Bungou Stray Dogs ~ One-shots

[ADA xR] Revenge is a dish best served cold

You were happy, but unfortunately it did not last long. After a busy day at work, you finally had a chance to take a breather. And what better way to do that than in a hot bath?

The agency had a rather large bathroom in its apartment complex, which could accommodate a dozen people at a time. Of course, with Yosano, Naomi and a few other rare employees, you were the only girls.

The baths you took with each other were therefore extremely relaxing, calm, and soothing. From the outside, only discreet conversations or laughter could be heard, along with the sound of the water slowly trickling into the large bath where you were all gathered.

But, of course, this was absolutely not the case when it was the boys who occupied the space. Between Ranpo swimming his best breaststroke with his duck-shaped rubber ring, Kenji accompanying him like the impressionable little boy he was, Tanizaki and Atsushi doing their best to calm things down, Dazai doing anything just to annoy Kunikida...

All hell broke loose. From the outside, screams, hysterical laughter and insults rained down from everywhere, not to mention a few 'inadvertent' death threats. Yes, Kunikida did not take kindly the fact that he had to keep an eye on the two-legged troublemaker, even during his bath; this parasite who did not even have the decency to remove his bloody bandages before taking a dip.

You and the other girls, jaded, had been waiting your turn calmly for what seemed like an eternity, in front of the door to the changing room, which was located between you and the bathroom. But you could still hear everything that was going on inside, despite the distance.

Especially Kunikida's screams, in fact. Who was currently screaming at Dazai, who had probably taken it into his head to run around with the blond man's soap, laughing stupidly, since as usual this walking bandage had brought no belongings except his own buttocks, and had as usual planned to live off other people's wallets.

You still could not understand why Kunikida went to the trouble of bathing here, if he were bound to lose it at some point. No doubt to try and prevent the total destruction of this place, quite simply...?

"They're taking their time," Yosano finally declared, after several minutes of silence interspersed with the cries of various animals. "If we'd known, we'd have come sooner."

All the other girls nodded and sighed, looking at their respective watches with weary eyes. You could very well have gone to the public baths in town, but of course you had to pay for them. What was the point of spending money to get something you could enjoy for free?

Although, at the moment, the temptation to go to the public baths was growing. In what condition were you going to find the bathroom at this point? It was not for nothing that, usually, you went first, and the boys came after.

But today, the other girls had wanted to wait for you to finish your work, and had not had the heart to leave without you. Next time, you will know what to expect. You felt guilty, even though you had been assured it was not your fault.

The screaming continued, over and over again, and you could see perfectly well that your beloved doctor was beginning to lose patience. Her arms were crossed, her fingers were tapping faster and faster on them, and her foot had begun to do the same, tapping the floor at regular intervals.

A few seconds later, her eye twitched in annoyance, signaling the first stage of failure. Instead of lounging in a hot bath to leave the day's fatigue behind, you were doomed to get even more worked up by waiting indefinitely. And Yosano could not let that happen, with the little patience she had.

You knew things were going to end badly when she opened the changing room door with a bang, almost sending it tumbling as she strode towards the bath entrance with a heavy, determined, almost furious step.