Marble || Edogawa Ranpo

Case 21

Ring... ring... ring... ring

Your phone is vibrating inside your pocket, and you whipped it out to answer it without looking at the caller since you were still driving. Upon answering, the first thing that you heard is, "Hello (Name)-chan? Please, I need your help! I'm dying!" With the voice talking in a panic tone, you recognized it was Dazai.

"What happened, Dazai-san?"

"Ah, how should I say this... I'm in trouble and I'm surrounded by my enemies right now."

Enemies?

"Where are you? Are you alone?" You pull your car to side road so that you can have a proper conversation. Dazai sounds like he was really in trouble. Could it be that it was his enemies that he made during his time with the mafia or someone that still want to harm the agency members? Or was he being kidnapped right now? 

"Yes. No one is answering my call right now but then I remembered I still haven't dialed your number yet."

"Where are you?"

Dazai gives you the location and you drive to the address as soon as you can. With the peace that has returned to the city after the agency won over the Guild, you can see construction workers is repairing the road and building that were destroyed before is being demolished to be rebuild again. There are many casualties in Yokohama, many lives were lost due to the war, but the land is still saved, and everyone is continuing their life as usual including you.

You have read the paper that featured Atsushi on the front page, and it was hard not to feel proud that you have met the boy. Arriving at the place that Dazai mentioned, you wonder if the address he sends you were correct one or not since it was...

.

.

.

"Even in your most cute and adorable form, I would not be deceived by your looks, you fiend!" Dazai voice boom in exaggerates way as he is pointing his finger.

"I know what devil possessed in you and that you were biding time until we will lower our guard. However, I am not one of those who will fall for such a measly trick. How many ladies have you lot deceived with that doe eyes and take advantage of them with thy beastly visage? What a fiendish creature you lot are!" He bellows as though in shame and shake his head in disagreement.

You fake cough to get his attention since he was apparently too busy and preoccupied with his own free drama in front of inanimate objects.

"Ah, (Name)-chan! I'm so glad that you really come!"

"Dazai-san, what is the meaning of this?"

Crossing your arms together, you furrowed your eyebrows at him and tap your feet on the ground with a judging look on your face.

"It is exactly as you see." He stated and spread his arms widely. "I am dying here! Look at their eyes! I bet they must be planning to kill me in my sleep later. I can't believe many girls and children have fallen for their devious trap!"

Why in the world is he... doing as he pleased by arranging all plushies around him in the middle of the mall? And on top of that, he was surrounded by many dog plushies. So, that is his enemies that he spoke about? Onlookers that passing by already give him a weird look which he didn't even pay attention to it.

"I need your help to detect any deception to make sure it is safe for Kyouka-chan and Atsushi-kun!"

"Why are you choosing plushie for them? Is it their birthdays?"

"Oh, you didn't know? We are going to hold a celebration for Kyouka-chan since she will officially join the agency after she passes her entrance exam and because we didn't celebrate Atsushi-kun before, we will do it for both of them." Dazai answers and he is sending you a troubled look. "That's why I need your help, (Name)-chan! There's just too many of them that I can't decide which one."