The things the mind conceals - Edogawa Ranpo x Reader

Chapter 1

The mind, it's a complicated construct. For years, people have been trying to understand it. To work out what goes through a person's mind. What they think. Their emotions. Yet, people are still underestimated. Why can't we work out what is going through a murderer's mind? Because we don't know what they are thinking about. We don't know why they did what they did. You, however, could figure that out. A mind-reading ability. Rare in the abilities department. Yet you see it as a curse. A construct that allows you to know what a person is thinking. But what if you don't want to? Well, that can't be helped.

You meticulously analyse the people around, constantly having your guard up. You knew anyone could be anything. A kind parent could quiet easily be a concealed rapist. A high school student could be hiding the most sickening of fetishes. No, you didn't know who could be concealing intentions. So you constantly had your guard up. You were constantly weary of everyone around you. From the people on the train to the people on the street. Everyone was a suspect in your eyes. It was safe to say you were a tad paranoid. Scanning the streets as you head to nowhere in particular, you spot a man that catches your eye.

Not in a way that says, "he's gorgeous" but in a way that says, "he's up to something". You began to feel wary of the man. You could tell something was different about him. No, something was odd about him. What was the reason behind this sudden feeling? Why did you feel someone was being targeted? Was it you? Was it the family having a meal? The school students? You didn't know just yet, but you still stayed wary of him. Your eyes not leaving his silhouette. Watching his every move. Anticipating the suspect.

If suspicion was not enough for you, the man was concealing a hidden objective. You watched him reach into his pocket, increasing your own guard even more. The man pulled out a concealed pocketknife and you immediately knew his target. A woman walking down the street, oblivious to what's about to happen. You dash towards the man and stand in between him and the woman. He was not going to let his catch go that easily. You managed to hold him back long enough that the woman could run. Yet she didn't run far. She stopped to draw out her phone.

Your eyes fixated on the man, trying to work out why he so desperately wanted to kill her. Was it a fetish? Is he doing it to prove his love to another? You broke into a fight with the man, preventing him from creating any casualties. You didn't know why you were helping this lady. You didn't know. You were just a law-abiding citizen who happened to have an ability. Nothing more. You had no connections with the police. Nor any ability-wielding agencies. You were just a citizen. You felt you had such a minor role in this play people call living. Why were you there? To serve under a 'master' people worshipped? To serve a higher power? To please the god's above to grant you power?

It was a mystery you had tried to solve for years but had no luck. Nobody ever cared about you. You were just an outcast in their eyes. You wanted nothing more than to prove your worth. To prove to this higher power that you meant something in this world. That you belonged. Though you felt like you didn't. You felt as if you lived in a never-ending abyss that could swallow anyone who disobeyed the all-seeing eye. You felt as if this world was nothing more than a play, and you, the puppet. The puppeteer pulling your strings, forcing you to live a life of sorrow. Forcing you to be nothing more than just his puppet. The puppeteer sneers as he watches you fight a man whom you did not know. Fight a man who was willing to take another life, something you weren't willing to do. It was almost a fight between right and wrong. But in this world, is anyone really right?

After some struggle, the man was out cold on the floor. You took that as your opportunity to leave. You wished to stay hidden. You didn't want the hassle of dealing with the police. You wished to operate behind the scenes. A masked crusader as such. You knew this event would catch up to you, but that was the least of your concern. You wanted to be concealed from society. Same as the mind conceals things. The mind conceals unwanted thoughts. So why can't you do the same? Why can't you hide from this all-seeing eye? Is life just a stage, and the people are the cast? Is life just a reality that people believe in? Does it have any meaning?

You finally retreated away from the incident, finding comfort in your own home. You had slipped away from the all-seeing eye just this once. But who knows until today's deed would catch up to you. Who knows how long it will be before you are interrogated about today's circumstance. You pondered this. Was life just a script you had to follow, and what would happen if you strayed from it? If you strayed from the path the script had laid out for you. Would you become something more? Or less?

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.