our beloved hero , mizuki hako , a 19yr girl a reckless carefree dump girl discovering her grandmother secrets after her death , to find out a big lie .
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The building we stood in was abandoned, its walls cracked, and its windows broken, letting in the eerie glow of the moon. Dust clung to every corner, and silence hung heavy in the air, except for the soft flipping of Dazai’s fingers through his favorite book on suicide. I leaned against a cracked pillar, my gaze fixated on the moon, barely acknowledging the others. Atsushi fidgeted awkwardly nearby, looking every bit as lost and nervous as he usually did.
“So, Atsushi-kun, still wondering what brought you here?” Dazai asked without even looking up from his book.
Atsushi’s gaze snapped to Dazai, worry clouding his eyes. “I… don’t understand. The tiger… it keeps showing up wherever I go… It’s like it’s haunting me.”
Dazai closed his book with a soft snap and smirked. “You are the tiger, Atsushi-kun.”
Atsushi’s face paled. “W-What?! No way… That can’t be!”
As he struggled to process the information, the moonlight hit him in a strange way, casting shadows across his form. His breathing grew heavier, his eyes widening with a wild glint, and his body began to contort. His skin shifted, rippling as his muscles expanded, fur sprouting from his flesh. Slowly, he transformed, limbs elongating, his face morphing into a powerful feline shape. White fur emerged all over his body, gleaming like fresh snow under the pale moonlight. His eyes glowed an electric gold, filled with a feral intensity as sharp fangs peeked from his snarling mouth.
I merely observed with a raised brow. “Guess I was right. As usual,” I muttered to myself, unimpressed.
Dazai smirked, completely unfazed by the transformation. “Ah, Mizuki-san, always so perceptive. Aren’t you going to do anything?”
I rolled my eyes. “Why bother? The kid can’t even control himself.”
The tiger lunged, snarling, powerful claws extending toward Dazai, who just side-stepped with an effortless grin. “Come on, Atsushi-kun, you can’t be serious,” he teased, dodging swipe after swipe.
They circled each other, Atsushi’s tiger form relentless in his assault, while Dazai moved with his usual lazy grace, dodging every strike as if it were child’s play. Finally, with a well-timed move, Dazai jumped toward the tiger, reaching out and tapping Atsushi’s forehead with his fingers. Atsushi’s form flickered, the beastly energy suddenly cut off as Dazai’s ability nullified it, forcing him back into his human self. Atsushi’s eyes fluttered, his body collapsing into unconsciousness.
Dazai caught him, but only just, before quickly letting him fall unceremoniously to the ground. “If that was a flirt attempt, I’m not interested, Atsushi-kun,” Dazai said with a sly grin, patting him on the head before standing up straight.
The door swung open, and the rest of the Agency arrived. Kenji ran over first, immediately hugging me with a wide grin. “Mizuki-san! I’m back! You wouldn’t believe the stuff I saw in the village.”
I hugged him back, ruffling his hair. “Tell me all about it, Kenji. Every single detail.”
Yosano joined us, her signature grin on her face, and gave me a playful pat on the head, her massive blade resting easily against her shoulder. “So, Mizuki-san, I see Dazai didn’t cause you too much trouble this time,” she teased, though her gaze was wary on the collapsed Atsushi.
Kunikida, of course, was visibly fuming as he approached Dazai. “Dazai! How dare you go through all of this without telling me anything?! You reckless maniac!” He waved his notebook furiously as if he wanted to swat Dazai with it.
Dazai just laughed, casually adjusting his coat. “Kunikida-kun, you know I work best in spontaneous situations.”
I shot Dazai a sidelong look, watching as his ever-present smirk only deepened. Kenji had taken on the task of carrying the unconscious Atsushi, who hung over his shoulder like a sack of rice.
As we started walking back, Dazai sidled up beside me, a mischievous glint in his eye. “So, Mizuki-san, did you know about Atsushi’s little secret from the beginning?”
I kept my expression perfectly neutral, a small, mocking smile tugging at my lips. “Curiosity killed the cat, Dazai.”
Dazai laughed softly. “Ah, but satisfaction brought it back, didn’t it?”
I chuckled, letting him have that one, as the night air cooled around us. This strange new chapter with Atsushi had only just begun, and I could already feel the thrill of the game dawning on the horizon.
