Chapter Text
In the day to day of the Armed Detective Agency — barring some sort of citywide emergency — it was fairly easy for Dazai to predict what would happen.
And it was even easier now that the truce between the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia was in place. Between the Mafia no longer occasionally pulling raids on the Agency to shake things up and remind them of their place — which had been a bigger pain for Dazai who, before he’d revealed himself, had had to ensure he wasn’t in the agency on those days — and the Agency looking away from the necessary daily duties of the Mafia, things were practically peaceful for the organizations. Or at least as peaceful as they could get.
All of this was to say that Dazai was not predicting for Kouyou to show up at the Agency’s door.
“Excuse me.” She asked with a pleasant smile on her face, the one she used when attempting to pass as a civilian. “Do you take walk-ins?”
To the credit of his fellow detectives, they didn’t immediately fall into defensive stances or draw their weapons, though Dazai could see how they tensed up at her presence. Ranpo had even stopped twirling in his chair, his hand halfway to his mouth with a sucker, as he stared at her with wide eyes.
Dazai himself frowned at her, pondering her presence here.
The truce between their organizations was merely that — a truce. It wasn’t an agreement to work together despite how they came together during several instances to take out bigger threats. However, there were currently no big threats as Dazai knew that the next one was still yet to come. Not to mention that Kouyou was not one to come to others for help lightly. She preferred to conduct her business in-house and if she actually needed assistance, then she would turn to her star pupil for it.
And if Chuuya couldn’t help her, why would she turn to the Agency of all people?
Kunikida was the one to stand and finally address the situation. “Yes, we do…” He warily said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “But what on Earth could we assist you with —”
“Nee-san! Are these the people you said could find my parents?”
Dazai’s (well, everyone’s really) attention was immediately drawn to the loud, yet still small voice coming from down low at Kouyou’s side. Dazai felt his eyes widen and his mouth drop open slightly at the sight.
There, clutching onto the folds of Kouyou’s kimono, was a child. A child with unruly, pale orange hair framing a freckled face and eyes that held the inextinguishable spark of life within them.
Dazai would recognize those eyes anywhere.
Kouyou’s smile went tight as she crouched down low in an attempt to be at the child’s height, but even then she was still slightly bigger. “Yes, these are very special detectives. If anyone can find them, they can.”
Kunikida rallied first. “Ozaki-san, as much as I’m glad that you brought such a case to us instead of…” He trailed off as she glared at him over the implication. He released a small cough to gather himself before continuing. “However, I don’t think —”
“Of course, we’d love to take the case!” Dazai quickly cut in and hopped up to join the party near the door. “As long as you’re willing to explain?” He prompted with a smile.
“Dazai, we can’t—” Kunikida began to protest but Kouyou cut him off.
“Naturally.” Kouyou nudged the child forward, and Dazai noted how she was careful not to directly touch the child, keeping her hand on his clothes. “Now, introduce yourself, lad.”
The child gave her a quizzical look before acquiescing, turning to the room at large and bowing. “I’m Kashimura Chuuya. Thank you for taking care of me!”
Dazai could see the facts begin to click for the other detectives in the room, but he already knew from the moment he saw him.
Hidden in a safe in the depths of one of Chuuya’s safe houses, there were a series of files. While Nakahara was indeed one of the names among those mentioned, Kashimura was as well.
Along with those files, there was a picture as well, of a small child unknowingly in the hands of a monster.
When Chuuya rose from his bow, Dazai could see the child from that photo, though it seemed that the one before him was still a bit younger than his photographed counterpart.
He’d have to be, to be so whole.
“Nice to meet you, Chuuya-kun!” Dazai flashed him a smile though the honorific tasted like acid on his tongue. “How about Atsushi-kun and Kyouka-chan come with you and draw some pictures over by the couch while we grown-ups talk?”
Chuuya frowned, probably sensing some unintended condescension in his tone, but a glance at Kouyou, who nodded encouragingly, left him reluctantly nodding. “Okay…”
Atsushi and Kyouka luckily picked up Dazai’s cue. Atsushi hurriedly grabbed some blank paper from the printer while Kyouka gathered some pencils, both regular and colored, from a desk drawer. She walked over to Chuuya and held out her hand for him to take, but he only stared at it for a moment — glanced up at Kouyou once more as if asking for permission — before he ignored it in order to lead the way over to the couch where they usually met with clients.
Dazai directed everyone else to the other side of the room near the desks, so they could talk while still keeping an eye on Chuuya and the others.
“Kouyou-san, what happened?” Dazai hissed.
“Some negotiations fell apart.” She calmly answered, her eyes continually straying towards the couch. “Chuuya was hit by an ability in the following scuffle.”
“Well, obviously.” Kunikida scoffed, pushing his glasses up his face. “What, did you want Dazai to nullify it?”
That was what Dazai had assumed as well, but he was surprised when Kouyou hesitated.
“I need the ability user first. He managed to slip away, but I’ve had people tracking him. I plan to collect him myself.” Kouyou admitted. “I simply needed some place relatively safe to keep Chuuya while doing so. Once I know more about the ability, then I might need you to nullify it.”
“You’re not sure what it does? Isn’t it obvious?” Yosano asked, crossing her arms.
“The fact that the ability user looked just as surprised by this result doesn’t bode well.” Kouyou drily replied. “Hopefully, he’ll enlighten me when I catch him.”
The “Or else.” remained unsaid. The others (except Ranpo and Kyouka) probably didn’t know the particulars of Kouyou’s duties in the Port Mafia, but Dazai did. Information gathering and tracking were some of her specialties with a variety of methods at hand. And some were definitely more…unpleasant for her targets.
“So, you just want us to watch over him? You have no one who could do it?” Kunikida remained skeptical.
“We aren’t exactly willing to have such… vulnerabilities be well known.” Kouyou finally answered after a short pause. “And there are exactly three people who have the clearance to know about something like this and are good with children. Higuchi-kun is out on business, I need to retrieve the ability user, and the third… well…” Her glance over to Chuuya said the rest.
That was fair. In Dazai’s opinion — while he couldn’t speak to Higuchi’s ability — Chuuya was probably the best out of the three mentioned when it came to children. He’d looked after other children plenty while with the Sheep, and the skills he had often left him as the only one who could handle Q at their worst. Even Elise preferred him over any other caretaker (though Dazai couldn’t blame her there when she was stuck with Mori). It didn’t hurt that Chuuya was naturally protective of others anyway, but towards children especially.
Then again, perhaps Chuuya being of a similar height to other children could have something to do with it as well.
Dazai frowned though. “Not even Hirotsu-san? Or anyone else from Black Lizard?” After all, Hirotsu had looked after him and Chuuya as teenagers. Surely, anyone who could deal with that could take care of a toddler.
Kouyou’s face twisted with disappointment. “Hirotsu-san and the battalion leaders of Black Lizard have proven themselves incapable of handling small children. A member of your Agency foisted a baby upon them during Q’s rampage —” her gaze slid to Atsushi for a moment “— and apparently they just stood there, doing nothing, until Higuchi-kun found them and she and Chuuya took over the situation.”
Wow, that was embarrassing. For them. Dazai filed away the blackmail that’d been handed to him on a platter.
“And the only other viable option would be Akutagawa-kun.”
They all took in that information.
Yeah, there was no way that a de-aged Chuuya was being left with Akutagawa of all people.
Dazai noted that there were two glaring admissions from the potential candidates. To be fair, in regards to Verlaine, if he managed to get his hands on a toddler Chuuya, he was liable to kidnap him and abandon the Mafia so he could finally live out his cottagecore dreams of raising Chuuya as his little brother.
And for the other…
“Still, we can just skip all of this.” Dazai waved those thoughts away. “At the very least, if I touch him, we can see if I can nullify it and then you won’t —”
“I don’t think you should touch him at all.”
He froze at the protectiveness in Kouyou’s voice. Dazai blinked before his eyes narrowed, trying to see what her angle was here. The others were clearly just as confused.
“And is there a reason for that?” Dazai lightly asked, though an undercurrent of ice in his voice showed how serious he was about this. He knew others didn’t like the touch of his ability, but an outright rejection of it — especially in a situation where it would help — was rare. And not one that’s ever come from anyone in the Mafia.
Kouyou met his ice with a protective fire in her eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, it appears that Chuuya has been completely reverted to how he was as a young child.” She said it slowly, as if Dazai was the child here who needed help understanding. “This includes his body, his mind, and most importantly, his ability.”
Dazai’s brow furrowed slightly. His ability? What could be the significance of that —
Ah.
Oh.
His eyes widened as the possibilities began to spin in his mind.
“So it’s —”
“Yes.” She confirmed. “I felt it the moment I touched him, the same way I can feel yours when I touch you. If I were any less skilled and capable of control, I can see how things could’ve gotten out of hand.” She huffed lightly, and glanced again over at the couch, where Tanizaki and Kenji had joined the other teens and child. “I know of your president’s ability, but even with that, I’m wary of the potential effects that could be wrought by those who’ve only just gained control.”
Dazai could see how that might cause problems. He would have to find a way to warn the others to be careful and prevent any dangerous incidents.
And following that logic…
“In your case, tell me, Dazai.” Kouyou faced him head on. “Which do you think will be stronger? Your ability or his? Or will you two end up being equal to each other as you so often are?”
That was the crux of the matter, wasn’t it?
Amplification and Nullification.
Two abilities, much like their owners, that were completely at odds with each other.
Technically, even now, that power was at the core of Chuuya’s gravity manipulation ability. It was simply that Chuuya’s amplification was devoted entirely to creating and maintaining his self-contradicting singularity that granted him reign over gravity.
Given that Dazai was capable of nullifying Chuuya’s gravity ability, one would initially think that would mean he could nullify Chuuya’s amplification, but it wasn’t as simple as that. Normally, Chuuya’s ability was directed inwards towards itself, not outwardly towards others, and while Dazai could nullify the output of the singularity it created (the gravity manipulation), he couldn’t nullify the singularity itself. This was the same reason why he could nullify Corruption — closing the Gate and allowing the singularity to settle instead of burst in flux — but not get rid of the singularity in its entirety.
And that wasn’t even getting into how singularities were created through contradiction in equal measure.
If two abilities opposed each other, or were similar enough to get in each other’s way as had been the case of Odasaku and Gide, whichever one was stronger naturally won. It was only if they were equal in relative strength that contradictions arose that produced most singularities.
Chuuya had always been the only person that could be the opposite of Dazai and still his equal.
It was at the heart of their partnership, tied together in trust.
So Kouyou’s concerns were valid.
“...Fine. I won’t touch Chuuya to try nullifying the ability.”
“Are you pouting?” Kunikida squinted at him. “What are you two even talking about?”
“No.” Dazai pouted, crossing his arms. “It’s nothing.”
He couldn’t help it! Those chubby little cheeks were asking to be pinched! Those orange locks were begging to be tousled! And yet he wasn’t allowed due to their abilities! It was totally unfair.
At the same time, he didn’t want a potential singularity forming in the Agency. They were always a bit messy.
“Regardless,” Kunikida rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore Dazai, “I don’t think we should —”
“We’ll look after him.” Ranpo declared, taking his sucker out of his mouth, though throughout all of this his gaze hadn’t left Chuuya. “We’ll keep him safe.”
With that, the matter was settled, Kunikida sighing and furiously writing in his notebook at the abrupt changes to his schedule and Yosano shrugging, not particularly caring either way. Dazai, however, cast a glance over at him.
Ranpo was actually interested in Chuuya’s de-aging. That was a rarity as usually only murder, puzzles, and sweets could catch Ranpo’s attention. What had he already learned from observing him? Or was there something more he thought he could learn from his presence?
Dazai knew he could probably uncover more about Chuuya’s past than any previous attempts without even trying, especially with a treasure trove of information right there in the room.
Dazai also knew that if he didn’t manage to figure out what Ranpo knew he would probably have to pay through the nose in snacks to learn it.
Oh, well, he knew Chuuya’s credit card information. The hatrack would probably be thrilled to pay for it.
“Though some of the cats are about to be let out of the bag.” Ranpo tilted his head.
Kouyou frowned. “What do you mean —?”
It was an innocent touch.
Chuuya dropped a colored pencil and when he went to grab it, Kyouka had done the same. Dazai’s eyes widened as their hands met.
Demon Snow materialized in an instant. Kyouka gasped and her head jerked up, clearly not intending on summoning her.
(Dazai remembered Kouyou’s words, “If I were any less skilled and capable of control, I can see how things could’ve gotten out of hand.”
Kyouka, having only just gained power over her ability recently, did not have the experience to enforce said control like Kouyou did.)
What’s more, Demon Snow looked… different.
She was more solid than the ghostly visage she usually cut, feet planted firmly on the floor. Two swords instead of one rested on her hip. She looked around almost curiously before turning her gaze towards Kyouka. She bowed slightly.
Kyouka’s eyes grew large. “You…”
Before she could say anything else though, Chuuya scrambled away and the moment he no longer was touching Kyouka, Demon Snow wavered and turned back to normal. Kyouka blinked and dispelled Demon Snow as they all turned towards Chuuya who partially hid behind one of the armchairs.
“You’re ability users?” He peeked out, wariness in every inch of his small body.
The rest of the room glanced around at each other.
A child this young would only know about ability users as a fact and not an urban legend for one reason and one reason only.
Slightly unsure how to handle it, Yosano was the one who huffed and approached him, crouching down to be at his level. “Yes, we are.” She explained. “We’re detectives and ability users who help others.”
She tilted her head. “And you’re one, too. Right?”
There was a very pregnant pause as Chuuya retreated behind the armchair.
Until finally…
“Mama and Papa said not to talk about it.” Chuuya slowly said. “Mama said it’s dangerous.” That final word stumbled out like a fawn on its first legs, clearly a bit too complicated for his age.
“But we already know, so it should be okay.” Atsushi chimed in, also making himself small. “Haven’t you met other ability users?”
Another pause. “I don’t remember the first ones, but it scared Mama.” Chuuya confessed. “Other than that, it’s only been Uncle Rintarou.”
Now that raised some alarms. Yosano, Dazai, and Kouyou abruptly stiffened at the name, and Ranpo even opened his eyes at that. The others, not knowing the potential significance of that name, didn’t react.
After all, not many knew that Rintarou was a name for an ability user they were all aware of.
“Oh, your Uncle Rintarou?” Atsushi prodded, completely unaware.
“He’s not my uncle uncle.” Chuuya explained. “He’s one of Papa’s friends from work that he brought home.”
Yosano recovered, clearing her throat and straightening. “From your Papa’s work? What do they do?” She asked with a strained smile.
Chuuya’s head popped out from behind the armchair, pride shining in his eyes. “Papa’s an army doctor!” He declared. “He’s helping the soldiers who protect us all!”
And that clinched it.
At his side, Kouyou closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. A surprising show of trying to keep a hold of herself.
“Does the Boss know of the current state of affairs?” Dazai attempted to keep it light, but he knew she picked up on the edge beneath it.
Kouyou hid her lips behind her sleeve. “You know Ougai-dono cares about the results more than anything else. Mistakes and methods don’t matter as long as our ultimate goals are achieved.” She turned away. “I informed him that Chuuya is currently incapacitated, but there is no need to share the particulars when I’m already handling the situation to resolve it myself.”
Dazai was glad that Kouyou’s trust only extended so far when it came to Mori.
Mori did not care if one was a child. If you were useful, he would put you to work for as long as he needed you, even if it destroyed you. Yosano was the result of that, Q was a victim of that, and it could even be argued that both Dazai and Chuuya were affected by that. It was that very mentality that killed Odasaku and his children.
Mori would not let amplification in and of itself stay unused as the Boss of the Port Mafia. It was too powerful in many regards and could only enhance the Mafia’s power. Combining amplification with any number of the ability users in the Mafia’s grasp was nightmare inducing. It wouldn’t matter that this Chuuya was probably between three to five years old.
Kouyou bringing him to the Agency made even more sense now than ever. It wasn’t just to protect him from any of his enemies who’d take advantage of his state or try to take his power for themselves.
But also…
“I was unaware of this potential connection though.” Kouyou admitted.
As long as Chuuya was under the Agency’s protection, Mori could not get his hands on him.
And in light of Mori potentially knowing him as a child and therefore someone Chuuya might trust when he shouldn’t, that was more important than ever.
Over at the seating area, Yosano was still asking questions. “Oh, I see.” Her smile didn’t falter. “Is that your only friend your Papa brings home?”
Well, that was a good idea, but Dazai wasn’t sure what Yosano was pressing for now when Mori was probably the only —
Chuuya’s face twisted slightly, distaste obvious. “...Papa also brings home Uncle N. He likes abilities.”
Kouyou sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening. Dazai kept his face carefully blank.
“Oh, do you like him?”
Chuuya was slowly relaxing at Yosano’s friendly tone and the lack of trouble for his honesty. “He’s... I like Uncle Rintarou more, even if he did bring me a dress the first time I saw him.”
They all stared at him. “What?” Yosano finally asked, confused but not completely surprised.
“Papa told him I was a girl when I’m a boy!” Chuuya huffed, a pout forming on his lips. “Mama gave him an earful ‘cuz she told him.”
Huh, so Chuuya had always been like that. Dazai knew Chuuya used to wonder if his parents — if he had any since he questioned his humanity for some reason — had lost a son or a daughter. He wondered what sort of face he’d make if he teased him about this later that Dazai was right all along.
Still, it was a bit of a relief that the blame in this case lay with Chuuya’s father. Dazai had thought it was one of Mori’s fetishes for a moment.
“I see.” Yosano did waver a bit at that, sending a glance back at Dazai. “And you like him more than Uncle N?”
“Uncle Rintarou can be weird, but Uncle N…” Chuuya frowned. “He always pokes me when he comes. But Papa said to listen to him and do what he says.”
That certainly came back to bite your family in the ass, didn’t it? Dazai couldn’t help but think, and he could see Kouyou on a similar train of thoughts.
Yosano’s eyes crinkled in concern but she kept her smile firm. “Well, then I guess we’ll just look for your parents directly and not try that connection.” Careful not to touch his skin, she nudged him back to the couch. “You’re not in trouble for being an ability user — like we said, a lot of us here are the same — so don’t worry that we found out.”
He blinked up at her. “Okay.” With that seemingly resolved, he returned to his coloring, though Atsushi and Kyouka were notably more cautious now as they came closer.
Yosano, on the other hand, turned towards the adults with a face like thunder. She began to march her way over, and Dazai knew that they were all about to get an earful based on what they’d just learned.
Kouyou managed to dodge the consequences. “I need to go.” Yosano opened her mouth to protest, but she pressed on. “The sooner I get the ability user, the faster this will be over.”
Yosano growled, still unhappy with that, but she allowed it.
Kouyou swept over to the couch. “Chuuya-kun.” She gained his attention. “I’ve given my information to the detectives, but I must leave now.”
Chuuya paused. “Oh.” His hands slid from the table to grasp at his clothes and he stood up. “Um…” He glanced up at her and then away. Then he quickly bowed. “Thank you for everything, Nee-san!” He wouldn’t look at her as he straightened.
Kouyou softened before she crouched down to him. “Come here, lad.” She said softly, noticing his fidgeting.
Chuuya hesitated before he launched himself forward to hug her. Kouyou blinked, even though she saw it coming, before she raised her hands — with them carefully covered by her sleeves — to hug him back.
“I’ll see you again, lad.” She promised. After he let go, she did as well, stepping away with a sad smile.
“Okay.” He replied, but Chuuya couldn’t quite hide how wet his eyes were. “See you, Nee-san…”
Kouyou didn’t linger any longer. Though the glance she gave Dazai as she walked out the door spoke volumes.
Dazai sighed as he watched Chuuya sit back on the couch, though notably less exuberant than before.
This was going to be a long day.