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Having run-ins and/or clashings with Port Mafia members was a regular enough occurrence for the Agency that no one besides the rookies did worry about it unless the stakes were actually high, the only exception being when Akutagawa had sneaked in (would it be a correct term, though, when he had been anything but silent?) to search for his sibling. And so, there were no surprises either, less fairly shortly after its previous boss’ passing.
Or at least there were no surprises until one of the former mafia’s top assassins came to the office bringing not conflict but a request.
“I know I am in no position to ask for your help.” Izumi Kyôka, the (in)famous ability user, was said to have left the Port Mafia before, and it seemed like twice had been the charm for her. Apparently. “But… I miss him.”
Barely offering clarifications at first was something usually frowned upon when it came to more typical clients, but there no one said anything, and Yosano didn’t need to wonder why; there, it was a testament of how well informed the girl had been as a mafioso with quite the rank, given her working under the assumption everything would be understood regardless. And honestly? With all that had happened, there was no doubt from the Agency’s part about who ‘him’ was. It didn’t take Ranpo’s incredible mind to understand, not at all.
And, speaking of Ranpo, he replied fairly quickly and in his usual demeanor.
“Oh, c’mon. You know where he went already, don’t you?” He said, pointing at Kyôka with the lollipop he had been entertaining himself with for several minutes prior to her arrival, before returning it back to his mouth.
“I know about the orphanage, yes. But not its name or location.” Was her equally swift response. If she was nervous or disheartened by the first words received, Yosano noticed, Kyôka didn’t let it show. Though, to be fair, the doctor’s full attention wasn’t on that girl… for a certain thought had started to settle at the back of her mind and became louder as seconds passed.
Could said orphanage be that one? Akiko hadn’t wanted to know, back in the day when news of the previous Port Mafia’s boss’ death had spread and checking their veracity ended up with a negative answer as well as more questions.
But now…
She didn’t say anything, partly because the mere thought was on its way to put a lump on her throat. What Yosano did was move her hand towards Ranpo’s free one, linking them together. That prompted him to turn his head, which resulted in them sharing a knowing glance that rendered any word unnecessary. And, process completed, they both went back to look at Kyôka.
“Alright, you’ll get to know those.” Ranpo said, and a small glimmer could be seen in the girl’s eyes in an instant. “Plus, it’s very likely you won’t go there alone.”
“Are you sure about this?”
The question hung in the air only a second, because everyone else in the room already knew what the answer was going to be, and it was more about asking for one last confirmation than anything. And Fukuzawa may have been the one releasing it, but there was no doubt about how Ranpo seeked the same, or else he would have made a comment about how getting all rhetorical was a waste of time as it usually happened.
“I am, don’t worry.” Except both of them did and would keep doing so, something Yosano couldn’t avoid nor wanted to; after all, those worries were rooted in how they cared about her.
“Then it’s settled. You wanna go, you go, and I’m going with you.” Speaking of Ranpo, she had already expected he would say and do exactly that… and yet a metaphorical explosion of warmth inside her chest took place as he spoke. He had been the first one to help her out when Yosano was at her lowest, the main person responsible to kickstart her healing journey; of course he wasn’t going to leave her alone for that trip. Well, there would be no way anyone from the Agency would go alone with a former mafioso they barely knew either, but that was something else entirely.
Ranpo joining the small trip had very little to do with Kyôka’s search and everything with Yosano’s emotional well-being, after all.
“Alright.” Fukuzawa added, nodding. “I heard Kunikida-kun suggesting a minimum of three detectives going, but I will leave that for all of you to sort out.” Both Ranpo and her nodded back, and Ranpo had just opened his mouth to say something else when a knock on the door caught everyone’s attention. “Yes?”
“Hello.” Akutagawa’s head appeared first through the now ajar door, and then the boy entered the room entirely. “We have been starting to discuss who will be going with the girl, and I would like to offer myself as a volunteer.”
No one in the room asked him why, but the reason came off as pretty obvious.
Naomi had taken Akutagawa’s stepping up as the third Agency member for the trip as both chance and subject to tease him mercilessly, a constant that kept happening until the very last moment, when both Tanizakis were to say their goodbyes at the train station. He was the first to enter, followed closely by Kyôka. And then there were Ranpo and Yosano herself, holding hands real tight.
“Any moment you need to leave, just gimme a sign and we peace out.” He said, earning a smile from Akiko as her mind conjured them simply going away with little to no regard for manners in that situation.
“Thanks.” Speaking of not minding anyone else, she didn’t care about all the people surrounding them when choosing to accompany such a response with a kiss on Ranpo’s cheek. Besides, it wasn’t like they inspired big reactions from their traveling partners; Kyôka barely glanced at them for a second, and Akutagawa was so used to it that point he just kept staring through the window.
The rest of the trip went by uneventfully, save for a phone call to the place itself informing of their visit, which Akutagawa carried out. Mainly because Yosano couldn’t bring herself to do it, Ranpo downright refused, and Kyôka already had her own thing going on with phones.
It was upon their arrival when, expectedly, things started happening.
Not so long after entering the place, some sort of official greetings were carried out by obviously the boy of the hour, Nakajima Atsushi… and someone Yosano had expected to meet there, yes, but not so soon. Though, to be honest, she deeply doubted having to deal with it sooner or later would have changed the way in which Akiko instantly and slightly froze.
Elise looked… different, and not merely because the uniform she was currently wearing wasn’t the one she used to wear back during the war; she appeared older, yet at the same time younger than Yosano at the moment, pretty much focused but also livelier than years ago (that wasn’t as unusual, still, since it was her own case too… even if their circumstances were different). She briefly patted Atsushi’s shoulder with a warm smile, quickly stepping aside a second later to make room when Kyôka suddenly dashed forwards and collapsed against the boy, wrapping him in a hug he instantly reciprocated to.
Somewhere in her peripheral vision, Akutagawa merely shrugged, and Ranpo’s hold on her hand became tighter.
“How sweet.” There was still a smile on Elise’s face, and it maintained when she turned to the rest of them. “Welcome, by the way. You can go freely around all shared spaces, Atsushi-kun will accompany you. Just mind not disturbing the children who are now in class, since getting their attention back can be tricky, and don’t hesitate in asking if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” Akutagawa replied, nodding and turning towards Ranpo and her, likely as a way to ask what they were doing next since he simply tagged along when they started walking with the intention of approaching Atsushi and Kyôka.
“Also, it’s been a while, Akiko-chan.”
No trace of malice or sarcasm, or anything remotely hostile, could be actually found on Elise’s tone when she said those words. In fact, she just sounded like a girl seeking to catch up with an old friend. Except they were never really friends to begin with, and no matter the speaker’s intentions, all effect that had on Yosano was making her skin crawl.
Despite Elise having mentioned/appointed Atsushi as their main guide during the visit, she didn’t immediately leave but followed the group for quite some time. To be more accurate, until a bell rang and shortly after several children ran through a hallway towards what seemed like a grass courtyard.
Following closely even if at a less hurried pace, of course, was him. Mori Ôgai, in the flesh.
From him, Elise and Yosano herself, he was evidently the one whose appearance had remained more similar (a given, since one changed less from pushing thirty to downright forty than from fourteen to twenty-five), but at the same time he was different too; there was no denying how that still was the man capable of disheartening schemes if it came down to it, yet it seemed like a big burden had been taken off his shoulders. Probably because that was exactly what had happened, but–
“You can always come and say hi.” Elise said, almost in her ear, and Akiko couldn’t avoid getting startled. At the same time, a small yelp came from Ranpo, and it would take a few seconds for her to realize it was because she had squeezed his hand too suddenly and strongly.
“Sorry.” Addressing that had become her top priority, mainly because there was no doubt how Ranpo mattered to her more than Elise, but also because the girl (the doll) didn’t wait for a response and moved onto joining Mori and the kids while saying something that sounded like her goodbyes. Even without that little incident, she wouldn’t have been paying attention, for the suggestion of talking to him was starting to plague the back of her mind.
“Don’t worry.” So little people could get away with something like that, such a small number they could easily be counted with just one hand’s fingers. Yosano was one of them, and everything in Ranpo’s reaction showed it. “Plus, that was creepy as fuck, I bet she’s scared off the kids more than once at night.”
That comment made her laugh a little, and said laugh turned into a grateful smile when Ranpo held her hand in both of his.
“You pick, y’know. Actually talking to him, approaching a little, going the opposite way… anything’s gonna be fine, and you know it.”
Yosano considered it for a moment. On one hand, that was what she was there for, getting first hand knowledge. On the other, the idea of actually talking to him made her even more uneasy than she was having Elise near… for obvious reasons. So, from Ranpo’s three suggestions, it was clear how it would work better.
“I’d rather test the waters, yeah.”
Maybe she should have reconsidered going all alone, but, at the same time… it also felt like something only Akiko could (or couldn’t) do. That didn’t mean she didn’t intend to take Ranpo with her if wanting to try again after failing.
Though that was a matter for the future.
Right then, she was making her way forward, following the same direction the kids and Elise had taken. Ranpo, meanwhile, had joined Akutagawa back to continue the makeshift tour Atsushi was giving them and Kyôka. And, as she got closer… Yes, the rhythm in Yosano’s footsteps was decreasing, her feet slowering while her heart rate spiked.
So, by the time the doctor was almost within earshot of the whole group, she felt pretty much chained to the ground and unable to walk more. Not like getting closer was needed either.
The scene in front of her was as idyllic as those could get, with the kids running around seemingly organizing things for a game Yosano didn’t recognize, while both Elise and Mori himself tried to establish some sort of order little by little. Those kids, of course, seemed more than genuinely happy. Hell, he seemed like a changed man in the way one person could only look when their life had taken a turn for the better; in the way Akiko herself had looked as she started to slowly heal. And sure, one may argue how a single peek did by no means guarantee having formed a complete idea of what was going on in a place and/or group dynamic, that not that glittered was gold but… here, she was certain.
Due to both personal experience during the war and over a decade working as a detective, she took pride in knowing to recognize situations of child mistreatment fairly closely, not to mention how Ranpo would have spoken up first if that were the case. And just in case there were any doubts: Nakajima Atsushi also seemed way healthier and happier than he had been during Akutagawa’s incursion into the mafia’s headquarters.
So, yes, everything was true. Everything was true, and having proof right before her eyes wasn’t making her any calmer. If anything, Yosano might as well be starting to get even more anxious… to the point a brief tap on her shoulder startled her to no end.
“What the–?”
In a matter of seconds, her fight-or-flight response had gotten activated as it should be, giving Yosano the need to gather a bunch of self-restraint once she turned around and realized who was there: Atsushi, who seemed almost as agitated by her reaction as she was.
“Oh, sorry! Just wanted to say we’re going to the nearby village to buy snacks, so… If you wanna come, we’ll leave soon.”
“... I see.” She tried her best to offer him a polite smile, which didn’t give as good of a result as Yosano had hoped for, then began walking with the fastest pace she was able to move in before starting to downright run. “Let’s go.” Such an addition came out as hurriedly as her motioning was, and she didn’t slow down once Atsushi started moving too.
“Are you avoiding me, Yosano-san?”
If there was something she had to hand over to the kid, it was his high perceptiveness; maybe, in another life, he could have been a detective. Or even in that one, by that matter. But anyway, Yosano didn’t want to blatantly lie to him, so her first response was actually none.
Of course, downright ignoring Atsushi would take her nowhere, but she didn’t want to tell him either. After all, it wasn’t his fault.
“I-- not exactly. It’s complicated.” She glanced to the side, where Ranpo was, in front of the counter and apparently rambling about crêpe options to a very interested Kyôka while Akutagawa had his eyes fixed on the posters advertising those same crêpes. Akiko hadn’t really entertained the idea of just fleeing by joining them, neither would she be enlisting any of them for help either.
Way to ruin some smidges of fun, wouldn’t it be?
“If you have a problem, we could always discuss it.” There was a droplet of harshness in Atsushi’s polite demeanor, though nothing Yosano could fully blame him for. After all, that was a kid who had relied on showing a tough front for a lot of time, and who wouldn’t be at least a little upset in a situation like that?
“It’s just… not about you, so don’t worry.” If she was lucky, that may put him at ease, and the topic would be abandoned soon. Except she wasn’t.
“But me being around reminds you of it, right?” Since denying it would end up being pointless, Yosano simply sighed. And, of course, any resemblance of a response only aggravated Nakajima’s need to keep asking. “It’s because what happened that day at the headquarters?”
The doctor fell not only silent but also pretty much motionless while she considered how to proceed next, only to shake her head shortly after. And, despite being expecting further inquiring, what Atsushi asked next still managed to catch her completely off-guard. Though, coming to think about it… maybe she should have expected it: Akiko had only actually talked about that with Ranpo, but hadn’t made any effort to conceal any of her reactions since arriving at the orphanage.
“Is it because of Mori-sensei and Elise-san, then?”
He had to say it, didn’t he?
“That’s…” Complicated, for sure. True, definitely. “Yeah. More Mori-sensei than her, though.” She considered adding a ‘for obvious reasons’ but discarded it since there was no real point; if Atsushi didn’t know about Elise already, phrasing it like that would raise questions. And if he did, then it would be coming off as redundant. Besides, it wasn’t difficult to discern by her previous words how she would still be associated with the whole thing anyway. “Anyway, if we’re doing this, can it be somewhere more quiet?”
Crêpes acquired, their next destination was a rather small park that seemed almost empty at that hour, fitting for a conversation like theirs.
Just as it had been inside the store, Ranpo stayed aside with Akutagawa and Kyôka, now even more intently and not simply due to the circumstances, and for what she could overhear he was still carrying the conversation (not surprisingly) which was still about the crêpes (even less surprisingly). Yosano, meanwhile, turned back to Atsushi after making sure no one was actually listening.
“Did you get to meet Mori-sensei when he was still the Port Mafia’s boss?” She asked, in barely a whisper, and he nodded.
“Barely, but yes.”
“So you’ve witnessed the change, even if marginally.” When Atsushi nodded again, she carried on. “That’s what bothers me.” He instantly furrowed his brow in confusion and, had that happened in pretty much any other moment, she would have giggled a little. “Not that he’s changed, that’s nice. But–” Her voice lowered, something which wouldn’t be a problem since he was going to hear it anyway. “I used to be under his wing, y’know, back at Tokoyami Island. He was the reason I went there on the first place, and the whole thing fucked me up badly.” Given how someone with a former mafia rank such as Atsushi had before leaving had to be aware of her ability, Yosano didn’t have to explain how or why.
Hell, maybe he knew even more than that; after all, rumors were powerful. Not to mention how he was said to be close to Dazai Osamu. And, even in the case he knew nothing at all concerning her (which was unlikely), she was still giving more than enough clues to pick up from.
Besides, the most important part was coming in, direct and less sugar-coated than what preceded it even.
“Now he’s changed, and I’m glad he has. For him, for you and for all the kids that live here. I am, okay?” She hoped nothing ever made him doubt that. “But– dunno, the fact he’s changed means he always had that change in him. He was capable of change, I just wasn’t worth changing for. Which I know it’s not even fucking fair, because there was a whole damn war going, on but–”
But she would always mourn what could have been, even if such a series of events was what led her to become an Agency member.
(After all, Yosano wholeheartedly believed that, no matter how it happened, she would always find her way towards Ranpo and Fukuzawa. And so would everyone at their own pace.)
“Honestly, I get it.” Atsushi’s voice was also low, and there wasn’t a smidge of judgment in it. “For what’s worth, I kinda envy you a little.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled, but there wasn’t a happy motion. “The previous headmaster was… the closest to a father I had growing up. He fucked me up badly too, even if now I know there was a reason despite it being awful anyway and… and now he’s dead.” Yosano had the feeling he had been involved in that, but since he also seemed regretful, she chose not to comment on it. “You don’t have to forgive Mori-sensei, or actually speak to him at all, but you at least have the full active choice ‘cause he’s still around.”
Akiko then chuckled too, in the same demeanor he did.
“Being haunted by the ‘what if’s it’s a bitch, isn’t it?” Despite everything, Atsushi snorted a little before agreeing with a nod.
“Absolutely.”
In the end, she didn’t try to approach him again, at least not yet.
The rest of the outing passed by without any issues, and at some point during their walk back to the orphanage, Kyôka voiced her will to stay (because it would be foolish to think she hadn’t gone there considering it in the first place). Such a fact didn’t change the outcome of their departure much, though, since she was there when Ranpo, Akutagawa and her were about to board their train back home alongside Atsushi.
“You can come by anytime.” Atsushi said, politely to Ranpo, a bit more amicably glancing at Yosano… and awkwardly towards Akutagawa in a way that left very room for doubt about the reason.
Honestly, her having taken a liking towards the boy didn’t mean she wasn’t going to share gossip with Naomi if she asked; besides, Akutagawa had to be more than well aware of how impossible to hide those things in the Agency, so he would have to yield sooner or later anyway. No matter if that meant just resigning or actually sharing something, the second option being more likely than the first.
“Aren’t you ever going out or what?” Ranpo asked, and Yosano had to restrain herself not to laugh about all the implications that had.
“Oh. I… dunno if showing up in Yokohama is a good idea in the short term… well, terms.” People would think twice to seek trouble when it came to the Port Mafia’s former White Reaper, no matter if they knew he had left the organization or not. So his motivations had to be more emotionally charged than anything. Which was legit, to be fair. “But, yeah, there’s a lot more out there too.”
That might not be the most definitive answer of them all, or better yet (and more accurately) the most direct. But that was something to start out with, a promise to maybe meet in the middle of sorts.
The rest, they would have to work it out with time, which was more of a warm certainty than a problem.