Dazai
This morning feels slightly different from the rest. That was the first thing I thought upon opening my eyes. There was barely any light in the room even though it was 7am. The sky was a dreary grey, cloudy and murky, like my sleep.
I got up to shower and dress appropriately for work (the same old, same old) before making myself my daily morning coffee in the kitchen. As I stirred the cup, I couldn't help but remember yesterday's events. Or more specifically, what took place at the café.
The old lady had done it again. She just always effortlessly manages to stir up memories of the past. Not that I was trying to forget them in the first place – but it was irritating because she kept reminding me of the annoying bits.
First that chibi.
Now Odasaku.
I mused over that name as I drank in my coffee. Oda Sakunosuke. I haven't thought of him in a long, long time. That amused me slightly as he was basically the reason why I had done a 180 on the Port Mafia and joined the Armed Detective Agency, much to their chagrin. I suppose, I owe it all to him; all the fun I am having now. I had all the more reason to mess around with the Mafia now!
Sighing happily, I leaned back on my chair and thought of the times when the three of us hung out at the bar just engaging in idle chitchat. My favourite parts were always when I was relating the events of the day and revelling in my latest prank on that hat-rack of a partner. Oda, though always steadfastly deadpanned, would let out a hum of disapproval while dearest Ango always sighed and rolled his eyes.
But the best part was, despite their displeasure, I never stopped tormenting my partner. Where would be the fun in being responsible and respectful anyway? Surely the delight in life must be watching a certain redhead scream as his coat caught on fire or panic while he searched for his phone. They were all definitely harmless pranks – I mean, hey, he's still alive right?
I released my head back, closing my eyes and let myself get lost in those recollections, wave upon wave of memories coming and going in quick flashes. Odasaku's rare smile as I made a pun, Ango lecturing us on the importance of propriety, Petit Mafia trying to push me off him discreetly as we staked out a location …
But one particular memory stood out. This particular memory didn't just flash by, no. It played out slowly in my mind, vivid and bright, as if just newly formed yesterday. The flare of familiar red against a golden sunset spread over the horizon of Yokohama's waters … Beautiful, ethereal, and unreachable. His silhouette was so stunningly poignant that it evoked a bundle of emotions in me. Emotions I had been suppressing.
And then, that's when I felt them. Light and shimmering, almost ticklish.
Tears.
I raised a bandaged hand slowly to my face, resting the back of my palm over my eyes. I wasn't mistaken. My skin felt damp to touch.
Honestly, I was both surprised and unsurprised at myself. Surprised because I never thought I was capable of such an emotion, unsurprised because well, as a human, I guess I am. I haven't ever cried in my life – I didn't even cry at his death … why was I tearing up now?
Strangely enough, they didn't feel unpleasant – the tears, I mean, it did intensify a foreign pain in my chest, but relishing in it … that felt more cathartic than anything.
Then, I realised in that moment, I missed those days.
I missed him.
Sluggishly, I pulled myself up to a standing position and carried my cup to the sink to pour away the remaining coffee.
It was already cold anyway.
Chuuya
I hastily ascended the stairs to my office – the lifts always took too long. The moment I burst through the door, I was greeted by a shocked gasp which startled me too.
"Okamoto-kun," I regained my composure as she did. I was not expecting to see anyone in my office; I almost moved to attack her and just stopped myself in time. "It's only 4pm, what are you doing here so early?"
"I reported earlier to hand in these documents," The brunette replied, smoothing down her formal white blouse. "See?" She stepped aside and gestured to a few brown large envelopes on my desk.
As I came closer, she cleared her throat to continue. "Orkland Pte Ltd just faxed in their acknowledgement of payment today, product specifications and shipping details. I've compiled them all into this envelope," Okamoto said, pointing to the first one sitting on top. "The second envelope just contains the corrected report on the warehouse raid we did a few nights ago."
I opened the envelopes and took out the documents, skimming through them quickly. A moment of silence passed, and when I was finally done, I sorted the papers back in their brown wrappings and looked at my co-worker with a smile.
"Well done," I said genuinely. "This is brilliant work, thank you for uhh … covering for me yesterday." I scratched my head sheepishly.
Okamoto laughed. "I'm happy to be of help to my mentor."
"Some mentor I am," I sighed. "Sorry for being so unprofessional yesterday."
"We all have those days."
"Yes but …" I gripped the envelopes tighter in my hands. I'm not sure what I wish to say. Thank you? I've already done that. Sorry? I've just apologised too.
Noticing my difficulty, Okamoto quickly cut in. "You should go send these envelopes to Boss by the way. He's already in office."
Grateful for the switch in focus, I headed for the door immediately. "Thanks for your work! Get some rest," I called out before closing it.
As I climbed the stairs with a slow jog, I wondered why I paused then and what I wanted to convey. If I was being truthful with myself …
A lump formed in my throat. It's probably just the leftover alcohol in my system talking but I for some reason, may have wanted to tell her to stop calling me her mentor and instead –
I shook my head violently. Never again.
Finally, I reached the top floor and marvelled at the long corridor that stretched before me. Wall to wall, ceiling to floor windows adorned the left of the corridor, allowing the bright afternoon sun to illuminate the space generously. As I walked down the carpeted floor, I couldn't help but admire the view of beautiful Yokohama below me.
Two guards stood at the bronze double doors at the end of the corridor. They nodded in greeting at me as I approached – I was a regular visitor.
However, the double doors suddenly opened and out came a man who was not commonly seen in these parts. Decked in all black but for a spotless white cravat, was my junior – Akutagawa Ryuunosuke.
"Chuuya-san," he gave a stiff nod upon seeing me.
"Akutagwa-kun," I replied, a little surprised. "What are you doing here?"
He crossed his lanky arms (this kid needs ten burgers a day and I feel partially responsible, as his senior to feed him) and sighed. "Mori – Boss is putting me in charge of the Black Lizard temporarily."
I raised an eyebrow. "What about Hirotsu?"
"Hirotsu-san will be out of commission for the rest of this week," Akutagawa explained. "He just came down with a high fever after a fight in the rain."
I hummed in response. I wished the best for him as a fellow colleague but there's no denying that his old age is wearing him down slowly. I glanced at Akutagawa thoughtfully, with a few more years this kid could –
"Chuuya-san?"
I faltered, and quickly replied. "Ah! I was just concerned for you. I know you hate working in groups but you can definitely do it! You don't have a lot of missions scheduled, do you?"
Akutagawa scowled slightly. "There is one … we have to escort a client's son out of the holding cell in a police station …"
"Oh that's interesting," I said, a memory flashing in my mind. "I remember Ane-san taking me to see a similar mission when I first joined the Mafia."
"Really?" Was the toneless response.
"Yeah," I continued. "We had to retrieve an intelligence officer or someone, but you know. When they say 'retrieve', they really mean 'gun down the entire office'. I guess I was there to watch and you know, learn how things worked in the Mafia."
Glancing at my junior, he seemed fidgety but respectfully attentive. I sighed, I could tell he wanted to leave.
"Well, have fun!" I said, waving him off.
Looking thankful to be dismissed, Akutagawa gave another stiff nod and hurried away.
I heaved another sigh, this kid needs a trip to a theme park or something. One day, one day I'll crack open that sad, despairing shell of his and teach him how to have fun.
After mulling over my junior's constant depression, I rapped on the double doors and announced my name.
I hear cooing, a high-pitched squeal, some shushing and frantic murmuring. Then finally, after a pause of silence, I hear my Boss say "Enter."
The guards swung open the doors for me and I walked into a dimly-lit room with a rich carpeted floor, armchairs, and a well-furnished table at the end. There was a man behind that table, looking lovingly at an overly-dressed girl with flowing golden locks as she tucked into a luxurious cream cake while doodling on the floor.
It was a scene I had seen countless of times.
"Good afternoon, Boss," I bowed respectfully before the Mafia head, then straightened. "Here are the documents and reports regarding Orkland Pte Ltd and the raid on Killinger's warehouse." I said while handing out the envelopes. As he thumbed through them, I rattled on about the details, highlighting all the important and necessary aspects.
When I was done, he gave me a nod of approval. "Very good, Chuuya."
Feeling a little sheepish, I corrected him. "This was all compiled by Okamoto Kanoko-kun. She did all the work."
"No wonder," Mori smiled, "since you were out of commission yesterday."
I felt a flush creep onto my cheeks. "I apologise for my disgraceful behaviour. Won't happen again."
He let out a chuckle, his expression didn't seem the least bit angry. "Well, I have nothing to worry about since it seems you have a very capable subordinate."
"She is very talented," I nodded, agreeing. "She's diligent and an honest worker."
"I'm glad to hear," Mori replied. "Looks like you're really getting along with her. Maybe I should promote her."
His tone was light and teasing but I can't tell if he was actually serious or not. I decided the best thing to do was to remain quiet.
Another laugh came from him. "Why are you so formal today, Chuuya? You're usually more talkative! Why don't you tell me your opinions on this girl?"
I bristled slightly. "Hah? I already said she shows outstanding performance!"
"Is that all?"
"That's all," I said stiffly, crossing my arms.
Mori smiled wider. "Well I personally think you both work well as a team, don't you think so too?"
"Maybe," I shrugged. What was he hinting at?
"Perhaps as well as … Soukoku?"
I almost cracked the cement under the pretty carpeted floor. "What?!"
"Hmm … You're right," Mori nodded. "I haven't seen a pair that outperforms Soukoku yet –"
"We can barely stop ourselves from killing each other!" I was aware that I'm basically yelling at the Head of the Port Mafia but I couldn't care less at this point. "We were so mismatched –"
"Yet, you two made it work," Mori cut in smoothly. "Both of you spurred each other on and supported each other. I'm sure you've realised too, the impact of his leave on yourself."
I growled. "You mean his betrayal? Yes, I've realised now that he is nothing but a rotten traitor and the scum of the earth." Then, I promptly turned on my heel and marched towards the door. "I'm taking my own leave now!"
"Wasn't Soukoku that loving couple –" I hear the girl – Elise say just as I opened the doors and quickly yelled back.
"WE HATE EACH OTHER!"
Aargh! I'm about to go insane! One after the other. The old lady, Ane-san, Mori, my nightmares, why on earth do they all keep reminding me of his existence. When will I ever get rid of his past association to me? I want nothing more to do with him. Why can't anyone respect that?
I hate him. I've despised him for as long as I could remember. Even as he saved me during the countless times I've lost control, even as he carried me back to my apartment, and even as he tended to my injuries.
Because deep down I knew, that it would hurt more if I didn't.
I clutched at my chest, immediately hating myself for thinking that. Ignoring the stares on my back as I walked away briskly. I needed to steady myself, steady my breathing …
The day – evening past uneventfully. I didn't have much to do since Okamoto basically finished everything for me. So all I did was sit in my office and stewed things over.
But of course, that only made the pain in my chest worse, so I called it an early day and signed off at 11 for the first time ever.
For some unexplained reason, I felt lonelier than I have ever felt in my life. I was exhausted from fighting from something … myself? Why was I fighting myself? What was I fighting for?
When I paused outside the brightly lit café on my way home, I remembered the old lady urging me to take every opportunity to fix whatever's been troubling me before it's too late.
But it's been four years. Another thought escaped from the tightly-bound recesses of my mind.
It is too late.
Stumbling into the café, I realised what I'd been fighting all along.
I was fighting back my own tears.
Dazai
Well, well, what have we here …
Nothing. Zilch.
This girl wasn't a registered ability user and had no prior affiliation to any criminal organisation – Blood Raid included.
So how come there was evidence of her being involved with them before she went missing? Perhaps I should look at Kawasaki's news archives to see if she was potentially involved in any of the Raiders' past activities …
I leaned back into my chair and propped my feet up on the table. If Kunikida-kun were here, he would be yelling at me to take my feet off. But thankfully, he had already gone home, as did the other ADA members. It was after all, 11pm already.
Under normal circumstances, I would be home too. In fact, I tend to sign off earlier than the rest (aching back problems you know, definitely not because I'm lazy), but Mother had forced me to stay on until I finished my work.
It's not my fault that I couldn't finish my work though! It isn't exactly fair to dump me more work to do on top of the case I'm already currently working on! Unlike some people, I'm not an angry, notebook-loving workaholic …
I clicked my tongue at the lack of gratitude and support I should have received from my co-workers for shouldering an entire case by –
But I didn't get to finish that thought for something caught my eye. Leaning towards the screen, I re-read the newspaper article I was just about to skim past.
On 1 January, probably as an announcement for their comeback, or new beginning, or whatever, Blood Raid conducted a bank robbery in Kawasaki. Zooming into the picture, I noticed a few street signs that looked familiar. I opened up the tab to the girl's profile and looked at her addresses, cross-referencing to a digital map …
Bingo! A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. The bank was situated right next to the office she had previously worked at!
Ah, so now we know that she was most likely alerted to their presence with the robbery and probably sought them out herself, rather than the other way round.
So if she and Blood Raid had agreed to collaborate or correspond in any way, that would explain the traces of evidence of her involvement with them.
Now we just have to find out why … and most importantly, where she was at this moment.
I thought about my hunch that I had been having ever since I had visually confirmed the presence of Blood Raid with Tanizaki. It had been more a wild guess at the time but now I can actually say it's gaining some ground.
Biological father was killed by the Port Mafia.
I licked my lips, reading that sentence on her profile. Her mother had confirmed that too. There was definitely a high chance I was right. And if I was right, I had to take action immediately. I feel a sense of urgency, recalling the information Blood Raid had gathered and considering who was already involved.
Me, of course. I was worried for only myself.
I switched off the computer at my desk and gathered my things, steadfastly ignoring a voice in my head. It was a quarter to 12 and I knew I still had a lot of time before the café closed but the adrenaline in my veins was making me move faster.
Then, I forced myself to take in a deep breath. All emotions had to be controlled, excitement and sense of urgency were no exception.
Letting logic take over, I packed up and left the office calmly, locking the doors behind me. Then, I leisurely made my way to the café.
I entered the café as per usual, hearing the bell tinkle to welcome my presence as per usual, heading to my usual table as per usual.
"Oh my!" I hear the elderly lady exclaim just as I realised someone had already taken my seat.
"Ah," the lady hurried to me. "Sorry, but this seat is taken –"
"By the 5-foot hat-stand?" I said, backing towards the door.
A string of profanities greeted me as that person too, turned around and just realised who had just walked in.
"I'm sorry, didn't realise this was kiddy corner – will take my leave immediately."
A/N: THEY FINALLY MEET ASDFGHJLKL;DKPLD;KSLF
