To conduct the singing misfortune [Dazai and Reader]

Singularity // To the Stray Dogs

I listen to Osamu's breathing as he sleeps off the after-effects of surgery, fidgeting with my hands and bouncing my legs. I felt like a dog waiting at the door for its owner. Or a kid waiting on the last few minutes of the lesson until the bell goes off. That feeling of impatience and no appreciation for the current moment or dragging seconds sat in my gut. I sigh.

Updates came in via phone calls and messages from the Agency when necessary. The trap I'd warned Kunikida of had been triggered, and it had almost removed our most determined member from the fight – Not due to physical injury but rather mental. I rub my lower lip with my thumb in thought, eyes cast to the sky. Fyodor is a manipulative and ruthless man. His tactics... It was like going against my brother. The one thing his enemies fear is that they're his enemies. Perhaps it's the same for this Demon.

Osamu's eyes twitch, squeezing gently before blinking open. I take my hand away from my face, leaning forward in my chair, "Osamu?" His lips curl up, and slowly, he tries to sit up. I giggle quietly, standing and adjusting the bed so he can sit comfortably, "Was that a good catnap?" He dramatically stretches his arms upwards, hiding his slight wince as he does, "Oh, you have no idea! I feel rebirthed!" Settling back into the pillows, he giggles, his voice still raspy from sleep, "How is everything outside, my little carrier pigeon?"

"Kunikida and Atsushi followed a false lead – a kid committed suicide in front of Kunikida via several grenades wrapped around their neck." My tone is solemn, "The guy keeping them had them with weapons, and the guy they caught wasn't even Pushkin. Tanizaki tried to kill the Port Mafia boss but just ended up injured. Ranpo's caught Chuuya in one of Edgar Allen Poe's books." I tap my chin in thought, "Oh, and the President has gone missing... Apparently, the Port Mafia boss has done the same."

Osamu sighed, "Things are happening quick, then. As expected." Adjusting himself on the bed, he coughs away his morning voice in his fist, "...In that case, I should probably hurry up and discuss a little something with you."

Osamu is never so direct as to outright suggest what he wants, and I blink a few times, "Yeah?" I sit on the end of the hospital bed, crossing my legs. Osamu's expression is contemplative for a few seconds, and he nods gently, "Yes. It's concerning your ability. Not the incident the other day... But something else." I fiddle with the thin covers, "I had a feeling it'd be about that."

"Are you aware of what an ability's singularity is?" Osamu tilts his head to look me in the eyes as he asks me the question, reading my expression and body language intently. His tone of voice is serious, almost blank. "Yeah, loosely." It's what killed Sakunosuke. My brother hums, "The book. The one to control reality with whatever is written on its pages. That book born of an ability user is your singularity." I glance at him across the bed, nodding. I'd figured as much. "That's what Fyodor Dostoevsky's after, right? He wants both the book and my ability. That's why Fitzgerald was so eager to have me on board."

"Exactly. To Conduct the Singing Misfortune is an ability on par with myth. Fortuna, Lady Fortune, Fate, and many other depictions of deities bear the same control as you. Your age is impressionable, and you could fall into someone's hands with enough sway. Someone like Dostoevsky would have no issue getting you kidnapped and having you locked away and under his control. Even the Port Mafia, to some degree. I have kept you off record for as long as I've known you, and Odasaku did the same."

I listen to him attentively, confirming my suspicions, "Yeah, that's why he was never my legal guardian. Why I wasn't included in..." I didn't linger too much on the thought, shaking my head and brushing a hand through my hair, "Keep my ability under wraps, and it won't be used against me... My little mistake back there got us caught, didn't it?"

"Pretty much. It's not an entirely bad thing, though. I can work around it." Osamu chuckles, leaning forward and ruffling my hair, "That book... Anything written in it won't work on you. You'll be able to see through it and to other universes, ones where the effects don't apply or are different." I wave away his hand, "Nothing's even happened yet." He giggles, sitting back against his pillows, "It'll go faster than you assume."