I don't want to be an elf!

“I have no obligation to answer any questions,” Bandage Three said arrogantly, showing no mercy whatsoever.

It may sound unbelievable, but refusing to cooperate with the Armed Detective Agency was actually a strategy to gain their trust.

Bandage Three's current aloofness is the normal reaction one would expect.

On the contrary, it is the enthusiastic cooperation with the detective agency's investigation and the willingness to answer any of their questions without reservation that arouses the detectives' suspicion.

Trying to gain the trust of the Armed Detective Agency by taking the initiative would be a foolish move. Putting aside Edogawa Ranpo, even Dazai Osamu could see through her true intentions at a glance.

There's only one way to get past Dazai Osamu.

Play hard to get.

“Mortals, I will not forget your help, but I have no time to stay here.”

Bandaged Three stood up and drank the cold tea on the table in one gulp: "The gears of fate have turned again, but the shadow of nightmares still looms over Yokohama. I must embark on my journey once more and become a sharp blade to cut through this nightmare."

With that, she boldly put down her cup and walked towards the office door without hesitation.

But how could the members of the Armed Detective Agency let such a superhuman with a clear connection to nightmares leave?

Three days ago, after Dazai Osamu and Nakajima Atsushi encountered a nightmare, Dazai Osamu conveyed the matter to all the club members and asked them to gather as much information as possible about the other party.

However, the nightmare appeared too suddenly and too mysteriously, and even the resourceful and courageous Armed Detective Agency did not know where to begin.

Now, a golden opportunity to understand the nightmare has presented itself, and they are unlikely to let the girl leave so easily.

Moreover, setting aside the information they could obtain from the girl, they couldn't possibly stand idly by and watch a dangerous superhuman with a mysterious identity wander the streets of Yokohama.

This time, the girl and the nightmare fought in the relatively quiet Yokohama port. But what if they fought in a busy downtown area next time?

Only God knows how much panic and chaos they will cause.

As an important member of the Three-Dimensional Concept, the Armed Detective Agency would not allow her to leave easily.

Whether it's for information about the Nightmare or for the peace of Yokohama.

Chapter Forty-Six: Fooling Fools

Dazai Osamu, Kunikida Doppo, Nakajima Atsushi, and Tanizaki Jun'ichirō exchanged glances, confirming each other's thoughts.

Dazai Osamu blocked the door first, while the other three stood in other directions, blocking the three bandages together.

“I’m sorry, Miss, we can’t let you leave,” Kunikida Doppo said. “At least until we’ve confirmed you’re harmless, you can’t leave.”

"Arrogant ants, do you really think you can bind my wings?" Bandaged Three narrowed his eyes slightly, assuming a defensive stance.

“We don’t mean to restrict your freedom, but if you insist on leaving now, we will send you to the Special Abilities Agency.” Dazai Osamu shrugged. “But if you are sent there… getting out won’t be so easy.”

“We don’t want to antagonize you either, but this matter is of great importance, so please understand our responsibility,” Junichiro Tanizaki said. “We just want a peaceful conversation, but if you’re going to use force, please think carefully about what our detective agency’s reputation is beforehand.”

“That’s right, that’s right,” Nakajima Atsushi nervously echoed.

The atmosphere inside the office was extremely tense.

The four men stared warily at the girl in front of them. Although they seemed to be making no movement, their muscles were tense.

In particular, Osamu Dazai and Atsushi Nakajima witnessed the girl's battle with the nightmare firsthand and had a direct understanding of her fighting ability.

Although they were the girl's saviors, the thought processes of someone with chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) are always strange, and no one knows if this girl will have a brain fart.

Bandaged Three's brow furrowed and relaxed intermittently, keeping the detectives on their guard.

After a few dozen breaths, she sighed softly: "I am not a despicable person who repays kindness with enmity. As a way of repaying your help, I can answer one question for you."

“Your enemy must also be Nightmare, right? Helping us is like helping ourselves,” Kunikida Doppo said. “Based on the information you provided, we might even become temporary allies in defeating Nightmare.”

"On the lonely path, I am accompanied only by shadows. The weak are not worthy to be my allies," Bandaged Three said unmoved. "The more you know, the more despair you will endure. This is my pity for you. Don't be ungrateful!"

"Alright, alright, one question at a time. We'll let you go after you've asked your questions," Dazai Osamu quickly smoothed things over. "But we need to discuss what to ask, okay?"

“A reasonable request.”

"Thank you."

Having temporarily stabilized Bandage Three, Dazai Osamu pulled the other detectives aside and quietly began their discussion.

"Dazai, are you really going to let her go?"

In a corner of the office, Kunikida Doppo lowered his voice and asked, "She's someone directly connected to Nightmare, and might even be a member of the Port Mafia. We should hand her over to the government."

Dazai Osamu said with a wry smile, "That would require us to have the ability to hand her over to the government. I don't think the four of us can hold her back."

Is she really that strong?

"She can fly."

In short, he effectively shut down Kunikida Doppo.

Although the detectives present were all superhumans, and powerful superhumans at that, there was only one weakness they could not overcome.

They cannot fly.

Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human" can eliminate supernatural abilities that can be touched; Doppo Kunikida's "Doppo the Bard" can materialize things written in a notebook; Atsushi Nakajima's "Toraka Under the Moon" can unleash the beast within him and transform him into a white tiger; and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's "The Makioka Sisters" can distort vision to achieve invisibility and create illusions.

None of the people present could fly.

Once they encounter a superhuman who can fly, they can only watch helplessly.

Even though they are indoors now, giving Bandage Three little room to maneuver, if the other party is determined to leave, they will probably have a hard time stopping him.

"Then what should we do?" Kunikida Doppo asked with a headache. "We can't just let her go, can we? Nightmare seems to be chasing her. If she and Nightmare fight in a crowded place, the consequences could be unimaginable."

“Of course not, so we can only try our best to keep her in place and get her to stay at the detective agency voluntarily,” Dazai Osamu replied.

"Voluntary?" Atsushi Nakajima's lips twitched. "Is that even possible?"

“Of course I do.” Dazai Osamu gave a thumbs up. “I already have an idea. Watch me.”

Everyone is doubtful.

However, they had no idea how to keep the girl, so they could only let Dazai Osamu try out the method he had come up with.

After the discussion, the detectives returned to Bandage Three's side.

“After this question, our paths will never cross again. Have you decided what you want from me?” Bandaged Three said lightly. “If you are ready, then ask.”

"Yes, miss, there is a crucial question we would like to get an answer to from you during our discussion."

Dazai Osamu cleared his throat and, under everyone's gaze, solemnly asked, "Where are you planning to go next?"

"Huh?" Atsushi Nakajima's eyes widened, not understanding why Osamu Dazai would waste a precious opportunity on such a question.

"Uh." Jun'ichirō Tanizaki scratched his head, wondering what the point of the question was.

"Dazai, you..." Kunikida Doppo's face lit up with anger, but the rest of his sentence quickly caught in his throat as he pondered.

As expected of Dazai Osamu, he was able to analyze the most important intelligence from the available information in such a short time.

In their eyes, the girl betrayed the nightmare and was therefore being hunted down.

Although it's unknown whether the girl has any connection to the Port Mafia, being targeted by Nightmare is no different from being targeted by the Port Mafia.

As a local strongman in Yokohama, the girl had no place to belong in the city.

Then, here comes the problem.

"You betrayed Nightmare and left the Armed Detective Agency. Where will you go next?"

Faced with Bandage Three's inability to provide an answer immediately, Dazai Osamu seemed to have forgotten the limitation of only being able to ask one question, and bombarded Bandage Three with questions: "Nightmare is stronger than you, and the Port Mafia has more members than you. Do you think you can find a safe place in Yokohama?"

"As long as you work hard..."

"The Port Mafia are the local bigwigs in Yokohama. It wouldn't take them long to find you with their informants. Do you think your efforts alone can compare to the efforts of hundreds of people?"

"As long as we hide somewhere where no one is around..."

"The entire Yokohama is just a sewer with no people. Are you planning to live in the sewers from now on? Eat rotten food? Bathe in dirty water?"

Before Bandage Three could even finish a sentence, Dazai Osamu rendered her speechless with impeccable logic.

The bandaged man was speechless and seemed somewhat flustered.

Seeing the girl's conflicted expression, Dazai Osamu smiled.

Just as he had expected.

That idiot never even considered his plans after leaving the Armed Detective Agency.

Yes, you idiot.

This is Dazai Osamu's simplest summary of the three bandages.

This girl exuded an inexplicable silliness from beginning to end, whether it was her silly behavior or the way she spoke.

Now, Dazai Osamu finally understood why he had said to them, "That child's personality is quite troublesome," when the nightmare disappeared.

Taking care of an idiot, how can it not be troublesome?

But being stupid isn't all bad; at least it has one advantage.

That means they're easy to fool.

Dazai Osamu's smile grew even brighter.

"Miss, how about the detective agency offering free room and board?"

Chapter 47 Boss Calls

at the same time.

While Bandaged Kurumi was doing her best to outwit the detectives, the real Kurumi Tokisaki was sitting on a soft sofa, leisurely enjoying the black tea brewed by Izumi Kyoka.

It looks like a complete scumbag.

However, she can't be entirely blamed. She's done all she could in the plan to get her clone into the Armed Detective Agency. The rest is up to Bandage Three herself.

To keep track of Bandage Three's situation, she even sent several clones to lurk around the Armed Detective Agency.

If Dazai Osamu and his group discover Bandage Three's true identity, the clones lurking nearby will have enough time to rescue her.

That being said, she wasn't actually that worried about Bandage Three's safety.

The reason is not because the life of the clone is not important, nor because they don't care whether joining the Armed Detective Agency will fail.