Dazai walked out of the bar alone. It was dark outside already but it's not like the bar could be opened through the night. And Saskia had left a good while back. There was no point for him to stick around yet it wasn't as if he had something to go back to. The night air felt great inside his lungs. What didn't feel good was someone trying to spy on him. Someone who wasn't mafia either. Their tactics differed. Dazai chuckled to himself before turning around. If someone wanted to spend time spying him, he was going to pay them for their patience. He cut a corner and walked into a narrow ally.

"Come on out," Dazai beckoned his stalker. Whoever they were, they couldn't be very far. And this was a perfect place to attack him. "I know you've been watching me," he said without turning around, without looking for the person who was stalking him here. Nothing happened. Dazai walked further into the ally. He couldn't walk forever; it was a dead-end after all. A hand wrapped around his neck from behind, then another on top of it. They couldn't choke him like this or break his neck. Osamu chuckled again.

"Are you trying to activate your ability?" he asked, amused. "Sorry to break it to you: abilities don't work on me." They didn't break his hold of him for a few moments. Finally understanding he meant it, the hands let go of him. He could hear the frantic running behind him. Dazai turned around and rushed to chase his attacker. He didn't run too far. Just as he cut the corner, he stopped. He knew what he needed to know.

Saskia hesitated to come inside the office. Crossing the doorway of the agency never led her to anything good. And beyond this door was Armed Detective Agency with their gifted employees. Familiar people yet so foreign. There would be Dazai Osamu, her partner on the case, and a few others. She tried to guess who would be inside but sucked with names. Junichiro could be there as well. Who else worked there? Kunikida, Atsushi, and a female doctor and… Whatever. It didn't matter. Dazai called in this morning. Well, that ruined her weekend. But the case was getting interesting. She didn't bother to knock. There were only two people inside.

Dazai was sitting on a couch leisurely, a tug of a smile on his face. The tall blonde was standing next to him, lecturing him with such a speed of a tongue Saskia could barely understand. The lecturing wasn't bothering Dazai in the slightest, he was taking it all in and letting it out right out. It went right through him as the wind through a tree. It just amused him a tad and nothing more. He wasn't moved but went along with it. It's not that her arrival had bothered either of them. They went on for another couple of moments before turning their attention to her.

"You are here," said Kunikida. He straightened his posture and his suit as if she didn't witness what had been transpiring here for some time. She raised a peace sign in response. She came just as she was asked to. Let's not pretend she had a variety of choices here.

"Saskia-chan!" Dazai perked up, eager to have someone other than Kunikida.

"What's new?" Blok asked immediately. There was little patience left in her for Dazai's nonsense. He would try to use her to get away from his responsibilities again. He would try to get on her nerves again. It was a game for him. She didn't want to play.

"Not much. I was attacked," Dazai said nonchalantly. Her attention was on him. He was so eerily calm about being attacked.

"What? When?" Saskia questioned. She walked to him and sat beside him, watching his face. But there was no worry or fear in his eyes. He was a tiny bit thrilled even. There was that mischievous glint in his eyes she never appreciated. The gears had already turned in his head, and Dazai had a plan ready.

"Last night," he replied with a passive expression on his face. Their eyes met. His were brown and filled with insatiable curiosity. Hers were green and burning with subtle anger.

"Why didn't you call me?" she hissed at him. As if she could scare him into submission. Osamu chuckled; his eyes were laughing.

"What would you do?" he tilted his head in question. Saskia didn't have a proper answer. There was no doubt in her mind that she would turn her car around to help whoever was asking for help… But this was Dazai…

"Describe your attacker," she said sternly, moving from the idea of having to save him herself. Dazai was here and no more harmed than he usually was. She was relieved he didn't call her last night. "We can—"

"Saskia-chan, you are thinking like a cop," Dazai mused and placed his hand on top of hers to still her. He paused thoughtfully, purposefully. Before Saskia questioned his unfitting silence, the door of the office opened again. Junichiro stepped inside with a girl not much younger than him. Blok looked at the boy she hadn't seen in a good while and found absolutely nothing to say.

"Right on time," Dazai spoke. Blok tensed after his words. The gears had already turned in his head. Dazai had a plan. She would have no option but to follow it. Because despite everything Dazai was — or was pretending to be or wanted to be — one undeniable thing about him is his mind. He was brilliant. Twisted, perhaps, and wickedly smart. Dazai had already blackmailed, threatened and manipulated her, but he wasn't wrong about anything yet. She sighed in defeat.

"Tanizaki," Kunikida said with a nod. "Come with."

Tanizaki offered a shy smile to Saskia. She reciprocated and offered a wave of her hand in greeting. The two of them went inside the president's office. She remembered it well. Doppo had to dig for the keys. Interesting, Saskia noted, watching Kunikida opening the door to the president's office. Her train of thought was rudely interrupted.

"You are that detective my brother works with?" the girl asked. Saskia leaned back a bit at the accusation. Brother? Tanizaki has a sister? The warmth from Dazai's hand on top of her disappeared as he got up from the couch.

"Yeah," Blok meekly confirmed. The girl had a power stance anyone could be jealous of. With jet-black hair and a beauty mark under her left eye, she looked nothing like Junichiro. Even their body language didn't match. Tanizaki was very diffident compared to his sister.

"I'm Junichiro's sister," she said.

Detective Blok didn't understand the point behind her words. That you sure are. She could figure out the relationship between the two on her own.

"Then your ability is to sense lies?" the girl questioned her again. Saskia just nodded timidly. Dazai offered her a hand to help her stand up. She reached out for his hand before she even thought about the action. Yet she never came to regret it.

"So, if I said last night brother and I did…" The Tanizaki girl continued to talk. And what she said may never be repeated by anyone. Saskia wouldn't wish for something like this to reach anyone's ear. Except maybe her enemy.

Blok looked at their touching hands. Dazai's hand holding hers almost like a gentleman. Her eyes travelled up to the bandaged that ended just above his wrist. She never questioned those. Even in the bar, when they were drinking and having a few laughs, she never asked him about the bandages. And she never would. Green eyes met the familiar reddish-brown. She understood how deliberate he was with every move. Dazai Osamu wasn't a gentleman. He was a thief. He stole a moment from someone else.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Blok turned her head to look at the girl. Junichiro's sister didn't look very pleased.

"Dazai-san," the girl said and stuck out her tongue. Dazai stuck out his tongue in response. And Saskia was lost in the situation but retracted her hand from the hold of the nullifier. The mocking soon ceased, but Saskia was still catching up with the moment that transpired.

"My name's Naomi," Tanizaki said with a smile.

"Just Saskia," Blok returned.

She never thought herself to be just as annoying as Dazai was to her. But soon only the two of them were still engaged in the conversation. Tanizaki siblings politely retreated from the battlefield as the arguing got louder. Kunikida seemed relieved someone was picking up the slacker that Dazai was and went on with his business. He was typing something on his computer but never once bothered to intervene in the conversation between Blok and his partner.

"Really?" Blok questioned, doubting every word Dazai had been spilling. "You were the target, but I get supervision?" She huffed and puffed at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Whatever his ability is," Dazai replied, sounding exasperated, "it doesn't work me. But it would work on you."

"You didn't see him?" she crossed her arms in annoyance. Her partner on this case was driving her up the wall. He refused to share anything of value, demanded she trusted him and then… You can't be angry with him. Dazai still helped her when he didn't have to. She never offered him any sort of kindness as payback.

"Nuh-uh," he shook his head. Saskia gritted her teeth. This was getting on her nerves more than she was willing to admit.

"Why Junichiro?" she asked instead. But her voice betrayed the anger and anguish she felt. It sounded as if she was upset with Tanizaki more than with Dazai.

"He can be with you at work without being suspicious," Osamu explained needlessly. He too sounded irritated but what the reason was for it. Saskia could only guess to be her behaviour. "And he can be anywhere else with you without being seen."

That's as much as he offered for an explanation. Blok wasn't satisfied with the answers she was given. There were still too many questions. Saskia wasn't subtle with the glares and scoffing thrown Dazai's way. After a few moments of staring each other down, Dazai sighed as if exhausted and told her with a gesture to follow him. She refused to. That made Osamu stop in his tracks and turn around. He looked surprised. Just for a moment that could be missed in a blink, he was surprised she refused to follow him.

"Whatever," the woman spat. Her steps were loud and heavy. She was boiling with anger and frustration. "I do as you say, and maybe we'll finally catch the guy. And then I can go back to living my life and doing my actual job." Her voice was laced with venom. But as her hand touched the doorknob, Dazai's voice stopped her from leaving.

"Working with Matsukata?" he asked. Saskia had known enough about Dazai Osamu to recognize when he was mocking her. Just as he was pulling on her strings by using an unfitting honorific or when he was officially addressing her as a sign of twisted respect, she knew he was mocking her. She never answered, her halted motion was answer enough. The typing on the computer stopped. The room was deadly silent.

Dazai sighed theatrically. "What little but truthful and kind thing he said for you to change your mind about him?"

"Fuck off, Dazai Osamu," Blok spat before leaving. The walls of the office shook as the door was slammed shut. Kunikida Doppo took off his glasses and started to wipe them. He'd comment on the whole situation that escalated. But he had done so already.