Chapter Text
A temperature and humidity that rivals a sauna, Yokohama street is filled with the hustle and bustle of life. Clothes cling onto their owners as they fan themselves desperately and gorge on ice-cream.
Despite the sweltering heat, a scrawny child was dressed in a lemon-yellow long sleeved shirt and a denim short overalls. Under this, she wore thigh-high black stockings and a pair of red sneakers. Unkempt silver locks tumbled down to her waist, framing her heart-shaped face and apple-red eyes.
Beads dotted on her forehead and neck, with her hair plastered against them. To make matters worse, her once dry bandages were drenched. Tipping on her toes, her wide-red eyes scan at the flow of the crowd. Helpless, she tried to spot a slender man with a five-o-clock shadow and his black hair bun up.
She shouldn’t have walked off to pet the cat with patches of orange, dark brown and white fur.
She shouldn’t have let go off his hand.
What if he’s here?
Is he going to punish her from wandering off? Like him?
Her vision began to blur and the air began to feel heavy as the heat coiled around her. The bandages that once acted as her safety blanket felt like it was suffocating her.
What if he don’t wa-
Warm hands grasped onto her shoulder.
Talons hooking into her flesh.
Flinching, she thrust her hands outwards and shoved as hard as she could.
“ Woah! “ Someone yelped. “ Looks like Shirayukihime-chan packs a punch. “
Peeking beneath her eyelashes, she spots a lanky brunette with shaggy brown hair on the floor with his beige coat spread out behind him. A pair of concerned red-brown eyes gazed into hers. A gentle smile graced his face which softens his sharp features.
“ What is Shirayukihime-chan doing here? “ The man asked softly as he dusted himself off the ground and squatted in front of her. He stayed at a respective distance from her and waited patiently.
Blinking her eyes, she stuttered. “ Shi-Shirayukihime? “
“ Your eyes remind me of apples. “ He gave her a lop-sided smile. “ What’s your name, Shirayukihime-chan? “
“ My da-” She wasn’t sure if she’s allowed to address her guardian under that title. “ My guardian told me not to talk to strangers…"
The man chuckled and he reached into his pockets of his beige coat. Tensing her muscles, her wide eyes trained after his every movement.
We are in public. He wouldn-
A white card was produced in front of her eyes. It read:
Dazai Osamu.
Armed Detective Agency.
A gruff voice echoed in her memory. “...Eri, there are no heroes at Yokohama. If you are ever in trouble look for the Armed Detective Agency…”
So, he’s like Uncle Toshi’s friend.
Dazai’s POV:
What Dazai didn’t expect on his rare days off work was for Sensei to appear round the corner and bump on his legs.
Squatting down, Dazai gave the calico cat a scratch at its chin. “ Sorry Sensei-san, I do not have any food with me. “
The cat purred at his action before sprinting off in the opposite direction. It paused, swishing his tail from side to side before turning its head, meowing at Dazai.
“ Do you want me to follow you? “ Dazai pointed to himself.
The cat instead bopped its head and trotted off. Quirking an eyebrow at Sensei, Dazai got up and trailed after the cat at a languid distance. After many twists and turns, Dazai came to an intersection with people streaming about their daily duties. He had lost sight of Sensei as he dragged his eyes across the crowd. Just then, his sight zeroed into a head of fluffy off-white hair that fluttered along a passing breeze. Like a dandelion among the sea of black and brown.
But it was not the hair that caught Dazai’s attention. It was the way the tiny girl held herself, her head tilted upwards and shifting bright red eyes as her gaze never settled down on one face. It was the way when she shifted her weight from left to right every few seconds as if pondering whether to stay still or move.
Did Sensei-san bring him here to help a lost child?