Kunikida sat at the end of Hibiki's bed, silently going through his notes as he waited for the older man to awake. Various thoughts ran through his mind – most of them centered around (Y/n). Whether he liked it or not, he still cared for her very deeply. Especially after everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks.
His mind wandered to the case involving Sasaki two years prior, how poorly he had treated (Y/n) throughout that time. He pushed up his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his notebook. Of course he had properly apologized to her, but there was always a part of him that wished he had never treated her that way in the first place.
It was almost overwhelming.
Kunikida was yanked away from his thoughts as the door swung open. He turned around, half-expecting to see (Y/n) return from her walk, but was disappointed as he watched a dark-haired man with a sand-colored trench coat enter. He let out a sigh, standing up from the stool as he fully faced him.
"What are you doing in here, Dazai?" he asked, his tone rough as usual.
Dazai held up his hands defensively. "Relax, Kunikida, I'm not here to cause too much chaos today."
Kunikida shook his head. "At least you're aware that you are the source."
"Always have been." Dazai walked past him and around the bed, standing over Hibiki as he kept his hands in his pockets. "So has Hibiki woken up yet? He took a pretty nasty tumble back there."
"Quit referring to Mr. Asagiri so casually," Kunikida snapped. "And no, he hasn't woken up. Seeing his sister's bloody hair really knocked him out – that and the endless search for her."
"Oh." Dazai shrugged and turned back to Kunikida. "Well, have you seen (Y/n)? I've been around the agency and I haven't spotted her yet."
Kunikida let out a short sigh. "No, I haven't for a while now. I came in here earlier to see if she was okay, but she didn't appear to be. She left during our conversation to take a walk."
Dazai didn't say anything in response. He simply brushed past Kunikida in a quick pace as he made a beeline for the door.
"Dazai, what are you doing? Where are you going?"
"The last few times (Y/n)'s been left alone, they've ended very poorly. The first with her getting kidnapped and tortured and the second with her getting a bullet sent through her skull." Dazai gripped the door handle, about to swing it open. "So I'm going after her before something else happens."
Kunikida placed his notebook in his vest and made his way towards the door as well. "Then I'm coming with you – I've been an inconsiderate coworker and a bad friend. The least I can do for (Y/n) is try to be there."
Dazai pursed his lips in a tight smile, nodding once. He turned back towards the door, opening it as he said, "I just hope that we're not too late."
He stopped in his tracks as soon as the door was fully open. Kunikida, who was trying to follow, let out an irritated grunt as he asked, "What's wrong now, Dazai?"
Kunikida soon saw what had caused the sudden stop. There, in the doorway, stood (Y/n). She looked practically the same as she left (unharmed), but with a more determined look on her face rather than upset or devastated.
"Glad I caught you before you guys took off somewhere," she began, "because I might have a lead that'll assist us in our search for Hinami."
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