Choices & Chains

Suicide by Ability

Kath stretched as she leaned back on her chair and stared at the ceiling. The office had been the quietest she had witnessed in ages for two reasons.

First, Dazai was nowhere in sight. Kath was thankful. Second, they were preparing for a big important job so most of the going to and fro caused by clerks sorting papers and detectives discussing missions had ceased. It was only her and Rampo there. Kunikida was preparing for a briefing about the new job, Yosano was in her office as usual, and the Tanizaki siblings were at the café downstairs along with Kenji. Atsushi on the other hand left to find Dazai, and Kyouka in turn left to find him.

Kath brought out a stack of paper and began leafing through them. At least while they were waiting for that suicidal maniac to join them, she got to use the chance to get some work done on her story.

" Oh, that's the story from the other day?" Rampo straightened as he pulled the lollipop from his mouth. " How is coming along."

" Hit a writer's block," she mumbled, running her hand through her hair. " I mean, I know exactly what I want to reach next, but the events in the middle still don't click together perfectly. I'm struggling with them."

" You know what I do when something like that happens to me?"

Kath rolled her eyes. " What?"

" I would have advised you if it ever happened to me."

Figured.

" Haha. Very funny."

" Cheer up." A lollipop was thrown onto her desk. Kath raised an eyebrow, that was the first time Rampo had ever shared his snacks with someone. " You know inspiration won't hit you if you continue scowling at those papers. All you ever see is an uncompleted story and you'll be frustrated all over again for your mind to come up with something."

" Then what do you suggest?" She asked unwrapping her lollipop and placing it in her mouth. The inside of her mouth almost pulled from the inside at sourness.

Lemon. No wonder he gave it to me. He hates those ones.

Kath was no big fan of the flavor, but she was against wasting food. So she was stuck with it.

" For now, just put those away. I can tell that you've been busy with the story for the past week. You need a break from it. A change of pace is required."

" Ho? I thought nothing such a block happened to you."

" It's because I always pick whatever is interesting to me that it never happens." He wagged his finger at her as he popped the lollipop back into his mouth.

" Hm..." The door opened, pulling her attention to the newcomer. Atsushi and Kyouka stood by the door, alone. " I take it Dazai isn't joining us. Let's get things over with then."

✦ -─────────- ✦

The case piqued her interest. A suicide using one's ability. And all started with the appearance of a peculiar fog.

Can't believe Dazai is missing on such a case. She wondered inwardly as she skimmed through the documents.

The fog appeared 128 times around the globe. The cities and times were all random, nothing suggesting any type of pattern.

Just as Kunikida was yelling at Atsushi for failing to drag Dazai into the meeting, Rampo pulled out a black heavy iron box.

A safe?

Kath leaned over to see him stuffing all his snacks inside it. " What are you doing, Rampo-san?" Kenji was the first to voice his bewilderment.

" Protecting my treasure," he said closing the safe door.

" So any gifted who touches that fog kills themselves?" Tanizaki reminded them of the main object of the meeting before his sister threw herself on him.

" I'm never going to let you kill yourself and leave me behind."

" You're are about to squeeze his soul out, Naomi-chan!" Kath warned seeing Tanizaki's blue face.

Kath placed down her own clipboard and leaned her head against the back of her hand. Death by ability...

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to assume everyone was imagining how it would end up for them if they were caught in that fog. How would they end?

An image popped into her mind. Two bloodied bodies, each with a blade cutting its gut and clutched hard in hand. Kath quickly shook her head.

" Kath." She looked up when the president called her name, and she could see the concern in his eyes. " If you feel unwell, you're allowed to leave."

Kath shook her head as she pulled herself together. She mustn't dwell on the past. " I'm fine. Then, the Special Operation Division hired us to investigate this phenomenon, right? Do they have a suspect?"

Kunikida nodded as pulled a certain picture of a man with long silver hair on the projected screen. Kath leaned forward to be able to see past the entangled Tanizaki siblings.

Even if it was a picture, Kath felt that his dead red eyes were staring right through them, like they were seeing everything.

" This is Shibusawa Tatsuhiko. Twenty-nine years old. Thought to be involved in the serial suicides. We received information he's in Yokohama and were asked to capture him. All we know is that he has some kind of special ability and that he goes by the street name 'Collecter'." Kunikida briefed them.

The lights switched on. " The Armed Detective Agency will accept this job," Fukuzawa declared. " Gifted are the most direct victims of this case. This is also important to protect the lives of the Agency. More than anything, I get the sense that this is going to cause broader public harm. The Detective Agency will hereby commit all of its resources to investigating this man."

They all stood up in unison. " Roger that."

Suicide by ability... Does sound fair...