PART II: PROPAGATION

'Tell me again. This is a

what?! '

Chin resting on his folded hands, Chuuya sighs and, for the tenth time this morning, repeats, 'It 's a dragon egg. '

Yuan, lying next to him, albeit with a much more dramatic expression, looks between him and Kafka ' that 's the name he has settled on. For now. It 's really not that easy naming something. Chuuya feels like a parent. 'And you 're fine with having that thing in your bedroom? In your

bed

? '

'Trust me. It took me a few hours to get over it, too, but I mean ' it 's just an egg, right? I doubt that it will actually hatch. '

'I doubt that it would sell for a few million yen if it didn 't. '

'No, dragon eggs are supposed to be really valuable. That 's why it was so expensive. '

'Okay, sorry. I didn 't know you suddenly turned into a dragon egg expert, ' Yuan quips and holds out her hands in a mock apology as she sits up. 'And you 're saying Dazai bought it for you. As a present? '

'Pretty much, yeah. '

'I don 't want to sound like the others ' because I know you have your plans to do something about all of this, but ' don 't you think it 's odd? The way the actual boss of the port mafia acts around you? Letting you live in a penthouse, dressing you up, gifting you fucking dragon eggs? '

Chuuya finally tears his gaze away from Kafka and glances at Yuan. 'Honestly? From what I 've seen, it 's not that strange. '

Yuan looks at him like he just told her that he popped the damn egg himself.

So he tries again. 'I mean, yeah, he 's pretty smart, and trust me, I 'm sure he has ulterior motives with every single that he does, but he also seems ' bored to me. With his position. His life. With everything. At the end of the day, a part of him is just like the rest of us, you know, messing around for the fun of it. '

'Chuuya, that man took over the mafia and doubled their income in a matter of few days. He took out that armed organizations from the west ' the one that the military battled for

weeks

' in

a few hours

. That 's not the work of some young, normal guy

. '

He presses out a tired smile, feeling the lack of sleep settle over his bones like second skin. 'Okay, okay. I 'm not saying he 's not dangerous because he definitely is, but he seems to insist on getting close to me for some reason. We should use it to our advantage. '

Yuan raises her brows. 'Close as in doing the dirty tango? '

'Uh, no. No, not like that. I doubt I could get anything out of him with sex. '

'What, Luca wasn 't good? '

When they were still involved, Chuuya felt terrible for even thinking that. Afterwards, he wrote it off as both of them being inexperienced. Still, now that he had a lot of time thinking about it, he can admit to himself that Luca was shit at it. The whole thing. Kissing, sex, and, most of all, being loyal and honest. 'Luca was a mistake that I don 't care to repeat again. '

Yuan 's teasing smirk only fades after another minute or so before she nods and cringes. 'You 're right. That boy does not know how to use his tongue. '

Chuuya blinks.

'Oh, right. Sorry, I never told you. It never seemed like the right moment. '

'It wasn 't when we were still ' '

'Oh my god, no! I 'm an idiot but not a traitorous whore! It was before you two started mooning at each other. Way, way before. A drunk experiment that

failed. '

It 's both disturbing knowledge while at the same time oddly comical. Chuuya decides to put it away, for now, to focus on more important things. 'Anyways. No sex with Dazai. No sex with anyone. ' Yuan makes a face. 'I was thinking of a more psychological approach. You know, Dazai really doesn 't like the rest of you. '

'Well, gee, thanks. Can 't say that I would invite the guy for a cup of coffee either. '

'I meant that he seems to dislike the sheep as a whole. As a concept. So what if I play right into what he

wants

to happen, which is us fighting among each other? ' Chuuya can 't help but huff out a bitter laugh before continuing. 'Technically, I wouldn 't even have to act since it 's pretty much what is already happening. '

Sighing, Yuan scoots closer to ruffle his head. 'They don 't hate you, babe. Everything 's just ' changing, and you know how well they deal with that. And to be fair, it 's not like you 're around much. '

Chuuya is aware of that. At first, he had the excuse of that whole

it 's about the symbolism

thing, but now ' he 's scared. Scared that he won 't be able to climb over the wall that his friends have built around them without giving him a key to come in.

'I 'll come to visit you guys soon. I swear. ' The Chuuya a month ago would have refused to believe that the Chuuya now has never even been to his friends ' quarters

once.

'They 're not treating you like slaves, are they? ' It 's a question that 's barely even audible because it 's one of those things that keep Chuuya up at night. What if the entire time he 's been sleeping in a bed thrice the size of him and enjoying all the luxuries that Dazai has been giving him, his friends have been worked to the bone? Forced to do ' god knows what? Is his so-called plan even worth it then?

Is any of it?

Yuan 's bright laugh shatters his thoughts. 'God, you 're so dramatic. They 've been treating us like teenagers. '

'Really? '

'Yeah. I have work, like, once every four days and most of the time it 's a few hours. I have a roof over my head, and it doesn 't smell like piss and mold all the time. Yes, I have to share my space with those fuckers, but it 's not like I 'm not used to that. '

Chuuya tilts his head. 'So, what kind of jobs are you getting? '

'Well, most of the time, I just shadow some boring, old fuckers who think I 'm some kind of secretary that 's there to bring them coffee and light their damn cigarettes! '

That 's ' frustrating, yes, but, at least, not as horrible as Chuuya made it out in his head.

'I wish it was more exciting, ' Yuan tells him with a groan. 'What 's the point in learning how to get someone with a knife if the mafia 's not going to use it to make me into a weapon?! '

'Careful, ' Chuuya mutters. 'Or Luca might start accusing you of sucking up to them, too. '

'Don 't listen to him. He just doesn 't know how to pick his battles. '

Chuuya hopes that 's true ' that

he

knows how to pick them, but acting like the mafia managed to drive a wedge between the sheep and him ' it might work and push him closer to Dazai ' and that might be the key to everything. The hard part is actually convincing his friend that 's it 's still an act and not Chuuya being a naive little whore as Luca so kindly put it last time.

Letting go of that particular subject, Chuuya kicks Yuan 's leg instead. 'Do you really not want to move in? ' This apartment is too damn big for him. Too empty.

Yuan offers him an apologetic smile. 'As much as I want to ' it 'd make the others all worked up over nothing again, feeling like they 're excluded blablabla, and you just said it yourself. You want Dazai to think we 're having problems. Can 't have them when we 're all living together like a happy family. '

Chuuya supposes she has a point, but if they base it on some of the truth anyway, it would make sense to still have Yuan here. She 's always been the smartest one.

He opens his mouth to complain about it when the sound of the elevator announcing a visitor echoes through the rooms. Kouyou calls first when she sends someone for him. No one else has the key card except for '

'That 's Dazai, ' Chuuya mouths silently, and Yuan stares back at him with equally wide eyes.

'Chuuya, ' comes Dazai 's voice from the kitchen. 'I picked up an excellent book for ' oh. ' He stops short when he catches the two of them lying on the bed, the egg between them. 'What 's she doing here? '

Yuan 's carefully blank expression immediately shifts into battle armor. 'I have a name, you prick. '

Chuuya has to stifle a loud snort, coughing into his hand.

Dazai 's eyes narrow ever so slightly though he mostly just looks lazy and annoyed, unruffled as he leans against the doorframe and crosses his arm. The book disappearing somewhere. 'Yuan, right? Well, how about it? You can leave now. '

'This is Chuuya 's place, ' Yuan is quick to shoot back, jutting out her chin. 'Right? ' It 's a silent challenge to make Dazai reveal his true colors. Clever, but not deep enough for someone like him.

Except that Dazai 's eyes immediately find Chuuya before he, like a petulant child, demands, 'Tell her to go, Chuuya. '

Chuuya lets out a nervous laugh.

'It 's time for your lessons, ' Dazai adds, and oh, that 's

mean.

'What lessons? ' Yuan wants to know.

'Uh, mafia lessons, of course, ' Chuuya says with a shrug. 'There 's so much to learn, you know? But it 's also really boring, and I don 't want to keep you busy. '

Yuan puffs out a sigh. 'Fine ' I will go

if

' ' Her gaze finds Dazai. '-- you give me a better job. '

Dazai doesn 't even pretend to acknowledge her. Instead, he gazes at Chuuya and waits for him patiently, completely unbothered.

'Stop ignoring me! I want a better job! You 're the boss, so you can make it happen! '

'Yuan would fit into Kouyou 's team, ' Chuuya suggests.

Dazai lets out a soft snort. 'Kouyou breaks her subordinates before she remodels them into perfect puppets. That 's not a job for a grunt. '

'I 'm a grunt, ' Chuuya retorts. 'And I 'm doing fine. '

'You 're strong, ' Dazai says.

The comment makes Chuuya swallow. He knows that he 's strong ' he

is '

but hearing it from Dazai, and that odd conviction in his tone, like uttering a fact, is strange.

Still.

'Yuan 's just as strong, ' he says.

'And Yuan is here, ' she pipes in. 'I can handle it, and I 'll leave you alone. Isn 't that what you want? '

Finally, Dazai lets out a sigh, his fingers flicking over Yuan. 'I can ask Kouyou to

consider

you. That 's all I 'm going to give you. ' Yuan 's face breaks out into a triumphant grin. 'Now scram. '

'Well, have fun with your

lessons

then. ' Yuan shoots him a look that 's a little over-the-top annoyed but considering her personality, it might be just enough to come off as honest to Dazai. 'And Chuuya, come visit us every once in a while. Don 't forget about, you know, your friends and family who took you in when you were a scrawny, little, naked boy who didn 't know what a loaf of bread was. ' Now she makes herself sound just like Shirase, but '

Dazai 's brows twitch when Chuuya casts a glance towards him to see whether he 's buying it. It doesn 't look like a

I know they 're just pretending

kind of frown. As Yuan heads out again, Chuuya sits there, waiting for Dazai to say something, but he waits until the echo of the door falling shut rings through the apartment before pushing away from the threshold and flicking away an invisible speck of dust.

'Why is the egg in your bed? ' he asks, walking over to the table they use for studying.

'What 's wrong with that? '

'Aren 't you afraid of crushing it while you 're asleep? '

'It 's not like I sleep with it, ' Chuuya huffs as he takes a seat across from Dazai. 'I just want it to be ' comfortable. '

Dazai 's eyes flicker up to him, glimmering with amusement. 'It is an

egg. '

'And it 's

my

egg, so why do you have so many opinions about it? '

'All right, all right. ' Dazai shoves the book he brought towards Chuuya ' clearly an attempt to shut him up. 'Look, learning to write will be easier with this book. '

For the next thirty minutes, Dazai explains several new things about writing with the help of the exercise book before he eventually lets Chuuya copy some phrases to practice his writing while he gets up to start rummaging through the kitchen again. Usually, Chuuya would tell him to mind his damn business instead of snooping around, but there 's nothing worth discovering here, so he saves his energy on trying to learn.

Dazai, however, seems to have other plans. 'Chuuya darling, do you ever eat? '

The question attached at the end basically makes him forget about the stupid nickname. 'Duh? '

'Everything in here is unopened and untouched. Completely virginized. '

Well ' Chuuya squints, trying to remember what it was that he ate the last few days. He wasn 't even home yesterday, having grabbed food at the city hall. The day before ' he had a snack at the shop near the tower ' and today, Yuan brought him a croissant from the bakery.

'I eat, ' he finally says.

'Otherwise, you wouldn 't be so obnoxiously fit, I realize that, ' Dazai mutters, still trying to find something in the cupboards. 'But do you cook? '

'Not really. '

His reply is a muffled grumbling noise before Dazai disappears in the pantry room altogether. Chuuya returns to his textbook, so he doesn 't see him walk out again. He hears him shuffling around and doing things, though, and sue him; he has always been easy to distract, which is why he ends up watching Dazai spread out in the kitchen, turn on the stove and start chopping something.

He 's ' cooking?

The action is so odd that Chuuya decides to pretend like it 's not happening a few feet away. That only works for so long. Because at some point when the pan on the stove is sizzling, a delicious smell wafting through the rooms, Dazai must get a phone call since he starts talking to someone ' and that someone is clearly not Chuuya.

'-- again? Well, find out who and where they 're taking her. As soon as you know, we take the highway and use one of the state troopers on our payroll. Yes. Yes, do that. Don 't waste too much time. '

It sounds like someone disappeared ' or rather was kidnapped but despite how stressful something like that should be, Dazai peacefully continues stirring the pot. Chuuya truly does

not

get the guy. If someone from the sheep was taken, half of the city would be leveled by now. Then again, the difference is that the mafia has

thousands

while the sheep have a mere 27 members.

Chuuya tries to return his attention to the exercises at hand, knows that the clock is ticking even though he still has more than five months to master writing and reading, but it 's easier said than done when Dazai does absolutely nothing to be discrete about the business he 's dealing with during his phone calls ' and it 's absolutely relevant mafia business: names of subordinates that sound important, locations, numbers. Chuuya is sitting a few feet away, perfectly able to hear everything, yet Dazai doesn 't seem to mind one bit.

He is almost glad when he hears the clinking of dishware instead. Sure enough, when he casts a glance in the direction of the kitchen, Dazai is loading whatever he just cooked onto two plates and turning around to '

Chuuya 's head snaps back to his books, and he scribbles a few characters on the sheet to, at least, appear like he hasn 't been blatantly staring all this time. A few moments later, a plate with chicken, rice, and bok choy gets placed in front of him before he hears Dazai say, 'eat. '

Chuuya gingerly lifts his eyes and watches Dazai sit down across from him with his own plate, shoving some of the material on the table aside, then grab the chopsticks and dig in. Dazai takes a bite or two and then sighs. 'It 's not poisoned, Chuuya. '

'I didn 't think it was, ' Chuuya says with a shrug. 'Just surprised, 's all. I figured you 'd have your own chef that cooks for you. '

'I used to be a kid that had to fend for himself too. '

Right. Dazai has not always been the boss of the mafia. It 's strange to think of him and imagine anything other than the current man sitting at the table, though; strange to think of him as a human who needs to eat, drink, and sleep just like everyone else... even despite what he told Yuan earlier. Dazai's humanity has levels.

Chuuya hums in reply before finally picking up a bite and lifting it to his mouth. Truth be told, after years of eating garbage leftovers, impressing him with food is not exactly a challenging task. Still, he chews, and a delightful taste seeps through his mouth, eliciting another happier hum in the back of his throat as he takes another bite.

They eat in silence for a while. Even though it

should

feel strange, it 's doesn 't feel like it right now, not really. Last night, Chuuya never outright gave Dazai an answer to the question about being

friends

. Then again, he did spend the next few hours after that particular conversation hanging out with him and Albatross at the after-party, and it was ' fun. As fun as life comes close to these days. Since then, the air between them seems to have mellowed out somewhat, softened into a relatively casual atmosphere ' on the surface level, at least.

It 's why Chuuya decides to give the whole

get close to Dazai

thing a serious try. 'So, ' he starts, 'what exactly do you do all day? '

Dazai 's head tilts. 'Me? '

'I mean you as in the boss, ' Chuuya quickly clarifies. 'Not you personally. ' Even if a part of him does wonder. Does Dazai cook in his free time as well? Where does he live? Does he draw? Does he really have no friends, and that 's why he spends so much time being friendly to Chuuya?

What exactly does Dazai Osamu do when no one is looking?

'That 's hard to say, ' is the reply that Chuuya gets after a moment or two. Of course, it would be something vague and ' 'But the gist of it is that a few dozen sectors of the organization run through me, and at least two of them are always on fire, so a lot of it is about crisis management. '

The chopsticks in Chuuya 's hand pause in front of his mouth. 'Oh. ' Then he clears his throat and adds, 'It 's just that you keep saying that I will do this and that, and I don 't want to half-ass the tasks I 'm given. I want to be good. I want to be

the best. '

Dazai 's visible eye beams at him ' so much that Chuuya breaks the eye contact, looking anywhere but that genuine yet mystifying expression.

'That 's fair, ' he hears Dazai say several seconds later, 'but I could talk your ear off for three entire days, and it still would not be enough time. It 's much easier to show you. So I propose that you simply spend a few days by my side. '

Huh '

It does make sense. A lot, actually.

'You will be my bodyguard for that time, ' Dazai continues, 'so you can be my shadow wherever I go, and you 'll see that it 's ' boring child 's play. '

Chuuya can 't help but snort. 'Running the mafia? I fucking doubt it. '

'Well, something tells me you have a knack for it. '

That Chuuya doubts too. He can 't even properly lead the sheep considering half of them hate him right now ' Dazai is as aware of that as him. So what exactly about him screams that he 'd be better at this?

Finished with his plate, Dazai grabs it and rises to his feet. 'Have you ever heard of

Lily of the valley? '

'What 's that? '

'It 's a flower, ' Dazai explains with his back facing him. 'Once upon a time, Kouyou gave me two of such flowers to look after. One, in the light. One, in the shaded part of my room. Do you know which one survived and which one didn 't? '

'If you say it like that, I 'd guess it wasn 't the one in the light, ' Chuuya responds, wearing a slight frown.

'Correct. ' Dazai looks at him over his shoulder. His eye almost seems red in the warm afternoon light, and with a beat, Chuuya understands where people got the

red-eyed demon

nickname for him. Even if, right now, Dazai doesn 't look like a demon. He just looks faithless. Hollow. 'Unlike most flowers, the

Lily of the valley

blooms in the shade. Darkness is in its nature. The purpose of that whole lesson was to educate me on where I belonged, which was, of course, here. Although tacky, I can 't deny that the message is useful. ' He turns away with a nonchalant shrug. 'Some creatures are just better suited for the dark. '

Blinking, Chuuya watches him walk off into the kitchen.

For once, he understands what Dazai was trying to say here. Oh, he understands perfectly

,

and it pisses him off.

His fingers curled into fists, Chuuya jumps up and follows him. 'Really? You 're gonna say

it was tacky

and then do the same fucking that was done to you

to me?

'

Dazai halts with the plate in his hand to stare at him.

'I don 't care if there is some damn flower out there that prefers to bloom in the darkness. Do I look like a flower to you? '

'I mean ' '

'Oh, shut the hell up! People aren 't flowers! We have brains. We have

choices.

A goddamn free will. And the only one who can decide where you

bloom

is you! ' Chuuya intends to jab his finger into Dazai 's chest but remembering his no-touch rule, he diverts at the last possible moment and stabs it at the empty air instead. 'Some creatures are born in the dark ' you 're right about that, I agree, but what path they choose afterwards is up to them and no one else. '

The smile that carves itself a place on Dazai 's lips sends Chuuya 's heart slamming wildly against his ribcage. 'If that 's so, then why are you here right now? With

me?

'

Chuuya barely suppresses a snarl.

Dazai takes a step forward. 'Why are you willingly trying to be good at your job here? '

Because '

Because he has '

'Is it perhaps because you had no other choice? ' Dazai asks shamelessly. 'Because I didn 't give you one? '

Chuuya 's hands shake silently with the effort it takes not to lunge forward and wipe that self-satisfied expression off his face. 'I never claimed

I

made the right choice, ' he ends up pressing out. 'I 've done some pretty awful things to protect the people I love, and I would do it again. The difference is that I stand by those choices instead of saying that it was in my nature. '

Dazai 's brow raises. 'Is there really that much of a difference? Whether you kill someone to protect a friend or because that 's what your environment raised you to do, in the end, the person is still dead. '

Chuuya clamps his mouth shut.

He 's not wrong but '

But there has to be a line somewhere, right?

And until now, Chuuya was sure he hadn 't crossed it yet, didn 't plan to ever do it either.

'You can wipe that stupid expression off your face, ' Chuuya finally mutters as he spins around to the sink, turning on the faucet to let the dishes soak. 'I still think what you said is bullshit. '

'But '? '

'But, ' Chuuya growls out, all but punching the faucet, 'it 's more complicated than a simple

the person is still dead.

Pretty sure that 's why have a juridical system instead of just punishing people who have done wrong. '

He braces himself for another counter-argument, yet it never comes. 'That 's fair, ' is what Dazai says instead. 'So, are you ready to go? '

Right. Chuuya agreed to be his 'shadow ' a few minutes ago. Somehow, he assumed this little spat would have made things awkward, but Dazai doesn 't seem bothered at all ' he actually looks like he 's enjoying himself more than ever, playing around with a fuzzy peach that he stole from the fruit basket on the counter which Chuuya has not touched even once since he moved in.

Perhaps it would have been awkward if they were

friends,

real ones. Since that 's not the case, it 's easy to brush it off.

'Let me change first. ' He 's wearing a pair of loose, grey sweatpants and a plain white shirt. Although they are super comfortable, they 're not work-appropriate, especially if he will spend all his time with Dazai. Kouyou might just slap him if he saw him going out dressed like that, and honestly, Chuuya wouldn 't hold it against her.

Standing in front of the closet, Chuuya considers intentionally picking an outfit that does

not

match Dazai 's scarf. But that outburst earlier was already close enough to accidentally giving up his true intentions, so he ends up wearing the wine-colored shirt again. If he 's candid, it 's his favorite one to wear anyway ' for purely aesthetical reasons, of course.

Before he leaves, though, he makes sure to swaddle Kafka in a cozy nest of blankets and place him in a sunny spot on the bed. It 's probably excessive ' it 's just an

egg,

he keeps telling himself ' but Chuuya 's mouth curves into a smile doing it, so.

He feels Dazai 's gaze take notice of the outfit like a tangible trail over his body, and he does his damnest to ignore it, even leading the way out of the apartment. The office is only one floor above, so it 's a relatively short ride and walk.

Chuuya immediately regrets agreeing to this when the suffocatingly dark walls greet him, and he can 't help but scowl. 'Don 't you have windows? ' A modern, expensive building like this ' there must be windows and goddamn light, or not?

Falling into his seat, Dazai chuckles. 'Do you promise to protect me if someone tries to shoot me through it? '

Chuuya opens his mouth, then considers the reality of that, and closes it again. This cannot be the reason. 'This is the tallest building in the city. There is nowhere to shoot from

. '

Dazai smiles like a proud teacher. The sound of an electric hum distracts Chuuya, though, making him turn around and watch the wall become transparent, offering a magnificent view over Yokohama 's skyline.

'There is always the chance of someone flying a helicopter or a plane, ' he hears Dazai say behind him. 'People get creative when they really want something. ' A lot of people must want him really, really dead then. 'I mostly keep it dark because it helps me focus, though. '

Clearly, Dazai took heed of Kouyou 's flower lesson.

After getting a good look at the city, Chuuya spins back to Dazai and places his hands on his hips. 'All right. I 'm ready. '

'I always check in with Gin first because if something is burning, then they are the first to know. '

'So you do that first thing in the morning? '

Dazai shrugs. 'Just whenever I need to know what 's up. '

'But when do you wake up? '

'I don 't. '

Chuuya 's head tips to the side. 'Hah? '

Averting his gaze, Dazai presses a button on the phone that 's standing on his desk. 'I take naps. '

'You don 't ' sleep at night? '

'I take naps, ' Dazai repeats like

that

explains everything.

'Wha ' how do you get anything done like that?! ' It 's not like Chuuya 's sleep schedule has always been perfect, but he

did

sleep. Not whatever the hell Dazai is doing.

'Coke. '

Chuuya 's mouth falls closed. 'Oh. '

'Gin darling, I need you, ' Dazai says into the phone, then hangs up and pillows his chin on his folded hands as he waits. A minute later, Chuuya hears the door open ' except it 's not the one they used to enter but another that Chuuya noticed before but assumed to be something else.

Gin 's steps are stock-still as they approach the desk before coming to a halt, carrying a few sheets of paper. Their eyes dart to Chuuya, but Dazai makes a wordless gesture. Then it 's like Chuuya 's not even in the room anymore as they put down several thick files, only mentioning that they 're reports. Dazai shoves them to the side, almost like he is telling Chuuya to look if he wants to, but for now, Chuuya focuses on listening first.

Gin talks about the numbers of the auction being in, several new recruits having been made, an important shipment coming in tonight, and that they will need much more personnel because there 's a new group of armed bandits from the west that have been making smuggling a bother, about a miss Matsuda requesting a personal meeting. They talk about a thousand other things. It 's hard to keep up, to be honest. And last but not least, a warehouse burned down.

It 's a lot of information in such a short time, and Chuuya is not surprised to see a foggy look gleam in Dazai 's eyes as he sits there and listens with his chin resting against his palm. Chuuya feels like that too, and he listens to this for the first time, not the ' thousandth one.

When Gin is done, Dazai stretches out his arms over his head and yawns before falling back in his chair. 'Is Albatross at the docks? '

'Yes, ' Gin says, 'he checked in half an hour ago. '

'Good. He 'll handle those freebooters. ' His eyes squint then. 'And miss Matsuda called you say? I 've been stringing her along for too long now. Give her an audience then. ' He fires off a few other orders before sending Gin away. When they 're alone, Dazai casts a glance towards him, and for some reason, his face breaks into a laugh. 'You will get used to it in time. I promise. '

'Your secretary just listed off a thousand things and ' when was the last time you saw them? '

'Two hours ago, ' Dazai says, raising his brow.

'All that happened in two hours?! '

'Yes, but do you see me having to do anything? No. The trick, Chuuya, is to have competent people working for you so that you don 't have to waste time on odds and ends, so what really matters, in the end, is what you do when one of those competent people goes missing or when they 're not available. It 's like a game, really. '

Chuuya doesn 't bother telling Dazai that he sounds insane for viewing this entire thing as a game. Not only because it 's useless but because clearly, Dazai 's nonchalant strategy is

working.

The port mafia is thriving. So Dazai might be a little crooked in the head from doing this for a bit too long, but he also has a unique and pretty damn efficient vision.

'Now, I first deal with matters that cannot wait. Everything else comes after, ' Dazai continues as he types away on his keyboard. 'Right now, we don 't have any pressing matters, so let me show you something. '

Chuuya tentatively approaches and looks at the computer screen that shows the picture of a tall, bald man clad in a black suit.

'That 's Oe Katsuo. One of the men you will be dealing with in that meeting you will attend for me next week. Casino business. ' Then Dazai switches to the next tab with another picture and another name. And again. And again.

'What about them? ' Chuuya asks.

'Exactly. What about them? Never do business with anyone without knowing what their weakness is. If you know, then you 've got the upper hand. You can shamelessly exploit it. It 's easy. '

Tired of standing around but curiosity peaked, Chuuya takes a seat on the edge of the table. 'So, what are their weaknesses? '

Dazai meets his gaze and flashes him a sharp grin. 'Oe Katsuo has a sister who 's an ability user. '

'That 's it? ' Chuuya huffs with raised brows. Statistically, abilities are still rare, but they 're not precisely secrets these days.

'She 's also been on the law enforcement 's radar for the last few years because she killed a couple of her classmates in an incident three years ago. '

Chuuya 's brows lower again. 'Oh. '

'She 's been living under a fake identity since then. Katsuo likes to pretend that he 's in it for the money only, but I have a theory that he knows exactly that the mafia will always be a little kinder to ability users than the law ever will be. '

'So what, when someone steps out of line, you just make a few threats, and that 's it? '

'Unlike what many people think, threats are not the most effective ways to get people to do what you want them to do, ' Dazai says softly with an innocent smile. 'You can make them a few wishful promises as well. '

Chuuya snorts out a soundless laugh. It makes sense, of course. Fear is one thing, but human greed, desire, and want? Infinite. Though, glancing at Dazai, Chuuya, he can 't help but wonder. 'What 's my weakness? '

Dazai 's head tilts as his fingers quietly tap against the surface of his desk. 'Your friends. ' Before Chuuya has the chance to snap out a reply, he adds, 'you 're loyal to a fault, and although it is your weakness, it also makes you dangerous. Although it makes you dangerous, it also makes you weak. You 're a double-edged sword. '

'And why does it make me dangerous? ' Chuuya is pretty sure he knows the answer, but he not only wants to hear Dazai say but remind him, too.

'Because touching them will either make you implode, ' Dazai says and makes a vague hand gesture, 'or explode, making everything in your vicinity collateral damage. '

Chuuya has never considered the sheep to be a weakness before. Doing that would mean that love and friendship and family, in general, would be a weakness. Although it might be one way to view things in life like that to minimize any and all potential of ever losing anything, it sure as hell is no way of living.

But then again, looking back at his past decisions, it 's not hard to see where Dazai is coming from. Threatening to let Shirase rot in jail was all it took to make Chuuya enter an alliance with the same organization that he swore to destroy one day. One member of the sheep. One dear friend. That 's it.

Dazai leans forward ever so slightly. He looks like he is enjoying this conversation. 'So Chuuya. What 's mine? '

'Your weakness? ' he asks just to be sure.

A nod.

Well, isn 't that the question of all questions? Chuuya wouldn 't even be here if he knew what Dazai Osamu 's Achilles heel was. He looks at the mafia boss, hair a bit flat on the top with a few stray strands sticking out here and there, one eye bright but kind of tired, skin pale from way too few hours of sunlight. So many damn layers. Maybe his weakness is his body, and that 's why he makes sure to cover it up all the time. That would be too easy for someone like him, though. It could be his ability ' or maybe he doesn 't have one, and that 's the crux of the matter. Perhaps he, too, has a family member that he is trying to protect. Or maybe someone entirely else.

Chuuya could spend weeks trying to guess, but in the end, it 's like looking at the surface of a bottomless lake and trying to find the ground.

Impossible.

'Let 's skip the part where I guess myself stupid and jump straight to where you tell me, ' Chuuya suggests, offering him a coy smile.

'How lazy, ' Dazai murmurs. Then he sighs and leans back in his chair, his eye still transfixed on Chuuya 's face for some reason. 'How about another deal? '

Maybe Dazai 's weakness is a gambling problem. It would certainly explain all the deals.

'Which one this time? '

'When you figure out the answer to that question, I will tell you. '

'Tell me what? '

'The ' ' The insistent ring of the phone cuts Dazai 's sentence short before he can finish it.

On the line, it 's Gin again. 'Boss, there has been an incident. Shoukichi Saegusa is back. It doesn 't look good ' '

'I 'll be there. ' With a breath that is heavier than usual, Dazai gets to his feet. 'Let 's go. '

'Who is the guy? ' Chuuya wants to know, following him out of the office.

'Ever heard of

Bishop 's Staff

? '

'Those religious freaks? '

'Yes, those. They 've been making quite the ruckus recently, so I sent one of ours to infiltrate them and gather information. It looks like he failed. '

It 's Chuuya 's first time in the infirmary, though the place isn 't nearly as interesting as the person who is lying on one of the beds at the end of it, judging by the crowd of people gathered around it, murmurs and hushed voices mixing into one cocktail of gossip and the distinctive stench of disinfectant spray.

Chuuya 's so focused on those people that he almost misses the two familiar faces standing a few feet away. Almost. But he doesn 't. His eyes meet Luca and Shirase, and theirs meet his ' their eyes clearly take in Chuuya and Dazai

together,

even wearing matching outfits, and strutting in here like it 's the most casual thing in the world. They all see each other, but no one makes the first step.

They stay on their side. Chuuya keeps his pace next to Dazai as they make their way through the crowd that immediately parts, when they recognize the boss, is present. Chuuya swallows, still seeing the flicker of scorn in Luca 's expression even though he is not turned towards them anymore.

What are they doing here? Are they injured? Did something happen?

Chuuya is about to turn back to them when he feels the light touch of Dazai 's fingers on his back before his eyes fall to the man on the bed, and his blood freezes.

'He was found fifteen minutes ago on our turf, ' a man with bangs and a lab coat says, probably the doctor. 'It looks like he has been tortured for a while before they crucified him, then left him for the dead. '

Gulping down a knot of bile in his throat, Chuuya looks to his side. Dazai is wearing an unreadable expression as he steps forward and places the tip of his index finger to the man 's arm, dirty with blood and sweat and who knows what else. 'Shoukichi-kun? ' he asks softly.

Swollen eyes flutter open ever so slightly. He shakes his head. 'Boss '. I didn 't ' I didn 't tell 'em ' anything ' ' His face twists then. 'It hurts ' everything hurts ' '

Dazai 's mouth curves into a small smile. 'You did a good job, Shoukichi-kun. ' Then he gives the doctor a look, a wordless signal.

'Boss. ' That 's Kouyou. Chuuya didn 't even notice that she 's here. 'At least, find out what he knows first. '

'End it, ' Dazai says like he did not hear a single word.

With a quiet nod, the doctor injects something into the drip that 's connected to Shoukichi. It takes a few moments, but eventually, his ragged breathing evens out until his chest lifts one last time and then never again.

Chuuya has seen people die before, though usually with a bit more mercy. And this guy looks young. Too young to go through something as awful as this. Every breath inside his lungs squeezes tightly around his heart. Chuuya finally turns around, hoping to find his friends, but they 're already gone.