Twisted Innocence

Moonlight Menace

" To know your enemy, you must become your enemy."

- Sun Tzu (The Art of War)

~oOo~

        Not too long later, Dazai, Seiko, and Atsushi were all waiting in an abandoned warehouse at night, with Atsushi sitting on a large crate with his knees tucked to his chest. Seiko sat next to Dazai on another large crate with her hands placed on her lap, her eyes threatening to close as she began to nod off. 

        The young girl covered her mouth with her hand before letting out a yawn. "...Dazai-kun, I'm tired ~ " She complained, looking up at the said adult as he read a book he apparently decided to take with him. "Why do we have to do this at this specific time? It's way past my bedtime." 

        "Haha, sorry, sorry, Sei-chan," Dazai chuckled as he glanced up from his book to look at the child. "Why don't you get some sleep then? I'll wake you up once things get interesting, all right?"

        "Okay ~ " Seiko yawned, before her eyes slowly fluttered to a close and she dropped her head to the side against Dazai's arm. The adult gave the sleeping girl a smile before returning his attention to his book.

        "...Dazai-san, what are you reading?" Atsushi decided to break the following silence as he looked up at the said man. 

        "A good book." He replied without removing his gaze from the book.

        "I'm surprised you can read when it's dark." Atsushi commented. 

        "I have good vision," Dazai said, turning a page in the book, which read 'Complete Guide to Suicide' on the front cover. "Besides, I already know everything that happens in this book."

        "Why are you reading it, then?" Atsushi sweatdropped at the book's title.

        "A good book is always good, no matter how many times you read it." Dazai simply responded. Atsushi let out a nervous chuckle, before his face dropped into a more solemn and pensive expression as he glanced at the sleeping Seiko leaning against the brunette's arm.

        "...is it...is it okay for Seiko-chan to be here?" He asked, tightening his hug on his knees to his chest. "Will the tiger really show up here?

        "It will."

        Atsushi let out a gasp of pure, unabashed terror as his eyes widened, his heart threatening to leap out of his chest with the rapid pace it was beating. "Don't worry," Dazai reassured, causing the teenager to look at him. He glanced up at his book as he spoke. "Even if it shows up, it's no match for me. I may not look like much, but I am an operative of the Armed Detective Agency. And besides..."

        Dazai looked down at the peacefully sleeping Seiko leaning against him. "Sei-chan's protection is one of my top priorities, after all," he explained in a quiet voice so she wouldn't wake up. "I've known her the longest out of my colleagues, so I know that if she's not with me, she can get careless and blindly wander off into danger. She may not act her age sometimes, but she's still a child. That's why I won't let anything happen to her on my watch."

        Atsushi silently listened to his words, before looking down with a soft, but crestfallen smile. "You're really confident. I'm kind of jealous," he commented, bringing his knees closer. "They called me a good-for-nothing at the orphanage as far back as I can remember. And now, I don't even know where I'll sleep tonight or whether I'll be able to earn my keep tomorrow."