"If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things."
- Sun Tzu (The Art of War)
~oOo~
"The timer's started...?!" Seiko widened her eyes in shock as she watched the seconds count down on the bomb. "There isn't enough time to run!"
The young girl let out a gasp when the bomber suddenly wrapped an arm around her neck and forced her to stand up. "Sei-chan/Seiko-chan!" Dazai and Atsushi yelled, their eyes widened in shock at the sight of the child now being held hostage.
"If anyone even tries to stop the bomb, this brat will be the first to go down!" The crazed male yelled for everyone to hear. Seiko's expression grimaced in pain as she attempted to pull off the arm around her neck, but the man's hold was firm.
Kunikida growled as he hurriedly ran towards their direction. "Oi! Let her go this instant, you bastard!" He yelled, reaching towards the young girl.
"Oh no, you don't!" The bomber snapped, quickly kicking the blonde away and sending him flying towards Dazai's direction. The brunette ducked to the side as soon as Kunikida flew over to him, the latter's back hitting the wall and causing him to slide down to the floor with a groan.
"Kunikida-san!" Seiko cried in worry for the man.
"Damn it!" Dazai gritted his teeth in frustration as he glared over at the bomber and the captured Seiko. "If I try anything, I won't be able to guarantee Sei-chan's safety!"
"What should I do...?" Atsushi panickedly looked at the bomb, only nineteen seconds remaining. He widened his eyes in realization when he recalled Dazai's words from earlier.
"We may be able to mitigate the force of the explosion somewhat if we can find something to cover the bomb..."
"Something to cover the bomb..." The young man muttered to himself in thought, sweat running down his face as he hurriedly looked around the room. "Something...! Anything?!"
He then noticed the bounded hostage next to him, the young woman's eyes widening with fright and worry over his next action. Atsushi sweated nonstop in panic as thoughts ran rampant in his head, before glancing over to see that twelve seconds now remained.
The next moment, he suddenly pushed the hostage away from the bomb, the woman landing in Dazai's arms. "Atsushi-kun!" The brunette yelled, before widening his eyes in shock at what he saw. "What?!"
Atsushi clutched the ticking bomb close to his chest before covering it with his entire body. "Huh?" He blinked, as if disbelieving his own actions. "What am I doing?"
Two seconds remaining...
"Idiot!" Dazai shouted.
"Brat!" Kunikida yelled in alarm, holding himself up against the wall.
"Atsushi-san!" Seiko cried, her blue eyes dilating in shock before shutting them in terror, as if bracing herself for her friend's fate.
Atsushi squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the explosion that would surely kill him upon contact.
0 seconds remaining...
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Atsushi slowly opened his eyes in confusion when nothing happened.
"Jeez..." The young man looked up to see Kunikida, Dazai, Seiko, and the bomber standing over him completely unharmed, looking at him curiously. "I figured he was stupid, but I didn't know how stupid. This has got to be on Seiko's level or something."
"Huh?" Atsushi sat up in utter confusion.
"He has the talent to become a suicide maniac," Dazai commented with a smile, before looking over at the bomber. "Wouldn't you agree, Tanizaki-kun?"
"Sorry..." The bomber(?), Tanizaki sheepishly apologized, before gasping and looking down at Seiko in a panic. "Ah, that's right! Seiko-chan, are you okay?! I didn't grip you too hard, did I?!"
"No, no, it's okay!" Seiko waved off his concern with a cheerful smile. "It was actually pretty exciting to be a hostage in such a situation!"
"Is...is that so?" Tanizaki sweatdropped, a bit put off by her behavior, albeit relieved that she wasn't hurt. Then he turned his attention back to Atsushi, who was blinking in utter confusion at this point. "Again, sorry to you as well...are you okay?"
"..................huh?" was all the orphan could say.
"Aw, brother ~ !" The now-freed hostage, Naomi suddenly squealed affectionately, lunging towards Tanizaki and tightly embracing him, hitting his chin with her head as she did so. "Are you all right ~ ?!"
"What?" Atsushi twitched his eye in bemusement at the scene.
"You were so wonderful as a villain!" Naomi gushed as she ran a finger down a visibly uncomfortable Tanizaki's chest, her cheeks blushing with adoration. "I had the time of my life being tied up and threatened!"
Tanizaki Junichirou
Ability: Light Snow
His Younger Sister
Tanizaki Naomi
Naomi moved her finger up to her older brother's neck, unsettling him even further as chills ran up his body. "Please continue where we left off, once we get home ~ " She cooed.
Atsushi watched the entire exchange with twitching eyes, a faint blush on his cheeks at the unusual interaction between siblings. "So the part-time person was in cahoots with everyone, too?" He questioned with emotionless eyes and a lost expression.
"Brat, you should blame Dazai," Kunikida sighed. "Barring that, blame yourself for choosing the wrong person to help you find a job!"
"Then is this the job..." Atsushi slowly put the pieces together in his head.
"Mhm!" Seiko gave a jovial nod with a grin. "And you passed with flying colors! Congratulations! Did you like my act, by the way, Atsushi-san?"
"P-passed?" Atsushi repeated.
"I told you there was a test involved." Dazai said with a nonchalant smile.
"As in, an entrance exam...?" Atsushi trailed off in disbelief.
"That's right."
Everybody turned to see a tall, middle-aged man with shoulder-length silver hair and a stern expression on his features, his figure donning a green yukata under a black mantle with golden borders, and sandals over long white socks, walk out of the shadows of a hallway. Seiko's sapphire eyes brightened with joy when she saw who it was.
"Ah ~ ! Uncle Yuki!" She squealed, running over to the man to wrap her arms around his waist. The stoic man gave the young girl a gentle pat on the head before looking back up at the group.
"The entrance exam has been completed without much ado, president." One of the employees smiled as she informed him.
"I see." The silver-haired man nodded.
"President?" Atsushi repeated, confused over the new arrival.
"Since Dazai said there was a capable young man, I had him test your mettle." The man explained, fixating him with a stern gaze as Seiko released him, though she remained close by his side.
President of the Armed Detective Agency
Fukuzawa Yukichi
Ability: All Men Are Equal
Atsushi let out a small gasp in realization. "Well, I recommended you for hire," Dazai explained, before lifting up a hand with his palm facing up as he continued. "But since you've been designated a major threat by the ward, there was disagreement among us as to whether to take you in."
"But Dazai said..." Fukuzawa began to explain.
~oOo~
"President."
Fukuzawa looked up from his desk to see Dazai standing in front of it. "Suppose the most gifted person in the world appeared before you," the brunette said. "Would you hire him?"
"Power doesn't make you a member of the agency," Fukuzawa replied. "Even if he was strong enough to protect Seiko when there's nobody else around, it still wouldn't be enough."
Dazai simply gave a knowing smile at his words.
"That's why I recommend him." He said.
~oOo~
Kunikida turned towards Fukuzawa and asked him, "So, president... What is your decision?"
Everybody's attention was on the agency's president to hear his answer, though Dazai looked as though he already knew it.
"...I'll let Dazai decide." Fukuzawa replied as he turned and began walking away, but not before giving Seiko another pat on the head.
"You can trust me." Dazai said as the president made his leave.
"W-wait a minute, Dazai-san," Atsushi stuttered, standing up while clutching the fake bomb to his chest. "So the job you meant to introduce me for was..."
"I said you passed the test with flying colors, Atsushi-san!" Seiko excitedly chirped, her smile unchanging.
"That's right," Dazai nodded, before fully turning around to face Atsushi with Seiko standing between him and Kunikida. "Welcome to the Armed Detective Agency, Nakajima Atsushi-kun."
"Congratulations!" Naomi smiled after dragging her brother over with her and hugging his arm.
"I'm glad I was able to help." Tanizaki awkwardly piped up.
"You're going to love it here, Atsushi-san!" Seiko beamed up at the teenager.
"Oh, please, no," Atsushi panickedly refused, sweatdropping. "I can't possibly join a workplace as violent and reckless as this."
"What are you talking about, Atsushi-san?" Seiko blew her cheeks up at him in annoyance. "I spend every day here, and you don't hear me complaining. Besides, you'll fit right in!"
"Not just anyone would use their body to shield a bomb to save everyone." Dazai told him.
"That's right. I was really impressed!" Naomi agreed while hugging Tanizaki's arm.
"You'll be fine." Dazai assured Atsushi.
"But..." The orphan frowned doubtfully.
~oOo~
Meanwhile, back in Fukuzawa's office...
A young office lady with long brown hair and red glasses placed a cup of steaming tea on the president's desk. "So, president, do you actually want him to join the agency, then?" She asked the middle-aged man.
Secretary
Haruno Kirako
Fukuzawa wordlessly took the cup of tea, before opening his eyes and looking inside it. Haruno blinked and peeked over at it, noticing a small, tiny stick floating on the surface of the tea. "Oh, a tea leaf's standing straight up..." She noted, before giving the president a closed-eye smile.
"I think something good will happen, president."
Fukuzawa stared at the tea leaf in silence, before taking a sip.
"Ouch." was all he said after drinking the hot tea.
~oOo~
Atsushi was now sitting on a chair with a hesitant expression, while everybody else was gathered around him. "Still, well..." Dazai mused as he held his chin in thought. "If you still refuse, we can't force you."
"Dazai-kun?" Seiko blinked up at her caretaker curiously as she sat in a swivel chair next to him.
"But then, I can't help but worry for your future," Dazai continued with a thoughtful frown. "We'll need you to vacate the company dorm... You don't really have any specialized skills, nor do you have friends or know anyone..."
Atsushi grimaced at the brunette's words. "That'd make finding a job very difficult." Dazai went on. "Besides, you are a wanted tiger."
"Eh?!" Atsushi's jaw dropped at the news, though Dazai continued to speak.
"Should anyone learn of that, at best you'd get fired from your job," the brunette mused. "At worst, you'd be captured and shot dead."
"Sh-shot dead?!" Atsushi yelped in terror.
"Now, if you were with this agency..." Dazai said, before giving the poor boy a cunning smile with an anime sparkle twinkling next to his head. "...it'd be a different story."
"Th-then that means...!" Atsushi paled with a sweatdrop in realization.
"We look forward to working together with you, Atsushi-san," Naomi smiled, before choking Tanizaki with a loving hug. "Don't we, brother ~ ?"
"Follow the rules, brat," Kunikida leaned back in his chair with his hands folded, before gesturing over at Seiko. "Now that you're a part of the agency, that means you share the responsibility of watching over Seiko since she's a child under the agency's protection."
"No pressure or anything, Atsushi-san ~ " Seiko nonchalantly waved at him with a cute smile.
"Well, now that's been settled..." Dazai smiled.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Atsushi sweatdropped, with no clue about how his life will turn out at this point.