Project X (Bungou Stray Dogs X Reader)

Chapter Thirty

Atsushi POV

Even after Kunikida-san's explanation, I couldn't understand why everyone in the office fawned over Ranpo-san! I mean, he can't even take the train on his own.

I sighed as the child-like detective looked out the trains window through a marble. It was ridiculous.

He was ridiculous.

He was conceited, and idiotic. Childish, annoying.

I let out anther sigh and turned my gaze to the window. My thoughts drifted to Y/n-chan. She had looked so happy when Akutagawa showed up the other day. I don't think I've ever seen anyone look that happy. If what Dazai-san said happened to her really happened to her, why would her captors make her so happy? Why would she stay with them? Wouldn't she want to get away from the mafia?

Dazai-san must have lied or, perhaps, Y/n-chan lied to Dazai-san I concluded as I led Ranpo-san off the train and to the bank of a nearby river as instructed.

"You're late, Agents." said a strict looking officer with his arms crossed.

"Oh, who are you? Where is Yasui-san?" asked an equally unamused Rampo-san.

"I'm Minoura." responded the officer, pulling a Kanagawa Prefecture Police ID out of his pocket for us to see, "I took this case over for Yasui. This case has been reassigned to our division so, we no longer need you or your agency."

"How idiotic!" exclaimed Rampo, "All the difficult cases in the world should be overseen by a great detective as a matter of course!"

Y/n POV

Our raid on the agency or whatever had gone about as well as we were expecting last night and now I was walking along the river on my way to meet Chuuya-san for dinner when I saw a familiar duo.

"Ranpo-san and the dumbass tiger.." I muttered to myself, "what are they doing here? Best keep an eye on them in case they're planning anything..."

Looking around, I spotted a crane near enough to the group that I could listen in on their conversation and still be out of sight. Being as nonchalant as possible, I ducked beneath the police barriers and assumed my hiding place.

"We don't need a private investigator today. The victim is my subordinate." the cop was saying and I scoffed.

The police in this town were useless and would greatly benefit from an investigator at all times. It would certainly make my life harder if someone like Ranpo-san worked every case. Plus, if the victim was his subordinate, it would be ten times easier for someone who didn't know the victim to work the case. 

They pulled back the top of the plastic body bag and I craned my neck to see a woman of maybe twenty five who's chest contained three bullet holes and was covered in blood.

The three bullet holes immediately peaked my interest and while all the investigators were focused on the body, I moved to hide in the wreckage of a disused dock even closer to the crew.

"A lady." said Rampo-san sadly, taking his hat off out of respect. (editing author: when he does this in the show it always makes me laugh so hard. I genuinely think about this scene all the time.)

"She was found floating in the river this morning." said an especially upset officer.

"She was shot three times in the chest." droned the lead investigator, "We don't know where or when she was killed. We haven't even found the bullets."

Wow, I thought, these cops really do need some help.

"Any suspects?" asked Ranpo-san out of routine

"No." responded the investigator, "As far as anyone at the office knew, she wasn't in a relationship either."

The same cop who had described the way she was found look at his feet nervously.

Ah, so the victim was in a relationship with that cop or, he at least had feelings for her.

"Does that mean you don't have any leads?" goaded Rampo-san

The investigator nodded.

"That is all the more reason why we can't let some amateur private eye handle this."

"Hey!" called one of the other cops in the process of using the crane I had hidden beside moments before to dredge the bottom of the river, "The nets caught on something!"

"Whats that?" asked Atsushi.

"We've strung a net across the river to catch any evidence, but..." answered the cop who had a romantic interest in the victim, trailing off and appearing to be almost nervous.

"Its a man!" called the machine operator, "We have a man in the nets!"

"What?!" cried the investigator, "could there be a second victim?"

Everyone ran to the machine to see the man being pulled from the water and I had to restrain myself from doing the same.

"Hello Astushi-kun!" waved the body once it was fully out of the water and at eye level with the silver haired nobody.

Of course it had to be him.

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status: edited October 26th 2023