Regressor || Bsd x OC

Chapter 18 - Rats in the House of the Dead

Mizuki scrolls through her phone and finally finds the document she was sharing.

"I didn't have time to make aesthetically pretty slides." Mizuki hums, stepping up to the board. "Forgive me."

"What's our next move?"

"Ranpo?"

"Our next event is the Plague," Ranpo hums. "After that, the hunting dogs, and then... Mizuki-san?"

"Infiltration is complete," Mizuki hums, grabbing an apple from the basket. Pulling the blade from her thigh, she smiles. "I'll be gone for a while. After all, I am technically a double agent."

"Can you get the page?"

"Wrong," Mizuki smiles as she peels the apple. "Fyodor is going to use his page that I gave when he was a child. That is the page the story will be written on. We will be taking the task. Of course, there are rats everywhere."

Mizuki leans back on her seat, kicking one leg over the other. "There's another half including the mafia, but in the end, it'll be us who makes it to their hideout. We can't let Fyodor get locked up."

"Why not?"

Mizuki glances at the rest of the ability users. "I need to kill him with my bare hands."

"What about the virus?"

"That just comes down to who gets stabbed." Mizuki hums. "But most likely, it'll still be Fukuzawa-dono."

"He can't get pierced."

"I'm sure Fyodor knows that," Mizuki slices the apple and uses her blade as a toothpick. "Which is why we're going to avoid drugs this time around."

"What about Mori?"

"He still gets stabbed." Mizuki smiles. "I don't really care. But... there's going to be a meeting, and then we'll talk it out from there. I planned it out with my branch already."

"You know, kaa-san," Ranpo hums. "We worked so hard for this, you know?"

"We did," Mizuki smiles gently. "We worked our asses off."

"We did," Ranpo whines. "Which is why we should sit back in this life-"

"Does it not intrigue you?" Mizuki stabs another slice and bites into it. "A mystery where our lives are as much as a gamble as theirs?"

"I'm not interested in putting my life on the line," Ranpo grumbles. "But the mystery will be solved."

Mizuki smiles, finishing the last slice.

"The devil works hard," Mizuki smiles. "But the demons work faster."

Ranpo and Mizuki sit in silence, the rest of the agency staring at them.

"So, Mizuki-sensei, what else?" Akutagawa stares at her. "Where do we come into this?"

"We're launching a full on attack," Mizuki smiles. "I'll steal the cannibalism ability, and then it starts from there."

"Who are you plaguing?"

"Kamui," Mizuki grabs a napkin from the box, and she wipes down the blade. "When they start, I'll be on their side. Fukuchi won't question it."

Fukuzawa remains silent, and Ranpo and Mizuki stare at him, unsure of what to do.

"I'd like for him to be spared."

"I'll just hurt him enough so that he doesn't die," Mizuki hums. "Don't worry, even I would feel bad striking down a friend."

"We can kill him after we find why." Fukuzawa opens his eyes, staring at Mizuki. "I don't mind if we kill him. I just want a last chat with him."

"We can drink a final time," Mizuki smiles. "His past life flashes before his eyes when he's on the verge of death."

Fukuzawa closes his eyes. "Is that all?"

Ranpo stands up to say one last thing, and Mizuki places a hand on his elbow. 

"That's it." Mizuki smiles. "I have a final thing to tell the workers, but you can rest up in your office first."

"Alright," Fukuzawa stands up from his seat. "Fill me in afterwards."

Mizuki hums, and presses a kiss to his eye. "Of course."

He leaves the room, and Mizuki changes the slide. "Ranpo, you can bring it up now."

"When we march to the Decay of Angels, we are only killing two people; minus Kamui," Ranpo opens his eyes and points at the people on the screen. "We kill Fyodor, whom Mizuki is in charge of, and we kill Nikolai. We need Dazai to nullify or Mizuki to duplicate the coat, so we have a chance. Someone can have a cup of tea with Sigma and then take him back peacefully."

"Peacefully?"

"Sigma just wants a home," Mizuki smiles. "I plan on adopting him after all of this."

"Adopting?"

"He just wants a home," Mizuki smiles. "I don't plan on using him unless he lets me."

"How noble of you."

"I also think he's pretty," Mizuki laughs. "But I guess that's subjective of me."

"How many kids?"

"I contemplated adopting Oda," Mizuki hums.

"Contemplated what?" Oda opens the door to the conference room, bloody from the battle.

"You're here," Mizuki smiles. "We're discussing the battle takeover."

"Wait." Oda slips into the seat. "What about the hunting dogs?"

"Jouno and Tachihara will remember their past life," Mizuki counts on her fingers. "And... Yeah, depending on what they do, we'll act accordingly."

"Are they the wild card?"

"Mm," Mizuki smiles. "I'll be utilizing someone we know well's ability. A nice little barista."

"How do you plan on making sure we win?" 

"It's a simple coin game," Mizuki stands up from her seat, and checks the clock. "Alright, meeting's over. Ranpo, you can fill Oda in on everything we said."

Mizuki opens the door, pausing in her steps for a moment. "Just a reminder that I will be blessing you all before we start the operation."

The agency is empty other than the ability users leaving the building. Mizuki opens the door to the office.

"Yu-chan?"

"Hey,"

His wrinkles are worse than usual, and there are bags under his eyes. Mizuki moves closer, pressing her thumb under his eye, smoothing out the wrinkles. He leans into her touch without sound, and Mizuki hums a gentle melody. "Are you worried?"

"I'd be lying if I told you no," He mumbles back. "It hurts."

"It must've hurt worse when you first found out," Mizuki presses a kiss to his temple. "I'm proud of you for making it this far."

Fukuzawa rests his head on her chest, and Mizuki runs a hand through his hair gently. The two stay that way, neither making a move, even when it was evening. Because while the day would die out and while the night came to life, her arms would still be around him, lulling him, reminding him that it's human to mourn things we lose.

Date: XX - XX - XXXX

The plan is written and discussed. Mizuki reminds Fukuzawa that it's normal to mourn over the loss of someone you trusted with your whole heart.