The Mastermind of the Red X-Mas~A Bungou Stray Dogs Fanfiction

Prologue

Madness Accepted

It was a middle November evening when the two met.

A girl stood by the bridge watching the sunset. She was often mistaken as a guy, given her short hair and slender and built body. However, certain physical body features of hers could prove that she's actually a girl.

Her black eyes stared ahead, as if deducing the existence of the setting sun's hidden traits.

It wasn't snowing, but the weather was too cold to be standing outside wearing a thin T-shirt and black skin fit jeans.

Despite wearing the unusual clothes in such extreme weather, the girl didn't seem to be bothered by the cold one bit.

"Are you mad? You'll catch a cold if you stand here without wearing thick clothes, you know?" A rather childish, yet mature voice said from behind her.

The girl slightly glanced sideways without moving her head. Taking in the details of the male standing beside her in five seconds, she returned her gaze back to the setting sun.

A man of probably 25 or 26 years old. Fair skin and messy black hair. His eyes were closed, yet it felt like those eyes were staring right at the girl with curiosity. He wore a pair of black rectangular glasses. A thick brown coat covered his whole body.

"And, Who might you be?" The girl asked.

His smile widened. "My name is Ranpo Edogawa. I work at the Detective Agency. And you are?"

"A detective?" The two words came out of her mouth smoothly, skillfully hiding the slight twitch of her mouth corner. "And, my name? Ahh... doesn't matter. Why did you call me mad?"

Ranpo raised an eyebrow. "Because what you were doing was odd. Even an animal knows not to stand outside in this kind of weather."

A chuckle was the only response he got at the moment. However, it wasn't a friendly chuckle, he could tell. It was a hollow laugh, so cold matching the weather.

For a moment, Ranpo thought that the girl before him and the harsh weather are actually one.

Ranpo opened his eyes slightly. His green eyes observed the girl, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

'This girl...is interesting!' Ranpo stood there smiling, waiting for her to reply.

"Would a human being doing odd things be labelled as madness, like me? Yet you call it geniusness when a mere animal is able to do what a human should be doing. Why do you use yardsticks to measure intelligence and crazyness? There's no need for such requirements. You can't 'live' as long as they exist." The girl turned around and started walking away from the detective.

Ranpo couldn't stop smiling.

She slightly turned around and turned her cold gaze back to the detective behind her.

"Besides, I think being a detective means not being swayed by what you see and feel. But to be able to come up with different reasons to explain a specific reason. It doesn't always have to be based on scientific proofs. Even if you come up with a nonsense story, as long as it explains the events, the mystery is pretty much solved, ain't that right? So I'll leave my reason for standing in the cold to your imagination." She waved as she walked further away.

Ranpo watched the girl as she disappeared from his sight.

The image of the young girl imprinted itself in Ranpo's memory. He's very much interested now. Someone who doesn't care about the common sense of the world.

To be continued...