Bungou Stray Dogs | Dingo

Five

Futaba was calmly sitting on a bench when suddenly Odasaku barged into the room. He dragged a beaten up raven haired boy and tossed him towards Futaba. The girl did not bother to look up, as she hummed in approval.

"Good work, Odasaku."

"What the--"

"Shut it, boy." Odasaku grumbled. "Listen what she had to say."

The boy glared heatedly at the girl, making his eyes looked like slits. Futaba took her time reading her book when she finally decided to look up. She examined the boy in front of him silently with her stoic expression.

"Edogawa Ranpo." Futaba leaned her chin on her arm. "If you were to pick sides, which one do you prefer? Light? Or darkness?"

"What nonesense are you talking about?" The boy bit.

"You're beaten to pulp." Futaba's slender finger pointed to his body. "People bullied you. You're weak. Nobody cares about you."

"Oi--"

"Yet if you were given a chance to choose, which one do you choose? Light? or Darkness?" Futaba's eyes were piercing, and the boy finally sinked in what the female was saying.

Ranpo, by no means, was a fool. He knew where he was right now. Even though he did not know the precise of what was happening, Ranpo knew the lady in front of him was about to decide on his fate. Replying to her wrongly could go fatal, his life could end that right minute. Yet somehow.... there was something that pushed Ranpo to trust this lady.

"Light." He finally mumbled, his beaten up eyes were as sharp as ever. "Even though you kill me, I would never do anything bad."

Futaba shared a look with Odasaku, the one that young Ranpo could not perceive. The lady then threw a heavy plastic bag. "Here, eat some food."

Ranpo's eyes widened as he opened the plastic bag. There were decent food, starting from sandwich, apple, onigiri, and other convenient store food. Without hesitation, Ranpo dug into the food greedily.

Once he was full, the lady slowly stood up, making the man that caught him immediately helped her up. That was when Ranpo finally saw that she was standing with one leg only behind those knee length white skirt. Odasaku faithfully handed her an old walking stick that was made from wood while the girl handed him her book.

"Come."

That was all she said while limply walking outside the old building that Ranpo recognized it as the famous old church in the middle of the largest graveyard in Yokohama. They walked for sometime until they reached a traditional house surrounded by big trees.

Futaba knocked the large wooden gate using her walking stick twice before the gate slowly opened by itself. She led them inside the house into a washitsu. The sliding door, fusuma, that led toward the karesansui was opened widely. A man with his back facing them was sitting on the tatami, writing something on scroll in front of him.

"What do you want, Dazai?" The man's baritone voice made Ranpo's eyes widened.

"Da...zai?" Ranpo looked at Futaba in disbelief. He knew the story of how the Dazai was all annihilated besides the Dingo.

"As friendly as ever, old man." The lady sighed before walking over and sat on the hall, facing the garden. She laid on her back and with her hands behind her head.

There was tense silence that made Ranpo did not even dare to sit even though his legs were hurting until the man decided to open his mouth. "I think it's enough, Kunikida. Get out of your hiding place. And Dazai, make your assassin stop pointing at his blade at me."

Futaba opened her eyes and looked at Ranpo's direction with a sharp look. The poor kid did not even notice that the man behind him was in his full-gear mode. He immediately jolted away from him.

"Scaring a kid away, how so you, Oda-san." A blonde haired megane teen walked out of his hiding place, startling Ranpo away.

Oda did not bother to recon him, immediately came closer to Futaba and leaned on one of the pillars. His body was still tense, showing to all of them that he meant no joke when it comes to protecting Futaba.

"Said the one who is suck at hiding." Futaba retorted while closing her eyes back.

"Why you--"

"Kunikida." The man warned the teenager. "Dazai, refrain yourself from triggering my student."

"And why are you bringing a trash here?" Kunikida protested.

"Huh?" Now, everyone's eyes except Futaba were on Ranpo. An irk mark popped on the boy's head. "I'm not a trash!"

"Hush, boy." Futaba scolded. "Now, now, Fukuzawa-san, I might have bring you another member for your agency. Use him as you will."

An irk mark appeared on the oldest male there. "You keep bringing stray kids to me."

"Aren't you lucky?" A sarcastic smile appeared on Futaba's face as she looked at how Kunikida faced away, knowing fully well how Futaba brought him to Fukuzawa too. The girl waved her hand, which Odasaku then took off his backpack and threw it in front of Fukuzawa. She then ordered Kunikida. "Open it, boy."

Kunikida grumbled as he opened the bag. It was full of bundles of cash. Both Kunikida and Ranpo's eyes widened at this.

"I've watched over the boy." Futaba said in a serious tone as she looked at Fukuzawa sharply. "You can use him for your purpose."

There was total silence as both Fukuzawa and Futaba looked at each other in the eyes. Both Kunikida and Ranpo did not have the nerve to even breathe in this thick tension. It was until Ranpo realized that they were talking about him. They were discussing his fate.

"Hey!" Ranpo protested. "Who says I'm going to listen to you--"

"Edo." Futaba casted him a glance and for the first time, smiled genuinely at him. "Just be a good boy and listen to Fukuzawa-san. He will--"

Futaba was left stunned when suddenly Ranpo kneeled in front of her with both his hands clasped in front of his mouth and he had those big round puppy eyes. "Say that again! Please!"

"Say...what?"

"That I'm a good boy, of course!"

"Uh..." Futaba casted a look to Fukuzawa. "Be a good boy?"

"Of course!" Ranpo said with sparks all around him. "I would be a good boy to you!"

"And Fukuzawa-san?"

All of them now looked at Fukuzawa who looked constipated. The man's frown deepened before he sighed. "Alright, will you be a good boy to me too?"

"Of course!"

And thus, that was how the Armed Detective Agency was formed.