The (rut) cycle (shinsoukoku)

Chapter 4

The mansion they‘re in is magnificent. All golden, modern, rich… Anything a person could dream of. Atsushi looks to the side and sees a huge pool with the clearest water. Right next to it is a beautiful garden with plants Atsushi doesn‘t even recognize.

He‘s wearing a white suit with white pants and a black tie. Kyoka chose it for him. He was glad she did because he wouldn‘t be able to choose it himself. He‘d probably put on something Dazai gave him and usually all Dazai gave him were prank outfits.

The weretiger shows his ID to the security and finally walks into the mansion. Him and all the other guests are on a red carpet and everyone‘s wearing a mask, him too.

Atsushi knows it‘s going to be difficult finding his partner, Akutagawa in the crows. That‘s when someone grabs his shoulder so tight it hurts and Atsushi turns around, ready to fight. He relaxes once he realizes that the person was Akutagawa.

“Took you long enough“ He says. Atsushi smiles. He‘s glad Akutagawa‘s talking to him again, just like before the ‚incident‘. Maybe the diablo had forgiven him already?

“There was a problem with our car“ Atsushi explains and the two men walk into the main sall. They immediately hear the classical music and look at the group playing it. There‘s 3 violins, one piano, one cello and a harph.

All the guests made a big space in the middle where some couples were dancing. There was a stage at the end of the room but no one was there yet. Atsushi and Akutagawa were waiting for the businessman that they were searching for to finally enter the stage. The longer they were here, the bigger the chance that their identities would get revealed.

“Wine?“ A waiter asks and the men nod. They each take one glass and drink it with small sips.

Akutawaga made the mistake of not smelling the wine first to see if there‘s any poison and drank almost all of it in a few sips. He knew he should stay concentrated for the mission, but Atsushi was already beginning to stress him out. If anything, the alcohol would help his focus.

“Don‘t drink that“ Atsushi quickly says but knows it‘s too late. His weretiger nose smelled that the wine wasn‘t normal. It wasn‘t poison but it was definitely something. He grabs his partner‘s glass and smells it too.

He grabs Akutagawa‘s wrist and no matter how much the diablo doesn‘t want Atsushi to touch him, Atsushi drags him to the buffet table and spills the wine into the nearest trash can.

“There‘s something in those drinks. Dazai told me that the man we‘re supposed to catch has an ability that can be transmitted through liquid.“ Atsushi explains and Akutagawa tries very hard not to hit himself. How could he have been so stupid?

“Shit. I forgot“ He says but knows it‘s too late. The alcohol is already in his system and it would look suspicious if they went to the bathroom since they have only just arrived.

“We can risk it“ The weretiger says but his tone is serious. No one knows what the business man‘s ability is and there‘s a chance that the wine is dangerous. What if the man was trying to kill all the people in the room?

Akutagawa nods.

That‘s when the show finally starts.

The lights go down and the music slows down and gets quiet. Suddenly, 3 strands of light points at the stage and Atsushi and Akutagawa finally see their target.

Henry David Thoreau. An American man who has been on the PM‘s and ADA‘s radar for a while now.

“Ladies and gentlemen! I am so glad to see you here tonight! I know all of you want to continue your own activities, so I promise that my introduction will be short. As many of you already know me, my name is Henry David Thoreau. I have made this ball to get to know all of you better. Because in the end, today is going to be all about facts and truth“ He says, bows and even though some people are a bit confused about his introduction, they all applaud him anyways.