Bungou Stray Dogs x OC ~ Alter Ego

Chapter 30

Holding that book in her hands again had shaken her far more than she had first imagined. No doubt because she had no energy left to fight, in vain, against those memories of the past that would, so to speak, never let her go.

With one of her palms pressed against her chest, Yui had just hung up the phone with the Agency, trying to clear her mind and calm the erratic beating of her heart.

She could not let her emotions get the better of her, especially knowing that, the following evening, she would have to meet Mori Ougai for the second time. Friday had arrived much earlier than she had expected, much to her chagrin.

But it was not an overly complicated task, was it? She just had to act as usual, as she did with all her other potential co-contractors. Put aside her instinctive dislike of the man and concentrate solely on her job.

Perhaps Nakahara Chuuya would be there this time too? Even though she had seen through Mori Ougai's game, by allowing the young man to take part in their meeting, even though he was hardly skilled at it, Yui could not help feeling a little reassured by the presence of Nakahara Chuuya, who had to be slightly older than her.

But not for the reason the Mafia boss imagined. She would never agree to sign a contract that was not good enough for the Uemuras, no matter how much she disliked Mori Ougai. If she felt a little more confident with the prospect of Chuuya being present, it was because the idea gave her a little strength to face that voice, which sent shivers of terror through her entire body.

It was a little ironic, when she remembered that it was Chuuya himself who had pursued her and forced her to use this. But then, he had healed her wound afterwards, so Yui imagined that was making up for it, right?

She was not going to be able to escape finding a way to thank Chuuya, though. In the young man's eyes, Yui still owed him something, unfortunately.

She hated being in debt to anyone.

Her heartbeat finally calmed down, and the pain that went with it subsided too, making her sigh with relief as she felt those unpleasant sensations slowly fade away.

She had to refocus on the current situation. She had just given the Agency that man's name, and they had certainly already started a search.

Had they believed her when they realized that this person was the author of the decades-old book? She herself did not believe it, but were not these detectives used to this kind of weirdness, with all the crazy cases they had to deal with?

She had had no trouble convincing this reluctant detective, whose voice was bored and slightly muffled by what sounded like candy. Once she had understood that he just needed a good reason to investigate her case, she had assumed that this man was very full of himself, and probably rightly so, considering his obvious lack of manners when he had interrupted the conversation between her and Dazai, without anyone holding it against him.

This detective must have been extremely good at what he did. So, betting on her quick deductions, Yui had given a reason that could not be more incontrovertible for an individual such as the one on the other end of the line at that moment.

"Why should you take my request...? That is a good question. I imagine that money is not what interests you, just as the prospect of being able to resell the book does not appeal to you all that much... But what about the recognition of your peers? If you stop solving cases because they are considered too boring, what will continue to prove to others that you are an outstanding investigator? Memories fade fast, detective."

The answer had not been long in coming, and had proved that her reasoning had been relevant once again. The man on the other end of the line, once sulking like a small child, had suddenly redoubled in energy.