The Tiger and Her (Bungou Stray Dogs Fan-fic)

Chapter 9

Back at the Agency, Atsushi sat outside the door to the infirmary, nervously glancing at the door where Kyouka was resting and being treated by Yosano. She jumped when a voice called out to her.

"Why must you bring something so troublesome here?" It was Kunikida, holding Kyouka's phone in his hand before throwing it toward Atsushi, who fumbled with it. "We've already taken the battery out before you ask."

Atsushi stared at the phone, frowning. "To think that a girl like this would..."

"It's Port Mafia; in fact, they take advantage of her appearance to lure people in and lower people's guards before slaughtering them all. She's a well-known assassin in these parts." Kunikida explained.

Atsushi glanced at a newspaper next to her, the front page reporting on the recent assassination by Kyouka: the deaths of a police officer and his family.

"This time, someone saw her face so it's only a matter of time she'll be caught and sentenced to death. Luckily, Port Mafia has hidden her identity as much as possible so it'll still take some time until she's recognized, but her punishment is inevitable."

Atsushi clenched her hands tightly, a rueful smile on her face. "In the end, it's the victim who get's punished again."

Kunikida raised an eyebrow at Atsushi's comment, but before he could say anything, the door to the infirmary opened. Atsushi quickly got up and moved away as Yosano appeared.

"She woke up."

The two walked in, silently standing next to the bed Kyouka rested in, who's blank eyes stared at the ceiling. Yosano left to give the three some room.

Kunikida attempted to interrogate her. Key word: attempted.

All Kyouka answered was that she wanted boiled tofu from the Tachibana restaurant, which meant a not pleased Kunikida. Before he could do anything rash, however, Atsushi interrupted, turning toward Kyouka with a warm smile.

"So you want to eat there? That's alright; let's go now."

Kunikida stared incredulously at Atsushi, who made sure not to look back at Kunikida.

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A couple of bowls of boiled tofu later (Kunikida ordered nothing, and Atsushi was content with some tea), Kyouka was ready to talk.

"When I was orphaned," Kyouka started, satisfied with her boiled tofu, "the Mafia took me in. They wanted to make use of my ability. Demon Snow only listens to the voice from this cell phone." She put her cell phone on the table; Atsushi returned it to her shortly after leaving the Agency.

Kunikida nodded, staring at the phone. "So the Mafia exploited that fact to turn you into an assassin."

"What about throwing the cell phone away?" Atsushi asked, more curious than anything.

Kyouka gripped her phone tightly. "Then, I would get killed. Even if I did, I would have nowhere to go."

"Who's the one giving orders from the phone?" Kunikida asked.

"A man named Akutagawa," was what Kyouka answered, causing the already tense atmosphere to worsen.

Kunikida stood up, gesturing for Atsushi to follow him to talk to her alone.

"I will be reporting this to the Agency and president. You should turn over that girl to the military police, Atsushi. Make sure the girl doesn't notice what you're doing."

Atsushi's eyes widened. "But if I do—!"

"She killed 35 people, so the only punishment waiting for her is the death penalty. If she returns to the Mafia, it'll be no different. She'll be executed as a traitor." Atsushi bit her lip. Kunikida was not done.