(A/N: Thank you to olapioro77, guest, and PinkiePieParty122894 for your reviews. And to everyone who's followed and favorited this story, too. You guys are awesome! x3)

"At present, we have an unknown mob threatening to detonate a huge bomb in a crowded area and launch a smear campaign against the Agency," Kunikida explained. He stood in front of a board that had pictures and various data written on it that pertained to their current crises.

Yosano peered down at the document she held. "I know the Agency's in a huge predicament. Tell us about the bomb,"

"This is a message left behind by the perpetrator. I'll read it. Greetings, I hope your agency is faring well. Forgive my insolence, but I have placed a bomb able to cause mass destruction in a certain location here in Yokohama City. To ensure public safety, I request that you locate and defuse the bomb at your earliest convenience. You have until sundown. I have faith in your abilities. Respectfully, the Azure Messenger."

"Who could the Azure Messenger be?" Fukuzawa voiced with a scowl.

"We have no idea yet," Kunikida admitted.

Yosano sighed, a fake amused smile painting her lips. "So it's all rigged so that if the bomb detonates, news of the Agency's failure will spread like wildfire. The Agency can withstand sticks and stones, but this type of attack would severely debilitate us,"

"Since yesterday, the office staff have been searching for plausible locations, but there are too many possibilities," Haruno spoke up, closing her eyes and lowering her head.

Kenji lifted up his hand in a rather innocent manner while peering back at Haruno. "Are we still unable to reach Ranpo-san?"

"It seems the case in Kyuushuu is coming to a head. I've requested he contact us as soon as the criminal is caught but..."

"Any other intel from the taxi driver?" the director questioned since it seemed Ranpo wouldn't be able to assist in this current moment.

"He denies any knowledge of the bomb. He wouldn't have the guts to blow up Yokohama itself," Kunikida responded.

"Listen up! This case is a dastardly act using intel to attack the Armed Detective Agency. We have two objectives. Unveil the Azure Messenger, the instigator, and defuse the bomb. The bomb takes priority due to its time-limited nature. If we fail to find the bomb and lives are lost, we may no longer call ourselves a detective agency," Fukuzawa sternly declared. "Think of this mission as a struggle for the Agency's existence and pride."

Standing up from her seat when the others did the same, Atsushi gazed down at the table, she had once been seated at, with a frown. Things had certainly become grave. It was hard to believe she had only joined, and they soon might all be out of a job if they couldn't find this deadly explosive...

This made her question, with things being so serious, why wasn't Dazai currently attending the meeting? She found herself pacing around the Agency after the meeting. Dazai hadn't fallen into some sort of trouble, had he...?

"Come on, brat. We're going to find that loafer,"

Jumping since she hadn't even heard Kunikida approach, not to mention it also felt like he had read her thoughts, Atsushi rubbed at the top of her head. "I thought you stepped out to talk with Rokuzou...?"

"I did and he said he'll look into who could have made the bomb," Kunikida replied, shifting his glasses before turning on his heels to walk off. "I already have a feeling where Dazai is."

Something tells me the conversation with Rokuzou was tense...Kunikida doesn't seem like himself Atsushi thought with light concern, having to jog to catch up to the blond-haired male.

"Are you sure about this? The Agency seemed chaotic due to the bomb threat," Sasaki voiced politely, her hands folded neatly in her lap. "Kunikida-sama seemed occupied, as well."

Holding a tea cup in his hand, Dazai claimed flippantly, "Kunikida-kun is a workhorse. After all, he spends two hours before going to sleep reviewing and editing his notes. I doubt I could bear that for two minutes. Maybe he's got some soldier ants working for him in his brain-"

In the booth directly behind Dazai, Kunikida slowly lifted up his fist, punching the wavy-haired male and causing him to halt in his ramblings when he fell over in his seat.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here, Kunikida-kun," Dazai wheezed out, giving off small twitches.

Letting out a huff, Kunikida turned around to sit more properly. "How could you ditch the meeting during an emergency and go on a fancy afternoon date?"

I was surprised when Kunikida came to the Agency's little cafe, and I can understand his irritation...But he really seems even more annoyed than usual Atsushi thought with a wobbly smile. Granted she was disappointed in Dazai herself. Maybe Sasaki and him really were getting along that well...?

Dazai slid over in his seat, a teasing smile creeping up onto his features. "Are you jealous of the fancy date?"

"I'm not!"

So he is Atsushi mused when noticing a faint blush had appeared across Kunikida's nose.

"She's a victim who was nearly killed. Ensuring her safety and tending to her psyche is an important and urgent duty for the Agency, wouldn't you say?" Dazai spoke casually while turning around in his own seat.

"Why are you, the poster child for sloth and irresponsibility, a good fit for that task?" Kunikida demanded, having crossed both his arms and legs. "Besides, given her charm, I'd assume she has a lover at least."

Dazai smiled, noticing Sasaki's embarrassment from Kunikida's compliment, and closed his eyes. "Apparently, they broke up recently. That's why, Kunikida-kun, I say go for it!"

Why do I feel like I shouldn't be here right now Atsushi found herself thinking, her pupils having grown smaller. She couldn't tell if this was one of those scenarios where two guys were fighting over the same woman, or if the friend was trying to set up his other friend with his pretty crush.

"Listen, Dazai! I came here because you skipped out on the morning meeting and I need to tell you what's going on," Kunikida claimed, gripping more firmly onto his sleeves.

Dazai slouched down in his seat and mumbled, "I know what's going on. The goal of the Azure Messenger who set the bomb is to crush the Agency,"

"Um...Are you sure an outsider like me should be hearing this?" Sasaki brought up in a slight sheepish tone.

"Not really..." Atsushi murmured looking to the side and unleashing a sigh.

"Sasaki-san's a person of interest in this case," Dazai assured while cheerfully popping back up in his seat. "There's no issue here."

"What?" Atsushi said, taken back. Wasn't this just putting Sasaki at risk? Or was there a certain reason Dazai wanted her to stay involved?

"Sasaki-san, what class do you teach at the university again?" Dazai inquired, giving her a curious gaze.

"Social psychology."

"That's great. I'd love to hear what you think about this case,"

Sasaki cupped her chin in a thoughtful way. "About the Azure Messenger, it may be related to the Azure King in the notorious Azure Flag terrorist bombing,"

"So you think that, as well," Dazai voiced quietly, his features having turned indifferent; Kunikida meanwhile giving his partner a slight glance.

"It may very well be the Azure King himself. It's said that he blew himself up after being cornered by the police, but it's possible he faked his death and is still alive," Sasaki continued. "A former official, the Azure King set off a bomb in a government facility and issued a maxim. His targets included killers whose cases were dropped due to inadequate prosecutors, as well as Diet members who were engaged in political corruption on a global scale. All hazardous criminals invulnerable to law."

"But if the Azure King is alive, why would he attack the Agency like this?" Atsushi asked with a troubled frown.

"I have no idea," Sasaki admitted, gazing down at her cupped hands.

"Well, the one who backed the Azure King into a corner is Kunikida-kun, who located his base," Dazai brought up, resting his arm on the back of his seat while turning to look at the male. "I see. Kunikida-kun is the target of vengeance here."

"The terrorist's death was confirmed by the military police after forensic analysis. There's no doubting it," Kunikida mentioned calmly, not seeming affected by Dazai's assumption.

"Either way, you should stay cautious until you figure out who he is," Dazai warned. "We'll need to hide Sasaki-san somewhere safe, as well."

Swiftly standing up from his seat, Kunikida said rather curtly, "That I will not allow, Dazai."

"What do you mean?"

Dazai looked surprisingly alarmed when Kunikida yanked him up by his trench coat while growling out, "You think you can keep a lady in your room in the name of personal safety?! And day and night, do such unthinkable things?! Shame on you!"

"Nothing like what you're imagining is happening, though," Dazai retorted back casually. "When I first let her stay, I slept in the next room over and didn't lay a finger on her, of course. Well, I knew you misunderstood, but I thought it was funny so I didn't correct you."

I probably shouldn't mention I jumped to that exact same conclusion Atsushi thought as she sheepishly watched Kunikida scream and grip at his hair after he released a brazen Dazai. She was amazed he wasn't actually pulling some strands out right now. For some reason, a part of me is a little relieved Dazai isn't that type of guy after all...

"Kunikida-kun seems to like Sasaki-san a lot," Dazai brought up with a knowing smile. "Sasaki-san, what type of man do you like?"

"T-type? It would be presumptuous of me to even have such a thing in mind," Sasaki spoke rather shyly. "But, I do think it is wonderful when a man strongly believes in an ideal and pours his heart and soul into it."

Dazai's smile grew cheekier. "That's totally Kunikida-kun. Okay, the two of you can pick up the rest. Shall we leave them alone, Atsushi-chan~?"

"O-oi, Dazai! D-don't go making assumptions!" Kunikida badly stuttered out. Atsushi couldn't help but feel for the guy when sweat began to pour down his face. And it didn't seem like Dazai planned to ease up on him any time soon.

"Kunikida-kun, you're an open book. He may be a bit misrepresented, but as you can see, he is an intelligent individual who lives and breathes for his ideals. Although, perhaps for that reason, his ideal woman is a bit of a challenge," Beaming, Dazai extended out Kunikida's notebook for Sasaki to take. "Care to take a look?"

"Bastard, not again! When did you-"

Glancing down at the notebook while Kunikida struggled to reach for it, the dark haired female soon mentioned in a uneasy tone, "Kunikida-sama...This is unrealistic..."

"Poor Kunikida-kun just got crushed..." Atsushi whispered, feeling sympathy for the male when he slumped over an amused Dazai's shoulder. Hearing her phone ring, Atsushi's eyes widened at the text she had been sent. "We finally heard from Ranpo-san."

Dazai and Kunikida both stood up from their seats when hearing this; the comedic scene quickly over. They were both completely solemn. After escorting Sasaki somewhere she would be safe, Kunikida was no doubt going over the speed limit as they raced toward their destination in his car.

"So we know where the bomb is?" Kunikida brought up.

Atsushi recalled the call from Ranpo. Though he had chided them for not being able to solve the case without him, the gray-haired female hadn't expected the information he would divulge to them.

"But why is the bomb in a fish shop?" Atsushi asked, having not been able to bring up her concerns at the cafe. When Dazai told her to turn to a certain page on the map booklet that was in the backseat where she was, she found herself tilting her head.

"The terrorist's target is the petrochemical complex," Dazai clarified, able to tell the girl was confused without facing her.

Kunikida furrowed his brows. "I don't know why I didn't realize it sooner..."

"Yokohama is one of Japan's major port towns," Dazai voiced with his own eyes narrowed. "Here, there are many large facilities that store oil and gas. If an explosion were to ignite nearby storage tanks, the entire port would be engulfed in flames. However, infiltrating a facility of that nature will require getting past pretty good security. The easiest approach would be to put a bomb in a car, and leave the car near one of the facilities."

"So, considering the range of a bomb that can be loaded into a car, that fishing store is the one place that fits the bill," Kunikida added, gritting his teeth.

"Bingo," It wasn't long before Dazai was receiving a call. He was only on it for a few minutes before closing his flip phone. "The military police's bomb disposal squad has found the bomb, but the bomb can't be moved due to the timer device. They say it will be difficult to defuse it by sundown. We're having the nearby residents evacuate but we're not sure there's enough time."

Atsushi's features fell, her hands gripping at both Dazai and Kunikida's seats. "No way..."

"However, the bomb's set to deactivate if we can transmit a stop signal,"

When Kunikida was suddenly spinning his car to a halt, having been slammed against the window for a moment, Atsushi stammered out, "Wh-what's going on?!" Were they under some kind of attack?!

"A phone call," Kunikida replied nonchalantly, flipping open his cell. "Hello?"

"Remind me never to lean forward ever again when you're driving, Kunikida-san..." Atsushi grumbled while rubbing at her now sore and slightly red cheek.

"Poor Atsushi-chan. That's a nasty mark. Would you like me to kiss it and make it better~?"

Atsushi could tell Dazai was teasing her from the playful smile he sported. At least, she thought he was...Still, his comment caused her face to fully flare red.

"K-k-kiss?! What?! N-n-no I don't!"

Kunikida glared at both Dazai and Atsushi. "Both of you be quiet! I'm on the phone!"

The voice on Kunikida's cell snickered. "Things sound pretty lively over there. Is this a bad time, Four-Eyes?"

"No. What is it, Rokuzou?"

Atsushi gave a hesitant look out the window when hearing shouts and numerous horns honking at them. "Maybe you should be more concerned about the traffic jam you caused, Kunikida-san..." She wasn't expecting to suddenly receive a call herself. "Hello?"

"Hello, Atsushi-chan,"

"Ranpo-san? Yes..." Atsushi replied back, noticing that Dazai had received a call himself from Fukuzawa. It was rather bizarre they had all received calls at once.

Hanging up, Kunikida was quickly speeding off once more. "I got a call from Rokuzou. Someone recently ordered a transmitter and other equipment to be delivered to a former police facility,"

"Ranpo-san reached a similar conclusion," Atsushi spoke up, her brows furrowed.

"That settles it, then," Kunikida voiced lowly.

"My call was from the president. He was informed by the military police that the driver has died," Dazai mentioned calmly, giving a side-eyed glance at Kunikida.

"But I thought he was in the military police's ward for protection," Atsushi brought up after Kunikida had voiced his own alarm at this new information.

"He died after suddenly collapsing in pain in his cell. No idea how he died, but the numbers '00' were marked on his palm,"

Kunikida was further startled by this. "Numbers on his palm? What? What in the world is going on?"

By the time they had reached their destination, the sun had sunk lower in the horizon. They were getting short on time...More than that, it appeared someone was expecting their arrival. Hand grenades were being tossed at them, yet Kunikida expertly managed to avoid taking damage. They hadn't escaped danger, though, as armed men had started to fire at them with machine guns.

Ripping a page from his book, Kunikida shouted, "Doppo Poet: Flash Bang!", this causing the men to scream as they were instantly blinded. The three had already exited the car, hiding behind it. "We're at the right place!You two, go upstairs! Find the transmitter and send the stop signal!"

While Kunikida was about to engage in his own decisive battle, Atsushi quickly followed behind Dazai. But they were getting shorter on time. The sun had almost completely disappeared.

"Can you figure it out, Dazai-san?" Atsushi asked softly when he was staring down at a complex control panel. The red numbers counting down on a large screen were intimidating to watch.

"It's easy. But I can't do it," Dazai lamented. He pointed down at a keyhole. "You have to insert the release key here and turn it, but I don't have it."

"Wh-what should we do then?!"

Atsushi jolted when a nearby door slammed open and a gruff voice demanded, "What are you doing here?"

"Wow, we've got quite a super heavy hitter here!" Dazai sung out at the sight of the taller and more muscular male, moving where he was standing protectively in front of Atsushi.

Aiming a punch at the bald-headed male's gut, Dazai's attack seemed to have no effect, and he wheezed when his throat was being gripped at. Grabbing a nearby metal chair, Atsushi slammed it into the thug's head from behind, hoping this would force him to release Dazai. Unfortunately, Atsushi's attack only caused the male to grunt, and she ended up crying out in pain when she was sent flying with a mere backhand to her gut; her body painfully impacting with the wall.

"Atsushi-chan?!" Dazai croaked out, his own form being jabbed into the opposite wall. Managing to stand up, Dazai said in mild amusement, "You have really strong arms. You should have gone into the moving business."

Coughing as she was amazed she hadn't been knocked out, Atsushi noticed that Dazai had been slammed into the window pane; his impact causing the glass to crack. "Dazai...san..."

"Kunikida-kun!"

Much to Atsushi's amazement, that one cry was all Kunikida needed to know what Dazai had planned. Using his ability to create grappling hook and shooting himself in a direction his opponent would send him flying with his own technique, Dazai and Kunikida switched places.

Dazai had stopped a young blond haired male's ability with his own, not allowing the male to mark him like he had Kunikida and the former driver who had lost his life. While Dazai was knocking out his own opponent, Atsushi's multicolored irises grew bigger when Kunikida almost easily flipped the bouncer-like male.

The weight difference didn't faze him at all Atsushi thought in awe, watching as a piece of the wall fell on top of the enemy who was now out of commission.

Standing up and holding onto her arm as she moved over to the window, Atsushi was relieved to see Dazai standing in a relaxed manner with his hands shoved in his pockets.

I was wrong...They're incredible partners after all...

"That's right! Kunikida-san! The key?"

"He broke it," Kunikida said unfazed, writing down something within his notebook.

"Eh?! Th-then what about the bomb?! We're running out of-"

"Calm down, brat. Doppo Poet: Release key. My ability allows me to recreate anything I have laid eyes on and understood its form and function," Kunikida explained, lifting up the case and inserting the key in the lock mechanism. This immediately caused the numbers on the screen to turn blue. "However, the object's size is limited to that of a notebook."

"So your notebook is really a tool that brings your ideals into reality," Atsushi said with a small smile; her smile turning on Dazai when seeing him leaning against the door with a softer expression on his features.

It had been a close call there at the end, and while they may have ended up bruised and battered, everything had worked out.

At least, that's what Atsushi wanted to believe. So why did something still feel wrong?

While Atsushi had reassured Dazai she was all right and didn't need to seek out treatment from Yosano, he had insisted she should at least return to her dorm and rest for the night. She was admittedly looking forward to crashing on her bed, yet there was something that continued to nag at the back of her mind.

"Dazai-san. Is the situation with the bomber really over...?"

Taken back from Atsushi's inquiry, Dazai smiled and closed his eyes. "You can be pretty sharp sometimes, Atsushi-chan. It's true. The real culprit is still out there."

"Th-that's bad, isn't it?!"

"You don't have to worry. I've already discovered who it is," Atsushi bit at her bottom lip since the look in Dazai's eyes was almost sad. "It's just a shame. I know Kunikida-kun won't handle it well..."

"Huh? What do you...?"

Expecting Dazai to pat at her head like he seemed fond of doing, Atsushi found her breath catching when he instead placed some of her hair behind her ear. "Perhaps I'll tell you later. Then again, some things are better left unknown...For now, just focus on resting and taking care of those scrapes, Atsushi-chan."

Because I know you'd only be distressed if you learned the truth about Sasaki-san and what it will do to Kunikida-kun Dazai thought solemnly, glancing up at the nighttime sky once he had walked away.