Bungou Stray Dogs ~ One-shots

[Ranpo xR] Dreams of greatness (1/2)

(Reader's name is Yuna!)

How long had she been here, exactly?

She was fairly sure that, when she arrived at the office this morning, the sun had just come up. Why was it dark now? Was it still the same day, anyway?

Or had she been there for a whole week, working? She had laughed at the thought at first, but now she realized that it might not be so stupid.

She did not even dare to look at the little clock next to her computer screen to see what time it was. All she knew was that she was now all alone in her office, that the lights were almost all off except for her personal lamp, which painted the picture of a young woman exhausted by all those hours of incessant and successive work.

The many coffees she had had were now useless. With a long sigh, she leaned back a little more against her chair, stretching her arms over her, feeling her bones cracking one by one.

She had to warn Ranpo that she would stay at work a little longer, and that she did not even know what time she would be home. Thinking about the boyfriend who was most likely waiting for her at their house, wondering why she was still not there, she felt a twinge of sadness.

Working at the Special Division for Unusual Powers was without a doubt the most fulfilling job she had ever had. But, to fit in properly in this environment, she had quickly realized that she would have to work harder. Especially knowing that she did not have any ability, ironically.

That is why she took on any task that others did not want to do or could not do, in addition to the ones she was initially assigned with. She worked tirelessly, often losing track of time, in order to achieve one of her dearest dreams: to reach the top of the ladder in this particular job she had.

This meant, unfortunately, that her loved ones had to take a back seat from time to time. The looks of disappointment they gave her, when she declined their invitations, only added to the stress she was already accumulating with the terrible pace she was imposing on her body and mind.

Ranpo must surely have gone to bed by now, she thought, pressing her burning face to the cool surface of her desk. She had to send him a message, telling him that she was not coming home right away, now that she was thinking about it again.

What she had not anticipated, however, was her eyes closing on their own, just seconds after that thought had entered her foggy mind. Too exhausted, the young woman had finally fallen asleep, a dreamless sleep, right on her desk, by the only light of her computer and her lamp, in the silence of the deserted open space.

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He was unhappy. This was nothing new for him, knowing that he was unhappy at every opportunity, but this time he had a good excuse.

Yuna, his girlfriend, had still not come home. But, this time, she had not even sent him a message to tell him where she was or what she was doing. Was she still at work? Or on her way home?

Had she forgotten to tell him, too busy with work, or had she had some trouble on the way back? Was she at least unharmed?

Usually, she at least took the time to keep him informed. Sure, he loved being able to fall asleep with his girlfriend in his arms, but he also knew how important her work was to her.

So, he often let it pass, especially when she took the trouble to make him a breakfast before leaving for work as an apology, which he discovered when the young woman was long gone.