In the office, Asou Akiya looked at the close-protection bodyguard who had been assigned to him and brought back, unsure of what to say. Having an ability user protect him was, in itself, a good thing—provided she was not something the Boss was using to deliberately sabotage other people's relationships!
Ozaki Kouyou's face was utterly expressionless, her long hair falling over her shoulders, making her look strikingly similar to Izumi Kyouka from the IF Boss Dazai route.
No—rather than that, it should be said that Izumi Kyouka resembled the current Ozaki Kouyou.
"You… ah, forget it, let's properly introduce ourselves." Asou Akiya had no experience dealing with young girls and stumbled over his words for a moment before finding a way to communicate. "I'm Asou Akiya, twenty-two years old. In my private life, I have a live-in lover. My job is to make money for the Port Mafia. I spend most of my time at headquarters and don't go out lightly. Although this isn't our first meeting, I'm very glad to formally meet you, Kouyou-kun."
The tension in Ozaki Kouyou's nerves eased slightly. After observing him again and again, she confirmed that she was safe for the time being.
"Hello," she replied succinctly.
"It seems we've cleared up the first misunderstanding," Asou Akiya continued immediately. "The Boss's arrangement was well-intentioned. His methods of motivation are just a bit… um, extreme. But my own strength is limited, and I do need your protection. I promise I won't force you to do anything you dislike."
"Everything you say, I will report to the Boss," Ozaki Kouyou said coldly. It sounded less like a threat and more like a warning. "Asou-kun, mind your mouth."
Asou Akiya surrendered at once, caught between laughter and tears. "Please help me phrase it tactfully. I'd be endlessly grateful."
He raised his hand, inviting her to sit.
Seeing this, Ozaki Kouyou obediently sat down across from him, finally showing a trace of a young girl's demeanor.
Asou Akiya asked, "Kouyou-kun, how old are you this year? Can you tell me your age?"
Ozaki Kouyou answered, "Thirteen."
Asou Akiya recalled that they shared the same birthday. That being the case, she would turn fourteen next month.
"To be able to protect an adult at such a young age—that's impressive," Asou Akiya said gently, careful not to provoke her resistance. "I'm nine years older than you. My birthday is January tenth, so I'll soon be ten years older than you."
Hearing that they shared a birthday, Ozaki Kouyou's gaze flickered slightly. That day as well?
She said, "No. You're only nine years older than me."
The moment she finished speaking, she regretted it.
Hadn't she just revealed her birthday month?
Ozaki Kouyou realized the frightening part of this man and glared at the culprit who had coaxed words out of her. He, as though knowing exactly what she was afraid of, suppressed a laugh and said, "Let's pretend we never talked about this topic."
Ozaki Kouyou sulked and did not want to speak.
The way Asou Akiya looked at her was that of an elder—noninvasive, deliberately widening the gap created by their difference in age.
He raised both hands. "Let me make this clear first: my sexual orientation is men. At most, I'd think of you as a daughter… no need to glare at me. Anyone under fourteen is a little girl in my eyes—I'm not going to turn into a lolicon." After settling the nature of their relationship, Asou Akiya handed her a novel. "Kouyou-kun, my office work is pretty dull. Sorry to put you through that. If you feel bored, you can read a romance novel."
Ozaki Kouyou had been about to refuse, but when she heard that it was a romance novel, curiosity stirred. Given her living environment, she rarely had access to novels about love and affection.
An hour passed.
Just as Asou Akiya had said, the work was tedious and boring, and Ozaki Kouyou began to flip through the novel.
There were very few people coming in and out of the office. Once it quieted down, the soft rustle of turning pages mixed with the tapping of a keyboard. Asou Akiya took a moment to glance at her, only to be met with her sharp, immediate look in return.
He smiled faintly and continued focusing on the documents displayed on his computer screen.
[Thirteen years old.]
[Kouyou is a little over two months younger than Ranpo—has she already been in a relationship?]
[Maybe there are already signs. The Boss arranging things this way carries a hint of deliberately sabotaging people's relationships. In the original work, Kouyou's elopement with an organization member should happen within the next three years. According to Bungou Stray Dogs' usual narrative patterns, a major character's first upheaval is typically concentrated around the ages of fourteen or fifteen…]
[Next year, or the year after? Will there be an adult man in the Port Mafia who runs away with a little girl?]
[That man would be a lolicon, wouldn't he?!]
In the Intelligence Division, the department head looked at his capable subordinate and said, "Kan'ichi-kun, the Boss has assigned Ozaki Kouyou to Asou Akiya, to serve as his close-protection guard."
A young man's expression darkened at once, his shoulders slumping when he heard this.
During wartime, Japan had permitted girls to marry at the age of thirteen. Even though the war had ended not long ago, the Port Mafia Boss sending a little girl to act as close protection for a handsome, unmarried adult man…
"I know you're close with Kouyou, and that you've helped cover for her, but you're being too impatient," the Intelligence Division head said. He was an ability user himself, yet he held no prejudice against ordinary people. From this position, he had seen more than ninety percent of the Port Mafia's darkness. "She is a blade held in the Boss's hand. That blade may have emotions, but it must not disobey its master's orders—otherwise, it loses its value."
Kan'ichi spoke urgently, "I just want her to live a little better. As a powerful ability user, when she grows up, she shouldn't have to learn the courtesan's ways to serve men!"
The Intelligence Division head did not mock him. He said calmly, "Are you pitying her?"
Kan'ichi lowered his head.
The Intelligence Division head continued, "Leave. Get yourself into a high position as soon as possible—only then will you be qualified to replace Asou Akiya."
Kan'ichi wanted to argue, but reality pressed down on him so heavily that he could only leave in bitterness.
Once everyone else was gone, the Intelligence Division head—who had personally cultivated Kan'ichi—snorted softly. He opened a file on Asou Akiya and looked over the information on the newcomer Akiya had brought in. Aside from the Boss himself, he was the second person in the Port Mafia who clearly understood Asou Akiya's background. "So it's his French lover? Not bad taste."
At the end of the year, amid this turbulent season, the Port Mafia was unusually lively.
Ability users were rare commodities.
Randou did not have the qualifications to meet the Boss, but his information was nevertheless reported to the upper ranks at the very first opportunity.
His approval process went through extremely quickly, as though the higher-ups had given a green light, accepting him without hesitation. Correspondingly, the Port Mafia did not grant him any time to acclimate to the darkness. After leading Randou into a sealed location, the Mafia's newcomer examiner used imprisoned convicts to test his ability.
When faced with the act of tormenting others, Randou felt nauseated.
He considered himself relatively merciful. When he killed, he emphasized efficiency and did not inflict unnecessary suffering on his enemies. At most, out of a need for cheap labor, he would create one humanoid ability after another.
Besides—
Were humanoid abilities really people?
They did not bleed, did not tire; their hearts beat endlessly, with livers and kidneys like perpetual-motion machines.
Bullying tools and bullying real people were two entirely different matters!
Randou shifted his gaze away, staring unfocused at the air rather than at the prisoner whose body was bound by a golden subspace. The man screamed, glaring at him with eyes full of hatred, cursing ability users, while others squeezed out the last scraps of exploitable value through interrogation. The end came with the sharp crack of breaking bone, followed by a gunshot aimed at the head.
After observing Randou's performance, the newcomer examiner judged it passable. His nerve was far better than that of an average recruit, consistent with someone who had not undergone special training. The examiner glanced at the file in his hand. "Your physical condition is excellent, and your ability is suited to combat support. There's no problem assigning you to a Mafia combat squad, right?"
Randou tugged his scarf up, blocking the cold air at his neck, and replied, "Mm."
The newcomer examiner continued with the usual explanation. "You were brought in by a senior. As your guide, you can go to him with anything you don't understand—he's obligated to answer you. There's always the possibility he might forget, but according to Port Mafia tradition, after you officially join, he will give you a personal item."
Randou responded, half-understanding, half-confused, "A personal item?"
That was where his attention landed—a personal item? Asou Akiya's personal item?!
The rookie examiner did not notice anything strange about Randou's reaction and took it as ordinary curiosity. "Mm. Generally speaking, it's things like your clothes, gloves, or a tie. If not that, then firearms or ammunition."
Randou immediately decided that when he got home, he would ask about it—he wanted a gift from Akiya!
After the successive rounds of evaluations finally ended, everyone present felt a trace of exhaustion. No one was exhilarated by killing. In truth, most people in this world were still normal. They feared blood, felt depressed at the act of killing, and recoiled from it. Those who could naturally free themselves from such reactions were either mentally unwell, or outright inhuman, anti-social existences.
The Frenchman with long black hair spoke fluent Japanese, his voice low and gentle as he asked softly, "Did I pass?"
The gazes around him shifted, now carrying recognition and respect. An ability user was still an ability user, after all. The rookie examiner was no longer harsh with him and replied kindly, "Yes. Welcome to the Port Mafia."
In this Japanese winter, Randou gained a new job.
—The Mafia.
This time, when he returned home, Randou came back alone.
He waited in the living room for half an hour. Asou Akiya was the second to return, and after him came Edogawa Ranpo.
When Edogawa Ranpo arrived, Asou Akiya was standing in the entryway changing his shoes when he heard a knock at the door. He turned and went to open it. A black-haired, little boy dressed in a detective's outfit stood beside Fukuzawa Yukichi, brimming with energy. Since becoming partners, the two of them had worked with remarkable efficiency, helping the police resolve quite a few troublesome cases.
"Sorry to disturb you," Fukuzawa Yukichi said, dutifully escorting Edogawa Ranpo back.
"Would you like some water?" Asou Akiya asked.
"No need." There was a faint sense of relief in Fukuzawa Yukichi's retreating figure. Not having to be responsible for Ranpo's evening life meant he could finally have a little personal space, instead of acting as a full-time nanny.
At home, Edogawa Ranpo collapsed onto the sofa the moment he returned, looking like an utterly exhausted cat.
"Akiya, I want juice!"
"There isn't any. Go get it yourself from the fridge—I'm tired too."
Asou Akiya loosened his tie, took off his coat, and hung them on the rack. Then he knocked lightly against his stiff lower back, which had been tense all day, feeling the soreness settle deep into his muscles. Trying to leave a good impression on Ozaki Kouyou had really been a case of courting his own suffering.
The vacation was over, and the first day back at work was utterly exhausting!
Randou took a closer look and found that both of them were completely sprawled out, looking even more worn out than he was.
He felt a little lost.
Wasn't the job he had joined supposed to be a combat-oriented one? Then why were these two textbook brain-type people so tired?
"Akiya—personal gift," Randou said, nudging the lover who seemed to have forgotten all about it.
"The Port Mafia tradition is just to casually give the newcomer something," Asou Akiya replied as he wrapped his arms around Randou's waist, luxuriating in the comfort of being home. "Everything I have is yours anyway. If you want something, just take it yourself."
Randou was stunned, his gaze sweeping up and down Akiya, who was dressed in a white shirt and black slacks.
The clothes on him were ones they had picked out together at the mall; there was nothing particularly sentimental or memorable about them.
So just like that, the onboarding gift was gone?
No way!
Unwilling to give up for the sake of the longed-for gift, Randou stubbornly rummaged through Akiya's pockets—and found a small cloth pouch that clearly held something meant to be a present.
Ah—inside the pouch was a brand-new pair of gloves from a French brand!!!
"Chu." Randou leaned in and kissed Akiya once, forgiving him for coming home late.
Asou Akiya, having been rewarded with a fragrant kiss, was positively delighted. He had no fear whatsoever of setting a bad example for the child nearby, treating it as foreign-style family education—feelings should be expressed passionately, after all!
[Ranpo-sama doesn't want to learn this kind of thing at all!]
Edogawa Ranpo rubbed his eyes, which had practically been blinded by the display, then climbed up by himself to open the refrigerator and look for juice. He felt a trace of envy toward Fukuzawa Yukichi, who lived alone—the silver-haired uncle would never end up feeding dog food to a kitty.
Dinner time.
Neither of the two adults wanted to cook, so delivery from a high-end restaurant neatly solved all their problems.
After finishing the meal, Asou Akiya hesitated. His stomach hurt a little, and he wanted to explain what had happened during the day to Randou.
"Randou, there's something I want to talk to you about."
"Akiya, I also have something…"
Randou spoke at the exact same time as him.
Asou Akiya tensed up at once. "Randou, you go first. Did you run into trouble at the Port Mafia?"
Randou shook his head. "It's not trouble. I successfully got in."
Asou Akiya looked at him with tender concern. "Were you forced to do some… filthy things?"
For example—killing? Crimes?
Randou hesitated, wanting to speak yet stopping himself.
"Ahhh!" Edogawa Ranpo clawed at his hair, eyes wide, his anxiety flaring from the two of them being so clingy and roundabout. "Isn't this just two very simple things?!"
He marched straight to the space between them and looked at Randou. "Mr. Randou deliberately went to ask around about Akiya on his first day and found out that Akiya is extremely popular in the Port Mafia, which gave him a sense of crisis, but he himself is stuck in a combat unit and can't transfer into Akiya's office anytime soon!"
Then he turned to Asou Akiya. "And Akiya got a bodyguard dropped on him directly by his boss—a little beauty, no less—specifically meant to sabotage your relationship, so Akiya is worried about how to explain it to Mr. Randou!"
"Go on, hurry up and thank Ranpo-sama, why don't you? Ranpo-sama cleared everything up for you!"
Edogawa Ranpo once again helped his two guardians resolve their worries, bursting into smug, triumphant laughter.
Ever since gaining his ability, his nerve had grown increasingly bold.
"..."
"..."
If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all!
That night, Edogawa Ranpo's homework load doubled.
Biting down on the end of his pen, Edogawa Ranpo struggled painfully through an essay titled "How to Be a Good Child," whimpering as he complained, "It wasn't like this back at home before—Mom would always praise me, saying I exposed the things Dad was too embarrassed to say and resolved the family crisis."
"It's definitely Akiya's fault. Akiya went soft when he saw a pretty girl and made Mr. Randou angry!"
"Our household doesn't need any new kitty cats!"
"Except for little orange cats!"
...
"How to be a Good Child": A child who wants to win the adults' favor must strive to be an only child! At most, tolerate a second one!
—Edogawa Ranpo.