Bungo Stray Dogs - Volume SS - Chapter 2.4

A Certain Explosive - 4

Their destination was a building on the corner of a crossroad: a classy redbrick structure that was showing its age. It wasn’t particularly tall; the first floor was a charming café that served really good coffee.

Kunikida and Dazai confidently strode into the building. They didn’t seem to feel that there was anything odd about Atsushi joining them.

“Hey, uh…,” Atsushi timidly mumbled from behind Kunikida.

“What?” replied Kunikida, lowering his voice without turning around. “The agency is on the fourth floor.”

“No, it’s not that…,” Atsushi said quietly, looking uncomfortable.

“Let’s take the stairs just in case,” Dazai suggested in almost a whisper.

He avoided the elevator in front of them and headed toward the stairwell. Both he and Kunikida seemed to be more than ready to storm the agency office with Atsushi while there was a mad bomber inside.

Their careful footsteps echoed up the dim staircase. At this rate, Atsushi really was going to get swept up in this mess.

“Guys…!”

Starting to panic, he spoke just a bit louder when he called out to the detectives.

“Keep your voice down!” reprimanded Kunikida, causing Atsushi to switch back to mumbling.

“Sorry…”

“Get ready, Atsushi,” Dazai urged with a serious tone as he remained facing forward. They were almost at the fourth floor.

“All right…,” Atsushi reluctantly replied. There was no going back now.

It’s not often someone walks into a building where a bomber has barricaded himself with a hostage. No one ever expects something like that to happen to them.

That was exactly how Atsushi felt up until a few minutes ago.

The inside of the Armed Detective Agency on the fourth floor looked like a movie to Atsushi as he found himself witnessing an intense standoff.

“I can’t… I can’t take it anymore…,” a young man muttered almost deliriously, sitting on the edge of a desk with his back to the window.

He appeared to be around Atsushi’s age—perhaps eighteen. He was slender with fair skin peeking out from the collar of his slightly oversized sweater. Your average teenager.

…The only difference was that he was holding a detonator in his hand.

Planted down in the chair by his side was a girl in a high school uniform with long black hair—obviously the hostage, seeing as she was bound and gagged. On the verge of tears and clearly terrified, she looked to the young man and the detonator in his hand.

The contextual clues all pointed to this young man being the bomber. Kunikida and Dazai crouched while they boldly stepped inside the tense office, and Atsushi, who was in a helpless fluster, had no choice but to follow them.

“This is all their fault… If it wasn’t for the Armed Detective Agency…”

The bomber covered his face with one hand and glared at every agency member in the office. These were the eyes of someone who had completely given in to despair.

“Where’s the boss?! Get him out here now!”

His cry echoed throughout the office, and the female staff, who were secretly watching him from the nearby room, hid in fear.

“Hurry up before I blow this place and everyone in it to smithereens!”

The young man grabbed the hostage’s collar and jerked her close. Her face immediately tensed and went pale as she trembled.

* * *

“A man with a grudge… These guys are the worst…”

“Agreed…”

Dazai and Kunikida were whispering back and forth from behind a partition.

“…Why am I even here?” Atsushi mumbled in despair while sandwiched between them.

He felt like a fish out of water, especially since he wasn’t even a member of the agency. What he needed to do right now was meet this guarantor Dazai had mentioned, take a little test, and get a job. What he absolutely wasn’t supposed to be doing was confronting a bomber at a detective agency.

“He’s angry with the agency about something,” Kunikida bitterly muttered while knitting his brow.

“Can I go? I doubt I’m going to be able to help you guys with this,” Atsushi whispered.

“True,” Dazai admitted, “our work tends to attract ire from a variety of sources.”

“They’re ignoring me…” Atsushi heaved a disappointed sigh.

Of course, he felt like he owed them after all they did for him, but he was only going to get in the way here. Worst-case scenario, he’d end up just another meaningless casualty. Atsushi was really hoping they’d realize this…

Nevertheless, he was no longer in any position where he could simply get up and leave. Plus, the bomber would definitely see him the instant he stood up, and he most likely wouldn’t let Atsushi go even though Atsushi wasn’t a member of the agency. If anything, the bomber would take him as another hostage—or worse.

“The bomber’s not bluffing—those are high explosives. If that thing goes off, this entire floor will be reduced to ash.”

Dazai offered a calm explanation while he looked at the small explosive on top of the desk. All it would take was one push of the button on that detonator to trigger the bomb’s countdown.

“Oh no…,” a shocked Atsushi miserably whined.

“We could cover the bomb with something to dampen down the explosion…,” Dazai noted, one hand on his chin in deep thought.

Put simply, they could absorb the explosion somewhat if they placed a sturdy helmet or something over the explosive.

“…Not in this situation, though. And honestly, what kind of coward takes a woman hostage?” Dazai shut his eyes in anguish.

“…Who is she even?”

Curiosity got the best of Atsushi. He figured that this girl had nothing to do with the agency, since she was a hostage.

“Her name is Naomi. She works part-time here.”

“She works here?! So she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

Atsushi sympathized with her since his situation was somewhat similar.

The bomber even had his arm wrapped around her in a blind rage. This girl was clearly tough; most people would have fainted in her position.

“…What do you want to do?” Kunikida whispered to Dazai.

“Why don’t we let him talk to the boss?”

Atsushi casually glanced their way.

The boss…?

“Because he’ll try to kill him, that’s why!” argued Kunikida. “It’s a good thing the boss is away on business right now…,” he added, pushing up his glasses.

“Which gives us only one option,” Dazai replied with a serious expression. He swiftly held out a hand and got into a stance for combat.

Kunikida clenched his hand tightly as well, preparing himself for battle. The tension between them slowly escalated.

Are they going to use their powers?!

This was the Armed Detective Agency, and both Dazai and Kunikida were skill users. Although the bomber may have been holding a detonator, he was still just an ordinary person…which meant he would be no match for these two detectives.

Atsushi watched with bated breath as the pair tensely stared at each other until—

“Hmph!”

“Hmph!”

—they simultaneously swung their arms, both throwing rock. A draw.

“Hmph!”

Yet again, they vigorously swung their arms, but this time, they both threw scissors.

…They were playing rock-paper-scissors.

They were seriousness personified as they continued to throw hands with so much determination that this may well have been a matter of life and death. After they both threw paper, they swung their arms one more time as if this would be the match that determined the winner…and it was.

The match was over.

“Mwa-ha-ha-ha!”

Dazai cackled proudly after throwing paper again.

“Rrgh…!”

Kunikida grunted with regret, his closed fist trembling.

“Go on now,” Dazai urged him.

Kunikida quickly albeit reluctantly got up, revealing his location to the bomber. Even though it may have only been rock-paper-scissors, a loss was a loss, and he was going to respect that.

He boldly strode over to the enemy.

“I need you to calm down, young man,” he demanded with clear irritation in his voice.

“Stay back!” the bomber shouted. “I only wanna talk to the boss! Try anything funny, and I’ll blow this place sky-high!”

“All right…” Kunikida frowned in annoyance at the bomber’s yelling.

“I know you. You’re Kunikida… You’re trying to get me to lower my guard so you can use that freakish skill of yours on me! Well, it’s not happening! I want you on this desk on all fours with your hands where I can see them!”

The bomber held out the detonator.

“Hrm?!” Kunikida shot an irritable glare at the young man, forcing him to slightly recoil. Nevertheless, the bomber still had the advantage—he was the one with the explosive. He promptly resumed his aggressive demeanor as if he had just remembered that fact.

“If you don’t do what I say, I’m detonating this thing and taking everyone with me!”

Now his finger was hovering over the detonator button. He was obviously too enraged to think clearly anymore. No sort of reasoning was going to work on him.

Kunikida let out an annoyed sigh, then began to climb onto the desk as ordered.

“This is bad…,” Dazai said gravely while Atsushi watched in suspense by his side. “The bomber must have done his homework; he seems to know our agents’ names and faces. Which means I’d only further irritate him if I tried reasoning with him.”

Kunikida probably wouldn’t be able to use his skill effectively with his knees and hands on the desk.

Then… Does that mean…?

Kunikida had mentioned that the president was away on business. There were no other employees in sight, which meant they were all probably out as well. Therefore, if neither Dazai nor Kunikida could do anything, then only the female staff—who were still hiding in fear—could do something about this. However, depending on them to solve this dilemma would be far too cruel. These were office workers, not combatants.

Which left just one person…

“Whatever are we going to do?” Dazai mumbled theatrically. He glanced in Atsushi’s direction, causing the boy to jump.

“I’ve got a really bad feeling about this…,” said Atsushi.

He froze, hesitantly shifting his eyes in Dazai’s direction where he was met with Dazai’s hopeful gaze.

“Atsuuushiii!”

“Nope!!” Atsushi promptly refused and averted his gaze.

“I still haven’t even asked you anything.”

“You don’t need to! I know what you’re going to say!”

Even though he’d only known Dazai for about a day, he already had a good idea of what kind of person he was. Atsushi had to be firm and turn him down. He’d just get himself in trouble if he gave in.

Then again, it felt a bit late for that since he’d already come all the way here with them…

“Listen, Atsushi.”

It was as if Atsushi were talking to a different person. Not only did Dazai’s tone change, but his expression was extremely serious as well.

“You’re the only person the bomber doesn’t know since you don’t work here.”

Atsushi tightly clenched his fists as he listened.

“But I…I wouldn’t be able to do anything even if I tried!”

There was no way for a regular person like Atsushi to stop a bomber. He wasn’t trained for this. He wasn’t a detective with unique skills like Dazai and Kunikida. It was painfully obvious what would happen if he tried to help, and it wasn’t going to be good. If anything, he was going to make the situation far worse than it already was.

“Don’t worry…”

Dazai left his side, staying low while he moved toward the corner of the office so that the bomber wouldn’t be able to see him.

What’s he trying to do? Or more like what’s he trying to make me do?

“You just need to distract the bomber. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Dazai, who was rummaging through a box, suddenly lifted his head.

“Hmm… How about you distract him by pretending like you’re some down-and-out loser?”

He returned with a stack of old newspapers and a sash.

“Here, these are your props.”

He smiled. It appeared he wanted Atsushi to do something with these.

This is ridiculous!

How on earth were a stack of old newspapers and a sash going to help stop a mad bomber?

Distracting the bomber was a lot easier said than done. It might even backfire and make him attack Atsushi. If only they’d had a steel shield or bulletproof jacket lying around… Even a helmet would’ve been better than this. None of those things would have solved the problem, but they’d at least be better protection than a bunch of old newspapers.

“Trust me.”

Those words prompted Atsushi to lift his gaze from the sad stack of newspapers.

“Trouble like this is child’s play for the Armed Detective Agency.”

Dazai’s smirk was dripping with confidence.

This mad bomber’s barricaded himself inside the agency with a hostage, and Kunikida can’t move. Things are looking pretty bleak. So how is Dazai so confident right now? I would never be able to muster up that kind of courage.

“Uh-huh…,” Atsushi replied hopelessly. He didn’t seem to have any other options.