Prey and Predator [Ranpo x Reader] + Bonus ✓

22. Hostage location

'There's no way you know where he is. We don't know where he is,' Kunikida let out after having brought me back to the agency on my request. 'And neither would you, especially after having heedlessly aimed a gun at someone.'

'Speaking of -' I reached for the pistol I had managed to hide under my cardigan on the way here and placed it on Dazai's desk. 'Thanks.'

He looked at it then gave a smile while throwing his hand comfortably behind his head. 'So you did turn that post-it note on the report around. You've got a good eye, and a good memory too.'

It took a couple of lines of explaining for us to inform the rest of the detectives that one of the reports I'd received on the first few copycat culprits contained a note with a little drawing of two happy stick figures - a mere distraction for the drawing on the other side. I didn't think much of it at the time, but on the other side was a small doodle of a supposed trench coat and a little smudge made to look like a gun beside it - I associated this with Dazai's own attire.

'You knew this was going to happen?!' Kunikida yelled out as he made his way towards the brunette and held him by the collar. 'Why -'

'This is no easy case, Kunikida,' he let out and smiled at the blond male. 'She's both predator and prey. I mean, look at her: her mother, at some point, did think about serving her to be a victim to a murder, whether that was done by someone or herself,' he testified as his collar was slowly released. 'And they picked on the wrong bone to bring her closer to them: she's prey. Despite knowing that, she's coming back to hunt them. I reckon that's the detective genes she got from her dad.'

'Wrong bone?' Atsushi murmured to himself, then looked up at me. 'Your dad?' but he dismissed the suggestion almost as soon as he had let it out. 'Ranpo!'

'I think I know where he is.' I announced.

I lay down the single chocolate bar on a table set nearest to the middle and had the various curious eyes of the detectives around me peek at it quickly. 'Earlier today Ranpo and I went to a confectionary. I expected him to bring a whole pile of them - like he had when I first met him and Atsushi - but he returned to the counter only with this.' I paused and looked at its label. 'He picked up various packaged products, analysed their labels, then came across this one which satisfied him.'

I pointed at the dot-printed expiry date on the package and let the other agents take a look. 'If I take the first digit, skip the next, and take the remaining ones I can form a postcode.' I searched for the postcode of a place familiar to myself and rested my phone beside the chocolate bar. 'It matches with the one of our grocery store.'

There was still some doubt lingering around the air like my explanation of the chocolate bar had the possibility of being a mere coincidence. I've got more clues that led me to believe he was there.

'I called him, yes, Kunikida is a witness to this!' I continued, not needing his affirmation to have the rest of the detectives listen in and believe my testimony. 'He... wasn't doing so well...' I let out, the words paining me as I spoke them 'But even so! He confirmed my hypothesis.'

'He told you where he was?' Kenji questioned.

'Not necessarily. He did indicate it though.' I made my way towards a couple of wooden chairs sat by a wall and dragged one across the floor, the prickling noise it made deafening the hearing of those in the room. 'Apologies.'

It took a few seconds for the commotion the wailing of the chair being dragged across the floor tiles had created to settle, but once it did I carried on.

'To avoid this noise you'd have a few options, correct? One: Lift the chair up to have it not rubbing against the floor. Two: If you're unable to lift it, buy a chair with wheels - they don't often make half the same amount of noise. Three: put a carpet under it, right?