DEAD STARS [ ✓ ] | Bungou Stray Dogs

[ 03 | Atsushi ]

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❝ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ sᴏғᴛ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴄʀᴜᴇʟ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ɪs ᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢᴇ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴇᴀᴋɴᴇss. ❞

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“Where are you going?” Mori asked Paz. The meeting has been adjourned. Paz was the first one to stood up and went to the door.

“Any place where I can be on the good side?” she said. “I just want to make the sins I have commited, and the good deeds I did for the others, equal. You know, I want whoever the guardian on the entrance in Heaven be so stressed on deciding where I really belong, so stressed that I will heard him mutter a curse.”

“If you quit Port Mafia, the number of sins you will commit will lessen, right?” Mori retorted.

“Yes and no. There's still a lot of sins I can commit even if I'm not a member of Port Mafia anymore. Let's say... adultery, stealing, and so on.” With that, she vanished from the sight of everyone in the conference room and made her walk around the city.

She let her feet stroll while her eyes wander around the city. She must say that the Yokohama have improved compared to the last time she visited. She stopped in front of a shop where a child was scanning the displays. She followed the child's gaze and discovered she was looking at a large pink teddy bear stuffed toy. She also noticed the swelling of the kid's eyes, indicating she cried.

Something told her to approach the child. She sat down so her gaze would level the child's. The child looked at her.

Paz gave her a smile before asking, “Hello! Are you lost?”

The girl nodded in response.

“Do you want that stuffed toy?” she asked once again and the child nodded.

She looked up at the store's signboard and it said, Yokohama's Toy Kingdom. On the door, there was a pamphlet attached. It said that the only way to own the stuffed toy is to sing and to attract people's attention. If the customer will be able to attract many people, then the stuffed toy is all his/her.

“Hey, kiddo, it was said that the only way to have the stuffed toy is to sing. Do you know how to sing?” Paz asked the kid and she shook her head in response. “Why?”

Then, the kid started to do some gestures with her hands. Paz's head tilted in confusion as she doesn't know how to understand sign language.

“Huh? I can't understand you. Can't you talk?” the child nodded. “Do you want me to claim the stuffed toy just for you?”

The little girl nodded.

“Alright! Let's do this!” she said. She grabbed something from her bag and put it in before approaching the man who was in-charge of the promo.

She have three songs to sing. After her third song, she should be able to gather more than twenty audience. She thought that it was pretty easy so she decided to start it already.

The first one she sang is Your Song (My One and Only) by Julie Anne San Jose, a local artist from the Philippines. Surprisingly, she was successful on gaining some attention. This is one of the song's that fits her voice so much.

The next one she sang is I Like You So Much, You'll Know It, the English Version made by Ysabelle Cuervas. The number of her audience doubled.

Last but not the least, the song that everyone can fell in love with, Perfect by Ed Sheeran.

As soon as she finished singing, everyone offered her applause and cheered her.

She squealed in joy as the owner said she was able to attract more than enough. The owner congratulated and gave her the pink stuffed toy. She immediately searched for the little girl but she can't find her anymore.

She dived in the sea of the crowd to search for the girl but still, she didn't find her. She sighed. She removed the sunglasses she was wearing and put it back to her bag. She checked the time and two hours have passed already, she should go back now to their headquarters as she's going to meet her underling later.

As she was about to turn her back, someone tugged the lower part of her one piece. She turned her head in response and saw the little girl earlier.

“Oh, there you are!” She smiled and passed the stuffed toy. The girl grinned at her. “Take care of this baby girl, cutie, oki?”

“Huh? I can't understand you.” Paz chuckled then she pinched the little girl's cheeks who was doing a sign language.

“She was asking if you can giver her your name so the baby girl will be named after you.” She turned to the man who just arrived. Her eyes widened.

“Oh, I see. You know, I'm not good on reading sign language.” She chuckled. “By the way, my name is Ai.”