女面 - Bungo Stray Dogs Fanfiction

第二十一話

It was a miracle that after all that had happened, none of the civilians were harmed. Nor were they aware of the spectacular damages that happened in the conceded zone of Yokohama. Of course, there were only a handful of people who knew all too well what truly happened just the hours prior. Port Mafia was no exception, for they, too, played a huge role in bringing back the peace of their beloved city.

"Were you aware of the trick, Boss?" questioned Chuuya, in reference to his involvement with taking down the Red Dragon. With Akutagawa's solicited help, he was able to return to the Mafia headquarters in one piece, as to how he stood straight before his Boss in the latter's room.

The middle-aged man sat on the armchair placed in the middle of the room, in front of the glass window where he could have a wide view of Yokohama. Next to his chair was a wooden table, with a teapot set placed atop. "Dazai-kun was acting on his own, and I expected he would need your help." he explained, keeping both elbows supported on the armrests. Then, fully aware of his subordinate's relationship with the said ex-mafioso, he cheekily added, "As a forerunner."

"So I was an opening act?" remarked the Mafia Executive.

"Dazai-kun is the star." stated Mori.

"And what do I get in return?" asked Chuuya, both out of curiosity and mischief.

To which his Boss answered, "The return of order in this city."

A smile then stretched across the orange-haired man's face. "The peace of this city, huh?"

"Good work." praised Mori.

Chuuya turned around and began making his way for the door. "You don't need to thank me. It was your order. I'm just doing my job."

Just as he was about to take another step forward and reach for the doorknob, Mori's next sentence caused him to halt in his tracks. "Thank you for helping Fumiko."

The Mafia Executive was silent at first. It might seem that he was taken aback by what his Boss said, should one look from his back. But that didn't wasn't the case as he murmured, "You're welcome." Chuuya finally left his Boss's office and shut the door behind him. He stood there and stared at the ground, his mind filled with past events. Specifically, the eighty-eight days that produced the most corpses in the history of the Yokohama underworld, and the tumultuous event that dragged many organisations into itself - The Dragon Head Conflict.

Or rather, the year before.

"Nothing can be done about this." signed the despondent Mori. "The delivery of smuggled guns is two weeks late. Soon, my men will have to fight using kitchen knives. That's not all. Turf wars will intensify, and businesses won't want our protection anymore." The doctor then heaved an exhausted sigh. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this." Finally, he spun around on his swivel chair and looked at his subordinate who sat across the small room. "What do you think, Dazai-kun?"

The said teenager looked up with a nonchalant expression. "Listen, Mori-san." he began while using a glass rod to stir a peculiar mixture in the beaker he was holding. "Yes, you lack money, information, and trust from the members, but we knew that all along."

"How mean." sulked the older man, whose attention was soon on the beaker. "By the way, why are you mixing the medicine for low BP and high BP?"

"I figured I could die easily if I took it all in one gulp." was Dazai's flat reply.

"Dazai-kun. You were there when I inherited the Port Mafia from the previous Boss. You are the proof and the witness. I can't have you dropping like a fly." The said boy was about to take a sip, but after listening to the latter statement, he lowered the beaker as he kept his gaze on the Mafia Boss, recalling the night he witnessed the man murdering the bedridden ex-Boss.