「07/31」

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7. "I'll call out a name; your name."

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"Alright, Kunikida-kun!"

"Doppo Poet: Flash bang!"

The entire scenery around me lights up, and the last thing I see is Dazai running up to me.


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When I wake up, I find myself tucked in a familiar-feeling bed.

"Ah, Kira-chan, you're awake!"

"Dazai-san?" I say, sitting up. My hip feels like it is on fire.

Dazai is sitting beside the bed, and in his hand is a small pocket book. The name of the book was written in small kanji, and I wasn't able to see it clearly. He closes the book he is reading and places it on the bedside table.

"How am I even alive after that?" I think out loud, recalling how painful Rashomon felt.

"We have Akiko-san to thank." He replies, a hint of smile on his face. "Do you feel well enough to walk?"

"Yeah." I say, and he holds out a hand. With his aid, I stand up, and we walk to the meeting room.

As soon as we do, Kunikida runs up to Dazai and grabs the collar of Dazai's trench coat.

"You idiot! Why would you send three people who are all under their 20s to a mission that involves Akutagawa?! This is all your fault!"

"You said they needed rookie training, Kunikida-kun!" Dazai replies in a singsong voice, only infuriating him further.

"Yeah but at least one of us should have gone with them! We were going to head out together but you sent them earlier!" Akiko places a hand on Kunikida's shoulder, and he takes a deep breath.

"Blame Dazai for all of this!" Kunikida shoots Dazai a disapproving look before he lets go of his coat and walks off.

"Well, I guess that's what should have been expected. You all do have a long way to go before you reach my level." Ranpo says, earning a slap on his head by Akiko.

"Um, where's Atsushi?" I ask, and she lets out a sigh.

"He's fine, he hasn't regained consciousness though. He got a bullet and Rashomon, that's gotta be hard on his poor body." Akiko says.

I glance around the room. Kyouka is nowhere to be seen, either.

'So if anything happens to them, I'd be very, very disappointed.'

"Kyouka-chan is...?"

"Don't worry, she only got a bruise on her forehead."

"Can I go see them? I'd be restless if I'm not sure they're really okay..."

Kunikida lets out an angry growl. He looked like he had been trying his hardest to control his anger towards Dazai, but he storms towards us again.

"She's worried sick thanks to you, and she hasn't even healed properly!" Kunikida yells, and Dazai does a small stretching. Ignoring Kunikida, he grabs my wrist and drags me outside.

"Dazai, get BACK HERE!"

"W-Where are we going?"

"Where else, the infirmary." He says, and we walk to a room at one end of the floor. The walls are beige, and there are at least six beds. Atsushi is lying on one, and Kyouka is sitting beside him, holding one of his hands.

"Kira-chan!" She stands up from her seat. She becomes hesitant about running up to us, and doesn't let go of Atsushi's hand.

I run up to her and pat her hair.

"Is he okay?"

"I'm so sorry, this was all my fault!" She has tears in her eyes.

"Are you kidding? It was my fault that the two of you got hurt!"

"You got more hurt than me!" She points to my hip. I glance at my blouse and see the blood stains on it. I can still feel the stinging, but it does not hurt as much as it did before.

"It's neither of your faults." Dazai interrupts. "I know Kunikida blames me for this, and I take responsibility for all three of you getting hurt. But I found this necessary. Now you guys can trust each other."

Trust?

"Now you guys know your weaknesses and the next time I send you three on a mission, you would understand how important you are to each other."

"Dazai, how were you able to come in seconds after I called?"

"Well, we were going to head there before Akutagawa went there. The traffic was a bit congested."

"Dazai-san's ability canceled out Rashomon and that's why you didn't get more hurt than you already are."

Dazai has an ear piece in his hand, and when I face him, he gives me a big smile.

"I told you I'll be there for you as soon as you call out my name, didn't I? I never back out of my promises."

"You sure don't." I smile back, and we turn to Atsushi.

"Kira-chan, I'm not mad at you even though he got hurt, okay?"

"Eh?"

"I know I told you I'd be disappointed if something happened to either of these small kids, but I just had to get you to go all out."

"I... I see."

Atsushi's hands begin to move a bit, and all three of us look at the white-haired boy expectantly.

Atsushi opens one eye weakly, and when he sees the three of us, both his eyes fly wide open.

"W-Where? What happened?"

"Atsushi-kun, you need rest." Dazai says. Kyouka nods in agreement, and Atsushi notices that Kyouka is holding her hand. After a brief second, he moves his had away, blushing a little.

"Ah wait! Are you both okay? What happened?" Atsushi's face tenses up again.

"You were the one that got hurt the most, Atsushi-kun. Kira-chan is alright, and Kyouka-chan wasn't harmed much."

"What happened to the people?"

"Kunikida took care of them, and we had called the police, so Akutagawa left right away."

"But Dazai-san, he's strong enough to kill all the policemen. Why doesn't he ever fight when they show up?"

"Because it's a war between the two of us." Dazai says, and pats Atsushi's hair. "How are you feeling?"

"My stomach hurts, but other than that, I'll be fine."

"Good, because I'm taking the three of you out for ice cream and dinner."

"C-Can I get crepes?"

"Of course you can." Dazai pets her hair playfully. He then shoots us a smile, and leaves the room.

The three of us exchange glances. We then help Atsushi out of the bed, and the three of us walk out of the infirmary.

"Today's mission was really hard... But I really want to have another one with you guys." Kyouka mumbles. This makes Atsushi and I grin like idiots.

"I feel the same way, Kyouka, Atsushi. We get hurt, but I guess that's how we'll improve to be better like Kunikida-kun and Akiko-san."

"Yeah! We just need to try harder!"

"We'll try harder later. My stomach wants crepes now." Kyouka states, making the two of us burst into laughter.

Ah. Is this what Dazai referred to as trust?

It's been a full day since I hadn't thought about suicide, and I have this Armed Detective Agency to thank.

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