Chapter Text
Atsushi would like to lodge a complaint to whatever higher being there is, or maybe Dazai.
His day had been going so well, he woke up early enough to both have breakfast with Kyouka and get to work on time. Most days he gets to work on time just without breakfast, his time in the orphanage did not adapt him well to the concept of breakfast.
So he had been having a really good morning, and when he got to the ADA Kunikida seemed to be in a good mood despite Dazai being late. Which should have tipped him off that something was going to go spectacularly wrong.
At lunch Atsushi went to get ramen with Kyouka and Kenji, it wasn't often that Kyouka wanted ramen but Atsushi was always happy to get some. Kenji had joined their merry party after hearing the restaurant name, apparently they have really good beef bowls as well as ramen. When Kyouka had looked up at him with her big puppy eyes after Kenji had asked to come with, well, who was he to say no? His wallet may be crying but that was something to worry about later.
Two bowls of ramen and one beef bowl later Atsushi was back at work. He guessed from Kunikida’s outraged shouts that Dazai had finally shown up, he asked Junichirou as much and found out that Dazai had arrived, but only for ten minutes and left as soon as Kunikida’s back was turned. Ah, that explains the continued raging and…yes Ranpo was laughing.
Twenty minutes later Kunikida finally calmed down enough to inform Atsushi about a client that came in.
She had asked for help in finding her daughter, who had gone missing the previous day. When asked why she didn't go to the police she responded, “I did! They haven't done anything to actually find her! She’s only seven! It's been too long!” and continued to rant about the police for the next fifteen minutes. She was only stopped by Junichirou, desperately interrupting her to say that they would try to find her child. The ADA doesn’t usually take these kinds of jobs but he was getting desperate, ok?
So it's now Atsushi and Kyouka's job to start trying to find this little girl. This was not how Atsushi expected his afternoon to go but he isnt mad about it. He nearly made it out the door before realizing that he has no idea what the girl looks like, thankfully Kyouka remembered to ask. One description later and they were out on the town.
The moment the door closed behind them Ranpo looked up from his bag of chips. Something about the way the mother was talking had tipped him off, she was holding something back. Her daughter was missing but she hadn't been quite truthful about how she disappeared. Ranpo didn't think very much danger would come out of investigating but he made a mental note to buy more snacks.
“Hey, stay right here for a moment, I'll be right back.” Is what Atsushi had told Kyouka ten minutes ago. She had been asking someone if they had seen the missing girl recently and had only nodded to Atsushi, missing the fact that his tiger ears were out and how he darted down the nearest alleyway. Kyouka would come to regret this fact the moment she heard a scream coming from the very alley that Atsushi had disappeared into.
It was too high to be Atsushi, even though his screams were rather high in pitch. Was it the missing girl? He had left in a hurry. Kyouka ran towards the alley as fast as she could, Demon Snow already by her side. She skidded to a stop before someone ran into her.
Well, she was right about who was screaming. The girl was crying hard, tears and snot running down her face. She spoke, hiccuping lightly every few seconds, “I-i didn't mean to! I don't know what happened!” she trailed off into another sob. Kyouka was deeply out of her element. She steeled her nerves and tried to sound as kind as possible, keeping an eye out for where Atsushi was, “It’s ok. I’m with the armed detective agency, your mom has been looking for you.”
The girl looked up at Kyouka with big watery eyes, “Momma?”
Kyouka was intensely uncomfortable and desperately trying not to show it, “Yes. I’m going to call my coworker now, please wait a moment.”
Kunikida’s number was typed as fast as Kyouka could and she was thanking every god she knew that he picked up on the first ring.
“Kunikida, we found her.” She started, not bothering to explain in the slightest.
“Hm, earlier than i planned, well done.”
“Please come take her, she’s started playing with demon snow and I don't know what to do.” There was most definitely not a muffled laugh from kunikida, “Just let her play with Atsushi, he should be with you anyway.” The silence from Kyouka was distinctly guilty, “Kyouka, where is Atsushi?” Said girl was frantically looking around for Atsushi, he couldn't have gotten far right? She would have heard if Akutagawa showed up, so where was he?
“Kyouka,” Kunikida started to sound worried, “where did Atsushi go?”
Something tugged at the bottom of her kimono, Kyouka looked down and froze.
“Kunikida.”
“Yes? What's going on?”
“I’m going to have to call you back.”
“What! You can't just-”
Kyouka was staring at the white tiger cub gently pulling on the bottom of her kimono with wide eyes.
She looked around quickly before saying slowly, “Atsushi?”
The cub’s ears moved and his tail swished as he looked up at her with big gold and purple eyes. Yep, that’s Atsushi.
Kyouka bent down and scooped him up into her arms, dying of cuteness when he let out a little chuff and nuzzled into her chin. She made the decision right then and there that there was no being on this earth that could possibly make her let go of Atsushi. He was so fluffy and was letting her squish his paws, he licked the tip of her nose and she damn near started crying.
Kyouka barely remembered the reason that Atsushi was like this, turning to look and see if she was still playing with Demon Snow. Ah, that made things easy. She had fallen asleep and Demon Snow looked a little too happy to be carrying her. At least the walk to the agency would be quiet. Kyouka started walking back, petting Atsushi the entire time.
Demon Snow was both holding the no-longer-missing girl and making sure Kyouka didn’t walk into the street.
Eventually they made it back to the agency, Demon Snow entering first. Kunikida was in a panic, he had just been about to go out and find Kyouka himself. So, she probably should've called him back…whoops. Kunikida was denied his rant on “ do not hang up on your coworkers, more specifically me” by the teary reunion of mother and daughter, conveniently giving Kyouka time to hide with Atsushi.
She is one: not prepared to handle Kunikida’s rant and two: doesn't want to hand off Atsushi to let Dazai reverse whatever ability had turned him like this. She was more than prepared to look as cute as possible to avoid that happening. It worked with the president, why shouldn't it work with Dazai?
While Kyouka was finding a hiding spot (behind one of the couches they use to talk to clients), Ranpo had gotten up to tell Kunikida why the girl had gotten lost in the first place, all he had been waiting for was the confirmation of Kyouka not coming back with Atsushi. He walked up to Kunikida, who was talking to the girl's mother, with a grin and his usual “I just solved the case” smile, “Hey Kunikida, do you wanna know why she,” he motioned towards the girl, “ went missing?” Kunikida sighed heavily and pushed up his glasses, “If you are willing to tell me that would make my job a lot easier.”
Ranpo chuckled and said, smugness radiating off him, “She has an ability, doesn't she?” He finished his sentence looking at the girl's mother, his eyes open just enough to see a sliver of emerald green. She was startled and looked at him shocked, “How-how did you know?” Ranpo replied calmly, ignoring Kunikida’s frantic writing in the background, “It was obvious from the beginning. I've seen cases like this before, a kid goes missing, parents call the cops, frantic waiting blah blah blah. But I happen to know a few people so I made a few calls, the agency doesn't get any cases like this for a reason you know?” He paused for dramatic affect, satisfied at having everyone's attention, “Turns out, you didn't even call the police. You came straight to the agency, and there’s only one good reason why.”
“Your daughter has an ability, it activated for the first time yesterday and you panicked. Simple as that.”
Silence reigned in the office and slowly the mother nodded. Ranpo’s smile widened as he spoke, “Do you want me to tell you what her ability is?” Another nod, her daughter piped up, “I know what it is!” Ranpo ignored her and continued, “The ability to turn someone into a baby for, and this is my best guess, seven days.”
Kunikida finally spoke, wringing out his hand from writing, “Why a week?”
Ranpo responded nonchalantly and without a care for Kunikida’s blood pressure, “Don't worry about it, you wouldn't understand even if i explained. Oh and it’s touch activated when she’s scared.”
“Now,” Ranpo spoke, turning to where Kyouka was hiding, “Where’s Atsushi?” Kyouka didn't squeak, but it was a close call. Ranpo got about three steps away from Kunikida before he was pulled back, “Nope, this case has become significantly more complicated, you're coming with me.” Kunikida motioned for the mother-daughter pair to follow him as he dragged Ranpo by the back of his shirt, the detective whining all the way. Kunikida had learned long ago not to drag him by the back of his coat because he would slip out of it.
Ranpo is surprisingly fast when determined, although his determination is usually for the wrong reasons if one were to ask Kunikida.
There was a moment of silence in the office once the door to the meeting room closed behind Kunikida, then a collective shrug and the sounds of typing started back up. Everyone had chosen to ignore Ranpo’s complaints, which could still be heard.
Kyouka breathed a sigh of relief, now she has even more time with Atsushi. Plus if Kunikida’s meeting goes long she might just make it home early. She looked down at Atsushi, he had fallen asleep on her lap, stretched out on his side and letting out little chuffs every couple of breaths. He was so fluffy with his round little ears and paws too big for his body. Kyouka gently pressed the middle of one of his paws and watched as tiny claws emerged out of his fluff. She was having a difficult time trying to not coo at him, but can you blame her?
Kyouka lost track of time, sitting there and petting Atsushi, and didn’t hear the sound of a door opening until it was too late. There was the sound of running and then, “Ohhh Kyoukaaaa where are youuu?” said Ranpo, standing right infront of the couch that Kyouka was hiding behind.
Could she use Demon Snow to hold back Ranpo so she could make an escape?
While that and a few hundred other plans raced through her head Ranpo walked with slow and deliberate steps until he was staring right at Kyouka. She looked up at him, fully prepared to book it out of there. An ear-to-ear smile grew on Ranpo’s face with a cackle disguised as a laugh, “This is going to be fun!”
Kyouka will never understand how he managed to say that and still sound threatening.