Chapter 1

It all started when a strange note appeared in the office. The white sheet covered in simple, neat scrawl was pinned to the ADA's office door. Before anyone had the chance to notice it, it was haphazardly shoved into a tan coat pocket to be discarded as soon as humanly possible. Dazai had an inkling as to who the note was addressed to - he'd received ones like it before. It was concerning enough that they were being sent at all but for them to be sent to Dazai's workplace, full of people who didn't know of his past? That was outrageous.

As long as the truth could be hidden from them, the other members of the ADA would be oblivious to the carefully disguised secrets Dazai shielded the world from. That is, until a mysterious package arrived on the office's doorstep.

This time, it was early-riser Kunikida who had discovered the message. The uptight idealist made a point to arrive early to work in order to begin his day as productively as possible. Of course it would be something Dazai-related to interrupt his morning schedule. The blonde fumed at the idea of the suicidal idiot having personal mail sent to the office. For all he knew, it was some clever death machine that he didn't want any part of. As he debated whether to open the large cardboard box and potentially humiliate his coworker or to leave it be, other members began filing into the office to begin their days.

Against his better judgement, Kunikida took a pair of cheap scissors from his desk drawer and sliced apart the tape keeping the package sealed. Atsushi, curiosity getting the better of him, walked over to his desk to get a better look at what his superior was doing. "Kunikida, what's that?" He wondered, poking the box. "Well, Dazai had the audacity to have personal mail sent to the office so I'm simply checking its contents to make sure they're appropriate," Kunikida said with certainty, knowing full well what he was doing was technically illegal. But Dazai wouldn't mind, right?

The bandaged man yawned as he walked into work, completely unaware of the mischief his two friends were up to. The box opened, and Dazai froze. The small insignia printed on the corner of the box - a cursive M wrapped in victorian bordering - was enough to make him dart over as quickly as possible.

"~Kunikida! What do you think you're doing with that?~" Dazai said in a sing-song voice, the displeasure of his demeanor only ever reaching his eyes.

"You shouldn't be sending mail to the office! I was only -" Kunikida was quickly cut off.

"Don't look so stressed, Kunikida! At this rate you'll give yourself heart failure and die young! Let's open this together, shall we?" He laughed. Dazai knew that if he satiated their curiosity, they'd stop asking so many questions. The less they questioned things, the less they knew, the safer they would be from the owner of that insignia.

Both Atsushi and Kunikida stepped back, peeking at Dazai's actions from either side. The flimsy cardboard flaps were folded back to reveal, to Dazai's surprise, not miscellaneous limbs. If he really had pissed someone off that would be an appropriate response, he supposed. "Hmm… No limbs. That's a good sign!" Dazai chuckled, only making the onlookers more confused.

"Why would there be… You know what? Nevermind," Atsushi muttered, swept up by his own confusion and growing curiosity about the box. Though the black trench coat, eerily similar to Dazai's tan one, only brought on more unanswered questions. As he tossed the article of clothing over the back of a nearby chair, a small metal device fell from its pocket. Upon further examination, Dazai identified it as a tracking device and promptly crushed it underfoot. At the bottom of the parcel was a note, but it was somehow different from before. The cursive letters were crimson, their sheen reflecting something darker than ink. The smile on his face was quickly replaced by a serious, emotionless look, the words of the letter reverberating throughout his body.

"Ooh, Dazai, what does it say? And who would send you a coat?" Atsushi was practically bursting with questions, his excitement for a new mystery nearly rivaling Ranpo's.

"That's… classified, Atsushi," he sighed, folding the note and handing it to Kunikida. "I need you to bring this to the President, now. Don't read it, don't open it - it's for the President only. Go." Kunikida, opening his mouth in protest but closing it just as fast, walked off with the note in hand. It didn't take weretiger senses to realize Dazai was on edge, almost unnaturally so.

Dazai's eyes were cold and empty, solely focused on his new opponent. They had been at odds before, but this time felt different somehow. Even if he couldn't predict the outcome quite yet, a cloud of imminent dread fell over the city of Yokohama. A storm was definitely coming and Dazai had no way out.

It was mere moments before the President flung his door open with urgency. The crack of metal on wood rang throughout the office, grabbing everyone's attention. Even Ranpo, who was already attacking a box of donuts.

Fukuzawa's reaction to the note, written in literal blood, from the Boss of the Port Mafia was expected, and actually pretty reasonable considering the circumstances. "Dazai! Atsushi! - In my office, now." He barked, turning to make his way back to the grand desk centered in the private office. Kunikida already sat in one of the two chairs before his desk, Atsushi quickly joining him. Dazai stood behind them, bandaged fists resting at his sides.

"As you know, a mysterious package addressed to Dazai arrived today. This," he said, sliding across the desk to Kunikida, "was in that package. Go ahead, Kunikida." The President nodded, gesturing for him to read the letter.

Kunikida cleared his throat and stood, holding the paper tightly in his hands as if the wind might steal the document from him. "It says, 'Double Black is needed. Fail to respond now, my little protege, and there will be consequences. ~Maybe I'll find some new toys.~ You know the place.' Dazai, what is this -" A new tension filled the air, one caused solely by the former mafioso's presence.

"Leaving me with such a vague threat? Old man's losing his touch." Dazai mused, wondering who the Boss would possibly target. "President, Mori wants to meet in the executive's room in his penthouse building." Atsushi squirmed in his seat, probably troubled and feeling lost, Dazai concluded. "Don't worry, Atsushi. Once we meet with the Port Mafia and hear from the Boss, everything will be fine," He smiled, tussling the boy's silver hair. It was unlikely things would work out so perfectly, but there was no need for anyone to worry. Yet.

"Wait - you aren't just going to show up to the Port Mafia for a get-together, are you? This is insane, Dazai! I know you were in the mafia before, but why do they need you for Double Black?" Kunikida shouted loud enough for those eavesdropping on the meeting to hear.

Dazai could only laugh, putting up a fake smiling facade for his friends. "I have no clue what he wants me for, but we might as well show up! Less paperwork for me, anyways."

The President stood abruptly, opening the door to a pile of people listening in on their conversation and feebly attempting to act natural. His exasperated sigh was enough to send them back to work. "Well, if that's all, we should go. Come on, Dazai. We have work to do." The detectives walked out the door, but not before Dazai slung the black coat over his arm and tucked a sleek black pistol into the waistband of his slacks. He didn't want to be given a reason to use it, but better safe than sorry he supposed.