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by cailin_K

by cailin_K

"N-no, that's not-" Tanizaki flailed his hands hurriedly. "I went for work! I got a call,
and when I rushed over to the standing bar, Dazai-san was-"

"That's right. Thanks for that."

"What...? Then, Tanizaki, you went for work? The same bar Dazai was at? .. .That can't
be a coincidence. So you were called there by Dazai, then. Did he make you pay the tab? Or was
he causing all sorts of problems-" Stopping there, Kunikida went pale and bent at the waist.
"N-no way-Really? He did something again?"

"I'm sorry, Kunikida-san," Tanizaki said, glancing down apologetically.

"Geez, I didn't do anything bad enough to warrant that much glaring," Dazai said,
laughing. "I drank alongside some people at the bar, chatted them up a bit, and left. That was
really it. .. .Although, well, on the way, I sort of got caught up in a bomb threat."

Kunikida's upper body shook as he stood there in silence.

"...Kunikida-san?" Tanizaki asked anxiously.

"I... passed out there for a moment," Kunikida said in a weak voice, raising his head. "A
bomb... you say? Oi, Tanizaki, if something like that happens, tell me that at the beginning of
the meeting. A bomb from who? Were the police called? Did the bomb squad come? What
happened to the bomb after?"

"It's right here," Dazai said, putting the paper bag on the table with a thud.

"Uwaah!" Kunikida said in surprise, backing up in his seat.

"It's fine, it's just a well-done fake," Dazai said, shrugging his shoulders. "To
summarize: Yesterday, this bomb was delivered to that standing bar. It was addressed to me,
from an anonymous sender. So, once I opened the package, I found the bomb in there. The fuse
was disconnected when I unwrapped it, but it ended up being a situation where if I moved it even
a little bit, it might explode. Thus, the police and the Detective Agency were contacted."

"And that's why I rushed over."