Kyandi: Hey all Kyandiacs!
Dimir: For those of you who don't know, Kyandiacs is what Kyandi-sama's readers are called.
Kyandi: Yeah, I think they've had that name for about half a year now, right?
Dimir: Christmas last year, so yes.
Kyandi: Right, so...I digressed. Sorry. Anyway, I have come back with a new chapter.
Dimir: You really like making me out to be a carefree, adorable type of girl, don't you?
Kyandi: Yes I do.
Dimir: Why?
Kyandi: Uhhh...because you are a carefree, adorable type of girl?
Dimir: Oh...
Kyandi: Anyway, everyone, please enjoy and review.
Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.
Kyandi: Uh, warning, Dimir really has a thing for cars and I do mean REALLY has a thing for them. She tends to ramble on about her knowledge of them.
Chapter 3 My Baby
Over the next week, some members of the agency wondered if Dimir would be able to fit in with the wide variety of strange that was the employees of the agency. As it turned out, none of them needed to worry. Dimir and the Armed Detective Agency ended up going together about as well as bacon and eggs or a fish and water. The girl was extremely helpful. Even when Kunikida and Dazai weren't training her on how to do her job, she insisted on lending a hand around the office. She instantly became beloved by all of the office workers.
Thanks to the lack of rooms in the Agency dorms, Dimir found herself as a permanent resident of Haruno's apartment. At least until she could make enough money to afford her own. Not that Haruno cared one bit. In the week Dimir had been living with her, Haruno had basically claimed the girl as a little sister of sorts. Not that it was hard to see why. Dimir was sweet and helpful, even if she had a blunt way of telling the truth sometimes.
Something that always seemed to come into play when she was talking to Dazai.
That aside, Dimir always seemed to be a positive, cheerful presence in the office, which helped her get along with members like Kenji. Though there was one member of the agency that took a shine to Dimir that none of them had seen coming.
"Dimir!"
Upon hearing the voice call her as the door to the office flew open, Dimir turned. At the moment, she had her arms full of paperwork that she had been helping Haruno cart around while they undated filing in the office. She smiled as Ranpo, a plastic bag in hand, came towards her, a smile on his face. For some reason, the guy had taken an instant liking to Dimir the first time he saw her eat chocolate.
Not that any of them could blame him with the way Dimir reacted to chocolate.
"Morning, Ranpo." Dimir greeted. "What's with the excitement this morning?"
"You remember that little shop I told you about?" Ranpo asked.
"The one that sells your favorite snacks?" Dimir asked, handing the papers she was carrying over to one of the office workers.
"The very same! Just today, they got in a new batch of special dark chocolate candy bars." Ranpo declared.
At the mention of chocolate, Ranpo had Dimir's full attention. Her eyes snapped to his face and she grew still, as if she was waiting for him to continue while holding her breath. Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Ranpo grinned before pulling a brightly wrapped candy bar out of the bag in his hand. He held it out in front of him, Dimir's eyes following it, not daring to look away.
"Of course I bought myself one. This one, however..." Ranpo trailing off, letting Dimir's suspense build. "...is for yo-"
Ranpo didn't even get the full word "you" out before Dimir let out an over joyed cheer, jumping on the spot before she darted forward, snagging the candy bar from his hand. She held the candy bar before her eyes, her eyes lighting up as an adorable smile curled her lips. Everyone in the agency couldn't deny that Dimir was absolutely adorable when she had chocolate in hand. As a thanks for the candy bar, Dimir jumped at Ranpo, giving him a hug and thanking him before she danced away, already peeling open the wrapping to take a bite of the chocolate.
Dropping to sit on one of the couches, Dimir wiggled happily, moaning her joy at the chocolate. She was so happy with her chocolate that when Dazai sat down next to her, sprawling out on the couch until he had his head pillowed on her lap, she didn't seem to notice or care.
"You're seriously just going to let him lay there?" Atsushi asked, watching Dazai as he made himself comfortable.
"I don't mind." Dimir replied.
As she continued to eat her chocolate, she reached down with one hand to start lightly stroking Dazai's hair. A content grin curled Dazai's lips as he folded his hands over his stomach. A somewhat disturbed look fell on Atsushi's face.
"Don't coddle him!" Kunikida snapped from his desk.
"It's not coddling, Doppo." Dimir told him, Kunikida rounding on her with a "What did you call me!?". Dimir merely gave him a smile, not bothering to correct herself. "I find this kind of thing just as comforting as he does."
"How so?" Yosano asked from where she was perched on a desk, watching.
"Just the repetitive action of stroking someone's hair...I don't know. It's just relaxing to me." Dimir answered before looking over her shoulder with wide eyes. "Is that strange?"
"I've heard of stranger things." Yosano told her. "And for the record...you're too sweet and adorable for you're own good."
"You think?" Dimir asked, sheepishly smiling.
"If you aren't careful, a mafioso will snatch you up." Ranpo teased.
"Mafioso?" Dimir asked, twisting to look at him.
"You haven't heard of the Port Mafia?" Atsushi asked.
"I've been too concerned with food and surviving to pay attention to local criminals. If they don't mess with me, I tend not to pay too much attention to people around me. Best not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong if your homeless, you know." Dimir replied.
"Smart. They're not people you want to associate with." Kunikida said, getting up from his seat. He approached the couch and held out a photo to Dimir. "In fact, if you see this man, run."
Dimir took the picture after setting aside her candy bar. She peered down at the man, her head tilting to one side in a curious fashion as a low "huh" left her.
"What is it?" Kunikida asked.
"I've actually seen this man before." Everyone froze, turning wide eyed looks on Dimir as she said this. "But he ignored my existence, so I left as quickly as I could. If fact, when I first met you, Atsushi, and Osamu, I noted a similarity between this man and Osamu."
Dazai opened his eyes then, looking up at her in questioning as Dimir handed the photo back to Kunikida. Pretty much everyone in the office was staring at Dimir in a questioning way, waiting for her to clarify what she meant.
"Oh? And what was that similarity?" Dazai asked.
"Your eyes." Dimir smiled as she looked down at him. "Something in your eyes is the same. Which brings me to a question. Osamu...were you a mafioso?"
"No one knows what he was before joining the agency. They've actually made it into a contest. Winner gets seven hundred thousand yen as a prize." Atsushi told her.
"Oh? So were you, Osamu?" Dimir asked.
"What do you think?" Dazai asked, a grin on his face.
"I say yes." Dimir replied confidently. "But you don't have to tell me if I'm right and, if I am, you can keep the money. I don't need it and I don't like what that kind of money does to a person."
Dazai stared at Dimir as she smiled brightly at him. She really was an interesting kind of person. She had done the one thing none of his co-workers had managed to do.
She had read him like a book.
"Anyway," Dimir said, turning to look at Kunikida instead. "Who was that in the photo. I've only seen him around. Never stopped to get a name."
"His name is Akutagawa." Kunikida told her. "He's dangerous. In fact, if you meet any mafioso, you run. If they find out about your multiple abilities, it could be bad for you."
"I figured as much. I'll be careful." Dimir promised.
"Believe me, I know what it's like to be a target of the Port Mafia. It's awful." Atsushi said, deflating.
"If I can avoid it, I'll stick to Lolita alone to deal with any possible danger. It takes too much strength and energy to use the other ability at any length." Dimir assured them.
"Keeping that in mind, I do have a job for you and Nakajima." Kunikida told her.
Dimir perked up at the sound of that. After being stuck around the office for the last week, she was ready to get out and actually see how the job was done. Atsushi wasn't as thrilled as she was about the idea of going on a job with just a newbie at his side.
"Just the two of us!?" he asked.
"Tanizaki will go with you." Kunikida assured him.
Though, after what had happened the last time Junichirou and Naomi had gone on a job with him, it wasn't so reassuring. Junichirou seemed to think about the same thing for a moment. Thankfully, Naomi was out on errands with another clerk, so they didn't have to worry about her wanting to tag along with them on this job.
"What's the job?" Dimir asked.
By this point, she had stopped stroking Dazai's hair. Seeing that she was completely wrapped up in the possibility of going on a job, he decided to get up, sitting up and getting off the couch. Dimir didn't even notice.
"There's an office down town that's been broken into three times over the last two weeks. You're to find out who is doing it and why." Kunikida told her.
With Dimir, Atsushi, and Junichirou's full attention, Kunikida filled them in on the details of the job. When he had fed them every last detail, the three got the address and headed out. Dimir, smiling brightly, hummed as she walked along side her two co-workers.
"How can you be so relaxed? What if the person is violent?" Atsushi asked.
"You worry too much." Dimir told him, patting him on the arm.
"I kind of agree with him. I mean, my ability isn't suited for combat if that's what it comes down to." Junichirou remarked.
"And I can't control mine fully yet." Atsushi added.
"But mine is a combat oriented ability and I hardly miss a target. If it comes down to it, I can act like a humanoid stun gun. I'm sure, between the three of us, that we'll be fine." Dimir assured them.
"You're too positive." Atsushi groaned.
"No such thing. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Like I've said, life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." Dimir insisted.
"What does that even mean?" Atsushi complained.
"It means that you got to learn how to roll with the hard times or you'll never be able to appreciate the good times. Come on, Atsushi. There's so much good in life. If you constantly focus on the bad, you'll die from stress before you're twenty-five. Don't be such a pessimist."
Atsushi wished he could have said something against that, but looking at her smiling face, he was forced to admit that she was right. He hung his head in defeat and Dimir flashed a victory sign, making Junichirou chuckle lightly.
"That aside, how far is this office?" Dimir asked.
"It's clear on the other side of the city. We'll have to take the train." Junichirou told her.
"Or..." A grin curled Dimir's lips before she seized both of them by the wrist and started dragging them after her. "I have a better, quicker idea."
"What? Where are you dragging us?" Atsushi asked.
"A friend of mine owns a storage place near here and he's currently storing something for me." Dimir told them.
Whatever it was, the idea of it put a wide smile on her face.
They had no idea what they were walking into.
"I'm taking you two to meet my baby."
-0-0-0-0-
"This is your baby!?"
Junichirou and Atsushi couldn't believe their eyes. Dimir had dragged them all the way to her friend's storage place. The man had gladly let her into the storage unit he kept just for her, but neither of her co-workers had expected what they found. When the door rolled up, it revealed a form shrouded in a tarp. Dimir, bouncing with glee, yanked the tarp off, revealing none other than a car.
The car was a sleek, two door number with a purple to blue ombre paint job. Everything about the car, from the polished paint job, to the carefully cared for tires and rims, to the simple leather inside, spoke of long time care. As soon as the tarp was free, Dimir leaned against the hood, spreading herself over it, a happy smile on her face.
"Yeah, this is my baby. It's a Nissan 200SX. In my opinion, it's one of the top choices for drifting. I won it in a race a couple of years back and it's been my pride and joy since." Dimir told them.
"Wait, you race!?"
Atsushi and Junichirou said this together, the two of them staring at Dimir in disbelief. Dimir grinned back at them. They were pretty sure she couldn't get any happier than she was at the moment.
"Yeah, I do. Well, I drift more than actually racing. More excitement that way, more challenging." Dimir replied.
"Uh...there's a difference?" Junichirou asked.
"Of course. Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally over-steers. With the loss of traction in the rear wheels or all tires, we have to maintain control and drive the car through the entirety of a corner. Most drifting races involve some kind of track with a lot of turns. I use to race in parking garages. First one to the top without wiping out, wins. Regular races involve a straight, mile long stretch of road. No turns, just a matter of who can handle the speed in their car better." Dimir explained.
"And you won this car?" Atsushi asked.
"Oh yeah. A lot of racers are really hard core. When we race, we put up our pink slips." Dimir replied.
"Pink slips? You mean you put up the ownership of your car? But why?" Junichirou asked.
"Because, it's a matter of pride. We put a lot of work into our cars, customizing them. They literally become our life's work. I can't put a figure on the amount of money I put into this baby back when I actually had the spare cash. Because of the pride we carry in our cars, it makes sense that it's our greatest possession and therefore, the prize we put up for a race." Dimir explained.
"Have you won a lot?" Junichirou asked.
"A good handful of times. Because of the "lightning fast" reflexes I have obtained from using my ability, I'm fairly good at racing and drifting. Not to mention, I'm pretty handy with cars. Learning which parts to swap out to increase speed and the ease in which I take corners, came second nature, it seemed. Though, I've only raced for pink slips twice. Won both times. I kept this car and sold the other. I have to admit...I had my eye on this car for a solid month before I raced the previous owner."
"Why?" Atsushi asked.
"Well, like I said, this is a Nissan 200SX and I believe it's a top choice for any drifter. It doesn't matter if you have an early S13 model or a later S14 or S15 model, they're all good. The difference being that the S13 model reaches 180 horse power from a 1.8 liter turbo CA18DET motor, while the other two models use a 2.0 liter turbo SR20DET motor and reach 200 horse power. No matter the model, they're all strong, easy to learn in, and have a wide variety of tuning parts available. Something I personally look for in a car. Though, to be honest, this model, the S14 model, is the best because it has the perfect compromise between budget and all-around performance. In this model, the wheelbase and track are increased which makes the handling of the car slightly better. Of course, between the S13 model and this model, this model received a new version of the SR20DET which has a slight bump in power due to the implementation of Nissan's variable cam timing system on the intake cam and a larger T28 turbochar...ger..."
Dimir looked up, an excited smile on her face, and trailed off when she saw the confused, lost looks on her two co-workers' faces. Realizing that she had just gone off on a tangent, leaving her friends confused, she stood up straight and cleared her throat.
"Uh...sorry. I tend to forget that not everyone knows about cars like I do." she told them.
"No, it's alright. So, you can actually drive this thing?" Junichirou asked.
"Yep. I have my license. I'm a little too young, but the man who got it for me pulled a few strings. Since I came to Yokohama, I've stored it here, but I do take it out, now and then, for a cleaning and an over all check-up. The tank is full and I can drive it out of here right now. It would be a lot quicker if I just drove us to our job." Dimir said.
"I don't know about this." Atsushi said nervously.
"I promise, Atsushi, I'm a good driver. And contrary to popular belief, not all racers feel the need to race every time they're behind the wheel." Dimir told him, pulling a set of keys out of the pocket of her coat.
Though Atsushi still looked iffy on the whole thing, he climbed into the back seat of the car. Taking that to mean that they could take the car, Dimir did an adorable little dance on the spot before sliding behind the wheel of the car. Junichirou took the passenger side, front seat as Dimir slid the key into the ignition. She pulled the car out of the locker, letting the owner of the facility close the locker behind her.
"Thanks, again!" she called to him, turning back to face the wheel of the car. "Time to hit the road. Junichirou, do you think you can give me directions?"
"Yeah, sure."
With a nod, Dimir pulled out onto the road. It took several blocks before Atsushi relaxed, but he soon found that Dimir was good to her word. She never got over the speed limit and she was especially cautious navigating the streets. Thankfully, it took half the time it would of by train, to reach the office. Parking in the parking lot next door, the three went up to speak with the employees that worked in the office.
Each told them the same story.
The man, for they were sure it was a man, struck either before opening or after closing, as if he knew when the first person arrived and the last person left. He always went straight for the bank envelope in the boss's safe and managed to crack into the safe quickly and without fuss. While the boss explained to them his theory of someone at the office being the one behind the break-ins, Dimir asked him to allow her to study the safe. She examined the safe door, running one finger over the edges of the door while he talked.
"I'm telling you, it has to be one of my employees." the man, Narushima, whined.
"I don't think so."
Atsushi and Junichirou looked up at Dimir as Narushima turned to her, one hand on his hip. Dimir was crouched in front of the safe, her eyes fixed on the door. Now and then, she would glance around the room, her eyes searching.
"Why's that?" Narushima asked.
"This safe...It's a SentrySafe, right? Electronic lock, four 1-inch bolts, pry-resistant hinges, and able to withstand drops of up to fifteen feet?" Dimir asked.
"Yeah...how'd you know?" Narushima asked.
"It was a common brand used in businesses back in my hometown. Reasonably, all the features on this thing sound great, but they have one major flaw." Dimir remarked.
"Which is?" Junichirou asked.
"You can open this safe, and many others like it, with one stupidly simple way...with a magnet. A rare earth magnet, to be more precise." Dimir answered.
"What are you talking about?" Narushima asked. "I was assured that this safe was fail proof."
"Then you were lied to. I've seen it in person. Most rare earth magnets are made of neodymium, but if you find one from the seventies, they're made of a samarium-cobalt alloy. They're extremely powerful and play hell on electronics in general. It's why your electronic clock, there, is on the fritz." Dimir told him, gesturing to a clock sitting on the table just a few feet away.
The clock was rapidly blinking, the screen glitching out now and then, much like a computer screen when the computer was confronted with a virus or something else bad for it. Narushima, surprised, turned to the clock, picking it up.
"I...I didn't even notice the clock." he remarked.
"With that fancy wrist watch, I'm not surprised. My point behind pointing this out is that whoever is behind this wants you to think it's one of your employees. My guess is that it's someone who has been to this office multiple times before. An ex-employee, maybe a delivery man. Someone who knows you keep money in the safe before transferring it to a bank." Dimir said as she stood up. "Perhaps someone with a grudge or someone who has recently fallen on hard times."
Narushima shook his head as she said this. He sat the clock back down before turning to look at her.
"I know several people like that." he told her.
"Well...tell me about this person who suggested you use this type of safe." Dimir demanded.
"He's an old friend of mine. We use to work here together until his father fell ill and he had to leave. We've fallen out of touch since the..." Narushima trailed off. "You think it's him?"
"He knew the kind of safe you had, worked with you so he knows what times the first person clocks in and the last person clocks out. He knows when there's large sums in the safe, has a motive. I'd say he's a suspect, at least."
Dimir looked up at the three males in the room and stopped when she found all three staring at her intently with shocked looks on their faces. She blinked back at them in confusion, wondering what she could have done to make them look at her like that.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You're really good at this." Atsushi remarked.
"It only common sense stuff I learned while working in Machida. It's a big city and is prone to crime just like any other city. I make it a point to try to learn from past experiences." Dimir replied.
"So what should we do about catching the thief?" Junichirou asked.
"Well, lets see...Mr. Narushima, when is the next time you collect account dues to hold in the safe?" Dimir asked.
"Tomorrow. It goes to the bank the day after." Narushima replied.
"Then the thief will strike either tomorrow after closing or the following day before opening. All we can do is be here, laying in waiting." Dimir suggested.
"I can lock you in the office before closing." Narushima offered.
"That'll help, thanks." Junichirou told him.
With a plan of action decided upon, Dimir, Junichirou, and Atsushi bid their farewells to Narushima until the following day. As they walked out of the building, Dimir stretched.
"Pretty straight forward, wasn't it? Virtually uneventful." she remarked.
"That's good. Hopefully, it means we can finish the job without any problems." Junichirou replied.
"Would be nice." Dimir said, Atsushi agreeing with her. "Anyway, I'm hungry. What about you two?"
"Some lunch sounds nice." Junichirou agreed.
"I think I saw an outdoor cafe just around the corner. Would be good since the day is so nice out. The two of you can go on ahead and I'll find a parking spot closer." Dimir offered.
Junichirou and Atsushi agreed and headed off down the street while Dimir made her way back to her car. When she had disappeared into the parking lot where the car sat, Junichirou turned to Atsushi.
"She seems to be doing quite well." he remarked.
"Yeah. A lot better than me when I first started." Atsushi said on a sigh, hanging his head.
As they continued to walk, Junichirou tried to assure Atsushi that that simply wasn't true. If Junichirou hadn't been facing Atsushi while doing this, then he wouldn't have seen the attack when it came. Grabbing Atsushi's arm, Junichirou yanked him out of the way. The sudden tug knocked both of them over, allowing them to avoid the hit that blew past them, kicking up wind.
"What was that?!"
Atsushi and Junichirou looked up, their eyes following the path of destruction left behind by whatever had attacked them. Atsushi recognized the damage as what was left behind when Akutagawa attacked people.
"We meet again, Man-Tiger."
Atsushi's eyes flew up as Akutagawa stepped into sight. Almost instantly, Junichirou grabbed Atsushi's arm and, praying that Dimir didn't show up and get attacked as well, ran, dragging Atsushi behind him. Attempting to stop them, Akutagawa attacked again, but the two ducked into an alley, barely avoiding the attack.
"We got to get out of here and, hopefully, Dimir doesn't show up." Junichirou said as they ran.
Atsushi agreed. Dimir had already proved that she would put herself in danger's way in order to protect a friend. While she was well aware of what Akutagawa was capable of, she wouldn't hesitate to jump into a fight to save Atsushi and Junichirou.
Another attack came from behind then, this one skimming Junichirou's side, sending him tumbling to the ground with a cry of pain. Atsushi slid to a halt, turning to Junichirou. Already, blood was seeping past the shredded side of Junichirou's side.
"You can't run from me, Man-Tiger." Akutagawa said as he neared them.
Atsushi's brain was on over drive. How was he suppose to get an injured Junichirou out of there and avoid a fight with Akutagawa?
"This time, you can't run." Akutagawa declared.
"Who needs to run?"
The voice sounded just a moment before a bolt of lightning struck the open ground between Akutagawa and Atsushi and Junichirou. The flash blinded all three for a moment, making them cover their eyes. When they could all see again, Atsushi looked up to find the last person he wanted to see at that moment.
"Something wrong here, boys?"
Dimir, a smile on her face, now stood between Akutagawa and his prey, her hands clasped behind her back. Akutagawa wasn't sure what had happened or where she had come from, but she was standing in his way.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can work it out peacefully, yeah?" Dimir asked.
"Get out of my way or die." was Akutagawa's reply.
Dimir heaved a sigh.
"I guess not." she muttered, half turning to Atsushi and Junichirou. "Atsushi, you can drive, yeah?"
"Somewhat. You don't plan to stay behind, do you?!" Atsushi demanded.
"No worries, Atsushi. I'm as hard to catch as lightning without a lightning rod. Just don't wreck my car or we're going to have a problem, you and I." Dimir told him, tossing him the keys. "Get Junichirou out of here and back to the Agency."
Atsushi took the keys. He really didn't want to leave Dimir behind, but Junichirou needed first aid. He would have to call Dazai and Kunikida from the car.
"The car is at the end of the alley. Go!" Dimir ordered.
"If you think you can get away-"
"Then I'm sadly mistaken? Not really." Dimir said cheerfully, cutting Akutagawa off.
Akutagawa's reply, was an attack. The attack was cut short by a wall of electricity that formed when Dimir used her ability to make electricity explode from every electrical box lining the alley. She had just caused a whole street worth of buildings to lose their electricity, but at least it stopped Akutagawa's Rashoumon.
"Go, Atsushi! I'll be fine." Dimir yelled.
Pulling Junichirou's arm around his neck, Atsushi did as told. As soon as he had Junichirou in the car, he would call Dazai to have him and Kunikida come after Dimir before she could get too awfully hurt at Akutagawa's hands.
When he was gone, Dimir turned her full attention to Akutagawa. And he wasn't happy with her and her interference. Not that she could blame him since she had gotten in his way. She wasn't exactly a happy camper when people got in her way, either.
"Sorry, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't step in, you know?" Dimir said.
Dimir hit the ground when Rashoumon attacked once more at the bidding of its master. Instead of her, it took out a large chunk of a building wall. Dimir, from a crouched position, glanced back at the damaged wall.
"Okay...apology not accepted. Got it."
Dimir darted out of the way of his next attack, flipping to land on her feet once more.
"You got in my way...now you'll die!" Akutagawa yelled.
"Uh, no. Sorry, but I don't plan to die today. Bye-bye!"
With that said, Dimir bent her knees. She gave a little hop and the moment her feet touched the ground again, she applied a bit of her electricity to her feet and rocketed forward, flashing past Akutagawa before he could react. She waved back to him as she called another farewell before slipping around the end of the alley to vanish off down the street.
But Akutagawa wasn't letting her go that easily.
Not that she really expected him to.
Dimir slid around a corner, darting past people in her attempt to lose him. While he was mafia, Dimir had banked on him not being willing to drag civilians, and therefore, the police, into the chase. Whether that was the case or he simple was frustrated by the sheer amount of people around, she didn't know, but it managed to slow him down briefly.
But only briefly.
After it clicked in the civilians heads that the person in hot pursuit of a little girl, was the infamous Dog of the Port Mafia, they all took off, screaming, scrambling to get out of his way. By the time his way to Dimir had cleared, the girl had gained some ground, pulling ahead of him. He sent his Rashoumon after her, but, with a squeal, Dimir hit the ground rolling, coming back up to her feet to continue running.
Akutagawa knew she was baiting him, getting him to chase her further and further away from Atsushi and Junichirou, but when she suddenly slide to a stop at a corner, cupped her mouth, and yelled, "Slowpoke!" back at him, his anger made him blind to that fact. He surged forward and, with a small "epp!", Dimir spun and darted off.
Dimir was well aware she was poking a sleeping bear, something her mother had told her not to do, but she had to protect her friends, give them a head start. Unfortunately, she had picked the wrong street to run down.
She swore, one of these days, her luck would turn around.
Flying down the street, she met the last person she really should want to.
Running down the sidewalk, people jumping out of her way, a man with a little girl at his side, stepped into her path. Dimir yelled a warning for the two to get out of the way. When he turned to look at her, his eyes widened slightly, as if in surprise, but he didn't move. Dimir didn't have anywhere to duck into to her left and to her right was a busy street, so she did the only thing she could. Bending her knees a little further on the next step, she added the extra kick from her electrical ability that sent her rocketing forward.
Grabbing the man and girl around the waist, she took another electrical, bouncing step and rocketed into the air, avoiding Akutagawa's next attack. Dimir landed easily on the roof of the three story building the man and girl had come out of and set the two down, instantly bowing in apology to them.
"I'm so sorry to have to suddenly grab you like that, but you were in harm's way." she told them. The man blinked at her in surprise while the little girl stood right beside him. "You should be safe here. Just knock on the door and someone should let you in. If you receive any trouble just tell them to contact Nabokov Dimir at the Armed Detective Agency. Be careful!"
With that and a smile at the two, Dimir turned and, using her electrified step, jumped from the rooftop. She kicked of a lamp post and then a car roof, landing on the opposite side of the street. Akutagawa, having seeing her land, came her direction. Dimir quickly scanned her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was and, therefore, where she should go next, when a car suddenly came to a screeching halt in front of her. The window closest to her rolled down, Dimir tensing in anticipation, only for it to reveal Kunikida behind the wheel and a smiling Dazai in the passenger seat.
"Doppo! Osamu!" Dimir called in cheer.
"Get in! Quick!" Kunikida ordered, Dazai reaching back to throw open the back door.
Dimir, without a moment's hesitation, dived into the back seat of the car, pulling the door close. Before Akutagawa could reach them, Kunikida punched the gas, the car racing off down the street. Dimir peered out the rear window, watching as Akutagawa vanished. She really hoped the man and girl would be alright.
"What the hell where you thinking!?" Kunikida suddenly yelled from the front seat.
Dimir turned around, dropping to sit into the seat and buckle her seat belt.
"I take it that Atsushi and Junichirou made it back alright?" she asked, instead of answering the question.
Kunikida huffed but all it took was one look at her worried expression in his rear view mirror, for him to realize she was really concerned for her friends. Heaving a sigh, he relaxed, lowering his voice.
"Yes, they made it back. Doctor Yosano is taking care of Tanizaki now. Your car is parked behind the office building. Why didn't you tell us you had a car?!" Kunikida asked.
"You didn't ask. Honestly, how else do you think I got to Yokohama?" Dimir replied.
Kunikida muttered to himself, seeing the somewhat logic behind that, though he questioned her on why she hadn't sold the car to feed herself. Dimir's reply was that her car was to her what his notebook was to him.
Kunikida didn't say another word about the car.
"Well, the Director wants to talk to you when we get back." Dazai told her, turning to look back at her. "You aren't hurt, are you?"
"No, I'm fine. I can apply the stored up electricity from Lolita, to the tips of my toes when running or jumping. It adds an extra kick to my step. I pretty much avoided all of his attacks. He loses his temper very easily, doesn't he?" Dimir replied.
"I told you to run, didn't I!?" Kunikida snapped.
"I did run. I just made sure that Atsushi and Junichirou ran first and that I ran in the opposite direction." Dimir replied.
"You know what I meant! You didn't show off more than one ability, did you?" Kunikida asked.
"No. I only used Lolita." Dimir replied.
Kunikida heaved a relieved sigh. They had managed, this time, to escape Dimir becoming the main focus of the Port Mafia. Dazai, on the other hand, had seen Dimir jump from the rooftop, had seen who she had been speaking with. Though she hadn't noticed it, Dimir had been talking to the boss of the Port Mafia. Whether or not she had intended for it to happen, she had just snagged the Port Mafia's attention.
Things were about to get more complicated.
END
Kyandi: You really are a car nerd.
Dimir: And who is the one that did all the research so I could be the car nerd?
Kyandi: ...Me.
Dimir: So what does that make you?
Kyandi: Very devoted!
Dimir: Yes, yes. Devoted indeed.
Kyandi: Anyway, I have other stories to work on, so everyone enjoy and review.
Dimir: We will return as soon as possible.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!