"Drop your gun, unless you want to die."

Upon arriving at the scene, Yua saw Higuchi, their so-called client, aiming a gun at Dazai. Instantly, her mind went blank. By the time she came to her senses, she had a blade pressed against the blond's throat and had just uttered a deadly threat. By no means was she kidding.

Sweat trickled down Higuchi's chin as she looked down at the blade against her throat. This was what she got for lowering her guard. She glanced at her superior, Akutagawa, who said, "Do as she says." Hence, Higuchi dropped her gun.

The moment the gun landed on the ground, Yua stomped on it. Dazai heaved a sigh when he noticed the pool of molten metal beneath her foot. "That's enough, Yua," he called. "Come here." Although reluctant, Yua did what she was told. Her obedience earned her a pat on the head.

Akutagawa raised an eyebrow at the sight. He snorted and turned to his subordinate. "We're retreating for today." However, before he could make his exit, a nostalgic nickname made him stopped in his footsteps. With a scowl, he looked over his shoulder and growled, "What?"

Yua smiled at the grumpy male. "Hey Ak-kun, why does the Port Mafia want the weretiger so badly?"

Akutagawa wore an expression that seemed to be asking, "That's it?". He opened his mouth to answer but Higuchi beat him to it. "Who do you think you are!? Why would we tell you that! And how dare you call senpai so casually!? Even I can't-"

A harsh shout cut her off. "Shut up, Higuchi!" The blond immediately went quiet. Akutagawa returned to the topic at hand. "The black market has placed a bounty on that weretiger. The bounty sum is seven billion yen and the Port Mafia will definitely claim it."

"Oh?" Dazai narrowed his eyes. "Is that a declaration of war to the Armed Detective Agency?" He smirked. "Try it... If you dare."

Hearing this, Akutagawa clenched his hands into fists. He knew Dazai was provoking him so he remained quiet but Higuchi didn't. The blond stomped forward with her hands on her hips. "You insolent man! We, the Port Mafia, have dozen of enterprises under our control! Our influence extends over politics, economic, and many other sectors of this city! An agency with just a handful of people will become ashes in less than three days' time! No one has ever survived after defying us!"

"I know that much," said the two Dazai(s).

Akutagawa scoffed at their reaction. "Of course, as former members of the Port Mafia, it's only natural that you would."

Higuchi's eyes widened at the news. "Former members?" She took a step back and pointed accusingly at the detectives. "Traitors!"

"Uh oh." Daizai found his gaze wandering onto to Yua.

Yua raised an eyebrow at the word, 'traitors'. "That word has such a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" she asked, smiling at the blond. It was a sweet smile. A smile so sweet that shivers ran down Higuchi's spine. "Just so you know, No one was left unscratched after calling me that." With that said, Yua snapped her fingers. Instantly, red, orange, and yellow, shot up from below followed up by a piercing cry of a woman. Promptly, Higuchi dropped onto her knees and seconds later, she collapsed onto the ground.

Yua clicked her tongue when the flames enveloping the blond dissipated. "...You could've let me play with her a bit longer." She slapped away the hand that was on her left shoulder.

Dazai chuckled. "If I did, my belladonna would've died. I still need her to commit double suicide with me."

Yua huffed and turned to Akutagawa. "My bad. She was getting on my nerves so I tried scaring her a little."

"Yeah, right. You were totally trying to kill her…" Dazai stated.

Yua ignored him and continued. "Anyway, sorry for knocking her out. That was not what I was aiming for but I guess you'll have to carry her back now." Or you can just leave her here.

Akutagawa remained silent. Surprisingly, he did not bear a grudge against Yua for hurting his subordinate. He simply shrugged, threw Higuchi over his shoulder, and left. Once the mafiosos were completely out of sight, Yua turned back to Dazai. "Now what?"

The brunette jabbed his thumb at the injured ones behind him. "Now we've gotta carry those people back to the agency."

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about them. Yua hurried over to the Tanizaki siblings. She winced at the sight of their wounds. "Should I-"

Dazai cut her off. "No. Just bring them back. Yosano will heal them."

"Got it." Yua pulled out her phone and dialled a number. Once the call went through, she said, "Kunikida-san, would you mind coming to xxxxx? Atsushi and the others were attacked by the Port Mafia. They're heavily injured and I can't possibly carry all of them back." Before Kunikida got the chance to reply, Yua hung up.

"What did he say?" Dazai asked, poking Atsushi's cheek.

Yua placed her phone into her back pocket. "He said, 'I'll be right there'."

Dazai hummed softly. "I see, so you didn't even give him the chance to respond."

Yua grinned innocently. "I learned that from you."

"You sure did…" Dazai shook his head helplessly. "I worry for your future if you start learning after me."

"Oh?" Yua raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you've finally realized how bad of a role model and older brother you are?"

The brunette shook his head and puffed out his chest. "Not at all. There's nothing wrong with me. What's so wrong about wanting to commit double suicide with a beautiful woman?"

Without missing a beat, Yua answered, "Everything." Then, she returned her attention back to the injured ones and did a quick examination. Yeah, they won't die anytime soon… Finally, she turned back to Dazai. "You know, just then, you were actually pretty cool…" she muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed at the topic she was bringing up.

There was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, two rivers streamed down the brunette's face. "Oh my goodness! Did you just call me cool?!" Dazai couldn't believe his ears. He grabbed Yua by the shoulders and demanded, "Say that once more!"

Yua rolled her eyes. Why did I say that again? "Let go. You're creepy."

Dazai froze. "Creepy?" He pointed at himself. "Me?" Yua nodded. Dazai shook his head in denial. "How can I be creepy?" He pointed at his face. "Can't you see how handsome I am?"

As of now, no. But before Yua got to say this, she heard someone's heart breaking into two. Dazai, like an abandoned puppy, looked down at the ground in despair. Seeing this, Yua can't help but swallowed back the words she was about to say. "Geez, it's not the time to be fooling around. Three members are unconscious and two of them are injured."

Dazai shrugged. "It fine as long as they're not dead."

True. Yua found herself agreeing but quickly shook the thought away. "Anyway-" she began.

"Anyway, why don't you tell me which part of me was cool?" Dazai's eyes sparkled in excitement.

It was precisely those eyes that forced Yua to dropped her head in defeat. She knew it was useless to talk any sense into the suicidal maniac so she gave in. She wrecked her brain for an answer and said, "When you were provoking Ak-kun."

Instantly, Dazai announced, "Alright, I should do that more often."

Yua sweatdropped. Sorry Ak-kun, I shouldn't have said that.

Just then, a voice a familiar voice was heard. Dazai and Yua glanced at the entrance of the alleyway. It seems like Kunikida has finally arrived. As the idealist approached them with a scowl, they both muttered, "About time."

Turning off the faucet, Yua slid open the door of her shower stall and walked out. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her body, and then picked up the blow dryer. Turning it on, a warm blast of air began drying her hair. As she ran her fingers through her raven locks, the image of a grumpy male popped into her mind. We haven't seen each other for almost four years and that was how we reunite? Yua heaved a sigh. Despite leaving the Port Mafia on her own will, there were times where she found herself doubting her decision. Honestly, if it wasn't for Odasaku's death and Dazai's invitation, Yua would've never left the Port Mafia. Between good versus evil, she did not take a side. Her actions depend on her mood.

It would be a lie to say Yua didn't enjoy the time she spent in the Port Mafia. Her feelings for certain members have yet faded even after four years of separation. Despite Dazai's effort in preventing her from reuniting with the Port Mafia, Yua has met with certain members from time to time, especially a semi hot-headed executive. She found herself smiling at the thought of him. It was until then that she noticed her hair was dry. Turning off the blow dryer, Yua unwrapped the towel that was around her body and changed into her sleepwear. Once that was done, she returned to her bedroom and slumped onto her bed.

Yua spent a good chunk of the time staring at the ceiling. Today's incident has got her reminiscing about the past. Seeing how Akutagawa, in short Ak-kun, didn't change at all, she felt at ease. Suddenly, a light bulb flashed over her head. She glanced at the clock, it read 6:05 PM, and jumped out of her bed. Yua hurried over to her closet and selected a presentable outfit before changing into it. Then, she headed for the door. When she turned the knob and pushed open the door, a voice suddenly asked, "Where are you going?"

Immediately, Yua instinctively tried to shut the door but it was too late. Dazai had already slipped into her apartment. She dropped her head in defeat and shut the door before following the brunette into the living room. The silence scared the poor girl. When Dazai finally opened his mouth, Yua flinched. "You can't go," he said, taking a seat at the table and gesturing Yua to sit as well. "I know you want to see them again but you've got to think about your position. Now that you're in the Armed Detective Agency, you've lost the ability to interact with the Port Mafia. There's a line between us and we mustn't cross it. You knew about this when you accepted my hand that day, didn't you?"

Yua nodded softly. I did but that doesn't mean I was prepared for it… It was a lot harder than I thought.

Dazai got up from his seat and walked up to Yua. He patted her on the head. "I'm not saying you'll never see them again. Take today for example. Furthermore, as long as you're the Armed Detective Agency, you're bound to deal with the Port Mafia. I'm just saying you can't meet them whenever you want. Especially not now."

"Why?" Yua finally asked. "Is it because of the weretiger and its bounty?"

"There's that but-"

"But what?" Yua looked up at the brunette.

Dazai smiled, "But I haven't commit double suicide yet. That means you're still under my guardianship so you'll have to listen to me."

Yua furrowed her brows. She knew Dazai was trying to lighten up the mood but she also knew he was hiding something from her. She huffed and stood up as well and headed for her bedroom when he abruptly grabbed her wrist. "What-?!"

The brunette cut her off. "Let's eat out tonight. It's my treat."

With that said, Dazai dragged Yua out the door. She didn't even get to lock her door but that was the least of her worries. After all, there's nothing valuable in her apartment. Not to mention, she could track down the robber and relieve some stress. Anyway, back to Dazai and her. Currently, they were roaming the food market, purchasing snacks from almost every stall. Yua could hardly carry any more than she already was. At this rate, Kunikida-san's wallet will become empty in no time. She grabbed Dazai's left hand, stopping the male from walking any further. "That's enough snacks for tonight! Let's go home!" Her voice came out louder than she expected. Perhaps it was because she was desperate.

Surprisingly, Dazai complied to her wishes and the two returned to her place. When they arrived in the living room, Yua practically threw everything onto the table. I'm beat… This is harder than preventing Dazai from committing suicide. Just then, Yua realized something out of the ordinary. She turned to her brother who has already begun eating the snacks. "...Is it just me or were you normal, as in not committing suicide or double suicide whenever you had the chance, during the time we were shopping?"

"To me, that would be abnormal," Dazai noted. "But yeah, I supposed I was normal when we were shopping." He opened a can of soda and took a sip. "But that was because there weren't any beautiful women. Next time, let's go to a food market that has a lot of women.".

...Next time? A hint of a smile flashed across Yua's lip. So there's a next time… I guess he can't be dying on me anytime soon. Thinking this, Yua walked up Dazai and hugged him from behind. Luckily, the chair did not have a back post so it did not get in the way of the hug. "So you can act like an older brother at times," she whispered.

Dazai scoffed. "I am always a wonderful brother." He picked up a takoyaki with a toothpick and brought it up to Yua's mouth.

Yua opened her mouth, welcoming the food. When she was about to take a bite, Dazai pulled away. He earned himself a slap on the arm for his action. Once again, Dazai tried feeding Yua the takoyaki and this time, he actually allowed her to eat it.

As Yua munched on her snack, she sighed inwardly. Although I miss those in the Port Mafia, I guess I'll have to be satisfied with what I have now. Him treating me so kindly is such a rare moment. It's too bad that he'll return to being a suicidal maniac tomorrow morning. Then again, that's Dazai for you.

Many thanks to: Catwithcat and AliceRuiLin

AliceRuiLin: Thank you for saying that! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.