But in the End

Angels?

"Man... these are pretty brutal." I stated, glancing at the photos of the victims after Kunikida told us each incident.

"This must be... the Decay of Angels." Ranpo said, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's a message from the murderer."

"The Decay of Angels?" Atsushi asked him, confused.

"I think Angel's of Death would've sounded better." I shrugged, leaning back in my chair. "Still, it's a pretty blunt message if you ask me." I grumbled, earning a look from Kunikida. "Oops. Poor choice of words, I guess."

Hearing the door open, all of us glanced to see the President walking in. "The Decay of Angels. It refers to the five signs that angels, at the pinnacle of the sixth path of existence, exhibit before their death."

"President." Kunikida acknowledged.

"The rogue, becomes stained with grim and oils. The crowned, wilts and rots. The body, becomes dirty and odorous. Swept pores out of the armpits." The President explained.

"It's a serial murderer making a deliberate display of brutality." Jun'ichirō chimed in.

I turned my head as Atsushi jumped out of his seat. "Just a second, please! There have only been four murders so far."

Kunikida turned to look at Atsushi. "But the five omens to satisfaction and apathy remain."

"Therefore, there's going to be one more murder." Atsushi concluded.

"Not true." The President stated. "We're going to stop the murder before it happens. Each of us will commit to putting an end to this villains's twisted ploy!"

"I disagree."

Surprised, we all turned to look at Ranpo. "Why Ranpo? Care to explain." The President glanced at him.

"My friend gave me a warning about this." Ranpo replied, seeming to be thinking back. "I think we should turn this job down."

———

"Hello?" I asked, putting the phone up to my ear. "What is it?"

"(Y/N), how are you?"

I let out a hum in thought. "I'm fine. But something tells me you didn't call just to check in on me." I stated, narrowing my eyes towards the phone I held.

"You're right. Though, that is part of the reason."

I didn't say anything for a moment as I kept walking back to the Agency. "So, what's the other reason?"

"Do you know where Dazai is?"

I stopped walking, furrowing my eyebrows together. "Why?" I questioned, confused.

"I tried reaching out but was unable to get in contact with him."

I let out a sigh. "As a matter of fact, no, I haven't seen Dazai. He tends to disappear from time to time, though I'm sure you know that."

"I see."

"Wait- Why are you trying to contact Dazai in the first-" My sentence was cut short as the sound of the call ending ring through my ears. "-place..."