It's a normal day at the ADA. Everyone's busy doing their thing. Whether that's working or not is a different matter. All the agents and clerks are milling around the fourth floor office, distributing papers, following up on cases, maybe playing a game or two on their computers. Ranpo shifts up in his seat, the shuffle of his clothes against the fabric enough to break the comfortable silence. He turns his head and looks at the door. "Looks like we're going to get some news." He gives a smug grin as everyone else looks to the entrance too.

The door opens gently, drifted in by a light summer breeze. A lithe frame, reflective forest eyes, and a nervous smile that says more than her words ever could. They stare at her, because that's all they can do. It truly is a visit from a ghost. But here she is, tangible, appearing rather… well, normal. Perhaps most unexpected of all is the fact that she looks perfectly fine. In fact, even better than that: her hair is completely brushed and smooth, her clothes are ironed and pressed, and it looks like even her shoes are shined. Rei stands awkwardly in the entranceway, fidgeting her fingers on the ends of her shirt as they all watch her intensely. "Hey guys."

Naomi and Haruno are the first to break the spell and run over. "Rei!" They jump up and glomp on her. The detective excitedly wraps her arms around them and jumps along so they can all teeter together.

The clerks eventually let go but still keep their hands on hers. "Are you okay?!"

"Where have you been?!"

"I'm fine." She assures them as she clasps their hands with hers and gives them a shake.

The rest of the group gets up and walks over. Rei stops for a second and gazes at them. It's so weird, and the fact that's it's weird is weird. These are the people she's seen almost every day for the past two years. It's like seeing old friends after decades of lost contact. Kunikida looks down at her and she looks up at him. She bows, and he bows too.

"Sorry I'm late." She takes a shaky breath. "I went to the doctor's this morning." Everyone stares at her. The doctor? Why would she go to the doctor? Is she sick? Terminal? Is something wrong? They all silently try to anticipate what she's going to say. Well, all of them except for Ranpo that is. Rei holds her hands tight against her sides. "I'm about two months pregnant."

WHAT?

…Um… Well… That was unexpected.

It's silent for a looooong time. No one knows what the right thing is to say. It's… unbelievable? Yes, that would describe it. In many ways, it'd be easier to process her being abducted by aliens for a couple months than this. One of the members they'd consider to be the most responsible, it's so unbecoming of Rei to let something like this slip.

Luckily for everyone else, Naomi is the first to crack. And crack with an explosion of laughter. She clutches her stomach and doubles over, having to hold onto the table to keep from falling. The whole office stares as she roars and roars again. "I – Wha – Rei – You ca – I ca –" She tries to get out between fits of giggling.

Haruno, however, takes a different approach. She calmly walks up to the agent and faces her with a surprisingly firm, but still gentle, expression. "Rei, are you serious about this?"

Ranpo stands up and confirms in her stead. "Yup, she's serious all right." Everyone turns back and stares at Rei again. So then it must be true.

Naomi takes a couple deep breaths, having calmed down by now. She props herself against the table and looks out at her friend. "How?" she says on first instinct, but then realizes that's a dumb question. "I mean…" she tries to think of something better, "…how?"

"Did you have a secret boyfriend or something?" Yosano asks, her voice dripping with half a joke.

Rei shakes her head. "No, there was nothing like that." She laughs a little, but her voice is dead serious. The room goes quiet again as she tells her story. "A couple months back, I took a trip to the Red Light District. I would go there every day, multiple times a day, and often I'd leave with more than one man." She stops, very briefly, and stares at a spot on the floor. "So, no, I don't know who the father is. It could any number of men."

Again, no one knows what to say. Haruno is the first to move. She walks next to Rei and puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Rei. We're here for you." Everyone else comes up too and they all join in for a group hug; even Kunikida gives her a few squeezes on the shoulder. For the first time in a long while, Rei feels like she could cry for a reason other than distress.

The main door opens again and Fukuzawa steps into the room. He heads to the group all clustered together and they disperse from the detective in the center. He bows when he gets to her. "Congratulations Rei."

She bows back. "Thank you sir."

He turns to Kunikida with a serious expression. "Have we gotten through all our work for today Kunikida?"

The blonde man takes out his notebook and flips through it. "Yes, President."

"Then we should close up early and go out together."

All the agency employees look to each other, making sure they all heard the same thing. Once that's clear, they all jump up and cheer, high fiving and hugging in a group. They celebrate for a few more minutes, then go and pack up their things. It's all smiles and happy faces as they file out, one by one, for their afternoon together.

It's loud as hell in the buzzing Okamura store. The agency's split up as they all shop around, though they do stay on the same floor. Kunikida's in the stationary section looking for pens. Yosano is browsing for needles. Ranpo is following Fukuzawa around, who in turn is playing with cat toys. And Tanizaki and Kenji, meanwhile, are hanging out in the plushy aisle.

"What does Rei mean by pregnant?" the blonde boy asks, gazing up at his older coworker in curiosity.

Tanizaki nervously scratches the back of his head, trying to come up with a way he can explain it to him. "Um, well, you know how cows give birth to other cows?" Kenji's eyes are wide as he hugs his cow plushie. "It's like that, but with humans."

"Wow," the boy sighs happily with a dreamy expression. If only Rei could give birth to cows.

While that's all going on, Rei, Naomi, and Haruno simply stroll around the inner perimeter. They walk around the big, extended rectangle, mostly talking here and there while listening to all the hundreds of people running through the store. Haruno and Naomi both have multiple shopping bags in their hands, Rei, however, is having a much harder time deciding what to buy.

"I guess I should try to get kid stuff now, though I'm not really sure what I want," she says as she eyes the baby section. There are many different choices, but that's exactly the problem. So many different types of cribs, diapers, toys. How does anyone ever choose? "Green's a pretty safe color, isn't it?" she asks her friends.

"Yeah," Haruno nods, "plus it goes with the rest of your place. It'll probably be easier to buy stuff once you know more." She looks at her coworker who's in deep thought about something. "Have you thought of any names?"

"Oh god, a name!" Rei hits her head with her palm. "Oh man, I forgot I have to pick out a name for this thing." She stops as she overlooks the crowd that's rushing in and out. A name, something that's so light yet has so much weight to it. "How about Haru?" she asks, turning back to Haruno. It's nice, simple, plus, at least for now, it's gender neutral.

"Haru Hayashi," the clerk echoes in approval, "that's pretty cute."

Rei purses her lips. Oh, right, it does have to go with her last name as well. "Shirona? Katsumi? Or Yuuya? Ryouta?" She rattles off a list of names, or really anything that comes to her mind. It's nerve-racking stuff, but it's also… weirdly exciting? "I should start a school fund," she says abruptly, cutting off her own rambling.

Haruno shrugs. "Maybe they won't go to school, like you."

The detective turns to her, surprised by such a sassy remark. The clerk timidly looks away, but the wheels in her friend's head are already spinning. "Maybe I should start again."

"A baby, work, and school? Do you really want all of that?"

"Not full time, just some classes here and there. I don't know, someday I guess," Rei muses as they take a break by the escalators. She's often thought about resuming her studies, but she's never been that sure of it. It seems like a faraway thought now though…

"I can't believe you've had sex," the woman on her other side says out of nowhere.

Rei swings her head around and gives Naomi an unfathomable look. Is this what she's been thinking about?! This whole time they've been out, Naomi hasn't said a single word. And this is what she decides to lead with? "What are you talking about?" the detective asks her. "I've had a boyfriend before. We were together for months!"

"Yeah, like a year ago," the clerk points out.

"So? that doesn't nullify it," the detective defends.

"I actually find it a little hard to believe too," Haruno speaks up in tandem with her desk mate. "Not the first part, but the fact that you…" She trails off as she's unsure of how to say it.

"Went and hoed yourself out," Naomi does it for her. "Aren't you the one who used to have a chastity belt or something?"

"No, where'd you even get that from?" Rei rolls her eyes at how ridiculous her friends are being. You simply tell them not to jaywalk a couple dozen times, and suddenly you're the virgin empress. "Just because I follow the rules, doesn't mean I'm a fourteenth century nun." Though, she does have to admit, this situation is indeed very off base. All those apartments, and all those men. She wraps her hand around the railing, mindlessly watching all the foot traffic below. "I was in a pretty bad place. I didn't know where to go, or who to turn to, so I just sought the easiest means of distraction."

The clerks notice the change in tone in her voice and look at each other briefly before walking to either side of her. The three of them all look down at the crowds together, the doldrums of tempered waters. A hand rubs at either of her arms, their touch a soothing stream that carries her back to land.

A series of steps comes closer to them, and it's apparent they're not just from some more passersby. The three women turn around to see the rest of their coworkers standing in front of them now. Each of them has something in their hands, along with a bag or two as well.

Kenji smiles as he squeezes a cow plushies with his arms, twisting his torso side to side. They all chuckle at how adorable he is, then Tanizaki steps up with a whale in his hand. "Babies like whales, right?" he asks Rei. She shrugs, just as clueless as he is. "Well, Kenji wanted to go with a pig, I was thinking more of a bird, so I guess we just ended up on whale," he laughs nervously, holding it out to her.

Rei courteously takes it from him, a gigantic grin on her face as she does. "Wow, thanks guys. This is so amazing! I can't believe it." She reaches out and hugs both of them.

"I can!" Naomi bounces up from beside her and jumps right onto her brother. She wraps her arms around his neck and nuzzles his shoulder. "I just knew brother would get the best gift for the baby. I knew it!"

Kunikida coughs to clear his throat, indicating that he'll go next. He holds up a notebook that looks identical to his own. "This is a French styled diary by Master Carlisle. It has thirty pages, fifteen lines per page. If we start out exactly the day the baby's born, we can make them a master note taker by the time they're one year, two months, two weeks, and six days old." He gives the book to her. "I was also told by Yosano that babies like colors," he adds as he holds up a pack of multicolored pens.

Rei gets the pens from him and turns them over in her hands. "Oh, wow, thank you sir," she says, not knowing what else to say. This is… an elaborate gift for a literal infant. "I'll, uh, take this into consideration."

Yosano now lifts the bag in her hand, bouncing around what appears to be a bunch of needles. "Most of these are for me, but I did get a couple for the little one." She grabs some of the smaller pieces out of the bag. "So now you won't have to go to that pesky hospital," she smirks with a tongue in cheek wink. Rei laughs a bit and hugs her too, then turns her attention to Ranpo and Fukuzawa.

"We got you these. The greatest gifts of all!" Ranpo proudly proclaims as he presents her with a sheet of cat stickers. Fukuzawa also holds up a ball of yarn.

The detective takes the gifts from them, feeling the waterworks build up again. She sniffs a bit and wipes at her eyes. "Thank you guys. Really, you didn't have to do this." The fact that they went out of their way to get her stuff, and she honestly had no idea about any of it. It's all too much as she fights the urge to cry. Dammit. Fucking pregnancy hormones.

She hurriedly calms herself down though, and they start to make their way out of the store. Once they get to the bottom of the final escalators, she checks her phone and notices she has a text from her sister.

My flight arrives on Monday at 10 pm. I expect to see you at the airport.

Rei stops walking. What? Did she read that right?

What? You're coming to Japan?

No. I expect you to be at the airport in Brazil.

Suzume sends, and Rei can practically hear her eyes roll through the screen.

I'll be in town for a couple weeks, but I have to go back. I think I'll be able to take some more time off closer to when the baby's due. I'll have to check my schedule, but I should be able to clear some things.

When did you book these flights?

Right after that first phone call.

You knew what I would do.

Of course I knew. I'm your big sister, I know everything. I just couldn't tell you cause you had to find it on your own.

Wow. You sneaky bitch.

Always ;)

The group stops walking when they notice Rei's lagging behind. They turn around and see her grinning widely at her phone. "What's going on?" Haruno asks, partly out of concern.

"My sister's coming to visit!" Rei explains excitedly, showing them all her screen. "She'll be here Monday."

"Wow, really?" Naomi asks to confirm. "I don't think we've ever met her."

"Yeah, she can be pretty hard to catch," Rei bobs her head. "She prefers to live a bit of a faster lifestyle."

"Isn't she… kind of scary?" Haruno puts it out there. It's what they're all thinking, even if they won't admit it.

"She's…" The agent tries to think of with a nicer word, but then remembers the time her sister sat on a kid and made him eat dirt. "Yeah, a little."

"Well, I can't wait to meet her," Yosano now speaks up, and Kenji nods along with her. "I've read about her a few times in those business magazines they have in every office. She seems to be on quite the come up."

"What's this all about?" Tanizaki asks as he and Kunikida walk up to the rest of them.

"Rei's sister's coming here Monday," Naomi tells him. Tanizaki raises a brow in surprise, then smiles and joins in the merriment. They all gather around Rei as she describes more funny anecdotes from their childhood.

Kunikida stands there, watching them with a ghostly expression. "Suzume's coming back?"

They turn their heads at him. Rei looks at him, noticing the faraway ring in his voice, and nods. "She'll be visiting for a couple weeks, then here and there while helping me with stuff. You should come and see her sometime. You guys used to be pretty close."

Kunikida turns away and shakes his head. "No. That won't be necessary." He pivots on his heel and walks out the door.

They all watch after him, wondering what that was all about. Naomi is the first to speak up again. "Alright, well, whatever with that. I'd like to meet her," she says and everyone else agrees too.

"Alright, sure, I'll tell her. I know she wants to meet you guys too." Rei gets out her phone and texts her sister. They all go on and enjoy the rest of their day, talking about it as they exit the store.

It's later in the day, the faint blue of the sky just now starting to bleed. The largely empty sidewalks adorn him as he casually strolls through the rougher parts Downtown. Cooling summer winds brush into his smooth, milk chocolate tresses. The amber in his eyes dance as they reflect the shining world around him.

Dazai hums gingerly as he goes on his way. His beige trench coat flutters mildly against his legs, the lighter material feeling near weightless on his khaki pants. The turquoise pendant of his bolo tie bounces on his chest as he skips to a beat. It's nice, it's summer. The heat's starting to kick in, but it's only slight.

He's still in Downtown, when something catches his eye. It's something plain, something simple, but something that makes him stop in his tracks. He turns himself so that he's directly facing it. A window. Nothing more than an old, ordinary window. It's this window, this very same window, that he used to pass on an almost daily bases when he went out.

He can almost see it, from the inside looking out. A view from the eyes of the polished and the glamor. He can see himself staring at the glass. He can see that bright, forlorn twinkle in his eyes. It's a shame, really, it is. He turns away, and he sees that too. There's something about it though. Something that racks at his empty carcass of a soul. Maybe that's it too, that thing about her.

It's that same piece, the one he always sees. Sat, perched, right in the center of the display. He's never gone in; he's never dared to. Perhaps it's passed his mind, a fleeting thought once or twice. An amusing little chuckle here or there. But now, standing before it now. It's that same piece he always thought…

He has no need, a reason even less so. It will never happen. Dazai opens the door and steps inside. Maybe in some different reality.

The rose painted sky rests comfortably on the horizon. The rush of traffic heading home is in full effect as the agency members head on their way. They're all chatting amongst each other about various things: shows, music, foods, etc. Rei laughs along to a joke Tanizaki said, the group of them, Naomi, and Haruno cracking wise remarks about a lame movie they all had seen.

As her laughter subsides, she puts a hand in her pocket to rest it there. Her laughing stops completely. She goes quiet, her face turns sour. Where is it? Where is it?! Rei moves her hand around every nanometer of the pocket, but all she feels is air. No. No. This can't be happening. It has to be here.

The rest of the group turns around to see that she's completely stopped. Her hands are flying everywhere: on her shirt, her pants, even her bag. They walk up to her, concern on their faces. "Rei, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She looks up to address them briefly, then returns back to what she was doing. Her hands are frantic, her eyes are too. She'd be caught dead if anyone she knows finds that letter. This is awful. The worst thing ever. God, she'd rather find out she's knocked up again! She desperately looks around, hope dwindling right before her eyes.

There – Right there. On the sidewalk, just left of the navy blue post with two posters hanging off the side of it. A folded up piece of paper right on the edge of the metal lining. Rei runs in the opposite direction of the crowd. Rude looks and swears are exchanged her way, but she doesn't care. All she cares about is that piece of paper. She locks her eyes to the ground as she storms through the flux of pedestrians, not letting her sight ever leave the letter.

A movement of people knocks into her, bumping her head with their shoulders and obstructing her view with their torsos. She gets tossed around like a ship on rough seas, but eventually though, she makes it. She makes it to… nothing. It's just, a whole bunch of nothing. She looks around to make sure she got it right: the blue post with two posters hanging off of it, the sidewalk, the metal lining. It's here. It's all here. All of it but what she's looking for.

That must mean… Her heart sinks …Someone has that letter. Rei puts up a hand to massage her temple, her body falling back onto the post for support. This can't be real. She looks around at all the people around her. Strangers, all of them, complete and perfect strangers. She breathes a hopeful sigh of relief. What are the chances, huh? Of someone she knows picking up that paper? Most people in the city don't know who she is, let alone personally. Maybe statistics will smile down on her this time.

She looks around again, making absolute sure that no one she knows is in the vicinity to potentially have picked up that letter. Once she's scoured around enough, she goes and calmly walks back to her friends. They're huddled in a circle to the side, watching with curious eyes as she makes it over to them. They gaze at her with a mix of expressions, mainly all wondering what the fuck is going on.

Rei shamefully gives them an apologetic grimace and bows. "I'm sorry. Let's go to dinner."

The late-time bar crackles with ambiance, the warm glow of its lights soft to the night that's now starting to settle in. Chief Taneda takes a careful sip of his drink, the door sliding open, then closed as he does. Air sweeps in; a black and orange cat comes and sits under the table. The tall sake glass lifts up in front of him, carried away by slim, precise fingers.

"I didn't think a heavyweight in the Ministry of Internal Affairs would be drinking alone in a cheap bar like this. How lonesome, Chief Taneda."

Taneda watches as the man takes the seat in front of him. His eyes are watchful as he realizes with whom he's dealing. Dazai sits casually and pours him a new drink. His tone is light and friendly, something that's unbecoming of an Ex-Port Mafia executive.

"I'm looking for a new job," Dazai tells the man. "Do you know of any good positions?"

"Do you wish to join the Gifted Special Operations Division? If so…"

"I regretfully decline the offer," he unfortunately has to say. "I don't do too well in a workplace that has a lot of regulations."

"Then what are you looking for?" Taneda asks him. It is a wonder what an ex-mafia could possibly want in terms of work.

Dazai sits with his back against the chair. The inflection in his voice is, for the first time in a long while, honest. "Somewhere I can help people."

Taneda lowers his glass and looks at the younger man. What on Earth is he talking about? He takes another sip. "I have a lot of questions for you, but…" He gives him over another stare over. "I suppose I may have a lead."

Dazai sits up straighter in his seat. "Let's hear it."

Taneda takes out his fan and flicks it open. He leans farther in so that the people around them can't hear. "There is an armed organization of gifted individuals. They take on cases that are in a legal gray zone and are often untouchable by civil workers. The company president is a man of integrity. You may find him in alignment with what you wish."

A light flickers underneath his feet. The soles of his dark brown shoes lift up just a centimeter off the ground. The freshly wrapped bandages that hang off his body. It's surprisingly warm in the old town bar. Dazai smiles, not with happiness, not with glee, but with something akin to familiarity. He knows exactly where this is going to go. He moves in too and quickly mirrors Taneda. There is only one thing left then.

"Can I do work that saves people?"

The full moon hangs bright in the sky. It's a marvel of nature wrapped by the pollution of the city line. Dazai sits on some crates in a random, offbeat alley. He reads his book, his favorite one, and waits patiently for nothing in particular.

Steps come into the alley, those that are much too heavy to be any human's. Hot breath fumes out of wet nostrils. Dazai stands up and closes his book. "How did I know you would show up here?" The tiger growls at him. It snarls its mouth and shows him its full set of deadly, serrated blades. Dazai puts his book in his jacket pocket, not entirely impressed. "How about we settle this then, one on one."

The tiger leaps into the air and launches at him. He dodges, barely, but dodges nonetheless. "Ah, yes, you are very good," he says in earnest as he jumps out from another attack. The tiger is indeed very strong. Too bad strength alone will never be enough. "But you're no match for me."

The tiger comes back around, its claws just missing as it scrapes him by. Dazai leaps from his heel to the side. As the large feline crosses into his view, the man takes out a hand and brushes a finger into its fur.

The animal flies on through the air, its white fur flashing as it's forced to transform back. On the other side of it, a human boy lands on the ground. Dazai walks over to him. The tiger was… this boy? He stares at the kid with great scrutiny. His eyes narrow as he remembers what Mori said to him. He knows how much he wants the tiger. He looks out onto the street. Mori would pay a lot of money for this child.

He looks back out to the kid lying unconscious on the ground. He could just give him to Mori. They do still have a deal. Dazai watches critically as the boy stirs around in his sleep. He's got the tiger, now what to do with him…

Nightlife is in full swing as the ADA comes back from their dinner. They decide to drop by the agency building first before heading to their homes for the night, something as a quick goodbye before they're forced to see each other again at work tomorrow.

"I can't believe you ate eight bowls, Hayashi," Kunikida says as they all go ahead and cross the street. "It must be difficult eating for two now."

"I always have eight bowls, sir," Rei tells him. Not only were they bowls, but they were bowls of noodles! Why wouldn't she have eight?

"Oh," Kunikida says, not exactly sure how to follow up this time.

Luckily for him, he doesn't have to. Haruno comes over and pulls Rei off to the side. The detective raises a brow at her friend, wondering exactly what she's doing. The expression on the clerk's face is worrying and makes her feel anxious all of a sudden. "What?"

Haruno holds onto Rei's arms, her eyes darting past the agent's eyes, side to side. "You know we're best friends, right? You can tell me anything."

"Yeah," Rei says, not sure where she's going with this.

The clerk looks over the woman's shoulder, making sure that the rest of their group is far enough away. She takes a breath and turns back to Rei. "You know who the father of this child is," she states. It's not a question, not a ponderance; there isn't any waver in her voice. "I'm not saying that you have to tell me," Haruno bites down on her lip. "But I'm here if you ever decide you want to."

The detective stares back at her friend, dumbfounded by what she's hearing. "What are you –"

Haruno puts up a hand to cut her off, already knowing where she's trying to take this. "I've been your best friend for two years." She stops for a second and glances at their friends who are almost at the agency door. "This wasn't some random guy."

Rei holds her face tight, keeping it unremarkably neutral. She can see the lights of the city reflecting in Haruno's eyes. They shine with an insight that can only be gained through naivety. What can be of this? What is it that may come? It's a moment of silence between them, but only a moment.

"OH MY GOD!"

They both turn to see Naomi with her hands up, gripped hard into her hair. The entire agency has faces dripped with shock. They're all gathered in a huddle right outside the building door, surrounding whatever it is that has them so off guard. The two women turn to each other briefly, then quickly run over to see what's going on.

There on the doorstep, right where a mat would be, is… a kid? All nine of them stay silent as they stare at the boy. What is a kid doing here?! This is definitely an unexpected turn of events. The boy goes on sleeping, his light gray hair holding a single black streak in it. The rags he wears as clothes have dirt and tears all over them. He's pale and rather skinny, something that tells them he's more than likely malnourished.

The agency members look to each other, wondering if any of them has a clue as to how a random child ended up at their door. It's so strange. Clearly none of them know him, or even recall meeting him before this. And he certainly wasn't there when they had left. "He reminds me of a big cat!" Haruno yells out loud, startling even her coworkers a little.

"Shh, don't scare him," Naomi chastises her. Though she can admit, curled up on their door like that, he does look like a cat. A large, human cat. Haruno puts her hand down and lands back on her feet, embarrassed by her outburst.

Rei steps up from their semicircle and sits down on the steps next to the boy. They all watch as she gently takes a hand and lightly shakes him. "Hey kid," she nearly whispers, trying to stir him awake.

A puff of air escapes his mouth before he slowly opens his eyes and turns his head slightly. His eyes meet with hers for a full second before he jumps back in panic. He darts his sights from the strange woman to all the other strangers that now surround him. "Wha – Who are you?! Where am I?! Wha – What happened?!" He tries to get up, but lands back on the stairs.

"It's okay," the woman tries to soothe him. "Calm down, it's okay." She puts her hands out to him, and that seems to at least relax him a little. He glances briefly to the people standing behind her, then back to her again. "Do you have any recollection of how you got here?"

He shakes his head. "All I know is I was running away from the tiger. It chased me into the city." His voice gets quieter and he draws his legs up to his chest. "Everywhere I go, it follows me."

A tall, blonde man standing with his arms crossed comes closer now. "The tiger?"

"A great tiger with moonlight white fur and crazed yellow eyes. It's after me." His words tremble with a hollow feeling inside of them. It's like a ghost town everyone has already left. "It's going to eat me and everyone would be better off."

The woman tilts her head with a kind of tenderness he's not used to seeing. "What's your name?"

The boy looks at her with muddled apprehension. He has no idea who this woman is, but something about her is a bit… trusting. He stares at the kind expression on her face. "Atsushi Nakajima."

She smiles at him, something he's also not used to seeing. But the softness of her face is what really catches him off guard. "Where's your family, Atsushi?"

"I got kicked out of my orphanage," he murmurs like the wound's still fresh. "I'm a good for nothing and a burden to everyone. No one would care if someone like me were to die." He sinks his head into his knees, his shoulders starting to shake. She reaches over and puts a hand on his arm. He flinches slightly and she pulls away. His stomach grumbles loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Would you like something for dinner?"

Atsushi looks up at her in awe. This woman is... offering him food? Why would she do that when all he would be is a burden? She seems to mean it though. The warmth in her eyes says to him that it's okay to tell her. He thinks about it for a few more seconds, not wanting to cause any more trouble. "Do you have tea on rice?"

"Not on us, but we can go out and get some." The genuine way she smiles makes him smile too. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a granola bar. She hands it to him, then gets up on her feet. As the woman goes and steps back to her group, two other women take her place. One has long, black hair, is wearing a school uniform, and sits to his left. The other has short, brown hair, is wearing an office uniform, and sits to his right.

Rei walks over to the rest of them and joins in their circle. They're mid discussion in talking about the kid. No one can seem to really figure out his deal, which makes it harder to decide anything else. "So, what are we going to do with him?" Yosano asks.

"We're not here to take in stray orphans," Kunikida reminds them.

Rei looks from them back to Atsushi. The way he's sitting on the stairs talking to Naomi and Haruno. A boy so desperate for a sense of worth. "We can't just abandon him."

Someone clears their throat from the back of the crowd. Everyone moves to the side as Fukuzawa walks up and approaches the boy. Atsushi turns his head from the two clerks to the stern man now staring down at him. "Atsushi Nakajima." The boy gulps at his low, brass voice. "Welcome to the Armed Detective Agency."

Yeet em.

Alright, and there we go. This shitfest is finally done. I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed the story. If you have any comments, critiques, questions, I'd love to hear them. Thank you to everyone who read, commented, liked, and all that. I truly appreciate it; it honestly is my biggest motivator. Ya'll have been a great audience when I didn't think I'd have one. If there's any particular part or aspect of the story you liked/disliked, I'm open ears (eyes, I guess). This has really been a giant learning experience for me and I always strive to learn more.

I'll be going back and editing a bit of the later chapters. It's not particularly important, but I just thought of some stuff to add in. I may or may not proofread them; idk, I honestly haven't done that for like the last ten chapters.

I am taking any and all suggestions and/or ideas. If you have something you'd like to/ would be interested in seeing, now's the time to tell me. I'm going to get started on the next part of this sometime (I'm hesitant to give a timeline cause I'm shit at those) but the more ideas I get, the less I have to come up with on my own, and the quicker I can get this shit out. It can be anything, small stuff, major plot points, whatever. I'll say that I do have most of the plot story drawn out, so if you suggest more of the big stuff, it may be harder for it to make it in. Also, if you'd prefer, you can message me too. I have a tumblr, and though I don't use it much, my ask is still open.

And that's it for me everyone. I hope you enjoy your next few months of freedom.