Vol. 4

Ch.5

Raise Your Glass

Alu paused outside the agency, as Ranpo continued to walk inside. Ranpo paused at the entryway, holding the door open, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Are you coming?" He sounded surprised that she wasn't behind him.

"Oh, I actually have to be somewhere," Alu said, not technically lying. She did have to go to a certain bar but she realized she didn't know what time the others would actually arrive. In the meantime, she figured she could at least try to remember how to get there without a phone.

Ranpo blinked. "Why'd you come back all this way then?"

Alu clasped her hands behind her back, smiling smally. To be honest, she had just wanted to keep him company. "I said this before," she gazed at him, "I just didn't want you to walk back alone."

"I'm not a little kid, I don't need to be chaperoned," Ranpo complained with a huff turning away. "Fine, just do whatever!" He grumpily shut the door, stalking off. Alu blinked. He sure did throw tantrums easily enough.

She snickered though. She took the hat off and held it in her hands. Despite this, she felt like she understood him at least a little bit better. Although, something was troubling her about what she'd sensed in his memories. Something she hadn't honestly even noticed before or even crossed her mind. Alu wondered if she could find anything at the public library. There was only one way to find out.

"You look upset, did something happen?" Fukuzawa frowned, concerned, as Ranpo sat at his desk, looking positively irritated.

Kunikida had come over after school and was sitting at his own desk, just doing some paperwork. He looked up though as the two other men converted. He wasn't one to eavesdrop but they were both in the same room as him, so it wasn't technically wrong, was it? As Kunikida grappled with the ideal of honesty, Ranpo just grabbed a bag of chips and began to eat fervently. "I don't get her!" He complained, in between munching. "I am nice to her! And she still won't come into this building! I thought we had a moment!"

"Huh?" Fukuzawa asked, dumbly. "I'm not quite following," he replied, bewildered.

"I talked with Alu," Ranpo impatiently explained. "And I thought we already resolved our differences or whatever you know? I mean—we still have differing views on how involved to get with that one kid, Ryou, but I thought for sure she was coming back with me to say yes to joining the agency!" He threw his hands up in the air, frustrated, his bag of chips plopping comically onto his table.

"You made up with her?" Fukuzawa clarified, surprised and honestly a little relieved—even if Ranpo was tantruming hilariously about that girl's unpredictable behavior once again.

"I thought I did!" Ranpo complained. "Honestly, why won't she just admit she wants to be here already!"

Fukuzawa eyed Ranpo. He rarely got worked up about things and usually not about people. He was honestly amused that he got so worked up when it came to that girl. It was refreshing. On some level, it actually made him appear almost normal. Fukuzawa bit back a small chuckle, not wanting to upset Ranpo and just turned away. "Give her time," he said, good-naturedly.

"If I may ask," Kunikida helpfully piped up, "I uh, still have many questions about that girl myself that have yet to be answered."

Fukuzawa and Ranpo blinked comically at the same time, in sync, and turned to look at Kunikida. They hilariously forgot he was there for a moment because he was usually quiet and kept to himself. "You already know all you need to," Ranpo said, matter-of-factly.

Kunikida felt a small sense of irritation. "I know that you want to recruit an apparent fox demon girl," he growled, bewildered. "But—demons? Demons aren't actually real, right? It's just what her ability is called?"

Ranpo tilted his head at Kunikida. "Is it really hard to believe that things like demons exist?"

"That's not logical," Kunikida spluttered.

"What we can't see is often the most logical," Ranpo said, before he paused himself. He'd heard that spoken before—a familiar distant woman's voice, echoed those words in his mind. Ranpo shook his head, but he couldn't recall where he'd heard it. It just felt right to say out loud in response to Kunikida's question. He scratched his head, and frowned.

"Are you alright?" Fukuzawa asked, eyeing Ranpo's odd behavior with some concern.

"I'm dandy," Ranpo griped. "Look, Kunikida, don't think too hard about it. You just need to know that Alu has a little furry helper inside of her," he concluded, and Kunikida honestly found that explanation to be more disturbing than the first.

"Right," Kunikida deflated, still very confused and conflicted. All this information about Alu from a few days ago having some fox "demon" inside of her and apparently the head of the port mafia wasn't the only one with the ability to have another sentient being to command. Although the president clarified vehemently that Elise was no "living" being. Ugh, Kunikida's head hurts. Poor Kunikida.

"Fine, different question," Kunikida huffed. "What about that Dazai guy? What do we know about his relationship to all of this drama with Mimic, that Russian terrorist, and that man Sakunosuke Oda?"

Ranpo blinked. "Oh, well you already know he's friends with that Odasaku guy," he said, reiterating, "As for his relationship to this drama—-mostly he just wants to keep an eye out for his buddy," Ranpo shrugged.

"Yes, but where does this guy come from? What's his background?" Kunikida frowned at Fukuzawa and Ranpo. "He wanted to talk to that violent kid—how does he know him?"

"He most likely knew Akutagawa because of Odasaku," Ranpo said, not giving anything away about Dazai's actual work history.

"Ugh, something just doesn't make sense," Kunikida groaned.

Fukuzawa pursed his lips. Kunikida was sharp—when it came to certain things. Fukuzawa glanced at Ranpo, wondering if they should just tell Kunikida about Dazai's past work history. But Ranpo just tilted his head at Kunikida. "Past doesn't matter anymore," he stated. "What matters is how he acts from now on." He opened his eyes, gazing at Kunikida. "We don't know much about him," and he wasn't lying here. Ranpo wasn't one to lie. He merely withheld information that Kunikida didn't need to know. "However, he isn't a threat to us—as of right now."

"Wait—does that mean he could be in the future?" Kunikida sharply asked, frowning.

"What was it you said?" Ranpo said, bemused, gazing at Kunikida. "You passionately stated that he was already a part of our agency the other day, remember?"

Kunikida felt his cheeks warm for some reason—oh yeah—he was embarrassed. He may have spoken in the heat of the moment—but he had been frustrated to see that guy seem to cast aside them in favor of pursuing the fox man possessing Alu's body at the time. "I—I was just saying he didn't have to act so irrationally," he said, stiffly.

Ranpo sighed, opening another bag of junk food and taking a bite. "Well, working with him that day—what's your opinion of him?"

Kunikida blinked. His opinion? Of that reckless buffoon who seemed to not care about the consequences of his impulsive actions? A fool who pushed Kunikida to get to safety while shouldering the weight of disposing of the bomb on his own shoulders. Kunikida's eyes flickered. Kunikida had a book of ideals—and that annoying womanizer and suicidal aficionado would clearly be breaking all of them if given the chance— and yet.

"I…" Kunikida sighed. "I don't like his character," he curtly stated. "He's impulsive, and, has a terrible mouth and horrible manners," Kunikida began to rant and Fukuzawa and Ranpo both pursed their lips to stop themselves from laughing. Kunikida huffed, crossing his arms. "He acts with reckless abandon and…"

"…And?" Fukuzawa asked, gazing at Kunikida.

"…I don't like him but he's capable of putting someone else before himself," Kunikida curtly stated. "If it wasn't for his quick thinking and knowledge to handle the situation, I wouldn't be standing here right now and a little girl wouldn't be alive so…" he trailed off. "I don't know, okay? I just don't know enough about him to have an opinion."

In stating that, Ranpo and Fukuzawa thought it was pretty damn clear that Kunikida had indeed formed a very specific opinion of that man but they kept it to themselves. Ranpo just munched on his food, glancing to Fukuzawa. Fukuzawa smiled smally. "Well, try not to get too much of a strong negative opinion of him, we may need his assistance in the future," he said.

"But can we trust him?" Kunikida frowned.

"That's for time to tell," Ranpo shrugged.

Kunikida quieted. But he finally nodded, sighing and turning back to his paperwork. He honestly didn't understand the way those two thought sometimes. It was hard enough to teach math to a bunch of kids not much older than him. His eyes flickered though. Why was he at this agency after the danger. The drama involving that fox girl was the first time he'd felt his life on the line.

So what reason did he have to stay? Kunikida thought back to Ranpo's note. He gazed at the squinty eyed detective who was munching at his desk, seemingly doing absolutely no work while the president just left the room. Why had Ranpo insisted on having that girl join? Who was that Dazai Osamu? Just what sort of craziness was Kunikida signing himself up for? Kunikida gazed at some documents in his hands. He knew that being a private investigator part-time was something normally reserved for those with proper military training or at least police academy level background. Yet, Fukuzawa's organization wasn't orthodox in any sense. He had been scouted by Ranpo a year ago and since then, he'd been doing mostly filing work and small tasks.

This stuff with that girl was honestly the most excitement he'd had since starting work here. It'd almost been a year. His birthday was coming up in a few months as it was. Kunikida's eyes flickered. He couldn't believe it was already May. "Hey, Kunikida," Ranpo said, gazing at him.

Kunikida jolted, comically almost dropping the papers in his hands. He quickly put them down, "Y-yes?" He tried not to sound too off guard.

"…Thanks," Ranpo said, gazing at him.

"Huh? For what?" Kunikida asked stupidly.

"For being here," Ranpo said, gazing away. "Our mission was a success because of you," he continued.

Kunikida blinked. It was rare for Ranpo to deal out any sort of praise. Normally he was following Fukuzawa around, wagging for it to be received and doled out to himself. "Uh, you're just saying that," he said, with a sigh.

"No, I'm not," Ranpo said, throwing a bean paste snack at Kunikida. Kunikida gecked as it hit him in the head, hilariously causing his ponytail to zig-zag from alarm.

FWAP.

"My apologies," Kunikida found himself saying, his baritone flustered.

"Hmph," Ranpo huffed, eating again.

Kunikida smiled a little though. He looked back at the bean paste snack he picked up off the floor. He got up and he walked over to Ranpo's desk. He placed it on the desk. "Don't worry," Kunikida said finally.

Ranpo blinked up at him. "Hm?" He said, mouth full.

Kunikida chuckled, just a little. "I'm not going anywhere," he said, returning to his desk.

Ranpo was quiet but he grinned. "You better not!" He hummed, and Kunikida knew that despite the craziness this agency seemed to have in store for him—that he was right where he needed to be.

Alu stood outside Bar Lupin. Her thoughts were on when she had been to the library earlier. She'd used the computers to try to look up more on the accident involving Ranpo's parents.

She didn't have money to print anything off, but she played the memory in her mind, regardless.

The famous detective known as 'The Clairvoyant' Arashi Edogawa and his wife, Hikari Edogawa, died in a tragic accident, leaving behind their only son, Ranpo Edogawa. The accident was investigated but no foul play was found to be involved. It was an unfortunate accident involving their car and an oncoming oil truck that lost control. They were coming home to celebrate their son's 12th birthday when the accident occurred on XXXX highway leading to their hometown in Nagoya. They had been away for a business trip, leaving their only son in the care of a family friend while they were gone.

Succeeded by his only child, Ranpo Edogawa, the famous detective's memory will continue to live on at the Police Department he worked with as well as the academy that has agreed to take in the young Edogawa.

There wasn't actually too much on Edogawa's parents, Alu had found. It was mostly all brief or the same information. Car accident, tragedy, ruled an unfortunate freak accident of circumstance, but Alu frowned, as she ran over the articles involving the car crash in her mind. Something didn't feel right.

An accident?

Someone like Ranpo's father and mother, didn't seem like they'd be taken down by something as cliche as an 'accident'. Alu bit her lower lip. She only had a hunch, but she had no proof. She definitely didn't want to stir the pot with Ranpo. Having to think about his parents was already painful enough as it was. But she wanted to bring him proper closure. To be that young—abandoned so suddenly— and yet if he were to learn there was more to the deaths of his parents than a simple accident…Alu's stomach felt uneasy. She paced outside the bar, thinking hard.

I can't explain it, but it doesn't feel like this tragedy was an accident.

Alu ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. No, it didn't feel like an accident because it felt too cleanly wrapped up. The investigation, the timing of the accident, and the location. Alu felt strongly that even though this case had been closed by the same department that claimed to miss the great detective—that she would have to go back to Ranpo's hometown if she was to get the proper answers.

"Why are you here?" A puzzled voice asked, from behind her. Alu blinked. She turned her head, pulled from her thoughts and saw a familiar sand coat wearing man in bandages.

"Oh, hey Dazai," Alu said, blinking. She tilted her head at the amusing young man. "I'm here to meet some friends for a drink!"

Dazai quirked a brow. "You're underage," he remarked, somewhat amused.

"You are too, the legal drinking age in Japan is 20," Alu countered, crossing her arms. "And yet, here you are."

"Ah, and yet, here I am," Dazai chuckled. He was certainly amused by this girl's behavior. She did have a point but then again, Bar Lupin wasn't a normal bar. He tilted his head at her. "Who are these friends of yours?" He thought her wording was a little troubling—-he wasn't worried though. She wasn't dumb enough to go with anyone actually bad—not drinking anyways, right? Fyodor crossed his mind but he hoped to hell that he was the last man Alu was meeting with. At least, that's what he felt. He wasn't used to this odd foreign feeling that seemed to bubble in him. What was it called? Concern? Ugh. He hated that feeling. Jeez, being a big brother felt like it was going to his head a little.

"Oh, you'll see," Alu said brightly. "Actually, why don't you stay? We're going out for a drink but really I need to talk to them about something," she said.

"Hmm, I suppose I could," Dazai said, nonchalantly.

"Dazai?" Odasaku walked over, Ango hanging behind. Alu brightened, waving to them.

"Hey! You both made it!" She beamed at them, as Dazai's eyes fell on Ango with disdain.

"I'm not drinking with that guy," he said stiffly, pouting at Odasaku—though he was pleased to see Odasaku again. Dazai was always eager to see Odasaku. He did wonder why Odasaku was hanging out with Ango though. He frowned.

"Oh don't be childish!" Alu said, wrapping an arm into Dazai's. Dazai blinked. Alu tugged him with a grin towards the entrance of the bar. "Come on boys! Let's all be mature here!"

Ango, Odasaku, and Dazai all comically shared the same feeling of bewilderment and wondered just what this girl was plotting.

Inside the bar, Alu looked around. Letting go of Dazai's arm, she bounced down the basement steps into the small cozy building. It was well lit, and the bartender looked up, from where he was cleaning some glasses. The bartender was an older man, with silver grey hair tied back into a small ponytail, a bit of scruffy facial hair, and he wore small round rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. His eyebrows raised when he saw the three regulars with this bouncy girl enter but he kept his mouth shut.

Alu glanced at Dazai. "Do you know the bartender well?"

Dazai blinked. It wasn't a question he had actually been expecting. Ango sat awkwardly in his normal spot, while Odasaku just hung near Dazai and Alu. While all three men had reservations about having a sixteen year old girl hang out with them at an adults only bar— they didn't voice this out loud. "Yeah, the bartender is used to seeing me around," Dazai shrugged.

"Cool! Wonder if he has any stories about you three completely smashed together," Alu smirked, mischievously.

Odasaku and Ango both made comical expressions of surprise. "Wha—-that's hardly a question to ask him!" Ango said, surprised and flustered. "Young lady! Please refrain from any weird notions! I assure you that we don't get smashed when we're together!"

"What? That's boring!" Alu whined, glancing at Dazai and Odasaku. "Hey! Does four-eyes ever get drunk?"

Dazai pursed his lips. He had so much he could say on the matter but Odasaku was shooting him a disapproving look that made Dazai's tongue comically just stick to the roof of his mouth. He didn't want to make Odasaku mad at him but there was so much to talk about when it came to Ango's 'holiday' behavior last year. Dazai pouted, giving Odasaku big sparkly eyes, begging to be allowed permission to say something.

Odasaku sighed, just sitting down in a booth near the door. "I really don't think we should be discussing this," he said, gazing at Alu with a small frown.

Alu pouted, sitting on the edge of the table, looking at Odasaku. "You're such a grumpy old man," she complained. She gazed at Dazai, a smirk on her lips as she saw him trying desperately to hold back the wonderful vat of tea he wanted and couldn't spill on Ango. Dazai cleared his throat, just sliding in opposite to Odasaku into the booth, and Alu sighed, disappointed that Odasaku was keeping this mummy boy from speaking. "You won't even let Dazai spill the tea," she huffed, disappointed.

"Let's leave it at that," Ango said, prickly from where he sat awkwardly at the counter. "Please," he added, sighing exasperated.

Alu rolled her eyes. "It's cuz you guys think I'm too "young" or something, right?" She asked, a bit irked.

"You are," Odasaku and Ango both said at the same time. They both paused. Dazai made a wretching noise in his throat.

"Please don't finish each other's—well, anything," he complained, glaring at Ango. "And why is he here?" He huffed, leaning back in the seat, arms crossed, frowning at Alu.

"What, would you rather I made this just a date with Odasaku?" Alu teased Dazai, quirking a brow.

Ango's jaw dropped. The thought of Odasaku taking an underage girl to a bar for a date certainly wasn't in his nature but the notion was enough to make Ango just slightly worried before he kicked himself, reminding himself that Odasaku was not Dazai(lol).

Odasaku himself gazed at Alu, more bewildered than anything. His cowlick twitched cutely on top of his head, as though just as taken aback by her question as he was. Dazai however blinked, and then he realized how what he said would honestly have left the meeting to be just between those two. "So Ango was invited to ensure nothing would be given the wrong idea," he said, thoughtfully.

"We're getting off track," Ango said stiffly, and loudly. He gazed at Alu. "What was it you wanted to speak about with Odasaku and I?"

Alu blinked. "Oh, it was about that kid, Tomoe," she said finally, just sitting on the edge of the table, swinging her legs.

Dazai quirked a brow. "You know a table is meant for eating not sitting, right?"

"Like you haven't used tables for other things," Alu remarked, raising her eyebrows at him. Ango felt like he was going to choke on air before this conversation was over. Dazai pursed his lips. He honestly had no comment but her remarks were very amusing and he glanced to Odasaku, sensing that if he tried to say anything inappropriate that even Odasaku would glare at him the way Ango was currently.

"Mm," he said, clearing his throat. "So, I'm thirsty," he said loudly, abruptly changing the subject, "Yo, barkeep, can I get a whiskey on the rocks!"

The bartender nodded, and began to prepare it. Ango sighed. "You shouldn't be drinking in the presence of a young girl," he said, ruefully. "I'll have an orange juice," he said to the barkeep, adding.

Odasaku eyed Dazai but he knew Dazai wouldn't actually do anything uncouth with Alu—drunk or sober. Still, he gazed at Alu, wondering how she could speak so freely and be so suggestive. Odasaku sighed. She and Dazai really were similar in a lot of ways. It was uncanny. "I'll keep it in moderation, yeesh," Dazai griped. "No one asked for your opinion, agent four-eyes," he added.

Ango sighed deeply. So, Dazai was still going to be a complete brat around him, it would seem.

Alu blinked.

She slid off the table, sliding in on Dazai's side of the booth, sitting near him. She sensed something from him though. She felt unease from when she touched him earlier and it was still lingering now when it came to Ango's presence. Alu sensed a memory even though she wasn't touching him. She'd touched him earlier and a shadow of a memory had sort of ebbed into the back of her mind, but being closer to him again, she was starting to get a more vivid disdain for Ango growing.

She glanced at Ango and Odasaku, more curious about what had happened between these three to make such a rift that even Odasaku shared with Dazai towards Ango on some level—though less animosity was coming off Odasaku.

Alu hugged Dazai's arm with no warning, grinning, feigning being hyper. "I wanna drink too! Order me one!" She said loudly, allowing Juubi's power to tap into Dazai's emotions wordlessly.

Time slowed down.

Ango tried to explain to Odasaku and Dazai why he had put Odasaku's life at risk. He confessed to his triple agent status. Dazai threatened to kill him. The entire memory was a sore recollection of the last time those three men last met as Bungou's Stray Dogs. Gide, Mimic, Ango's Betrayal. Just a lot of jumbled information—The Order of the Clock Tower flashed momentarily into the picture through what sounded like muffled conversation between Dazai and Mori. But ultimately, all of it boiled down to this one moment of deep seated resentment for Dazai because for all the knowledge he had it hadn't been enough to stop their friendship from falling apart. The last time they met at that bar that held many memories for them all—they had parted as no longer friends.

"Hey, no alcohol," Odasaku said, frowning at Alu as she continued to smile, nuzzling Dazai's arm like a cat. Dazai was a bit taken aback by Alu's sudden cuddliness and he could sense Ango's judgement from here.

"I wasn't going to say yes!" Dazai pouted at Odasaku, sighing as he glanced at Alu. Alu let go of his arm, still smiling.

Alu's heart felt heavy. Dazai really tried to come off as the unfeeling type but ironically Alu learned he was the type who felt quite a bit more than he let on. The words of not being able to hang onto anything he hoped to particularly stuck with her. Dazai's past was still mostly shrouded and locked deep away within himself, but when it came to Ango, Dazai had genuinely trusted him and Ango had abused that trust, hurting someone else Dazai cared about in the process.

Alu finally understood why the relationship between these three men had gone sour. But, she couldn't help but feel like Ango had his own demons as well he was constantly fighting. She sensed it the few times she'd been in close contact with him as well. Honestly, bottling things up was something both Ango and Dazai did, ironically proving they were more alike than either wanted to admit.

Glancing at Odasaku, Alu wondered if he even realized just how much he was cared about by these two. Even if Ango had a stick up his justice-loving butt about doing "the right thing", Alu knew that in his heart of hearts, it wasn't like Ango wished for Odasaku to be hurt or even killed. In fact, Officer Chief Taneda slipped into her mind, and Alu felt unsettled by that man more than anything. He was the dangerous one pulling Ango's strings, after all.

"It's fine, I was kidding," she said brightly to the flustered boy seated next to her. Honestly, Dazai was amusing to her. All three men actually greatly amused Alu. They were supposedly all adults and yet they really felt like big kids that were all lost in different ways. "I'll have an orange juice too," she said, thoughtfully.

Ango and Odasaku immediately relaxed, and the bartender handed one orange juice to Ango, before he came around with the orange juice and Dazai's drink. He placed Dazai's drink wordlessly in front of Dazai, and the orange juice in front of Alu. He glanced to the two young men with the girl but didn't say anything.

Alu beamed at him. "Thanks Mister!" She took her orange juice, and gave it a swig. Before Dazai could stop her, Alu feeling mischievous, grabbed his drink and hopped up with it.

"Hey!" Dazai exclaimed, bewildered.

Odasaku's eyes flashed with alarm but Alu just grinned and she hummed, holding it away from Dazai. "If you drink too much your liver will shrivel up and you'll seriously die," she said, dumping the liquor into her orange juice instead.

"That doesn't mean you should have it," Odasaku said, confused, getting up from the booth with worry. He was going to take it from her but she ducked out of reach of the two men, smirking and holding the mixed drink now.

Ango sighed and he got up as well. "This is why we don't take underage girls to bars," he said, and Dazai wanted to throttle him for his holier-than-thou tone he was using.

"I didn't ask her to take my drink!" He defensively scowled at Ango.

Alu smiled to herself. Getting these three to interact was honestly the whole point to her little shenanigan. Try as he might, Dazai just couldn't seem to not be able to interact with Ango. Alu found it funny. She knew Dazai had a lot more negative internal issues that didn't have to do with Ango but she wanted to at least focus on this one thing she could do. Why did she care what these three did or didn't do to make up?

Alu just felt like it was important that these three not stay enemies. It was a hunch and Alu's hunches had never been wrong. She just giggled, and as she was about to drink the fruity alcohol mostly to get a funnier reaction out of the three men and the poor bartender, when unexpectedly she felt herself lose her balance as she tripped over something? It was furry and big and fat. What the heck—was it a cat?