the beauty of water: deep end | o. dazai ✔

chapter twenty-three.

(Y/n) walked down the hallway at a brisk pace, her eyes still slightly red and puffy. She readjusted her jacket, pushing and pulling the ends as it covered the handle of the pistol. Her fingertips brushed against it, almost surprising her as she had been so caught up in the moment that she forgot that it was still strapped against her thigh.

Who is this woman that needs to speak to me so badly? she thought as she neared the area. Wait, is it Hinami? Is it possible she came back to try and salvage what's left of our friendship?

She froze as the thought ran through her mind. Wait... do I want to salvage our friendship?

"(L/n)?" Tanizaki said, pulling her from her thoughts as he slowed to a stop next to her. "Are you alright? You look like you're going to be sick..."

"I'm fine, Tanizaki," she replied, shaking her head. "Don't worry about me. Let's see what this woman wants."

(Y/n) stepped into the main area of the agency, Tanizaki close behind her. He stepped in front of her, leading her towards the seating area.

She held her breath as she closed in on it, spotting the woman's black boots from around the corner. The woman bounced her leg, the heel of her shoe tapping against the ground and slightly echoing throughout the area.

Tanizaki stopped beside the entrance, allowing (Y/n) to go in. She let her breath out as she saw the woman, her tense shoulders relaxing as she slightly slumped.

"Hi, I'm Detective (Y/n) (L/n)," (Y/n) greeted, holding out her hand. "What can I help you with?"

The woman turned to face (Y/n). She stood up to shake her hand, revealing her tall stature (she would've been tall even without the added inches). She had short black hair, styled with a gray headband that matched her shirt.

She wore a long black coat over a gray blouse, the ends partially tucked into her black shorts. She wore torn tights underneath her shorts, clear scrapes and bruises visible from the openings. She had on a gold ring on her left ring finger, a small heart-shaped diamond resting on the band.

"Hello, it's so great to finally meet you," she responded, tightly gripping (Y/n)'s hand. "I'm Aimi."

"Nice to meet you." (Y/n) gestured to the seat with her free hand. "Please, have a seat."

(Y/n) began to sit in the chair across, but realized that Aimi still had a grip on her hand. She awkwardly chuckled, gesturing as she said, "Uh, is there a problem?"

"Oh, sorry!" Aimi quickly let go, falling back into the chair. "But there is a problem – one unrelated to me practically holding your hand hostage." She immediately burst into laughter, her giggles hoarse and high-pitched.

(Y/n) chuckled, nodding once as she sat in her seat. "Yes, let's get to it. I'm assuming it must be time-sensitive if it was so important that you have me work on it."

"Yes, of course. Straight to business." Aimi crossed her legs, leaning towards (Y/n). "I'm trying to find my brother – and I think you're the person to find him."

(Y/n) blinked a couple times. "I'm sorry? Did you report his disappearance to the police? Normally this is something you'd take to the police and they'd send it to us if there was an issue finding him, whether it be that they can't or they did but they need the Armed Detective Agency's assistance."

"No, I haven't taken his disappearance to the police." She shook her head. "You see, if I take this case to the police, I'm afraid they'd find him and I wouldn't know it until he was seriously hurt or if he was the one getting arrested."