Bungo Stray Dogs: An Alternative Dark Era

Chapter 9: The Rats in the House of the Dead.

                 The. Bird. In. The. Cage. When, oh when, will it come out?

The man named Mushitaro Oguri woke up in a bed in the Port Mafia base. Then, he remembered. Nikolai. The Decay of Angels. The two men beside Nikolai. He stood out of the bed, only to see Hirotsu guarding him. Oguri stiffened.

" How long have you been there, old man?" Oguri asked the man with the pipe. Hirotsu shrugged. " About a day or two."

" A DAY?!"

Hirotsu widened his eyes and repeated himself. " Yes, a day. Why?"

Oguri jumped out of the bed and landed on the floor. " I need to warn the two guys! Nikolai is conspiring with two men-."

" We already know that." Dazai came into the room and found Oguri trampled on the floor, with bed sheets above his body. Dazai sighed. " Our arch-nemesis, Andre Gide and Shirase have made their move again. Their motive was to join the Special Abilities Division, but Ango-san rejected their applications, so they killed him," Dazai grabbed Oguri and made him stand on his two feet. " Now, let's talk about The Rats in the House of the Dead."

" A man is in charge of that organisation. Nikolai Gogol was in the Rats in the House of the Dead, but he then betrayed us and joined the Decay of Angels. I last saw Nikolai with two other strangers, both male."

Dazai stiffened. " Andre and Shirase are with the DOA now? Go figure. We should've killed them on the spot."

Oguri looked puzzled. " You know the other two men?"

Dazai nodded. " We went to war with their organisation named the Sheep but now, the Sheep's long gone."

Mori sighed. " Well, we have killed two of their top people in their organisation so it was only a matter of time 'till they fight back." Oguri then shared Mori's expression of tiredness.

" Well, they have both joined Nikolai, so it's going to be harder now. Are you guys prepared for that?"

Mori looked at Dazai, and Dazai replied negatively, as though there was nothing left for the Port Mafia to defend themselves. But there was one thing that Dazai wondered.

" I will have Tsujimura look into Nikolai's ability but in the meantime, I have no plans."

Oguri had an idea that sparkled up. " Dazai, can your friend also look into another friend of mine's ability?"

Dazai looked puzzled. " Sure, why though?" Oguri smiled back.

" He owes me a debt."

A Tuesday afternoon.

Dazai walks into Tsujimura's office for needed pieces of information. First, there was a man named Nikolai Gogol. A man in a clown suit with an ability to pop up objects out of no-where. Even the Special Abilities Division can't research him thoroughly. Then, as Oguri requested of the S.A.D., was another mysterious man with an overpowered ability. So far, they only know his name, and his ability. They don't know if this mysterious ability-user has joined an affiliation or not. His name?

" Ranpo Edogawa. The self-proclaimed ability user." Dazai looked at Tsujimura with a question in mind.

" Self-proclaimed ability user?"

Tsujimura nodded. " At the very least, his name for his ability is known as Super Deduction. His ability is to solve any murder cases if he puts on his glasses." Dazai looked at a picture of Ranpo closely. " Any murder cases, huh? You got that. Right, Oguri-san?"

Oguri nodded.

" Now, I know what to do. Thank you, Dazai, Tsujimura."

Oguri walked out of the door.

Dazai sighed. " And there goes a Rats in the House of the Dead member. By the way, can you help us research on them too?" Tsujimura happily nodded.

She turned on her ability.

***

Mushitaro Oguri walked among the streets that laid beside the S.A.D. head-quaters. He looked back. He thought that, if the Special Abilities Division could somehow bring his friend into this country, all of this would be over.

Of course, Tsujimura found Ranpo Edogawa.

" He's on the streets of Fuyuki city. With a companion." Tsujimura informed Dazai, who was not with Chuuya at the moment. Dazai wondered.

If this person really has this special deduction ability, this conflict with both the Rats in the House of the Dead and the Decay of Angels would be over, right?

" Dazai-kun, your orders?"

Dazai thought for a moment, and heistated.

If it means that.

Dazai pulled out his phone, and called Oguri.

" Hey, Oguri-san. Sorry to pull you into this, but how would you like to be a part-time member of the Special Abilities Division?"

Tsujimura gasped. Oguri widened his eyes in amazement.

" Sure," Oguri said with his eyes still widened. " Is Tsujimura-sensei fine with that?"

Dazai handed the phone over to Tsujimura, who was reluctant at first. Then, she finally gave in. " Mushitaro Oguri, I hereby declare you a part-timer of the S.A.D.."

At that moment, Oguri remembered what he warned Fyodor. The Special Abilities Division would surely rise again.Oguri grinned.

" Thank you, Tsujimura-sensei."

Tsujimura gave the phone back to Dazai.

" Ugh! What am I going to do with him?!" Tsujimura banged her head onto the wall. Dazai smiled for comfort.

" Let's see what he's got, shall we?"

***

" Oguri has been defected?" Ivan asked Fyodor over the phone.

" Yes," Fyodor responded. " It's time to go to phase two. Get started with the Cannibalism event."

Ivan turned around to Pushkin. " You heard Dos-kun."

Pushkin nodded, " What targets do you choose?"

Ivan answered, " Let's go with Dazai and Chuuya, shall we?"