Prologue

A sky of red and orange blanketed Yokohama. People scurried across streets and into their homes.
Some were welcomed home by a family and a home-cooked meal. Some came home only to be greeted
by unwashed dishes and an unmade bed. But despite what was waiting behind the closed doors of their
house, they had a home to go back to, a place where they felt safe and comforted.

Atsushi didn’t know what to consider a home.

It had almost been seven months since he had passed the entrance exam and joined the Armed
Detective Agency. He had been given clothes, a phone and even a room to stay in.

The detectives of the agency were kind. He was not used to their friendliness and constant smiles,
especially those of Kenji, a young boy who used to live in a village before he was recruited by the
president. Of course, even though Kunikida would lecture him daily and Ranpo would make him restock
snacks, Atsushi knew that they were good people. He was grateful.

The glowing sun set over the horizon, turning the sky into a mixture of pink and orange.

The detectives were gathered around a conference table. Kunikida stood in front of a whiteboard
as the others listened carefully (excluding Ranpo).

“A week before this, a body was found in a horrific state,” Kunikida started, presenting a few
photos pasted on the board. He pointed to the first: “Misa Aishina, aged 16.”

The photo displayed a gruesome sight. A girl’s body (though one couldn’t really tell that if it was
a girl at all), was laid down on her back, half naked with only a torn skirt covering her. The body was
painted with blood, creating a small pool of it around her. Her face was beaten and so damaged that it
was completely unrecognizable. She was in an uncomfortable position, legs bending in a way only
possible if the bones had been utterly crushed.

“Two days ago, the mother of Aishina requested an investigation,” Kunikida continued. “She
claimed that the police had no luck at all on finding the culprit.”

Kunikida turned to Ranpo as the others followed.

“Earlier, Ranpo had already deduced the culprit,” he showed multiple photos of men. “They
kidnap young girls and force them into prostitution to make money. Their location has been discovered.
The president has ordered for all the agents to be dispatched as it is not known exactly how many men
are there, nor victims. We have to leave in 20 minutes, the faster the better.”

“The location is in an abandoned hotel, located about 15 minutes from here by car. Tanizaki-”
Kunikida looked at Naomi’s brother. “Will use his ability to sneak in first, then tell us about how many
men to prepare for. Followed by me, Kenji, Kyouka and Atsushi to take out them, only then Dazai,
Yosano, Ranpo.”
Action

Atsushi, Kunikida, Kenji and Kyouka stood in front of an old and seemingly abandoned seven-
storied hotel. The walls stood firm, the window frames strong, glass triple glazed and some were
shattered and boarded with wooden planks. All in all, it looked like a movie-set, one fit for a horror film.
The only give-away was the odor, well, that and the dust. It emitted an eerie and creepy aura, sending
shivers down Atsushi’s shine.

They waited as Kunikida tapped his foot impatiently. He was wearing an ear-piece so that
Tanizaki and him could communicate.

Atsushi couldn’t hear what Tanizaki was saying, but he knew something was up by the way
Kunikida’s eyes widened in shock. Swiftly, the dirty-blond male made a run for the crooked door.

“Kunikida-?” Atsushi exclaimed, running in after him. Kyouka and Kenji followed closely behind.
They entered the basement of the hotel by going in a door with a broken lock. The strong smell of blood
clogged his nose, making him wince in disgust as he ran after the dark silhouette of a man taller than
himself. Immediately, they were faced with the bodies of four dead men. The skin of all of them was
burnt completely. Only after giving them a glance, Kunikida continued.

They following a series of twist and turns as their footsteps echoed against the deathly silence
of the building. Kunikida steadily pressed his ear to every door they came across, before swinging it
open to reveal disappointment. The four reached a dark hallway, ending with a large wooden door.
Atsushi assumed that behind those doors were where the girls were kept.

Kunikida pushed the door open, its hinges creaking as he did. The scene that greeted him was a
macabre one.

The room itself was big but stuffy as it lacked the presence of windows and was covered with a
dim, dark grey color. But none of those were what caught the silver-haired boy’s attention.

Burnt corpse littered almost the entire room.

Much like the ones they met before this, they were all burnt from a result of fire. Atsushi spotted
Tanizaki’s figure just a few feet in front of them, who was standing as still as a board.

Kenji’s mouth hanged agape with shock. Though Kyouka’s cool composure didn’t leave her, her
eyes slightly widened as her grip on her phone tightened, preparing to summon demon snow in case of
an attack.

Kunikida turned to Atsushi.

“Get the others, now.”

----------

“A fire-manipulating ability?” Atsushi asked his senior, Kunikida, as the latter nodded.

“This isn’t the only case,” the blond continued, a stern expression settled on his face. “Just this
morning, there has been several reports of the burning of buildings. After exanimating the burn marks
on the bodies, it is found that the fire must have been at least above 1400 degree Celsius.”
 “And there’s only one person who can produce flames as strong as this-,” said Dazai, stretching his
back.

“Nakano Elena.”

The Port Mafia

The sun was starting to descend down the blue sky, turning it into an orange-ish hue. A girl with
ebony-colored hair with an outfit of the same color-scheme, entered the building territory of the Port
Mafia. She had straight mid-back length hair and even bangs, along with eyes the color of amethyst. She
had a slim figure and was of average height.

Her outfit consisted of a short white button-up blouse with long sleeves, coupled with a plait black
skirt that flared out above the knee. She wore fingerless gloves, a black tie, completed by a dark-colored
converse paired with black knee-length socks.

She seemed quite unbothered and even bored. The bustling lower-ranked mafia members who
were moving cargo suddenly noticed her presence, freezing at their spots as their eyes followed and
observed the girl.

“What’s going on here? Why did you all stop moving? Get back to work!” a raspy voice yelled. The
voice belonged to no one other than the infamous Executive, Nakahara Chuuya. His strict eyes glancing
at his underlings until his own eyes widened, noticing a familiar head of black hair.

“Gin?” he squinted his eyes, thinking of a girl with the same dark hair. To say he was confused was
an exception, after all, Gin never wore clothes like those. Actually, now thinking about, Gin never let her
hair down either.

“Oi! Down ignore me!” he said, displeased at the fact that the girl did not stop walking. Running
up to the girl, he put his hand at her shoulder to halt her movements.

She turned her head to him, giving him a sly smirk.

“Long time no see, Chuuya.”

“Nakano?”

----------

A ‘ding’ sound rung from the elevator, indicating that they had reached the highest floor of the
edifice. A girl and a boy stepped out of it, coming face to face to large illuminated double doors. The few
dim lights scattered across the hallway left reflection on the freshly waxed tiles. Anyone who ever came
here would agree that this was certainly an intimidating, ominous place to be. The girl approached the
door first, knocking and swinging it open without waiting for a reply.

She turned to the ginger, smiling and walking in, the reverbs of her footsteps echoing.
 She entered to what appeared to be a spacious office. It was a vast room with much empty space,
whilst in the back the walls were lined with shelves of rows and rows books and a desk and a chair. The
room was well-lit thanks to the large windows on one side of the room.

The door closed behind her as the windows were immediately shut, encasing the room in near-
complete darkness. The three people in the room were engaged with dim lighting.

A man was crouching on the floor, and in front of him was a little blond-haired girl who had been
refusing to wear a puffy pink dress. At the moment, she was dressed in nothing but an underwear. The
man, who seemed to be in his early-forties, only whined like a child.

“Please Elise!”

“Uh,” Nakano said, regretting barging in while capturing their attention.

The man instantly rose to his feet, finally drawing his attention away from the stubborn blond.
Taking a good look at her, Nakano thought that she resembled a perfect porcelain doll, one that you’d
find in an old vintage shop. A ‘mph’ escaped her rosy lips while she stomped her foot.

“Well, hello! My sincere apologies for all this, Elise is just a bit grumpy today,” he said, walking
over to his desk and sitting in his chair. “Come Nakano, take a seat.”

“Nakano-nee!” the little girl cheered with a high-pitched voice, her mood changing quick. “I’ve
missed you!”

“Let’s get down to business Mori-san,” Nakano dismissed his offer to sit. “Why did you call me
here?”

“I see your style hasn’t change,” Mori replied. “When I first heard that you had arrived at
Yokohama a few months back, I was ecstatic.”

“To the point.”

“Okay then,” he sighed. “So, Nakano-kun, you do know that my offer still stands.”

Nakano furrowed her brows, never recalling being offered something from the old man, though
she was pretty sure what he was talking about.

“What offer?” she asked, fluttering her lashes in a beguiling manner.

“I’m sure you’re aware of what I mean,” Mori smirked, leaning back in his chair. “Or should I
say…

…Ex-Mafioso, Lady Nakano?”

 Meanwhile, on the other side of those mahogany double doors— A ginger head Port Mafia
Executive impatiently tapped his feet, while Higuchi’s ear was glued to the door, trying to make out
what they were saying inside the office. News spread like wildfire here, so when a rumour mill had
spilled out that an ex-mafioso was going to rejoin the ranks of the Port Mafia, everyone was suddenly
interested. Not even Chuuya could comprehend how the rumour even started.

So, now they were all currently crowding right outside the boss’ office. All they knew was that
she was supposedly a woman, a tall one in fact, and that she had apparently left the Mafia three years
ago.

Honestly, when Higuchi had heard that the potential member was a girl, she was terrified. Terrified of
someone taking away her dear Akutagwa. She was praying that the mystery woman was not that
attractive, since she couldn’t risk her senior falling for someone other than her.

But it wasn’t just her and Chuuya there, because everyone else just seemed to be just as intrigued
as she was. Practically every main member of the pm was balancing on top of their toes outside Mori’s
office. Their voices babbled and hushed whispers echoed through the hall, like a river flowing down a
mountain.

“What can you hear, Higuchi?” Tachihara asked, his voice not hiding his excitement. Neither
Higuchi nor him had seen this woman before, since they had joined the Mafia only after she left. “Is it
actually a girl?”

“Yes! Do you think she will join the black lizard?”

Gin have him a sharp glare. She worked together with him in the infamous Black Lizard, an assault
group which was notorious for handling the Mafia’s most unsavoury jobs.

“I certainly hope not,” the old man, who leaning against a wall with a cigarette dangling between
his lips, answered. A puff of smoke trailed from his cigarette and into the atmosphere. “You two are
already a handful, I’m not looking forward to train someone new.”

“Watch what you say-”

The two eavesdroppers didn’t expect the door to suddenly swing over.

With a loud shriek and yelp, both of them toppled to the floor face first, their heads landing in
front of black shoes.

“Oh, hi.”

Chuuya looked embarrassed out of his mind, as if wishing the ground could just swallow him
whole. Of course it was these two.

A girl’s light giggles reverbed through the hall, making the two mafiosos on the floor turn up.
Hearing the sound of her melodious voice, Tachihara’s interests was immediately piqued. This wasn’t
quite the first impression he was hoping to make on you, he thought as the two finally stood up.

But the woman ignored them, instead making her way to Chuuya.

“Oh?” she whispered after turning her back. “You missed me so much that you waited for me?”
 Chuuya’s face flustered slightly, letting out an aggravated sigh. “Yea, so what?”

“So do you miss me!” she said, leading him away from the piercing eyes of the crowd behind them.
They walked down the emergency stairs instead of the elevator as it would provide more time for
Nakano to talk to him.

“You know, it’s funny, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“That you would attack Dazai for being a traitor but not me,” the noirette said, giving him a soft
smile.

“Well, even if we did, would we stand a chance?” Chuuya retorted sarcastically, folding his arms
and grumbling like a child.

Nakano grinned and swung her arm around him, stealing his hat to ruffle his hair.

“Not even the slightest.”

“Stop that!” Chuuya yelled, deep down a bit embarrassed by her actions. “Give it back!”

“Fine, but only because you’re shorter,” Nakano placed his precious hat back on his head.

A peaceful silence dawned upon them as they walked in sync down the steps.

“Nakano… why did you decide to leave?”

Silence followed after the question, as Nakano pondered on what to answer.

“I, I wanted a break,” she finally responded. “I was homesick, so I went back to my country. You
remember that I’m not from Japan, right?”

“Oh,” he only mumbled, not sure of what to answer.

“I’m sorry for not informing you earlier,” she continued bluntly. “It was all just so unplanned.”

“No, no, don’t apologize!” the executive said. “I was just wondering where you went for three
whole years.”

Nakano couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

“But it’s alright, Chuuya, because I’m an official member now!” she announced cheerfully,
swinging her arms by her side.

They reached the last floor of the building.

“Oh yeah! I need to do something first!” Nakano said, running out of the building.

“When are you coming back?” He shouted.

“A bit later! Bye bye Chuu!”

The Weretiger

Fresh air made their way into Nakano’s lungs. The smell of freshly-baked pastries from bakeries
was a stark contrast to the lingering scent of cigarettes and alcohol the Port Mafia had grown
accustomed to.

She observed people going by normal daily activities. Some were carrying heavy bags of
groceries and new clothes. Some were going out with their families and children. Some were just taking
a walk themselves.

Yokohama had never looked more lively.

Nakano felt an indescribable nervousness. She suddenly felt uncomfortable in her own skin, as if
she was an outcast. Part of her wished that she could blend in with the crowd and live a normal live, do
normal things and have a normal family.

Trying her best to ignore these thoughts, her gaze landed on a bookstore. Suddenly feeling
excited, she hurried in.

The store seemed to emit a calm atmosphere. Nakano ran her fingers through the rows and rows
of shelves filled with books, quickly reading each title and observing the cover of the book, looking for
something appealing. Finally, she left the shop with a mystery book in her hand, already starting to read
the first page.

She walked while being engulfed in the book, surprisingly not bumping into anyone along the way.
At last, she halted her steps in front of a park, just where she was looking for. She closed her book and
held it in her right hand.

Her eyes roamed the park, observing every movement of people chatting and some walking their
dogs, until she finally found a certain silver-haired boy. The corners of her lips tilted upwards as she
made her way to the bench he was sitting on, seemingly staring at something.

----------

Nakajima Atsushi had his eyes locked on a short, dark-haired girl, who was standing in front of an
ice-cream truck. She had insisted to buy ice-cream, and so Atsushi had given her his wallet and told her
to buy one for him as well.

Watching her, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, the kind of which you would feel when getting a
splinter. Kyouka Izumi did not deserve to be used like a puppet. She was a living and breathing human
being— she had her own emotions and the right to choose her own path.

Lost in his own head, Atsushi did not realize someone sitting down next to him.

“She’s so pretty, isn’t she?”

His eyes widened and he whipped his head to see a girl. The first thing he noticed about her was
her hair and eyes, reminding him of a certain eyebrow-less mafioso. He scanned the girl up and down,
taking note of every single detail of her.

“I’m sorry, who… who are you?”

 “You can call me Nano,” she answered. “What about you?”

He hesitated to exchange names with a stranger, but he then decided that she seemed harmless
enough.

“Nakajima Atsushi.”

She only hummed in response, looking at Kyouka.

“Yokohama is a beautiful city. I’m glad I came back.”

“Came back?”

Nakano smiled and turned her head to him.

“Say, is your mentor looking after you properly?” she avoided his question.

Atsushi’s eyes widened. He was suddenly on guard, preparing to use his ability in case she tried to
attack.

How does she know about Dazai?

“Oh! Your friend is coming back, I better go now,” Nakano said, standing up swiftly as she saw
Kyouka turning back.

“I’ll see you soon, Atsushi.”

The young boy didn’t know what to answer as he watched her silhouette disappear into the crowd.

“She…”

Kyouka’s voice awakened him from his trance. Her expression confused him when glanced at her. It
was full of shock and dismay.