《SONDER》 | Bungou Stray Dogs

01 | Mentor

Dazai placed his coat around Akutagawa's shoulders, and the rest was twisted history.
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How ungrateful a child, in the face of his generous bestowal.

"Let's introduce ourselves. I am Dazai. Dazai Osamu."

Dazai took notice of the subtle curl of the orphan's bony fingers against the hem of his tatters. A face confusedly searching for the right emotion to display, when he was barren of any...

Dazai liked that expression better.

"I am-"

"I know who you are," Dazai cut him off, raising a hand.

"Akutagawa, correct? I have been waiting for you."

"Why did you kill them?" Akutagawa asked straightaway, and with bite. No fear. This child, he's not terrified of anything. However, Dazai's patience could not be tested tonight. There was something that he wanted, and he'll take his sweet time.

Why, indeed?

Looking down at his crimson-caked feet, the brunet saw six of the port mafia's hundred collared dogs. They were from a subordinate organization, chosen to carry out a mission at this unholy hour of the night.

Excellent connections, faultless loyalty- but scum in value next to Akutagawa. Dazai's eyes casually left the corpses.

"You wanted to kill these guys, right?" He smiled. "That's why you came here. For anyone planning to ambush these guys on their way to the transaction, this forest path would be ideal."

He lapsed into a thorough explanation, dissecting Akutagawa's plan of ambuscade like it were the mere works of logic. And it was, at least to Dazai.

Those who recieve the beatings of the street tend to carve flawless wiles into their own flesh. In that sense alone, it should not be difficult to understand each other.

Without a need for further clarity, Akutagawa's nose wrinkled. The blood smelled nasty, and something clawed at his insides still.

'I didn't doubt that you could kill your own underlings,' the younger boy seemed to say, 'it's a matter of why you would.'

Even that much was easy to read. Dazai obliged.

"I was actually promoted today. They put me up as one of the excecutive members. Well, it's really just a title they slapped on me, which means that my responsibilities and the annoying things that come with them have increased...

But there are perks that come with a title. An excecutive member has the right to freely take on whatever underlings they wish.

You asked me why I killed these guys, right? That's simple- it's my gift to you," Dazai concluded. "You don't look like the type to be bought with status or money, so I figured this would be the sort of payment that would attract your attention."

I am the demon, this is your hell. If you cry out, then you've called for me and me alone- and seeing that you have surrendered to such bitter silence, understand already that I crawled out to take you myself.

Akutagawa understood.

"I want to persuade you into joining the Port Mafia-"

Shing!

The hungry ability obliges itself, devouring the ten-foot space that kept their worlds from colliding.

Dazai foresaw the attack, but did not witness it. Instead, he found himself taking interest in Akutagawa's hollow eyes. They locked onto his and searched for the shock of sudden death that never came.