Chapter 2: Entrance Exam
I'm back again wih another shitty chapter
To be honest I don't really think that this story is gonna do well, I mean everyone here doesn't really like OC stories uwu
But oh well, enjoy this chapter
Murasaki woke to the sound of birds chirping in the early morning. She sat up and yawned, looking around the room she slept in. Just then, she heard three knocks on her door. It was morning and now she was already getting knocks.
"Mura~" Taiko called out from behind the door. "Time to wake!"
Murasaki looked at the door and rubbed her eyes, then put on her glasses. Even though she found the energy to stand up and walk to the door, she was still sleepy. She hazily opened the door to see her the sandy-blonde haired girl in her doorway, with a warm smile on her face.
"Ah... Taiko-san..." Murasaki mumbled.
Her eyes were heavy, but they grew a bit large upon looking at what Taiko was wearing. "... Oh, you've got a new outfit..."
Taiko nodded, flashing a close-eyed smile. "Yup."
Taiko was no longer wearing her rags, and was replaced with an outfit that was reminiscent of the 1900's. She wore a white blouse with puffy sleeves, a green tie with yellow stripes, suspenders with a wide, knee-length skirt, black tights and brown tassel loafers.
The sandy-blonde haired girl twirled in her new outfit. "What do you think?" she asked. "I look like a 1900's female Sherlock!"
Murasaki, still sleepy, was able to mumble a response. "... Fitting outfit..."
"Hm? You didn't sleep well last night?" Taiko said.
"Ah, no... I'm just not good at waking up in mornings...," The four-eyed brunette answered. She yawned again.
"Well..." Taiko suddenly brought up a box of mochi. "Want some mochi?"
Murasaki was suddenly wide awake by the sight of mochi in front of her, as if she was activated by a switch. "Yes, please."
Taiko laughed. "Figured you would like mochi."
Just then, a door across Murasaki's room slammed close. Then it was followed by footsteps, and Taiko turned to see her best friend beside her.
"Hi Shimi," she greeted. "Took you long enough to try the outfit."
Shimizu sweatdropped. "Sorry."
"Morning, Shimizu-san," Murasaki greeted, eating mochi. "Nice outfit."
"T-Thank you," the freckled-brunette thanked softly. Like Taiko, she was sporting a new outfit. She wore a brown jacket over a yellow and turquoise dress, black tights, and Mary Janes.
"Don't you have a new outfit, too?" Taiko questioned.
"Ah... let me change first." Murasaki said, closing the door.
After five minutes or so, the door opened, and revealed Murasaki... in her new outfit. She wore a white button-up shirt with black tie, black and rust colored skirt with flower designs at the hem, dark grey tights and brown shoes. Additionally, she wore a watch on her left wrist.
"Hmm... looking good!" Taiko complimented.
Murasaki nodded. "Thank you."
Just then, a voice greeted to them. "Morning, girls!"
The three girls looked around their surroundings to see who just called out to them. They grew confused when they couldn't see him in their sight. "D-Down, here, down here," the voice told them.
Taiko looked below the balcony to see a pair of khakis stuck between the poles of the railings. The sandy-blonde haired girl leaned over to see who was dangling from the railings.
"D-Dazai-san!" Shimizu cried out first in surprise. "Wh-Wh-What are you doing..?"
"Assuming that you're trying to commit suicide?" Taiko asked.
"Yes," Dazai replied, dangling upside down. "According to the book 'A Complete Guide To Suicide', one of the many ways you can die is to let yourself hang upside down, so that the blood will rush to your head and will trigger a brain hemorrhage, leading to a severe stroke, in which that leads— to death!"
Murasaki sweatdropped. "A book like that exists..?" she questioned.
"My feet hurt," Dazai said.
"That's the point of suicide," Taiko remarked. "Pain and suffering."
"I like suicide... but not pain or suffering." Dazai corrected her. This man was getting stranger and stranger the more they interacted with him. "Now would you girls kindly lift me up?"
The girls didn't question it further, and helped him up. Once he landed on the floor of the balcony, he stretched. "Ahh, that's better," he said relaxingly.
Taiko, Shimizu and Murasaki all sweatdropped simultaneously. They didn't know what to say or what to feel about Dazai's obsession with suicide. It's been a day since they met, and they haven't quite gotten used to it. But whatever these man's quirks were, it made him unique and likable... to say the least.
As soon as he was done stretching, he turned to the girls, and he was astounded by the new outfits. "Quite lovely outfits, girls," he complimented with a wink. "You all look so ravishing."
"Thanks," Taiko replied. "Did you buy these for us?"
"No, but Akiko-san did," Dazai told them.
Murasaki raised an eyebrow. "Who's Akiko-san?"
"Ahh, you'll meet her soon." The bandaged-man replied casually, placing his hands in his coat's pockets.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps dashing towards them. Alarmed, they turned around to see Atsushi had caught up to them, panting heavily.
"Atsushi-kun?" Dazai said in surprise. "What's the rush?"
"Kunikida-san... called..." he told them breathlessly. "... there's... an emergency at the warehouse nearby..!"
His erratic and shaky breathing was enough to interpret the meaning of his message. Dazai and the girls's eyes widened. Something was wrong.
"What kind of emergency?" Shimizu asked.
"... some criminals... kidnapped a woman... and are holding her hostage!" Atsushi finished.
"That's terrible..!" Shimizu gasped.
"Oh no," Murasaki mumbled.
"That doesn't sound too good," Taiko said.
Dazai was just as shocked as his peers were, yet his reaction was suppressed by a calm yet urgent look on his face. "... lead us there." he demanded.
The girls was about to agree, but one thought stopped them. "Hey, What about the entrance exam?" Taiko asked.
Dazai turned to the girls. "The entrance exam can wait," he said. "... We have much more pressing matters to tend to."
The quintet quickly travelled to the designated warehouse on foot. Kunikida, who was there already, regrouped with them. They hid behind some crates near the entrance, as so not to be spotted by the said criminals.
Even though Taiko, Shimizu and Murasaki were occupied by this sudden emergency, they can't help but think of the missed entrance exam. This wasn't the first time that the three of them were in a situation like this, but the raised stakes made them even more nervous. They were amateurs working with experienced detectives. Someone's life was on the line here, and one wrong move, they'll never be able to forgive themselves. Their inexperience could very well play a part in their potential failure.
"What's it like over there?" Atsushi whispered, as so to avoid attract attention.
"I only took a small glance, but I was able to make out what's inside the warehouse," Kunikida explained in a low tone. "It seems that there are only two men inside, guarding their hostage, who is gagged and tied to a chair."
"There are only two, but I don't think it's going to be easy getting past them," Taiko pointed out.
"Taiko-chan might be right," Dazai agreed. "They might be more powerful than we thought, so underestimating them won't be wise. We best be careful around those criminals."
"Now here's our next problem," Kunikida continued on. "Confronting them. For all we know, one step we take, and then they'll immediately resort to killing the woman off before we can stop them. They are quick to provoke and are ruthless."
They all fell silent. None of them knew what to do at this point. They knew that if they said the wrong thing or did the wrong thing, that poor woman would be finished quicker than an eagle finishing off their prey.
"The floor's open for ideas," Kunikida said. "Give us a good one, and make sure it's fool-proof."
Suddenly, Taiko's eyes lit up, and a plan quickly formed in her head. She slowly repeated Kunikida's warnings in her head and used her common sense, which helped her create a a strategy that wasn't too creative, but at the very least buy them time to save the woman at the same time confront those criminals without provocation. Even if this was her and her friends' first urgent situation with high stakes, she was able to get the gist of it and a spark of confidence and assurance build up inside her.
"I think I may have a plan," The sandy-blonde haired girl piped up.
The others looked at her, waiting to hear what she's gonna say.
"This better be good, Hirabayashi..." Kunikida muttered.
Taiko ignored that little doubt and started to explain. "Okay, so here's what I quickly strategized..."
"Those detectives are taking so long," one of the criminals said, a little impatient, with his legs swaying back and forth whilst sitting on one of the crates. He was a short boy with blonde hair, freckles and wore a blue jumpsuit, and a hat hanging behind his back.
The other criminal, who wore a brown hat on top of his black spiky hair, an inverness brown cape draped over his shoulders, three quarter length brown pants, white socks and black shoes, was standing by. He had his eyes closed, but he was able to keep his guard up.
"Ahh, could be that they're taking their time to discuss what plan they could execute to defeat you and I," the close-eyed criminal responded, tapping his foot on the ground lightly. "Although I highly doubt that their plan is going to be better than ours."
The woman, who was tied to a chair and gagged, sat intensely. She had black short hair with her bangs cut into a bob, magenta eyes, white buttoned-up blouse tucked into a black pleated skirt, black tights and red heels. Additionally, a golden butterfly hair-clip was pinned at the left side of her hair. A terrified expression was written on her face. She was so fearful for her life, that it kept her from talking behind her gagged mouth, in which that could lead to her death.
"Mmmm, I don't know if I can wait long," the farmer boy continued to complain. "I wanna fight them now."
"Good things come to those that wait, dear partner," the close-eyed man assured him.
"Stand still, and don't move!" A voice demanded, coming from outside the warehouse.
The close-eyed man smirked. "Ahh, speak of the devils," he said casually.
Kunikida stood firmly, holding his notebook in his hands.
This better work, Hirabayashi! he thought.
"We've come to free the young woman," Kunikida explained. "Unhand her, this instant."
"Hm, is that what you're asking us to do?" the close eyed man taunted. He turned to the farmer boy, then nodded at him.
The nod was enough for the farmer boy to understand, so he took out a small pocket knife from his pockets and quickly went behind the woman, and drew it closer to the woman's neck. The woman screamed through her gags and shook her legs hysterically. She was gonna die.
Kunikida began to panic, but he sucked it up. It was part of the plan, after all.
"Come any closer, and I'll delve this shrapnel deep into her throat~" the farmer boy warned happily, as if he enjoyed the pleasure of killing someone.
"What plans do you have to stop us right here, right now?" The close eyed man continued to taunt. "We'd be delighted to hear it... on this woman's dead body."
Dazai came out of his hiding place, hands in his coat's pockets. "Now now, let's not get so hasty so quickly," he said casually. "What fun is it if immediately killed that woman? Don't you want... a good old fight so settle this?"
Murasaki came out of her hiding spot as well, nodding. "Personally, I think villains like you will feel more accomplished if they defeat their enemies and get away with killing their hostage." she said calmly. "It's more than one achievement - it gives one a stronger feeling of power. After all, "the more you do, the more you earn", as some men say."
The two criminals exchanged looks. They had a point, after all. If they kill their hostage immediately without a fight, that alone won't be satisfactory for the both of them. To fully feel accomplished and prouder, they would have to crush their enemies, and afterwards kill their hostage, so that their opponents will feel double times the failure, and their pride would grow.
"... Sounds fun!" The farmer boy gave in, drawing the knife away from the woman's neck and took a fighting stance. "I've been waiting or this!" (A/N: If you know this reference, then I salute you.)
The close eyed man smirked. "... very well then, I accept your challenge!"
He reached into his pockets, took out a pair of glasses, put it on, an his eyes opened. His eyes were green-colored.
"Lone Poet!" Kunikida shouted out, as he wrote on his notebook. Once he finished writing, he teared out the page he wrote on, and the notebook glowed a green aura. A revolver appeared in place of the page he was holding, and he aimed it at the criminals.
Dazai took a fighting stance. "Well this will be fun," he said, smirking. "I might die peacefully!"
Murasaki sweatdropped, and took out her staff. "Not the time, Dazai-san."
The sides stood intensely, looking at each other. Then, the farmer-boy grabbed a crate and threw it at them, beginning the duel. The detectives barely dodged, and the crate smashed into pieces upon missing them and hitting the ground.
The criminal wearing glasses now charged towards Kunikida, who dodged the bullets that shot at him. Kunikida growled. He had to use his bullets wisely, or he would run out before he would even finish his opponent.
As for Dazai, he was calmly dodging the thrown crates at him with such swiftness and quick reflexes, all while his hands are in his coat's pockets, as if it wasn't a big deal.
Murasaki tried to help Dazai out by charging at the farmer boy with her stick, only for the farmer boy to realize that she was coming, so he quickly threw a crate at her, in which she barely dodged.
The farmer boy looked at the metal poles nearby. He suddenly had an idea. He ran towards the poles and carried them, despite them being heavy. He charged at Murasaki and began to duel with her, using the long heavy pole that he's managing to use.
This guy's ability... he must have the ability to have superhuman strength, which could be why he's capable of carrying and throwing heavy objects that no ordinary person could have an easy time doing. Murasaki thought, whilst dodging her opponent's attacks and shielding herself with her makeshift staff.
The fight had begun, but it was quickly growing intense by the minute. While the duel was going on, Taiko, Shimizu and Atsushi hid in an area behind the warehouse that they sneaked into, and where they would be out of the enemies' sight.
"Can we go now and free the woman?" Shimizu asked nervously.
"Not until they're fully absorbed in their fight," Atsushi instructed. "Those words that they said spiced them up a bit."
Taiko, her eyes closed and arms behind her back relaxingly, yawned. "Well, it's true that you can create blind spots in front of your enemies," she said casually. "Not really creative, but I tried."
Atsushi and Shimizu smiled a bit at her. Taiko had so much confidence, that she too, looked like she was having fun in this situation. After all, she took her philosophy to heart: Just let life play it all out, and the tides will change eventually.
Suddenly, they heard a cry. A painful cry. Alarmed, the three looked over to see Murasaki on the ground, clutching her right arm. It had a large cut, with blood dripping out of it.
The farmer boy held the pole, stunned as well. Blood came out of the end of the pole... he scratched her with the end of the pole. "Oh."
Murasaki stood in her position, and her glasses fell.
Dazai, who was busy helping Kunikida, turned to see what was wrong. "?! Mura-chan?!"
Suddenly, blue smoke erupted from her. The farmer boy covered himself to avoid getting affected by the smoke. As for the other side of the warehouse, Kunikida, the four-eyed criminal and Dazai halted their duel to see what was going on.
"?! What the hell's going on...?!" Atsushi was shocked and confused at the same time.
"What's happening to Murasaki-san-?!" Shimizu panicked.
The blue smoke cleared... but Murasaki was no longer there. In her place was a girl with indigo-colored hair in a ponytail wearing a sleeveless kimono-like shirt with white, light blue, and gold colored obi, black pants and white boots with black soles, head lowered.
The others were confused. Where was Murasaki, and who was this girl in her place? Then suddenly, realization hit them like a brick. Why else would this strange occurrence happen, unless if it's...
Dazai was astounded and shocked. "Oh.. my."
Kunikida gritted his teeth. "Tch, so this is Shikibu's ability..." he muttered, holding his revolver a little tightly.
As for Taiko, Shimizu and Atsushi, they were at loss at words. This was a really strange ability. A really bizarre one.
"Is that... Murasaki-san...?" Atsushi whimpered.
"I think so... who else could appear in her place?" Taiko replied, staring at the indigo-color haired girl with eyes large as saucers.
"Scary..." Shimizu mumbled.
The mysterious girl held her head up, with her face looking like Murasaki's. A cold smirk was on her face, hungry for bloodshed. She then picked up ner makeshift staff, twirled it in her hands casually, and walked towards her opponents.
"Hm... not bad for an ability," the four-eyed criminal said, taking a stance.
The farmer boy flashed a close eyed smile. "But we can disarm you as easy as we kidnapped this woman!"
"Very well then... let's just see what you are capable of." She said with a cold tone. Seconds passed, and she dashed at them with such inhuman speed. The farmer boy quickly stopped her with his pole and resumed his duel with her. She dodged and block his every swing and attack so precisely and swiftly, it seemed as though it was impossible to disarm her. Now he was the one struggling.
"Now!" Taiko ordered, leaping out of her hiding place, with Atsushi and Shimizu following after. They made a mad dash for the tied-up woman in the center of the warehouse.
He was struggling against the indigo-haired girl, but he eventually noticed the unexpected guests dashing towards their hostage. He kept his calm smile on his face and charged towards them.
"Oh no, you don't!"
He ran towards them, grabbing a large crate on his way and threw it at them. Right after he threw the crate, the indigo-haired girl dashed at him quickly and continued to fight him. She was extremely fast, getting from where she was to where they are now.
The crate was flying towards them. Shimizu graced herself while Atsushi closed his eyes, and all of a sudden, his arms turned into big white furry arms, with black stripes. He was about to shield her when he felt vibration from above. He turned to see Taiko holding back the crate midair with her soundwaves.
"Shield yourselves, I'm breaking this crate!" Taiko said jovially and casually.
She leaned forward and concentrated, strengthening the pressure of the soundwaves. Eventually, the crate broke into pieces, and the wood rained down on top of them. Atsushi wrapped his tiger-like arms around the girls and protected them from the debris falling above.
Once there was no longer debris falling from midair, Atsushi let his arms go from the girls. Taiko and Shimizu stared at him in surprise.
"Wow, so your ability allows you to turn your limbs... info animal limbs?" Shimizu asked, astounded.
"Well... in a way?" Atsushi stammered. "M-My ability Beast In The Moonlight allows me to transform into a white tiger. Sometimes fully, but I normally use only half of my ability, which is turning my limbs into tiger limbs, combined with my enhanced speed and strength."
"Ooooh, nice ability," Taiko complimented, with a wink.
They soon resumed to dashing to the woman. They were able to make it to the tied-up woman without any interruptions, and quickly got to work in untying her.
Atsushi was about to cut the ropes with his tiger-arms when a rock flew at him. He barely dodged. "H-Huh?!"
He turned to see the four-eyed criminal in front of them, who had somehow managed to escape Kunikida. He had his hands on his hips, and a smirk was on his face.
"You thought you could blind us easily with your friends dueling us," he started. "I have to say, a bit impressive, but not creative enough!"
He grabbed his pocket knife from his pocket and raised it high in the air, about to stab the woman. A gunshot rang and the bullet knocked the knife out of his hands.
"Goddammit!" he barked in frustration.
He whipped his head around to see Kunikida standing, with the revolver raised. The frustration was building up quickly inside the four-eyed criminal. They had come so far, he won't let them win so easily.
"Nice try, but that alone won't stop me!" The four-eyed criminal raised his hands, about to choke the woman, but he was immediately blasted away by Taiko's soundwaves.
Taiko had a calm smile on her face. She was enjoying this. "Wow, this is getting intense and intense by the minute!" she said excitedly.
The four-eyed criminal groaned, trying to get up. His body shook from the soundwaves. He was about to stand when the indigo-haired girl dashed towards him and attempted to stab him, but he barely dodged. Now he was the one dealing with the indigo-haired girl.
He kicked her, threw numerous rocks at her, but she was enduring it all. She was almost unbeatable. She was inhumanly strong, he barely missed the violent swings from her staff.
He didn't want to run, but he had no choice but to. The four-eyed criminal dodged an attack and made a dash for the woman, who was still being freed by Atsushi, Taiko and Shimizu.
"You're not winning this!" The four-eyed criminal shouted, frustrated and stressed. His energy was almost up, but he's not willing to let this fight be in his opponent's favor.
Taiko, with a calm smirk, waved her hand and soundwaves blasted at him to hold him from running towards the woman. The criminal was too busy on trying to hold himself against the soundwaves, he didn't notice Shimizu walking behind him, while keeping her distance away as so to avoid getting blasted by the soundwaves. It was a distraction.
"Now, Shimi!" Taiko called out once she stopped her soundwaves.
The criminal's eyes shot up in shock. Before he could realize what has happened, Shimizu tackled him to the ground, her eyes yellow due to her activated ability. The freckled-girl tied his hands up, with the criminal groaning in defeat.
"Finished!" Taiko chirped happily.
The girls turned to see Atsushi had cut the ropes off the woman, and he untied the gag. The woman gasped for air. "Thank you, so much..."
Shimizu smiled. "No problem. Are you alright, ma'm?" she asked.
"In one piece," the woman assured them.
Taiko turned to the criminal, smiling. "Well that was a good fight, don't you think?" she asked.
To her surprise, the criminal smiled. It wasn't an insane or evil smile. It was a friendly smile. "... Indeed. You all did so well on your exam."
Taiko and Shimizu's eyes went as large as saucers. "... Whaaaaaat?!" They shouted in surprise, simultaneously.
The woman whom they freed, flipped her hair, her eyes closed. "Playing the damsel is just so aggravating," she scoffed.
Atsushi sweatdropped. "Ahaha, I knew you wouldn't like that part, Akiko-san..."
Taiko and Shimizu looked so dumbfounded and exchanged shocked looks. "Wait, so..." Shimizu deducted.
Dazai, a close-eyed smile on his face and hands in his coat's pockets, nodded. "This is your entrance exam, girls!" he explained. "These aren't real criminals at all. They're our fellow coworkers, even the woman held hostage."
Taiko and Shimizu continued to stare, completely speechless.
"? On earth to Shikin and Hirabayashi?" Kunikida called out to them.
"...Haha, nice one," Taiko finally said, although still in disbelief. "This situation was so done well, we didn't even realize it."
The farmer boy nodded happily. "Yup!" he said cheerfully. "Sorry also for scratching your friend. I didn't mean to."
Taiko and Shimizu stiffened upon remembering about Murasaki. Then, they heard Atsushi crying out in pain. The two friends and the detectives turned to see the indigo-haired girl repeatedly hitting him with her staff.
"Atsushi-kun!" The girls cried out.
"Ow-ow-OW! THAT HURT! STOP!" Atsushi cried out in pain, shielding himself. But no matter how hard he begged, he was hit double, triple, quadruple times, as if he was a meat being repeatedly beaten. The indigo-haired girl continued to hit him with such a sadistic smile on her face. She was enjoying it.
"Murasaki-san, STOP IT!" Shimizu pleaded desperately.
The indigo-haired girl stopped for a moment, then glared at Shimizu. "I'm not Murasaki..." she said. "My name... is Fujitsubo."
"Fujitsubo...?" Taiko repeated breathlessly.
Fujitsubo then continued to beat Atsushi with her staff. A bandaged hand grabbed hold of her wrist, and she turned to see Dazai kneeling beside her. She was too busy beating up Atsushi, she didn't notice him approaching her.
"That's enough now," Dazai said.
Blue flashes erupted from the physical contact, and moments later, Fujitsubo flashed and turned back to Murasaki. The now turned-back brunette fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Murasaki-san!" Taiko and Shimizu yelled out. They ran to Murasaki's unconscious body and checked on her.
"I-Is she okay?" Shimizu asked worriedly.
Akiko scratched her cheek. "She'll be alright," she answered. "She's exhausted from her ability, but she'll be up and about."
Atsushi stood still, looking at Murasaki. "So that's her ability..." he deduced. "She has an alter-ego called Fujitsubo that takes over..."
The man with black-spiky hair put his hand on his chin. "Hm, from what we've seen, the trigger is when she's cut or bruised," he added.
"Again, I apologize," the farmer boy said sadly. "No hurt feelings, right?"
"Well, you didn't mean to so, I guess you're good, Kenji," Akiko told him.
Taiko stared at Murasaki's body. "And I guess that as Fujitsubo, she goes on a killing rampage," she said. "Scary. We don't even know how to really stop her, unless we have Dazai-san with us to nullify her ability."
Kunikida fixed his glasses. "... A battle-crazed maniac for an alter-ego...," he pondered. "... Dazai, from now on, you must be with Shikibu when she activates her ability."
Dazai nodded, saluting happily. "Got that, Kunikida-kun."
Murasaki groaned, and she shuffled a bit. She slowly opened her eyes to see Taiko and Shimizu holding her body. She was a bit hazy. "Huh..? What...?"
Taiko and Shimizu sighed in relief. "Thank Ghandi," Taiko said. "You okay?"
Murasaki sat straight up, groaning. "I think so... what happened?"
"Oh, your alter-ego took over and started going on a rampage." The spiky-haired man replied calmly.
Akiko sweatdropped. "Ranpo-san, that's too straightforward and too quick."
Murasaki's eyes shot up, as if a firecracker as lit under her. "WHAT?!" she yelled out in surprise.
"Er... you're so surprised..?" Atsushi said nervously.
"Why wouldn't I be?! You met Fujitsubo?!" Murasaki demanded, her voice shaky. She asked the question as if it was a serious
"Yup, and she was real strong." Kenji told her, waving his hands like a child.
Murasaki stood stiff for a moment, in shock. Her alter-ego was unleashed and revealed. She tried so hard to prevent it from happening again, making sure she didn't get injured. She didn't want history to repeat itself. Didn't want to cause others to be...
"So that explains why you didn't want to reveal your ability," Kunikida deduced. "It was that dangerous, considering your inhumanly strong battle-crazed alter-ego."
Dazai had his arms behind his back. "Awwww, being harsh now are we, Kunikida-kun?"
Kunikida shot him an irritated look. "It's not a harsh comment, it's merely a fact, you idiot."
Murasaki stared at the ground in shame. She, as Fujitsubo, could have killed Atsushi right in the spot. This was her doing, it was all on her.
"I...I..." Murasaki mumbled. "... I'm so, sorry."
"Murasaki-san, it's okay," Atsushi said sheepishly. "Please don't be ashamed, for it wasn't your fault. You aren't conscious when you are Fujitsubo, right?"
The brunette looked up at him. "Well yeah, but..."
Taiko grabbed her hand. "No hurt feelings, Mura," she assured. "We swear. We accept you, Fujitsubo and all."
Murasaki stared at her. "Taiko..." For the first time, she had friends that accepted her completely. Accepted for what she is, regardless of he Fujitsubo ability. She never experienced people like this before, and the fact that they are actually making an effort on comforting her made her happy a bit.
Shimizu grabbed her other hand as well, smiling. "We'll be here for you, no matter what!" she chirped, flashing a close-eyed smile. "And we'll be sure to help you with controlling your ability."
Murasaki stared at the two best friends and the detectives in front of her. She felt so comfortable, so relaxed, being treated equally. She slowly let out a smile, then nodded. "... Right."
Ranpo gushed. "Ahh, such good friendship between those three," he remarked.
Kenji smiled so brightly. "Yup!"
Suddenly, Taiko looked at Kunikida and Dazai. "So.. what's the result of our entrance exam?"
"Oh, that," Dazai said. "Ask the director."
"The director...?" Taiko, Shimizu and Murasaki asked.
As if on cue, a deep voice came from behind the detectives. "So these are the three girls you told me about."
"-! Fukuzawa-san!" Atsushi exclaimed in surprise.
The detectives gave way for the man named Fukuzawa behind them. Yukichi Fukuzawa was really tall, had silver hair despite being a bit young, wore a green yukata, and had a calm, stern expression on his face. He slowly made his way towards the three girls.
He was so tall, it intimidated the girls a bit. The three of them helped Murasaki up, and they all saluted him. "Sir!" They wouldn't even dare to speak in a casual manner, so they adjusted their speech a bit.
Fukuzawa stayed silent for a moment, eyeing each other girls. Then, he spoke. "... Taiko Hirabayashi, Shimizu Shikin, and Murasaki Shikibu."
The girls braced themselves. "The three of you have shown an amount of potential and skill," Fukuzawa continued. "You have also shown an amount of willingness to lay your lives for the sake of others. Therefore... I hereby hire you three."
The girls blinked. They couldn't believe their ears. It sounded too good to be true. "Hold on, sir..." Taiko asked, just to make sure they heard it right. "Did you say..."
Fukuzawa nodded. "... I hereby hire the three of you," he repeated. "Hirabayashi, Shikin, and Shikibu... We welcome you to the Agency."
"Welcome!" The detectives (except for Kunikida) greeted happily.
The three of them exchanged joyful smiles. They felt their heart pumping with excitement.
They did it.
They were now official members of the Armed Detective Agency.
This was the start of their new lives, and new challenges were to come. Their luck had just gotten better, for all it takes is to let life play it all out, and that the tides will change eventually for greater things to come.
Taiko cheered happily, raising her fist in the air. "Did you hear that, girls?!" she said jovially. "We did it! Our new lives have begun!"
Shimizu nodded happily, clapping. "Fresh and clean homes, nice food, a righteous job..!"
Murasaki smiled, too. She too, was happy that was accepted in a new place, with new friends. "... Yeah. This is amazing." she said happily.
Taiko held her arms up. "Group hug~!"
Why wouldn't they have a group hug? They were practically beaming and jumping with joy, they joined in the hug (with Murasaki giving in willingly).
The Detectives felt gushy at the sight of the newfound trio sharing their first group hug. Even the stern Fukuzawa couldn't help but feel the same way, although he hid it behind his calm, serious expression.
"How cute," Ranpo said, with Akiko nodding in agreement.
"By the power of friendship!" Kenji exclaimed happily.
Dazai sighed happily, hands in pockets. "It'll be an honor to work with you, lovely ladies!"
Kunikida stared at him again. "And that means no flirting with them, you GOT THAT?!"
Dazai made a derpy face in response. "No promises, Kunikida-kun~"
Akiko rolled her eyes in response. "Oh, you'll get used to those petty arguments of theirs," she told the girls. "Eventually."
Taiko sweatdropped. "Yare yare daze." (A/N: If you understand this reference, then I also salute you.)
Fukuzawa spoke up again. "Additionally."
The detectives stood firmly and stayed silent. Kunikida and Dazai stopped their argument as well. They had so much respect for their director, they feared what would happen if they dare to show any kind of crass behavior or disrespect in front of him. After all, he's their leader of the organization.
Fukuzawa faced Taiko, Shimizu and Murasaki. "You three seem coordinated enough to work as a unit, but your individual weaknesses must be addressed and worked on," he continued. "While your skills are already sufficient enough to prove yourselves, I expect that you continue to improve your capabilities. First as individuals."
He had a point. They had so much skill and potential that they could work together as a team, but grouping them at once wouldn't be wise. So it would be best to work on their individual weaknesses, so that then, and only then, they would be able to sync well with each other, and be the best unit they could be in the Agency.
The girls all nodded and saluted. "Affirmative, sir." They answered firmly, the way a soldier responded to a captain.
These three remind me of when I hired Nakajima. Fukuzawa thought to himself. They have a considerable amount of focus and determination. It is possible for them to become a formidable unit, yet much remains to be seen...
Taiko put her arms behind her back, relaxed. "Whew, That was enough fun for today," she said casually. "... so where can we celebrate our welcoming?"
"New members of the Agency..."
Not too far, a woman watched the scene through her binoculars. She lowered the binoculars down, then smirked coldly.
"The fun will begin soon."
Oh boi, something bad's about to happen
But anyways, hope u enjoyed this rushed chapter even though I clearly didn't rush it, and did the best I can
I'm being a bit selfish here, but please leave some likes and reviews in this story, and most importantly, some constructive criticism would help (if there's anything wrong with my story)
I'm trying my best to make sure the OCs here aren't Mary-sues,so please appreciate my efforts here
And speaking of OCs, if ur wondering what they sound like in both english and japanese, here:
Taiko Hirabayashi - Aya Suzaki (Japanese, Mei Yachiyo from Release The Spyce), Kari Wahlgren (English, Tsuruya from Haruhi Suzumiya)
Shimizu Shikin - Yurika Kubo (Japanese, Hanayo Koizumi from Love Live!), Michelle Ruff (English, Tsukasa Hiiragi from Lucky Star)
Murasaki Shikibu - Sayaka Senbongi (Japanese, Trish Una from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind), Avery Smithart (English, Cinnabar from Land of Lustrous)
And additionally, I'll be going on a trip to Canada, but I'll do my best to work on chapter 3
So, until we meet again, lovely weebs
I dont own Bungo Stray Dogs, it belongs to Kafka Asagiri, but I own Taiko and Shimizu and my friend Lapis owns Murasaki
Peace out