thicker than the mind | dazai o. ✓

after story : suspicions

"Good morning!"

"Good morning."

The members of the Armed Detective Agency focused at the duo that entered their office at the same time. One was giddy and had a flowery aura around her, while the other had a hurt aura surrounding him.

Dazai groggily made his way to his desk with some difficulty, while Taiyo easily glided the floors with a satisfied look. "Uh... Are you alright, Dazai-san?" Atsushi looked to his left to see his supervisor in a drunken-like state. "My lower body... hurts...!" He whined, gripping his lower back with a groan. "Why?"

"He fell down the stairs earlier." Taiyo sneakily said with a snicker, making fun of Dazai's state since she knew the real reason he was acting like this. "Oh. You should put some salonpas. I have some in my drawer." The kind albino said as he got to get his relief pads out. "Here, Dazai-san." He offered it to him and the detective took it with an eager look. "Thank you so much, Atsushi-kun!"

He stood up and proceeded to go to the bathroom to attempt on putting it at his lower back. The two detectives looked at him with eyebrows raised, although Taiyo was smirking like crazy. Atsushi noticed this, so he decided to question the girl. "Why did he fall, Taiyo-san?"

She broke from her smirking trance, now focusing on the teen. "Oh, he was playing around and dancing while going down the steps. I warned him, but he didn't listen so, I guess this is on him." She lowly chuckled, satisfied with thinking of such a white lie in a quick situation. The teen detective muttered an 'oh' as he then proceeded to work.

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"Hey, Ranpo..." Yosano leaned in next to the detective's ear, "You notice that Taiyo and Dazai had gotten... a bit close recently?" The green eyed boy raised his brows up, knowing full well that there's something between them, but decided to tease the doctor from knowing. "Hmm.. no, not really." He stated with a thinking look. "Eh?! You never noticed them being all touchy and they're interacting more!"

"They made up already, so it's expected they're interacting much." Ranpo said with a slight smirk, finding it highly amusing that the doctor was getting so worked up over her friend's relationship with Dazai. "ThEY MADE OUT?!"

Yosano poorly mistook Ranpo's 'up' to 'out,' and it caught the attention of everyone that was still in earshot. The witty detective grimaced and snickered at Yosano's outburst, while she found it highly embarrassing now that Taiyo was walking up to her. "What?! Who made out?" She walked with a glint in her eyes, eager to know which one of them hooked up.

"N-No one! Now go and finish your work!" Yosano stuttered out while Ranpo tried desperately to keep in his laugh that was about to burst any minute. The doctor dragged Taiyo out from the gossiping scene and back to her desk, "Wha- but, Yosano! I thought we were tea buddies!" The raven haired doctor felt a little guilty for not asking her friend directly, but she felt too embarrassed to do so. "Eh... You don't know this person, though! Only Ranpo and I know who so, that's why I'm telling it to him!" She quickly made up a lie to reassure her friend that was about to do a puppy face to get her to spill it out. Good things Yosano said something before she couldn't resist her puppy look.

"Fine! Tell me soon though, okay?" She said with a happy smile with a tongue out and an eye closed; Yosano nodded in relief.

"They're totally making out, Ranpo. I cannot make this shit up." Yosano murmured to her friend, a sigh escaping her lips. "I said make up, Yosano-chan! Not- nevermind." The detective gave up on teasing her, since she now had a glint in her eyes that made it clear that she has an idea set up.