The Untold Origins of The Port Mafia

☠ The Death of A Mafia Boss ☠

In the morning Mori and Fukuzawa wake up to find Dazai already standing in the kitchen, staring out the window. The futon they lent him is neatly rolled up looking almost as if it was never used.

'An insomniac.' Mori guesses.

"Good morning, Dazai-san."

"So today's the day, eh?" is all he says, "The day you cut the throat of that old madman."

"Yes."

"About time,"

Dazai says no more all during breakfast. Mori lets Akiko sleep late, leaving a note reading:

"If I have not returned when you wake, do not worry. I'll return the boss of the Port Mafia."

Through the hot foggy morning, Mori and Dazai depart.

-

The Port Mafia quarters seem unusually dark.

"No bodyguard today, Mori-sensei?" Ranpo asks as they pass his office. "Who's the new boy?"

The questions are rhetorical, the greatest strategist in the world doesn't need to ask questions to get answers. He can see the intent clear as day behind Mori's smiling face.

-

The office is dark too, even with the gold carpet, and the boss is so sickly he doesn't notice the young Dazai's presence.

"Doctor . . . tell the executives to murder them all . . . the opposing organisations, the military police, everyone who opposes the port Mafia, by sundown." He rasps weakly.

"That's not a rational course of action," Mori says simply, as he prepares the boss's pills, just as he would any other day.

"Kill them all . . . kill them all . . . kill them . . . kill them." his words get quieter until his voice cuts out completely. Then the scalpel is at his throat, drawing a red line so quickly the boss wouldn't have been able to make a sound if he could.

"The boss has passed on, due to illness. He left word saying I will inherit his position as the boss. You're my witness, got it?"

"Yup. So long as it means I get to meet my end."

Mori heads into the main office and cracks the main door. The red-headed guard girl, Ozaki-san turns around.

"Has something happened to the boss?" Mori can hear the hope in her voice.

"I'm afraid so. He has most unfortunately succumbed to his illness."

The question is in her eyes even as her throat goes dry.

"His parting words named me the leader of the organisation. You're relieved of this post, spread the news of his death to the rest of the employees."

She is no idiot. She knows the illness wouldn't have taken him so suddenly, with the way he was going it would have drawn out for many more painful hacking months.

'If anything this was a mercy.'

And she heard the promise in his words, you're relieved of THIS post. She's getting her long-deserved promotion, after all this time.

Back in the office, Dazai looks out the window.

'What a glorious fall that would be.' he giggles at the thought.

"Do you know the name of your ability?" Mori says, having appeared behind him silently.

"Ability?"

"A supernatural skill or skills that you possess. Even if you are ignorant of the workings of your ability itself, surely you must know its name."