But in the End

The First Move

"Do you think he's going to pull through..." I tore my gaze away from in front of me, turning to Yosano, who had a conflicted look in her eyes.

"I can't say for sure, but I've done all I can do at the moment." Yosano sighed, closing her eyes. "All we can do is wait and hope he will."

I nodded my head, turning my gaze back to the President, who lay on the hospital bed, unconscious. "You don't think it was the Port Mafia do you? More specifically, Mori finally making move against the Agency."

Yosano opened her eyes, crossing her arms as she glanced at the President. "I don't think so, it seems too bold of a move even for someone like Mori."

I let out an exhausted sigh. "Yeah, you're right." I slowly made my way towards the door. "Well, I'll leave you to it and go see if Kunikida has any ideas."

Receiving a nod, I made my way out the door and back into the main room, seeing Kunikida and Dazai were joined by Atsushi. Guess he heard the news.

"What do we know of the attacker?" Kunikida asked Dazai, his hands folded together in front of him on the table.

"Only that they use an unknown ability, and always wear a mask to conceal their face." Dazai replied.

"Some kind of masked assassin..." Kunikida trailed off.

I let out a huff as I came to a stop at the table. "If he or she was confident enough, they wouldn't have concealed their identity. Maybe they are scared to confront us personally." I joked, trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

"Probably." Dazai, closed his eyes. "But by the time we actually track him down, the mysterious attacker might already be dead."

I raised a brow at his claim, wondering what made him think that. "What do you mean?" Atsushi hummed along to my question.

"Which organization do you think stands to lose the most if a gifted assassin were to go on a massacre here, Atsushi?" Dazai asked the boy, making me realize what he was getting at. I see...

Atsushi pondered for a moment before looking at Dazai. "Special Operations Division?"

Dazai sat up, holding a finger up in front of him. "You think that would be the case, wouldn't you? It's actually the Port Mafia." Dazai replied, smirking mischievously. "The Port Mafia is widely regarded as masters of the night. Their success is due to the power of their members. They can't afford to have someone out there killing ability users unchecked."

"I get it now, it would be a big hit against them and the organization could be wiped out." I mumbled, placing a hand to my chin.

"Exactly." Dazai replied before continuing. "Imagine if one of their own were to fall victim to these attacks"

"For starters, their credibility would come crumbling down fast. Till then, they wait while others get attacked?" Kunikida spoke up, glancing at Dazai for his input.

Dazai threw a hand out. "The first to make a move, wins. That's what Mori would always say." Dazai glanced up at us. "They won't wait to act. Truth is, they may have already discovered the attackers hide out by now."

"Yeah? And if this assassin predicted their movements?" I asked, looking over at Dazai. "What then?"

Dazai didn't say anything for a moment before he replied. "Guess we're in for long work hours."

I let out a sigh, placing my hands on my hips as I closed my eyes. "I was afraid you'd say that..." I glanced back up, raising an eyebrow. "And I'm going to assume you're going to the site where the President was attacked, right?"