work, on the other hand, was much more important than silly relationships. 

The others eyed them, jealous of their ability to ignore unpleasant things. 

Unbeknownst to everyone, Dazai snickered behind his hand as someone who had also figured out the truth. He loved seeing people uncomfortable about as much as Naomi did. It was always far too hilarious to see. 

He leaned back on his hands, turning his attention back to the screen.

Chapter Text

The scene cut to some time later. Atsushi stood at his new desk, looking quite nervous as he gathered his things.

“Listen, lad,” Kunikida said as he approached him. “I have at least a small shred of sympathy for your short, unhappy life.” He reached into his suit pocket. “So, I’ll give you a tip on surviving this city.”

“Gee, thanks,” Atsushi mumbled. “Helped a lot.”

Tanizaki wanted to laugh, but was stuck holding himself back from attacking Higuchi again. It was taking a remarkable amount of his self-control. Each time he closed his eyes, the image of Naomi hurt presented itself all over again. 

Naomi placed her hand on his shoulder, reminding him to stay calm. They had no control over the past, but the future was in a dire situation if it needed them to get along with the mafia. He needed to control himself for the future of the agency. 

Kunikida opened his notebook and ripped a page out, passing it on to Atsushi.

“Don’t run into this person. If you do, flee.” 

The image on the page was of Akutagawa, likely taken from a surveillance camera. 

“Who is this—?”

Akutagawa’s shoulders slightly uncurled as he sat straighter than earlier, interested in what they had to say about him. He wondered how he was introduced to the man-tiger. 

“The mafia!” Dazai interrupted, startling Atsushi. He leaned on the desk in front of them, one of his legs lifted in the air to reach across it. 

“There is no other name applicable,” Kunikida agreed. “He’s one of the Port Mafia’s attack dogs. Prowling around the harbors. His name’s Akutagawa.” 

Kunikida glanced at Akutagawa from the corner of his eye and adjusted his glasses. He hadn’t expected this to be shown, though he should have realized it would. He hoped it wouldn’t start anything between the two organizations. 

An image of Akutagawa’s silhouette standing with his arms behind his back was shown. 

“The mafia itself is a dangerous group,” Kunikida continued. “A shadowy organization, shrouded in the underbelly of dark society. But this man? Not even our agency can handle him.”

A feeling akin to pride began to bubble up in Akutagawa. It was a worthless praise—any praise that didn’t come from Dazai was worthless. He was the man who had tracked Akuatagawa’s progress, the one who knew just how far he’d come. 

If Dazai didn’t acknowledge his strength, then it wasn’t worth much yet. However, he had a begrudging respect for Kunikida’s prowess after fighting him, and it felt nice to be complimented by him. Even if it technically wasn’t a compliment. 

“Why is he dangerous?” Atsushi asked, staring back down at the picture of Akutagawa. 

“Because he’s a skill user. A skill geared for murder…and his cruelty with it stymies even the military police. I know my own skills and not even I would dare try to fight him.”

“I could take him,” Teruko scoffed. 

“Easily,” Jouno agreed. 

Akutagawa looked over his shoulder at them with narrowed eyes, though he remained silent. Dazai appeared to want to keep the peace, so Akutagawa would do the same for as long as he could. 

‘I wonder if I could,’ Lucy thought to herself. 

Sigma curled in on himself slightly. He knew there were dangerous people in the room with him, but the antics of the agency members had calmed him down to such a degree that he’d forgotten. 

Fukuzawa glanced at him. He took his katana and placed it across his lap, still sheathed. Sigma looked at him, noticing the weapon. 

‘I’ll keep you safe,’ the president seemed to be saying. Sigma found himself relaxing once more, despite his silent urging to remain on an adrenaline high in case he needed to escape. 

The scene switched to black before color began returning to the screen. 

Footsteps sounded along the floor as a figure in black walked across the screen. He walked into a police station, two police officers looking up from their paperwork. 

The shadowed figure coughed twice.

Instantly, everyone knew who the figure was. Akutagawa remained apathetic. It wasn’t like his actions really mattered. He was merely following orders. 

Higuchi sat up, excited to see Akutagawa’s face on the large screen. She hadn’t gone with him on this errand, much to her dismay as she had been preoccupied with the agency. Her fingers flittered excitedly on her lap. 

He held up a black bag. “I found this back on the street. I think someone dropped it,” he said. 

An officer grinned. “Oh, a lost item? We’ll just have you fill  out this report—”

He began rifling through some papers. 

“Huh?” the second officer noticed. “Have I seen you somewhere…?”

The ADA and Hunting Dog members sat rigidly, a sense of foreboding overcoming them. Something cruel was about to occur, they knew. 

The side of Akutagawa’s face was visible on the screen. “Figured out already, I see,” he said. “The military police in this city certainly excel at their jobs.”

Rashomon spread out from his coat menacingly. 

“Wait!” the officer exclaimed. “The guy from the wanted poster—!”

Akutagawa smirked. 

Atsushi pressed his lips together and clenched his fist. 

The scene cut to black for a moment before resuming outside of the station. A woman walked inside, passing Akutagawa ducking his head down. 

“Umm,” the woman began. “I need to get some directions…”

She trailed off, then screamed with his eyes wide in horror. The police officers were dead, their bodies strewn about the station. Blood coated the floor and walls in lines similar to Rashomon’s appearance. 

The woman fell to the ground in shock. 

Atsushi’s eyes widened upon seeing the gory scene. He covered his mouth with a hand. Before he could react, the sound of metal was heard. Everyone turned their heads to find the source of the sound. 

“Gah—!” Akutagawa cried. A blade had impaled his leg. Tecchou was standing, his hand on his sword and anger evident in his eyes. He retracted the blade from Akutagawa’s leg. 

Chuuya clicked his tongue. “The fuck?”

Gin’s knife was in her hand in an instant, ready to rise. Tachihara tensed beside her. What was he supposed to do if they decided to fight? He couldn’t attack Tecchou, though he also couldn't sit still when his partner silently depended on him to react without asking.

He cocked his gun, the weight of it feeling wrong in his hands for the first time since he’d begun using it. 

“Pause,” Poe whispered, pausing the screen

Akutagawa pressed his hand against the wound, glaring. Rashomon began curling out of his coat, prepared to strike at Tecchou. 

“I don’t condone injustices,” Tecchou said simply, raising his head in defiance and prepared to attack again if needed. “The lives of innocents were cruelly taken. I cannot stand by in silence.” 

Jouno mentally rolled his eyes. ‘So dramatic,’ he thought. He didn’t disagree with Tecchou’s actions, however. 

“Are you going to kill him?” Chuuya asked flatly. “Proper protocol states you’d have to take him in alive. Not to mention, if you take him, where do you draw the line? All of us here are criminals with the exception of those goody-two-shoe detectives.”

Sigma crossed his arms. He wasn’t a criminal either, but he didn’t bother interrupting. 

“You all deserve to be jailed,” Tecchou agreed simply. 

“Except we’re stuck here,” Chuuya said. “You really think you can keep us all contained until we finish whatever shit this is?”

“I do.”

Chuuya nearly rose to his feet to speak, but Dazai placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, pushing him down. 

“We promised not to fight, if you recall,” Dazai said. 

Tecchou narrowed his eyes. “So I must ignore injustices before my very eyes?”

“No,” he said. “Of course, we can’t expect you to do that. However, perhaps just…wait, until this is all over.”

“Why should I?”

Ranpo cleared his throat. “Because it would be incredibly stupid to begin fighting now,” he said. “Clearly, we’re all here for a reason. Something will happen in the next twenty years that can be prevented if we all work to get along. Did you notice the way Meg looked at some of you?”

Everyone looked confused, wondering where he was going with this. They hadn’t noticed anything off. 

Ranpo sighed. People could be so dumb, he thought. 

“Some people in this room are going to die,” he said bluntly. Several quiet gasps of realization resounded across the room. “And we need to stay focused and watch these events if we want to do anything about it, so just sit down, and let’s get this over with. You can go back to fighting once it’s all over.”

He stared Tecchou down. Tecchou looked to Teruko, his vice-captain. 

She nodded, and he sat with her permission. They’d make a move once this was over, he decided. 

Tachihara let out a breath of relief, tucking his gun away. 

Higuchi fretted over Akutagawa’s leg, ready to tear off her own sleeve to staunch the bleeding with. 

“Poe-kun, if you please,” Ranpo said, gesturing to the two of them. 

Poe was startled, realizing he was being addressed. “Oh, yes, of course,” he said. He summoned a first aid kit. Ranpo took it and passed it to Kenji who stood. 

“Let me help,” Kenji offered, squatting beside the two mafiosos. Yosano followed close behind him, obligated to help someone in need. 

Ranpo leaned back against the wall. “You can unpause it now,” he said. 

Poe nodded. “Play,” he commanded. 

“Whoa, what’s that?” a man shuddered, peeking inside the station. 

“Oh, crap,” another said. “A terror attack?

The woman glanced over her shoulder, noticing Akutagawa’s retreating form. 

The bag Akutagawa placed on the table made a beeping sound. 

“That man—” the woman began to say. 

The building exploded, and Akutagawa walked away from it peacefully.

The Hunting Dogs tensed but made no move, resigned to watching without acting. That didn’t mean they weren’t mentally preparing themselves for the eventuality of being free of the pocket dimension. They’d let the Port Mafia run rampant for far too long. They deserved the justice coming for them. 

Atsushi hissed upon seeing the explosion. He couldn’t feel bad for the wounded man, but that didn’t stop the small feeling of something in him that clenched upon the sight of blood pouring out of his wound despite Kenji and Higuchi’s efforts to stem the bleeding as Yosano sutured his skin close. 

Tachihara elbowed Gin. “Shouldn’t you go check on him?” he whispered. 

Gin leaned in closer so that the others wouldn’t hear her. Tachihara had to force himself to stay still under the feeling of her mask tickling his ears. 

“He’ll be fine,” she said. “He’d hate it if I made a scene in front of everyone.”

Tachihara nodded, rubbing his ear to ease the phantom tickling sensation. 

Higuchi, on the other hand, pressed her hand methodically on the wound. ‘He’s already hurt from the explosion,’ she thought. ‘He barely just left the clinic the other day and he’s gotten hurt already. You really have a talent for getting injured, Senpai.’

The scene cut to the inside of the detective agency. Kunikida stood from his desk, pushing his chair in while Dazai leaned over the arm of the couch, listening to music on his headphones. 

“You can’t have a lover’s suicide by your lonesome,” he sang. “Find yourself a partner and let the end come…Yeahhh!!”

The group wanted to laugh, but everyone felt awkward; the atmosphere they had established earlier was completely ruined. 

“Get out of the way,” Kunikida said. “Move it.” He clenched his fist as Dazai waved him off with a serene smile. 

“I swear, why did we ever hire you…? This is not ideal to me at all…” He ripped Dazai’s headphones off of his ears. “Damn it, Dazai!” he yelled. “What about your work!?”

Dazai covered his ears at Kunikida’s thunderous voice. He grabbed his headphones and put them back on. “I await divine revelation,” he grinned. 

“You bugged her,” Chuuya said simply. 

“Of course I did,” Dazai replied just as casually. “I’d have been crazy not to.”

Kunikida looked at him in surprise. “So, you were listening to her, instead of working?”

Dazai nodded. 

Kunikida clenched his fist. “Then why didn’t you just say that!” he yelled, annoyed. 

Dazai always went off on his own, doing his own thing and causing Kunikida to become unfairly upset with him. If only Dazai would tell Kunikida what he was up to, the man would understand and not get upset with him so often. 

“Well, where’s the fun in that?” Dazai grinned. 

Kunikida shook his head. Dazai was going to be the death of him, one of these days, he thought. 

‘Why does he always think I can never understand him? Always putting on a mask of humor that he thinks I don’t notice,’ Kunikida mused. ‘Are we not partners? I wish he would trust me a little more…’ 

He pressed his glasses far up the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

The others looked at Dazai in surprise. 

‘I hadn’t even noticed,’ Atsushi thought. 

The scene switched to show Atsushi, Naomi, and Tanizaki walking down the street. 

“Ha-ha-ha!” Tanizaki laughed at Atsushi while Naomi clung to his arm. “Aw, he was just getting a rise out of you.”

“I’m not finding it very funny!” Atsushi complained. “All this talk about vicious mafia and getting killed…What on earth am I walking into?”

“Ah, it’ll be fine,” Tanizaki reassured him. “If someone like me can keep up this line of work, how hard can it be?”

“You jinxed it, Tanizaki-san,” Atsushi groaned. 

He hung his head in defeat. 

Tanizaki scratched the side of his temple in embarrassment. “Oops…”

Atsushi’s attention was caught. “But you have a ‘skill’ you can use too, right, Tanizaki-san? What kind is it?”

“Well,” Tanizaki rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Don't get your hopes up. It’s not too useful for battle.”

Higuchi paused from where she was closing up the first aid kit, finally having finished disinfecting, suturing, and bandaging Akutagawa’s leg—much to his annoyance. 

She shuddered. ‘Not too useful for battle, my ass,’ she thought, rubbing her neck. 

“Teeheehee,” Naomi giggled as she clung to him. “Your skill is wonderful, Nii-sama! I love it sooo much!”

She made kissy faces at him, to which Tanizaki tried to shrug her away. “Stop it, Naomi. Not here…”

“Talking back to me, huh?” she said. “All that lip of yours…” She ran a finger over his bottom lip. “What are those lips like, hmm?”

Atsushi blushed, incredulously watching the pair. 

“Here we are,” Higuchi said, pointing to an alley, startling all of them into remembering her presence. 

“I’m surprised you were able to ignore them, Nee-san,” Tachihara grinned. 

Higuchi shrugged. “You learn to get used to weird people,” she replied. 

Tachihara froze. A menacing smile spread across his face. “Who could you possibly mean by that?” he asked. “Gin, right?”

Gin punched him in the stomach. She pointed at him, as if saying, ‘Obviously she means you.’ 

Higuchi shook her head. They were both terrifying, yet somehow acted like children around each other. That may have made them all the more terrifying. 

Hirotsu watched the two playfight fondly for a moment before clearing his throat. They let go of each other, though not without sending out one last glare. Tachihara stuck his tongue out. Gin flipped him off. 

The group looked around. 

“Pretty…creepy-looking place, huh?” Tanizaki noted. He narrowed his eyes. “This is weird.” 

“Good on you for noticing,” Dazai remarked. 

“Thanks,” said Tanizaki. Then, under his breath, muttered, “Not that it helped, much.”

He addressed Higuchi. “Is this really the place, ma’am? Umm…”

“My name is Higuchi,” she said. 

“Higuchi-san,” Tanizaki began. “Outlaws are usually a fairly cowardly lot. Whenever a deal goes down they always secure an escape route first. But look at this place…”

He pointed down the alleyway. “If the police converged from the other side they’d have nowhere to run.”

“Looks like you’re picking up some real detective skills,” Ranpo said. “Need to work on your reaction time, though.”

Tanizaki perked up, his disappointment erasing instantly. If Ranpo was giving him an almost-compliment, why, that was practically Christmas come early. 

Tanizaki nodded, warmth flooding his chest. 

“Exactly.” Higuchi began to put her hair up into its classical ponytail. “I know it was rude of me,” she said. “But I’ve lured you into my trap.”

Tachihara looked at her judgmentally. “You apologize for every crime you commit?” he asked. 

“I didn’t apologize!” she said, her voice rising. “I was just saying it was rude…”

Tachihara raised an eyebrow. He ran a hand down his face. “How are you ranked higher than me,” he sighed. “You sound like a typical Yu-Gi-Oh villain.”

Higuchi felt the fight drain from her. “Respect your elders!” she yelled, holding herself back from smacking him. 

Atsushi looked between them. They were a far cry from the Port Mafia members he was terrified of upon their first meeting. 

A shiver ran down their spines.

“My real goal,” she flicked open her cell phone, “was to get all of you. Akutagawa-senpai? I’ve captured them as planned. Taking care of them now.”

Tanizaki blanched. “Did you say…Akutagawa?”

The scene cut to Akutagawa standing on a rooftop. “Excellent,” he said. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“For the sake of my overseer,” Higuchi said, putting on her sunglasses and pulling out a gun, “you will die where you stand!”

“This bastard…” Tanizaki cursed. 

“The Port Mafia…!” Atsushi exclaimed. 

Higuchi, now holding two machine guns in hand, began firing indiscriminately. 

The screen faded to black. 

Chapter Text

The atmosphere in the room was awkward as the group waited the few seconds it took for the next episode to begin playing. Lucy pressed her lips together, bothered by the heavy mood. 

‘Is this really okay?’ she wondered. 

Beside her, Karl chittered on Poe’s head, his small head flicking from corner to corner. ‘Poe must also be feeling uncomfortable,’ she realized. 

The two of them may have been outsiders within the Guild, there for their own reasons rather than the good of the organization, but that didn’t clear them of the crimes they committed. 

If the TV was going to play the future too, which it no doubt would, what would the others think of them when the Guild inevitably made their attack? 

The scene opened up on Dazai’s eyes as he blinked them open in shock. He clutched his open book to his chest, a frown on his face. 

“Dazai,” Kunikida said, irritated as he stomped over to the couch Dazai lay on. “Will you get to work already…?”

He trailed off, peering at the couch. “—Huh?”

Dazai was gone. 

Kunikida looked over at Dazai. He must have left because he heard Higuchi begin to attack the teenagers, he realized. 

He tutted. Always going off alone, that partner of his. He smacked the upside of Dazai’s head lightly with his notebook. 

Dazai pouted and clutched at his head, but didn’t complain for once. His eyes softened as he saw Kunikida’s worried glare. 

[Title card: Chapter 4 - Yokohama Gangster Paradise, Part 2] 

[An image of Akutagawa was shown, staring straight into the camera, the back of his hand covering his mouth. Higuchi stood behind him, her side profile on display. Stray bullets were strewn around them.]

“For the sake of my overseer,” Higuchi began. “You will die where you stand!” 

She shot her two guns rapidly. Blood splattered on Tanizaki and Atsushi’s faces, a look of horror in both of their eyes. 

Tanizaki clutched his sweater paws, mentally preparing himself for the image that was about to be shown. 

Atsushi tensed beside him. 

Tanizaki looked up. Naomi stood over him, her arms spread out to take the barrage of bullets. Her back was a mess of blood. 

“Nii-sama,” she said, blood spilling out of her mouth. “Are you…okay?”

She listed forward into Tanizaki’s arms. 

Naomi frowned, seeing herself covered in blood. Tanizaki wrapped an arm over her shoulders, pressing her closer to himself in a rare show of boldness that stemmed purely from protective worry. 

Dazai frowned. “I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner,” he said. 

Naomi waved him off. “It’s okay, Dazai-san. Yosano-sensei healed me, after all.”

Dazai looked to the ground. ‘Someone who values life shouldn’t die,’ he thought. ‘Not like that.’

Atsushi pulled his knees to his chest and half-buried his face in them, not wanting to see this scene again. 

“Naomi!” Tanizaki screamed as he caught her. “Naomi! Naomi! Hang in there, Naomi! Naomi, open your eyes!”

Atsushi fell to his knees in shock. 

“What am I gonna do…?” Tanizaki said helplessly, putting a hand to his head as his sister lay unconscious on his lap. “A…A tourniquet! Atsushi-kun, do you have a tourniquet?”

The room’s already-ill-at-ease atmosphere worsened as they watched the boy frantically move about. 

No one dared make a comment. 

Tanizaki covered his mouth with his bloody hand, growing increasingly more worried. “No, I need to clean the wound first…Wait! No! I gotta have Yosano-sensei look at this…”

Higuchi reloaded her gun.

“I—I gotta get her to the medical room,” he continued. “Atsushi-kun, can you get her legs for—?”

Higuchi held the gun against the back of his head. 

The room’s residents held their breath. Every person was now on edge. The agency, from watching their trusted members on the brink of death, and the mafia for being right beside the detectives as they watched their own member nearly kill the opposing group. 

They couldn’t apologize for their actions. Orders were orders, it wasn’t like it was anything personal to them, but it felt wrong to remain still while the detectives were right beside them. 

Chuuya sighed. He hated being the responsible mafia member. It didn’t suit him. 

“Pause,” he said. Poe repeated his words so that the screen paused.

“Kid,” Chuuya called, addressing Naomi. “You okay?”

Naomi pointed at herself. He nodded. 

She blinked. “Oh…yeah, I’m fine. Yosano-sensei took care of me.”

He nodded. “Good.” 

Tanizaki and Atsushi’s eyes nearly bugged out of their heads.

“Higuchi, Akutagawa,” Chuuya said. 

Akutagawa looked to the side, remaining quiet, knowing what was coming, while Higuchi sat up. 

“Yes, sir?” she asked. 

“If I ever see the two of you harming innocents when the objective is ‘seize and capture,’ I’ll see to your remedial training myself.”

“Yes, sir…” Higuchi said. Akutagawa coughed into the back of his hand, but said nothing. 

“The Port Mafia aren’t meaningless attack dogs, no matter what others say. We have a reputation to uphold. You follow the boss’s orders and only his orders.”

“Yes, sir,” Higuchi repeated. 

Chuuya nodded once, then turned to make eye contact with Fukuzawa again, a silent promise in his eyes. 

“Look at you being all responsible. Has the slug grown?” Dazai commented once the awkward atmosphere died down. 

“Shut up. You can press play now.”

“That’s enough,” she said. “We’ve tailed you. We know you’re non-combat personnel. Care to follow the same path your lovable little sister took?”

Tanizaki’s shock was quickly overtaken by anger. 

He scowled. “Eh? You dirty little punk…”

The detectives eyed Tanizaki curiously. It was very rare that he began to cuss someone out, almost as rare as Naomi actually getting hurt on the field. It was always a spectacle to behold, however. 

“Huh,” Teruko hummed. “Kid’s got more spunk than I thought.” 

She leaned off of the wall, more interested now that a fight was being put up on the detectives’ side. 

Tanizaki gritted his teeth. “You hurt Naomi, didn’t you?”

He stood, holding Naomi in a princess carry. 

“Light Snow,” he said determinedly, his hair whipping around his face, the drying blood on his cheek standing out against his fair skin. 

Those who’d never seen Tanizaki’s ability sat up in their seats, excited to see it in play. 

Higuchi looked around in shock, noticing little snowflakes beginning to fall. 

‘Snow,’ she pondered. ‘At this time of year…?’

“Pretty,” Tachihara said, doing his best to ignore the heavy atmosphere. 

“Atsushi-kun,” Tanizaki said, jolting Atsushi to stand back on his feet. “Take cover down the alley. This woman…” 

He took on the look of a deranged man on a warpath. “...is dead.”

A shiver ran down Higuchi’s spine. 

Poe glanced at Tanizaki from behind his bangs. He could sense the heavy bloodlust from just the TV screen. The boy had genuinely wanted to kill the woman. 

‘Fascinating,’ he thought morbidly. 

Higuchi shot her gun. Tanizaki’s face faded away around the bullet. 

Her eyes widened in confusion as he disappeared. 

“My Light Snow,” he explained, “lets me use snowfall as a screen.”

Tecchou leaned forward, resting his head on his hand. The ability reminded him of Jouno’s, except that Jouno became particles, rather than an illusion. The execution of it in battle looked similar, though. 

Higuchi whirled around, pointing her gun. “Wha…? Where are you!?” 

“I can ‘overwrite’ the background behind me over my body,” he said as she swiveled her head around, trying to find him. “You can’t see me anymore.”

“But,” she said, her eyes taking on a determined glint. “My bullets will work whether I see you or not!”

She shot rapidly all around her with both guns. 

“Missed me by a mile,” he gloated, coming out from behind her. He reached his hands out and wrapped them around her neck. “Time to die—!”

“Nee-san!” Tachihara cried, his head snapping to her. 

“I’m fine,” she huffed. “I’m still here, aren’t I?” 

Inwardly, though, her heart warmed by the show of concern. The Black Lizards were truly an intriguing species of mafioso, in her opinion. While other mafiosos killed and followed orders without a second thought, they showed their humanity in little ways. 

Sometimes, it made her feel as if she weren’t as ill-suited for her job as she thought she was, knowing that she could hold on to her humanity as they did. 

Hirotsu smiled. Tachihara always had a way of catching him by surprise, he thought. 

Jouno mentally narrowed his eyes. Tachihara’s concern sounded far too real to be a lie. He bit the inside of his lip. 

Tanizaki squeezed her throat tightly. She began to lose consciousness, her eyes screwed shut in pain. 

“Tanizaki-kun,” Fukuzawa began.

“I know,” Tanizaki said. “We don’t resort to murder,” he sighed. 

“As long as you know,” the president said. 

A coughing sound was heard in the distance. 

Stepping up behind Tanizaki from a distance was Akutagawa, using Rashomon to fell him easily. Akutagawa covered his mouth with his hand lightly until he stopped coughing. 

Yosano eyed the young man. “Hey,” she said. “Do you have asthma, or something?” she asked. 

“That’s none of your concern,” he responded curtly. He’d made peace with his condition long ago. There was no point in explaining it when he would die soon, anyway. 

Yosano narrowed her eyes while Atsushi watched the exchange curiously. 

Atsushi’s bright eyes widened with fear. Akutagawa’s dark ones narrowed with determination. 

“You must fear death,” Akutagawa said. “You must fear killing…as much as you covet death.”

Atsushi flinched. 

“For death,” he continued, “covets you just as much.” He coughed again. 

Dazai put a hand to his chin. 

Does Atsushi ‘covet death’? Dazai didn’t think so. He believed that Atsushi thought he deserved to die, not that he wanted to die. 

And that was the fascinating thing about Atsushi, and others like him—they didn’t want to die. Rather, and perhaps more importantly, they wanted to live. 

It was something he, nor Akutagawa, could understand. He hoped that Akutagawa would, even if he himself couldn’t, but seeing as he hadn’t responded to Yosano’s prodding, he hadn’t changed much at all. 

Atsushi, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable with the fact that this conversation was being shown to the whole room. Frankly, all of his conversations with Akutagawa were rather private, somehow, in his opinion. It felt wrong to have it be exposed like this. 

“Don’t run into this person,” a flashback of Kunikida said. “If you do, flee. Not even I would dare try to fight him.”

Atsushi despaired, remembering his words. 

“And so we meet for the first time,” Akutagawa said. “I am Akutagawa. Just like the girl before you,” he covered his mouth to cough again, “I am but a humble dog of the Port Mafia.”

Yosano frowned as she watched him cough. ‘There’s something wrong with his lungs,’ she thought. ‘Could I fix it?’

Yosano prided herself on being a doctor. It was her role in the agency first and foremost, more important than the abilities she possessed. She took an oath to help those she could, no matter who they were. Mafia members were no exception. 

A spark of frustration began to boil in her. If she could help the young man somehow, she would, she decided. Then he could go to prison in full health as far as she was concerned. 

“Akutagawa-senpai!” Higuchi exclaimed. “You have to take care of yourself—! I can handle this alone!” 

He looked at her with apathetic eyes. Without warning, he slapped her across the face. Her sunglasses clattered to the ground. 

“We were instructed to capture the man-tiger alive. What will killing them all accomplish?” he sneered. “You useless cur!”

‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ Atsushi wanted to ask. He bit his tongue, not wanting to start anything just when the room’s tension was beginning to die down. 

Higuchi may have hurt Naomi and Tanizaki, but Akutagawa didn’t have to hurt Higuchi, too. Was that what the Port Mafia was like? Everyone hurting each other needlessly? 

He gritted his teeth. He despised the Port Mafia. 

Higuchi shifted uncomfortably. She hated making Akutagawa upset with her, especially when they had such a vulnerable moment quite recently. She was afraid remembering the worst moments between them would return them to their previous state of cold colleagues. 

The camera zoomed into Akutagawa’s eyes. Their appearance was that of whirlpools of darkness, swirling into an abyss. 

Dazai’s lip unconsciously curled at the sight. He despised it. His very soul wanted to eject the image from his mind. ‘Disgusting.’ 

Chuuya blinked. His eyes flicked to Dazai. The sight of those eyes was uncomfortably familiar. The blank apathy craving for the meaning of existence. He shivered. It had been many years since he’d seen them on anyone. 

Kyouka looked down at her hands. She’d seen those eyes on his face enough times to know they never meant anything good. 

Atsushi looked horrified. “This—was my fault?” 

“Indeed.” Akutagawa gestured in the air with his arm. “That is the fate you must bear, Man-tiger. The fact,” he pointed his finger now, his expression becoming more grave, “that you still live and breathe harms those around you.”

Atsushi hunched in on himself as he heard the words. He’d almost forgotten how much they had hurt when they were first spoken. 

It wasn’t like he didn’t know his existence was harmful. It had been drilled into his very soul since he was practically born, after all. He was doing his best to live, to help others to live, to erase the sin of existence from his being. 

He was trying. 

Beside him, Tanizaki sucked in a heavy breath. His fists trembled because of how tightly he was clenching them. 

“That’s not true,” Naomi said before he could open his mouth. She wore a frown, a surprise to see from her usual smiling face. “That’s not true, Atsushi,” she repeated. 

Atsushi looked up from the floor, turning to her in surprise. 

“That’s right,” Tanizaki continued. “We got hurt on our own. That wasn’t your fault at all.”

Atsushi couldn’t reply. He couldn’t admit that Akutagawa was right aloud, not with the way they looked at him with such urgency, as if desperate for him to understand no fault lied in him. 

Atsushi recalled the orphanage and his old headmaster throwing him out. He was hit with a wave of despair. 

Lucy pulled her knees close to her chest. This was all too uncomfortably familiar. It weighed on her like an oppressive fog, and she hated it. 

Dazai bit the inside of his cheek. Was this his fault? It probably was, he thought. It usually was. 

Would they hate him if they realized? Everything good always left him. He must have forgotten that fact of the universe in his delusions of a happy workplace. 

Tachihara and Gin shifted restlessly as the two sitting closest to the bleeding teenagers in the scene. Was it really right to be attempting friendship when there was so much bad blood between the two groups? What was that Poe guy thinking, creating this book?

They exchanged private glances, their usual playful malice replaced with worry. 

Akutagawa’s face was blank, almost doll-like. “Surely you must have realized it in your subconscious by now…?”

Fukuzawa glanced at the boy on screen and his present counterpart. Surely there was a way to help him, he thought. Akutagawa’s thoughts seemed to stem from his own beliefs and insecurities rather than anything to do with Atsushi. 

He pressed his lips together. 

Satisfied that Atsushi’s spirit was thoroughly broken, he said, “Rashomon.”

Rashomon extended out of his coat. Atsushi flinched back in fear as Rashomon lunged for him, nearly digging a crater next to his foot. 

“My Rashomon is something of a gourmand,” Akutagawa said. “It eats through all in its path. If you resist, your leg will be next.”

Atsushi fell to the ground in fear. “Wh-why? Why did I…?”

[This is my fault…? Does my very existence bring about misfortune to others—?]

Kunikida gritted his teeth. “Kid,” he said before he could begin to even plan out the words he wanted to say. 

“Don’t mind me, Kunikida-san, please,” Atsushi said, trying to play it off. “This is in the past.”

“It wasn’t that long ago,” Yosano corrected. 

Atsushi squeezed his arm. “I…I don’t really want to talk about it,” he said eventually. 

Tanizaki mumbled on the floor, grabbing Atsushi’s attention. “Atsushi-kun,” he was saying. “Run away…”

Naomi groaned, twitching on the ground. 

‘They’re still breathing,’ Atsushi realized.

“Starting today,” a flashback of Kunikida adjusting his glasses said, “you are now part of the agency. Do not do anything that interferes with others…or besmirches our good name.”

Atsushi looked up determinedly. 

He dashed forward, launching himself forward as he yelled. 

Kunikida looked at the screen in surprise. He hadn’t realized Atsushi would take his words to heart so seriously. 

He would have to be more careful with what he said lest the boy engrain something said carelessly too deeply, he decided instantly. He forgot that, while the other detectives were used to his blunt mannerisms, Atsushi was new and vulnerable to digs at his morals.  

He wrote a note for himself in his notebook, putting three asterisks next to it. He did not want to be the cause of Atsushi’s pain. 

“You seek an honorable death?” Akutagawa noticed. “How mundane.” 

Rashomon was launched forward once more, Atsushi narrowly dodging it. He skidded to the floor behind Akutagawa. It made for quite the scene, their monochrome outfits gathering attention, almost as if they completed each other’s. 

Atsushi snatched a gun off of the ground. Akutagawa looked over his shoulder. “Huh,” he said simply. 

Higuchi tensed. “That’s all you had to say?” she cried in worry, forgoing respectful honorifics. 

Akutagawa shrugged. “I didn’t expect him to actually point a gun at me.”

Atsushi raised the gun and fired several times. 

Akutagawa slumped his shoulders inward. Atsushi looked on, wondering if he hit him. 

Akutagawa turned his head, glaring for all his life was worth, seven bullets falling to the ground at his feet. 

Dazai couldn’t help but feel a little proud. He was the one who taught him that, after all. He almost praised him out loud, but quickly bit his tongue. Akutagawa wasn’t ready for that quite yet. 

Only Kunikida and Chuuya, who sat at his sides, could see the faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. 

Kunikida eyed it, wondering what the reason for it was—for Dazai never did anything without reason. Chuuya, on the other hand, felt himself silently rage. 

‘Just give him a compliment,’ he thought in annoyance. ‘It cannot be that hard.’ 

“N-no way,” Atsushi said, horrified. “Why…?”

“That was a very impressive move,” Akutagawa commented. “But it was still the reckless flailing of a fool. I believe I told you, my black beast eats through all it encounters, even if that something is space itself.”

Rashomon swirled around him. He stepped on one of the bullets. “I had it consume a fraction of space between the barrel of your gun and my back. Neither a spear nor pure fire inflicts harm if the space it occupies does not exist.”

“Impressive,” Tecchou noted. “It must have taken a lot of practice to enact it in battle.”

Akutagawa sat a little straighter in pride. “It did,” he said. Countless hours and blood were spent on that move, but he was proud of the control he gathered from it. 

If only the compliment had come from Dazai, though. He coughed into his hand. 

“Wha…?” A realization dawned on Atsushi. ‘Then…there’s no way of attacking him!’

“Now,” Akutagawa said. “I must keep my promise. 

Rashomon lunged again, tearing Atsushi’s leg off from the knee and carrying it away. He dropped it on the floor behind Atsushi. 

The group winced at the sight of his lifeless leg. 

Atsushi turned around, not yet realizing what had happened. As soon as he saw the severed leg, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from his throat. Akutagawa simply coughed, covering his mouth with his hand once more. 

Chapter Text

Atsushi turned around, not yet realizing what had happened. As soon as he saw the severed leg, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from his throat. Akutagawa simply coughed, covering his mouth with his hand once more. 

The group winced from the genuine pain and anguish in Atsushi’s voice. 

Sigma bit the inside of his cheek, attempting not to gag and the sight of the bloodied leg. 

The scene faded to black, transitioning into a flashback. 

A little boy was crying. The camera moved closer, showing Atsushi’s little face as he attempted to wipe his tears. 

Several eyes widened, not having expected to see a flashback going so far back in time. No one dared comment on baby-Atsushi’s cuteness, too focused on the fact that he was crying. 

“Stop crying already!” his headmaster yelled. He slapped Atsushi across the face. “You sniveling brat! Only a child with parents willing to care for them is allowed to cry endlessly.”

Atsushi flinched. The detectives sucked in a breath. 

“Pause it,” Ranpo said quietly. 

“Pause,” Poe said without question. A pause button appeared on the screen. Thankfully, it had been paused on a transition scene, causing the image to be blurry and not triggering. 

The words yelled by the headmaster had affected everyone. Safe to say, there were few among them who had loving parents, and even fewer whose parents were alive. 

Poe himself, despite being one of the oldest in the room, despite the fact that he was already an adult, felt dread pooling in his gut at the reminder of his childhood. 

Ranpo looked to Fukuzawa for assistance. He figured his bluntness with words and accidental apathy would not help Atsushi in this case. 

Fukuzawa nodded, understanding his sentiment. “Why don’t we all take another snack to recuperate for a moment,” he said. 

Without a word, everyone stumbled to their feet, their knees cracking from their stiffness. 

Atsushi made no move to get up. Lucy and Sigma stayed sitting as well. 

Kenji observed the tenseness laced in everyone’s shoulders.  

He puffed up his cheeks. “Say,” he began, cutting through the uncomfortable silence. “Have I ever told you about my siblings?”

The detectives looked at him in surprise. Even Atsushi looked up in question. 

“Their parents died from sickness a few years ago,” he said. “Everyone in the village took them in afterward, rotating between whichever household had the most to give.”

The group looked at him in surprise. 

“But they’re still my siblings,” he said. “My family. Just like all of you are my family.”

He squatted down beside Atsushi whose eyes glistened with tears. He opened up his arms. Atsushi fell into them gratefully, hugging him tightly. 

“It’s okay to cry,” Kenji said. “Because I’m here, and I care about you, because you’re family.” 

Atsushi felt something in the depths of his soul shattering. A tear rolled down his cheek, then another. 

Atsushi sobbed, burying his face in Kenji’s overalls. Kenji’s words and soft smile were like glue, putting his pieces back together, though not in the shape they were in before. Rather, he was being reshaped and reformed. Cracks were still prominent along the newly formed figure, but they were held tightly together. 

‘I didn’t realize how much I needed to cry,’ Atsushi thought numbly, clutching Kenji’s narrow shoulders tighter. 

Kyouka sat up on her knees, wrapping her arms around Atsushi’s back and torso.

“You’re my family too,” she said. “It wasn’t scary, leaving the Port Mafia, because you were there.”

The detectives smiled softly at the scene. Naomi and Tanizaki brushed shoulders with each other. 

Ranpo and Yosano exchanged knowing looks. Dazai and Kunikida watched, side by side, rare soft expressions on their faces. 

Fukuzawa watched them all fondly. He eyed Sigma who looked on with a little sadness in his gaze. 

He put a hand on his shoulder. Sigma looked at him in surprise. Fukuzawa said nothing, patting him in silence. Sigma relaxed, accepting the gesture. 

The mafia members eyed each other awkwardly. Gin separated from Tachihara’s side, sitting beside her brother now. She put a hand on his wrist. 

‘Are you okay?’ she silently asked. 

Akutagwa looked away. He didn’t know how he felt, both from the words that the headmaster spoke, and from being able to see his enemy’s past on the screen. It was so much easier to hate the man-tiger when he didn’t know anything about him. When he didn’t feel any similarities between them. 

Did he feel bad about his words against the man-tiger? He couldn’t be sure. He still boiled with jealousy and disdain. However, the small flicker of empathy was difficult to snare out. 

Tachihara watched the two of them in silence. He stood, grabbed a bag of chips, and made his way to the back of the room. He slumped against the wall between Teruko and Fukuzawa. 

Teruko watched him in surprise. Tachihara kept his gaze forward as he opened the bag and set it down between them. 

Teruko grinned, taking from it without a word. 

Poe fiddled with a clump of Karl’s fur between his fingers. 

“Lucy?” he prompted in English without looking at her. “Are you all right?”

Lucy remained silent, her eyes blank. 

‘Disassociating, then,’ he noted. 

“Karl,” he said. He took a deep breath. “Go keep her company, please.”

Karl scampered off of his lap and into Lucy’s. Poe tapped his fingers on his lap in unease, the safety of Karl, and even Kenji, gone. 

Ranpo returned to his side. He took note of Poe’s restlessness and Lucy’s absence of mind. He passed over a chocolate from his pocket.

Poe jumped, not having noticed his presence. He picked up the chocolate Ranpo dropped into his lap and fiddled with its wrapper. 

“We can resume in a few minutes,” Ranpo said, surveying everyone in the room. “We should take a proper break after this episode, though. I think the fight will be over by then.”

A few minutes of near-silence passed. Atsushi remained in Kenji and Kyouka’s hold all the while. 

“Let’s stay like this for a while,” Kenji said brightly. 

Atsushi squeezed his eyes shut and nodded against Kenji’s chest. He flushed with embarrassment. How could he be finding comfort in a boy so much younger than him?

He didn’t let go, though. His muscles refused so much as to twitch away from him. He was glad to be in his family’s arms. 

Ranpo nodded decisively. 

“Play,” Poe commanded. 

The headmaster towered over Atsushi who fell to the floor. Atsushi whimpered, holding his cheek with both hands, trying not to cry. 

“Some brat abandoned by his own flesh and blood has no right to cry at all!” his headmaster claimed. 

Kenji pressed his hands against Atsushi’s ears, muffling the sound. 

‘Deplorable,’ Tecchou thought. ‘To do something like that to a child…’

Kyouka fingered her dagger silently. ‘How dare he,’ she thought angrily. 

Teenaged Atsushi watched that scene as if he were having an out-of-body experience. 

[Yes…] he narrated. The flashback ended, showing Akutagawa walking away from the crater he made in the ground. [I’ve lived my whole life abandoned by others.]

Chuuya, who lost his own found family, felt his heartstrings being tugged. Abandonment was something he was very familiar with. Many people in the room with them were, too, he noted. One of them was sitting right next to him, in fact. 

Dazai was glaring at the screen, as if he could take away all the pain from his mentees by sheer willpower. 

Chuuya shook his head. If only it were that easy. 

Akutagawa heard a cracking sound from behind him. He wheeled around, his eyes widening at what he saw. “Wha…?”

Atsushi clung to the wall, his hands and feet digging into the concrete to hold himself up. His face was partially transformed into that of the tiger. 

‘Woah,’ Teruko thought, taking in the sight. ‘With more experience, he might just become someone very strong.’

He dropped to the ground. The camera panned away from him as his bones began to crack, focusing on Akutagawa instead. Akutagawa slowly began to smile, his eyes forming black whirlpools on his face. “...Now we’re talking,” he said, almost excitedly by his standards. 

Higuchi glanced worriedly at Akutagawa. ‘Those eyes again,’ she thought. 

The group remained quiet, wanting to finish the episode as soon as possible, still tense. Their eyes were transfixed to the screen. 

Atsushi’s full tiger form glared at him and lunged, pawing at Akutagawa. 

He roared loudly. 

“Wow,” Kenji said. “Your tiger form is always so cool to see!”

Atsushi sniffled but laughed. “Thanks, Kenji-kun.”

Kyouka sat back down, more relaxed than earlier, though she stayed beside them. 

“Rashomon,” Akutagawa summoned. Rashomon nipped Atsushi’s side, causing him to run headlong into a wall. 

‘He can regenerate!’ Akutagawa noticed instantly. The wound on Atsushi’s side was already closed. ‘And so quickly—!’

“Akutagawa-senpai!” Higuchi yelled in concern. 

Akutagawa put his arm out to stop her. “Get back, Higuchi,” he said to her surprise. “This is nothing you could handle.”

Dazai blinked, perking up in interest. Was that genuine concern in Akuatagwa’s voice, or only pride? Was his mentee finally learning to care?

The tiger pounced. Akutagawa’s eyes widened as he looked up at it. ‘So fast!’

Rashomon formed a web around him, slashing at the tiger. They were both pushed away from each other. Akutagawa crashed into the wall behind him, causing him to cough out blood. 

Tachihara hissed at the sight. Teruko eyed him warily. 

‘Is he coughing more than usual?’ Dazai wondered, inconspicuously glancing at his older mentee. ‘Physical activity has always made him cough, but…’

Atsushi peeked out from Kenji’s hold. He hadn’t really noticed Akuatagawa’s injuries during that fight, too focused on staying alive. Kenji loosened his grip to give him a little breathing space. 

Higuchi snagged one of her guns from the floor. She began shooting it rapidly. “Damn you!” she cursed. 

The bullets rebounded off of the tiger. 

‘They’re not piercing it…!?’ she thought incredulously. The tiger turned to look at her. Her eyes widened in fear. 

“Higuchi, what are you doing!?” Akutagawa exclaimed, noticing her backed up against a wall. “Rashomon Agito!”

Akutagawa was worried, Dazai realized. A small smile tugged at his lips. Maybe the boy could grow, after all. He may have had a future ahead of him yet. 

He covered his mouth as he sent Rashomon back out. He pierced the tiger’s midsection, cutting Atsushi in two just as he pounced on Higuchi, the two of them nearly nose to nose. Higuchi was pressing herself as close to the wall as she could. 

The tiger’s blood splattered on her face horrifically. 

Several people winced. 

‘How could the man-tiger be alive if he was killed?’ Poe wondered. 

Higuchi shuddered, wiping her face despite there being no blood on it. 

Tachihara exhaled slowly, his body relaxing. ‘This lady really has a bad tendency of getting herself in dangerous scenarios,’ he thought, ignoring the way he had held his breath when she was in trouble.  

“Tch,” Akutagawa cursed. “I needed him alive too…”

“Sorry, Akutagawa-senpai,” Higuchi said. “You would have ruined the mission because of me if he was actually dead.”

Akutagawa frowned. “That’s nonsense. You had no impact on my decision-making.’

Higuchi knew that wasn’t true, though. She smiled. 

“Okay,” she said, accepting his answer for what it really meant: ‘Don’t blame yourself,’ 

Gin smiled behind her mask. She was glad her brother had someone other than her who understood him. 

He reached his hand out, retracting Rashomon. Atsushi’s tiger form lay dead on the ground. 

Then, slowly, he began to fade away. 

‘Oh,’ Poe thought. ‘I understand now.’ 

Lucy shifted beside him, her fingers beginning to ruffle Karl’s fur. 

‘She must be coming back to,’ he realized. 

Akutagawa’s eyes widened. 

“Light Snow…!” Tanizaki grinned from where he was bracing himself on the floor. 

Akutagawa looked over his shoulder to see him. ‘The tiger I just slashed was a mirage! Then—’

He felt a presence behind him. He grinned.

‘He was genuinely having fun,’ both Dazai and Chuuya realized as one. They glanced at each other, an all too familiar feeling washing over them. 

Dazai tilted his head to the screen. “I chose well, right?”

Chuuya crossed his arms. “You think they’re up to par?”

Dazai grinned. “I think they will be. Diamonds and all that, right?”

Chuuya scoffed. 

Kyouka, on the other hand, felt herself stiffen. ‘I’ve never seen him like this,’ she thought in disbelief.

“Rashomon,” he said, his ability weaving around his hand. “Murakumo!” Rashomon’s appearance took on that of a hand extending out of his arm sleeve. 

The scene showed Atsushi and Akutagawa side by side, both with determined expressions ready to launch themselves at each other. 

“Okay, boys. That will suffice!” Suddenly, Dazai stood in between them, both hands outstretched, each of them touching the two boys’ abilities. 

A few people sighed in relief, glad that the fight was over before either boy could cause the atmosphere in the room to grow more tense. 

“Wha…!?” Akutagawa said in shock. 

The two abilities fizzled away. Atsushi fell to the floor. 

“You’re from the detective agency,” Higuchi exclaimed once she realized who he was. “Why are you…?”

Dazai reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a listening device and his headphones. 

“I have a bad tendency to be wary of fetching young girls,” he explained. “So I did a little recording.”

‘Thank goodness he did,’ Atsushi thought. 

Kunikida frowned judgmentally. “You could have worded that better,” he said, adjusting his glasses. 

“He sounded really sleazy there,” Chuuya agreed. 

Dazai gasped dramatically. “Why would you say that?” he said, faux-weeping. “During my big moment, too!”

Higuchi gasped, her hands checking her pockets. “N-no!” She found a device in her suit pocket. “A bug!?”

She thought back to the moment at the agency when Dazai had knelt next to her. With the hand that hadn’t been holding on to hers, he slipped the bug into her pocket. 

“So smooth,” Kyouka said in awe. 

Dazai smiled at the compliment. 

“So right from the start,” she said, holding the bug to her chest, “you saw through my whole plan?

“Right you are!” Dazai grinned. 

The tense atmosphere dissipated a little more as Dazai’s cheerful voice filled the space. 

“What a nuisance,” Chuuya said with a roll of his eyes. 

Dazai stuck his tongue out. 

He knelt down next to Atsushi’s unconscious form. “Come, now, Atsushi-kun,” he said. “Get up! I would prefer not to carry three people home!” 

He slapped the boy lightly on the cheek. 

Atsushi finally smiled again as he watched. His mentor always found a way to make him smile eventually. 

“Oof,” Atsushi mumbled, out like a light. 

“W-wait!” Higuchi exclaimed, cocking her gun. “I can’t let you go alive…!”

Akutagawa chuckled. “Stop, Higuchi,” he said. “You cannot defeat them.”

The detectives blinked in surprise. Akutagawa had let Dazai go that easily?

Atsushi, Tanizaki, and Naomi had all been unconscious at that point and were unable to fill in the blanks of how they returned to the agency. They looked at each other, affirming that none of them had witnessed this moment. 

Just how well did Akutagawa and Dazai know each other, Atsushi wondered. 

“Akutagawa-senpai! But—!”

“We will retreat for now, Dazai-san,” he said, coughing. “However, we in the mafia will have that man-tiger’s head ere long.”

‘He didn’t even fight back,’ Kunikida observed. 

“Why is that?” Dazai asked. 

“Simple. That man-tiger has a reward of seven billion yen on the black market. More than enough cash to control the underground.”

Poe shifted uncomfortably. He’d momentarily forgotten which group he was from and where he was. All the people in this room were considered the Guild’s enemies. He didn’t care much for the Guild’s goals, but it was still unfortunate knowledge. 

‘If Mr. Fitzgerald knew where I was, and that I was doing nothing about it,’ he realized with a shudder, trailing off. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. 

Chuuya twitched. ‘Don’t go giving away information to a traitor so easily, Akutagawa!’ he screeched in his mind. Despite their years apart, Akutagawa still thought of Dazai as his primary commander, Chuuya thought. 

It wasn’t like he nor Mori were unaware of Akutagawa’s loyalties, but to see its evidence so blatantly made him seethe. 

Dazai grinned smugly as if hearing his thoughts. 

“Well!” Dazai replied. “Quite the bonanza, eh?”

“I will call upon your agency again sometime,” Akutagawa said. “If you can hand me seven billion when I do, then all is well. But if you cannot…”

Dazai clapped his hands together. “Then war it is, correct? With our agency? Well, superb! See you then!”

He took on a serious demeanor, his childish antics wiping off his face. “I should relish seeing you succeed—if you can.”

Atsushi’s eyes widened. Dazai almost looked…menacing, if he had to put a word to it. It looked wrong on his usual soft face. 

Dazai winced. He was glad he got to tell the detectives his past occupation more or less on his own terms. It would have been awful for him to experience the reveal going like this, out of his hands as it was. 

Jouno took notice of the difference in his tone. ‘What a curious man,’ he thought, intrigued. 

Akutagawa remained impassive. 

Higuchi, however, frowned, offended by his words. “You’re a piddling detective agency!” she yelled. “We comprise practically the entire underground in this city!”

Higuchi winced. ‘I wish I knew who I was talking to before I started monologuing,’ she thought embarrassedly. 

The screen showed businessmen drinking in a high-rise building’s lounge. 

“We retain control over several dozen companies in our group,” she continued. “We have roots in every conceivable branch of this town’s politics and economy!”

‘Huh,’ Tachihara thought. ‘She didn’t strike me as someone who took pride in the mafia.’

‘Is she only acting up because my brother was insulted?’ Gin wondered, unknowingly finishing his unspoken sentence. 

A scene of the port was shown, with bodyguards overseeing the loading of shipping containers. 

“What could a handful of detectives ever do!?”

A man leaned against a shipping container, his face one of fear as he outstretched his hand. Machine guns fired down on him as one. 

‘Oddly enough,’ Poe thought, watching the violence earnestly, ‘this is inspiring me to write. Oh, how my hands itch for my typewriter!’

“We will reduce your office to a pile of ash within three days!”

The faceless men stood peering over the bloodied, mangled form of the man they shot. 

Atsushi winced at the scene. 

Tecchou’s hand wrapped tightly around his sword’s handle. 

Jouno placed a hand on his arm. “Endure,” he said. “We’ll take care of it later.”

“Nobody has ever dared defy us and lived to tell the tale!”

Dazai scratched the back of his head. “Yes, yes. So I have been told,” he said, bored. 

Chuuya huffed, half amused, half annoyed by Dazai’s nonchalant attitude. 

Atsushi suppressed a laugh upon hearing the blatant disrespect after such an impassioned speech.  

“Indeed,” Akutagawa agreed. “You should know that better than anyone else, as ex-mafia, Dazai-san.”

A bust shot of Dazai was shown, the light hitting him in a way that covered half his face in light, the other in shadow. 

“Ooh, symbolism,” Ranpo commented. He turned to Poe. “Do you think that was a stylistic choice, or did the shadows actually fall on him like that, that day?”

Poe put his hand to his chin. “Both, I’d say. It could be that the shadow was there, and I simply made the contrast of it greater.”

Ranpo hummed, sucking on his lollipop. 

“Shall we take a break?” he offered. 

Poe nodded. 

“Pause.”

Chapter Text

Ranpo clapped his hands twice decisively. “Mental health check,” he declared. “How is everyone doing?”

While he normally wouldn’t care about emotions, as illogical as they were, he knew it was necessary. 

Tachihara snorted. “What is this, therapy?” he asked. 

“Yes,” Ranpo said simply. 

Heads swiveled to turn to him. 

“What do you mean, Ranpo-kun?” Poe asked. 

Ranpo pursed his lips. “Well, surely you’ve noticed the setup of this room,” he said. “Large space, no doors, no chairs—we’re all on one level with each other, just pure open space. We’re meant to talk to each other. So. Mental health check.”

He was met with blank stares. 

He was about to open his mouth again when a burst of light shone in the room. Meg floated in the air for a moment before gently setting down. A large backpack fit for camping rested on her shoulders, and a stack of mattress pads flopped down beside her. A man stood behind her, his glasses reflecting the light and hiding his face. 

Meg took notice of the paused screen and the numerous snack wrappers on the floor. 

“Huh?” she questioned. “How did you do that?”

Ranpo raised an eyebrow. “We’re inside Poe-kun’s book,” he said plainly. “He can do anything inside of it.”

Meg’s mouth hung open. “He didn’t tell me he could— Wait! You figured it out!” She smiled. “Poe-san said you would.”

Poe tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?” he asked. 

“Poe-san said that Ranpo-san would get bored if there was nothing for him to think about during the first few episodes, so he asked me to keep it a secret that we’re inside his book so that Ranpo-san could figure it out on his own.”

Dazai snorted. 

“Looks like Poe-san knows you very well in the future, Ranpo-san,” he said. 

Poe grew flustered while Ranpo nodded. 

Meg smiled. “They’re best friends,” she said. 

Both Ranpo and Poe looked a little surprised by that answer. 

“Can you do your Super Deduction?” Meg asked. “I’ve never seen it up close before.”

Ranpo looked further surprised before a smug smile graced his face. “Why, of course!” he exclaimed. 

He produced his glasses from his pocket and placed them on his nose. 

“Hmm,” he said. “I see now. Poe-kun wrote this book and with your ability, you hopped to each of us at the same moment in time to trap us inside it.”

He hummed, his eyes narrowing. ‘How did she manage to trap Dazai inside of it too, though?’ he wondered. ‘It must have something to do with the future, but my Super Deduction can’t seem to figure it out…’

“Correct!” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “You really are very incredible, Ranpo-san,” she praised. 

Ranpo plucked the glasses from his face. “I know,” he replied. 

Meg looked down at the snack wrappers. “I didn’t know Poe-san could produce things when he was inside of his ability…I went and got you all so much for no reason!”

“What did you get?” Dazai asked. 

Meg set down her large bag with a huff. She began pulling out bento boxes one by one. Everyone instantly perked up. 

“Let’s set out the mattress pads and eat,” Yosano said. 

Everyone stood, stretching their limbs and beginning to spread the mattress pads around. 

“Poe-san, can you bring out some pillows and blankets?” Tanizaki asked. 

Poe nodded and did so. 

“Don’t go falling asleep, though!” Meg said sternly. “Poe-san worked really hard on all of this.”

Ranpo clasped said man on the shoulder. “Good work,” he said. 

“Oh—No, I—” Poe waved his hands frantically in the air. 

Meg reached into her bag. “Oh, and Jouno-san, I got your headphones. I did get caught sneaking in, though…”

She looked over her shoulder to the man standing behind her. 

Dazai tensed. “What is he doing here?” he asked, venom on his tongue. His eyes turned dark, all spark of light gone from them. 

Atsushi was startled, picking up on his bloodlust. Was this the mafioso Dazai used to be? What was causing such hostility from him?

Meg scratched her cheek hesitantly. “I was at Jouno-san’s apartment, but I ran into Ango-san. He got suspicious and used his ability on my cardigan, so I figured…” 

She pressed her lips together, beginning to quiver under Dazai’s angry glare. “W-well, I figured since it’s supposed to be a tripartite system, anyway, it would make sense for someone part of the Special Divisions Department to be included, you know?”

Ango stepped forward. “I won’t bother you,” he said plainly. “Just pretend I’m not here.”

Dazai’s eyes narrowed. “Gladly,” he said, turning away and making his way to a corner, Sigma’s previous spot. 

“So dramatic,” Chuuya rolled his eyes. Then, he turned his own glare onto the man. “No funny business, Doc Glasses,” he said. “I haven’t forgiven you, either.”

Akutagawa stiffened. ‘Chuuya-san is allowing the traitor to stay?’ he wondered angrily. However, not one to disobey his superiors—or Chuuya, rather—he remained quiet. 

Higuchi, attuned to Akutagawa’s infinitesimal expressions, shifted into a slightly more defensive stance, ready to fight if he was. 

Ango sighed as Chuuya made his way back to his own spot. 

He turned to the rest of the room who were watching with trepidation. He bowed politely. 

“I am Sakaguchi Ango of the Special Division for Unusual Powers Department in the government and an ability user,” he said. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Fukuzawa, who had already met him due to running one of the few companies who had a special ability license in Japan, nodded to him in acknowledgement. 

Ranpo huffed, sitting back down against the wall and pulling Poe down next to him. “So much for checking in on everyone,” he sighed despondently. 

‘I’m certain the layout of this room is created this way for us to talk, but no one seems to be doing any talking. Normal people sure do like to complicate things,’ he thought. 

Sigma took a hesitant step toward his old corner before huffing and sitting next to Dazai despite his spot being stolen. He took wary glances at Dazai’s brooding figure. 

Dazai turned to him with a smile, a complete 180 from his previous expression. “You can come closer, you know!” he said cheerily. “I don’t bite…”

A mischievous grin spread over his face. Sigma deadpanned. This was a mistake, he thought. 

Tachihara returned to the ‘teenager’s circle,’ leaving the comfort of Teruko’s presence. 

Ranpo turned to Lucy, who appeared to be doing much better than earlier. “Why don’t you go join Atsushi and the others,” he prompted, not really asking. 

Lucy’s shoulders hunched. “What?” she asked defensively. 

She glanced between him and Poe. Poe shrugged. “It might be a good idea,” he said. “The others your age are all sitting together.”

Lucy worked her bottom lip between her teeth before nodding. She took a seat between Kenji, who she was already familiar with, and Atsushi. 

“Hi,” she said simply, her cheeks dusted pink. She felt like she was being forced into socializing by her parents—if she had any—at a random party. 

Atsushi smiled politely. “Hello,” he said. “I’m Atsushi.”

“Lucy,” she replied. 

“Ah,” he said. “You’re from the Guild…”

'Part of the group trying to capture him,' he didn’t say. Lucy held back a sigh. She pressed her lips together and nodded. 

That seemed to be the end of it though, as he then passed her a blanket and pillow. He shared his own blanket with Kyouka who was surrounding them with a nest of fluffy pillows.

Fukuzawa returned to Sigma’s side, followed quickly by Ango who decided to maintain close contact with the only person he really knows. Sitting between Fukuzawa and the Hunting Dogs, he was safe enough from Dazai’s wrath. 

Although, if Dazai actually tried something, Ango would simply take it.  He deserved his ire, after all. He was to blame for everything. 

The others settled down, now with mattress pads, blankets, and pillows around them. They passed around the bento boxes Meg had prepared for them. 

Meg finished handing Jouno his headphones and Gin a notepad and pen, then sat beside Poe, taking Lucy’s previous spot. She reached her hand out for Karl to sniff. 

‘She’s quite close with Poe,’ Ranpo noted. 

“Are we all ready?” Poe asked a little hesitantly. It had been a while since he’d last spoken to such a large crowd. His last book tour had been nearly a year ago, after all. 

Upon seeing a few nods, he said, “Play.” The lights began to dim, and the screen unpaused. 

The scene opened up on Akutagawa, his face covered in shadows as he pointed forward. 

“The fact that you still live and breathe harms those around you,” he declared. 

Several people tensed. They had thought that scene was over, why was it playing again?

Ango’s eyebrows raised. ‘I’m really being thrown into the deep end here, huh,’ he thought. 

He already had a faint headache from reading the memories of Meg’s cardigan earlier. He had a feeling it would only grow from here. He was surprised the influx of information he read hadn’t caused him to pass out. He was holding on to consciousness by pure sheer will. 

Then again, that was him on a normal day, anyway. 

The things he’d seen in those memories…He shuddered to think of it. He would do his utmost to prevent that future from occurring. 

Atsushi felt a pang, his eyes widened as sweat dripped down his face. Rashomon began slithering through the air, its tendrils reaching out of Akutagawa and towards Atsushi. Atsushi ran, startled. The scene cut to black, Atsushi’s screams and a wall of blood being the last thing shown. 

“Must be a dream,” Ranpo commented. 

Akutagawa looked thoughtful. ‘I scared him that badly?’ he wondered. ‘Good. He needed a wake-up call. To have such poor control of your own ability…It’s hard to imagine myself like that, it was so long ago.’

[Title card: Bungo Stray Dogs: Chapter 5 - The Fatalist’s Sorrow] 

[An image of the entire agency was shown. Atsushi led them, looking over his shoulder, followed by Dazai, Kunikida who was startled by a falling Ranpo, Yosano, looking unbothered, and Kenji, Tanizaki, Naomi, and Fukuzawa.]

“You could at least show some concern,” Ranpo grumbled to Yosano who sat between him and Jouno. 

“You don’t look injured to me,” she shrugged. 

Atsushi blinked, waking up on a medical cot in the infirmary. 

“Where am I…?” he muttered, looking around. 

“It really was a dream,” Tachihara noted aloud. 

Tanizaki nodded. “Ranpo-san is always right.”

Kunikida sat on a chair by his bed, his notebook open in his hands. His glasses were placed on his forehead, slightly pushing his bangs up. 

“Ah, you’re awake?” he noticed. “I swear…this could not have come at a busier time…”

For the first time, Atsushi realized that Kunikida had taken the time out of his busy schedule to sit by his bedside, even when he was stressed. A small smile found its way to his face. 

He was so focused on other things at that time that he hadn’t even registered it. 

Kunikida stiffened, prepared for Dazai’s teasing remark before he remembered his partner had sat far away. 

He sighed. ‘Even when he isn’t here I hear him teasing me,’ he thought. His mind began to wander not long after. ‘Why did he react that way to the government man, though…?’

Atsushi pressed his fingers into his forehead as he sat up. “I got attacked by the mafia, and then…”

His eyes widened as he remembered. 

“...Wait!” He gripped the sheets pooling around his lap. “What happened to Tanizaki-san and Naomi-san!?”

Tanizaki and Naomi exchanged smiles, warmed by the fact that Atsushi had thought of them first. 

“They’re fine,” Kunikida reassured as he turned the page of his notebook. “Yosano-sensei is treating them in the next room.” 

A deathly scream of pain came from the next room over. 

Atsushi blanched. “...Treating?”

The group sans the detectives gaped. Sigma cowered away from the doctor despite being the distance of several people away from her causing Dazai to snicker under his breath. 

Jouno was the only one who smiled. “What’s your ability?” he asked, intrigued. 

“I can heal people when they’re on the verge of death,” Yosano explained easily. “I get creative with it, sometimes.”

She grinned, matching him. 

‘Oh, geez, there’s two of them,’ Atsushi thought as he looked over his shoulder to see their smiles. 

‘Sadistic weirdo,’ Tecchou thought. 

Tachihara frowned. Surely Jouno wouldn’t grow close to the woman who stole his brother away from him? Jouno knew enough about him to realize who the doctor sitting beside him was, right? 

He shifted uneasily. 

“Listen, lad,” Kunikida said, ignoring the scream and leaning forward. “I heard what happened. You have a seven billion yen bounty on your head? Your stock has certainly risen. It’s no wonder the mafia’s so frantic to track you down.” 

A jolt ran through Atsushi as he remembered. “Th-that’s right! Wh-what should I do…? The mafia might try storming our agency next!”

The detectives snickered. 

Hirotsu coughed into his hand as Tachihara hung his head. 

If only he had been able to use his ability, they wouldn’t have stood a chance, he thought miserably. 

“Calm down,” Kunikida sighed, composed. His book’s title was written upside down. “It’s true that the mafia’s penchant for brutal violence knows no bounds, but we must retain our composure.”

“Pfft—” Dazai laughed upon seeing his notebook. He began to regret sitting so far away now. He couldn’t even tease Kunikida or Chuuya from the corner he chose. Then again, the mysterious man sitting next to him looked like he’d be fun to tease. 

As if hearing his thoughts, Sigma glanced at him hesitantly. 

‘Oh, yeah,’ Dazai thought. ‘I could totally mess with him.’

Kunikida turned a page of his notebook. “Panic can end even the best of men…as my master once said.”

Atsushi finally noticed the book in his hand. 

“Um…your book is upside down,” he said unimpressed. 

Another wave of snickers went off. 

Kunikida sighed and pushed his glasses up. He was used to the agency’s teasing, but being put on the spot in front of so many people was quite a different experience. However, he supposed, for the sake of a peaceful future, if his embarrassment brought people together, then so be it.

Kunikida looked shocked. Without a word, he spun his notebook right-side up. Atsushi stared. 

“I am not agitated!” Kunikida burst out. “As if any mafia henchmen could ever rattle me! If they attacked us here and now, I would defeat them!” He glared into the air. 

“Definitely not agitated,” Gin wrote in her notepad. Tachihara peeked over her shoulder and laughed. She held it up for the others to see. 

Naomi giggled. 

Atsushi felt vaguely horrified. ‘Yeah, Kunikida-san seems edgy,’ Atsushi thought. 

“Atsushi-kun!” Kunikida admonished. 

“Oops,” Atsushi laughed unapologetically. He would have said it out loud if he had known Kunikida a little better back then.  

Kunikida began to do various martial arts moves, attacking figurative mafia members. “Kapow! I would give them the old one-two,” he jabbed into the air, “then bam! Down they’d fall!”

“I can’t even say anything because he did beat up our men,” Tachihara sighed in defeat. 

Teruko and Jouno snorted as one. “He beat you?” Jouno asked. 

Tachihara rolled his eyes. “You’ll see,” he grumbled, trying to keep up the facade. 

Atsushi laughed. “I regret doubting him so much,” he said, only loud enough for those nearby to hear. 

Kyouka quietly wondered what he meant, though she kept her focus on the screen. 

‘It’s just gibberish now,’ Atsushi thought. Then, taking on a more serious tone, thought, ‘The agency is in all this trouble…because of me.’ 

He clenched the bedsheets tighter in his hands. 

‘There’s that self-deprecation again,’ Yosano thought. ‘Should I be hosting a mental wellness check from now on? I’m sure I can find him a therapist if he needs one…’

‘Why did Akutagawa have to put that thought in his mind?’ Tanizaki wondered angrily. 

“Hmph,” Kunikida huffed. “They’ll be here before long. You’re the one who put us in this position. Start thinking what you yourself can do.”

Atsushi’s eyes widened in horror. ‘What can I do…?’

Kunikida walked to the door, then stopped midstep. “By the way, lad,” he said, distracting Atsushi. “Do you know where my glasses are? I’ve been looking for them.”

Atsushi stared in disbelief at the glasses sitting on Kunikida’s head. 

The tense atmosphere immediately evaporated. 

Kunikida buried his face in his hands. ‘So humiliating,’ he thought. 

Fukuzawa stifled a chuckle, knowing if he let it out, his second-in-command would take a hit to his pride. His heart swelled with fondness for the silly, hard-working man. 

Ango pushed his glasses up his face, trying not to smile. He didn’t have a leg to stand on there, always forgetting his own glasses right in front of him. 

The screen transitioned into another scene. A silhouette of a man stood in a barely lit hallway. He pulled out a cigarette and flicked open a lighter. 

The camera panned out to show Hirotsu leaning against the wall, taking a puff of his cigarette serenely. 

Tachihara whistled. “Looking good, Gramps!”

Hirotsu didn’t deign to reply. 

“It’s time, sir,” a sunglassed man in a suit said. 

Hirotsu pulled the cigar from his lips. Other men in suits holding guns were surrounding a door at the end of the hallway. 

“Make way,” Hirotsu said, walking past them. He pressed his hand against the door. It cracked under the force of his ability and blew away. 

Atsushi’s eyes widened. He hadn’t been there during the fight with the Black Lizards, having only seen the aftermath. He hadn’t expected Hirotsu to be so strong after seeing the utter defeat Kenji handed to him. 

Lucy was similarly surprised. ‘Mr. Fitzgerald didn’t say anyone in the mafia had a notable ability,’ she thought, then paused. ‘Then again, Mr. Fitzgerald rarely thinks anyone has a notable ability.’ 

“Gentlemen,” he said with a wry grin. “My apologies for interrupting your work.” 

His men stood in a line behind him, their guns at ready. 

“Wh-who the hell are you!?” the workers asked worriedly. 

“We’re simply doing our jobs,” Hirotsu said. “It will all be over soon. You see…there’s been a few insolents selling our cargo without permission recently. Rumors tell me this warehouse is where it all started.”

Tecchou leaned back, his thoughts whirling. He could understand simply following orders and maintaining order within the port. Organized crime did have its perks compared to crime that ran rampant in the underground. 

It was almost similar to the Hunting Dogs’ jobs, the main difference being that they were sanctioned by the government and made judgments based on the law rather than the Port Mafia’s rules. 

What really is the definition of unlawful, then, if they acted so similarly? Was it merely decided by following the law, or was there more to it?

He wondered how the man from the government, Ango, felt about it. 

Ango, meanwhile, had no such thoughts of morality. He was surrounded by corruption on all sides. There was no true lawful or unlawful in his eyes, only his emotions and his orders. 

The men gulped as Hirotsu continued. “So I am searching for some evidence.”

A man grabbed a metal pipe. 

Tachihara grinned while the other teenagers leaned forward in anticipation, eager to see the older man in action. 

“Hope you don’t mind me looking into some of your—” He was cut off by the man raising the pipe above his head, preparing to strike. 

Hirotsu merely spun on his toes and touched the pipe with a few fingers. The pipe bent under him and he pushed it away, causing the man holding it to go flying backward with the bent pipe in hand. 

“Woah,” Atsushi breathed. 

Gin wrote ‘10/10’ and held it up as if she were rating a diving competition, setting off a round of stifled laughter among the teenagers.

Ranpo grinned from the back of the room. Leave it to the younger generation to grow comfortable with each other first, he thought. If only they could spread that energy to the rest of the room, though.

“Hmm,” Hirotsu hummed. “It seems I have my evidence.” 

The man who had fallen to the ground held the pipe up. “Th-the pipe is bent…?” he noticed. 

Hirotsu crouched down beside him, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Is this your first time seeing ‘skills’?” Hirotsu asked. 

The man looked on in horror as Hirotsu began applying pressure to his shoulder. 

Atsushi tensed, knowing what was coming. Naomi began to look away just in case she saw something too gruesome. 

The camera panned away from them, showing the other workers watching, horrified as sounds of screaming and breaking bones filled the screen. 

A few people winced upon hearing the sounds of violence. 

Tecchou frowned. It wasn’t like any of the Hunting Dogs don’t torture others, he thought. A few of them practically reveled in it. Hirotsu was hurting a criminal, much like Tecchou himself had done in the past. 

The only difference, then, was that Hirotsu himself was a criminal, and Tecchou was a government official. 

He rubbed his temple as his head throbbed. The Port Mafia was a horrible organization, he thought. However, maybe, there is some merit in some of their actions when they aren’t harming innocents. 

Hirotsu rose back into view of the screen, staggering on his feet. He lit another cigarette, taking a drag from it. He waved his hand to the side. “Kill them all,” he commanded. 

“Badass,” Tachihara said. 

Higuchi nodded, wondering if she also sounded cool while giving orders. She doubted it. 

Hirotsu grinned privately behind his curled fist. Where Dazai and Chuuya had run him ragged, as fond of the duo as he was, Tachihara and Gin were almost like a breath of fresh air. 

While they fought near-constantly, they showed their respect in carefree compliments. 

His men began shooting the workers. Hirotsu walked away, casual about the violence occurring behind him. “Ah,” he said. “Nothing like a good smoke after a hard day’s work…”

Kenji giggled. “Ah, you sound like someone I know back on the farm. He always says that!” 

“It’s the ultimate fate of old men,” Gin wrote solemnly. 

“Gin,” Hirotsu coughed. “I can’t see what you wrote, but I’m sure it had nothing to do with my age, yes?”

Gin flipped the page quickly. “I say it how it is,” she wrote, held it up, and shrugged. 

Hirotsu sighed. ‘Kids these days…’

Chapter Text

The screen transitioned to show an explosion occurring from a distance. Atsushi’s hands stilled from where they were retying his tie after changing into his usual clothes. He looked around in search of the noise. 

‘An explosion…?’ he thought. ‘It couldn’t be!’

He made his way to the explosion, now fully dressed. 

Atsushi shifted uneasily. He wasn’t quite ready or willing for everyone to see his inner thoughts on that particular day. Up till that point, Atsushi had managed to fend off the other detectives’ worry for him, but he didn’t think he could manage it much longer. 

His emotions during the events about to be shown were too raw to be seen by so many people. He felt like a commodity on display, about to be torn open for the enjoyment of an audience.

He clutched a pillow Kyouka had brought to his chest and desperately wished that Dazai had sat beside him. 

Smoke poured out of the cracked warehouse. People littered around it, muttering to each other. 

“I heard they’re all dead,” someone said. 

“How awful,” replied another. 

“The MPs said it was a mafia assault group known as ‘Black Lizard,’ which handles their most unsavory jobs. They’re as strong as special ops, and they have no mercy.’

Tachihara elbowed Gin mercilessly. “We’ll probably be in this episode,” he said. “Bet I’ll look more badass than you.”

Gin rolled her eyes and wrote, “Dream big. Your dreams are the only place you’ll ever seem more impressive than me.”

Tachihara shoved her in indignation. 

Atsushi looked horrified. “The mafia assault group ‘Black Lizard’...?’

He thought of the group storming the agency. Three figures in black stood side by side at the entrance of the agency. Their silhouettes could be recognized as Hirotsu, bracketed by Tachihara and Gin. 

‘If such a group storms our office,’ Atsushi thought, frowning. 

Ranpo put his arms behind his head. “Like they hold a candle to us,” he said nonchalantly. 

Tachihara narrowed his eyes and looked over his shoulder. “You didn’t even fight us!” he protested. 

Ranpo shrugged. “Isn’t it more telling that I didn’t have to do anything? You got beaten without me.”

Fukuzawa sighed. “Please, Ranpo, play nice,” he said. 

Ranpo shrugged again. “Just saying,” he said casually. 

“Stand down, Tachihara,” Hirtosu ordered calmly. Tachihara turned back around with a huff. 

He made his way to a payphone determinedly, inputting a number. 

The call was picked up. 

“Who might this be?” Higuchi said, holding her phone to her ear with one hand while her other held a stack of papers. Her legs were crossed as she leaned against the couch she was sitting on. 

“It’s me,” Atsushi said. 

The detectives eyed Atsushi curiously. 

Kunikida frowned. “You called her?” he asked. “Why?”

Atsushi rubbed the back of his neck. “Well…You’ll see, I guess.”

Dazai pressed his lips together. 

Higuchi uncrossed her legs. ‘The man-tiger!?’

‘He has my number from the card I left at the agency!’ she realized. 

“Wait, you gave us your actual business card?” Tanizaki asked dubiously. 

Higuchi shrugged. “It’s not like the people I usually give my card to ever make it out alive.”

She said it casually, as if she weren’t just as affected by death as the others were. 

A number of people in the room turned downcast at the reminder that the criminals amongst them were just that: criminals.

“Sounds like your friends saved you the other day,” she said aloud. “But don’t expect that to happen again. So, what do you want?”

Atsushi rested his hand on top of the payphone. “I'm leaving the detective agency,” he claimed, his eyes looking near-empty. 

Kunikida hissed at the admission. 

“What?” Naomi gasped. 

“Atsushi-kun,” Tanizaki said softly. 

Atsushi floundered for a moment before saying, “I know better now. Yosano-sensei made me realize it. That I have to fight instead of run.”

Yosano relaxed, not having even realized that she had tensed. “Damn right.”

Kenji’s smile hadn’t returned to his face, however. “You were going to leave without saying goodbye?” he asked. 

Atsushi felt his chest squeeze. “Sorry, Kenji-kun,” he said. 

Higuchi was taken aback. “Wha…!?”

“I’m quitting and running off on my own. Just try to catch me,” he said. 

“I see,” Higuchi responded, now standing and leaning against a table. “‘Do not target the agency,’ hmm?” 

Fukuzawa pursed his lips and tapped a finger along his crossed arms. 

“While the sentiment is nice,” he said, “please don’t do that again. It’s our job to take care of our employees, not the other way around.”

He fixed Atsushi with a hard, genuine stare to which he could only nod numbly. 

Atsushi remained silent, slamming the phone in its place. 

Higuchi stood there, her hand on her hip as the beeping of the phone signaled that the call had ended. She flicked her flip phone closed. “Get me the ‘Black Lizard,’” she ordered. 

Atsushi glared at her from the corner of his eye. 

Higuchi remained unphased. If things like that bothered her, she would be even more out of place in the mafia than she already was. 

She had simply been doing her job, helping Akutagawa complete the mission of capturing the man-tiger, after all. 

The scene changed to show Atsushi, his head down, walking out of the agency’s dorms with a large bundle swung over his shoulder. He walked down the stairs, his footsteps cutting through the silence. 

Kunikida caught him at the bottom of the stairs holding a pile of books and files. 

“There you are, lad,” he said. “You do realize we’re in this mess because of you?”

Kunikida winced. He probably hadn’t made Atsushi’s mental state any better with his words, he thought. 

He wanted to hit himself. How had he not realized what the younger man was thinking?

“Here,” he continued. “Help me with these books—” 

Atsushi walked past him silently, missing the smile on Kunikida’s face. 

Atsushi’s eyes widened. ‘Kunikida-san had been smiling at me?’ he thought. ‘I hadn’t even realized…’

Sigma blinked. ‘They were never going to kick him out,’ he realized. ‘They accepted him and his circumstances so easily…Is this what it means to have a place of belonging?’

Kunikida cut himself off, turning around. “Hello?” he called out confusedly. 

Atsushi slowed to a stop. He looked over his shoulder at Kunikida. “Don’t worry,” he said, his eyes glassy. “The agency will be perfectly safe again now.”

“...Huh?” Kunikida frowned, not understanding. 

Kunikida rubbed a hand over his eyes underneath his glasses. He needed to get better at reading his coworkers’ moods. He hadn’t realized Dazai had slipped a bug to Higuchi and yelled at him, and remained oblivious to Atsushi’s inner turmoil during a vulnerable time. 

How could he be the future leader of the agency with such little awareness of his friends’ emotions? He clenched his fists tightly and opened his notebook.

He would have to meditate with these thoughts in mind at a later time.  

Atsushi thought back to the orphanage, his headmaster’s yelling in his ears. “There is no place under the sun where you might dwell!” 

Atsushi clenched his jaw, continuing to walk. ‘He was right,’ he thought. ‘I’m…’

Kyouka pressed herself against his side. He let her, relaxing against her. 

Lucy frowned. ‘That isn’t true,’ she thought. ‘Not anymore, at least. He’s clearly found a place with all these people. Me, on the other hand…’

Sigma twitched beside Dazai. A small part of him wanted to talk to Atsushi. He understood what it meant to be an outsider more than Sigma had ever thought someone other than himself could. Though Atsushi had a place of his own now, perhaps they could connect nonetheless. 

Dazai glared at the image of the headmaster. ‘How dare he?’ he thought. How could someone treat a child that was so painfully human like a monster?

Then again, that was a part of what made Atsushi so fascinating. He held onto his will to live despite all the people who put him down with their harsh words. 

The scene switched to Hirotsu smoking as he leaned against an alley's wall, his men spread about near him. 

Footsteps sounded from the mouth of the alley. 

Tachihara grinned. “Finally,” he said, trying to dissipate the awkward mood that was circling the group he was sitting with in particular. “We can see my handsome face now.”

He was met with little to no reaction. 

‘Why do I insist on being the mood-maker of the groups I’m in?’ he thought miserably. 

“You’re two minutes late,” Hirotsu declared, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. 

A familiar grin and bandaged nose filled the screen. 

“Don’t be such a nitpicker, Grandpa,” Tachihara smirked. 

[Tachihara Michizou—Battalion Leader, Mafia Assault Group “Black Lizard”]

He tilted his head and scratched the back of his ear with a finger.

Teruko suppressed the urge to embarrass him by cheering. 

“Besides,” he said. “Seems like creepy ol’ Gin’s even later than me.”

Gin jabbed him in the abdomen. 

“Oof,” Tachihara groaned, folding in on himself. 

‘I really can’t figure out their dynamic,’ Atsushi thought in wry amusement. 

Hirotsu put out his light on a small case. “He’s right behind you,” he said. 

Tachihara deadpanned, Gin appearing from over his shoulder. He turned around. 

Gin wore a severe look on her face, her hair up and her usual mask covering her face. 

A few people flinched at her sudden appearance. 

“You’re very light on your feet,” Kenji complimented. 

“Thank you,” Gin wrote. 

[Gin—Battalion Leader, Mafia Assault Group “Black Lizard”]

Gin remained silent. 

Tachihara tutted. “Ever the freak, ain’cha?”

Chuuya snorted. “Insulting the people’s princess? Bold move,” he said. 

Gin flushed underneath her mask. 

Tachihara shrugged. “It’s never stopped me before,” he replied. 

Chuuya glanced at Akutagawa. “You gonna let that slide?” he asked wryly. 

Dazai fake-coughed into his fist. “Instigator,” he coughed. 

Chuuya scoffed. “Me, an instigator? Look in the mirror, asshole.”

Akutagawa shook his head in response to the earlier question. “Gin can handle it,” he said simply, gesturing to the screen. 

Tanizaki and Atsushi made eye contact in confusion. ‘Why were they asking Akutagawa?’ they both thought telepathically. 

Gin launched forward in the blink of an eye. Her knife was held at Tachihara’s throat. Tachihara didn’t so much as flinch. 

“You want a piece of me?” Tachihara goaded, taking his gun out and pressing it against her chest. 

They stood at a standstill, both weapons held against each other, neither making a move. 

Atsushi winced. He wondered if other organizations were as violent with each other as the Port Mafia appeared to be. 

Lucy and Poe seemed cordial enough, despite their awkwardness. The Hunting Dogs haven’t done much other than observe, and the most the ADA fought with each other was constrained to Dazai and Kunikida’s daily tussles. 

The question was whether all the mafiosos treated each other violently, or simply Tachihara and Gin, he supposed. 

Tecchou nodded in approval at the scene. Tachihara was a rather good actor, he was coming to realize. 

It was an entirely different experience to read the mission reports compared to witnessing it first hand. 

“Enough, you imbeciles!” Hirotsu yelled. “Or would you prefer to be listed among the casualties?”

He held his hand in front of him threateningly. 

[Hirotsu Ryuurou—Squad Leader, Mafia Assault Group “Black Lizard,” Skill: Falling Camellia]

Tachihara and Gin shuddered in sync. They tucked their weapons away, taking a step back from each other. 

“Tch!” Tachihara ceded. “Fine. You’re untouchable, Grandpa.” 

“As formidable as ever, Hirotsu-san,” Dazai said. 

Tachihara pouted. “I definitely would've taken you out, though,” he whispered to Gin. 

She flipped him off. 

Kyouka narrowed her eyes to the blade in Gin’s hands. 

“Were you taught by Verlaine-san?” she asked. 

Gin expressed slight shock. “Yes,” she wrote. “How could you tell?”

Kyouka gestured to her knives. “The way you hold your weapon is how he taught me to hold them, too.”

Atsushi looked between the two girls. “You were taught by the same person?” he asked. 

Kyouka nodded. 

“Who’s Verlaine?” Tanizaki asked curiously. 

“One of the Port Mafia’s executives,” she replied. 

Tanizaki shuddered. “An executive taught you?” 

Atsushi raised his hand. “What’s an executive?” he asked. 

“The Port Mafia has five executives,” Tanizaki explained. “They’re the ones directly under the boss in the mafia’s chain of command.”

“Chuuya’s an executive,” Dazai said flippantly. 

The younger detectives’ eyes widened as they all looked over their shoulder to see him. Chuuya stared back at them, unimpressed. 

They turned away from him quickly. 

“Thank you,” Higuchi said into her phone. “Your mission is to destroy the Armed Detective Agency’s office.”

“The agency?” Hirotsu questioned. “Not the man-tiger…?”

Higuchi sat back down on her couch. “We failed last time thanks to the agency’s meddling. We can’t make the same mistake twice. The agency still provides him protection. They must be eliminated first.”

Higuchi sighed. It had been a good plan in theory, but she had severely underestimated the agency. 

Hirotsu, on the same brain wave, agreed. They should have planned it better. 

Hirotsu leaned forward. “Take no prisoners?”

“Do as you will.”

“Understood.” He ended the call. 

Higuchi thought back to her previous encounter with Dazai, and the way Akutagawa had frowned. 

‘Akutagawa-senpai,’ she thought determinedly. ‘For you to fall back in the face of their agent…I cannot let this stand!’

She snapped her phone shut decisively, with more force than necessary. 

Akutagawa eyed her blankly. If he were any other man, he would have been curious as to the reason for her strong emotions to protect his pride, but he was not another man. 

His eyes narrowed. 

“Did you think I couldn’t do it alone?” he asked with a frown. 

Higuchi stiffened in surprise. “No, that isn’t it at all,” she protested, waving her hands. “I only wanted to help.”

‘Wanted to help,’ Akutagawa mused. Did that make him someone who needed help? Someone weak? 

He wanted to turn to Dazai to see his opinion but kept himself stubbornly facing forward. 

Higuchi bit her lip. Akutagawa had been almost kind to her recently in light of recent events where she stood her ground against Mori to save him. 

She didn’t want watching the past to put a dent in the progress that they had made. He was finally accepting her help, no longer fighting against her every step of the way on their missions. She sighed. 

Akutagawa appeared to be lost in thought, so she didn’t press the subject further.  

Atsushi watched the interaction with interest. How could anyone be so loyal to someone like Akutagawa, he wondered. It made no sense to him whatsoever. 

The door of the Armed Detective Agency was shown, the Black Lizard’s men holding their guns down, ready for their order to storm in. 

They made way for Hirotsu, Tachihara, and Gin to walk forward. The three leaders held determined expressions, with the exception of Tachihara who was grinning, unbothered. 

He leaned his head down, Gin tilting her own up. Hirotsu snapped his fingers. 

Jouno pressed his lips together before leaning toward Tecchou. He kept his voice as low as he could with Yosano sitting right next to him. 

“Does Tachihara seem like he’s faking it, to you?” he asked. 

Tecchou cocked his head to the side. “Isn’t that the point of being a spy?” Tecchou asked, not understanding. 

Jouno sighed. “No, you moron,” he groaned. “I mean— Doesn’t he seem like an actual mafia member? Like he enjoys being with them?”

Teruko reached over Tecchou’s head to smack Jouno. 

Jouno rubbed his forehead. “No need to get violent, I’m only making an observation,” he said. 

Teruko scowled. “He might enjoy being with them, but Tachihara would never betray us,” she said. “He knows not to let his emotions get the better of him.”

Jouno hummed. That may be true, but he still couldn’t shake off a bad feeling about it all. Tachihara thrived off of following orders, after all. If the Port Mafia’s leader took his interest more than their own, where would that leave them? 

Yosano eyed them, wondering what they were whispering about. 

Ango, beside Teruko, caught the end of their conversation. He was struck by the remembrance that one of the Hunting Dogs was infiltrating the Port Mafia. 

‘What a familiar story,’ he thought bitterly. ‘That Tachihara had better guard his heart if he knows what’s good for him.’

Their men rushed inside, the three of them coming in behind them. 

The ADA members swiveled their heads around; Kunikida, Kenji, Yosano, and Ranpo being the ones nearest to the door. 

“What’s going on…?” Kunikida exclaimed. 

“Ah,” Hirotsu said. “Excuse me. It seems I’ve forgotten to make an appointment…or even knock, for that matter.”

“I don’t care if we lost, that was an awesome line delivery,” Tachihara said. 

Gin nodded. “10/10, Boss,” she wrote. 

“Thank you,” Hirotsu replied. 

He pointed at the agents; Tachihara and Gin dashed forward. 

“I hope you will forgive me,” he said. “We won’t take much of your time.” 

The four ADA members were taken aback. 

Back on the streets with Atsushi, the boy whirled around upon hearing the sound of gunshots. 

‘Gunfire!?’ he thought, his eyes wide. ‘And it’s coming from…!’

Kunikida winced. The poor boy must have been wracked with guilt, he thought. He resolved to speak with Atsushi soon. 

He took off, running the way to the agency. Its windows shattered as more gunfire sounded. 

‘Why!? Why the agency…!?’ Atsushi ran up the stairs. 

“Stop it!” he exclaimed, opening the door. 

The sight that met him was Kunikida flipping a man over his shoulder. Atsushi looked up in surprise. 

“Wow,” Kyouka said simply. 

“It was underwhelming, right?” Atsushi laughed awkwardly. 

Kenij sat atop Tachihara, Gin, and a third man, all unconscious as he observed one of their guns, a small, wonderous “Oooh!” coming out of his mouth as he peered into its eyeglass. 

Jouno snorted in amusement. Tachihara fought to keep an embarrassed scowl off his face. 

Tanizaki and Naomi snickered, falling into each other slightly. 

“I know I shouldn’t laugh,” Tanizaki said, covering his mouth with sweater paws, “but it’s too funny!” 

Ranpo sat atop a desk with his legs crossed, idly chatting with Yosano who was sipping tea, both ignoring the unconscious bodies lying next to them. 

“The Port Mafia’s most fearsome indeed,” Dazai chuckled. 

“Don’t be an ass,” Chuuya reprimanded. Then, clicked his tongue. “He’s right, though, what the hell, guys?” 

The Black Lizards sighed as one. 

All over the office, men lay unconscious. The windows were cracked and one particular dent in the wall stood out, likely having been caused by Kenji. 

“Oh, you’re back?” Kunikida said as he casually broke a man’s wrist. 

Atsushi was flabbergasted. 

“Well, you can see how messy this place has become in your absence,” Kunikida continued, adjusting his glasses. “Help clean it up!”

He broke another bone in the poor man’s arm. He screamed out in pain. 

Teruko laughed at the casual infliction of pain while Sigma hissed. 

Jouno tilted his head, listening intently. “Ooh, that was a satisfying pop,” he sighed contentedly, his ears honed to the sound. Tecchou jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow. 

Despite not having Jouno’s keen ears, Poe nodded in agreement. “What a perfectly executed shoulder dislocation,” he said wondrously. 

“Relax,” Dazai said, leaning toward Sigma. “One hospital visit later and I’m sure that guy’s fine.”

Sigma merely raised his eyebrows in disbelief at the flippant attitude. 

Kenji got down from his pile of human bodies. “Kunikida-saaan,” he called. “What should I do with these folks?”

“Defenestrate them.”

At that, Sigma had to crack a smile. Dazai nudged him with his elbow. 

“Hey, see, now you’re getting it!” he cheered. Sigma swatted him away, then stared at his own hand in surprise. 

Dazai grinned. ‘Perfect,’ he thought. It was no fun to tease someone who didn’t fight him back. 

Atsushi stood, confused, little planets and stars circling his head. 

Ranpo nudged Poe’s arm. “Those are cute,” he noted. 

Poe let out a small smile. 

‘Wha…? Was this not a mafia assault group? Eh? Were they not on par with special ops? …Eh?’

Yosano cackled. “We broke him!” she cheered joyously. 

Chuuya had to put a finger to the side of his temple to massage the headache beginning to form. 

The Black Lizards blanched. 

“Making us look bad,” Chuuya grumbled, mostly upset that to Dazai, the fiercest trio in the Port Mafia probably seemed like a child’s playtoy. 

Kunikida sighed, flipping open his notebook. “This is why I detest raids,” he said. “The office will require extensive repairs, and the tenants downstairs will surely complain.” He sighed. “I suppose it comes with the territory though…”

Atsushi sweatdropped. ‘Compared to the mafia, the agency…is far more dangerous!’

Ranpo and Yosano snorted as one. 

“Now you’re getting it,” said Ranpo with a snap of his fingers. 

“Kunikida-kuuun,” Ranpo called. “I need to head off to my ‘master detective’ job.”

Kunikida looked at him from the corner of his eye. “Master detective? Ah.” He turned. “Assisting with that murder case?”

Poe sat up with rapt attention. Were they finally going to see Ranpo in action? 

“Indeed!” Ranpo grinned. He hopped on top of the desk. “The police, you see…” He turned to look down at them. “Require the help of the master detective with possession of the world’s greatest ability. They wish to consult old Ranpo-san here, and they’re crying for it.” He pointed boldly at himself. 

‘Cocky…’ several people thought as one. 

Dazai grinned. 

“I’ll have him help you out,” Kunikida said, gesturing to a lagging Atsushi who was still lost in thought. “Can you get down, please?”

“Hey,” Kunikida said, putting a hand on Atsushi’s shoulder. “Don’t just stand there. We have a mountain of work to do. Go find Dazai for me too. He’s adrift in the river again, no doubt.”

Dazai perked up. “Eh? How did you know?” he asked brightly. 

Kunikida sighed. 

“Call it a partner’s intuition,” he replied. 

Atsushi stayed still for a moment before tears began to prick his eyes. “Ha…ha ha…” A smile formed on his face. 

The group quieted down at the scene solemnly while Atsushi awkwardly fidgeted with his belt. 

“Hm? Are you crying?” Kunikida asked. 

“I’m not,” he replied. 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not crying.”

“Are you not?”

“...All right, I am!”

That earned a few huffs of laughter. 

Lucy clenched her fist tightly. ‘I wonder what it’s like to feel that way,’ she thought longingly. 

“Why were you crying?” Kyouka asked gently, albeit bluntly. 

Atsushi hummed. “I don’t really know,” he said slowly. “I suppose I was relieved, mostly. And seeing Kunikida-san act like it was a normal day was so off-putting in contrast to the situation that I could only laugh or cry. But then, Kunikida-san’s presence itself is one that’s very oddly comforting, so I guess I ended up crying instead of laughing…”

He trailed off, ending his rambling carefully. 

He supposed he had been crying because the agency was simply crazy, with or without him. His presence wouldn't be detrimental to them like he had been told his whole life. 

Therefore, he could stay with them without any negative consequences. He smiled at the thought. 

Kunikida, on the other hand, felt warmth blooming in his chest. ‘He finds me comforting?’ he wondered timidly. 

The screen turned to black before lighting up. An image of Atsushi was shown

[Nakajima Atsushi. Skill: Beast Beneath the Moonlight. Transforms him into a white tiger, although he is unable to control his behavior]

[Age: 18]

[Likes: Chazuke, cats, chameleons, Yokohama]

[Dislikes: Himself, the orphanage he used to live in]

Atsushi blanched upon reading the list of dislikes. 

Tachihara awkwardly coughed. “You’re a year younger than me and Gin,” he noted. 

“Me too,” Lucy said. 

Tachihara looked at her in surprise, not having expected her to join in on his useless crusade to break the ice. 

The fierce determination in her eyes was telling, though. She didn’t want Atsushi to feel guilty over his own emotions. 

Kunikida stood from his spot. “Atsushi-kun, may we speak in private for a moment?” he asked. 

Atsushi looked up at him in surprise. He stood dutifully, extracting himself from Kyouka. “Sure,” he agreed. 

Ranpo caught Kunikida’s attention by waving his hand in the air. He pointed to a newly made doorway. 

Kunikida nodded his gratitude at Poe and made his way to the new room, Atsushi following closely. 

Chapter Text

Kunikida closed the door to the newly acquired room softly behind Atsushi before turning to observe his surroundings. 

It was a rather spacious room with two armchairs facing each other in a corner and a small, round coffee table between them. At the center of the room was a plush couch facing a minimally-designed stone fireplace.  

Kunikida remained standing, though, so Atsushi followed suit. 

Atsushi shifted his weight on his feet. “So…what did you want to talk about?” he asked awkwardly. 

Kunikida sucked in a bit of air for strength before he bowed. It was a short bow, and not deep enough to warrant panic, but it still made Atsushi wave his arms frantically to stop him. 

“I apologize, Atsushi-kun,” Kunikida said without preamble before lifting his head. 

“What?” 

Atsushi was shocked and confused. What had caused this, he wondered. 

Kunikida pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose out of habit. “I was oblivious to your feelings,” Kunikida explained. “I should have paid more attention to your wellbeing.”

Atsushi tried to speak but Kunikida quickly cut him off. 

“I won’t make any excuses for my actions,” he continued. “But I will promise to be more attentive from now on.”

He placed his hands on Atsushi’s shoulders and looked him directly in the eye. There was much he wanted to say, but he chose the most simplistic ones among them, the ones most necessary to speak aloud. 

“Atsushi-kun,” he said. “Please come to me if you ever have worries or concerns. I can’t begin to imagine what you’ve been through, but I’m here for you, both as your colleague and as your friend.”

Atsushi blinked, his mind whirring. His chest felt heavy, as if a boulder were pressing down on him. It was an unexplainable feeling, and Atsushi couldn’t fathom why the words affected him as they did. 

“I…” he began to say before his voice cracked. He covered his mouth with his palm instantly, muffling it. He took a shaky step forward, then another until his forehead pressed against Kunikida’s sturdy shoulder. He buried his face in his chest. 

Kunikida’s dress shirt began to dampen, but he made no move to step away from the boy trembling in front of him. Atsushi cried silently and as stilly as he could, though he couldn’t help the way his body shook and wracked with escaping sobs. 

‘Why am I like this?’ Atsushi wondered tearfully. ‘He didn’t even say anything extraordinary…’

Nevertheless, he pressed himself closer to the older man, longing for his proximity. 

Kunikida pressed his palm against the back of Atsushi’s head, patting him carefully. He would do better by his friends; he swore it. 

This didn’t resolve anything, he knew. Though it would be a start, and that was more than worth it all the same. 

On the other side of the wall, Dazai leaned back. He closed his eyes, a masking, serene smile on his face. His headphones covered his ears, though he didn’t play any music on them. 

‘I’m glad Kunikida-kun decided to speak with him,’ he thought. ‘It would do Atsushi-kun some good to spend more time with him.’ 

Sigma eyed him warily. He appeared too calm for it to be a real emotion, he thought. 

Chuuya, meanwhile, poked Akutagawa’s shoulder. 

“You doing good?” he asked. 

“Fine,” Akutagawa replied emotionlessly. 

Chuuya shrugged. He shouldn’t have thought the answer would be anything otherwise, he figured. 

He made a cursory glance over the rest of the Mafia’s people, then made his way to sit in between Fukuzawa and Sigma, wanting to lean against the wall. He carefully avoided looking in Ango’s direction as he did. 

He nodded to Fukuzawa politely before shedding his coat, resting it on his shoulders instead of wearing it. 

He rested against the wall with closed eyes, not bothering to make small talk. Voices flowed around him, washing over his mind and numbing it. 

Eventually, he heard a door click. Atsushi and Kunikida returned. No one commented on Atsushi’s red-rimmed eyes, nor Kunikida’s hand hovering over his shoulder. 

The two of them settled beside the group of teenagers, Kyouka pulling Atsushi back into her nest of pillows. 

He squeezed her arm reassuringly for a moment before picking up a pillow to hold to his chest. 

She was worried for him, she realized. She never thought she’d grow so close to someone she had met not long ago, but she had, and it was frustrating to see him distance himself when his pain was clear to everyone. 

How long were the thoughts he had on-screen ones that circled in his head? How long had he been suffering from their burden alone?  

To her, Atsushi was the epitome of goodness and kindness, and to have him be hurt secretly made her heart ache. Someone so kind shouldn’t be facing such pain, she thought despondently. 

“Let’s start?” Ranpo suggested. Karl was making a nest in his hair, ruffling it into a tangled mess freely. Poe fretted over the raccoon in the disappointment of having been abandoned before nodding. 

“Play,” he declared. 

Ranpo grinned. “Watch carefully,” he said. “This one’s about me.”

Poe nodded, eagerly keeping his eyes on the screen. 

The scene began with lesser-known members of the agency beginning to clear the rubble around the office. Kunikida observed the area, putting everyone to work. Atsushi, Kenji, and Yosano stood near him, helping lift boxes around. 

“We’ve got another murder case!” Ranpo declared. “The city police are as lacking as ever, I see. They would never catch a single criminal without my support.”

The group’s resident government workers pressed their lips together with restraint. 

While the Hunting Dogs loved to complain about the police, it was difficult to stand idly by while someone other than them was being insulting. 

Ango huffed before letting it go. So long as no one from his own department was insulted, he supposed, he would let it slide. He couldn't care less for the lazy, corrupted bums from other departments. 

Ranpo donned his hat, pulled it down, and grinned. “My Super Deduction skill is the best in this agency…No, the entire country!”

“Lots of pride in his ability, huh,” Tachihara noted. 

Atsushi stiffened, returning to the mindset of a person watching the past. ‘His ability…’ he thought worriedly. ‘What if it gets revealed that he doesn’t have one?’

He turned around and tried to catch Dazai’s eye. The older man kept his gaze steadfastly on the TV screen. 

‘This is not the time to be spacing out!’ Atsushi thought miserably. 

“Is everything okay?” Kyouka asked. 

Atsushi flinched and turned back around. “Uh, yeah,” he said. “Fine. Totally good.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off. Atsushi let out a breath of relief, although he couldn’t hide his trepidation for the upcoming episode. 

Ranpo smiled to himself, putting his hand to his chin. “No wonder they rely on me so much!”

[Title card: Chapter 6 - Murder on D Street] 

Ranpo walked around the agency as the others cleaned. Atsushi noticed a book on the floor and bent down to pick it up, only for Ranpo to accidentally step on it as he paced. 

“Ranpo-san,” Atsushi began. “That book under your foot belongs on the shelf.”

Ranpo raised his hands. “Oh,” he exclaimed. “My apologies!” He took a few steps forward. “Go right ahead.”

Atsushi stared at him in disbelief. 

Tachihara snorted. “Oh, I would hate him,” he laughed. ‘Not even Jouno’s that bad,’ he thought. 

Jouno was thinking similarly about his fellow Hunting Dogs. ‘I might actually murder him if we were on the same team,’ he thought. 

Kunikida picked up the book with a smile, reaching over Ranpo’s head to put it on the shelf. “We’ll be counting on you, Ranpo-san,” Kunikida said. 

Sigma gaped at the open respect on the usually stern man’s face. 

Lucy turned to the detectives in surprise before turning back to the screen. 

‘This Ranpo-san would fit right in with the Guild,’ she thought, recalling the distinctive personalities she was surrounded with there. 

Ango leaned back. He’d heard fairy tales about the intellect of the detective. As a government official, he knew he had no powers, so it was all the more interesting for him to watch this episode to see how Ranpo’s mind worked. 

“Most right, Kunikida,” Ranpo declared. “You call yourselves a detective agency, but your powers of deduction are below that of a monkey! All of you merely live off the leftovers of my Super Deduction!”

Chuuya snorted. “Just gonna take that?” he muttered. 

Dazai peered over Sigma, the buffer between them, and shrugged. “You’d be surprised.”

“Yeah,” Kenji agreed, lifting a box. “It sure is useful! Just use that skill, and you instantly know everything about a case!”

Kunikida nodded. “Truly, the ideal detective—No, in fact, the ideal skill user.”

Atsushi’s head swiveled between the two of them, unbelieving, as they praised Ranpo. 

Ranpo grinned, basking in the praise. 

“Is he that good?” Sigma wondered aloud. 

“He’s the best,” Dazai said easily. 

Ranpo huffed. “Of course I am!”

Chuuya’s eyes widened in surprise. If Dazai was praising the guy, he really must be truly impressive. 

Hirotsu was similarly affected. In all his days, there were likely only a handful of people he’d heard Dazai freely compliment. 

Akutagawa blinked, reaffirming that he had really heard those words exit Dazai’s mouth. His gaze sharpened like a knife, suddenly far more eager to watch this episode. 

What could this man be capable of to earn Dazai’s hard-earned respect? He bubbled with envy and intrigue. 

“Ha-ha-ha!” Ranpo laughed. “But of course!” 

Their office workers began surrounding and praising him. 

“Lad,” Kunikida said, addressing Atsushi. “We have it all covered, so please go with Ranpo-san. It will be a short trip by train.”

Atsushi sweatdropped. “You want me to assist on such a significant case?”

“Don’t be silly,” Ranpo admonished as he crouched down in order to poke the thorn of a potted cactus.

“Why did you touch it?” Higuchi winced in sympathetic pain. 

Ranpo shrugged. “I wanted to see what it felt like.”

He was met by utter silence from those who didn’t know him. Yosano merely shook her head fondly. 

“I am no second-rate detective. Assistance is hardly necessary.”

“Huh?” Atsushi said, confused. “So…What, then?”

Ranpo grinned. “I need someone to show me how to use the train.”

“You don’t know how to ride the train?” Lucy asked incredulously. “Isn’t public transportation, like, really big in Japan?”

Ranpo crossed his arms defensively. “I don’t need to know such useless information,” he argued, an age-old discussion that he refused to let anyone but himself win. 

Lucy cast a glance at Atsushi and Kyouka. “You guys baby him,” she deadpanned. 

Atsushi merely laughed. He couldn’t quite disagree as he had thought so once, himself, but his respect for Ranpo won over any ill will. 

Poe winced. “Really, Ranpo-kun,” he fretted. “You really must learn to take the train. Do you know the murders that could occur if you become stranded somewhere?”

He began to list the dangers in worryingly gruesome detail of kidnappings and dismemberment while Ranpo listened disinterestedly. 

Atsushi blanched. “Why does he know all that?” he asked worriedly, hearing the step-by-step method of picking apart the human psyche through torture. 

Lucy snorted. “He’s fascinated by the macabre,” she explained. “Don’t worry about it too much, he’s just an author. However, I am surprised by how freely he’s talking. It usually takes up to the fourth meeting for him to talk about gory things that excitedly.”

The scenery transitioned to the riverside, a fierce-looking officer standing beside a rather young-looking one. Others of the police force were scattered around the area, cataloging evidence. 

“You’re late, Detective!” the older man said crossly, his arms folded. 

“Hm?” Ranpo hummed questioningly. “Who are you? Where’s Yasui-san?”

‘He’s close enough with the police that he knows their names and faces,’ Poe noted. ‘Impressive.’ 

Not yet paying attention to the conversation, Atsushi was more so focused on the fact that Ranpo genuinely couldn’t take the train alone. ‘He really didn’t know,’ he thought in disbelief.

Ranpo pouted as Yosano cackled. 

Atsushi sheepishly stifled his own laughter.

“You’re a lot sassier than I was expecting you to be,” Higuchi commented. 

Atsushi felt surprised by the admission. He hadn’t even noticed that the rising tension earlier had already dissipated. ‘Maybe Ranpo-san’s real ability is that he can make everyone relax,’ Atsushi thought. 

"Maybe if you had been more focused on conversation than kidnapping me you would have noticed," he grumbled lightly. While the words were honest, they lacked weight, causing Higuchi to raise her arms aquiescly. 

“I’m Minoura,” the officer said. “I took over from Yasui. Our department is handling his case. We don’t need you or your agency.”

“Hello, blunt,” Tachihara huffed. 

“Rude, more like,” Teruko said, glaring subtly. “I’d have slapped him.”

Naomi nodded in agreement. 

“Please don’t encourage violence,” Tanizaki mourned. 

Ranpo placed his hands on his hips and scoffed. “Oh, rubbish! A master detective like myself is always in need for difficult cases like these!”

Atsushi shivered from his overconfident gloating. 

Sigma nodded. That was the real reaction he had been expecting, not whatever near-worship the detectives were doing on the ground Ranpo walked. 

Dazai grinned, noticing. 

The officer huffed. “I’d never ask a hack agency for help on this!”

“Why not?” Ranpo asked. 

"Quite calm for someone whose workplace was insulted," Tecchou noted quietly. 

"That must stem from his confidence in himself and them," Jouno added. He drummed his fingers along his thigh, his anticipation very slowly but surely growing. 

“Because the victim,” Minoura said, “was my subordinate.”

Chuuya hissed sympathetically. “That sucks,” he said. 

The younger officer pulled the sheet covering the corpse off. Ranpo and Atsushi, with different levels of ease, leaned in to look. 

There was a woman lying on a plastic sheet, blood covering her coat. One of her arms was strewn around her torso, almost as if she were hugging herself. 

Sigma winced at the sight. The others, more used to it than he was, were unaffected save for the respectful lowering of their heads. 

“The body was discovered floating in the river this morning,” the young officer said. 

Ranpo took off his hat and pressed it against his chest out of respect for the deceased. “A woman?”

‘He may be obnoxious, but at least he knows when to be respectful,’ Tecchou thought approvingly. 

Fukuzawa felt a spark of affection for the boy he helped raised. He loved watching him work comfortably and safely. It made all of the hard work and long hours he’d put in over the years worth it. 

Minoura squatted down next to the body. “Three shots in the chest…that’s all we know. We don’t have a crime scene, time, or even bullets we can examine.”

“So who did it?” Ranpo asked. 

“We don’t know. And from what I know working with her, she didn’t have any lover.”

“Well,” Ranpo said as he placed his hat back on and tilted it to sit crookedly on his head. “It sounds to me…like you know nothing.”

He pointed mockingly at the man. Minoura’s eyes glinted dangerously. 

“And right back to being cocky,” Lucy scoffed. 

“You get used to it,” Atsushi said. 

“Hey,” Ranpo complained. “You’re supposed to compliment me, not put up with me!” 

“That’s why we can’t leave this case to an amateur such as you,” Minoura said, standing up. “Just get out of—”

Ranpo stuck his tongue out at the screen. “I showed him,” he grumbled. 

“As if someone like you could be called an amateur,” Kunikida said appeasingly and honestly.

Dazai nodded. “He just didn’t know who he was talking about,” he agreed. “Don’t let it get to you, Ranpo-san.”

Ranpo scoffed. “As if I would! The opinions of average people are usually largely incorrect, after all.”

Chuuya tilted his head in Sigma and Dazai’s direction. “You really respect him, huh,” he remarked. 

“Of course,” Dazai nodded. “Ranpo-san is truly incredible. You’ll see.”

He was interrupted by one of his men yelling. “Sir! We caught something in our net!”

Several men pulled a net out of the river, something tangled up inside of it. 

“What’s that?” Atsushi asked quietly, him and Ranpo turning to look. 

“We have a net out on the river to ensure that no evidence floats away,” the young officer said. 

Atsushi sighed, knowing what was coming. 

“It’s a body!” someone exclaimed, calling for Minoura. “There’s a body in the river!”

‘A second one?’ Kunikida thought with a frown. He recalled reading the finished report with no mention of a second corpse. ‘Unless of course, it’s…’

He looked over his shoulder to Dazai with distaste. ‘Of course it is,’ he sighed acceptingly. 

“What!?” Minoura exclaimed. 

“No way,” Atsushi said, shocked. 

“A second victim!?” Minoura asked as he made his way to his men. 

Several people sat up in anticipation and worry. 

The scene cut to the net being pulled up, Dazai tangled in its web upside down, pieces of trash and leaves clinging to his coat. 

“Why, Atsushi-kun!” Dazai greeted, waving a hand as if he weren’t upside down. “Hard at work as always, eh?”

Chuuya blinked with disgust written into his every feature. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he spat. 

“Why are you in there?” Sigma asked, confused and freaked out. 

Dazai sheepishly chuckled. “Well…”

Ango’s lips twitched up briefly. ‘How does he always manage to achieve the seemingly unachievable,’ he thought in amusement before dropping his smile instantly. 

He had no right to think so fondly of him anymore, after all. He relinquished that right long ago.

Atsushi looked at him incredulously. “...Another drowning attempt?”

Kunikida’s eyes twitched. “Seriously?” he asked. 

Dazai waved his hands frantically. “No, no, you’ve got it all wrong!”

Minoura sent him an odd look. “Another?” he repeated. 

“Hee hee!” Dazai laughed, cupping his chin. “Dying alone is so old-fashioned, Atsushi-kun,” he claimed. 

“For someone upside down, he sure is acting very casually about this,” Tachihara said amusedly. 

“I’m sure it happens on the regular,” Atsushi said blandly, causing the other to laugh. 

“Huh?”

“Our lovely visitor earlier convinced me,” Dazai said. “When it’s time to die, nothing is better than a lovers’ suicide! What could be more mournful than shuffling off this mortal coil alone?” 

He sounded confident as he spoke, extravagant and flamboyant as always.  

“Glad I could inspire you,” Higuchi said sarcastically. She shook her head in disbelief. 

“Not the lovers’ suicide nonsense again,” Chuuya sighed. 

Atsushi looked over his shoulder in surprise. “He’s told you about it?”

Chuuya nodded. “A few days ago. It’ll probably be shown eventually if it was important.”

“I think it will,” Dazai agreed. Then, stifling a snicker behind his hand, said, “That would be a great way to introduce his royal shortness.”

Chuuya reached over Sigma’s head to whack him over the head. Sigma let out a yelp, ducking down quickly. 

Ango, unbeknownst to the others, winced silently. ‘He’s become louder in his distraction techniques,’ he thought with an ache in his chest. 

Where Dazai had once spoken seriously and with longing for death, he now spoke with a romantic’s flowery language to hide the dark thoughts with rose petals and an aromatic fragrance. 

Old regrets and worries flared up within him unbidden. 

Far away, Higuchi shuddered, an ominous feeling overtaking her. 

Tachihara laughed. “I didn’t know you were psychic, Nee-san!”

“She’s used to bullshitters,” Gin wrote solemnly. Higuchi hung her head in defeat. 

“Thus,” Dazai continued. “I seek a lovely woman to perish with me.” 

“Oh?” Atsushi questioned. “And your current condition…?”

“This…? I was simply swept up by the river.” His eyes gleamed. 

“Seriously?” Tachihara asked. 

“I believe it,” Chuuya said with a roll of his eyes. “You’d be surprised by the amount of bullshit this bastard gets into.”

‘Suddenly, I feel like I can understand Nakahara-san better,’ Atsushi thought gravely. 

“I see…” Atsushi said, though a small question mark floated around his head. 

“You know,” Jouno said, leaning toward his coworkers. “Maybe you guys aren’t such bad teammates after all, if that’s how other teams work.”

Tecchou nodded solemnly. Teruko, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. “I’m a delight to work with!” she argued. 

The police officers got Dazai down from the net and Atsushi explained their current predicament to him. 

“So that’s what happened,” Atsushi wrapped up.

“My God!” Dazai gasped. “A young flower, in the prime of her life…cruelly robbed of her very future! What a tragedy! Oh, how this pains me! If only we could have given up the ghost together!”

Sigma didn’t bother hiding his judgment from Dazai, staring at him unbridledly. Dazai merely laughed. 

Lucy tilted her head to the side. ‘Does he actually want to die?’ she thought for the first time. ‘He keeps talking about it like it's normal, but what if he really means it…?’

“...Who is this man?” Minoura asked, confused by Dazai and the frantic waving of his hands. 

Ranpo smiled good-naturedly and almost fondly. “A co-worker and an enigma, even to me.”

“Aw, Ranpo-san!” Dazai cooed. 

Ranpo grinned. “Don’t let it get to your head. I had you figured out right after this case. I was just missing a piece of the puzzle.”

“But fret not, my poor victim!” Dazai continued, clutching his hand to his heart. “The world’s greatest detective shall wipe away your regrets. Won’t you, Ranpo-san?”

‘There’s that respect again,’ Chuuya thought. ‘Do you trust him that much, Dazai?’

Akutagawa eyed the detective from the corner of his eye. ‘Dazai-san doesn’t think twice before praising him,’ he noted. He knew firsthand how difficult it was to be acknowledged by the ex-mafioso. 

The detective’s genius truly must be unparalleled to earn Dazai’s respect. 

Ranpo sighed. “They have not yet requested my assistance. What a conundrum for a master detective.”

Something caught his eye and he allowed it to open just slightly. 

Kunikida sat up. “You’ve spotted something,” he noted. 

Ranpo grinned. 

“Already?” Sigma asked surprisedly. He observed the scene, finding nothing of note that would reveal anything for the case.

“You!” Ranpo exclaimed. “What’s your name?”

He pointed to the young officer. 

“Me?” the man asked. He saluted. “Officer Sugimoto! I worked under Ms. Yamagiwa, the deceased…sir!”

Atsushi’s eyes narrowed. He really had them all fooled—other than Ranpo, of course. And Dazai, he supposed. 

Kyouka nudged him. “Is something wrong?” she asked. 

Atsushi shook his head. “You’ll see,” he said. 

Ranpo patted the boy on the shoulder. “Okay, Sugimoto-kun, you’re the detective now!” Ranpo declared. “Solve this case for us within sixty seconds!”

Teruko snorted. “Straightforward, I like it.”

Poe leaned forward in his seat, trying to take in the crime scene from the limited view the camera captured. 

‘All the evidence necessary to deduce the culprit must be there,’ he realized eagerly. 

“Is it really possible to solve it in a minute?” Higuchi asked. 

“It’s more than enough time,” Ranpo reassured. 

'Only for you, yeah,' Atsushi thought amusedly. 

“Wha—!? I…Uh…! Whaa—!? Only sixty seconds…!?” Sugimoto panicked, holding his head in his hands. 

“It’s fifty seconds now,” Ranpo said smugly. 

“Oh, this is just sad,” Lucy deadpanned at the sight of his floundering. 

‘That must be how I look to the others,’ Atsushi thought. 

A round of laughter went off. 

“You could at least deny it,” Atsushi sighed. 

Yosano laughed into the back of her hand. “Lying is bad, Atsushi,” she declared. 

Kyouka patted Atsushi's shoulder consolingly. 

Chapter Text

“W-wait! About Yamagiwa-senpai,” Sugimoto began to deduce. “Her beat was pursuing political corruption and mafia activity!”

‘The mafia!’ Atsushi thought worriedly. 

Dazai frowned, his eyes hidden. 

Watching himself on screen, Dazai nodded, realizing why Ranpo had been able to deduce his mafia connections. In hindsight, he’d done poorly to hide his reactions. 

“And also,” Sugimoto continued, “this is how the mafia kills their targets, right? Maybe she was killed by someone in the mafia she was investigating…”

“Wrong,” Dazai declared. The screen darkened around him, casting his features into shadow. 

“Huh…?”

The shift in Dazai and the camera’s filter immediately piqued the audience's interest. 

“Woah,” Naomi commented on the filter. “He looks so…wrong, in the dark like that. Like a different person.”

Dazai pouted exaggeratedly. “I’m hurt, Naomi-chan! I’m right here, you know?”

Inwardly, he thought, 'Do I look wrong in the dark? Or is that merely her perception of me speaking?' 

She gave him a sympathetic smile but didn’t take back her words. She was far too clever to fall for his manipulative parlor tricks. 

Chuuya crossed his arms. ‘She’s not wrong,’ he thought. ‘The Dazai I know has many different faces he puts on. Doesn't necessarily mean that any of them are "wrong," though.’ 

“A mafia hit is akin to a calling card,” Dazai said. “It is proof of their presence. The mafia’s modus operandi for traitors is to first force them to bite the curb and then deliver a kick to the back of the head, shattering their jaw.”

The background behind Dazai changed, showcasing a silhouetted figure biting the curb and being kicked in the head, just as he described. 

Atsushi’s eyes widened. ‘If Dazai-san was in the Port Mafia,’ he realized for the first time, ‘that must mean he’s killed people like this too…’

Kunikida frowned. “Wait,” he said. “You’ve had all this information on the Port Mafia this whole time and you haven’t said anything!” he accused. 

Atsushi gaped. ‘That’s the part he’s thinking about?’ he thought incredulously. 

Dazai lifted his hands, the picture of innocence. “It’s not like it would help all that much,” he said. “Besides, if the boss knew I was giving out secrets, he might actually try to kill me!”

“I’ll kill you myself!” Kunikida groaned, though it lacked heat. 

“As the victim writhes in pain, they turn the poor soul around and fire three shots in the chest.”

Again, the background depicted his words. 

“Urgh,” Atsushi said, disgusted. 

‘Did Poe-san have to show this in such detail?’ Dazai thought a little hysterically, casting fluttering glances to his coworkers. 

He observed them with care, taking in Ranpo’s careful apathy, Yosano’s slight judgment but understanding. Tanizaki’s slight twitches and aborted motions toward Naomi, and the girl’s own casual acceptance. 

Kyouka’s small frown of confusion. 

He supposed she was feeling out-of-sorts, knowing she was working closely with someone akin to those who forced her into a life of crime. He couldn’t blame her, if that was the case. 

Kunikida was the one who intrigued him the most, however. How was that man always prepared to nag him for needlessly meticulous tasks, but never for things of value? 

Was Kunikida’s trust in the president’s opinion of him so wholehearted that he felt no need to speak, or was it something different entirely? 

Sometimes, he felt he could read that man like one of his carefully written notebooks, and at others, it was as if there was such a large barrier in his understanding of him. 

Similar in his worry for his coworkers’ opinions, Tachihara shifted uneasily, hyper-aware of his fellow Hunting Dogs watching the Port Mafia’s protocols. They knew of his work, of course. He was very meticulous in his reports. However, it was far more uncomfortable to realize that they were watching it firsthand. 

Sigma felt uneasy for another reason altogether. He was being bracketed by two men fully capable of killing him and it was only just dawning on him what a precarious place he was positioned. 

He longed for the previous corner he had been sitting in with the detective agency’s president protectively hovering beside him. Then again, it was a little amusing being beside so many people. He imagined it was almost similar to going to a movie theater with friends like civilians would do. 

Civilians with luck far less poor than his own, that is. 

His thoughts began to cast toward another topic entirely, spurred on by his emotions. 

How was it that the detectives could accept Dazai’s past so easily, he wondered. Was this what it was like to have somewhere to belong, a home? To be accepted no matter the circumstances?

Dazai was lucky, he thought. For the hundredth time, Sigma thought about how little he understood Dazai. To belong somewhere was a miracle. How could he still not believe he belonged with them, and rather in the arms of death?

Maybe it was a good thing that he couldn’t understand him, he mused. He would be frightened of himself if he did. 

“Y-you’re…right, actually,” Sugimoto admitted. 

“Though it resembles their methods, this is not the mafia’s handiwork,” Dazai concluded. “In other words…”

“The killer was trying to deceive us!” Minoura gasped. 

“So the culprit shot the corpse twice more just to make it look like a mafia job…?” Sugimoto asked, downcast. “Awful.”

Atsushi bit his lip to keep from reacting. ‘If you knew it was so awful, why did you do it anyway?’ he wanted to yell, but resisted. 

He took a deep breath to calm down. ‘All that, and for what?’ he wondered. It upset him—not so much the crime, but rather who it was done to. If he loved her so much, he should have found a better way. 

Ranpo raised his hand. “Bzzzt!” He laughed obnoxiously. “All right, time’s up! That’s most certainly not master detective material, there!” He patted Sugimoto’s head, forcing the man to bend down slightly for Ranpo to reach him. 

“Listen, you!” Minoura snapped. “All I’ve been hearing from you is ‘deduction’ this and ‘master detective’ that, all that dime novel nonsense! An investigation is all about careful research, questioning, and evidence gathering!”

Kenji winced. “Oh dear,” he laughed brightly. “That won’t make Ranpo-san happy at all!”

Yosano grinned viciously. “Tell me you demolished this case,” she said. 

Ranpo pointed his lollipop at her. “Who do you think I am?” he asked haughtily. 

‘Cocky,’ thought Chuuya. No matter how impressive the man was, he had arrogance for days, he thought. 

He supposed if they were on the same side, he would be more appreciative of it, but it currently only served to piss him off. 

“Huhhh?” Ranpo said, unimpressed. “You still don’t get it, do you?” He leaned into Minoura’s space. “Master detectives don't ‘investigate.’ Once I trigger my Super Deduction, I’ll immediately know the who, the when, and the how!”

Atsushi had begun to feel antsy again. What would happen once Ranpo learned the truth about his ability?

He bit his lip nervously. Ranpo would be crushed, he just knew it. 

Ranpo grinned snobbishly, his eyes opening. “And not only that,” he said. “I’ll know where the evidence is and how to make the killer confess, like a divine revelation!”

Poe eyed Ranpo with envy. ‘He truly is remarkable,’ he thought. ‘Maybe I’ll never reach that level…’

As if reading his mind, Ranpo put an arm around his shoulder almost violently. “Try to figure it out, too, Poe-kun!” he said. 

Poe tried to push away slightly to give himself some space but accepted his fate. “Try to figure it out?” he questioned, then coughed into his hand. “I mean—Of course I will! I’m your rival, after all.”

He gave the screen 110% of his attention, scanning every detail he could spot. 

Minoura balked. “Don’t give me that bullshit! If you had such a power, the entire force would be out of their jobs!”

Ranpo relaxed, his hands palm-up. “Indeed they would! It’s about time you came to understand that.”

Minoura glared at him, about to snap.

Lucy snorted, covering her mouth immediately. She sniffed. “He’s got sass, I’ll give him that,” she acquiesced. 

Tachihara laughed. “You’re not wrong.”

Ango suppressed an amused smile. Yes, he supposed, he was quite a personality if he was being honest with himself. 

Dazai stepped in front of Ranpo hurriedly, making himself bigger by spreading his arms out. “No, no, calm down, detective,” he said. “Ranpo-san always behaves in this manner.”

“How chivalrous,” Yosano drawled.

“Just doing my job,” Dazai replied with a grin. 

Atsushi raised an eyebrow. “You couldn’t have said anything other than, ‘He’s always like this?’” he asked judgmentally. 

Dazai shrugged. “I said I’d protect him, not lie for him,” he huffed. 

‘Fair enough,’ Fukuzawa thought. 

“Yes!” Ranpo agreed. “My motto, after all, is: ‘As long as I’m good, everything’s good’!”

“Of course it is,” Tachihara guffawed. 

Ranpo frowned. “I don’t think I like that tone very much.”

Jouno tilted his head toward his coworkers. “He’s like a child,” he murmured. “How does he get any work done?”

Atsushi deadpanned. ‘I’ve never heard such an honest motto…’ he thought. 

A title card under him read, [Motto: All is good as long as I’m alive]. 

Lucy nodded along. “Relatable,” she said. 

Sigma hummed his agreement. 

Dazai tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. His read, [Motto: A pure, bright, dignified suicide]. 

Dazai smiled brightly and proudly. He was met with judgemental stares, with the exception of one. 

Ango pursed his lips. ‘You really haven’t changed, have you?’ he thought a little sadly. 

There was often comfort in the unchanging, however in this, Ango could not find any solace. He had hoped the man would find a way to fill the hole in himself by being on the right side, with being a detective. Perhaps Oda was right, after all. Nothing would be able to help him. 

He clenched his forearm tightly. ‘Hate me,’ Ango thought. ‘Hate me all you want as I hate myself, but contain that hate only to me. Why extend it to yourself more than you’ve already done?’

Lucy leaned toward Atsushi and Kyouka. “Is he actually alright?” she whispered. “Don’t you think he thinks about suicide a bit too much?”

Atsushi’s mouth dropped open before he sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think he’d tell me if I asked, either.”

“Very well,” Minoura said, waving his arm around, as if opening the ground for Ranpo. “Prove it to me. Show me your ability!”

“Oh?” Ranpo said, perking up. “Is that a formal request?”

Ranpo took a quick glance at Fukuzawa, analyzing the odds of him being reprimanded in public for being unnecessarily rude. The older man caught his eye. 

He felt himself deflate for a moment before he caught the slight twitch of amusement in Fukuzawa’s lips. He grinned, placing Karl in his lap as a fluffy reward. 

“Yes!” Minoura yelled. “A request for you to make an ass of yourself!”

Yosano snorted. “I like this detective more than the last one.”

Ranpo pouted around his lollipop. “You just like that he isn’t taking me seriously,” he huffed.

Ranpo grinned. “Ah hah hah!” he laughed. Dazai had a small smile on his face while Atsushi looked vaguely uncomfortable. “A shame you could not be that cooperative from the beginning.”

“Hmph,” Minoura humphed. “You sure brim with confidence, considering the utter lack of info to work with. Should I count out sixty seconds for you?”

Ranpo’s grin widened. “I won’t need that long.”

Teruko leaned forward in anticipation. They’d been building up the tension for his ability for so long, in her opinion. She was ready to see some action. 

She wasn’t made to sit for long hours just to watch scenes of dialogue. 

Dazai leaned toward Atsushi. “Keep your eye on him, Atsushi-kun,” he said. “His skill is what keeps the agency going.” 

Ranpo smiled at the scene. Few things made him happier than seeing the real respect his friends had for him and his ability. He’d spent so long of his childhood unable to fit in, outcast for speaking the seemingly obvious, that he had once thought he would never be accepted among peers. 

Though the other detectives would never be on his level of genius, they considered him a dear friend, just as he did them. It made his heart flutter with warmth. He could even overlook the illogical nature of their fondness for him for their sake. 

Fukuzawa’s stern appearance softened. ‘If only I could tell that child how loved he would be,’ he thought, thinking of a lonely, loudmouthed brat. 

[Ranpo-san has the ability to ‘know everything about a case’—] Atsushi narrated. [Is such a thing truly possible!?]

Ranpo donned his glasses, his coat whipping with the force of his ability. 

“Super Deduction!” he declared, his eyes widening. 

Atsushi fidgeted in place. ‘Maybe Poe-san left out the part about Ranpo-san’s ability,’ he hoped desperately. ‘He wouldn’t do that to Ranpo-san, right?’

He dreadfully wanted to throw something at Dazai to get his attention so that someone else would share in his misery. 

Atsushi watched in anticipation, Minoura with a frown on his face, and Sugimoto with slight concern. Only Dazai smiled, his eyes twinkling, excited to see the deduction show put on by his friend and coworker. 

Akutagawa’s eyes widened upon seeing the expression on his mentor’s face. 

‘He looks…alive,’ Akutagawa thought. 

“Excited, Dazai?” Yosano teased, noticing the gleam in his eyes.

“Why, of course!” Dazai agreed. “Anyone would love to have a front-row seat of Ranpo-san’s deduction shows.”

Kunikida nodded in agreement. “It is a sight to behold,” he said. 

“Yeah!” Kenji agreed. “He always looks so cool, too.”

Higuchi’s head swiveled around the detectives. “You all talk him up so much,” she said. “I’m curious as to how good he really is.”

Hirotsu nodded. “Indeed. Though, if Dazai-san is impressed, it must truly be remarkable.”

Atsushi’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Was Dazai’s opinion that important to the mafiosos, he wondered. 

He put a hand to his heart. ‘What a whirlwind of emotions,’ he thought of himself. Between Dazai and Ranpo, Atsushi didn’t know who he should be focusing on. 

Ranpo pushed his glasses up, his eyes hidden by the light reflecting on them. 

“Ah-haaaah,” he said, understanding the situation. 

“Already?” Higuchi asked wondrously. 

Poe blinked in surprise. ‘It barely took any effort,’ he thought, both amazed and jealous. 

“So?” Minoura prompted. “You know the perp?”

“I do!” Ranpo declared, throwing up a peace sign. 

“Heh heh,” Minoura laughed condescendingly. “I must say, I don’t think you’re telling the truth. Who is it, then?”

Ranpo twirled his finger around in a circle before pointing it straight at Sugimoto. “The killer is you,” he said simply. 

“What?” Teruko exclaimed. “No way, that’s so random!”

“Why would it be a police officer?” Lucy mused.

Kenji gasped. “I never would have guessed! Amazing as always, Ranpo-san!”

Ranpo tipped his hat at the boy. He nudged Poe. “Have you figured out why?” he asked. 

Poe interlocked his fingers together, resting his chin on his fist in thought. He didn’t want to throw in the towel quite yet. 

Minoura and Sugimoto frowned, Atsushi was shocked, and Dazai held a thoughtful expression. 

“Huh—?” Sugimoto spluttered. 

Minoura laughed loudly. “What’s this? Is your power to make others laugh? Officer Sugimoto is part of my team!”

“Yes,” Ranpo said, smiling almost cruelly. “And Officer Sugimoto killed her.”

Sigma noted his confidence. ‘What a remarkable ability,’ he thought. ‘It’s so simple, yet so effective for a detective agency.’

“Don’t be absurd,” Minoura yelled. “Why would the killer just happen to be here?”

“Killers always return to the crime scene,” Ranpo said seriously. “And did I not say it earlier? ‘I’ll know where the evidence is’...no?”

“Your ability shows you where the evidence is, too?” Sigma couldn’t help but ask, impressed. 

Ranpo grinned. “My Ultra Deduction shows me everything,” he said cockily. 

‘Oh, please, please,’ Atsushi thought miserably. ‘This is going to end horribly, I just know it.’

Ranpo turned to Sugimoto and held his hand out. “Show me your handgun,” he ordered. 

Sugimoto, flabbergasted and offended, leaned away from him, putting a hand on his own chest. “A-are you mad?” he asked preposterously. “If I handed my service revolver to a private citizen I’d take a pay cut or worse!”

“While I’d normally agree, now he just sounds suspicious,” Jouno remarked. “Huh.”

Privately, he thought, ‘I wish I could pick up his heart rate and scents through the screen. I feel so limited, only being able to hear the TV. I would have clocked him as the culprit from the beginning if I could experience the scene as if I were there…’

“Exactly,” Minoura agreed. “This is a complete waste of time. You detectives are nothing more than loudmouths.”

Ranpo shrugged nonchalantly, unoffended. “If you examine the gun and find nothing,” he said, “then yes, I am just a loudmouth.”

“Confidence,” Tachihara sniffed. “I like it.”

Gin eyed him judgmentally. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Minoura closed his eyes, resigned. “Hmph. I’ve had quite enough of your nonsense.” He nodded to Sugimoto. “Show it to him, Sugimoto.”

“Huh? B-but,” Sugimoto spluttered. 

“Guilty,” Tecchou hummed. 

“Super guilty,” Teruko agreed. 

‘Even I have to admit he sounds guilty,’ Chuuya thought. 

Minoura loosened his tie. “After all that yammering, that oughta be enough to send him packing. Give him the gun. Time’s wasting here.”

Kyouka frowned. “People like him tend to have inferiority issues.”

Atsushi snorted, doubling over to cover his mouth. Lucy grinned, the out-of-pocket comment having caught her off-guard. 

Naomi nodded. “You tell ‘em, Kyouka-chan,” she agreed. 

Sugimoto frowned, his expression hidden from the camera. He remained silent. 

“Well?” Minoura urged. “Come on.”

“Even in a town like this,” Ranpo said, “your average citizen wouldn’t know how to load a gun. That goes double for a police revolver.”

Sugimoto lowered his head, shocked. 

“Why the silence, Sugimoto?” Minoura asked, slowly coming to realize the truth. 

“Yeah, I wonder why,” Yosano said sarcastically. 

“You can’t fault someone for their stupidity,” Ranpo said, scolding her. 

“Please don’t call people stupid,” Fukuzawa sighed. 

Ranpo clicked his tongue. “Right,” he said. “I forgot.”

Ranpo grinned, curling his hand under his cheek as he leaned on it. “Because he’s thinking…about how he’ll ever explain the three missing bullets inside.”

A close-up of Sugimoto was finally shown. He looked horrified by Ranpo’s words. 

Higuchi let out a small, “Ooh!” She felt as if she were watching a detective show rather than the past. 

Akutagawa eyed her for the sudden burst of energy. It did little to contain her though, as she merely sent him an adrenaline-crazed grin. 

“Sugimoto!” Minoura yelled. “You couldn’t possibly be the killer! Just give him the gun already!”

Sugimoto pulled his gun out of its holder. He flicked the safety off. 

“Oh my,” Dazai commented as he watched. Atsushi looked far more shocked. 

Fukuzawa forced himself to not tense up. Dazai was there. He would protect Ranpo, he reminded himself. That was the point of the Armed Detective Agency, after all. 

Sugimoto raised his gun, taking aim and adorning a hostile expression. 

Dazai smiled unaffectedly. “Go forth, Atsushi-kun!” he declared, pushing Atsushi with both hands. 

Atsushi tipped forward, terrified. “Huhh!?”

The group burst out into snickers. 

“Fucking hate you,” Chuuya said, unable to mask his grin. “That’s so messed up.”

Dazai shrugged. “He had to learn somehow!”

Akutagawa nodded. That was more like the Dazai that he knew. 

“Halt,” Minoura cried. 

Atsushi slammed into Sugimoto’s back, grabbing hold of his hand and aiming it upward just as Sugimoto fired his first shot. 

Atsushi glared with determination, whamming him into the ground and restraining his arm against his, sitting on him similar to the way Kunikida would. 

Kunikida nodded approvingly. “Well done,” he complimented. 

Atsushi beamed. “It’s all thanks to your help, Kunikida-san!”

“Careful, Dazai, Kunikida’s going to steal your mentee at this rate,” Yosano laughed. 

Sugimoto’s watch glinted in Atsushi’s hold. 

The watch caught Poe’s eye. “Did the victim not have a similar watch?” he muttered. 

He turned to Ranpo. 

“Were they lovers?” he asked, taking a guess. 

Ranpo grinned. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”

“Ooh, very nice,” Dazai commented proudly. 

“Let me go!” Sugimoto said, struggling under Atsushi’s weight. “I have nothing to do with this!”

“There’s no getting away now,” Ranpo said, crouching down next to him. He smirked. “You killed her early yesterday morning at the abandoned shipyard 140 meters upstream.”

“Wha—?” Sugimoto raised his head in shock. “How did you…!?”

Higuchi, invested now, pressed her palms together. “Amazing,” she said in awe. 

Tachihara elbowed Gin. “Have you ever seen her amazed by someone that wasn’t Akutagawa?” he asked. 

She shook her head amusedly. 

Ranpo stood, putting his hands in his pants pockets. “And once your men head over there they should find both your footprints and the victims…along with some blood you missed during the cleanup.”

“Those eager to get away from the scene of the crime always do,” Poe agreed knowingly. “If it was his lover who died, he would have been especially desperate to.”

Sweat dripped down Sugimoto’s neck. “Why…?” he said defeatedly. “No one should have known…”

Minoura put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s continue this at the office…or…your former office, as the case may be.” 

He pulled out a pair of handcuffs. 

Chapter Text

The scene transitioned to the inside of the police’s interrogation room, with Minoura and Sugimoto on opposite ends of a table. Ranpo sat between them, no longer wearing his glasses, while Atsushi and Dazai watched from the one-sided window outside the room. 

The group leaned forward in anticipation, eager to see Ranpo close the case. 

“I didn’t mean to shoot her,” Sugimoto admitted, his shoulders hunched in the metal chair. “She was investigating a major corruption case. Apparently, she had enough evidence to take down a high-ranking legislator.”

Ango’s scoffed humorously. 

Heads swiveled toward him as one, causing him to shift uncomfortably. 

He cleared his throat into his fist awkwardly. “Must not be a very good legislator if he’s letting people figure out his dirt,” he muttered in explanation. 

Atsushi’s eyebrows rose by the admission. He exchanged incredulous eye contact with Tanizaki. It wasn’t every day that a government worker deeply entrenched in the system so easily admitted to corruption. 

Jouno let out a sharp laugh. “You’re not wrong there,” he said in amusement. 

Sugimoto looked down. “But the man was no fool. He used a spy in the police…and tried to destroy the evidence.”

Ranpo crossed his arms confidently. “And that spy is you, correct?”

“How did you know?” Lucy asked curiously. 

Ranpo raised an eyebrow. “My ability let me know,” he said as if it were obvious. Which, in his opinion, it really should have been. 

Atsushi pressed his lips together at the mention. Kyouka nudged him. “What’s wrong?” she whispered. 

Atsushi smiled awkwardly. “Uh,” he began, then hastily stood. “I have to go tell Dazai-san something.” 

He dashed across the room. A few people watched him curiously, but no one said a word aloud. Tanizaki made a questioning face at Kyouka who shrugged in return. 

Sugimoto leaned his head toward the table, drawing closer to his hands that were resting on it. “I’ve always looked up to the police,” he said with a smile, his eyes haunted. 

“That politician approached me after I failed the police exam for the third time. He said he could help me get on the force. With his aid, I became an officer, and in turn, I became his eyes.”

Tachihara wrinkled his nose. “He’s a fake nepo-baby?” he asked in disgust. “Anyone who’s failed the police exam three times is not someone I want protecting this country.”

Tecchou nodded his agreement, agitated by the newfound fact. 

Nearby, Atsushi crouched down in front of Dazai. 

“Dazai-san!” Atsushi hissed. He leaned forward to whisper their dilemma in his ear. Sigma eyed the two of them curiously but kept his head trained forward and to the screen. 

He didn’t want to touch whatever was causing their frantic whispering with a 10-foot pole. 

Minoura grew angry at his words. “You’re just the dog of some politician!?” he cried. “Is that why you killed Yamagiwa?”

“N-no!” Sugimoto panicked, almost appearing hurt by the words. “You’re wrong! I wanted to warn her, to tell her to ditch the case before they rubbed her out!”

He clenched his hand. “But she didn’t listen.”

The image faded to show a flashback. Sugimoto and the victim, Yamagiwa, were talking in an abandoned building. 

“Oh, it’s actually going to show us what happened,” Tanizaki commented. “That’s cool.”

“Like a detective drama,” Higuchi breathed out, visibly restraining her excitement. 

Naomi and Tanizaki exchanged a flabbergasted look. Since when was the mafioso who almost killed them secretly a dork, they wondered. 

“Yamagiwa-san,” Sugimoto was saying. “This man is deadly serious!”

Yamagiwa held a determined expression in her eyes. “Then I’m just as serious,” she said. “I’ve already made contact with a prosecutor friend. I’ll just hand the evidence over, and I’m done.”

Yosano frowned. “Such admirable conviction,” she sighed. “The world needs more people like that.”

Lucy nodded. “I can’t believe he would kill her,” she said a little angrily. 

Sugimoto clenched his jaw. He flicked the safety of his gun and raised it, aiming at her. 

The group winced. Despite having known he was the murderer, they didn’t want to witness such a strong woman dying at his hands. 

“Sugimoto-kun…?”

“Please hand over the evidence,” he said. “If I fail to take it from you, a hitman comes next. Before they do…”

He trailed off. 

“Put down your weapon,” she said. “You can’t shoot me.”

Poe frowned slightly. “How unfortunate,” he said. “To have a loved one aim an instrument of death your way.”

Ango winced, the comment hitting too close to home. 

He gritted his teeth. “You’re right,” he admitted. “I can’t. So—”

He raised the gun to his temple, looking horrified by what he was doing. “I’ll threaten you another way.”

“He’s crazy,” Chuuya stated, a strangled laugh escaping him. The last thing he had expected was for the officer to put the gun to his own head. He felt a wave of sympathy. 

‘Stupid man,’ he thought, becoming increasingly agitated with his actions. ‘Greedy scum. He should have come clean if she mattered to him that much.’  

“Oh my,” Teruko gasped, her eyes sparkling with excitement. 

‘How are they laughing?’ Higuchi thought in horror, putting a hand to her breaking heart. ‘If I was in either of their positions…’

She shook her head, knowing full well she would never be in that position. She would sooner draw her gun on the legislator herself for threatening her lover to begin with. 

Her eyes widened in fear. “Stop!” she yelled, lunging for the gun. A shot rang out. Sugimoto coughed as the smoke cleared. He looked up, his eyes widening, petrified. 

“He didn’t mean to kill her,” Kenji said despondently. 

“Oh, this is so sad,” Naomi said quietly, covering her mouth. She leaned into Tanizaki’s shoulder. 

“It’s awful,” Tanizaki said. 

The barrel of his gun was smoking. Yamagiwa was holding onto his wrist, causing the gun to point at her. She slumped to the ground. Her words to him were inaudible, though they could see her lips moving, and she fell face-first before his feet. He dropped the gun in shock. 

“An unfortunate loss,” Hirotsu said with an unaffected sniff. 

“No wonder he didn’t pass the police exam, he knew nothing about gun safety,” Tachihara said with a roll of his eyes. He covered up his irritation with annoyance.  

Every kill, every life had a meaning. As a mafioso and as an officer, Tachihara knew the gravity of death. 

Yosano was similarly agitated. ‘What a useless loss,’ she thought. She hated weak men more than anything. Succumbing to bribery, being unable to protect his loved ones. This man was weaker than most. 

Had he done anything different, his girlfriend would have lived, she thought. 

The flashback ended and Sugimoto remained silent. 

Atsushi leaned away from Dazai, having finished airing out his worries about Ranpo. 

Dazai put a hand on his chin. “Hmm,” he mused. After a moment, he smiled and patted Atsushi’s head. 

“No worries, Atsushi-kun,” he said. “Ranpo-san isn’t fragile. He can take the truth; you’ll see.”

Atsushi was about to protest when Dazai’s smile dropped, taking on a more serious tone. 

“He’s much stronger than you think,” he said. Then, smiling again, continued, “Now, hurry back to your seat. I’m sure you’ve made Kyouka-chan worry.”

Ranpo leaned forward. “Now that you were a murderer,” he continued the story in Sugimoto’s stead, “your days on the force were numbered, and ironically enough, in your confused state, there was only one person you could rely on.

“You called the legislator, who told you how to hide the evidence. You followed his words, fired two more shots into her body, and made it resemble a mafia hit. Then, to delay the discovery, you threw her in the river.”  

“He shot her after she was already dead?” Lucy asked in disgust. “He may as well have owned up to it if he was just going to get caught.” 

Privately, she thought, ‘How dare he desecrate her body after death.’

Yosano’s lip curled, thinking similarly. 

Minoura stood, placing a hand on the table. “So where’s the evidence you took from Yamagiwa?” he asked. 

Sugimoto remained silent. 

Minoura slammed the table. “That man has blood on his hands! Tell me, Sugimoto!”

“So, Sugimoto-kun,” Ranpo said, standing before moving behind Sugimoto. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Care for me to guess her last words?”

“Your power tells you those things, too?” Sigma asked in surprise.

Ranpo sighed. “How many times do I have to repeat myself? I have the best ability!”

Atsushi, having run across the room again to reintegrate himself into the pillow nest, pressed his lips together in worry. Dazai knew what he was doing, right…?

Yamagiwa’s dying face showed on the screen again. “I’m sorry,” Ranpo said, dubbing over her voice. 

“Oh,” Higuchi gasped. “Oh, no…”

Akutagawa eyed her. She noticed and immediately waved him off. She read his silence for what it was.  

“I’m alright,” she said. “It’s just a bit sad, is all.”

“You…” Sugimoto began to cry, tears falling down his face. He placed his head into his hands, sobbing. “Really do know everything. The evidence…is in my desk drawer…”

Poe turned to Ranpo. “Well done, Ranpo-kun,” he said. “I admit, there are some parts I am slightly confused upon, however.”

Ranpo nodded, not needing an explanation. “I’ll explain it to you properly later,” he promised. 

Poe brightened instantly. If Ranpo was willing to explain himself, Poe mused, then he must think Poe was capable of following along with his deductions. 

Atsushi placed a hand on the glass outside the room, worried. Dazai had a stern expression on his face. 

The scene changed to the group now standing outside of the police station. 

“Well, thanks for the help,” Minoura said. “Also, you know. Sorry I doubted you. I’ll let you know if we need your help again.”

“Hm,” Kyouka hummed. “I judged him too quickly. He may have an inferiority complex, but he knows when he’s beaten.”

She nodded decisively. 

Lucy laughed. “You know,” she said, “you’re not so bad, pipsqueak.”

Kyouka huffed. “I have a name, you know.”

Ranpo smiled, though it wasn’t as obnoxious as before. “If you ever need my skill, do not hesitate to call!” he said. “We’ll throw in a discount from now on.”

He began humming and walking away. 

Atsushi leaned forward, thinking. ‘His “skill,” huh…?’

Atsushi held his breath. He rocked in his seat uncontrollably, jittery with nerves. 

Lucy and Kyouka sent him questioning looks. 

The scene changed back into a flashback of Atsushi and Dazai walking on the street. 

“Ranpo-san was simply amazing!” Atsushi gushed as he walked ahead of Dazai. “His Super Deduction was right about every detail! Unbelievable!”

Ranpo smiled at the praise. 

“I’d say,” Dazai said, his hand drifting to his chin the way it was when he was thinking deeply. “I’ve figured out about half of it.”

The group froze, sensing something about to occur. 

Kunikida blinked, suddenly aware of where this was going. Dazai loved trying to follow Ranpo’s line of reasoning after working on a case with him. The two of them had done it together many a time after their own cases as a form of entertainment. 

Though, if Dazai was talking about it with Atsushi, then that meant he would inevitably talk about Ranpo’s lack of ability to show off his skills. 

He closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself. 

Atsushi wheeled around incredulously. “Figured out…? What do you mean?”

“What you just said,” Dazai replied. “About how Ranpo-san was able to fully deduce the case.”

“Huh?” Atsushi tilted his head in confusion. “Well, he used his skill to…”

Tanizaki inhaled sharply, followed quickly by Naomi. Kyouka looked at the two of them in confusion while Atsushi froze. 

Fukuzawa sat rigidly. This day was a long time coming, he supposed. Though, he imagined, nothing would ever make him ready for it. He prepared himself for the inevitable blame that would fall on his shoulders. 

“Ah,” Dazai said, understanding. He smiled, his eyes sparkling. “You still do not know, hm? You see…the truth is—Ranpo-san is not a skill user.”

Everyone gaped, shocked gasps resounding among them. The detectives stiffened. None of them had foreseen this happening when the episode had started.

“Huh,” Jouno remarked. “I never would’ve thought.” Quieter, so that only his seatmates could hear, he said, “His heart rate never changed when he said he had an ability. He must actually believe it to be true.”

Kunikida pressed his thumbs into his temple, prepared for a stress headache. 

“He doesn’t?” Kyouka asked simply. 

Atsushi held his breath, turning to Ranpo. His expression was unreadable and he made no outward reaction. 

Yosano turned to him. 

“Ranpo?” she asked. “You…good?”

Hirotsu hummed thoughtfully. His lack of powers was all the more impressive, he noted. That must be why Dazai thought so fondly of him. It was rare to meet someone so remarkable as that. 

Atsushi blanched. “Huhh!?”

“He’s an oddity amid all the skill users at the agency,” Dazai explained. “A normal individual without an ability. Also he’s twenty-six years old.”

“Huh!?” Somehow, that fact was almost more shocking than the previous revelation.

“Wait, for real?” Tachihara asked. “He barely looks older than us.”

“He barely acts older than us,” Lucy mumbled. 

‘Can you guys not be talking about this while Ranpo-san is probably having a mental breakdown?’ Atsushi inwardly shrieked. 

“I suppose he believes that he’s tapping into a kind of supernatural talent, but…” he trailed off. 

“But how?” Atsushi asked. “How did he know the time and place of the murder!?”

“Remember what the guy said?” Dazai asked. “He ‘shot the corpse twice more just to make it look like a mafia job.’ You know? A normal person who saw a body with three bullet wounds would assume they were fired all at once. Bang, bang, bang, dead.” 

“I didn’t even notice,” Higuchi gasped. “Oh, wow, it seems obvious now.”

Akutagawa’s gaze softened, belatedly impressed. ‘So his strength lies in his mind,’ he mused. ‘I can see why that would catch Dazai-san’s attention now.’ 

“Ah,” Atsushi said, realization suddenly dawning on him. 

“He was aware that the victim died after the first shot. Without an autopsy, the only way he’d know…”

“...Is if he did it,” Atsushi concluded. 

“Quite right,” Dazai said. 

“But he knew exactly when it took place, yes?” Atsushi reasoned. “‘Early yesterday morning,’ he said.”

“Right,” Lucy said. “So how…?”

Poe nodded easily. “That one can be answered simply enough,” he said. “Any crime scene analyst would have been able to tell you given time. Ranpo-kun’s mind worked quicker than any analyst could, however. Very impressive.”

His compliment fell on deaf ears. 

“The body exhibited little decay,” Dazai explained. “Thus, it couldn’t have been in the river for longer than a day. Moreover, yesterday was a Tuesday, a weekday…and yet, she was in street clothes with no makeup. As a busy detective, the only time she would be in her civvies would be early morning. That’s easy enough to guess.”

“But…how’d he know about the crime scene or the way he threatened her?” Atsushi asked. 

Dazai shrugged, continuing to walk. “That, I’m lost on as well. I suppose Ranpo-san’s eyes exceed our own when it comes to ascertaining clues.”

Kunikida frowned, noting the way the compliments went over Ranpo’s head where he would usually be basking in them. 

‘I wish this episode would end already so I can assess his mental state,’ he thought in frustration. 

“Oh, but…he even knew her last words!”

Dazai turned around. “Ah, yes. About that…The detective said she was not romantically involved, but her watch was a name-brand import. Nothing a single woman would buy simply for her own sake. The officer, meanwhile, wore the men’s version of the exact same model.”

The screen switched to previous scenes, showing the two watches. 

Poe beamed, practically glowing for having noticed that earlier by merely watching the scene. The heavy cloud that sat next to him put a damper on his mood, though. 

He never imagined that Ranpo could have his highs and lows just as Poe did. He supposed he had put the younger man on a pedestal after their meeting all those years ago. He had forgotten he was human too. 

Not to mention, Ranpo didn’t have any deductive abilities, the same as Poe. His talent stemmed from his own self, making him all the more impressive, and Poe’s defeat all the more devastating. 

However, he couldn’t bring himself to focus on his own despair when Ranpo was staring silently into nothing the way that he was. 

“So, the two of them were…?”

“She agreed to see him early in the morning without making herself up,” Dazai said. “And they wore the same brand of wristwatch.”

The screen showed the couple meeting up at the park, smiling at each other and holding hands. 

Everyone went quiet, watching the pair and their obliviousness of the future. 

Teruko huffed. “That’s a bummer,” she remarked. 

Tecchou sent her a judgemental look. “Is that all you have to say?” he asked. “Surely there were other descriptors.” 

“The two were lovers. And they kept it secret at work. As such, he refused to curb-stomp her despite knowing that the mafia story would hold no weight.”

“Oh…” Tachihara said. 

The scene showed Sugimoto crying as he stood over her dead body, putting in two more bullets into her corpse unwillingly. 

“He was crying,” Lucy said softly, her anger dissipating before rising drastically again. ‘If this was going to be the outcome, then what was the point? Was there ever any point?’

Ango winced sympathetically. Grunt workers always drew the short end of the stick. Sugimoto should never have involved himself in politics. 

Atsushi quietly looked down. 

“It is all clear to you now, Atsushi-kun?” Dazai asked. 

“About what…?”

The scene returned to the present, the two of them walking behind Ranpo. 

Ranpo placed his hands behind his head, his coat lifted up by his raised arms and a smile gracing his face. 

“About Ranpo-san’s attitude,” Dazai said. “And why not a soul at the agency ever rebukes him for it.”

“Then, he solved that entire case within seconds…without an ability,” Lucy said, gaping, finally grasping the intensity of how impressive he was. “But— that should be impossible!”

“That’s our Ranpo for you,” Yosano said. She nudged him with her finger, though he still made no move. 

The others watched Ranpo in interest. 

‘Incredible,’ Sigma thought. 

Dazai smiled pridefully at Ranpo’s figure while Atsushi looked on in impressed silence. 

Finally, Ranpo nudged Poe. “Pause,” he said. Poe followed through immediately. 

Ranpo opened his eyes, staring seriously at Fukuzawa. 

“You lied to me,” he said simply, expression nearly blank if not for the clear hurt in the downturn of his lips. 

Fukuzawa crossed his arms, though not defensively. “Not entirely,” he said, knowing Ranpo would appreciate honesty over all else, even if he was currently hurt. 

The blunt truth would be the only thing to help him now. “I told you that you had an ability others did not possess. That wasn’t a lie. You’ve always been extraordinary, ability or not.”

Ranpo pursed his lips, averting his gaze. ‘Semantics,’ he thought bitterly. ‘How lame must I look now? How different from the others have I always appeared?’

They all knew, he realized. They had all always known that he was different from them. 

He scoffed. ‘Different’ was the word always used to describe him. ‘Annoying brat,’ another one. He didn’t even have an excuse for it, without an ability. 

Amongst normal civilians, he was an outcast, too smart for his own good. 

Amongst skill users, without an ability, he was not even considered as one of them. 

The agency was created for him, but if he was considered different either way, then did he really belong with them?

Fukuzawa stood, stepped around the Hunting Dogs and Yosano, and came to a stop in front of Ranpo. He kneeled down and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

Everyone shifted uncomfortably, sensing that they were about to witness something perhaps best left in privacy. 

Looking him in the eye, Fukuzawa said, “There is no one in this world as remarkable as you, Ranpo-kun,” he said. “If you recall, I knew as soon as we met that you were undeniably extraordinary.”

Ranpo shook his head. “You thought I was a brat,” he corrected. 

Fukuzawa let out a huff of amusement. 

His gaze didn’t soften as he continued. “Can you tell me honestly that you didn’t suspect it?”

Ranpo bit his lip, thinking back. He supposed he did. When he had first been given his glasses, he thought the concept of them was ridiculous. He knew it, back then. 

He had been desperate to hold onto something tangible, something that told him the monsters of the world were a part of his imagination. That he was different not because he couldn’t understand them, but because they couldn’t understand him and his mind.

He forced himself to believe it, to confine his wit to his glasses, though he supposed that wasn’t true either. His ‘abilities’ worked whether he wore his glasses or not. He merely repressed his louder thoughts by pushing them to the background. 

How deplorable, he realized. The concept of emotions was so odd, yet he had fallen prey to them himself.  

“I guess,” he said slowly, “I did know.” And that was a non-emotionally tainted fact, a step closer to where he wanted to be. 

“I just didn’t want to know,” he concluded. 

Fukuzawa patted his head fondly, carding through his messy bangs and brushing them out of his eyes.

Kunikida turned in his seat to face Ranpo comfortably. 

“You know,” he began awkwardly. “When Dazai first figured out you didn’t have an ability, the two of us marveled over you for quite some time. Among extraordinary people, to us, you were like a superhero.”

Ranpo’s eyes widened at the admission, diverting his eyes to Dazai to see him nodding along. 

“It was the most impressed I had been in…a really long time,” he said, his eyes flicking briefly to Ango, recalling him as one of the people he used to be fascinated by. 

Atsushi wanted to speak. A part of him felt guilty. This would never have been happening if Dazai hadn't told him the truth. However, he could see the situation already deescalating around him and not needing his input. 

“Remember the conclusion you drew back then?” Fukuzawa asked gently, knowing the root of Ranpo’s problem. “Compared to others, you are just extremely intelligent. There’s nothing marking you as different or an outcast. You’re just special. So brilliantly special. Don’t let the existence of an ability ever affect that.”

Ranpo blushed at the praise and nodded. “Yes, sir,” he mumbled. 

Dazai and Kunikida exchanged a successful look and grin. 

Fukuzawa observed him for a moment longer, assuring himself that the young man took his words to heart. The last thing he wanted was for him to digress into his previous state of mind, frantic and afraid of the people who lived like brainless sheep for slaughter. 

Fukuzawa took a seat between Ranpo and Yosano, leaving Ango stranded next to the Hunting Dogs and Chuuya. He adjusted his tie uncomfortably at the sudden departure. 

Poe played the scene. 

[An image of Dazai was shown. Osamu Dazai. Skill: No Longer Human. Annuls the skills of anyone he touches.]

Chuuya rolled his eyes. “Just when he finally left the scene, too,” he sighed. 

[Age: 22] 

[Likes: Suicide, alcohol, crab, MSG]

[Dislikes: Dogs, Nakahara Chuuya] 

Dazai snorted. 

“I’ll kill you,” Chuuya promised. 

“Liking MSG is so specific,” Teruko muttered under her breath. Jouno frowned slightly, hearing her clearly. 

“It specifically says that he likes MSG?” he asked incredulously. Teruko nodded, giving him a monotone narration of the words on the screen. 

“You hate dogs, Dazai-san?” Atsushi noted. Kyouka gave a small hum of approval. 

Dazai shivered. “They’re evil,” he said gravely. “Just as bad as the chibi here on the detestable scale.”

“I’ll kill you,” Chuuya repeated, louder. He began to reach over Sigma who yelped and ducked. 

“Ah, no, Sigma, protect me!” Dazai pouted, using his childlike voice. 

“Move aside, Sigma,” Chuuya said seriously. “I have a bastard to kill.”

Sigma cowered in place. “You’re both crazy!” he yelled. 

The onlookers exchanged glances. 

“Y’know,” Lucy said. “I think that’s the loudest I’ve heard that Sigma guy speak.”

“I almost feel bad for him,” Tachihara laughed. 

“At least he’s breaking out of his shell…?” Atsushi laughed warily. 

Kunikida let out a bone-deep sigh. 

Ango smiled privately, a familiar bickering playing out in front of him, a reminder of an overdramatic teenager breaking into his office to complain about his loudmouth partner.  

Fukuzawa put his arm around his 26-year-old man-child’s shoulders. 

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly. 

Ranpo nodded, leaning into him. “Yeah,” he said. “Like you said, I’m still special, right?”

“The most special,” Fukuzawa agreed. 

Ranpo smiled. “That’s what’s important. I’ll keep protecting the world’s idiots with my special abilities, then.”

Fukuzawa huffed in amusement. “I’m proud of you,” he said.

Ranpo lay his head on the older man’s shoulder, quietly taking in the scene.  

Chapter Text

Fukuzawa watched as Kenji rubbed his eye tiredly and let out a small yawn just as the next episode began to start. Ranpo was beginning to droop onto his shoulder as well, and he believed it was near time for Kunikida’s own set bedtime. 

With that in mind, he cleared his throat. 

“Why don’t we call it a night,” he suggested, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Poe-san, would you be so kind as to conjure a bowl of tofu soup for Kenji-kun? I don’t believe he ate earlier.”

“Oh, of course,” Edgar said, doing so immediately. 

Kenji was at his side in an instant. “Thank you, Poe-san!”

He looked to the president for reassurance, received a nod, and then began eating freely. The warmth of the soup settled into his stomach, causing him to hum in satisfaction. 

Ango checked his watch for the time. He blinked tiredly. ‘If I sleep now, would I even manage to wake up?’ he wondered, not having slept since goodness knew when. 

“Are we all just going to sleep out in the open?” Tachihara asked, slightly uncomfortable by the notion. Having his back to everyone in his sleep sounded like a surefire way to die.  

Ranpo nodded. “Sleepovers are great bonding opportunities,” he said sleepily. His mind felt fried after the long day. 

“Girls will sleep separately, though,” Yosano declared. While she wouldn’t mind sleeping beside her coworkers, years of intimacy already between them, she didn’t want the younger girls to feel uncomfortable. 

Higuchi let out a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was for her subordinates, and worse, Akutagawa, to see her messy bedhead. 

Without prompting, Poe silently created bathrooms for them, two separate doors forming side by side. Connected to the girls’ bathroom, for their privacy, he created another room near-identical to the one they resided in. 

The group slowly began to stand, blankets pooling around their feet. Poe took the initiative to summon sleepwear for them, too. 

Plain cotton shirts and pants appeared in the air, dropping into everyone’s hands. 

“Thank you,” a few people said awkwardly, hurrying to the bathrooms. 

Before long, only Chuuya, Sigma, and Dazai remained sitting. A few feet away from them, Karl was washing his hands and face in a bowl of water Poe left for him before digging into a fish.

Dazai sighed, rising. “I suppose we should get ready for bed, too,” he said, eyeing Kenji who had already passed out atop a pile of blankets.

Chuuya followed his gaze before huffing. He made his way to the boy and gently lifted his head, placing a pillow under it, then pulled a blanket over his body. 

“Always making me do the work,” he grumbled. 

“I didn’t even say anything!” Dazai argued. 

“I know your manipulation tactics,” he shot back. 

Sigma lumbered after them into the bathroom. It was fairly large and housed a set of lockers in the back. They undressed around the other men, folding their clothes neatly and placing them into the lockers, then washing their teeth and faces. 

They went through the motions methodically when suddenly, they heard a scream from the women’s side. 

Dazai and Tachihara instantly snickered. “Poor Gin,” Dazai laughed. 

Akutagawa rubbed a tired hand over his face. “This always happens…” 

He coughed into his hand. 

Atsushi eyed him warily. “What do you mean?” he asked hesitantly. 

Akutagawa looked like he wanted to bite Atsushi’s finger off before backing off resignedly, the tension leaving his body. “My sister disguises herself as a man in the mafia so as not to be underestimated. It comes as quite a shock for the people who don’t know.”

Atsushi’s eyes widened. “Your sister?”

In the adjacent room, Gin was blushing as she awkwardly cleared her throat. 

“You were a girl this whole time?” Higuchi screeched. 

“Wow, you’re really pretty,” Naomi said, interrupting Higuchi’s mental breakdown. 

Gin turned away shyly. “Thanks,” she mumbled. 

Finished before the others, Kunikida checked up on Kenji’s sleeping form, ascertaining he was comfortable before settling down beside him. 

The men reconvened in the main room while the women did the same in their own. 

“We’re all putting a lot of trust in each other sleeping like this,” Kunikida said. “I trust that no one will break it.”

Everyone let out a rattled exhale, trepidation and fear rising in them as they fretted over getting attacked in their sleep. 

Tecchou cleared his throat. “Jouno, you should wear your headphones,” he stated succinctly. 

Jouno cocked his head to the side. “Are you sure?” he asked. If he wore his headphones, he’d be vulnerable, both his vision and hearing impaired. Then again, if he didn't wear them in a room of people this large, he would likely never manage to sleep and only frustrate himself. 

“I sleep lightly,” Tecchou said. The message ‘I’ll watch your back,’ hung in the air, a silent promise between them. 

Jouno nodded, placing himself in the leftmost corner of the room. He slipped on his headphones, casting him into silence. Every heartbeat, every breath, every overstimulating rush of blood that he heard became absent from the room. 

He shifted uncomfortably, still able to smell them, but lacking one of the senses that kept him alive. 

The smell of Tecchou’s sweat as he began to do push-ups beside him had never been more welcome. He still shoved Tecchou’s body roughly aside, though. He couldn’t let the other man know he was allowed to sleep beside him smelling like a teenager’s gym bag, after all. 

Tachihara sighed, unable to join them, but knowing Akutagawa was probably also one of the safest people to be sleeping beside. 

Akutagawa himself had to step back into the bathroom, a coughing fit beginning as soon as he lay down. He looked at himself in the mirror. 

‘Is it getting worse?’ he wondered, thinking of his cough. ‘Or is it merely my imagination spurred by the knowledge of my short life?’

He shed his shirt and pants quickly, already feeling naked without his coat, and began to inspect his injuries. He had been open to sleeping without checking them, but as he was already in the restroom, he figured it wouldn’t hurt. 

Besides, his sister and Higuchi would have his head if they knew he didn’t apply the medication for the burns he got from the boat explosion. 

He dabbed it on delicately, then observed his leg that the Hunting Dog had stabbed. 

Atsushi watched him curiously upon his return, but lay down without a word. 

Slowly but surely, the different groups settled down and Poe dimmed the lights until they were cast in darkness. 

For a few minutes, the only sounds were of ruffling bed sheets and pillows. Soon enough, even those sounds ceased and were followed by soft breathing. 

The only one who remained fidgeting was Chuuya. He bit his lip in discomfort. While he never remembered his dreams, he knew he could get loud from the terror of what he assumed were nightmares, or rather, the memories he kept locked somewhere in his mind. 

Dazai nudged him with his foot. “You can sleep,” he whispered. “I probably won’t sleep for long, anyway, so I’ll wake you up if you start making sounds.”

Chuuya leaned uncomfortably into his pillow. He nodded. “Don’t be lying to me now,” he murmured. 

“Course not,” Dazai replied teasingly. Then, more seriously, said, “We can sleep in shifts. I’ll wake you up when I get tired.”

Chuuya nodded, finally closing his eyes. 

He was shaken awake a few hours later, as always with no recollection of his dreams. 

He felt sweat beading his forehead and his heart was pounding in his chest. He sat up quickly, breathing shakily. 

Dazai sat up beside him. Chuuya nodded his thanks, running a hand through his drenched bangs. He pushed Dazai down by the shoulder carelessly. He was too paranoid that others would hear him to try sleeping again so soon. 

Dazai nodded, closing his eyes and resigned to attempting to sleep at least a few hours before he inevitably woke again. 

The two of them continued like that for hours, a reminder of long missions and longer nights fighting insomnia and each other. 

Eventually, when Chuuya opened his eyes again, he was well-rested and the lights were dimmed. He pushed himself up. 

Near the front of the room, Fukuzawa, Kunikida, and Dazai sat beside each other, cups of tea in hand. Poe sat at a low table nursing his own cup, Karl playing with his hair. 

Ango was sitting up, staring into nothing in particular, his eyes zoned out. He looked as if he barely slept, which, Chuuya supposed, made sense given his usually long work hours. 

Chuuya gave a slight bow to Fukuzawa before settling down at the table. Fukuzawa offered him a cup of tea which Chuuya took gratefully. 

“You look like shit,” he whispered to Dazai. Truthfully, he looked as he always did, which was all the more reason for Chuuya to say it. 

Dazai took a sip and flipped him off with a smile. 

Kenji exited the bathroom, a joyous smile already on his face despite the early hour. 

Chuuya turned to Dazai incredulously. 

“Kenji-kun lives on a farm,” Dazai explained, stretching his arms to purposefully smack Kunikida’s glasses askew, earning him a light slap on the shoulder. “He’s used to early mornings.”

Chuuya nodded, impressed. 

Eventually, the rest of the group began to wake up. 

“Good morning!” Kenji greeted everyone without fail. Ango looked up from where he was folding a blanket, finally having decided to move along with his day. 

“Good morning, Kenji-kun,” he replied. 

Kenji took the other end of the blanket and began to help him. “Are you excited to watch more?” he asked. “TVs are so fascinating to me. I don’t usually have much of a chance to watch anything on one.”

Ango adjusted his glasses, meeting Kenji’s folds in the middle. “I suppose, yes,” he said formally. Kenji’s brightness was undeterred. 

Soon, everyone had done their morning routine and changed their clothes. Tecchou was doing his morning exercises in a corner while others took quick showers or ate breakfast. 

Eventually, they all settled down again, the girls rejoining them. Dazai pulled Sigma toward the detectives and placed him between himself and Chuuya, Kunikida on his other side. He pointedly avoided looking in Ango’s direction. 

Lucy exchanged eye contact with Poe before going to sit next to Atsushi and Kyouka again. 

Poe scanned the room, noticing everyone settling down. “Play,” he declared. 

The scene opened up on the bustling street of one of Yokohama’s shopping districts. Floods of people walking along the street passed through the camera’s view. Standing out was a lone girl leaning against a wall. 

The camera panned closer. It was Kyouka, her head down, patiently waiting for something. 

“Kyouka-chan, it’s you!” Atsushi cheered, bumping shoulders with her. She smiled, his energy washing over her. 

“Yeah,” she replied. 

“Hey, ‘i’l lady,” a drunk man said, approaching her. “You waitin’ for someone?”

Kyouka remained silent. 

“Ew,” Yosano said with a turn of her head. “Drunk in broad daylight?”

[Title card: Chapter 7 - Kill a Man, and Die Thee Too, Part 1]

Kyouka put her hands together, her face blank of emotions. Two men watched her. 

“She hasn’t moved since yesterday,” one mentioned. “Is she dead?”

Lucy wrinkled her nose. “What creeps,” she said. 

“Seriously,” Naomi agreed. 

Kyouka looked between the two girls in slight confusion. She had been fine, after all. She could take care of herself, too, if anything had happened. 

“I was fine,” she said plainly. 

“That doesn’t make it okay,” Yosano replied before either of the other girls could. She held Kyouka’s gaze. Kyouka nodded, turning back to the screen. Atsushi offered her a small smile. 

Kyouka blinked. 

“Ah!” the other exclaimed. “She blinked just now!”

Her eyes snapped up. 

“Oh!” the first one said. “She moved!”

“Wait,” Tanizaki said. “You were waiting there for a whole day?” 

“I was trained to be very patient,” Kyouka replied. 

Atsushi glared at Akutagawa from the corner of his eye. No child should be forced to learn how to stand unmovingly for such a long period of time. He would know.  

“I wonder how she turned out great when you turned out so…you,” Dazai sniffed at Chuuya.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he yelled. 

A familiar bolo tie and coat crossed into the view of the camera, attempting to pass by. 

Atsushi was startled. “Dazai-san, is that you?” he asked. 

“Hm?” Dazai hummed. “Oh, yes. Kyouka and I had our own little meeting.”

Kyouka’s eyes widened, remembering their meeting for the first time. It hadn't been relevant to her back then so she had paid little attention to it. 

“Sorry,” she said, turning around and bowing in her seat. Dazai shook his hands as if to dissipate her worry. 

“No worries,” he said. “If I hadn’t wanted it to happen, it wouldn’t have.”

Oddly enough, Kyouka believed him. 

Kyouka clutched the back of the coat. 

Dazai turned around confusedly. “—hm?” He saw the little girl. “Me…?”

“Found you,” she said. The air swirled around her, her ability activating. 

Dazai looked up, his eyes wide as he saw it. 

“Oh my,” he said, appearing slightly terrified. 

Chuuya rolled his eyes. “Scheming bastard,” he cursed. “Why put on an act?”

Dazai shrugged. “It was more fun that way,” he said childishly. 

Atsushi looked between them, confused. 

Kunikida shook his head. "Of course it was," he sighed, used to it. 

Teruko huffed. "I don't like being out of the loop," she declared, resting her cheek on her hand. 

"I'm sure we'll see soon enough," Tecchou consoled. 

The screen transitioned to show the outside of the agency.  

“Dazai went missing again?” Kunikida deadpanned. 

“He’s not answering his phone,” Atsushi fretted. “And he’s not at the boarding house either.”

Kunikida, Kenji, and Ranpo looked bored listening to him. 

“Probably the river again,” Kunikida sighed. 

“Did he bury himself again?” Kenji wondered brightly. 

“Back in prison, no doubt,” Ranpo said. 

“No trust in me!” Dazai wailed. 

“Sorry, Dazai-san,” Kenji laughed. 

“Maybe we’d trust you more if you stopped disappearing on us,” Kunikida deadpanned. “If we worried each time you went missing, no one would get any real work done."

Tachihara raised a finger. "Are we going to ignore that they implied Dazai-san's been to prison? During his stay with the Armed Detective Agency?"

Dazai pouted. "It was a misunderstanding," he whined. 

"It was a pain in my ass, is what it was," Kunikida huffed. 

Tachihara looked between the two. "That answered nothing, thanks."

Atsushi sweatdropped. 

Then, a little more seriously, he said, “But after the other day’s events…could it be that the mafia got to him, or…?” 

Dazai threw himself onto Atsushi, trampling a few people in the process. “This is why Atsushi-kun’s my favorite!”

Atsushi laughed brightly, maneuvering out of his hold. 

Akutagawa twitched irritatedly. 'He doesn't know how good he has it, earning Dazai-san's favor so easily. He doesn't even put in any effort for it!' 

Kunikida scoffed. “Please,” he said. “That man’s survival instinct is out of this world. Let me remind you, he’s attempted suicide dozens of times but survived none the worse for wear.”

He set down his teacup and continued. “If he can’t even kill himself, how could the mafia ever manage it?”

“I’ll find a way,” Chuuya promised, deadly serious. 

Dazai pouted mockingly. “How can you, when a pipsqueak like you can’t even reach my neck?”

Chuuya lunged for a pillow and smacked it into his face. Dazai yelped, caught off-guard. Sigma and Kunikida exchanged looks of exasperation over their heads. 

“But…”

“I’ll look into it!” a voice called. 

Atsushi and Kunikida stood to see who it was. 

Atsushi’s eyes sparkled once he saw Tanizaki waving, unhurt and healed.

“Tanizaki-san!” Atsushi exclaimed. “You’re all right!?”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that,” Tachihara muttered. 

Tanizaki sighed. 

Kunikida adjusted his glasses. “You owe much to Yosano-sensei’s treatment,” he said. “Tanizaki. How many times did she take you apart?”

Tanizaki paled, a shiver running through him. “Four times,” he admitted, dropping his head down depressingly. 

“Uh, what does that mean?” Tachihara asked. 

Yosano grinned. “Remember, I said I liked to get creative with it…”

Tachihara paled. “Oh, dear lord, no,” he said. “I’m not touching whatever that means with a 10-foot pole.”

"That would be advisable," Atsushi said with a chuckle. Lucy glanced at him curiously. 

“Ooooof,” Kunikida, Ranpo, and Kenji said as one. 

Atsushi sent them a questioning glance. 

Tanizaki dropped into a squat, clutching his head, trembling. “Atsushi-kun,” he said. “Whatever you do in this agency, do not allow yourself to get hurt.”

Atsushi blanched, wondering what was so fearful about it. 

“I…worry for you guys,” Tachihara chuckled. 

“You should,” Atsushi sighed. 

“It’s your fault for not running the moment you knew it was you versus the mafia,” Kunikida said as he crossed his arms. 

“Astute observation,” Gin wrote. 

Tachihara eyed her judgmentally. “They’ve heard your voice already, bro,” he said. “Just talk out loud. 

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Gin wrote, eyes sharpening like blades. 

Tachihara threw up his hands in surrender. 

Ranpo plopped down onto the couch with a huff and a smile. “That’s called ‘having a knack for avoiding trouble’—a real survival instinct,” he said. “So, like this—” He pulled out a pocket watch. “Danger’s coming in about ten seconds.”

Higuchi raised her eyebrows. “How could you tell?” she asked. 

Ranpo tapped his temple. “Haven’t you heard?” he asked sassily. “I’m a genius.” Then, as an afterthought, said, “You get a sense for these things after being around them for so long.”

A small question mark hovered beside Atsushi. 

A loud yawn resounded from behind them. 

Yosano walked through the agency’s entrance, a hand covering her mouth while the other rubbed the back of her head. She looked beautiful for someone who had just woken up. 

Naomi cheered, clapping her hands. “It’s Yosano-sensei!” she exclaimed. 

Yosano narrowed her eyes. “Hold on,” she said carefully. “Ranpo, you wouldn’t have happened to be talking about me, right?”

Ranpo coughed, grabbing Karl off of Poe’s head. “C’mere, Karl. Good raccoon, good boy.”

“Answer the question!” Yosano snapped. 

Ranpo held Karl out, covering his face. “Save me from the scary lady, Karl,” he whispered loudly. 

“Scary lady?” she screeched. 

'Here they go again,' Fukuzawa thought wearily. 'Just when I think they're all grown up...'

“Great, I overslept,” she said, her heels clacking against the tiled ground. 

‘That’s what she looks like when she just wakes up,’ Higuchi thought in disbelief. “You’re really beautiful,” she said aloud. 

Yosano paused from where she was trying to reach over Karl to hit Ranpo with her heel. “Oh,” she said, not expecting the sudden compliment from the mafioso. “Thank you,” she said genuinely. 

“Yosano-san?” Atsushi asked, greeting her for the first time. Tanizaki shuddered behind him. 

“Ah,” Yosano stopped mid-step. “You’re Atsushi, the new recruit? And injuries…?”

“No, I’m fine,” he replied. 

She turned her head in disappointment. “Darn.”

Teruko snorted. “I like her,” she commented to Tecchou who sighed. 

“You would,” he said. 

Teruko turned to him with a frown. “What do you mean by that, my dear Tecchou.”

Tecchou turned away decisively. Ranpo sent him a look of acknowledgment. “You too, huh?” he hummed. 

Atsushi sweatdropped yet again at the response. 

“Y’know,” Tachihara mused. “I think Atsushi’s the most normal one.”

“Thank you,” Atsushi said, satisfied by the analysis. 

Dazai cocked his head to the side. “You sound just a bit too relieved by that, Atsushi-kun.”

Atsushi chuckled, notably not responding. 

Tanizaki confusedly frowned. “Atsushi-kun is most definitely not the most normal,” he muttered. 

Yosano put a finger to her lips. “By the way,” she said, her head swiveling around the agency. “I wanted to ask for help carrying a few things while I go shopping…looks like you’re the only one here.”

She placed her hand on her hips. 

Atsushi looked around, surprised. “Wha—!?”

All four men that had been standing behind him had disappeared. 

‘Is that what he meant by a “survival instinct”...?’ Atsushi thought, paling. 

Yosano’s eye twitched. “Poe-san,” she said. “I think you’d better take your raccoon back.”

Poe gulped, hurriedly snatching Karl away. 

“No! Poe-kun, you traitor!” Ranpo cried as Yosano charged at him. 

Tanizaki leaned into Kenji and Kunikida. “Good thing she’s not targeting us,” he whispered. 

The two nodded solemnly. 

Chapter Text

The scene cut to the shopping district again. Yosano walked ahead of Atsushi, her medical suitcase in hand. Atsushi was practically drowning in a pile of teetering boxes and shopping bags.

Akutagawa coughed into his hand immediately. 

Atsushi eyed him warily. ‘Was that actually a cough, or was he laughing at me?’ he wondered. 

“Yeesh,” Tachihara commented. “Now I get why you all ran away.”

Yosano’s head snapped to him from where she was towering over Ranpo, the two of them sprawled on the floor. 

“I don’t discriminate,” she said dangerously. “I will beat you up.”

He pressed his lips together. ‘Why are all the women I know terrifying?’ he thought miserably for the millionth time in his life. 

“Better not drop anything, okay?” Yosano warned with a smile. 

“Um,” Atsushi began. “Do you still have more to buy? Because if you do—?”

“I-if I do…?”

She turned her head to face him and grinned menacingly. He laughed awkwardly, afraid to continue speaking. 

Yosano finally freed Ranpo from her clutches. He sighed in relief, then pouted at Poe. “Can’t believe you let her attack me like that,” he sighed. 

Poe glanced to the side before darting back to him. “Sorry,” he said, then held his hand out like an offering. 

Ranpo extended his hand curiously so that Poe could drop what he was holding into it. He turned his hand around to see a chocolate bar clasped in his palm. 

“Oh,” he said, surprised. “You’re forgiven.”

Poe smiled privately. ‘I think I understand you now,’ he thought victoriously. 

As Atsushi walked, Kyouka passed by him. He stilled, feeling her presence. The background faded away into nothing as they stood back to back, as if they alone existed in the world for the moment. 

Kyouka glanced behind her, Atsushi doing the same. They caught each other’s gaze. 

Atsushi’s pupils dilated. 

Atsushi snapped to attention. “That was you?” he exclaimed. 

Kyouka was similarly surprised, her lips parted in awe. Were the two of them fated to meet, she wondered. If so, did that mean fate dictated her place on the side of the pure and good—Atsushi’s side—from the beginning? Or was she lying to herself to wash the blood off of her hands, the proof that she was always meant to reside in the shadows of the mafia? 

“Huh,” Dazai remarked. “Interesting.”

Kunikida looked between the duo. “What was that?” he asked. 

Atsushi shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s hard to explain, but sometimes I get these feelings—instinct, almost, I guess. It mostly happens when I’m fighting.”

“Handy,” Ranpo noted. 

“That’s pretty cool,” Chuuya said, impressed. 

Dazai turned to him. 

“Don’t look at me,” Chuuya snapped. 

“What did I do?” Dazai exclaimed. 

Chuuya shook his head. “If I began the list it would never end,” he deadpanned. 

The background of the street returned, and after another second, Kyouka turned around and continued on her path. Atsushi remained staring at her retreating figure. 

Atsushi smiled. “Guess we were destined to meet, huh, Kyouka-chan?”

Kyouka’s eyes sparkled, a soft smile spreading on her face. If Atsushi said it, then did that mean it was true?

Ango watched their interaction fondly. He hated stories with bittersweet endings. People destined to meet should stay together, not drift apart. He was glad that Atsushi and Kyouka had found their way to each other. 

People like them, ability users with difficult pasts who found eventual happiness, made his grueling job worthwhile. It was rare to meet them, but their existence itself helped push him to work just one day longer. 

A woman passing by bumped into Atsushi, causing the tower of goods in his hands to wobble. A dozen lemons began to tumble out of a grocery bag to the floor. 

“Uh-oh,” Naomi said, sensing something about to happen. 

The camera zoomed into a man arguing on his phone. “Useless scum!” the man yelled. “Send a pickup right now!”

Jouno frowned judgmentally. “His voice sounds like nails scratching down a chalkboard,” he said with distaste, covering his ears lightly. 

Tecchou and Teruko shivered. 

“Please don’t give us that imagery,” Teruko shuddered. 

The lemons rolled down the street toward him. He stepped on one and tripped, falling to the floor. 

“Waggh!?” he cried as he fell. 

Tanizaki winced. 

“Oh, dear,” Kenji intoned. 

Sigma stilled, trepidation over the inevitable encounter rising in his chest. 

“Ahh…” Yosano said calmly while Atsushi yelled in a panic. 

“Are you okay, sir!?” he asked, rushing to the trembling man. 

The man wheeled around and rose.  His veins bulged in annoyance. “How dare you!?” he yelled. “I custom-ordered this suit from a European designer!”

Jouno grimaced. “Please, shut up,” he groaned. 

“Does his voice sound that bad?” Yosano asked curiously. 

Jouno nodded. “The vibrations grate on each other,” he said, forcing himself not to clutch at the side of his head. 

She balked. “You can hear vibrations?” 

“I hear everything,” he deadpanned. He debated the pros and cons of wearing his headphones, just to muffle the sound rather than completely mute it. He hoped the scene with the man would end quickly before he was forced to decide. 

Chuuya, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes. “That suit isn’t even that expensive,” he said, scrunching his nose. 

Poe hummed. “That is what I was thinking, as well. To cause such a fuss over such a small thing…”

He shook his head disapprovingly. 

Dazai rolled his eyes instantly once Chuuya spoke. “You’ve changed,” he sighed mournfully. He turned to Sigma. “There was once a time he hated spending more than 10,000 yen, you know. Capitalism truly changes a man.”

Atsushi looked back at the screen. “Was it really not that expensive?” he wondered aloud. 

Lucy instantly shook her head. “Don’t take Poe-san’s word as a reference,” she advised. “He’s filthy rich and doesn’t bother looking at price tags.”

Atsushi shuddered at the mere thought. 

Ranpo eyed Poe with newfound interest. “Huh.”

Poe cocked his head to the side. “I sense that this knowledge will lead to a sudden decrease in my bank account for an investment toward baked goods,” he said with a small chuckle. 

Ranpo beamed victoriously. “It’s like you read my mind!”

Atsushi flinched at the revelation. “I—I’m truly sorry, sir…” he said. 

Yosano dropped to one knee, brushing off the man’s pants. “Please forgive him,” she said. “Are you hurt, sir?” She smiled prettily, her eyes creasing. 

“That man is in grave danger,” Ranpo said seriously. 

“You shouldn’t have been so polite,” Naomi huffed while Lucy nodded her agreement. 

Teruko practically brimmed with frustration at the sight. 

“Shut up!” he yelled, kicking her off. She fell to the floor, both her knees now on the ground. “Who do you think I am? Know your place, woman! I could buy and sell people like you with a single phone call—”

Ranpo winced. 

“What the heck?” Teruko cried angrily. 

“Oh, he deserves what’s coming,” Dazai said. 

Kunikida nodded. “The loudest men are always the weakest.”

Atsushi looked over his shoulder to glance at Kunikida, not having expected him to say that. 

As the man ranted, he hadn’t noticed Yosano’s gloved hand grabbing hold of his index finger. She bent it backward until it broke. 

Chuuya nodded approvingly while Sigma winced at the snapping sound. 

“Know my place?”A wicked grin overtook her face. “Well, a thousand pardons, sir. Would it be more womanly for me to crush your puny xxxxx under my heel, perhaps?”

The audio censored out her words with a beeping sound as the man blanched in fear. 

Dazai snorted upon hearing the censorship of the cuss word. 

Higuchi cackled. Akutagawa, baffled, coughed, covering his mouth before turning to her. 

Higuchi wiped at her eyes. “Oh, that was so good, Yosano-sensei,” she breathed. “I’m your new fan.”

Yosano grinned, shooting her a finger gun. 

Tachihara’s eyebrows raised. He may hate the woman, but even he could admit that was an impressive comeback. 

‘Damn it,’ he thought, a horrified realization dawning on him. ‘I cannot be getting soft. No way…’ 

He shot the Hunting Dogs a worried look. Years of work and turmoil went into getting his revenge. He could not back out after he’d gotten so far. He refused. 

Hearing his heart rate rising, Jouno turned to him. He cocked his head, silently asking after him. 

With no private method of communication, Tachihara sighed. Jouno pressed his lips together before giving Tecchou a nudge. 

“Next break, go sit closer to them,” he whispered. 

Tecchou looked at him, then Teruko, who shrugged. If Jouno recommended it, there was probably a good reason, they thought in sync. Tecchou nodded his agreement. 

Atsushi shuddered. She turned toward him, causing him to flinch. She nodded, gesturing for him to follow. 

Yosano turned to Atsushi. “What was that flinch, Atsushi?” she questioned. 

“It’s a reasonable reaction!” he protested. 

The scene cut to the two of them sitting side by side on the subway. 

“Um, sorry about earlier,” Atsushi said glumly. 

Yosano waved him off. “There’s no need to be,” she said. “Oh, and by the way, I recall hearing the mafia removed one of your legs?”

“So casual about it,” Lucy huffed in amusement. 

“Right?” Atsushi agreed. 

“Yeah,” Atsushi replied, remembering the incident of his leg being torn off. 

She pulled his leg onto her lap. “Hmm,” she mused. “It’s a rather nice leg too.” 

“Oh,” Tachihara balked. “That’s…a choice.”

Chuuya held himself carefully still. ‘Creepy ass doctors,’ he thought with dread. ‘None of them are normal.’

She pulled his leg onto her lap. “Hmm,” she mused. “It’s a rather nice leg too.” 

She pulled his pants up to rest above his knee. 

“Gahh!?” he exclaimed. 

Yosano ignored him, observing his leg. ‘No scars, stitches…This is more than simple healing,’ she thought. ‘Did the tiger regenerate this instantly?’

‘I guess she really is a good doctor,’ Lucy thought. 

Atsushi blinked. ‘Oh,’ he realized. ‘That’s what she was checking for.’

He had chalked it up to one of the eccentricities that came with being a detective, at the time. Now, he felt a little guilty for not realizing she was actually doing her job. 

She poked at his knee, causing him to giggle.

“U-um…Is there a problem?” he asked. 

Lucy smiled slightly upon seeing his ticklishness. He seemed so normal, sometimes. It was refreshing. 

“I’m surprised you aren’t more freaked out,” Tachihara commented. 

“He’s becoming immune,” Dazai nodded knowingly. 

Atsushi smiled warily. “I don’t think I like the sound of that…”

‘Are we really that strange?’ Kunikida wondered, before sighing. ‘Yes, we are,’ he admitted.

Yosano let him put his leg down. “No,” she said. “Just a shame I couldn’t treat it myself. That’s all. You won’t be so lucky next time though.”

‘She’s blunt,’ Lucy noted. 

“Huh?”

“The mafia attempted a head-on approach with us last time, but their real forte lies in covert, undercover ops. I’d watch myself at night if I were you,” she warned. “There’s no telling when, or where, they might strike.”

Tachihara privately grinned. ‘Undercover ops, eh?’ he snarked in his mind. 

Gin raised an eyebrow, noticing his smug look. “She meant me, obviously,” she wrote. 

Tachihara rolled his eyes. ‘If only you knew,’ he thought. 

Akutagawa privately thought of his own history of undercover ops. He subtly shrugged his shoulders. ‘I’m not so bad at it,’ he thought. 

Tanizaki hummed, thinking of Higuchi’s brief stint undercover. “Huh,” he said. “I guess they do.”

‘Yeah,’ Atsushi thought. ‘I’m the one they’re after. I should be able to protect myself…’

The intercom fizzled to life. “Ahhhh,” a voice said over it. “This is from the conductor’s room. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we’re about to conduct…a bit of a physics experiment!”

Chuuya’s gaped. “I know that voice,” he said warily. 

Gin gave an unimpressed look at the screen, her disdain clear. 

“Who is it?” Lucy asked. 

Atsushi, not knowing how to respond, sighed. 

“A maniac,” Yosano said blandly. 

“Last I heard, you two were drinking buddies,” Dazai said, glancing at Chuuya. 

Chuuya shrugged. “He’s surprisingly funny for, as you said, a maniac.” Chuuya’s eyes narrowed. “Hold on, why do you know that? Are you stalking me, you bastard?”

Dazai smiled mysteriously. Sigma and Kunikida exchanged judging looks over his head. While Sigma’s was slightly frantic in his confusion, Kunikida’s was resigned and accepting. 

Atsushi and Yosano sat up in surprise. 

“We’ll be examining and evaluating the reaction on non-inertial mass to a sudden percussive force!” he continued. 

Tanizaki frowned. “I don’t think I like the sound of that,” he said. 

Kunikida, who read Atsushi and Yosano’s reports, thoroughly agreed. 

“Seems like a blast, from the sounds of it,” Teruko snickered. 

“That wasn’t funny,” Jouno immediately said just as Tachihara snorted. 

Gin shook her head at him in disbelief. 

“It was funny!” he protested. 

Passengers began clinging to each other in fright, looking up at the intercom as the man spoke. 

“Okay, maybe it isn’t funny,” Tachihara conceded glumly watching the screen. 

“The subjects of this experiment are you, our beloved ridership! Thank you sooo much for your cooperation! So! To start out, if you listen to this—”

The train began to rumble. An explosion went off inside one of the compartments. Atsushi and Yosano were jolted forward by the shockwave. 

“I believe that killed two or three of you, yes?” The scene cut to show dead bodies and blood scattered along one of the compartments. “But our next test is a cut above this one. On the first and last cars of this train are enough explosives to send you all to the moon!”

Tecchou’s hand found its way to his sword, gripping tightly around it. His hatred of the man grew. Anyone who dealt with precious human lives as tools for an experiment deserved the sharp end of his sword. 

Sigma winced at the sight. Kenji frowned in empathetic sadness over the deaths. 

Jouno attempted to rub the residual ringing of the blast from his ears irritatedly. 

“What a fascinating character,” Poe enthused, the sight of blood and corpses not fazing him in the least. 

Ranpo turned to him nonjudgmentally. 

Poe blinked. “I mean…”

His lips clamped together. He knew he could come off as odd, had been told so for his entire life, in fact. His tendency to swoon over the dark and grotesque was something others considered outlandish and bizarrely horrendous. The mark of a psychopath, one had once called it. 

Ranpo shook his head. “No, no need to explain yourself to me,” he said, shrugging it off.

Poe looked as if the stars had been hung up in the sky for his sake with the way his expression lit up. 

Yosano looked between the two judgmentally. 

Kajii was shown, one of his legs pressing against who was likely the operator of the subway. He grinned into the intercom speaker. 

“Now, Atsushi-kun,” he said. “You’ll be my representative test subject! Either you present your head to me right now…or every passenger on this train’s punching a ticket to heaven!”

He ended the announcement with a smirk. 

‘I swear if Kajii makes the atmosphere awkward again right after it's been calmed down, I’ll beat him up as soon as we’re out of here,’ Tachihara thought. 

Atsushi trembled. “Wha…!?”

“Well, speak of the devil!” Yosano said, rising from her seat. 

“Awfully calm of you,” Jouno noted, angling his head to Yosano. 

“Please, this isn't anything I haven’t experienced at the agency on the regular,” Yosano said simply. 

Her answer caused the detectives to smile. 

“I’m not sure that’s something to be smug about,” Jouno hummed. 

Yosano rested her hands on her hips as Atsushi got to his feet. 

“Option 1,” she said. “Give yourself up. Option 2: leap off a train running full-speed with all the other passengers. Option 3…”

“Get rid of the bad guys?” he asked. 

She smirked, nodding. Atsushi appeared resolute in his decision. 

“After all,” Yosano said. “We’re the Armed Detective Agency!”

Chuuya raised a judgemental eyebrow. “This is starting to sound a lot like some magic of friendship nonsense.”

“Chibi’s just jealous that he has no friends,” Dazai said without missing a beat. Chuuya growled in response, lunging past Sigma to reach for Dazai. 

“Yosano-sensei’s so cool,” Higuchi whispered, ignoring the slap fight breaking out near her. 

Sigma curled into a ball, begging Kunikida with his eyes to save him. 

“Wait,” a fellow passenger said, rising in his seat. It was the same rude man from before. “You’re from the Armed Detective Agency? Then do something!”

“I’d kill him if I were there,” Tachihara said simply and completely honestly, his mafia side fully transparent. “No way would I let someone rude start demanding things from me.”

“Fair enough,” Teruko said. “I’d break at least three of his bones.”

Jouno couldn’t even be upset as he nodded his agreement. 

‘I work with a group of sadists,’ Tecchou sighed. 

“Well, well,” Yosano said smugly. “We aren’t a charity, you realize.”

“Name your price!” the man declared. “Just stop the bombs and save me!”

“Is that a formal request?”

“Yes! Yes!”

Yosano grinned. “Well, if you insist.”

“And…one more thing,” the man said, suddenly flushing, tapping the tips of his index fingers together. “When you said,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “you’d crush my xxxxx…was that a genuine offer, or…?”

Ranpo’s eyes opened and widened in horror. He covered his mouth, gagging. 

Yosano shuddered, remembering the moment clearly. Higuchi gaped in disbelief. 

Kenji looked around the room as several people covered their mouths in disgust. “What was the censored part?” he asked. 

Lucy, her disgust apparent, shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, kid.” She turned to Yosano. “Please tell me you killed him.”

Yosano sighed. “I wish.”

Fukuzawa couldn’t bring himself to scold her. Anyone who spoke to her that way deserved whatever was coming for him. 

Yosano looked like she wanted to kill him. She settled for thwacking him over the head. Atsushi paled as he heard something break in the man’s body. 

“At least something broke,” Jouno sighed. “Though I personally would have made him at least scream a little.”

Teruko bit her lip pleasantly at the thought. “Definitely,” she agreed. 

‘Sadists,’ Tecchou thought. ‘Though the man does deserve it.’ 

“Okay, Atsushi,” Yosano said, standing and taking her medicinal bag. “Let’s split up and defuse the bombs. I’ll handle the front. You take the back.”

“What if we run into the enemy?” Atsushi asked. 

Yosano grinned, already turned away from him. “Then we rip them apart!” 

With that, they began running in opposite directions. Yosano struggled to push through the frantic crowd of screaming civilians running to the opposite end of the subway. 

‘A bomb threat targeting a passenger train in broad daylight,’ she thought. ‘Surely, even the mafia knows this scheme will have major fallout. No, this must be how fixated they are on him.’

Atsushi leaned forward to look over to Tachihara, purposefully avoiding Akutagawa. “Yeah,” he said. “What’s up with that, anyway?” he asked. “Why do you guys want to get me so badly?”

He felt rather calm around the mafiosos now that they had spent a full day together without incident. He knew they wouldn’t attack, and even if they did, he was surrounded by his fellow detectives. 

Tachihara shrugged, turning to Hirotsu. 

Hirotsu angled his head to Akutagawa, who coughed. “The boss was commissioned by the Guild,” he shrugged. “I didn’t ask questions.”

Everyone then turned to Lucy and Poe. 

Lucy waved her hands around. “Don’t look at me, Poe-san is the higher-ranking one of the two of us!”

Poe pressed his lips together at the sudden attention. 

Ranpo took one glance at him before declaring, “You’re all no fun!” He crossed his arms and pouted. “You’re the types to look up spoilers before watching a movie, aren’t you?”

Atsushi laughed. He supposed that meant the answer would be revealed eventually and nodded. Poe gave Ranpo a thankful nod. 

Yosano finally made it to the front of the train. 

‘Who on earth is behind all this—’ she wondered, throwing open the last door. She stepped through, tripping on a lemon. Her heel pulled the pin on the lemon loose. 

Her eyes widened, realizing it was a lemon-shaped bomb. She tried to lean forward just as it went off, light filling the compartment. 

“Yosano-sensei!” Atsushi cried in surprise. Just what had she gone through while he had been with Kyouka, he wondered. 

“I’m fine,” Yosano said, waving it off. 

“Hmm!” he hummed excitedly. “Quite the surprise! Women are so tough nowadays.”

He stood, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Okay, what’s with all the men around you being so patronizing?” Lucy asked in distaste. 

“Woah, hey,” Ranpo said, waving his hands. “We are the men around her.” He gestured to the detectives. “Don’t lump us in with those nobodies.”

Yosano rested her arm on his head, forcing him down. “You’re really offended about all this, huh,” she noted. 

“Of course I am.” Ranpo scowled, crossing his arms. “They’re all brainless pigs speaking as if they were human.”

Atsushi’s eyebrows rose. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ranpo-san speak like that,’ he thought, exchanging looks with Kyouka. She, too, sat up in surprise. 

“Ranpo,” Fukuzawa said sternly. 

“Sorry not sorry,” Ranpo grumbled. 

Kenji let out a happy laugh. “Pigs are quite nicer than them, I think.”

“Ah. Right,” Ranpo corrected himself. “Monsters, then.”

“We do live in an age of equal rights,” Yosano responded. “But, to me, it’s more of a surprise to see a wanted criminal like you here…Kajii Motojirou! An explosives expert and one of the few known names in the ever-secretive mafia. The one who killed twenty-eight people in the Maruzen Building Bombing!”

Atsushi gaped. “Wait, he was that dangerous?” he exclaimed. 

“You didn’t know?” Yosano asked. 

“No!” Atsushi cried. 

Akutagawa stared at him unimpressed. ‘For someone hunted by the Port Mafia, he truly did no research on us,’ he thought. ‘I doubt it was arrogance on his part, which means he’s simply an idiot.’

Atsushi’s eyes narrowed. “I can’t tell what you're thinking, but I’m pretty sure you’re insulting me,” he grumbled, eyeing Akutagawa. 

“I am,” Akutagawa said simply. 

[Kajii Motojirou—Member, Port Mafia, Skill: Lemonade], a title card introduced. 

He smirked. “That was a great experiment!” He spun around, throwing his hands up in the air. “The falling pulses! The nerve cell dieoff from lack of oxygen! The lactic acidosis! Death is a symphonic suite of countless bodily changes. And it all leads to one inevitable conclusion! Ahhh!”

Yosano’s expression darkened. “You call death…an ‘experiment’?” 

Ranpo grinned, shrugging Yosano’s hand off his head. “He’s gonna get it now,” he sang ominously. 

Poe glanced between the two. ‘Ranpo-kun seems very protective of her,’ he noted. ‘I wonder how long they’ve known each other.’

Dazai frowned, though he appeared contemplative. He enjoyed hearing others’ thoughts on death, although they never matched his own. 

Kajii’s grin widened. “What lies at the ultimate apex of science? ‘God’ and ’Death!’” he declared. “Both concepts beguile mankind—the only two things science could never overcome!”

His smile became cruel, his eyes peered through the light reflected on his goggles. He held a lemon bomb in hand, his finger looped through its pin. “—The question is, what color is your death?”

“Why don’t you try to find out!?” 

Kyouka’s eyes sparkled as she watched Yosano. “So cool,” she mumbled. 

“Yosano-sensei really is cool, huh,” Atsushi said with a smile, noticing her. 

“The coolest!” Kenji agreed, overhearing. 

Yosano blinked her eyes dramatically. “Aw, you guys,” she swooned haughtily. 

At the other end of the subway, Atsushi was trying to work through the herd of civilians. 

‘If I fail to destroy that bomb…all these people are dead!’ He thought back to the passengers he had passed by, clinging to each other in fright. ‘But…am I even capable of it?’

“Have more confidence, Atsushi,” Yosano urged. “You did great!”

Kyouka nodded. “You saved me,” she said. 

Atsushi ruffled her hair. “You saved yourself,” he said. “I just helped.”

Kyouka looked up at him with big eyes. 

Tachihara turned to Gin. “Why can’t we be wholesome like them?” he asked. 

Gin looked him straight in the eye, then very slowly, lifted her middle finger. 

“Should’ve expected that,” he sighed. 

Kyouka dashed past him with a whoosh of wind, the bell on her kimono jingling musically. 

“No!” Atsushi warned. “It’s dangerous! The bomb is over there!”

Kyouka answered her phone. 

“Protect the bomb with your life,” Akutagawa, warped in shadows, commanded. Kyouka sent Atsushi a blank look. As fast as lightning, Demon Snow pierced him in the chest with its sword. 

Tanizaki hissed, eyeing Atsushi worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Atsushi assured while Kyouka frowned guiltily. He rubbed her back comfortingly in response.  

“Kill anyone who interferes, Demon Snow!” Akutagawa ordered. 

The corner of Atsushi’s mouth became stained red with blood. Kyouka’s eyes narrowed, Demon Snow standing behind her protectively with its katana prepared to be drawn. 

[Izumi Kyouka—Skill: Demon Snow].

Yosano’s eyes narrowed. “Using someone else’s ability like that,” she said icily, glaring at the back of Akutagawa’s head. “How Port Mafia of you.”

Akutagawa turned his head to look at her before turning back. Her opinion wasn’t one that mattered to him, he thought. 

Chuuya shrugged. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said. “Especially if the mafia knows how to handle the ability properly.”

Yosano’s cold stare turned to him. He held still under her glare. 

Dazai hummed, contemplative. He turned to make eye contact with Ranpo, knowing full-well they were thinking along the same lines. 

While Yosano and Chuuya’s abilities were both used by Mori, it was interesting to see the difference between them. Then again, Dazai thought, Chuuya had Dazai to oversee him and his well-being, whereas Yosano hadn’t realized she needed someone to do the same for her, trusting Mori and the soldiers around her in blind naivety. 

Not to mention, Dazai thought, Chuuya had already been taking care of himself and over a dozen other people by the time he was under Mori’s command. Yosano was just a little girl who hadn’t deserved to be thrust into the arms of a war. 

Chuuya cocked his head to the side. ‘What’s her problem?’ he wondered, attempting to make eye contact with Dazai. 

Sigma shifted, uncomfortable with the intensity emitting beside him. 

Transitioning back to Yosano, the camera panned around the subway compartment, Kajii’s manic laughter overtaking all other sounds. 

Glass fragments were embedded into Yosano’s back. She lay limply on the floor. The scene came to a close with the laughter ringing out even as the screen faded to black. 

“It’s ending there?” Teruko gasped, upset that she couldn’t see Yosano getting back up. 

The screen cut to a slide of an image of Kunikida. 

[Kunikida Doppo. Skill: The Matchless Poet. Anything he writes in his notebook takes physical form. Does not work with items larger than the notebook.]

[Age: 22]

[Likes: His notebook, fishing, seared tataki bonito]

[Dislikes: Unplanned events, authority]

“You…dislike authority?” Naomi asked, confused. 

Kunikida adjusted his glasses and coughed awkwardly. 

“I never would have guessed,” Tanizaki said genuinely. 

“He hates that people in power lord their authority over others,” Dazai said. “It’s all in his notebook, haven’t you read it?”

“Stop reading my notebook!” Kunikida exclaimed exasperatedly. 

“He got kicked out of his teaching position because—”

“Dazai!” Kunikida snapped. Dazai raised his hands in submission. 

Lucy blinked. “That was an oddly good reason,” she said, ignoring the last bit. 

“What were you expecting?” Atsushi asked. 

Lucy shrugged. “I wasn’t.”

‘Fair enough,’ Atsushi thought. ‘I hadn’t either.’

Chapter Text

[Title card: Chapter 8 - Kill a Man, and Die Thee Too, Part 2]

The group settled down as the next episode began to play. 

Atsushi was down on one knee and breathing heavily. He clutched his ribs with one arm, blood dribbling down it and onto the floor.

Demon Snow struck again in a flurry of attacks, knocking the wind out of him.

“Gah!” he yelped in pain. 

Atsushi winced as he watched himself. ‘I look so helpless,’ he thought. He hated the thought that everyone was watching him being so hopelessly beaten. 

Kyouka lowered her gaze. ‘I did that,’ she thought glumly. ‘I hurt him.’

She looked down at her hands. Sometimes, the thought struck her that all those hands were capable of were causing pain. 

She didn’t know if it was her own horrible luck that managed to direct that suffering on those she loved most. Atsushi. Her parents. 

“Cut the enemy into ribbons, Demon Snow!” Akutagawa ordered over the phone. 

‘What a peculiar ability,’ Jouno thought. ‘To be controlled by someone else…’ 

A few feet away from him, Ango frowned. ‘What an awful ability,’ he thought. ‘The mafia took away her autonomy in using it like this. What has the mafia become in my absence? Mori-san should have intervened, knowing his guilt when it comes to children. Odasaku-san would have never let this happen if he were—’

His mind screeched to a stop just as he thought it. 

‘And whose fault is it that Odasaku-san isn’t here anymore?’ he thought bitterly, self-hate curling around his heart. Who was he to judge the workings of the mafia, as horrible as he himself was? 

Demon Snow extended its katana, passing through Atsushi in less than a blink of an eye. It sheathed its katana. 

Blood spurted out of Atsushi’s abdomen before he realized what had happened. He involuntarily lurched forward in pain. 

Sigma grimaced at the sight. He felt queasy watching the blood flowing from Atsushi’s body. 

Fukuzawa clenched and unclenched his hands, the ghost handle of his old katana holding weight in his palm. 

Watching Kyouka’s ability at work, he was reminded oddly of his younger self. He had been no better than her, an emotionless weapon to be used at the whim of others. 

He turned his gaze to Kyouka’s back, watching Atsushi subconsciously lean protectively into her. He would never let her be used as a weapon again, he swore. 

‘She…She’s too strong!’ Atsushi thought. Demon Snow curled possessively around Kyouka. He coughed onto the ground, now laying face-down in a pool of his own blood. 

“Why,” he coughed, “is a girl like you here…?”

“My name is Kyouka,” she declared almost robotically. “Like you, I am an orphan. My likes include rabbits and tofu. I detest dogs and lightning.”

Naomi picked at her lips absentmindedly, remembering a tidbit from a few episodes ago. “Dazai-san hates dogs too, right?” she asked. 

Dazai nodded. “Dogs are the worst.”

“The worst,” Kyouka agreed. Silently, Akutagawa nodded. 

“You’re all delusional,” Chuuya scoffed. “Dogs are adorable.”

“Yeah, until they bite your hand off,” said Dazai, rolling his eyes. 

“They probably sense what a horrible person you are. That’s the only reason they would want to bite you.”

“You’ve been brainwashed,” Dazai said seriously. 

“Oh, not this argument again—”

“You’ve been brainwashed. They want you to think they’re cute and the second you aren’t paying attention you become just another dog bone to chew on!”

Sigma looked between the two people he was sitting between. “Have you had this conversation often?” he asked. 

“Too many times,” Chuuya grumbled. 

Ango couldn’t keep in his laugh as the familiar rant washed over him. Instantly he covered his mouth with his hand and cleared his throat.

Atsushi’s keen ears picked up on it and watched him with interest. 

“After the mafia picked me up, I have killed thirty-five people in six months,” Kyouka said.

Lucy’s eyes widened. “Wait,” she said. “I thought you were part of the Armed Detective Agency.”

“I was an assassin for the Port Mafia before I left,” Kyouka answered simply. 

Tecchou hummed, leaning forward. ‘Thirty-five people is a lot,’ he thought. ‘But, she wasn’t in control of her ability. Even if she declared she was the killer, would it really be ruled that way in court?’ 

Atsushi’s eyes widened. 

“Guard the bomb,” Akutagawa ordered over the phone. “Kill the meddler.”

“Why do you keep trying to kill me?” Atsushi cried, asking straight to the source this time. 

Akutagawa stared, unimpressed. “How many reasons do you want?” 

Atsushi gaped before closing his mouth. “Seriously,” he said. “If you were commissioned to capture me, shouldn’t you want me, I don’t know, not dead?”

“Frankly, I—” Akutagawa coughed, covering his mouth. He side-eyed Chuuya, realizing he couldn’t very well say ‘I care more about Dazai-san than Mori-san’ in front of an executive. 

Higuchi, noticing his hesitance, scowled. “He doesn’t have to explain himself to you!” she exclaimed, coming to his aid. 

Akutagawa nodded curtly. ‘Good enough,’ he supposed. 

Higuchi sent him a small, private smile. 

Atsushi staggered to his feet, wobbling in place from the bloodloss. “You killed thirty-five people!?” he asked, surprised. 

Kyouka winced. Atsushi rubbed her shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault,” he whispered. 

Demon Snow retracted her katana, lunging and stabbing him into the wall. 

‘I’m done for!’ Atsushi thought. His eyes began to close as he slowly lost consciousness. The scene changed to show the trashed compartment Yosano and Kajii were in. 

“Oh, finally!” Teruko cheered, excited to get back to Yosano. Then, seeing Atsushi’s judgemental stare grinned. “No offense,” she laughed. 

Jouno stared at her blankly. “Volume,” he groaned. 

Teruko mimed zipping her mouth shut. He nodded gratefully. 

“Ngh,” Yosano groaned, attempting to push herself off of the floor. She coughed, blood trickling out of her mouth. Kajii stomped on her back, pressing her into the ground. 

The detectives stiffened. Kunikida clenched his fist, wheeling around to observe her. She waved him off, forcing him to turn around. 

Dazai placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “She’ll be fine,” he reminded him quietly. “This is the past.”

Kunikida nodded curtly, still tense. 

“Your agency is hardly living up to the stories!” Kajii said smugly. 

A crack could be heard from the bones he was pressing down on. Yosano was unable to stifle a noise of pain. The camera finally showed her full face, screwed up in pain and bloody. 

Kunikida covered his mouth with his hand in horror. Dazai involuntarily tightened his grip on his shoulder.

“Yosano-sensei!” Tanizaki exclaimed. Naomi wrapped her hands around his bicep tightly, her worry evident in her expression. 

Ranpo clenched his jaw. 

Tachihara rubbed at his bandaid, forcing his mind to clear. No single thought stood out to him, but they all grappled with each other terribly. His mind was a whirlwind of clashing opinions and none of them were productive of keeping his expression ineffectually clear. 

‘I’ll give myself away at this rate,’ he privately groaned. 

“So, you’ll be dying shortly,” Kajii said, pulling out a switchblade, “but before that, I want you to tell me…” He grinned sadistically. “What is ‘dying,’ exactly?”

Dazai cocked his head to the side, his interest piqued.  “Oh?” he hummed excitedly. Kunikida’s worry momentarily paused to exasperatedly sigh at him. 

‘Of course he’d find this interesting when Yosano-sensei is in trouble,’ he thought, not unkindly. ‘There’s the suicide afficionado I know.’

Lucy frowned. “I don’t get it,” she remarked. “What? Dying is dying, right?”

“What?” Yosano asked, eyes wide. 

Kajii twirled the knife between his fingers. 

“I have an academic interest,” he explained. “I’m a scholar, after all. Causes of death—brain asphyxiation, telomere abrasion—all are easily reversible reactions in a lab environment. But why is death itself unavoidable? Why does everyone have to die eventually?”

His words sounded more manic the longer he spoke. 

Dazai huffed, slumping his shoulders. “Lame,” he groaned. “I thought he’d have something interesting to say.”

Then again, he thought, he was reminded of his initial reason for joining the Port Mafia. To hear talk of death so casually rather than as a social taboo was refreshing, in a way. 

“We can’t all be connoisseurs of opinions about death,” Kunikida remarked. 

“Unfortunately,” Dazai mourned. Kenji let out a giggle at their familiar antics. 

Yosano laughed hysterically, now lying on her back, facing her head up at him. 

“How do you not know?” she asked. Kajii narrowed his eyes. “It seems you mafiosi are nothing special.”

“Hey, now,” Tachihara said. “Don’t lump me in with this guy.”

Gin narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you mean ‘don’t lump us in’?” she wrote. 

Tachihara cocked his head to the side before shrugging. “Nah, I said what I said.”

Chuuya raised an eyebrow, causing Tachihara to blanch. “I mean, uh…”

“Too late,” Gin wrote. 

Kajii smirked menacingly. “You’re saying that a girl from a small-time detective agency knows something a lifelong physics student does not?”

“I am,” she said easily, facing him head-on. “The reason’s simple—you’re an idiot.”

Teruko cackled approvingly, clapping her hands together. 

Jouno smirked. “You know, I think you’re growing on me.” 

Yosano tilted her head to him. “Flattered. Can’t say the same about you, yet.”

He shrugged. 

Kajii raged, thrusting the knife into Yosano’s palm and twisting it. She cried out in pain. 

Fukuzawa pressed his lips together. “Yosano,” he said. “You did not report the extent of your injuries.”

“I’m fine,” Yosano sighed for what felt like the millionth time. “Healing abilities, remember?” 

Atsushi frowned. “I didn’t realize how bad it was either,” he muttered. 

Yosano laughed. “Atsushi, I don’t think you were in any position to be worrying about anyone other than yourself and Kyouka there.”

Atsushi looked down at Kyouka beside him. She wasn’t wrong, he supposed. Still, his heart felt heavy with guilt. 

Kajii stood back up. “Thanks for the feedback,” he said, peeling his sleeve back slightly. Lemon bombs tumbled out of his sleeve like coins. 

Yosano’s eyes widened as she watched them spill out. 

Sigma sucked in a breath. “That’s a lot of lemons.”

Chuuya agreed. “More than enough to kill a crowd, let alone one person.”

Kajii turned on his heels, walking toward the door. “They say, after death from blood loss, the brain remains conscious for another eight hours.”

He opened the door. “I will ask your corpse later. ‘Dead you may be, but how do you feel?’” He grinned, stepping through the door. 

Poe tapped his bottom lip. ‘What an interesting antagonist,’ he thought. ‘Eccentric, but analytical. A recognizable motif, and a charismatic personality. Although, I would hate to meet him in person…’

Ranpo noticed his mind working. He let out an amused huff, his first smile since Yosano began to get hurt on screen. ‘Is he really analyzing the mafioso like he’s a book character?’ Ranpo thought, thoroughly entertained by Poe’s mind. 

“I think I hate this guy,” Lucy commented dryly. “He’s so cocky.”

“To be fair, Yosano-sensei doesn’t look like she can get up anytime soon,” Naomi said despondently, assessing the situation. 

“Doesn’t mean he has to be a jerk about it,” Lucy huffed. 

“Well, enjoy yourself!” Kajii sang just before slamming the door shut. 

The instant he was gone, Yosano reached for the knife he left embedded in her palm. 

The bombs detonated, and the subway continued on, transitioning between scenes. 

Jouno winced from the loud noise of the blast at such a close range. He rubbed his ringing ears. ‘I’m going to get a headache at this rate,’ he thought. The multiple explosions shown on screen finally began to take their toll on him. 

“Yosano-sensei!” Naomi cried, clutching a pillow to her chest, giving poor Tanizaki’s arm a break before she could snap it in half.

Jouno groaned. ‘Please don’t talk so loud,’ he silently begged. Teruko turned a watchful eye on him. 

Sigma worried his lip between his teeth. He looked to his side at Dazai and his contemplative expression. Beside him, Kunikida was clutching his biceps, disguising it as crossing his arms. They were both tense, though Dazai was significantly calmer than Kunikida. 

‘Unless he’s merely better at masking it,’ Sigma thought. 

Atsushi breathed heavily as he pulled himself to a sitting position against the wall. Sweat poured down his face. His hand was shaking.

“You’re losing a lot of blood,” Tanizaki said worriedly. 

Atsushi pressed his lips together. This was about to look really bad for him very soon, he realized. He sighed, resigned to the fact. 

Kyouka bunched up her kimono in her fist upon seeing his sorry state. How could Atsushi consider this not her fault when he was so close to dying by her hands? 

He looked up at the sound of Kyouka’s footsteps. Several pedestrians stared at him through the door to the adjacent compartment, each with visibly worried expressions. 

‘Is this where I meet my end?’ Atsushi wondered, blood coating his temple. ‘Again, I’m to blame. Simply because these people boarded the same train as me…they’ll all die.’

Atsushi braced himself for the onslaught of worried looks. 

Before anyone could get a word in edgewise, Akutagawa scoffed loudly. 

“You think you’re so special,” he snarked. 

“What?” Atsushi asked, bewildered. “No, I don't.”

Akutagawa looked pointedly at the screen. “What’s that, then? You know, the world doesn’t revolve around you.”

“It doesn’t revolve around you, either.” Atsushi frowned. What was Akutagawa getting at?

Akutagawa looked at him as if he were dumb, then rolled his eyes. 

Atsushi’s mouth hung open. “No, no, come on, tell me what you mean, don’t just stop there,” he said coldly. “Please, oh great one, what other wise words do you have to say?”

Akutagawa coughed. “Perhaps you should use your mind for once. What do you think I could possibly mean?”

He turned, staring resolutely at the screen, determined not to further the conversation. 

Atsushi threw his arms up in exasperation. 

Akutagawa’s past words reverberated in his mind. “The fact that you still live and breathe harms those around you.” 

Atsushi clutched at his ears, trying to dampen the sound of Akutagawa’s claim. 

‘It bothered him that much?’ Akutagawa wondered. It was meant to bother him, of course, that was why Akutagawa had said it in the first place. However, he didn’t think it would take root so firmly within Atsushi. 

“It’s not your fault,” Kyouka whispered. 

Atsushi bit his lip. 

Kyouka shook his arm. “If it isn’t mine, and I’m the one who attacked you, then it doesn’t make sense for it to be your fault when you were a victim.”

Atsushi’s eyes widened. ‘What?’

He thought back to the orphanage. 

“Why are you still alive?” the headmaster asked. 

Atsushi, a small child, merely stood there in a baggy shirt, his collar bones sticking out, silent. 

Chuuya clenched his fist, his gloves squeaking between his fingers. The boy looked just like the children Chuuya once looked after. Small, malnourished, hunched in on himself like he knew he was inferior in the presence of anyone else. He looked like Chuuya. 

Ango frowned. ‘The government failed to protect him,’ he thought sadly. ‘How many more gifted children will continue to slip from our grasp and into the hands of men like this?’

“You provide us with nothing but pain and grief,”  the man continued. 

“I…” Atsushi looked down.

“One with redeeming values such as yourself has no right to live.” 

Those final words seemed to echo in the silence. 

Lucy burrowed closer to the wall, but turned to Atsushi with fierce eyes. She didn’t say anything, and would consider herself a hypocrite if she did, but held his gaze nonetheless. 

Atsushi’s eyes widened slightly, seeing his reflection in her eyes. ‘She understands,’ he realized. 

“What a despicable man,” Tecchou commented quietly. 

“The world is chock full of guys like that,” Jouno replied under his breath. “Not much we can do about it now.”

Higuchi looked between Akutagawa and Atsushi uneasily. 

‘Now that we’ve seen so much,’ she thought, ‘ I feel kind of bad about what Akutagawa-senpai had told him. It’s not as if the man-tiger, Atsushi, did anything wrong to begin with…”

Akutagawa bit his cheek. It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand, but everyone in the world went through hardships. Hell, Akutagawa did as well.

Wallowing in self-pity only prevented the man-tiger from reaching his full potential. Atsushi held himself back by holding on to the words of a man he could have very well killed if he wanted to. It made him weak, and that was more deplorable than anything. 

Ending the flashback, the scene returned to current-day Atsushi looking at the passengers through the blood seeping into his eye. He saw them clutching each other, their children. He saw them weeping on the floor, sitting beside each other, offering what comfort they could. 

‘Ah,’ Poe thought. ‘The embodiment of human nature. Seeking comfort and comforting others upon threat of death. How beautiful.’

Teruko frowned, the gravity of the situation finally coming to her as she saw the children crying, fearing for their lives. 

“How horrible,” Sigma said quietly. 

Dazai glanced at him. “Not quite,” he said flippantly. 

Sigma turned his head. “What do you mean?” he asked. 

Dazai shrugged. “If death is inevitable, wouldn’t it be better to be with one you love in your arms when you go?” he asked. “They may be doomed, but at least they’re together.”

Sigma remained silent, mulling it over. 

On his opposite side, Chuuya tutted. “Have some faith in your mentee, would you?” he scolded. “None of them are going to die.” Then, less aggressively, said, “It’s better to live with your loved ones than die with them.”

Dazai shrugged again. “Perhaps.”

Atsushi’s eyes widened, and suddenly, the blood didn’t appear to be as dark or heavy as it used to. 

[Suddenly,] Atsushi narrated, [an idea came to me.]

The group sat up, caught off guard by his quick change in attitude.

‘How does he do it so easily?’ Akutagawa wondered. ‘How does he constantly find reasons to stand again? He may be weak, but he still has that which I do not…’

Atsushi staggered to his feet unsteadily. 

[A foolish idea that I can’t get out of my mind.]

Kyouka stood straight ahead of him, Demon Snow prepared to draw its katana behind her.

[If I have any chance of saving them all…]

‘What’s he thinking?’ Tachihara wondered. 

He stumbled towards her, the passengers watching on in fright. 

[...of returning them home safely, would that mean…it’s okay for me to keep on living…?]

‘Living to help others, huh,’ Dazai mused, contemplative. 

Kunikida frowned, however. “Kid,” he said. “You don’t need to seek permission to live.”

Atsushi froze. “What?” he asked numbly. Poe wordlessly paused the screen. 

Kunikida clenched his jaw, trying to form the words without getting frustrated. “Living…does not need to have a great meaning to it, in order for you to live. You could have one, or you don’t,  but ultimately, you deserve to live either way.”

Atsushi blinked. “I deserve to live…whether I have a meaning or not?”

The words made sense, but strung together in the context of himself, it was difficult to comprehend. 

“Does a man who stays home, doing nothing in his life deserve to live, or should he just die?” Ranpo asked, cutting in. 

“Well, he should live, I guess,” Atsushi said. 

Ranpo nodded. “Same could be said for a superhero who saves people for a living, right? They should both live, it doesn’t matter what they’re contributing to the world. You wouldn’t expect either of them to ask for permission to live. They deserve to live.”

Atsushi blinked again, then nodded. “Right…”

“You deserve to live too,” Yosano finished. 

Atsushi’s brows creased. ‘On one hand, I understand,’ he thought. ‘But on the other…’

Kunikida looked over his shoulder to the president. Fukuzawa nodded once, silently approving of his actions, as well as telling him to drop the subject for now. 

Poe resumed the video, thinking over their words on his own. 

Atsushi made his way to Kyouka determinedly. Kyouka appeared to have noticed a change in his resolve. 

“Stay away,” she said, just as Demon Snow began pulling out its katana. 

“Sorry,” Atsushi said. “But I can’t.”

“So polite,” Tachihara mutters, his incessant need to dissolve tension winning out once again. 

‘Do I have some sort of complex?’ he wondered. ‘I don’t think others feel the need to break the ice as much as I do.’

Atsushi dashed forward, narrowly dodging Demon Snow’s attack. Before he could recover, she was already striking again. 

‘She’s too fast!’ he thought. ‘This just won’t work…If only I could activate that power—”

A light began to overtake the screen. The last clear image seen was that of Kyouka’s eye-widening in the light. 

Teruko twitched, agitated by the constant changing of scenes. 

“Did you have to write it this way?” she screeched, pulling her hair. 

“S-sorry?” Poe stuttered. “It builds suspense, don’t you think?”

Ranpo patted his shoulder. “It’s great writing, Poe-kun, don’t listen to her,” he huffed. “Some people just don’t appreciate quality.”

Teruko narrowed her eyes. “What’re you trying to say?”

“Please don’t cause a scene,” Jouno sighed, rubbing his temple.

“Headache?” Tecchou asked, noticing Jouno’s frown.

Jouno nodded, not bothering to verbally respond. 

“We should take a break after this episode, then,” Tecchou said decisively. ‘Then I can go sit closer to Tachihara, too,’ he thought. ‘He’s not looking so good…’

Chapter Text

The scene cut to Kajii’s feet stepping through the threshold of the two compartments. 

“Let’s see,” he said, his geta clacking against the floor. “The fire’s spread all the way here, then?” 

Tachihara averted his eyes. “Feet in my eyes,” he loudly complained, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. 

Gin wrinkled her nose. “Great,” she wrote. “Now I can’t stop staring at them because you mentioned them.”

“Ew,” Tachihara groused. 

Smoke and the remains of fire were spread around the compartment. 

“Ooh!” he grinned, seeing Yosano’s body. She lay back in a seat, her head and shoulders hanging outside of an open window. 

Everyone gawked, turning to Yosano with wide eyes. 

Yosano grinned smugly, giving them a wave. They had another thing coming if they thought she would go down that easily. 

Atsushi fiddled with his gloves nervously. Yosano hadn’t been that injured when he eventually met up with her back then, had she?

Ranpo observed her body for a total of two seconds before a smile began to blossom across his face. 

Tachihara fidgeted in place. She could have died, he thought. Did he want her to die? 

Kajii hummed, making his way to her giddily, then leaned forward to check her pulse. Just as he did, Yosano snapped up and glared ferociously, punching him in the eye. His glasses cracked, and he was thrown backward from her force. 

He slammed into the opposite wall. Yosano stood, unclenching her fist. 

She tutted. “How sad. I thought you’d fly farther,” she said calmly. 

Teruko was the first to begin clapping enthusiastically. Jouno groaned, then reached over Tecchou to slap her head lightly before she began clapping more quietly.  

Dazai whistled in appreciation. “Nice hit,” he complimented. 

“Very satisfying,” Ranpo agreed while Higuchi nodded frantically. 

‘Looks like I was worried for nothing,’ Atsushi thought with a smile. 

Kyouka’s eyes sparkled in awe. 

Kajii pushed himself into the seat behind him. “Aghh…H-how did you…?”

She stomped forward and grabbed him by the collar. “You think those sparklers were enough to kill me?” she asked, pulling him up. 

‘Did she just call a bomb a sparkler?’ Tecchou wondered. 

Teruko cackled beside him. He turned to his other partner, only to find Jouno grinning mercilessly. 

‘Why are they both like this?’ he sighed wearily. 

“Um,” she pointed between her cheeks. “Which side did I just hit you on?”

Kajii’s finger trembled as he pointed to his swollen left cheek. 

“Man is terrified,” Ranpo cackled. 

“He’s making us look bad,” Gin wrote, sighing in disappointment. 

She looked to her side, noticing the lack of reaction. Tachihara was looking steadfastly at the screen, glaring. She couldn’t tell to which two people his glare was directed at, though.

She held up her notepad to show her brother, instead. He scoffed amusedly, then nodded gravely. 

Yosano punched his right without hesitation. Blood splattered out of his mouth, likely having bit his tongue. 

Chuuya tutted with a sigh. ‘That was a pretty good punch,’ he admitted to himself, although he hated the way it made the mafia look weak. ‘Dammit, Kajii.’

“Now they’re even,” Yosano declared, raising her fist. 

‘So cool,’ Kyouka thought wondrously. 

“No,” Kajii said helplessly. “You were just at death’s door…”

“I’m a doctor, you know,” she replied, her heels clacking on the floor as she walked closer. “I’ve seen a hundred times as many deaths as you. You want to know what death is?”

The group grew deathly still, curious as to what she had to say. 

Dazai smiled. ‘The agency may treat death differently than the mafia, but it is just as prominent a topic,’ he mused. 

Tachihara tensed. ‘What does the Angel of Death have to say about death?’ he thought bitterly. 

She stopped in front of him. 

“I’ll tell you,” she glared and said gravely. “Death is the loss of life. Despite everything doctors like me attempt, a patient’s life can still fall through our fingers.” She clenched her fist. “You think death lies at the apex of science? Bull!”

She pointed directly at him. “Anyone with such little regard for life, will die by my hand!” 

Tachihara stared dumbly. ‘What?’ he thought. 

“What?” he repeated out loud. 

“What?” Yosano asked. 

He stiffened, realizing he had spoken aloud. “Nothing, just…” he scrambled for something to say. 

‘My brother is dead because of you,’ he thought. ‘You killed him. How…?’

“Are you that affected by death?” he asked. 

Yosano frowned. She lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a stupid question,” she balked. “Of course I am. Any proper human being should be. Why would I spend my life trying to heal people if I didn’t care whether they died or not?”

Dazai stiffened, his face going eerily blank. 

Akutagawa twitched uncomfortably, curling his fingers over his coat sleeves. 

Tachihara frowned further. ‘That doesn’t make sense,’ he thought. ‘None of this makes sense anymore…’

He desperately wanted to talk to the Hunting Dogs, or anyone who knew him outside of organizations and feuds. He wished he could talk to his brother most of all. 

Kajii gasped, a realization dawning on him. “N-now I remember,” he exclaimed. “You’re Yosano, the agency’s personal physician—one of the few ‘healing skill users’!”

‘I didn’t realize there were multiple,’ Atsushi thought. ‘Now that I think about it, outside of the agency and mafia, I haven’t really met any skill users.’

Lucy cocked her head to the side. ‘I was certain she was so confident because she had a powerful offensive ability, but she’s really just a healer?’ she thought. ‘Must be nice. To have such a useful ability.’ 

“Wow,” Kenji said, awed by the fact that she was known outside of the agency as well. “Yosano-sensei, you truly are amazing!”

Yosano grinned, then winked. “Damn straight.”

She waved her hand, placing the other on her hip. “My skill, Thou Shalt Not Die, can heal all external wounds,” she said. “That applies to me as well. But it comes in harsh conditions.”

She set her medical bag on the floor and knelt beside it. 

“I can only heal people near death, which is often quite inconvenient. After all,” she pulled something out of the bag, “it means if I want to heal non-lethal wounds…I must half-kill them before it even works.”

The members of the agency shuddered as one, an ingrained reaction at this point. 

Dazai chuckled smugly. “Not for me,” he sang. 

“You have no room to gloat,” Kunikida said. “It just means it takes longer for you to heal.”

“I don’t get hurt enough in the first place to heal,” Dazai rebutted. 

Tanizaki shook his head. “The real one who should gloat is Atsushi; he can regenerate lost limbs on his own.”

Atsushi shrugged, thinking that he still had to face one of Yosano’s treatments despite his accelerated healing. 

Yosano’s eyes narrowed. “Am I hearing you boys complaining?”

“No, ma’am!”

Lucy raised her eyebrows. ‘She really has them all in line, huh,’ she thought. 

She raised the machete in her hands. 

“Where did that come from?” Sigma yelped. 

“From my medical bag,” Yosano said, treating it like a non-rhetorical question. “I have to be ready to treat people at all times.”

“Machete…in your medical bag…Of course,” Sigma said faintly, rubbing his forehead. 

Tachihara gaped. His head was throbbing against his skull from his confusion. ‘I need a break,’ he thought. 

“Wha…?” Kajii trembled in fear. 

“Hmm?” Yosano said menacingly. “Oh, dear, you’re hurt.” A manic grin spread across her face. “Shall I fix you up?”

[Thou Shalt Not Die]

The camera panned to the outside of their compartment, a terrified and pained blood-curdling scream resounding through the air from behind the closed doors. 

Tachihara looked on in horror. He clutched at his stomach, feeling queasy. 

Jouno overheard the quickening of his pulse. While he normally enjoyed the squirming of criminals like Kajii, his giddiness was overridden by worry for Tachihara. 

Tecchou glanced over at him, confused as to why he wasn’t enjoying the sounds coming from the screen. Jouno shook his head subtly, communicating silently. 

Gin nudged Tachihara’s arm. “You okay?” she wrote, tapping the words with her pen. 

Tachihara grimaced. “Might’ve eaten something bad,” he said in way of explanation. 

‘Poe-san materialized the food,’ she thought. ‘How could it have been bad?’

She knew an excuse when she heard one, but dropped the subject.

Tachihara tried to ignore the way his vision began to tunnel and dim. 

The scene returned to Atsushi, his arm transformed to block Demon Snow’s attack. Even he seemed surprised at his arm’s transformation. 

‘Wha…!?’ he wondered, seeing that the katana hadn’t cut him. 

Lucy snorted. ‘I thought he had life made with his ability, but he doesn’t even know how to control it! I almost feel bad for being jealous now,’ she thought ruefully. 

Kyouka puffed up her cheeks, eager for the fight to be over. She hated the thought that she had almost hurt him against her will. 

Akutagawa pressed his lips together in frustration. The were-tiger’s luck truly knew no bounds. 

Demon Snow began attacking more rapidly, her strikes coming down so quickly it appeared as if there were multiple katanas in the air. 

Dazai observed it intently. Akutagawa, attuned to his every move, stiffened. Kyouka’s skills were a reflection on many people—Verlaine, Kouyou, and most recently, himself. 

Would his teachings meet the requirements of his own teacher, he wondered. 

Atsushi stared down the tip of the blade, dodging when it was a hair's breadth away from him. 

‘He’s fast,’ Teruko noted approvingly. ‘Quick learner, too. A skilled fighter will be made out of him yet.’

Atsushi ducked low, grabbed her arm, and flung the katana away. It clattered off of the window before falling through.

Akutagawa scowled. ‘Weak,’ he thought bitterly, his eyes trained on the screen. ‘I failed.’

Kyouka let out a breath. The worst was finally done, she thought. 

Tachihara grimaced, blinking rapidly. None of the information on the screen was being processed in his mind. ‘Am I breathing?’ he wondered. ‘I feel like I’m not breathing.’

He took several deep breaths, pressing his hand onto his heart to try and alleviate the heavy pressure building up. ‘Is my hand shaking?’ he thought, looking down at it with squinted eyes. ‘What’s happening?’

“It’s over,” Atsushi said, crouching on the floor beside Kyouka. “Halt your skill and tell me where the bomb is.”

Kyouka looked up. “My name is Kyouka. I killed thirty-five people.”

Atsushi stood, his eyes narrowed. He pointed his claws at her throat, ready to do whatever it took to save the innocent passengers. 

‘Would he really have killed her?’ Lucy wondered. 

Chuuya observed the look in Atsushi’s eyes. ‘An empty threat,’ he deduced. ‘He would’ve found a way to incapacitate her.’ 

“The last was a family of three,” Kyouka continued. “A father, a mother, and their son. The demon cut their heads off.”

She pulled the outermost layer of her kimono apart. 

Atsushi’s eyes widened. “My God,” he whispered in horror. 

The bomb was strapped to Kyouka’s torso. 

Several people inhaled sharply at the sight. 

‘No,’ Ango thought in horror. ‘No, not to a child, please, no…’

He pressed his thumb firmly into his forearm enough to make it ache. His other hand tangled its fingers into his hair as he curled into himself. 

Poe fumbled for his coat pocket, pulled out a notebook and fountain pen, and scribbled something down. 

Ranpo snorted, pressing his fist to his mouth. Yosano, hearing Ranpo, looked over at the two of them. She took note of Poe’s frantic writing. 

She sent Ranpo a questioning look. ‘What is he doing?’ she wondered. 

Ranpo mimed a book. ‘Inspiration struck,’ he attempted to telepathically say in return. 

While the others were focusing on Kyouka, Hirotsu took note of Tachihara ducking his head between his legs. 

“You…Who are you?” Atsushi asked. “Your words, your appearance…I sense no emotion from you. It’s as if you’re a killing machine.”

Atsushi winced as he felt Kyouka stiffen beside him. He rubbed her back comfortingly. 

“I don’t think that way anymore,” he whispered, aiming for reassurance. Kyouka only folded more in on herself. 

Chuuya contemplatively hummed, glancing first to Kyouka, then Akutagawa, before finally landing on Dazai. 

‘I’m sensing a common theme here,’ he thought with narrowed eyes. 

The two of them stood facing each other, Atsushi’s claws at Kyouka’s throat. 

“You need to express yourself!” Atsushi urged. “If there’s something you want, you have to put it in words. Is this truly what you want to do?”

He said the words forcefully. Kyouka frowned. 

Yosano smiled. It was such a simple thing to say, yet so impactful. Then she frowned once she thought about Atsushi’s flashbacks. ‘You can give good advice, but won’t apply it to yourself, is that it?’ she pondered. 

She pressed her lips together. She didn’t know what Atsushi and Kunikida talked about on their own the other day, but she figured she should have her own talk with him soon. 

Was Atsushi aware of his own hypocrisy, she wondered. 

Naomi cheered at Atsushi’s words, causing him to duck down in embarrassment. 

Meanwhile, Dazai smiled ruefully. ‘Something you ‘truly want to do,’ hmm? That is what makes us different, Atsushi-kun, Kyouka-chan. I’m glad for you, though. It’s a special thing, to have something like that.’ 

The intercom fizzled to life. “This is from the conductor’s room,” Yosano said over the speakers. “Atsushi, are you still alive?”

“Yosano-san!” Atsushi exclaimed, turning to face the speakers. 

Yosano smiled at his enthusiasm. ‘Was he that worried?’ she thought warm-heartedly. 

The camera switched to Yosano. “According to our crazy bomber here, your bomb is remotely activated!” she said. “Err in the disposal, and it’ll detonate within seconds!”

Dazai lifted an eyebrow. That wasn’t right, he thought. ‘I trained Akutagawa far better than that.’ 

Sigma allowed himself a relieved smile. “That doesn’t sound impossible,” he mused aloud. 

Ango’s eyes narrowed before he shook his head. “I wouldn’t trust it so easily,” he advised warily. 

Akutagawa frowned. ‘How dare that traitor speak as if he know me.’

“Isn’t that right?” Yosano asked Kajii’s shiny, healed form. 

“Yessh…yessh, ma’am…” he said pitifully. 

The detectives winced as one with the exception of Kenji who couldn’t help but laugh. 

An animated arrow pointed to him with text above it written, ‘Taken apart several times with the machete.’

Teruko cackled with glee. Tecchou shook his head, seeing her from the corner of his eye. He looked beside him, at Jouno. Jouno, who would usually be right there laughing along with her, was silent, his eyes fixed on the huddle of teenagers. More accurately, to Tachihara. 

“Only an emergency switch can defuse it,” Yosano continued. “The mafiosa over there should have it on her!”

Atsushi turned to Kyouka. “Do you have it?” he asked. He held out his human hand. “Hand it over.”

Kyouka stared blankly at him for a moment before pressing the detonation device into his open palm. 

‘She handed it over so easily,’ Lucy mused. ‘Then again, I guess she never really wanted to be in that position in the first place…’

“You know,” Dazai hummed aloud. “One thing you can never account for is human emotion.”

He leaned back casually, though Akutagawa turned to see him looking right at him. 

“The will to live of those who have something to fight for…” He trailed off. “Fascinating, no?”

Akutagawa frowned, pondering over his words. 

Kunikida looked at his partner. ‘He always finds odd times to become highly philosophical,’ he mused. 

Atsushi pressed the button. 

“...Did you press that, Kyouka?” Akutagawa’s voice said through Kyouka’s phone. The bomb on Kyouka’s chest made a loud beeping sound. 

‘There we go,’ Dazai thought with a short nod. ‘There’s the feral dog I trained.’

Atsushi glared at the side of Akutagawa’s face. ‘I still can’t believe he tried to pull that,’ he thought angrily. 

Sigma frowned. “That’s not fair,” he protested. “How can you—”

He bit his tongue. Akutagawa leveled him with a look. 

“What?” he asked dryly. 

Sigma curled his hand into a fist. “How can you have such little regard for human life? Can’t you see that she doesn’t want to die?”

Akutagawa looked away from him disinterestedly. 

Sigma growled in frustration, throwing his arms up. “Are you aware of something called social interaction?” he groused judgmentally. “Talking? Not ignoring people when they’re speaking to you?”

Lucy’s eyebrows rose. “Quiet guy’s getting bold,” she muttered amusedly. 

Akutagawa rolled his eyes. 

“We are defusing nothing,” Akutagawa said. “Take the passengers with you…and show the world the terror of the Mafia.”

Lucy sighed. ‘Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy,’ she thought. 

Poe lit up and bit the inside of his cheek, his writing becoming more frantic. If one looked closely, they could see his poorly suppressed smile forming slowly. 

Ranpo tried to peer over his shoulder. Poe moved his body accordingly to cover the page, never slowing down his hand. Ranpo crossed his arms in disappointment but turned back to the screen. 

Kyouka and Atsushi looked at the bomb in fright. 

‘Wha…!?’ Atsushi thought. ‘Is it going off in a few seconds…!?’

“Lose the bomb!” he shouted. 

“It will not be in time,” Kyouka said urgently. She pushed Atsushi away from her. 

‘Brave girl,’ Kunikida thought. He rubbed his temple, guilt for his previous thoughts of her pooling in his stomach. 

‘What kind of future leader am I?’ he wondered with dread. ‘Prioritizing the agency has always been my prerogative, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve failed everyone else.’

Dazai’s eyes flicked over to him, taking in the tenseness of his body. 

Tecchou frowned. “That is commendable,” he began slowly. “However, I feel greatly uncomfortable by this turn of events…”

Ango nodded, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. 

[When she pushed me back with her slender arms, the situation became clear to me,] Atsushi narrated. [Every use of her skill was due to that phone. She never activated it on her own.]

Tecchou nodded along to that assessment. 

Kyouka turned away, dashing to the torn-open exit of the subway. 

Sigma’s eyes widened. ‘Don’t tell me she’s going to…’

Lucy put a hand to her mouth frozen in horror. 

Higuchi blinked in surprise. “No…” she breathed out. 

[Why couldn’t I have noticed that sooner? She was unable to control it herself!]

Kyouka stood at the exit, turning back to face Atsushi one last time. She remembered his words from only a moment ago. “If there’s something you want, you have to put it in words.” 

“My name is Kyouka,” she spoke. “I killed thirty-five people…I do not want to kill anyone ever again!” 

And with that, she jumped backward and off the subway, into the open air. 

Akutagawa frowned. ‘She is like the man-tiger,’ he thought. ‘Not wanting to die, but seeking it for the greater good. I don’t understand. If they want to live, why are they prepared to die so easily?’

Higuchi’s eyes widened. Her heart went out to Kyouka. ‘Never thought I could relate to a little girl,’ she thought. 

“Oh, kid,” Kunikida sighed. He hadn’t even realized this had happened. How had Kyouka felt, he wondered. Would she tell him, even if he asked? 

What about Atsushi? He was sure it must have been awful to experience. 

Naomi leaned forward to give Kyouka a once-over. 

Noticing, Kyouka smiled. “I’m fine.”

Atsushi watched in shock. Without a thought, he jumped quickly after her. 

‘They’re both insane,’ Akutagawa thought. 

His arm transformed into that of the tiger, and with it, he ripped the bomb off of her torso. Just as the bomb went off, he hugged her in his arms, protecting her from the blast. They splashed into the ocean waters. 

“Atsushi!” Yosano cried, peering out of the window when she heard the splash. She saw the waters rippling and feared the worst. 

“Damn it!” she yelled. 

“I was really worried, you know,” Yosano said with a scowl. Atsushi rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Sorry, Yosano-sensei,” he said sheepishly. 

Kyouka bowed her head silently. 

Ango, despite the scene, could not find himself able to untense his body. He thought of the memories he read from Meg’s cardigan, memories of the future. 

‘How many more children…?’ he thought, biting the skin of his lips. 

Meanwhile, on the shore, Atsushi pulled Kyouka out of the water, the two of them coughing the water out of their lungs. 

Kyouka breathed heavily, the water exiting her mouth. Atsushi sighed in relief. 

They knelt beside each other. Atsushi gave Kyouka a small smile, and for a moment, all was calm. Then, suddenly, Atsushi slumped forward and fainted on Kyouka’s shoulder. 

“Um…” she said, before resigning herself to having him lay his head on her. 

Atsushi chuckled. “Oops,” he said. “Sorry about that, Kyouka-chan.”

Kyouka shook her head. “It’s okay,” she thought. “It made me…” 

She trailed off as she put a hand to her heart. “Warm,” she said finally. 

Atsushi smiled softly. Naomi cooed at their bond, leaning into Tanizaki’s side. He put his arm around her waist obligingly. 

The scene cut to the Port Mafia’s headquarters, the camera’s lens taking on a dark overtone. 

Ranpo perked up and poked Poe’s side. Poe looked up, noting the change in contrast and lighting. 

“Nice work there,” Ranpo complimented. 

Poe smiled. 

Had Fukuzawa been a more expressive man, his eyebrows would have shot up. 

‘He gives that man compliments so freely,’ he noticed fondly. A small smile tugged at his lips. ‘I’m glad he’s found a friend.’

A phone was making a long beeping sound, signifying the end of a call. 

Akutagawa pulled his phone away from his ear and clicked it off. He plopped down on the couch and crossed his legs. 

“No matter how strong, pawns are pawns, eh?” he said. “What about you? Are you a pawn, or…?”

The camera zoomed into the figure he was talking to, first focusing on his chained hands, and then himself. Dazai stood there, his arms uncomfortably held up by the chains, his coat rumpled, and his face slightly bloody. 

The detectives tensed while Atsushi gasped in alarm. Naomi covered her mouth with her hand worriedly. 

‘Ooh, this is not a good look on me,’ Dazai thought grimly. 

Outwardly, he smiled. “Ah,” he swooned. “If only you’d killed me then and there!”

Chuuya rolled his eyes. ‘Who are you fooling?’ he thought sarcastically. 

[The screen faded to black. An image of Akutagawa was shown.]

[Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. Skill: Rashomon. Transforms his overcoat into a dark monster capable of slicing through anything, even space itself.]

Kunikida let out a small, “Oh.” 

‘So his ability stems from his coat,’ he thought. 

Atsushi made a face of realization. ‘So that’s why it felt like a cloth!’ he realized. 

Akutagawa grimaced, hating the fact that information about him was on display. 

[Age 20]

[Likes: Curios and antiques, tea, figs]

Higuchi’s eyes lit up as she quickly committed the new information to memory. He hardly ever talked about himself that every piece of information was a goldmine. While she knew about his affinity for tea and figs, the tidbit about antiques was new. 

[Dislikes: Bonsai trees, dogs, baths, fava beans, mandarin oranges]

Lucy honed in on one of his dislikes. 

“Oh,” she said, remembering a past conversation. “You don’t like dogs either?” 

Akutagawa grimaced. “No,” he said simply. 

Chuuya shook his head disappointedly. “Can’t believe so many of you don’t like dogs.”

Dazai rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I think you’re the only street kid I know that actually likes dogs. I’m telling you, they're evil.”

Akutagawa nodded. 

Atsushi gaped, surprised by his honesty. “Cats are better anyway,” he said smugly. 

Lucy snorted. “Sure, kitty.” 

Atsushi flushed at the nickname. “Don’t call me that…”

“I’m more concerned by the bath thing,” Tanizaki cut in. 

“Bath = no Rashomon,” Gin wrote, tapping her words on the notepad. 

“Ohh,” Tanizaki said. “That makes sense.”

“And the bonsai trees? I think that one’s a little random,” Naomi tried. 

“We don’t talk about that,” Gin wrote. Akutagawa rolled his eyes, but nodded. 

Their conversation continued, only a few of them noticing Hirtosu lead Tachihara to the bathroom as soon as the screen had been cut to black. 

“Let’s take a break,” Tecchou declared, standing and making his way to Poe. “Can you make a gym,” he requested bluntly. “And a soundproof room. Please.”

Jouno scowled. “Don’t make requests on my behalf, idiot,” he muttered. 

If it had been anyone other than Tecchou who had asked, he would have killed them, and then berated their corpse for taking away his autonomy in asking for himself. Unfortunately, he quite liked abusingTecchou’s thoughtfulness, and lecturing him might make the man avoid doing favors for him again out of worry. 

He sighed, restraining his complaints. Then, looking side to side, activated his ability and faded into millions of small particles, leaving only the faint after-image of a blue hue. It was time for a little sleuthing, he believed. 

Chapter Text

“Breathe with me, Tachihara,” Hirotsu was saying calmly. “Focus on my voice.”

These were the words Jouno heard in his particle-state as soon as he entered the bathroom through its cracks. 

Hirotsu breathed exaggeratedly, pressing Tachihara’s hand against his own steady heart. 

“Let’s count together,” Hirotsu said, beginning to count between each breath. 

Tachihara followed along quietly. His face burned from embarrassment. It almost felt as if he were watching himself from an outsider’s perspective, desperately clutching at the older man’s coat—his own commander’s, how embarrassing—and pathetic. 

‘Why is this happening?’ he thought, mortified. He had been fine one second, and completely irrational the next. ‘What kind of officer or mafioso…’

“You’re doing good,” Hirtosu continued, stealing Tachihara’s attention from spiraling. Tachihara gritted his teeth, trying to focus on Hirotsu’s hand on his and the strong heartbeat underneath his fingertips. 

They continued until Tachihara’s racing heart began to slow and his breaths evened out. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed but it felt like ages. He sank to the floor, lightheaded. 

“I’ll get you some water,” Hirotsu said after some time. 

Tachihara buried his head in his hands, not checking to see him leave. Hirotsu returned soon after, a bottle of water in hand. 

“The others are currently taking a break from watching,” he said. “I don’t believe they’ve noticed our absence.”

Tachihara nodded absently, his eyes distant. 

Hirotsu squatted down in front of him. 

“Tachihara,” he began cautiously. “I hope you know you can come to me if something’s wrong.”

Tachihara only buried his face deeper into his arms. “I’m okay, Gramps,” he said, sounding exhausted. “I don’t know why that happened.”

Hirotsu pursed his lips and opened the bottle. He pressed it into Tachihara’s hand. 

“Sometimes,” he said with a sigh, “our body reacts in confusing ways to let us know how our mind is feeling.”

Tachihara bit his lip before taking a sip. 

Hirotsu lay a hand on Tachihara’s shoulder. “Let me know if you ever want to talk,” he said. With that, he took a seat beside him and pulled out a cigar. 

Tachihara let the familiar scent of it wash over him and relaxed against the wall. If he pressed a little closer to his commanding officer than he normally would, neither of them said a word. 

Jouno watched for a few minutes longer before making his way out of the room. He solidified beside Tecchou and Teruko.

“He had a panic attack,” he said quietly. 

Teruko’s eyes widened. “Tachihara did?” She glanced at the detectives’ doctor, then sighed. “Yeah, that’ll do it, I guess.”

“Will he be okay?” Tecchou asked. 

Jouno shifted uneasily before nodding. “That Black Lizard leader is with him. Hirotsu, or whatever.”

The other two tensed, subconsciously sensing his unsettled mood. 

Teruko’s eyes flitted back to the mens’ restroom. Had they known her any less, they wouldn’t have noticed the worried glint in them. 

Tecchou sighed. “I’m headed to the gym,” he reported. “I feel antsy sitting down for so long.”

Teruko nodded. “I’ll join you,” she said. 

“Don’t kill each other,” Jouno said before making his way to the soundproofed room for a much needed moment of pure silence. He longed for the comfort of isolation after hours of hearing ringing frequencies from the TV. 

Tecchou and Teruko headed to the gym. Already inside were Kunikida and Atsushi, the former teaching the latter martial arts. 

“We’re completely off-schedule for your training,” Kunikida was muttering. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize it earlier.”

Tecchou and Teruko sent each other an amused look before beginning their own workouts. 

While Tecchou approached his exercise with single-minded focus, Teruko allowed her mind to drift, thinking of the agency’s doctor, Tachihara, and even the man-tiger’s quickly improving form as he moved a few feet ahead of her. 

Meanwhile in the main room, Fukuzawa was making tea for those who decided not to spread out. 

Sigma and Ango sat near him, watching as he carefully poured them tea. 

Ango sighed. “If I knew that girl, Meg, was going to take me along with her, I would have brought my paperwork along,” he mourned. “Imagine how much work I could have finished in a pocket dimension…”

Sigma looked around. “Where did that girl go, anyway?”

Fukuzawa pointed at a corner where Sigma found the girl curling up around a blanket with a thin book in her hands. Sigma squinted his eyes, barely able to read the title ‘ The Cask of Amontillado’ from where he was sitting. 

She appeared to be wincing with barely-concealed horror at whatever was written in it. 

Sigma leaned in a little. The name ‘Edgar Allan Poe’ was emboldened on the front. His eyes slightly widened in surprise at the familiar name. 

‘So, she knows him in the future, too,’ he pondered. ‘Not just the Armed Detective Agency. I wonder if she knows me.’

“Do you think this, whatever this is, will really help the future?” he wondered aloud. 

“Only time may tell,” Fukuzawa replied, pushing a cup toward him gently. Sigma took it with a grateful smile.  

The entire group reconvened an hour and a half later after the gym-goers took showers. 

They took their previous seats, the only one to move being Tecchou. He sighed and gathered his courage, not that he needed it. He couldn’t believe he was the one among them being sent out to socialize. 

Tachihara frowned upon seeing him, sending him a questioning look. Tecchou pointedly ignored him. 

“May I sit next to you?” he asked Kenji. The boy smiled widely. 

“Of course!” he said, patting the spot next to him. “Tecchou-san, right? I’m Kenji!”

“Nice to meet you,” Tecchou replied politely, sitting beside him. 

Tachihara looked over his shoulder to the other Hunting Dogs. Jouno smiled serenely, gesturing for him to turn around with his finger. Tachihara scowled, but did so. 

Gin elbowed his arm. “You okay?” she whispered. “You and Hirotsu-san were gone for a while.”

Tachihara’s expression softened. “Yeah,” he said. “I…Yeah.” He tried for his usual cocky smirk. “Why? Were you worried about me?”

She rolled her eyes, elbowing him again. “You wish.”

They settled down as the episode began. 

The scene opened up to Kyouka’s sleeping face. Atsushi was crouched and leaning against the door outside her room, rubbing his forehead with a frown. 

Sigma smiled slightly at the sight of Atsushi sitting vigil for her to wake. How miraculous it was for the two of them to find each other amongst the hundreds of people in Yokohama. 

He could not find it in himself to be envious. He was only glad that they found each other and not those who would exploit them and their unguarded emotions. 

[Title card: Chapter  9 - Beauty, Hushed Like a Statue]

[The image showed the Port Mafia members that were introduced in the ‘show’ so far. Akutagawa stood in the front with Higuchi and Hirotsu flanking him, holding a gun and a cigar respectively. Beside Hirotsu were Higuchi and Gin, while Kajii stood to Higuchi’s left, some distance separating them. Kyouka had her back to the others and the camera, standing alone. 

Ranpo opened his eyes, analyzing the image curiously. 

“The hierarchy,” Poe commented quietly, taking it in. 

“And the defection,” Ranpo replied. 

Poe’s lips quirked up. “Poetic.”

Ranpo chuckled. “I wonder if it could be more than defection, though,” he mused. “Perhaps it could also insinuate that she never belonged with them in the first place judging from the distance between her and the others.”

Poe hummed. “There’s also some distance between the man with the lemon bombs from the others.”

Ranpo nodded in acknowledgement. “A sense of detachment, then. The Black Lizards and the other two mafiosos could be considered close, a community, in a way, and lemon guy seemed to work alone. Kyouka-chan is similarly detached.”

Karl leaped from Poe’s head to Ranpo’s. He let out a little “Oof” from the added weight. “Unless of course,” he said, “we’re reading into it and it’s merely meant to symbolize her defection.”

Poe shook his head. “I don’t believe in overanalyzing when it comes to literature.”

Kyouka sat up a little straighter as she observed the screen. A sense of pride washed over her. She didn’t look like one of them from where she was standing. 

Higuchi, on the other hand, felt herself freeze. ‘I’m by his side,’ she thought, at first with great happiness before she deflated. ‘But, I wonder if I belong there any more than that little girl does.’

Atsushi’s pondering was interrupted by Kunikida walking up to him. “You’ve brought back yet more trouble for us, eh?” Kunikida said, tossing Kyouka’s cell phone to him. Atsushi fumbled to catch it. 

Kyouka stiffened as she clutched her phone. What if it had broken, she thought, horrified. Atsushi noticed. “Sorry, Kyouka-chan. I almost dropped it.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay,” she said. “You didn’t.”

Dazai pouted dramatically. “You’re so negative, Kunikida-kun!” he whined. “All that worrying will give you stress-lines you know. Then you’ll look like an old man before you’re even middle-aged!”

Hirotsu sighed at that. He’d long-since gotten over his bitterness of looking old when young, though a small part of him still blamed Dazai and his antics for it. 

Kunikida huffed. “Someone around here has to be responsible,” he argued. Then, softer, said, “Though I suppose I was being harsh. Apologies, Atsushi-kun. And Kyouka-chan, for being careless with your phone.”

Atsushi turned around in surprise. “Oh, no,” he said, waving his hands. “It’s fine!”

‘Is it?’ Kunikida wondered warily. How much did Atsushi downplay whenever he spoke?

Kyouka nodded. “My phone’s okay, so it’s fine.”

“The battery’s been removed,” Kunikida said casually. 

Atsushi gripped the phone in his hands, distraught. “If only I’d noticed sooner.” 

‘There’s that self-hatred again,’ Tanizaki thought. 

Akutagawa rolled his eyes. ‘He needs to get over himself,’ he thought tiredly. ‘Once he stops this pitiful cycle can he begin to improve. How has Dazai-san not slapped this out of him, yet?’

Atsushi sensed a spark of hostile energy coming from Akutagawa. He eyed him warily. 

‘What’s that about?’ he wondered. 

“It’s fine,” Kunikida replied, unfolding a newspaper. “There’s nothing you could have done. We were too late.”

The camera zoomed in on the newspaper. It was titled: “Police Officers Slaughtered. The Work of a Young Girl?”

Kyouka stiffened at the headline. 

Atsushi winced. 

“I hate the press,” Teruko said loudly. 

“Yikes,” Tanizaki said as he took in the cover.