Bungou Stray Dogs the Untold Origin of the Detective Agency

Section 1: The Daily Lives of a Certain Detective Agency

"That sounds pretty serious... I understand how you feel, though..." Tanizaki made an uncomfortable face.

"There's no one in the Detective Agency who can control Dazai—that rotten vagabond—other than me. No, strictly speaking, no one can, but... the president put me in charge of supervising him. That says a lot about the president's trust in me. Therefore, I can't just so easily let go of that guy's reins—"

Stopping in the middle of his sentence, Kunikida was suddenly at a loss for words. Looking up at the ceiling, he rubbed his eyes, saying quizzically, "Huh...? Did the lighting just get worse...?"

Tanizaki looked up at the lighting; however, there was nothing abnormal about the fluorescent lights.

"That's my signal~"

A voice sang out of tune at the café's entrance.

"Uwaaah!"

Kunikida's seat made a loud rattling sound.

Standing at the entrance was a tall young man.

A sand-colored coat and black, unkempt hair. A tall, thin figure stood in front of the entrance, holding a paper bag in his right hand.

Dazai Osamu. Like the other two, he was a member of the Armed Detective Agency.

"My, no matter when I hear them, Kunikida-kun's screams are wonderful. That reaction is like watching your life shorten before my very eyes. Oh, and Ma'am, I'll take my usual black tea."

The middle-aged café owner poked her face out from the inside of the store, saying "Oh, Dazai-chan, what a nice man to see as always!"

Saying, "And you're a nice woman, Ma'am," Dazai waved his hands, taking a seat next to Kunikida.

The narrow seat became even narrower.

"Dazai... What did you come here for?" Kunikida asked in a low voice, as if he was a wounded animal trying to intimidate a predator.

"Eh? Obviously, I came to shorten Kunikida-kun's lifespan."

Before he had even finished speaking, Dazai was being strangled.

"You—! How much do you need to increase my problems—? You—! I—! Just how much—!"

"Uhehahahahaha!" Dazai laughed while being shaken.

"H-hey, you two. We're indoors."

Tanizaki looked around the café uncomfortably. However, this café was in the same building as the Detective Agency. The customers and the clerk alike were accustomed to both Dazai's eccentricities and Kunikida's yelling. The customers and café workers all watched them with affection, as if they were elementary school-aged brothers fighting.

Tanizaki met the warm gazes of the other customers and, with an "Ahaha," forced a smile. They only laughed.

Kunikida was still shaking Dazai, and Dazai still seemed to be quite enjoying being shaken.

"You're too free-spirited! Today, too, you only decide to show your face at this hour... You skipped work, and then what?! You were just off bothering people somewhere, right?! Who do you think has to apologize and clean up after you?!"

"Who? ...Well, obviously that's—"

"Who said you could speak?!"

Kunikida wrung Dazai's neck, causing a light snapping sound.

Dazai made a happy expression.

"Um, about that," Tanizaki interrupted. "What I was just talking to Kunikida-san about relates to that. When Dazai-san asked me 'Do you know why the Armed Detective Agency was created?', I mean."