" My name is Kyouka Izumi. I've killed 35 people in 6 months." The words appeared as Kyouka's voice spoke them.
The infirmary of the ADA is shown, with a distraught Atsushi sitting on a small bench outside of the door. Inside the room, Yosano types a couple of words on a computer before turning and looking at a medical bed. Kyouka is fast asleep.
You're going to take responsibility for my Kyouyo." Kouyou said. She thought she would be able to get her back if they talked with those stupid agency members, but she could see it would be so much more complicated with that weretiger. She looked over at her other child, his blue eyes looking at her trying to tell her something, something she didn't want to be told. She turned away.
"You didn't do a good job taking care of her. She was almost killed by your underling,"
Akutagawa scoffed, and Kouyou slowly crossed her legs, her jaw tightening. Kyouyo looked at the weretiger in shock and fear of what big sis would do to him.
"So, I don't think she should be in your care any longer, Madame."
"Atsushi." Kyouko whispered. The weretiger turned to the girl sitting next to him and spoke so not just her but the older exec could hear him. "No one's going to harm you, not while I'm around."
Akutagawa could only roll his eyes at the proclamation. He was growing attached to a child he had met literally a day ago. He looked around the room to see others' reactions to this statement; most on the side of the agency smiled. Then he turned to his organization, and most of their faces showed displeasure, but then there was Gin. Finally, Gin's eyes centered on his own. What he had agreed to was for Gin, or at least that was what he told himself.
It was for Gin; it was for his mentor, but mostly and beyond all, it was for himself. He closed his eyes to see the dark night from the bottom of the pit. He was the frog at the bottom of the well, and Dazai was the turtle that told him about the sea. And the turtle was right it was beautiful but some days in the dark's place of his mind he longed for the well. Then he wouldn't feel this tightness in his chest that had remained ever since that man left. It just hurt. What he did was a necessary evil: someone always pains for someone else's freedom.
Gin's eyes stared back at him. His sibling made it clear how she felt about it all. However, he could never imagine anything else. Maybe this was the well, and Dazai was just another frog at the bottom. And that other frog did leave the well, freeing himself from the shackles of the port mafia, and Dazai left him; Dazai left all of them, and the pain remained.
His anger bubbled in his stomach, creating a violent acid that raised through his throat. He wanted to kill that tiger, but before that, he wanted to rip apart all of his morals and make him see that he wasn't any better than him. Prove to Dazai that he put his stock in the wrong apprentice. 'Superior to me. No, never I am superior to him and he will see.'
A gloved hand gently rested on his shoulder. He let out a sigh, shifting in the direction of Chuuya. "You know what you did wrong, right?"
He nodded. Chuuya questioned if Akutagawa actually got it, since he felt he was blind. Hellbent to seek after his former mentor.
"We will discuss your punishment soon."
Atsushi's face is a mixture of worry and pain. He remembers the train and Kyouka jumping off it, the words she's said to him resound in his ears. Then, he's jerked out of his head by Kunikida.
" Still attracting trouble, are you?" Kunikida's eyes are shadowed, "That girl is a lost cause. Her roots as a heartless assassin run much deeper than you know. She's taken out entire organizations."
"When did you become a pessimist?"
"Dazai."
"Wasn't my intent."
"What do you think would happen when I watch someone I care for take a bullet for me then proceed to shoot that woman."
"I understan–"
"No, you have no fucking clue how it feels to be helpless and watch as someone you care about dies in front of you. No Fucking Idea. So don't pretend as if you do."
Mori watches on as his apprentice argues with his new partner. He couldn't help but smile at the display. He wondered how long this would last for.
His words now have a flashback attached to them as Kyouka's ability activates around a shadowy group of people. "She uses her appearance to trick them into lowering their guard."
The shot is back on Kunikida, and he glares at Atsushi, "She accomplished too much, too quickly. It was only a matter of time before she was caught."
" Yeah, but…" Atsushi shifts a bit, "Whoever was taking advantage of her ability is–"
"Yeah, and I now know who it is…"
"Do you ever shut up?!"
"Yeah, I do but whenever I see your face I just have to point out how ugly it is."
"You got some nerve."
" These gifts don't necessarily bring happiness to their welders. You should know that better than most," Kunikida's voice is tired. Atsushi shrinks down on himself a little bit.
The door clicks open to Atsushi's right and Yosano peeks her head out, "She's awake now."
Kunikida remains unaffected, only inclining his head, "Can we question her?"
" Yeah," breathes Yosano as Kyouka is shown, eyes open, "That shouldn't be a problem."
"You're not going to be gentle with her."
"No." He said with a sigh. He knew where this was going, and most likely, another long lecture from the president on his integration take it.
The opening starts up.
"I will not lie, this song is such a banger that I want to get up and dance."
No one agreed or even spoke during the opening; they all seemed to be in their own worlds, reflecting on all they saw. What was clear is this was getting close to when they showed up here. Soon, they would be viewing the future in only a few minutes.
Atsushi leans down to be a bit closer to her face, "You're in the infirmary at the Agency. How are you feeling?... Do you remember who I am?" Kyouka didn't even seem to register Atsushi's questions, and growing annoyed, Kunikida started to talk, "Tell me, who is behind all of this? The Port Mafia is like a snake unless you cut off its head it will just keep coming."
"We are a snake but we are a hydra you cut off the head you deal with the aftermath. Have none of you wondered who would take my position." said Mori from the back of the theater.
Dazai's face grew cold.
"I will tell you all a secret. The agency can disappear tomorrow and it would have no impact on the whole of Yokohama however if I were to die and subsequently the port mafia with me. It would be doom for all of you."
Kunikida scrolled at the comment, then paused and asked, "You have a successor?"
"Oh, yes but that's a story for another time."
She's still quiet. Kunikida's voice gains a deadly edge, "Answer me, girl. Who is your superior?" Atsushi keeps quiet beside Kunikida, but his eyes remain sad.
"Kunikida."
"Okay, I can tell that I am being a little much. But you can't tell me you wouldn't do the same."
"Well, I'm not sure it is not normally a part of my job to integrate. I normally just ask general questions."
"Plus, your partner was nice with Atsushi and she hasn't exactly been treated well either. Sometimes you can catch more bees with honey."
"Still don't think he did that for the sake of doing it."
"Well, I'm glad that no one asked for your two cents, hatrack."
" Hey, Kunikida," He says, his voice barely a whisper, just as Kyouka speaks, her voice raspy, "Boiled tofu…"
" Tofu?" asks Atsushi, bewildered. She doesn't move but presses on, "It's good…"
"This is the moment we flashback to Dazai feeding Atsushi."
"You forget that Kunikida paid."
"True."
"But seriously you want to get someone to talk to, feed them and make them comfortable."
"That doesn't always work." a deep and older voice added.
Tanizaki looked back to confirm it was him that was talking and was proven right as Gin had no notebook matching the words spoken. "Well, we are detectives first and foremost."
" Is that it?" Kunikida doesn't sound amused. Instead, he pauses before asking, "You want us to get you some?"
Kyouka's flat tone indicated nothing, but her eyes said she would talk. "I'll talk if you do."
Most in the agency felt the pain this girl was going through. It is easy to make someone nothing more than their deeds, but at the end of the day, she is a child, one that adults with their motivations have used. That's what the Port Mafia did: they turned children into assassins and for those children to do the same to their youngsters.
Atsushi looked at Kyouko as she stared up at herself. She only wanted a boiled tofu before she faded into the dark. But now she wanted more. A warm bed, comfortable clothes, friends to count on, and… She looked up at Atsushi, who was gazing at her—someone who would heal her wounds. Kyouko wanted what everyone had as default. The raven-haired girl wanted a family that she could depend on.
A warm smile grows on Atsushi's face as he realizes what she's asking for, "No problem! It's a deal! Let's go!"
Kunikida jerks in astonishment before whispering to a smiling Atsushi, "Hey, are you crazy?"
His warm smile melted into confusion; Atsushi blinked at his superior, puzzled, "Huh?"
"Maybe we should all take some classes." Said Kenji.
"Really…" said Haruno.
"Kunikida, Atsushi is naive. He puts his trust in people that are for all reason should not to be trusted,-"
"Hey!" come from the brunette in the front row.
"How do you know I was talking about you?" The brunette looked flabbergasted
"As I was saying, there is nothing wrong with that. We get you're worried for him but still kid gloves until otherwise needed for the other set." said the doctor, then she turned to the brunette. "Seek help."
"Well, you're a doctor, help me out doc."
The scene changes to them sitting inside of a peaceful-looking restaurant. Small fish streams surround the large open windows, and the warm brown color makes the building feel homey. Boiled tofu sits in a pot, and Kyouka munches on it with a small smile. Across the table sit Kunikida and Atsushi, the former calm and the other lost.
Atsushi shakes while staring at a menu while Kunikida sips his tea, uncaring for the worry Atsushi was going through to pay the bill. Finally, Kyouka raises her bowl and says, "More please!" as Atsushi shrieks falling back into his chair.
"Oh, poor Sushi he suffers and for what." said Tanizaki.
"For Tofu." His sister answered.
" Kunikiiidddaa," moans Atsushi, thinking of his dying wallet. Kunikida doesn't even flinch, bringing his cup to his face.
"The assassin that kidnapped Dazai is now after Atsushi's paycheck." said Tachihara.
"She will murder his wallet," said Yosano.
"I'm not helping you pay." Atsushi whimpers loudly as the waitress comes inside their room, "Anything I can bring you?"
" Just water," Atsushi says politely with tears dripping down his face as he thinks of his first paycheck.
"He is doing the right thing," said Haruno.
"But at what cost?" said Hirostu for Gin.
"I imagine the cost of several bowls of boiled tofu." Tachihara answered.
"I was left without a home after my parents passed away. Then, the Port Mafia took me in." Her words are accompanied by another flashback of her fighting a mob.
" They wanted my ability," She says, "Demon Snow. It only follows orders heard through a phone."
Atsushi clenched his fist. It wasn't fair; she was too young to have to suffer like this to have someone's life be ended by her ability. It was cruel. He wanted to make a place for her so that those fears wouldn't linger and she didn't have to think about it. A thought came to him despite how he viewed Dazai. He was pretty young, the same as Chuuya. Yet, his mentor had said he had known Mori for a long time. His heart was pounding, and he couldn't tell what anger or sadness was. Before he could descend further into the thought, a bandaged hand came to his head and combed through his hair.
"You're making my head hurt, kitty. She's safe now and I know you will make sure to protect her."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Cause, I know you."
"This is the one they used, correct?"
Kyouka gasps quietly when she sees her phone, but Kunikida keeps speaking, "The battery's been taken out. Their goal from the start was to turn you into an assassin. They were good at using your ability to their advantage."
Kouyou turned her head away from the screen. 'They had no idea what I had done to protect Kyouka. No Idea.'
" Hang on." Atsushi finally breaks his gaze, "I don't understand. Why didn't you toss the phone?" Kyouka's small hand reaches for the phone as he says this. She takes it and says, "They would've killed me."
She squeezes the bunny charm, "Besides, even if I had gotten away from them. I would have nowhere else to go."
The good doctor knew the feeling of having nowhere else to go. Feeling trapped in a terrible place away from the eyes of anyone who would care if they even existed. She knew that Mori wasn't entirely in control of the actions of his exec, but still, she felt that he was responsible and that somehow, someway, it was his move.
Kunikida and Atsushi both frown. Kunikida asks, "Who was manipulating Demon Snow through the phone?"
Kyouka's eyes die a little, "A man named Akutagawa."
"You Suck…"
"Really creative, did you get your insults from a 9th grader? Oh, wait, I'm certained even Kyouko could do better."
'Damn that Akutagawa.' Atsushi narrowed his two-color eyes at the Mafioso.
Atsushi winches a bit as Kunikida exits with a gesture to follow him. They stand outside the door as Kyouka looks out the window and sips on her broth.
" Turn her over to the military police," Kunikida continues from outside the door. Atsushi's response is muted, "But if I do that, won't she be…"
He doesn't continue, but Kunikida confirms, "Yes. With a kill count of 35, she'll be put to death…" Atsushi's whole world seems to crumble, and his shoulders sag.
"Damn…Wow." said Tachihara.
Many felt shocked by Kunikida's statements. And the more they thought about it the more their eyes turned to the ex-mafia member. The now-detective didn't meet their eyes and focused on the screen.
'Kunikida was his own person, he could make his own choices.' Dazai thought to himself.
" Even if she went back," Kunikida turned his back to Atsushi, "She'd be killed as a traitor."
Atsushi practically shouts at that, more startled at that then the other thing, "What! But still..."
" What then?" asks Kunikida, "Will you try to save her?"
"Well, he is the main character, it's kind of in the rules." said the great detective.
"You do know that this is real life, right?" said Kunikida.
"But is it?"
"It is."
Atsushi's eyes glow with determination, but he still shrinks back.
" A fugitive from justice and a traitor to the Port Mafia," Kunikida's voice is exasperated; it seemed like the world was on his shoulders. "That's the kind of person you'd be protecting. Is that what you want?"
Atsushi's hope dies a bit, and he retreats a bit, arms folding, "Well, I mean…"
" Listen," Kunikida speaks with warmth towards Atsushi, "I'm not saying you shouldn't sympathize with her. But her misfortune may be more than you can handle. You only have room for one on your boat. If you're overwhelmed…," He turns away, "You'll be pulled under and you'll both sink."
"Well…He is not wrong." said Chuuya.
"Yeah, but it doesn't mean you don't try. Isn't that what detectives are supposed to do. If she is willing to work with the agency doesn't mean she is redeemable." and in a quieter voice, "Plus, she's just a child."
He leaves Atsushi trapped in the halls of the restaurant, mind wheezing and making a decision.
" But," Atsushi thinks aloud, "If that's all true…" Dazai's soft smile as he introduced himself was shown, "Why did Dazai even bother to help me?"
"Damn, you two are joint at the hip." said Chuuya in annoyance.
"Well, he is a cat," said Yosano.
"Aren't cats more likely to treat a person as a meal plan?" said Kyouko.
"Well, Dazai did give him food." Kenji agreed with a slight nod and a big smile.
"With my money." Kunikida exclaimed.
"Kunikida, you know Dazai doesn't see it that way right." Tanizaki stated.
As he quietly pleads, the episode title is displayed.
The Beauty is Quiet Like a Stone Statue.
"Umm…weird name for this episode," said Higuchi.
The scene is of Dazai, who's singing a song to himself. His new hit single about committing perfect double suicide.
Tachihara starts to sing along with the on-screen Dazai, and then the real Dazai joins in as the screen pauses on a chained-up Dazai. The two stand up and start dancing as Dazai finishes the song. There was no applause, just stunned silence. Tachihara looks around at the audience and then turns to Atsushi, who turns away, trying to pretend he doesn't know the two.
"It is a banger; you guys just have no taste."
"Sit Down, and you look like an idiot." Chuuya yelled from his seat.
They both look at each other and then move back to their seats.
Akutagawa steps down into the basement where Dazai is apparently being held captive. He gets close enough to hear Dazai's song and immediately grits his teeth, unleashing Rashomon on Dazai and aimed for Dazai's neck.
Dazai recoils back, feeling the jaws of Rashimon and the pain of his head hitting the pillar.
"Would have done the same." said Chuuya.
And many agreed with him.
Then he smirked and said, "Oh, I did do the same."
" Hello!" sings Dazai as Akutagawa stares him down, Rashomon crackling around him, "When did you get here?"
For Dazai's part, he feels the weight of Rashomon vanishes. Dazai couldn't help but smile to himself at his older apprentice's anger. The stress he would have felt was gone. Atsushi knew, and that was all that mattered. He smiled with glee.
Rashomon retreats backward and away from Dazai, back into Akutagawa's coat, before he speaks, "I believe you know what fate awaits those who are chained here."
"Dazai, why is it your goal to piss off people that have power over you?"
Dazai could help but laugh at Akutagawa; having power over him in any regard was comical.
"It's not funny."
"Oh, just give it a minute, kitten."
Akutagawa scowled at his former mentor, and those who knew did see where Dazai's humor was coming from, but to them, it wasn't funny; it was terrifying how much power Dazai had over the port mafia.
Dazai sighs, already bored, "It brings back memories! I remember when you were just a rookie!" Thoroughly annoyed, Akutagawa walks closer, "Your sins are grave. After abandoning your mission–"
"Well, technically, he completed his mission."
Akutagawa looked at his supremer, raising an eyebrow as if to say whose side are you on.
"What! You're the one who is giving out an inaccurate report."
"He still needed to write up the incident and wrap up many of our members' deaths. It was his job to do the clean-up."
"We both know that Dazai ain't writing shit though I agree it was a headache to deal with it."
"So even back then, he was doing that shit." said Kunikida, facepalming.
"and vanishing into thin air, you now reappear as an enemy to the Port Mafia."
"As always, Akuatagwa is right; it seems that even someone as smart as you can make a misstep. This is the power you left behind." said Higuchi, quite proud of herself.
"Seriously, why did you put yourself in that kind of situation?" said Tachihara.
"Oh, I thought it would be fun to get almost killed by people I once worked with. So far, I feel quite accomplished."
"Wasn't like he had much of a choice. He was kidnapped," said Atsushi.
"You don't actually believe that, right." sighed Kouyou.
His eyes are cold as he glares at Dazai, "It's hard to believe coming from a former exec."
A pause seemed to stretch; what broke them out was a long sip of soda from the great detective. Then he said, "Ha! Called it."
"Yeah, that tracks." Said the Good Doctor.
"Can you run that by me again?"
"At this point I don't think I can take anymore reveals. Just tell us now what the truth is? How many more secrets are you keeping?"
"A former what?!"
"Sir, why didn't you tell me?" Higuchi rose from her seat, demanding an answer. She felt embarrassed and annoyed by this new piece of information.
"Wow, city people are something else. So many unique jobs." said the younger blond.
"You lied again." Kunikida let out, hand clenching into a fist.
"No, you never asked for my position. You just assume plus Akutagawa already said that I was exec." Dazai corrected, looking over at his current partner.
"When 'cause I don't remember him ever bringing it up."
"I have no obligation to inform you of anything." Akutagawa growled from his seat, towards Higuchi. Kunikida sighed and looked away from his partner and towards the screen, where it was paused as more questions were leveled at the brunette detective.
The sounds of Kunikida now ran through his journal as he looked at all of what Akutagawa said during their time there in the in-between as he searched his pages from what his partner spoke of.
"Atsushi, why aren't you surprised," said Ranpo, through a handful of chips.
Atsushi was shocked by the betrayal as the great detective continued to munch away.
All the attention turned to the younger apprentice.
"That asshole told you already." The red hair stood up and firmly questioned. "When?" The weretiger leaned away from the casually dressed executive. He didn't know how to respond. He felt so small as their eyes remained on his person, some curious, others annoyed, and a few intrigued by the development. Atsushi pleaded with his eyes that Dazai steps in, but before he could, a deep voice broke the silence.
"Are you the Demon Prodigy?" Kunikida's voice barely broke a whisper, but everyone heard what he had asked. The air turned cold as Kunikida looked away from his journal to his partner.
And the look he got back scared him. It made so much sense, yet he didn't know what to do with it. It was so much worse than Dazai could've done more. No, his partner was the second architect of the Port Mafia's current structure. He needed to sit down and couldn't even remember standing up. He needed a drink. Ranpo, in a rare act, passed him a raman. He took it and slowly slipped on the fizzy drink.
For Tachihara's part, he was also shocked. Despite all the background that was down, he wasn't told the identity of the Demon Prodigy. That information was confidential and above his Clearance. It felt him to imagine why such a thing would be left untold. He could only do so much investigation until he hit a dead end. Every criminal was circumstantial at best for what he did—stories of his Tierney and inhumanity. Tachihara gazed at the brunette in a beige long coat. He was not who he had pictured.
"You're the Demon Prodigy," Tachihara said in wonder. He wonders if the man would give him insight into Mori. This showing kept getting better. Quickly, he added. "You can barely finish a piece of paperwork; no way you were that a sadistic taskmaster."
"I'm not a sadist, I get no pleasure out of causing pain."
Ranpo turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"Real pain just cause I do–did," Quickly changed, "doesn't mean I enjoy it. But the taskmaster part is right, I like things to be organized in my own mind. An effective and well-structured process."
Yosano could tell someone like herself. She had wondered why she wanted to reach out to him so badly, and now she had her answer.
"But you…" Kunikida fumbled over his words and searched for them to make sense. 'It was like he was put in an alter-reality. Oh, wait…'
"That's sweet; it's nice to know my efforts to be better are seen."
"Please, you are the same weirdo I've been stuck having to manage."
"And you! You still haven't answered me, kid." Said Chuuya pointing a lone finger at the weretiger.
"Yes, Dazai told me about his previous work."
Atsushi looked beyond Chuuya to the Mad Dog as smile crossed the other apprentice's face.
"How much did he actually tell you? Did he tell you how me and him met or why he left?"
Atsushi looked away from the mafioso, the answer was no, he hadn't.
Akuatagawa looked away and as he thought, 'Of course, he didn't tell him that. Dazai wanted no part in anything of his past, include me.'
No one had anything left to say as they settled down, the projector roared back to life.
" You mean from your old superior!' Dazai responds, matching the deadness in Akutagawa's eyes with his own, "Right?"
Whatever it is, Akutagawa's anger explodes, and he swings with his fist in one clean swoop, punching Dazai so hard blood flies onto the nearby floor.
"Ah, what a lovely right hook you got there, kiddo." His head now angled to the side as he tried to make the room stop spinning.
"Want me to do it again?" The pain in his chest wasn't going away in any way.
"I'm not chained up; unlike you, I have a gun."
"You have a gun?!" said Naomi.
"We are in a room with Mori. Of course, I have a gun."
And most would agree with the statement.
"What about the rest of them?" said Atsushi.
"Yeah, they're non-threat."
"What about Chuuya?"
"Oh, that's cute. He is at the bottom of that list, next to Akutagawa."
"Fuck you, mummy."
"Am I the only one concerned about the fact that Dazai has a gun? No, just me. Okay." Said Naomi.
Dazai's head is turned to the side from the blow and blood dripping out one side of his mouth, but even so, he grinned menicly as if he was gaining great pleasure from this encounter.
"So you're a M." said Tachihara.
"I get no pleasure from receiving or giving pain."
"So, why are you smiling?"
Dazai's face started to take on the same quality until his eye met his new apprentice. Then, the way Atsushi looked at him snapped out of where his mind was leading him.
"It's not important."
Akutagawa cracks his knuckles loudly and keeps talking, "Even you aren't completely invincible. As long as I don't use my ability, you are vulnerable. I could hurt you…"
His tone is longing, as though he's dreamed about this for years. His cold eyes flicker with hate and pain as he relishes the idea, "I could kill you anytime.."
"You are enjoying the thought way too much."
"You would too if you were me."
"To be fair I think about it quite a lot."
"Yeah, but even in the small amount of time of knowing you. We can tell you are the Kunikida in the situation. I bet, in the good old days you would randomly beat the living shit out of Dazai."
Chuuya nodded and smiled. 'Ah, the good old days.'
Dazai just smiles back at him, though it was clear how annoyed he was getting with Akutagawa's grandstanding. "That so? Just look at you now…"
Akutagawa's eyes furrowed as Dazai's tone started gleeful and growing mocking by the end: "You were so difficult to train when you first started out! You were such a slow learner! And you could never follow directions!"
"Says the guy that never completes his paperwork."
"Paper work is not important."
Most in the audience yelled back. "Yes, it is!"
The camera did a close-up on his face, the way his mouth turned up as he landed his final blow. "Then, there's that useless ability of yours…"
'Shit…' Dazai forgot one key element, which was his mocking of Akutagawa. He could tell that his younger was not pleased at all by the little speech he gave to the older. He closed his eyes.
"Useless…" The weretiger whispered as he mulled it over. Akutagawa was a force all of his own. The man had made his life a nightmare. Atsushi took a calming breath. "Dazai?"
Dazai eyed the weretiger and then pointed at Akutagawa in the most immature voice he could muster with his, pointing at Akutagawa. He loudly proclaimed, "He started."
"Are you kidding me?"
"But he did, he punched me. I'm still in so much pain." He held his injured face.
Atsushi wanted to punch him. Dazai was the demon prodigal. He was cold and manipulative; everything was a means to an end for his own betterment. His words were used to break another's armor and he was nothing but a Spector. Further, when he was winning that cold smile graced his face. That's why he smiled when he was punched because that was when Akutagawa lost all his power.
Akutagawa, to his credit, only clenches up with anger, "Your bravado will last only a few more days. In that time, we will obliterate the Agency and capture the weretiger . Once you learn of your co-workers' demise, you'll be nothing but clenched teeth and fists. Then, your execution will follow…" He turns around in finality.
"Okay, I have a question. Has anyone seen Dazai even like that, void and lost." said Haruno.
"There have been moments despite how little I like saying this… He is human. He was my partner but I never saw the thing that 'cause all of this." Chuuya side-eyed Atsushi, who was shocked by the statement.
" You think you can pull that off, really?" Dazai's tone is dry humor at the concept of pain that Akutagawa's promised.
Dazai took a moment to try and take his shot at becoming a chair.
"Osamu's got a point boy. He wasn't an executive for no reason. You know that." said Kouyou.
"Well, eventually the student becomes the master." Akutagawa replied.
"My new apprentice is superior to you in every way imaginable." And finally, he got the look he wanted from his former apprentice.
"But I don't think it will be you." Kouyou turned to Akutagawa with an all too pleased smirk.
Atsushi stood up and began to pace. Dazai wanted to comfort his apprentice, but he knew if he did it would just piss him off more. There seated on the stairs was that cat, staring holes into him.
"What is the difference between him and me?"
Dazai hastily turned his head toward the now still weretiger. Once again he was shocked by Atsushi's question. Not by the question itself but the response he needed for such a question. His face went blank, trying to find the best answer for this question. The brunette required an explanation that the boy would accept, he needed honesty. The mad dog found himself curious as well what was it that made him so inadequate?
"You are a separate person from Akutagawa."
"You're joking."
"That's the difference."
"So you are saying that you treat him that way cause Akutagawa is Akutagawa. Is that what you are telling me?"
"There's so many reasons… And none of them are going to make this easier." He looked not at Atsushi but at his first, who knitted his brow. He looked into Akutagawa's gray eyes. Dazai saw hurt, hurt that he had caused by his leaving, by his training, by his existence. His older apprentice looked at Atsushi to address him.
"Sit back down Weretiger, You're not helping nor are you saving me. The only thing you are doing is easing your own troubled mind. Listen to me closely, Leave Me Out Of Your Trauma Response."
Atsushi lost his leg to stand and fell back into his seat. "Don't use me as a weapon against someone, against him." The young adult couldn't make it make sense. How deep did Dazai's darkness go? It just all hurt.
Akutagawa whirls around, eyes blazing with hate, and again brings his fist to Dazai's face once again.
Dazai slumps down in his chair.
A short whisper from his former partner, "Weak."
Atsushi tapped him on the shoulder worried that he wasn't moving. His eyes rolled open in that creepy way they did.
"Shit. Right, noted." Dazai stated.
Kyouka walks across a street, panting a bit before stopping in front of a street labeled 'Chinatown." She sighs and admits, "I ate too much.."
" Yea," agrees Atsushi, who has apparently followed her and is clutching his empty wallet with a remorseful expression, "Just a bit…."
Good thing I had enough money, he thinks with relief.
"Your wallet seems pretty empty," said Yosano, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"Yeah…"
"I can pay you back."
"Yeah, I don't need that. However, I am glad you ate your fill."
He closes it with a snap and gazes at Kyouka as she stares at a nearby child and tries to swipe at the food in his hand, a puzzled expression on her face. Kunikida's foreboding words echo in his head, and Atsushi's hands fall to his sides.
Don't let her know what you are doing.
"Damn first Akutagawa now Kunikida all you need is Dazai to show up telling you to commit double suicide."
"I'm not interested." Atsushi said with in-difference. He really wanted this episode to come to an end. Then they could see what they were promised.
"No, No, No. That's not the line." Then with the best Dazai's impression Tachihara said. "If you're flirting I'm not interested."
Which got some laughs from the gallery.
'If I turn her in then they'll.' Atsushi can't bring himself to finish it, even more, downtrodden by the second. Finally, he straightens and speaks to his companion, "Let's go."
She looks at him, confused, "Where?"
Atsushi appears to have no answer since he flinches back and the passerby begin to change into shadows surrounding him and Kyouka. Nameless people were unaware of the tension.
" Where are we going?" She asks again as Atsushi shrinks back, "Was there someplace you wanted to take me?"
" Oh." Atsushi's clearly grasping at straws, "I suppose.. I thought… maybe.."
"Damn… this is stressing me out." Tanizaki shuddered.
"He ain't going to do it." Ranpo said through a handful of popcorn.
He's too nervous to be taken seriously, sweat glistening on his head, "Uh… well…."
Atsushi can't take the pressure and the people become people around them again, "I figured we could go wherever you wanted to go! There must be a lot of places around here a girl your age would want to check out! Somewhere… like..."
Kyouko smiled at what was shown, even if she knew it was her fault. She asked for too much of the tiger, and now he was in danger. The assasin's hand shook. Kyouko didn't know what to do but there was a chance that Atsushi could come back live. She tightened her shaken hand into a fist. She would not be the reason another good person died.
His pointer finger taps his head in a clearly nervous imitation of Dazai or Ranpo, "A couple spot! Like a date! I mean, I do have the rest of the day off! And… uh... I doubt you've gotten to go out and just have fun!"
Kyouka stares at him, "Like a date?" She asks, her voice soft.
"Everyone could use a friendly date with another person." said Yosano.
"Hey, Akiko, we should go on a date again." Ranpo turned to see her face like a gleeful child.
"Okay, but we both know you're just going to make me buy all those fancy desserts."
"Oh, please you love it."
" A date with you?"
He nods again before realizing what she's said, immediately panicking, flushing bright, glaring red, and waving his arms with hysteria, "NO! NO! I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!"
Many in the audience enjoyed seeing Atsushi fl as he tried to clean up the builder.
"This is just Dazai influenza on you, kid." said Chuuya. "Be careful it is a slippery slope
"Oh, please this is just Sushi being Sushi." said Tanizaki.
Atsushi had a heavy blush decorating his face as he looked away with a pout shifting his face.
"Let's go!"
She begins to walk while Atsushi gaps after her and then eventually follows, "Oh! Ok!"
To which the laughter only grew at Atsushi's little jug following after the tiny assassin.
The scene cuts to them looking at a tall baseball stadium. Atsushi voices his astonishment at the sheer size of it, "Whoa! That's a giant baseball arena!"
"Does anyone go to these events anymore?" said Tanizaki.
"Of course, people do, it's a wonderful pastime. Have you seen those mascots dancing? They really go for it."
" It's Yokohama Stadium," says Kyouka as they stand together outside of the walls.
" Oh, really?" Atsushi clearly had no idea.
"I guess you haven't had a chance to explore the city much, huh, Atsushi?" said Kenji.
"No, not really. It was nice. I hope to do it again sometime when I'm not being hunted by my mentor's previous student who is trying to tear me limb from limb, and who happens to work for the Port Mafia," replied Atsushi.
"Soon, I promise, and I'll even pay," said Dazai.
"You mean to steal Kunikida's wallet," replied Atsushi.
"No, silly, I will steal Chuu Chuu's wallet," clarified Dazai.
Eventually, he asks her how she knows all of this to which she responds, "I have a map of Yokohama with all the important locations on it memorized."
They come across a red building that Atsushi knows.
He beams with joy detailing what he knows about it to Kyouka, "I know this one! The Brick Warehouse, right?"
"We really do live in a beautiful city." said Higuchi, "I never really get to enjoy it with my hours."
"Yeah… It is hard to maintain a good work-life balance." Yosano agreed.
Many of the audience hmmed in understanding. There's something about living in a port city. Always so close to the water, which always comes with interesting weather. The huge plus was that long sleeves and jackets were always in fashion.
A passerby mumbles something about crepes as he says this, catching Kyouka's attention. She turns to see a crepe stand to her left. Atsushi follows her gaze and grins, "That place is pretty popular! I think I heard from Naomi that they make really good crepes there!"
"We should all go there sometime, it is one of my favorite dessert places." said Naomi.
"Sounds like a great idea," said Kenji with Ranpo nodding with pure enjoyment of the thought.
Kyouka is shocked, "It wasn't on the map…"
Atsushi cocks his head in confusion, just as Kyouka says excitedly, "I wanna try it!"
Atsushi jerks a bit as he remembers the massive amount of money he's already spent, "R-really? You ate lots of boiled tofu earlier!"
" Crepes sound good," Kyouka tells him matter-of-factly, as she takes his hand and pulls him towards the crepe stand.
"A girl after your wallet, I would have said." said Hirotsu.
"Kyouka is like her new shiny big pet tiger. She is a foodie." said Ranpo, then added. "Just like me."
Atsushi and Kyouka both blushed and then looked away from each other.
He grumbled out, "I am no one's pet." A hand came to pet his head. He could tell from the way it glided into his hair, the way his hair got caught on the bandages wrapping its writes that it was Dazai's fingers playing with the silver strands. Atsushi couldn't help but let a smile grace his face. 'But pets are nice.'
If anyone saw, they made no comment on it.
The scene changes again as Kyouka hugs her new bunny while walking across the boardwalk. "I finally got the plushie that I wanted!" A warm smile across her face.
Kouyou watched her youngster being treated well by this weretiger. She was conflicted. Kouyou had no idea that the girl had wanted these things. 'Kyouka.' Her broken dove never expressed this desire. She had neglected the bird. The executive would make this right because no matter what, the child thought she didn't belong in the world of the light. It would only burn the poor away to nothing but ash. The screen showed the two exploring other parts of Yokohama, looking out into the cyan sea. The older assassin had thought she might be unable to tear the two apart so easily. She would need to plan something more complex and foolproof to sever their ties.
Finally, the two of them walk together, each satisfied. Atsushi breathes out tiredly from exhaustion just as Kyouka tells him, "There's just one more place I need to go to!"
"That right there is acceptance that your bank is now in the negative."
Some in the audience got a chuckle out of it. However, Atsushi knew what came next and grew ridge with every passing second. He was prepared for the pain of being stabbed, but not just that he didn't understand what Akutagawa said to her. What cruel thing he felt the need to impart onto the fourteen-year-old.
Atsushi smiles though it's very sleepy, "Alright…"
'She's being really proactive!' His mind observes.
The real Kyouko grabs Atsushi, hiding herself from the screen. He gently holds her trying to give her some form of comfort. "It isn't your fault."
He gasps as Kyouka whispers, her back turned towards him, "Today has been more than enough fun. It really should have ended with the boiled tofu."
Atsushi knows what she's about to do, "But… If you turn yourself in…you'll–"
" Be sentenced to death." She finishes for him, gazes blank, "Thirty-five people died because of me. It's a sin that I'm still alive. Besides, even if I returned to the Port Mafia, I'd be executed."\
Atsushi looks at the floor, trying to find a better conclusion.
The real Atsushi braces himself.
Kouyou, "I wouldn't allow such a thing to happen."
Kyouka turned to the older woman but had nothing to say.
Atsushi couldn't say anything. A sound piercing the gentle music as the screen cuts to the typing screen. " Executed?" Akutagawa's voice cuts through the air, muddying the peace that was created.
Kyouka focuses back on Atsushi as red dyes the theater from the entrance of her tormentor. Atsushi is hunching over himself. His hands clawed at the wound. The nauseous feeling of Rashmon's claws in his chest was driving him up a wall. The fourteen-year-old rubbed a circle over his back. She compelled herself to look up at that man's face as he made his point.
"We wouldn't execute you, not after fulfilling your mission."
Atsushi's blood spills to the ground as the mad dog lifts him higher.
Dazai looked on at the little show Akagawa was putting on. He wondered if getting the tiger to the drop-off point was enough. He sighed; the boy's need for the dramatics was unnecessary.
Almost on cue, a massive amount of cars pull up around them, just as Akutagawa planned. However, the cars block the other civilian cars from approaching the scene. The police that were inside the nearby station begin to move towards the situation, but the Port Mafia gunmen drive them off.
Kyouka looked away again and just focused on Atsushi who seemed about to pass out.
Kyouka stumbles forward, bunny forgotten as Akutagawa stares down at her coldly, his voice mocking, "I finally got the plushie I wanted!..."
"Seems like he's been taking Dazai's mocking 101 class." said Kouyou, "You must be so proud." Anger lacing her words.
Dazai just crossed his legs in response. It wasn't that he didn't see it. However, this was always the boy's problem.
She falls to her knees. Atsushi's blood drips onto Kyouka's face.
Something was horrifying in the way it was playing out. It was cruel to have the girl a witness to someone she cared about being impaled by her tormentor.
Atsushi was going in and out of consciousness. The only thing keeping him conscious was the anger that burned in his gut. Maybe it wasn't anger, it could've been the gaping hole in his chest. All he knew was the need to punch that asshole in the face grew by each second he clenched his chest. He looked on through hooded eyes as Akutagawa continued.
Akutagawa states indefinitely, "A transmitter is implanted inside your body. Your whereabouts and every action you make are known to us."
"Ummm…. What the fuck." said Naomi.
It never gets better with the mafia, just worse so much worse. The vile feeling of liquid coming up his throat prevented him from voicing any of his thoughts. He felt like he was floating.
The agency members kept their thoughts to themselves for fear of being unable to stop the anger from spilling over. The president looked over at the head of the mafia, his grip tightening on the katana. He took a breath. Everyone could feel it. The tightrope they all had been walking on vanished under their feet.
Another vehicle pulls up, a semi-truck, much bigger than the others. The doors open with a clang and Rashomon chucks Atsushi's limp body inside the back of it.
Atsushi let out a hiss. He wanted to vomit. It all hurt but there was a positive. Finally, they were in the future. He closed his eyes. Whatever happens next can be stopped; those who will die can be saved and mistakes unwritten.
Finally, getting the weretiger in a cage. Akutagawa leans in close to Kyouka, grabbing the top of her head with a vicious force, so hard it makes her wince.
Kyouko winces in surprise from the pull.
Kouyou let out a deep breath. Akutagawa knew what was going to be a discussion about his behavior now was going to be several hits from her umbrella.
Her bunny prize is on the road, covered in blood, and Akutagawa speaks, voice as impassivewouldet's go home."
"I will say this once so you can hear Osamu. Whatever game you are playing I do not care but Get your pet projects under control or I will." Kouyou's grip on her umbrella was firm. She didn't care about this peace they had created for the showing. The executive would kill anyone who got in her way.
Dazai made no showing that he heard her outside of the growing smirk that took over his face.
Atsushi was starting to see a pattern. Everyone thought that Dazai was plotting and scheming behind everyone's back. What confused Atsushi was what would Dazai get out of such a thing.
A soft transition starts as Atsushi slowly begins to wake up, still trapped inside the back of the truck, though there's something off about it. He's laying on the concrete floor in a pool of his own blood and mumbles with a weak voice, "W-where am I?"
"He's alive?!" exclaimed Tachihara.
"Crazy healing ability," said Naomi.
"He's not out of the woods yet," said Ranpo.
The scene immediately cuts to inside the ADA Quarters as Tanizaki runs into the ADA office and shouts, "Atsushi has been abducted!"
Kunikida and Kenji both turn around from whatever they were doing at the moment, Kenji's face curious and Kunikida's face confused. Finally, Kunikida lowers his paper that he was looking over with a scowl, "Abducted? That's terrible timing."
"Sorry, that's an inconvenience for you." said Naomi. Sometimes she wondered why she worked here even if it was only a part-time bases.
"That's not what I meant. It was just a busy day and having Atsushi also missing was not in the schedule." said Kunikida.
" I guess," Tanizaki says with the air of someone who was expecting more of a reaction. But, Kunikida continues with a sigh, "That Ministry escort job already has the Agency in an uproar…."
Kunikida keeps talking as others were shown working, "We don't have enough hands on deck to go looking for him. Do we have any information on what happened?"
As he says this, Yosano is shown to be in the room, although she looks a bit more bothered about this than Kunikida. Tanizaki, meanwhile, answers Kunikida's question, "We do!"
He pulls out a small notebook and begins to read off it, "Based on eyewitness reports, he was attacked in broad daylight and shoved into a truck, destination unknown."
"I think you meant thrown." said Tachihara.
Then Naomi is shown, although she's nervously sitting behind a computer and looking between the two of them.
" That's not good," says Kunikida, almost tiredly, "There are numerous dedicated smuggling routes. Moving a single person in secret would be child's play."
"Yeah, and we are the mafia. We gots lots of ways to deal with this kind of stuff." Hirostu said for Gin.
" We have to do something to help him!" Tanizaki says immediately.
"Yeah! We can't let them get away with this."
The audience turned to Tachihara. He avoided their gaze. Kenji spoke up. "But Tachihara, you work at the Port Mafia."
"I realize that… look, I'm just really invested in this story."
A collective sigh rang out.
"You need to pick a side, literally why are you sitting on the agency's side," said Chuuya waving his hands in frustration.
" Do we really?" asks Ranpo, now shown to also have been in the room and apparently eating ice cream, "He was captured because of the bounty on him as the weretiger. Sounds like a personal matter to me."
"Dazai picked him up. It is Dazai's responsibility to deal with the bounty."
Before anyone can question his logic. Ranpo felt steel eyes borrowing into the back of his head. He corrected his statement.
"However, I have seen the error of my words and agree that we should deal with this as he is a member of the agency."
"You got a gun pointing at the back of your head or something." Tanizaki shook his head,
"...Or something." Ranpo replied, hiding behind his food.
He's facing away from the others and not looking them in the eyes, but he turns around to look at them with an annoyed sigh, "We're not exactly his foster family. Ranpo's argument isn't enough for Tanizaki, who protests, "Maybe not but Atsushi is one of our own now…." He's interrupted by Kunikida with fogged-over glasses, who interjects, "Actually.."
They all look over at him as the older blond speaks, "Ranpo is right about this. We shouldn't be the ones to take action"
Naomi and Tanizaki both freeze, and Tanizaki immediately protests, "But, Kunikida!"
"Et Vous…"
"He was right in some aspects. To be honest none of this would be an issue if Dazai had informed us of his previous occupation."
"Now wait a minute. I was kidnapped too. Why is no one talking about that? I was even tortured by a disgruntled ex-coworker."
Then Naomi stands up from her chair, almost full of anger. Ranpo sighs and lets his ice cream slip a bit, "I guess we should inform the police, then?"
" They've designated Atsushi as a major threat. If they knew he worked here, we would certainly take a hit," Kunikida says decisively as Tanizaki shrinks backward, upset.
"Really, you, as a threat. I thought you hadn't eaten anyone?"
"I haven't."
" Excuse me," Naomi interrupts the argument with a frown on her face and hands on her hips, "You guys clearly don't seem to be capable of coming to an agreement by yourselves." She grins at them, smirking, "So instead of going on with the ifs, ands or buts…"
"Oh, shit she called Daddy."
"Tachihara!"
"Did you just call our boss, Daddy?"
"Yeah, Yeah. I know Shut up."
"The president!" They all mutter, shocked.
Kunikida heads over to Fukuzawa and bows with an apology, "Please forgive me. As soon as our work is done, I'll gather whatever information on...:"
" Plans have changed," Fukuzawa interrupts what seems to be a Kunikida ramble, "Listen up! All of you. Our newest member has been abducted, the current project will be suspended until he has been returned to us, safe and sound."
"Show me who you guys care about more," said Dazai with his arm crossed.
"Yeah, Atsushi." said the good Doctor.
" Suspended?" Ranpo says, needing clarification.
"Don't be too shocked there, Ranpo." said Tanizaki.
"You really are staying on this. I will correct my errors." With a eyeroll.
"Cause you don't actually believe that shit."
"This bounty isn't about us."
"But he is with us and we are the agency."
"The bounty cam–"
"Enough! I want to watch the damn show." said Chuuya. "One would think you lot would be better than bitching about saving a kid. Not really morally upstanding." Many at Mafia agreed with judgmental stares.
"We never claimed that… For heaven's sake we got Dazai on our team." Ranpo proclaimed.
"Heyyyyy!"
Fukuzawa sounds slightly annoyed now, "One of our own is in danger. He needs help. Are you telling me that there is any better reasoning than that?"
"And that's how you shut down a genius." Tachihara laughed.
"Only Fukuzawa can," said Yosano.
Ranpo frowns, and his face becomes a bit more squishy before he turns and looks away from the others.
It wasn't like he hated Atsushi. On the contrary, he liked the kid, but Dazai wasn't the only one that got a premonition. He just wanted to protect what they had, and Atsushi brought Mori to their door. The kid was a nexus. He just didn't know where to place him. Ranpo slowly chewed down on his candy. 'But Dazai was certain it wouldn't be a problem. He wanted to agree…'
" Kunikida," continues Fukuzawa as Kunikida bows to him again, "Sir."
Fukuzawa turns around and walks back into his office, dramatically," You have three hours."
Mori could only roll his eyes at the man's dramatic turn.
" Understood!" Kunikida shouts after him.
Back in the basement prison, Dazai yawns, bored with his situation. Until he hears a noise, that is.
Footsteps…
"Oh, god we are back with Dazai." Naomi shook her head.
"I'm going to need a break after this." Tanizaki agreed.
If my predictions are correct, then that means…. Dazai rolls his eyes and gazes at his chains, "It's about time!"
It's then that he notices who is making those footsteps.
A man with a hat, and a silver chain bounced from the side. His voice is slurred and bored, "Plotting as usual, aren't we?"
Dazai actually looks rather terrified, and his eyebrows twitch, "I know that voice."
A title card pops up on the screen to the side of the man, who is rather nicely dressed. His red hair falls to the side and he appears to be almost posing on the stairs, leading down Dazai's room. The card reads Port Mafia Executive: Chuuya Nakahara—ability: For the Tainted Sorrow.
The audience applauded with his on-screen entrance, to which the executive stood up and bowed. "Thank you," he said graciously, before turning to face the Port Mafia. He raised a hand in recognition of their support. "Thank you." Finally, he turned to the Agency and repeated his thanks, before gracefully taking his seat.
"That's a cool ability name." Said Kenji.
"Thanks," he said with a wink.
Dazai could only roll his eyes at the display. "Where was this love for my entrance?"
"You were drowning yourself." said Ranpo.
Chuuya puts his hand on his hip and grins down at Dazai, "Well this sure is a wonderful sight! Rivals a billion-dollar masterpiece! Right, Dazai?!" His eye twitches as he rears his head to make himself appear taller.
"Ohh, kinky." said Tanizaki.
"What!?" Chuuya yelled out.
"Hey, you said it buddy."
Dazai appears to be thoroughly done with life. "So creepy." He tells Chuuya frankly, "Just frightening."
"Wait… have we finally found Dazai's weakness." said Yosano. "Kunikida write this down."
"Got it." Kunikida pulled out his pen and began writing.
"That chibi is not my weakness."
Chuuya doesn't care, jumping down onto the floor in front of Dazai and heading towards him, his coat swinging behind him, "I like your reaction!"
He stops a good four feet away, "It makes me want to strangle you."
"Ooohhh, kinky." said Naomi.
"It's not." Chuuya wanted to jump over his seat.
"No, no… She's right, it's kinky. It's okay we don't kink shame here like Dazai's weird kink is to bother his coworkers."
"It's true. I have a problem." He puts his hands up in defense.
" Still the same old Chuuya," Dazai says with forced enthusiasm causing Chuuya to make an outraged noise, "What's that mean!"
"Aw, you guys are kind of cute."
"We are not." said Chuuya
"It's like watching two old friends get back together."
"We are not friends." They said in unison.
"Yeah, so cute." Haruno agreed, cat in her lap.
As the camera very explicitly points out that Chuuya is a good head shorter than Dazai, Dazai replies with a fake eagerness that only he could pull off, "I've always had a question I wanted to ask. Where exactly do you get all your tacky hats?"
"Best Friend Goals." said Naomi.
"We Are Not Friends." once again in unison.
"How many times do we got to tell you that." said Chuuya
"I agree with the tiny carrot." said Dazai.
"Tch!"
Chuuya bounces back immediately as if this is an old routine, "Say what you will, old snake . I bet you're still obsessing over committing suicide. Aren't ya?"
" Yep," Dazai agrees cheekily, causing Chuuya to groan sarcastically and add, "It's no fun if you don't even try and deny it!"
"Yeah, Dazai gave him something to work with."
"Well, I am a creature of habit, Tanizaki."
In a low growl, the exec let out. "You're a creature alright, one that stinks up the place."
"Fish Are Friends–," Tachihara spoke, and in unison, Ranpo, Yosano, Gin via Hirostu said, "Not Food!"
"You must remember that Chuuya," said Dazai, joining the fun.
"I will kill you."
Chuuya stands up a bit taller, "In any case, now you're just a pathetic prisoner! Makes you cry, doesn't it?"
"It's a real tear jerker." said Kouyou.
Chuuya's expression gets more suspicious, and he leans closer to Dazai, grabbing his hair with a jerk and pressing their faces quite close.
"Really, not gentle at all." said Haruno.
"Nope, he doesn't deserve my nicest. Left me holding the bag for his shit for four years. He can go fuck off for all I care." Chuuya massaged his temple, "Damn, I need a drink."
"You might be able to fool Akutagawa. But you can't fool me… I am your former partner, after all. So, out with it! What's your play?" His eyes narrowed into slits as Dazai stared him down with no heat behind it.
Dazai cocks his head, "Clearly it was to be caught and killed. So far, I've half succeeded!"
"It is always nice to see you following your heart." said Yosano, Her lack of enthusiasm shining through.
"To thy own self be true," said Ranpo.
Chuuya doesn't buy it for a second, "That kind of reckless planning just isn't like you," He releases Dazai and shoves him back against the wall, turning and walking away, "If it was, I'd have killed you a long time ago."
Dazai sighs again with a smile, "You're overthinking this!"
"No, I'm with Chuuya. You're sus." Tachihara nodded in agreement with himself like he just broke the case.
"Agreed."
"You too, Atsushi."
"You told your former apprentice that I'm supreme to him in every way imaginable which resulted in me getting stabbed through the chest and kidnapped."
"Fair, but you didn't die."
"This is the reason people want to punch you."
"I know." Dazai reached out and put his hand in Atsushi's hair which the weretiger welcomed leaning further into it. He was still pissed about it but he liked being petted.
His face finally turns to curiosity, "By the way, just why are you here?"
Chuuya grits his teeth, "To pay you back!"
"Oh, shit it's about to get nasty huh." Tanizaki laughed.
"So, you do get into a fight with your old partner." Yosano sighed.
"It wasn't a fight. I was kicking his ass."
"You know he doesn't need help with that right. Dazai can kick his own ass." said Ranpo.
He doesn't turn around and instead keeps talking with his back to Dazai, "You used to give me a really hard time. You toyed with me!"
"He does the same thing to me." Kunikida thought out loud.
"I know…This beat down is for you. It is for me. It's for anyone who has felt this feeling." He said, pointing at the screen. Fortunately or unfortunately, the audience didn't know how to make heads or telltales.
"But now…" He whips around and swings his leg, snapping Dazai's chains in half with a single blow.
"Did you just break him out?" said Mori.
"No…."
"But you just–"
"Screen Bro resume play please."
"I can give you my gratitude for all of that, with interest."
Dazai watches his chains fall from their hooks as Chuuya says, "I have no idea what you're planning…." Then, he swings his coat off and beckons Dazai with a smile, "But I'm gonna fight you, Dazai. I wanna crush you and whatever scheme you've dreamed up!"
"It's bad I don't know who to side with right." said Tanizaki.
"You broke him out to beat him up couldn't you do that with the chains on?" said Higuchi.
" Chuu~ya," sighs Dazai with a smile, and Chuuya balks a bit, throwing off his rhythm.
Dazai then snaps his fingers, and what remains of the chains around his wrists clatter to the floor. Chuuya only watches with scorn in his eyes before smiling, "So, you could've escaped any time."
"See! Right there could've escaped anytime." Up close to the screen pointed at it, but with his current attire and statue, he looked like a child.
"Boy, sit down."
Chuuya hung his head as he made his way back.
"He still broke him out." Kouyou finished.
Dazai grins back at his old partner and shows him a small hairpin in his hand, "You really think you can stop me? You must be joking!"
Chuuya actually laughs at his words with a grin stretched onto his face. "I'm Rather Liking This Turn Of Events!" He shouts as he charges at Dazai.
With slightly more emotion than previous, Hirusto spoke for Gin. "Oh, come on."
"Aw, I wanted to see that…" said Kenji.
"That's not fair…" said Naomi.
"We wanted to see him get pummeled," said Tachihara.
"Which one?" Questioned Tanizaki.
"Does it matter? This fight will be way more fun than Atsushi vs. Akutagawa."
A bubble pops as the scene returns to the ADA offices and Ranpo blows another bubble with his bubblegum, watching the rest of the ADA type out and plan out the rescue mission.
"What do you think it is depressing or…" Tanizaki said.
"Oh yeah, totally depressing. And Dazai at the center of it." Said Tachihara.
Kenji hands it over quickly, "Right here!" Kunikida takes it with a nod.
" That's unfortunate. There are no comic strips in this paper" says Ranpo, staring at the newspaper in an attempt to entertain himself.
"You're even worse than Dazai. How are you employed?" Tachihara exclaimed.
Without hesitation, the agency started to yell at Tachihara to express how amazing Ranpo was, but Tachihara didn't see it. Ranpo felt more useless than Dazai but worse he didn't want to help Atsushi, his new B.F.F. So, now the great detective was on his shit list. It doesn't matter when or if he suddenly became a nice person. He will remain on his shit list.
He lowers it down to look at Kenji, "Hey, Kenji!"
Kenji beams at him, "What is it?"
" Can you find out if there are any tricky homicide cases nearby?" Ranpo asks as Kenji nods very enthusiastically, "Okay! But the President won't be happy with you!"
"Bruh…." Tachihara sighed.
"Got to agree, come on, man." Tanizaki joined.
"I was bored."
Ranpo realizes this at his words and jerks, sweat dripping down his face, "Nevermind…"
But Kunikida has a break in the case, pulling out a small photo, "We've found it!"
"You should apologize to Atsushi." said Naomi.
A flashback begins with Kenji holding out the photo and speaking with a maintenance specialist. Kunikida narrates, "After Kenji went to all the repair shops and asked every repairman we could think of, they were happy to oblige us." The flashback shows all the maintenance specialists appearing terrified as Kenji questions them.
"Why is he scared of little blonde?" said Higuchi.
"It's not important," said the good Doctor.
"I feel like it is…"
"—Tanizaki is currently on stand-by at the site. He can move in at any time." Kunikida explained. The scene shows Tanizaki sneaking around the facility with his red hoodie on, sneaking around the facility. "Understood," he mutters into a phone, "I'll begin the infiltration."
"Oh, shit! Tanizaki being a badass." said Tachihara.
"Well, got to show guys I'm capable."
" How's it look?'' asks Kunikida darkly.
Tanizaki shakes his head, "It's so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop. There's not a single sign of life." He then sees something, "HANG ON!"
At the entrance of Karma Transit, he spotted tire tracks leading to a semi-truck and he broke out into a run, flinging open the door of the building next to it, only to find…
" They beat us to him!" He shouts through the phone as Kunikida startles, "What's wrong?"
A chuckle escaped Higuchi as she watched the agency flounder. It finally felt like they were on the winning side. 'That an ex-mafioso would no longer mock them,' she thought as she looked at the brunette. Despite everything, he gave no show of what he was thinking, and that pissed her off.
"All of them are Dead."
Some of the Mafia members felt a similar way. After sitting and watching the events play out, having to be on good terms. Some were arching to reach their weapons and really put an end to the agency.
Mori didn't join in on the collective feeling of his subordinates. His eyes roamed over the agency members but lingered on Dazai and his new apprentice. Mori understood what he was fighting was his member's nature. He groaned, the mafia boss could feel Dazai's inward smirk growing.
Fukuzawa rises to his feet rapidly and walks over to Ranpo, who is fast asleep in his chair, "Ranpo."
"Oh, fucking finally!" Tachihara exclaimed.
"He's finally earning his keep." A deep voice spoke for Gin as usual.
Ranpo wakes up with a moan, and Fukuzawa drops all the evidence in front of him, "It's your turn."
"It has occurred to me. Have we even seen Ranpo actually use his ability."
"Nope."
"We skipped his episode
Ranpo rolls his eyes, "Do I really have to?"
Kunikida now gets involved, leaning over the table, "Please we need you this time!"
"Oh, this is going to be sick…" said Tachihara. Even Kyouko was quite interested by the thought of seeing Ranpo's ability.
Ranpo was enjoying the feeling, but it felt like this was wrong like missing a piece.
" Ranpo, I'll give you something if you can bring him back safely," Fukuzawa tells Ranpo, who sighs, "Like a bonus? Promotion? I'm not interested.." He goes back to his nap, "I think I'll pass."
"Bruhh… I know it's candy, right?" said Hirostu for Gin.
Some at the agency agreed that he might do it for a kit-kat. Honestly, they wonder why no one had tried before.
Fukuzawa keeps his voice serious, "If you do it, I'll give you… Praise. "
"Bruh, you have a praise kink!" said Tachihara. "What's with all these geniuses and their weird kinks?"
"I do not have a kink, especially not a praise kink."
In a reply, Tachihara pointed at the screen.
Ranpo slowly pulls his head up, his eyes blown wide. There is no change in Fukuzawa's demeanor and he comes to realize that he is dead serious. He moves, "Well. Why didn't you say so in the first place!?"
The audience got a laugh out of that.
He puts his hat on his head and bounces onto his feet, "Let's do it!"
He pulls out his glasses, and the air around him swirls, glowing green, "Ability: Ultra Deduction!"
The title card forms as Ranpo puts on the glasses and then adjusts them quickly. Words flies through his glasses. The ADA waits in anticipation.
"Cool," said Kyouko. Ranpo found a smile gracing his face.
" I see," He says, tapping his nose, "Atsushi's location is.." He taps the map next to him, "Right here. The boat's traveling at 20 knots, making its way to the open sea. Atsushi's alive… For now, at least."
Kunikida jerks in fear as the boat Atsushi is on is shown leaving the harbor, "That means…"
" That's right," Fukuzawa finishes for him, "They're shipping him overseas."
"You're about to be an international cat." Higuchi proudly stated with a deep grin.
"Tiger." a low growl came out. Atsushi immediately covered his mouth, and a blush showed on his cheeks.
" It's the agency's high-speed boat," Fukuzawa says quickly and then looks at Kunikida with passion in his eyes, "Bring him back, no matter what."
" Understood." Kunikida clenches the key in his hand, "I promise I will retrieve Atsushi Nakajima."
"Going to use that same energy for me."
"Maybe, depends on how much danger you're really in?" Kunikida turned to hsi partner.
"Oh, I'm a diesel in distress. Have to be around that slug over there getting all his fluids on me. It's quite disgusting."
Kunikida could only sigh. Dazai turned to his young apprentice. "You'll save me right, kitten."
"Dazai, I might be dead."
"So, is that a no?" His eyes were pleading.
"No."
"Yay! You're such a good boy, Sushi." Wrapping his arms around the younger detective.
He bolts out the door, leaving the ADA behind as he rushes towards Atsushi, 'Don't you die on me, kid.'
"Well, I guess we will see," said Dazai, staring ahead as his apprentices glared at one another.
"So, umm… who are we betting on?" said Tachihara, seeming pretty excited about getting money out of this situation.
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