Bound by Obsession

Part 37

The ride back to the ADA was cloaked in an uneasy silence. Dazai sat in the back, staring out of the car window with a distant expression, his usual playful demeanor absent. Chuuya, sitting next to him, kept glancing at him, eyes full of suspicion and concern. Kunikida drove in silence, occasionally exchanging worried looks with Ranpo in the passenger seat.

Dazai hadn't said a word since they left the mansion. Fyodor hadn't stopped them, hadn't even tried. It felt too easy, and that unnerved everyone.

"Are you going to say something?" Chuuya finally snapped, unable to stand the silence any longer.

Dazai blinked, as if coming out of a trance. He turned his head slightly, eyes heavy with exhaustion. "I'm... struggling to speak," he said softly, his voice unusually hesitant.

Kunikida glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "Struggling? What do you mean, Dazai?"

Dazai's eyes returned to the window. "Every morning, after breakfast... I feel numb. Obedient. Like I don't have control of myself. It's like... my body stops being mine."

The car went silent again as the weight of Dazai's words sank in. Ranpo's brow furrowed, processing the information. "You feel numb... like you're being controlled?"

Dazai nodded slowly. "I've tried to run away, more times than I can count. But every time... Fyodor finds me. No matter what I do, he's always there."

Chuuya's fists clenched in frustration. "Then why didn't you just stop eating breakfast?" he asked, his voice edged with anger.

Dazai's eyes flickered toward him briefly, then back out the window. "If I stop... he'll feed me himself. It won't make a difference."

That hit hard. The thought of Fyodor being so deeply embedded in Dazai's daily routine sent a ripple of unease through the car. It was as though every move Dazai made had been anticipated by Fyodor, every attempt to break free met with something more binding.

"How long has this been happening?" Ranpo asked, trying to stay calm.

Dazai hesitated. "Since the first day."

Kunikida's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "And you didn't tell us. You kept all of this to yourself?"

Dazai didn't respond, and that silence was more telling than any words he could have spoken.

Chuuya looked at him with a mix of frustration and something more vulnerable. "You should have trusted us," he muttered. "We would have come for you sooner."

Dazai's lips curled into a faint smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "It wouldn't have mattered. Fyodor always knows."

Ranpo was the first to break the silence that followed, his tone decisive. "We need to figure out how deep this control goes. He's planted these ideas in Dazai's head, twisted the truth. If he's making Dazai feel like he can't escape, even if it's a lie, that means Fyodor is still in control, even now."

Kunikida nodded grimly. "We'll have Yosano check him as soon as we're back. But the bigger issue is how we stop Fyodor from manipulating him further."

Chuuya crossed his arms, glaring at the floor. "We're not letting him near Dazai again. Not after this."

Dazai didn't argue. He didn't say anything at all, which only made the tension worse. It was clear now—whatever had happened during that week at Fyodor's mansion had left an impact on him. And even if he was physically back with the ADA, a part of him was still locked in that place, under Fyodor's thumb.

As they neared the ADA headquarters, the weight of the situation pressed down on them all. Fyodor had let Dazai go, but his influence hadn't ended. It was only beginning.