dollzai

It was barely a minute before you had to excuse yourself, mumbling to Dazai that you weren’t feeling well before you darted for the bathroom in the hallway. Thankfully, no one else was in here to hear your vomit splash in the toilet when you first walked in.

As you watched your sick-looking face in the mirror, you felt defeated. Not only were you still dealing with the heaviness of running into Akutagawa yesterday, but you’d just run away from your first Agency job, horrified and unprepared.

How could you have been so naive? You knew before you made the decision to leave the Mafia that this was the kind of work the A.D.A. took on- solving mysteries too daunting for the police force. To every other employee, the scene you’d just witnessed was probably nothing more than a typical Thursday.

You spit into the sink, trying to clear your mouth of the leftover acidic substance. You had to go back out there, and you knew you couldn’t wait long, not wanting your professional reputation to be any more damaged than it likely already was.

Shakily, you smoothed over the top of your hair with your hands, salvaging your disheveled appearance to the best of your ability. You adjusted the thin black ribbon tied around the collar of your shirt, and took a deep breath before leaving the dim bathroom.

The overwhelming scent of blood overtook all of your senses before you even entered the room again. It nearly sent you sprinting back to the bathroom stall, but you were determined to stick it out this time, whatever it took.

Entering the office for the second time, you tried to keep your eyes on your feet as much as you could. You returned to stand between Dazai and Tanizaki. They were strangely quiet, the only chatter in the room being between the three police officers that hovered near the body.

“Everything alright?” Tanizaki whispered to you, his eyes concerned.

You nodded, not trusting yourself to open your mouth and speak a reply, fearing something else may come out.

Dazai spoke up then, talking to the officer in the room who appeared to be in charge. “Let’s begin now, shall we?”

Clearing his throat, the officer gave you an annoyed look before he began giving details about the woman on the floor. “Yamamoto Haru. Forty-two years old. She was a judge in the city court system,” he explained. “An office assistant found her like this when they arrived. Based on the amount of rigor mortis, she’s been dead since at least last night.” 

“The assistant said she often stayed at work late into the evening, so we suspect no one was around to hear the struggle,” he continued. “Her throat was slashed, but her wallet and jewelry are still on her, so this was no robbery gone wrong- someone wanted her dead.”

“A judge, huh?” Dazai commented. “What kind of cases did she deal with?”

The officer shrugged. “Anything and everything, it appears. Crime, family, business, you name it.”

Dazai pressed a finger to his chin as you watched, trying to keep your eyes on anything but the crime scene. “Any known enemies?” he asked.

Turning his annoyed look to Dazai this time, the officer scoffed. “She’s a judge. Try talking to the hundreds of people she ruled against and see how they felt about her.”

You weren’t sure why the officer was behaving so rudely, and it took you by surprise. Neither Dazai nor Tanizaki appeared to be fazed by it, though, as they watched the officers process the scene and take photos of the room. 

“Is there any security camera footage to look at?” Tanizaki inquired.

“The cameras on this floor appear to be out of order,” the officer said, scratching his head lightly. “Ones around the building’s exits didn’t catch anyone coming in or out until employees arrived this morning.”

“It could be another employee,” you said, your own voice surprising yourself, and everyone else in the room, as you spoke for the first time. 

All eyes turned to look at you, and you gulped. “I mean, to get in and out without crossing security cameras requires knowledge of the building,” you explained, suddenly feeling unsure of yourself. “And, they appeared to know her daily routine. They could even have taken out this floor’s cameras.”

You saw Dazai raise an eyebrow at you in your peripheral vision, but the officer’s gruff reply stole your attention before you could glance back. “We considered that, obviously,” he said, looking at you like you were the biggest idiot in the room. “But there’s hundreds of employees here. It’ll take time to go through them all.”

“There’s no time like the present,” Dazai said, his voice overly sweet as he grinned at him.

The officer was visibly perturbed, much more than before, as he turned to look at you three standing against the wall. “What are you here for, anyway?” he asked in a standoffish way. “Just to tell us things we already know, and ask stupid questions?”

“That’s part of it, yes,” Dazai quipped back, a fire behind his eyes as he watched the officer’s face contort in disgust. “You said it yourself, there’s hundreds of leads with all of the employees and cases she oversaw. As long as you give us half of the information you have, we’ll have this solved faster than any bureaucratic department could dream of,” he beamed confidently, before adding one final touch to his statement.

“And don’t forget; you called us .”

Looking a bit defeated at Dazai’s words, the officer turned back to his work. “There’s too much at stake. If this has to do with a case, they could be going after other officials, lawyers, cops, who knows,” he said. “We don’t have the time or personnel to go through this many leads. We need this solved fast.”

With a smug smile, Dazai stepped forward. “You came to the right people. I just hope we can catch this guy before he gets you ,” he said, pointing to one of the officers, whose face went pale at the joke.

“I think that’s all we need for now. Tanizaki here will be in touch if there’s anything we need from you,” Dazai sighed, patting Tanizaki on the shoulder as he walked toward the door.

You turned to follow him as well, thankful to be leaving the foul-smelling room at last. But you thought to yourself at that moment, you hadn’t actually gotten a good look at Yamamoto’s body, having been so busy trying to stare everywhere but there. Shouldn’t you at least see it, and look for any clues if you wanted a chance at being helpful to the investigation?

Before the sick feeling in your gut could stop you, you walked up to where the officers stood. Your eyes were slits, terrified of the sight below that you were about to subject yourself to. You heard one of the officers grunt, clearly unhappy with your intrusion.

“Y/N?” Dazai called out from the doorway, his voice a mix of confusion and warning. You didn’t listen. You had to do this, to prove something to yourself.

Carefully, you opened your eyes and took in the sight of this woman’s body, lifeless and grotesque. The carpet around her was covered in the life that drained out of her overnight, time turning it nearly black. Her flesh was tinged a greyish color, and her eyes were chillingly fixed on the wall to her side.

You saw the injury the officer had announced as her cause of death- a slit throat, execution style. And it wasn’t just a shallow slice, either. This poor woman’s head was nearly separated from her body, the knife that cut her having gone so deep. The person who did this did not hold back. They came to kill.

As awful as the churning in your stomach felt, you couldn’t look away. There had to be something, anything, that you could see that would provide some sort of clue. Isn’t that how these things worked?

Your eyes scanned up and down her body. Her clothing was all intact, though stained. Jewelry still hung from her ears and rings wrapped around her fingers. It was her face, though, that caught you by surprise.

Small cuts littered her cheeks, forehead, and chin. Superficial wounds that didn’t go deep, but were merely made to make a statement. This likely happened after she was already dead, the killer making a point to carve her up before he left.

You cleared your throat. “The cuts on her face,” you said before pausing, trying to choose your words carefully so as to not sound stupid.

The officer rolled his eyes. “What about them?”

“They didn’t kill her. And they probably weren’t torture, either, because there’s not much blood around them,” you explained. “So they probably happened after her throat was cut.”

The room was silent, the people around you waiting for you to make your point. You sighed. “It’s a personal kind of injury, to disfigure someone. It takes something away from them. Not just their life, but their dignity, indentity,” you said. “Whoever did it may have had a personal connection to them, beyond just her presiding over a case. Maybe even romantic.”

His eyes slightly surprised by the information you shared, the officer nodded. “Okay,” he said simply, understanding and taking in what he appeared to not have thought of yet. You knew he wouldn’t give you any more thanks, so you took it.

Giving a polite nod back, you spun on your heels and nearly bolted for the door. The smell of decomposition was making you lightheaded, and you needed to get out. Dazai and Tanizaki stood by the door, waiting for you..

Before you were in the hallway, however, you nearly ran head first into someone peering in nervously- a small girl in professional clothing, who appeared to be only around your age. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and tears ruined her makeup in streaks down her face.

“I’m sorry,” she said shakily, bowing her head at you before looking at the police officers in the room behind you. “I just wanted to know if I could go home now.”

Without looking up, one of the officers nodded. “Yeah, go ahead.”

The girl nodded tearfully, before turning to leave back down the hallway. But before she could, you remembered something, and patted her on the shoulder. “Are you Yamamoto’s assistant?”

She nodded, and it made sense why she appeared to be such a mess- she’d been the one to find her boss dead this morning. You gave her a sympathetic smile.

Dazai moved to stand next to you in the doorway, and faced the assistant. “Did you know her well?” he asked.

With a small shake of her head, she looked down at her feet. “No,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I only started working for her last month. She was very good to me, though.”

You nodded in understanding. Even though you knew what this girl wanted more than anything right now to leave this building, you couldn’t help the question that poked at your brain, and took the opportunity to ask. “Do you know anything about her family?”

The girl shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, clearly unsure how to answer. “She was married, but…” she trailed off. “Her husband died in a car accident earlier this year. It was so hard on her.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she struggled to continue. “Her poor daughter is all alone now. She had been bringing her to the office recently because she didn’t have anyone to watch her, now that…”

A sob interrupted her sentence, and you placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “That’s very helpful. Thank you for talking to us,” you said, trying your best to reassure someone who you needed to be consoled more than you could offer. She nodded, and began walking back down the hallway from where she’d come.

You turned to look up at Dazai and Tanizaki. They both peered at you with curiosity.

Opening your mouth to say something, perhaps to ask where you should go from here, the smell of a strong chemical in the room overtook all of your senses. It instantly made your knees weak, your head fuzzy, and began the harsh churning in your stomach all over again.

Without a word, you ran out of the room, your legs carrying you to the bathroom you became well acquainted with just minutes ago. 

You didn’t see anyone inside once again, so you pushed open the door to the first stall, not bothering to lock it behind you. Falling to your knees, you held your head over the porcelain bowl, gripping the sides as you emptied out the remaining contents of your stomach.

Over the sound of your coughing and gagging as the foul liquid rose in your throat, you heard the restroom door open with a soft squeak. Now alert, you lifted your head and peered behind you to try to get a glimpse of the intruder.

“Y/N?” Dazai’s voice called out, drawing out the syllables of your name, and clearly not here to use the women’s bathroom.

With a groan, you lowered your head back into the bowl. “Get out,” you insisted, your throat and voice raw.

Disobeying, his footsteps approached your stall as you listened. The door that you hadn’t bothered to lock was partly open, and you whipped your head around as Dazai’s tall frame came into view behind you. “Dazai-“ you started, ready to give him a lecture about privacy and personal space.

Instead, another wave of vomit crawled up your esophagus. You barely made it back into the bowl, nearly throwing up on Dazai’s feet as he casually walked into the stall. You winced at the pain in your throat that was only getting worse with every bout, your hands still latched onto the seat.

You felt a gentle hand rest on your back and begin rubbing small circles. You could tell Dazai was kneeling behind you now, and his other hand reached up to brush away the hair that fell into your face and threatened to get in the way of your mouth. You didn’t fight him.

Over the sound of the splashing in the bowl, you swore you heard him chuckle.

After a few minutes in this position, you finally felt like there was nothing left to come up. Turning your head to the side just slightly, you could tell Dazai was trying to hide his amusement.

You wiped at your mouth with the back of your hand. “This is so pathetic,” you grumbled, only a small bit of humor in your voice.

Dazai considered your statement, still mindlessly rubbing your back. “Only slightly,” he conceded. “But I don’t blame you.”

You raised an eyebrow at him, unsure if you should be comforted yet. “You don’t?”

“No,” Dazai shook his head, his eyes suddenly serious. “That was really disgusting.”

Taking a slight breath of relief, you relaxed somewhat. The fear that you were weak or overreacting was diminished.

“I mean, I would never be puking my brains out over it,” Dazai added. “But that’s just me.”

Giving him an eye roll, your head fell forward slightly, feeling suddenly tired after the amount of physical energy you’d just expended. “Thanks,” you mumbled back to him.

You felt your eyes close slowly as that exhaustion set in, and at the feeling of Dazai petting your hair. Your brain was a little too scrambled right now to seriously consider why he was acting so caring towards you. You secretly suspected it had something to do with trying to make up for your cold interaction last night.

“You did well back there,” Dazai commented as he watched your tired face.

Cracking one eye open, you searched his face for any hint of sarcasm, but found none. “Really?” you questioned.

He nodded emphatically. “Those officers are assholes. You asked good questions and handled the witness well,” he explained.

The corner of your mouth raised into a small smile. “Thanks,” you sighed.

“How did you know that thing about the cuts on her face?” Dazai asked curiously.

You shrugged, unsure of where you actually pulled that nugget of information from. “I don’t know,” you admitted. “Probably read it somewhere…”

Dazai beamed at you. “I knew you’d come in handy,” he said sweetly. This conversation was doing wonders for your self-esteem, even if you were halfway to sleep and smelled like vomit.

“Let’s get going, shall we?” Dazai suggested gently. You nodded, and allowed him to help you get back on your feet, a routine the two of you were more than familiar with after weeks of training.

Once you were up, you turned to face Dazai, trying your best to give a convincing smile even though you still felt weak and dizzy.

Dazai’s expression suddenly turned sour, and he held a hand over his nose. “Try not to breathe on me, please,” he mocked you.

You punched his arm before following him out of the stall. 

Even if just for a few minutes, you were grateful that things seemed to be back to normal.

—

Your tired eyes were dry, burning lightly as you stared at your hazy reflection in the computer screen. At this point, the words on it didn’t even matter to you, and your exhausted appearance looking back at you stole more of your attention.

It wasn’t the same kind of physical exhaustion you felt after a long day, or week, of training. No, this one was mental, a deep sense of tiredness in your mind and your soul.

Three days had passed since you began your investigation into Judge Yamamoto’s murder. In that time, you’d become well acquainted with the office desk you now occupied, and you felt as if you were growing roots into the uncomfortable chair. The only times you got up from it were when Dazai, Tanizaki, or Yosano forced you to take a break and go downstairs to the café, or to finally go home for the night.

It was a somewhat dreary existence. You hadn’t imagined what exactly day to day life at the Agency looked like, but you certainly didn’t think it would be so much… sitting.

Detective work in books and movies were always action-packed, and that was really all you had to go off of, leaving you ill prepared.

You certainly weren’t lonely, though. During the day, the office was bustling with the faces of the other detectives that were familiar to you now. You were happy to spend time with them, but wished you weren’t so preoccupied with solving the case that weighed heavy on your mind.

Yosano often sat and chatted with you while you worked, which was much appreciated, and helped to break up the monotony of scrolling through endless sources online. It also gave Dazai, who usually occupied the seat next to you, a reprieve to pick up his old post of relentlessly annoying Kunikida on the other side of the room.

Then there was Ranpo. Even though the World’s Greatest Detective sat just feet away from you at his own desk, he appeared to have no interest in helping you with the case. And being as proud as you were, there was no chance in hell you were going to ask him. This was your assignment, and he likely had more important work to do.

What that work was, however, you weren't sure. Ranpo mainly just sat at his desk all day eating snacks. When he approached your desk this morning, you thought he might be coming to offer help, but he was really just there to offer you a bag of chips.

One of the most helpful people to you here was Tanizaki, who was acting as the Agency’s liaison with the police. He was efficient at getting information back and forth between you, even if it wasn’t leading anywhere. Whatever you needed assistance with, you could count on him to help you.

And of course, there was Dazai, who was by your side from morning until night. Even though your initial assumption of your “assignment” was that you’d be assisting him, it felt more like he was here to supervise and assist you . It wasn’t a bad thing at all, but you hoped you could live up to his expectations.

He was the perfect person for you to bounce ideas and theories off of, as he wasn’t shy about telling you when you were being ridiculous or needed to look at certain details more closely.

Though he was a great listener, you wished he would share more of his own ideas and suspicions, which you were positive he had. It always felt like he knew more than what he was letting on, but you weren’t sure enough to confront him about it. All you knew for sure was that you needed to prove yourself to him, and to the A.D.A.

But to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t going well so far.

Your first few days had been spent tirelessly tracking down anyone you could find with a personal connection to Judge Yamamoto. Exes, her husband’s exes, former classmates, family members, coworkers she’d been close with, anyone . The time it took to find that information was extensive, and every time you added a name to that list, you felt accomplished.

That list of names was given to Tanizaki to send over to the police so they could look into these potential leads. Unfortunately, not a single one led anywhere.

Every person you’d uncovered as having a close relationship with Judge Yamamoto was cleared by police. They either had a solid alibi, or were determined to have had no motivation to have done this.

You were coming up empty, and it crushed you.

Having been so confident in your prediction based on the cuts on her face, you had been sure that one of these people would be the killer, or at least have something to do with the murder. Could you really have been that off base?

You were positive that the officers at the crime scene were laughing at you now, questioning why they’d ever believed a stupid girl like you might have something to contribute to the investigation. It was clear now, to them and to you, that you were wrong.

Dazai knew you were discouraged, and he pushed you to keep digging. To look past your initial conjecture, and to consider new possibilities. To search in places you might not expect.

At the present moment, you were combing through a stack of files Tanizaki obtained from Judge Yamamoto’s office, detailing all of the cases she presided over in the last five years. With each one, you looked into the backgrounds of the plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses, everyone involved to see if there existed a worthwhile grudge to kill a public official over.

You’d started from the most recent cases, and worked all the way back through four years ago, with nothing to show for it. No criminal histories, threats, or personal grudges on record that would indicate any one of these individuals was involved.

By the time you reached the fifth year, it was already almost midnight. The entire Agency staff had left hours ago, leaving only you and a restless, whiny Dazai at your desk. It was a miracle you’d gotten him to stay this late, but you could tell he was almost at his limit.

“You know, the files and computer will all still be here in the morning,” Dazai pointed out, not-so-subtly hinting that he would be much happier back at the dorms.

Your eyes stayed fixed on the screen in front of you, reading through a newspaper article that wasn’t offering any new information. “I want to finish these tonight.” you said firmly, not yet ready to take a break.

Dazai sighed. “You’re obsessed,” he said in a sing-song voice, attempting a new angle of getting you to give up for the night.

Uncaring, you didn’t respond. He was probably right- you were obsessed. There was a need, a drive in your chest to get this done.

As Dazai leaned in close to you, you tried your best to ignore him. His eyes shifted back and forth between your screen and your face, looking for some sort of reaction. “What would you do if I just left you here?” he asked pointedly.

“Keep working,” you said, your voice flat.

“You’re not getting paid any extra to stay late,” Dazai added.

“I know,” you replied simply.

Dazai groaned loudly, leaning back in his chair and resting his feet on one of the files on the desk. “You’re annoying,” he whined at you, his head falling backwards.

It was your turn to sigh now, tired of his antics. “Just leave then,” you suggested. “I can finish this by myself.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Dazai said, reminding you of his obligation to watch over you that was impossible to forget.

“What,” you started, your voice biting as you turned to look at him. “You can’t handle the thought of me here, helpless, all by myself, without you?”

Dazai lifted his head, blinking at you. “Yes,” he said seriously.

Not expecting that answer to your jab, you quickly turned your eyes back to the computer. You felt a blush heat up your cheeks, and you admonished yourself for trying to beat Dazai at a game of teasing. 

He was clearly the expert, and he giggled at your embarrassment.

“Shut up,” you muttered, resting your face in your palm to try to hide.

Leaning forward towards you again, Dazai grinned. “You get one more file,” he told you. “And then I’m dragging you out.”

“Fine,” you huffed, conceding to his terms. You grabbed the next file in your stack, and opened it to begin reading.

The case was pretty nondescript, a ruling to begin clinical trials on a children’s cold medicine. The name of the drug was one you recognized, having seen it in stores before. You assumed the trials must have gone well considering you could now buy it over the counter, so you were fairly certain this case was a non starter.

You nearly flipped closed the folder and headed home for the night with Dazai, but something stopped you. If this was going to be your last file for the night, you may as well make it count.

With an exhale, you typed the name of the medicine into the search bar. Not much came up other than some medical websites explaining side effects and treatment. You decided to follow a link to the drug’s manufacturer: Hadasa Pharmaceuticals.

Their website didn’t provide much information beyond the company’s origins, their products and efficacy, and other general information. Everything looked as normal and as glowing as you imagined it would.

So, you went back to the search engine, and typed in the company name, looking for any relevant news articles that might have a more… objective opinion.

Again, there wasn’t much. Announcements about trials, new medicines, ailments going around local communities that company spokespeople had commented on. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

Something in your gut told you to keep going. Maybe it was the promise that this was the last one for the night that kept you procrastinating, or that you really were obsessed. Either way, you kept hitting the button for the next page.

On page five, something caught your eye. Finally .

It was a news article, not directly related to Hadasa, but the preview showed that the word came up within. The article actually detailed a murder, a brutal one, of a mother and her daughter four months ago.

The two had been on their way home from the daughter’s dance practice, walking home together on a quiet street like they did every week. Just blocks away from their home, a supposed burglar approached them. What happened between them was unknown, but the mother’s wallet was taken, and her and her daughter were stabbed multiple times, including a slash to the throat.

That last detail was the one that really stood out to you. In addition to the fact that the mother had been a nurse working at Hadasa as a clinical trial supervisor.

“Dazai,” you called his attention. “Read this.”

He leaned in front of your face, blocking your view as he read the article. When he was finished, he gave you a blank stare. “What about it?”

“She worked on clinical trials as Hadasa. Yamamoto approved one of their trials,” you explained. “Plus, their throats were slashed.”

“You think they’re connected?” Dazai asked. You nodded.

He winced slightly. “It’s a bit of a stretch. They were stabbed, their faces weren’t cut. And the daughter was killed, too.”

You frowned, feeling discouraged. Dazai gave you a pat on the shoulder. “Keep looking,” he told you, which was a good sign considering how badly he wanted to go home.

Returning to the search results, you continued going back through the pages. The news articles were more of the same, page after page, story after story. So, you decided to go a different route, and typed the name of the specific medication Yamamoto had approved.

The process began again, and pages of results were scanned for something of substance. And then, you saw it.

An article from five years ago. A death, reported during the trial for the drug Yamamoto approved, just weeks after the date in the file. A young girl, only seven years old, suffering a supposed asthma attack after being administered the drug. It couldn’t be directly tied to the medicine, so the trials continued.

Her name wasn’t listed in the article. You returned to the search bar, searching obituaries from around that time, looking for a young girl that could fit with the story.

It didn’t take long. You see a seven year old girl listed, a cause of death not reported. It must be her: Imai Yua.

You followed the trail now set before you, furiously typing Yua’s parents names that were listed in the obituary and searching for a connection.

“What is it?” Dazai asked, watching your fingers move. Her mother’s name brought up nothing. Her father’s name, also nothing. Except for a phone number listing in a government staff directory.

Your eyes widened. “Ah!” you exclaimed, pointing at the screen as you pushed your seat back and stood up. You couldn’t believe what you’d just found.

“He works for the Yokohama government,” you said quickly. “I don’t know what he does, but he would have worked in the same building as Yamamoto,”

Dazai nodded, following. “Okay,” he said, but you started again before he could say more.

“His daughter died during the drug trials for the medicine Yamamoto approved,” you explained. “The nurse could have worked on those trials. It all makes sense.”

Pressing his finger to his chin, Dazai thought for a moment. You felt anxious waiting for his response, wondering if you were completely wrong. 

“It’s a good theory,” he said finally. “It makes sense. We’ll tell the police first thing in the morning.”

“In the morning?” you questioned nervously.

Dazai shrugged. “Some things are still unexplained. The stabbing versus the cuts on the face. The nurse’s daughter being a target. The police will have questions for us.”

You nodded. It was all circumstantial evidence, and there wasn’t anything the police could do with it right now. You may as well wait until morning to share what you’d found, and let them take it from there.

With a few clicks, you shut down the computer for the night. Both you and Dazai stood, ready to leave now.

Your train of thought could have ended there. You almost wished it had, and gone home for a good night’s sleep knowing you were one step closer to an answer. But, you remembered.

Judge Yamamoto’s daughter .

You went pale, frozen where you stood as you tried to comprehend the weight of what you’d just remembered. Dazai was several steps away now, and he turned around to look at you. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Your mouth felt dry suddenly. “Dazai,” you started, your anxiety increasing by the second. “Didn’t Judge Yamamoto’s assistant say she had a daughter?”

You paused. “And that she’d been coming to work with her?”

Realization set in on Dazai’s face and his eyes widened. “Call Tanizaki.”

The two of you stood over the desk as your phone rang, dialing Tanizaki’s number. You tapped your foot as you waited for him to answer, and Dazai crossed his arms.

When he answered after a few rings, his voice sounded slightly groggy. “Hello?”

“Tanizaki,” you said forcefully, placing your hands on the desk. “We need you to get in contact with the police. It’s important,” you explained.

He cleared his throat. “Okay. What’s going on?”

“We found someone. Imai Hiroki,” you began, trying to stress the urgency of the situation in your voice. “His daughter died during drug trials that Judge Yamamoto had approved. A nurse who may have supervised the trial clinic and her daughter were stabbed and their throats cut,”

“He works at the same government building as Judge Yamamoto. He would have known her daily routines, and that her daughter had been at work with her since her husband died,” you continued. “We think he was going after both of them, but the daughter wasn’t there that night like he’d planned.”

“So she could be in danger,” Tanizaki finished the thought for you, understanding the gravity of what you’d said.

You nodded to yourself. Dazai spoke up next, instructing Tanizaki. “Find out where she is. Let them know what we found, and try to get Imai’s home address.”

“Alright,” Tanizaki responded, sounding slightly nervous. “I’ll call you right back.”

The minutes that passed felt like hours as you waited for the phone to ring. You paced nervously around the office, unsure of what to do with yourself now that you had this information. It had to be right. It fit too well, and now there was someone else in danger. You so badly needed to act, to do something about this, but all you could do was wait.

While he didn’t seem as distraught as you, Dazai was definitely not his normal, lively self. He sat at the desk, staring out of the window at the dark city as you both waited for the much needed update.

Finally, the phone rang. Dazai got to it first, answering and placing the phone back down on the desk as you made your way over. “What did you find?” he asked, his voice serious.

“It’s not good,” Tanizaki started, and your heart dropped in your chest. “They can’t find her daughter. Apparently she’s been in temporary housing since the murder, but the guardian called just a few hours ago to report her missing.”

You pressed a hand to your forehead, already fearing for the worst.

“I told them about Imai, and it’s a solid lead. But they said it’ll take at least an hour to get a warrant and get to his house,” Tanizaki continued. “It’s a busy night, apparently.”

“Did you get the address?” Dazai asked. Tanizaki said yes, and gave it to you.

“We’ll handle it,” Dazai said, somewhat ambiguously. “Thank you, Tanizaki.”

“Of course,” Tanizaki replied. “Good luck.”

There wasn’t any time to wait. You grabbed your phone from the table, and began following Dazai towards the door. You watched as he grabbed a set of car keys on the way out.

“Where are we going?” you asked, staring at his back as he walked ahead of you.

“The Imai’s,” he replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

You didn’t question him any further, opting to follow in silence as he led you outside. Once there, you walked to a small parking lot around the back of the building. Dazai walked up to a car that you presumed belonged to the Agency, unlocking it and getting in the driver’s seat.

Adrenaline rushing through your veins, you got in the passenger seat. Dazai wasted no time before starting the engine and peeling out of the lot, sending you both on the way.

Unsure how far away the house was, you silently prayed it was close. One, because you needed to stop Imai, and two, because Dazai was quite the reckless driver. He whipped around turns, nearly blew stop signs, and induced an alarming amount of honks from other vehicles.

A thought nagged at your brain. “Shouldn’t we wait for the police to get there first?” you asked cautiously.

“You heard Tanizaki,” Dazai answered, his eyes on the road. “They’ll take over an hour. Yamamoto’s daughter might be in there.”

“But…” you bit your lip, feeling unsure about this entire situation. “Don’t we need their permission to, you know, go in there?”

Dazai tilted his head, considering. “Technically,” he replied casually. “Should that stop us?”

“You’re asking me ?” you asked incredulously.

Nodding, Dazai eyed where you sat next to him. “Yes, you. If we wait, there’s a chance she’s dead before they get there. Are you willing to take that risk?”

“Oh, God,” you groaned, leaning forward and covering your face in your hands. “Please don’t make me decide.”

How could he leave this up to you? You had no idea what protocols were in place between the Agency and the police, or what liberties you were authorized to take in an emergency like this. But emergency was an understatement- every second you wasted was another second this girl could be killed.

You thought it over as quickly as you could. You could wait for the police to get there with a warrant, enter the home and rescue the daughter. Perfectly legal, and easy on your part. You already did the heavy lifting of finding this guy, why should you have to bust into his house as well?

With that option, you ran the risk of waiting too long and letting her die. Big problem. You also risked the possibility of Imai getting spooked by the police outside of his house, and quickly going to finish her off if he hadn’t already. Another big problem.

Option two: you and Dazai go in. Figure out a way into the house. Find the daughter, hopefully alive, detain Imai, and save the day. Risk your own lives, yes. Imai was likely armed with a knife capable of killing someone, and could easily take you out. But you had Dazai, an ex-Mafia executive, and one of the Agency’s brightest. He had to be able to pull this off.

You two needed to be able to pull this off.

Suddenly, Dazai slammed on the brakes, lurching you forward and shaking you from your thoughts. He turned to you, his eyes narrow. “ Decide .” he instructed, his voice harsher than you’d ever heard it.

You gulped. But you knew what you had to do.

“We’ll go,” you said, trying to sound sure of yourself as you nodded. Dazai nodded back, and drove off again. “What’s our plan to get in?” you asked him.

The area you were driving in had become more residential, and you felt your heart rate increasing the nearer you drew. As Dazai explained to you an idea of how to get in, you nodded along, but weren’t totally convinced it would work.

Finally, Dazai pulled to the side of the road on a dimly lit street lined with small homes. He stepped out of the car, and you followed, walking behind him as you made your way up to a dilapidated looking home: Imai’s.

You stood on the doorstep next to Dazai. Your heart pounded. Your hands shook. But you had to pull yourself together for this to work.

Inhale. Exhale .

Squeezing your eyes shut to try and slow your breathing, you heard Dazai give a heavy knock on the wood door. He glanced sideways at you, probably concerned that you were going to blow the cover he crafted. You were determined not to.

You were beginning to think you wouldn’t even get a chance to perform, given the length of time that passed after Dazai’s first knock. Your foot tapped both nervously and impatiently, and Dazai lifted his fist to knock again. Just as he was about to, the door swung open.

A gruff looking man stood before you, dressed in sleep clothes and a long robe, who was obviously unhappy about being awoken. He was middle aged, with short unkempt hair and a slight scruffy beard. Terrified of being rude, and of the potential murderer right in front of you, you stood frozen in place.

“Hello, Mr. Imai!” Dazai broke the silence, greeting the man as cheerily as possible. “How are you this evening?”

With an annoyed grunt, Imai wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “What the hell is this about? Do you have any idea what time it is?” he demanded.

Dazai nodded emphatically. “Of course, sir. That’s why we’re here,” he explained, his eyes wide and innocent. “We’re investigators from Hadasa.”

Imai looked slightly more awake upon hearing that, and took a cautious step back from the doorway. “Hadasa?” he asked, surprised. It took a moment for him to regain his composure, and he raised an eyebrow at you both. “What the hell is this about?”

“Sir,” Dazai started, his voice taking on a sympathetic tone. “We, more than anyone, were so saddened by the tragic loss of your daughter. And we’re still hoping to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.”

The emotions displayed on Imai’s face were changing rapidly, from sadness, to rage, to fear, to annoyance. He started to protest, but Dazai interrupted.

“We’re here to determine if any environmental factors played a role in her death,” Dazai explained, motioning with his hand to the living space behind Imai.

Imai’s voice raised as he responded. “ Environmental factors? Your medicine is what killed her!”

“That may be,” Dazai conceded. “But it may not be the only factor. Interactions may have been at play, so we need to investigate all possibilities.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Imai accepted the answer, at least for the moment. “What do you want, then?” he asked curtly.

“Just a look around inside. My associate and I,” Dazai started to answer, smacking you on the back to wake you from the trance you stood in watching their conversation. You stepped forward slightly, and gave Imai a small smile. “-only need a few minutes.”

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Imai asked again, more angrily this time. He took a step back, his hand on the front door as he began to close it in your face. “Come back another day,” he added. You could feel your opportunity to get inside slipping away. You had to do something.

You raised your hand, pressing it against the door to keep it open. Your only option was to convince him. “Sir,” you started. “Please. We want to help you get answers. For Yua.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the most ethical choice to pull the dead daughter card in this situation, but you had no choice. If getting in meant you had to use an emotional appeal, you’d do it.

Imai narrowed his eyes at you, but didn’t push the door closed any further. Sensing the opportunity you’d created, Dazai added onto the tale he’d already spun. “There are certain compounds we can only detect in the dark,” he explained. “That’s why we’re here now.”

Another moment passed. The options were either Imai slammed the door in your faces, unconvinced, or allowed you in. You could see on his face that he was considering what to do.

And at the same time he let out a long sigh, his resolve crumbling, you let out a breath of relief. “Fine,” Imai conceded. “Make it quick.”

It was a miracle this had worked. If Yamamoto’s kidnapped daughter was somewhere inside, and he’d allowed you in anyways, he must really be desperate for an answer, you thought. But there was no time to question it- you had to act now.

Dazai grinned, stepping forward into the house. He slung an arm over Imai’s shoulder, leading him through the hallway as he began talking his ear off about chemicals, compounds, all of which had to be made up. This was the next step in your plan; Dazai distracted Imai, while you searched for the girl inside.

You knew there wasn’t much time before Imai got suspicious of your intentions. If she was here, you needed to find her fast . And it was likely she was somewhere hidden, so you needed to think creatively.

The bathroom? A closet? The basement? There were many options. Combined with the fact that you had no idea what the layout of this house was, you didn’t know where to start.

Deciding quickly, you ran to the home’s upper level. As quickly as you could, you scoured the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the closets, trying to be as quiet as possible while still making sure Dazai had Imai’s attention. You tried to keep your footsteps light, and open doors slowly to prevent squeaking.

Unfortunately, your search of the upstairs resulted in no discoveries. There was no girl here. Maybe there was no girl anywhere. The possibility remained that she wasn’t even here, and you started to feel silly for having believed in your own deduction abilities.

But inside, a mental clock was ticking down. There was a chance she was here, and you had to move fast to save her.

You descended the stairs to the main level, listening as Dazai kept Imai hostage in his own kitchen, talking about Hadasa’s commitment to finding the truth. The one-sided conversation was still going strong, but you knew it couldn’t last.

Assuming that the basement was a better place to hide a person than the first floor, you located the stairs going down. As badly as you wanted to run, you forced yourself to walk on your toes. Even so, the wooden stairs still creaked slightly, but you prayed it wasn’t loud enough to hear over Dazai’s droning.

Once you were down in the dark, musty space, you felt lost. Piles of boxes and storage containers littered the area that you could see, and there was plenty that you couldn’t. It was the perfect place to hide someone, you thought, so a thorough search was required.

Carefully, you maneuvered your way around the stacks of stored goods around you, your eyes adjusting slightly to the darkness. Even with that help, you saw nothing of use. You began walking towards the warm hum of a furnace.

When you reached the machine, you nearly tripped on something stretched across the floor. Catching yourself, you looked down to inspect the item.

It was a leg.

Your heart stopped. Your eyes traveled upwards, revealing the small frame of a young girl, her wrists and ankles bound. Her hair splayed around her on the floor, and you could see that her mouth was covered in duct tape.

It was a terrible sight, and your stomach churned at the horrific discovery. But you knew she was alive from the way her chest rose and fell. So at the same time, you felt a warm rush of both pride and relief, and your head suddenly felt clear of worry.

You were going to make it out of here, with her.

In the darkness, you could see the whites of her eyes, wide and staring at you, terrified. You kneeled down next to her face, trying to give a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay,” you whispered gently. “I’m here to take you home.”

The girl’s eyes glistened, and you could see that she was shaking from the cold and damp of the underground space. You reached your hand to her face to take off the tape on her mouth, but paused. “I’m going to take this off now, but we have to be really quiet, okay?” you explained. “It’s very important that we both be quiet.”

She nodded slightly, and you peeled back the tape. As you’d instructed, she made no sound. “I’m going to undo the ties now,” you said, moving down to her wrists.

You inspected the hastily tied knots of rope that kept her confined, noting that he must have done this in a hurry. A grown adult would have had the strength to get out of this, but not a child. 

As you untied the rope, you glanced at the girl. “What’s your name?” you whispered to her, remembering that you didn’t actually know.

“Kei,” she responded, so quietly you’d almost missed it. You gave her another smile, trying to make her feel comfortable as you worked to free her. “It’s nice to meet you, Kei,” you said back. “I’m Y/N.”

Once you were done, Kei sat up, and you crouched in front of her. You replayed Dazai’s instructions in your head: if and once you found her, run .

It was easier said than done. You’d have to make it upstairs, out the front door, and back to the car where Dazai would meet you. All without drawing Imai’s suspicion or attention. Could you do it?

There was no time for that question. You were going to do it. You could still hear Dazai talking upstairs, and took that as sign enough that the coast was clear.

“I’m going to carry you,” you told Kei. “We still have to be very quiet. You just hold on tight. Can you do that for me?”

Kei nodded, her eyes sad and frightened. It was heartbreaking, and you wanted more than anything to get her out of this house. As gingerly as you could, you grabbed her by her armpits, standing to lift her up. Kei’s arms wrapped around your neck as she buried her head in your shoulder and wrapped her little legs around your waist.

You moved back to the stairs and began going up slowly. With the added weight of a human child on you, you really did not want a stair creak to give you up right now. 

When you made it to the top, you began tip-toeing to the front door. You were nearly there- just a few more steps, and you were outside. With every step, your heartbeat thundered in your ears, drowning out any other noise.

It was so close you could taste it. Beyond the door in front of you was not just safety for Kei, but success for you in your first assignment. Longing for the feeling of victory, your hand reached for the doorknob.

“ Stop right there .”

Imai’s chilling voice stopped you in your tracks, your hand hovering over the doorknob before you reached it. A small squeak escaped Kei’s mouth, and you heard a sharp click .

Slowly, you turned around to see the man behind you. Imai stood in the hallway facing you, a gun in his hand pointed directly where you stood.

You lost .

Behind Imai, you could see Dazai’s wide eyes and horrified face watching the scene unfold. He hadn’t been able to distract Imai for long enough, and now you were going to pay.

“Put her down.” Imai demanded, his voice quiet but aggressive as he spoke through his teeth.

Your grip around Kei’s back tightened, though you could feel your arms shaking from the combination of her weight and your fear. “No,” you responded firmly, your mind racing as you tried to think of what you could possibly do to get out.

You had no leverage against this murderer with a gun. You didn’t carry any weapon, and neither did Dazai, that you knew of. Imai had the upper hand, and was going to get what he wanted one way or another.

“Put her down,” Imai started again, his voice even tighter as he raised his gun slightly. “Or I unload this onto both of you.”

He wasn’t bluffing. He had already killed three people, and was fully prepared to kill a fourth. After all, he had meant to kill Kei with her mother at the office- this was just finishing the job he’d started.

Could you talk him down? Was there any way to convince him to let you go? Probably not. But you had to at least try.

“You don’t need to do that,” you offered, trying to convince both Imai and yourself of that. “She didn’t do anything to deserve this.”

Imai’s eyes bore into you, showing no signs of weakness or falter. “That may be true,” he answered. “But I have to take from them what they took from me.”

You didn’t know how to proceed. Should you keep talking? You were scared you were going to piss him off even more and make him shoot. Should you fight? Surely Dazai could create some sort of opening that allowed one of you to take the gun. But, you hadn’t planned for him having a gun, since it wasn’t the murder weapon, and had no idea how you should go about that. 

You couldn’t tell what Dazai was thinking at all. He just stood frozen and watched, which didn’t seem like him at all. He was more of the talker here; shouldn’t he be saying something?

“Yua wouldn’t want this,” you tried, a strong hint of desperation in your voice.

That only made Imai even more enraged. “It doesn’t matter what she wants,” he barked at you, seething. “She’s dead, because of them.”

You searched your brain for any other bargaining chip, but Imai interrupted again. “You have five seconds.”

Five .

Staring down the barrel of the gun, your eyes widened. Is this where you were going to die? Or were you going to give up and let this little girl take your place?

Four .

There wasn’t nearly enough time to decide. If you gave her up, she was certainly dead. If you didn’t, you both were. Was that the more honorable thing to do?

Three .

An impossible choice. Dazai’s stare dug into you. Was this the last time you’d see him? Your heart ached at the thought.

Two .

What would he want you to do? Save yourself? Fail your mission? What was the right choice?

One .

There was only one right thing to do, and you knew it. In one swift motion, you turned your back on Imai, dropping Kei to the ground and shielding her from what was to come.

Zero .

Click .

The noise rang in your ears, and blackness filled your vision. Imminent death was much quieter than you thought it would be. It was almost too quiet- no screams from you, or anyone else. No loud bang. Just the sound of the world outside the house filled the room.

It took a moment for you to realize that the darkness surrounding you was the backs of your eyelids. Slowly, as if scared to break the illusion and reveal a bloody mess, you opened one eye, turning your head.

Imai stood in the same position, only he looked confused instead of angry. His eyes were glued to the gun as he pulled the trigger a second time. The same strange, empty click hung stagnant in the air.

That was, until the metallic clinking of something falling onto the floor stole your attention. Looking at the noise’s source, you watched a handful of bullets fall from Dazai’s palm onto the floor below. A smug smile tugged at his lips.

That sly bastard .

In the next moment, things happened very quickly. Dazai’s foot kicked in Imai’s back, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to the ground. Dazai then used his foot to knock the gun out of Imai’s hand, kicking it to the side. Crouching down, he used one hand to press Imai’s cheek into the floor, and the other to hold his hands behind his back.

When you were certain he was restrained, you looked back at Kei, kneeling on the ground to see her face. “Are you alright?” you asked softly. Kei nodded, tears welling in her eyes. You wrapped your arms around her, pulling her close into a hug.

It wasn’t long before you heard the police sirens approaching. They didn’t take as long as they’d said, but you knew that if Imai had heard them coming, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill Kei. At that moment, you looked at Dazai, and both of you knew you made the right choice in coming here.

“I’m sorry,” you heard Imai squeak out from behind you, his voice shaking. He repeated the words, and you let go of Kei to kneel in front of him. “Why did you do it?” you asked, your voice calm.

He sniffled. “The nurse gave her the pills,” he explained. “The judge approved everything. I needed to do something.”

Though you didn’t say it, you thought to yourself that there were a million better ways to seek justice than killing innocent women and children.

You were glad to have gotten a confession, but had one more question to ask. “The judge,” you started, the graphic crime scene flashing in your mind. “Why did you do that to her face?”

The question surprised Imai, remembering what he’d done. “She reminded me of my wife,” he explained softly. “My wife…” he trailed off, sobbing a bit. “She signed her up for the trial. Then she left me when Yua died.”

Eyebrows raised, you glanced at Dazai, who glanced back at you. Even though Imai didn’t have a personal connection to Yamamoto like you’d thought, she resembled someone who did. It was a revelation that made you breathe a sigh of relief, having been not too far off from the truth.

After that, time seemed to move in slow motion. The police entered the scene, taking Imai in custody and bringing Kei to sit outside. You and Dazai were both asked a lot of questions, giving the information you’d gotten, but it was pretty much settled.

You’d solved it.

Your ride home with Dazai was quiet, but in a peaceful way. After the evening's intense events, you were happy to just stare out of the car’s open window and feel the breeze against your skin. And Dazai was happy to let you.

When you were almost back at the dorms, you looked over at him. “I should have known to trust you,” you commented, referring to him somehow removing the bullets from Imai’s gun during their conversation. 

Dazai shrugged, giving you a knowing smile. “Now you know,” he said simply. “And we’ll be even better in the future.”

The future. What an idea. Just a few minutes ago, you were prepared to give yours up and die for a girl who knew more tragedy in the last few months than you’d known in your entire life.

Instead, you both got to have a future. Yours was uncertain, but you hoped that after this case’s result, it would be fruitful.

Back at the dorms, you and Dazai said your goodnights. You lingered for a moment outside of his door, for what reason you were unsure. But exhaustion overtook you, and you returned to your dorm.

As you were laying down to sleep, you heard Dazai talking on the other side of the wall. Unable to make out the words of the one-sided conversation, you could only presume that he was on the phone.