N. Chuuya X Fem! Reader: The Territory of Gravity

10.4 - The Dark Era

"Whoa! This is spicy, mister! Really spicy! What's your secret ingredient? Lava?!" Dazai gasped, chugging milk like his life depended on it.

"You really have to stop trying everything Oda likes," you sighed, taking some of his curry over rice. "Still, this is really good, mister!"

"Ha-ha-ha, ya think so? That's what Odasaku always has," The restaurant owner grinned, before turning in the direction where footsteps sounded from. "Hey, Odasaku, welcome back. How were the kids?" 

"It was close, but I remain undefeated," Oda replied. "However, they predicted where I would grab on to, so they colored it in with crayons to make me slip. I was really worried for a second there. You said they'd be able to hold up a bank if there were ten of them, but I bet they'd be able to pull that off in two more years with their current numbers."

"Maybe I should recruit them..." Dazai smirked while wiping his sweat. "I heard all about it, Odasaku. You're raising five kids, huh? And not only that, they're orphans from the Dragon's Head Conflict."

Even if he'd tried to hide it, Dazai would've been able to figure it out with just half a day's worth of research. You raised an eyebrow at this information, looking the man up and down.

"Yeah," he nodded.

The children were orphans. They would have all died if Oda hadn't saved them. Two years ago, various syndicates, including the Port Mafia, were involved in a large-scale underground dispute known as the Dragon's Head Conflict. A certain skill user died, leaving behind five hundred billion yen's worth of dirty money, which led to a bloody, murderous frenzy that spread throughout the entire Kanto region. Most illegal armed organizations came close to extinction as a result.

The three of you also participated in the struggle. It was such a bloodbath that people would get attacked once every ten minutes just walking the streets. The result was countless scores of bodies.

The children on the second floor were kids who had nowhere to go after the incident was over.

"A Mafia member who refuses to kill, talented yet has no interest in advancing through the ranks, a man who's raising five orphans—Sakunosuke Oda," Dazai smirked. "You're a strange guy. You might be the strangest guy in the entire Mafia."

"Not as long as they have you, that much is for sure," you snorted.

Oda faced the restaurant owner once more and pulled out an envelope of bills from his coat pocket.

"Pops, this should be enough money for the kids for now."

"You sure this is okay, Odasaku?" There was a worried tone in the owner's voice as he wiped his fingers on his apron and accepted the envelope. "I mean, I know most of your earnings end up here... If it's all right, I can throw in some of my money, too."

"I really appreciate you letting us use your place, Pops. That, plus the curry here, is more than enough."

"Odasaku, do you seriously eat this spicy curry all the time?" Dazai asked as he took a sip of water. "It's so hot that my jaw's about to fall off."

"Dazai, L/N-Dono what are you both doing here anyway?" Oda asked.

"I have something I need to tell you about the case," you informed him. 

"A lot of things came to light after we last talked, especially about the enemy," Dazai added.

The case in question was obvious enough, for Oda currently only had one he was working on. His eyes widened in realisation as he turned to the restaraunt owner.