No Longer Human

Four

"Welcome back Atsushi," When they reentered the common area there was already someone in it. They were short, dressed in a brown cape, pants, and hat, with a white blazer beneath it and just slightly longer than average length black hair. They turned from where they were sitting, leaning their head back, "Ooooh and the mysterious visitor you've been keeping from me too, what a surprise." Their eyes were shut, a knowing grin on their face and a candy cane hanging from their mouth.

It was, for this new person at least, not a surprise.

Atsushi seemed to agree with Dazai's conclusion as after briefly sputtering for words or excuses settled on making a face and petulantly muttering, "Was not."

The stranger's grin only widened.

"Oh, don't worry I already know everything about you, do you want to join me for cards instead of Atsushi? We both know he can't play a decent game." It seemed Atsushi and Yukichi might not be the only members there with absurdly good hearing. Was it what made Yukichi take Atsushi and the other kid in? And why they kept apart from the village? But that could t be it...

In fact Dazai was certain that wasn't it; they hid that from him with the carelessness of someone who had a far bigger secret to keep and barely saw it as unusual as a result.  And he wasn't positive yet that the black haired man even had enhanced hearing.

He paused his thinking and went back for a moment, they didn't forget he lacked it, meaning they kept in contact with others who didn't have overly strong hearing. But not the villagers from where Dazai stayed. But possibly the doctor? Not just her; however. They were in regular contact with more than just the doctor. Most likely, it was this black haired male who didn't have advanced hearing, which suggested it wasn't because of his hearing, nor bugs since he checked for those, that he found out enough to be certain about 'knowing' Dazai. Interesting. Dazai's smile widened as well. Now for a small test to pull things together.

Atsushi pouted, flopping to the ground beside the other boy. "I can too, you all are just unfairly good."

Dazai smiled sitting down across from them at the coffee table, intrigued, "If you do know so much about me what exactly makes me mysterious~?"

The dark haired boy grinned widely and opened his eyes placing on square rimmed glasses as he did so, "Well let's see here, you are in your early twenties, well traveled, and making your own salary, you didn't inherit your money, you're smart and can read people far too easily. But also, you are bored. Currently transitioning out of one career you only just started, but are already reasonably successful at. I'd say a... an advisement position, probably not dealing specifically with one person- you advise companies. But that's not all you do. You regularly give travel advice as well. However, you don't find much interesting in life, which is what led you here, correct? You tried to kill yourself."

"Ranpo!" Atsushi shot up turning scoldingly to 'Ranpo' as if in reflex before the words fully registered and he was instead turning widening, watery eyes to Dazai, "...You...."

"Hmmm, I suppose you do know me, interesting, but all of what you said could be found online if you knew what to look for. The number of companies I consulted for decreasing despite demand rising, hospital records from when someone decides to take me to one leave a pretty good trail where that's concerned and I have no clue what and how much you've been told by Atsushi." As the other had been speaking, Dazai had glanced down at his cards, looking them over carefully, only once looking up from them to meet the closed eyes of the other when the suicide was mentioned before returning his gaze.

"Of course that's possible." They smiled knowingly, "could they tell when your first attempt was?"

Dazai froze, his head raising once again in interest, "Please," they grinned, "Enlighten me."

Childishly they lifted their hand, waving him over, Dazai leaned forward to let them whisper it to him, Atsushi sitting tensely off to the side with wide dual color eyes bouncing between them. He drew back, a smile on his face, "Oooh, scary~ it seems I have a stalker as well as a kidnapper here. Who knew I had so many fans~!"

Ranpo laughed with him, "Mhmm, not really, I have so many better things to do." Atsushi stared at his friend- facial shape, coloring, build, and other key factors made the odds of them being related too small to even bear mentioning.

Ranpo ended up winning the game although he pouted the entire time afterwards that Dazai hadn't really been trying. Dazai denied it but they both knew it wasn't true in the least.  Atsushi lost in his usual utter, panicked confusion.

It had been some time since someone managed to hide something from him and yet here the three were, living in an impossible house far from civilization with two using what could only be supernatural hearing, strength, and speed. Of course by the very fact of its existence, it was part of the natural world, but it was at the very least far from this world's norm. And that did seem to be the only possibility- they weren't human.  Dazai wouldn't have been able to control his curiosity if he tried (he didn't try, it had never been in his instinct to resist his impulses, but the point was he couldn't have even if he could have been bothered.).

        The days passed quickly enough and he quickly noticed that the three always seemed to leave him in the care of one of the others when they left, so it was something he might figure out if left alone. Which was exactly why he woke up early to go seek out Atsushi, an innocent enough thing to do since they always spent mornings together, but a perfect excuse to snoop.

       The house was bigger than he expected and practically a maze with all of its dimly lit, winding tunnels, but Dazai easily found his way to the room he'd seen Atsushi slip into once to grab a change of clothes when Dazai and Ranpo had been having one of their many rematches. There didn't seem like anything else to do. Without a second thought he brushed aside the cloth hanging that blocked the entryway and found himself staring at one set of dual colored eyes in unusual shades of interlocking purple and yellow. The owner of which was the largest tiger that Dazai had ever seen, crouched majestically on the small raised section of the floor.

       Dazai stared.

      Blinked as if that would clear his vision.

      The tiger stared back but then startled, leaping and landing in an awkward flail that sent itself piling back to the ground in a poor mimicry of standing on its four legs.

        "Ah~ Atsushi, my favorite kidnapper, no need to stand on my account, I suppose I woke early after all~!" Dazai sung out happily as he carelessly invited himself into the room with the impossibly sized white tiger that blinked in disbelief at him.

       He didn't bother muffling his cheery laughter at the irony. It seemed his prediction wasn't as mad as he had half-expected it to be.