This Color Ain't It

Chapter 24: Missing Members

Summary:

Chapter 23.5, where we see what the agency has been up to since Kenji and Tanizaki's assignment.
Notes:

welcome back; the jug's not empty yet lol
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text
"Can someone refill the watering can? Things are looking pretty dry around here."

A silver-haired detective immediately stopped typing and stood up. "I'll do that for you, Yosano-sensei!"

Yosano placed a hand over her mouth to cover a yawn as her younger coworker scurried past. She lazily looked over the few houseplants decorating the front of the office, frowning slightly at the browning tones on several of the leaves. When she reached out to hold one between her fingers, it effortlessly snapped off. Her frown grew more.

Turning towards the rest of the detectives lazing around or working on their company-provided laptops, she placed a hand against her hip and held up the dry leaf next to her face. "When was the last time any of you watered the houseplants?"

Kunikida set down the document he was analyzing to give their doctor his full attention. Upon seeing the disapproving frown on Yosano's face and the dead leaf, he bowed his head. "I watered them last week before clocking out."

Yosano raised a brow. "Only last week?"

"I drafted a schedule rotating our watering turns," Kunikida continued. He scrunched his nose as he held out his hand for Yosano to hand over the leaf, feeling the no doubt rough texture as it crumbled in his grip. He turned his glare on his dozing partner. "Dazai! Did you not water the plants on Monday like was agreed? Oi!"

"Ugh, Kunikida-kun~" Dazai drawled out painfully. "Can you keep it down? I'm having the worst hangover right now."

"You-" Kunikida began spluttering as he did a double take on the man who had his forehead resting against the desk. "You're hungover on a work day?!"

"Hush, hush now."

While Kunikida seethed at being waved off by his partner, Yosano sighed heavily. She rubbed her temple in frustration. "What are we going to tell Kenji when he comes back and finds his plants all dead?"

Sending one last glare at his uncaring partner, Kunikida pushed his glasses back into place and sat back in his chair. His expression softened to that of worry at the now crumbled pieces of a once healthy green leaf on his palm. With a resigned sigh, he minimized his work tabs and opened a fresh one. "I suppose we should get replacements as soon as possible and take better care of them before Kenji's return."

Yosano hummed, her heels clicking across the floor as she made to lean over Kunikida's shoulder to see what he was typing. "You think he won't notice?"

"Knowing him, he will definitely notice a difference," Kunikida admitted. "He showered those plants with his attention every second that he's in the office."

"Look into ways that we can salvage the ones we have here first then," Yosano muttered, eyes scanning over the different shops and prices that her coworker was studying. "If there isn't anything we can do with these, then we'll have to profusely apologize and give him new ones."

"Right. Thank you, Yosano-sensei."

After seeing Kunikida open up more tabs with methods to rescue the browning plants, Yosano straightened up. She briefly looks across the desks to the only other detective in the office and frowns disapprovingly at him. Said detective makes no effort to look up, but he does release an over-exaggerated groan that lets her know he knows he's being stared at.