Chapter Text
“Dazai, don’t you have work?” Atsushi asked on the way to the park.
“I do, but we have plenty of time before I go to work,” Dazai said. Dazai stopped at the park, and Atsushi looked over in awe.
“I-it’s so big,” Atsushi said. “A-and there’s so many… things…”
“I think they’re called play equipment,” Dazai said. “Why don’t you go check it out?”
Atsushi nodded and ran off. Meanwhile, Dazai slumped on a nearby bench. If a kid like Atsushi
A woman sat down next to Dazai, close enough to talk, but far enough so that she couldn’t be touched. She was petting a small cat that reminded Dazai of the cat from his time at Bar Lupin. “So… which one is your kid?” she asked.
“Huh? I don’t have a kid, but I’ve been put in charge of the one over there,” Dazai replied, pointing to Atsushi.
“Really? From looking at you, I’d assume that you would have been his father. You have that same caring look in your eyes as a biological father would have,” the woman said.
Dazai paused. Earlier, when Atsushi first turned into a child, he had teased Kunikida by calling the two Atsushi’s dads…but that was a joke. Had he really gotten so attached to Atsushi?
"Be on the side that saves people. If both sides are the same, then choose to become a good person. Save the weak, protect the orphaned. You might not see a great difference between right and wrong, but... saving others is something just a bit wonderful."
Odasaku…
Dazai first began helping people because it was Oda’s dying wish. But now… Dazai could see that Oda was right. Saving others is something very wonderful.
Dazai originally planned to bring Atsushi into the agency for Oda’s dying wish… but now… he wanted to help Atsushi for his own selfish desires… to help Atsushi because he wanted to.
“I can practically see the gears turning in your head. You really care for that kid, huh? I wish you both the best,” the woman said.
“Wait! Before you go, could I have your name?” Dazai asked.
The woman smiled: a small, sweet smile. “Elizabeth Coatsworth. I was the one to start all of this to begin with.” And just like that… she was gone.
“What did you think of the park, Atsushi?” Dazai asked.
“...It was a fun and new experience. Thank you for taking me, Dazai,” Atsushi replied.
“It’s no problem, little Atsushi. Now, it’s been 30 minutes since work started, so let’s go there,” Dazai said.
Atsushi froze. “I made you late for work?” he asked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay, Atsushi. I was trying to be late on purpose,” Dazai assured him.
Atsushi looked at Dazai for a moment. Dazai… was a weird guy.
Kunikida stood at the front door. “Dazai. You’re late,” he said. He didn’t yell this time, so Dazai took this as a win. (Then again, he probably wasn’t yelling because little Atsushi was there, and Kunikida didn’t want to scare the poor kid.)
“Wow, really? I had no idea,” Dazai told Kunikida. Kunikida looked like he wanted to strangle him, but he cleared his throat and turned to Atsushi.
“So, Atsushi, are you doing okay? Did Dazai take care of you well?” he asked.
Atsushi nodded. “Yeah. He brought me to the park, and I scrambled some eggs for him.”
Rage boiling out of his body, Kunikida turned to Dazai. “You. let. him. use. the. STOVE?” he demanded.
Dazai looked away. “...Well, I don’t really know how to scramble eggs, and I didn’t have anything left in my fridge,” he said.
Kunikid narrowed his eyes. “If you don’t know, you could have always asked me, and you could have always gone grocery shopping for more food,” he replied. “If you can’t take care of Atsushi properly, I could always take him.”
Dazai froze. “That’s not necessary, Kunikida. I got this!” he replied.
“...You have one day to prove yourself, Dazai,” Kunikida said. He internally groaned. Why the hell was he trusting this idiot to take care of a kid when he so clearly couldn’t take care of himself?
“Thank you, Mr. Deadlines! See how much Kunikida trusts me, Atsushi?” Dazai said.
Atsushi gave Dazai a blank stare. “Um, sure. Whatever you say.”
Dazai continued as if Atsushi’s skepticism wasn’t obvious. “Anyways, do you want to properly meet the other members of the Armed Detective Agency?” he asked.
“Dazai, no. Unlike you, the others do their work and don’t want to be disturbed,” Kunikida cut in.
“Oh, come on, Kunikida! Stop being so uptight and let the kid have fun,” Ranpo said.
“...Fine. Dazai, go show him around. I’ll be going back to work,” Kunikida said.
Dazai grinned. “You got it! Come on, Atsushi. You’re going to love it here.”