I don't want to be an elf!

"Yoshi yoshi yoshi yoshi, you're so cute."

Dazai Osamu stuck his head out and looked into the living room, trying to get a clear look at the 'familia'.

His heart skipped a beat, and images of terrifying creatures flashed through his mind, making him pray that no strange creatures would appear in his house.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Dazai Osamu looked toward the living room.

In the center of the tatami mat, a tiny black cat, no bigger than a palm, lay listlessly on the floor.

Bandage Three knelt on the ground, stroking the kitten's head with both hands, a bright smile on his face.

"What...it's just a cat."

Dazai Osamu breathed a sigh of relief, but was also a little disappointed.

I thought I might overhear some important information, but it turned out to be just Bandage Three having a normal illness.

But... this cat looks kind of familiar...

Dazai Osamu stroked his chin, searching his memory for clues.

"what!"

Suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, his eyes widened, and he blurted out, "Isn't this the kitten you kept pestering me to buy when we passed by the pet store last time?!"

"!"

Bandage Three, who was playing with the cat, was startled. He grabbed the black cat on the tatami and bared his teeth as if his fur had been bristled, looking behind him.

Upon recognizing Dazai Osamu as the speaker, she said with a hint of embarrassment and anger, "You rude wretch! Don't you even have the manners of knocking?!"

"This is my house, okay? I can come in however I want!" Dazai Osamu glared at her rudely. "And what's with this cat? Why is it in my house?"

"Isn't it normal for my people to stay with me?"

"What kin? It's clearly the black cat you took a liking to when we passed the pet shop on the next street last time!"

"So what if it is...so what if it is!"

"You don't have any money, so you didn't steal it when the clerk wasn't looking, did you? You shameless thief!"

"No way! I paid the money properly!" Bandage Three retorted unhappily.

"You don't have a job. If this cat wasn't stolen, where did you get the money to buy it?" Dazai Osamu asked suspiciously.

"Uh..." Bandaged Three glanced away guiltily.

"Could the money have been stolen?" Dazai Osamu sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Wouldn't that make things even worse?"

"The money to buy, to buy this child, is... it's money I found! Yes, it's unclaimed money I found!"

"Where did you find it?"

"In your wallet."

A large tic-tac-toe sign appeared on Dazai Osamu's forehead with a 'smack': "Isn't this stealing?!"

"How annoying! Can't you be a little more magnanimous?!"

Bandaged Three knew he was in the wrong, but he still refused to back down, stubbornly saying, "Since I'm willing to condescend to live in such a dilapidated place, isn't it only natural for me to hand over some tribute?"

"No, no, no, you should be paying rent! You freeloader!"

"Let's stop this small talk. We're here on important business."

Interrupting their pointless argument, Fukuzawa Yukichi looked at the kitten in Bandaged Three's arms and asked seriously, "This is an ordinary cat, isn't it?"

"This is a noble creature that has inherited the bloodline of the Dark Familia, and is related to me..."

Bandaged Three held her head high, chest out, and proudly introduced her new pet, holding up the kitten with both hands.

But under Fukuzawa Yukichi's extremely authoritative gaze, her voice grew softer and softer, and her head bowed lower and lower.

"With me, together with me, in battle..."

Whether it was Fukuzawa Yukichi's perpetually stern face that was too intimidating, or the natural suppression of chuunibyou by the older generation, Bandage Three actually softened in front of Fukuzawa Yukichi.

She even seemed somewhat well-behaved.

This greatly surprised Dazai Osamu, who was used to seeing the bandaged three do whatever they wanted.

“Yes, it’s just an ordinary cat,” Bandage Three answered honestly. “I just bought it from the pet store this morning.”

"Did you heat up the milk you gave it?" Fukuzawa Yukichi asked, glancing at the milk poured into the small dish.

"No, because I heard that cats' tongues are very sensitive and they can't drink anything that's too hot."

“Iced milk is bad for a cat’s stomach. Cats can only drink warm milk, otherwise they will get diarrhea,” said Fukuzawa Yukichi. “For kittens this age, if the symptoms are severe, it can even be life-threatening.”

"Ah, so that's what happened." Bandage Three showed a hint of relief. "It's a good thing you told me, otherwise this little guy would have suffered."

"Can I take a look? It doesn't look very good."

"oh oh."

Taking the kitten, Fukuzawa Yukichi patted his chest and took out a small dried fish, placing it near the kitten's mouth.

The kitten, who had been feeling utterly hopeless from being sucked dry in the bandages, perked up at the smell of dried fish and began to gnaw on it with its two front paws.

Watching the cat eat, Fukuzawa Yukichi's steely expression seemed to soften a little as he meticulously smoothed the kitten's fur, which was disheveled by the bandages.

The little black cat meowed happily and rubbed its fluffy head against Fukuzawa Yukichi's calloused hand, looking very affectionate towards him.

"Why does it like you so much? Is it because you have dried fish?" Bandage Three asked somewhat sullenly. "I've been playing with it for hours and it ignores me."

"Perhaps... we shouldn't play for hours at a time."

After a moment of silence, Fukuzawa Yukichi looked at her with a complicated expression: "It's just a kitten."

Seeing this, Dazai Osamu fell into deep thought.

"So, what exactly is the important business the president is referring to?"

Chapter Seventy-Two: Bandage Three's Confession

Watching the old man and the young man discussing cat ownership, Dazai Osamu could only pull up a chair and wait helplessly by the side.

Although Fukuzawa Yukichi's taciturn and extremely imposing demeanor made him seem like the type who wouldn't be close to small animals, Dazai Osamu knew that his company president loved cats very much.

It's not that Dazai Osamu did any research or tried to understand every aspect of Fukuzawa Yukichi. He just noticed that the president would unconsciously slow down whenever he passed by the cat cafe, and would take out dried fish that he had prepared in his kimono to feed stray cats he saw on the roadside.

I'm the type who can't move when I see a cat.

Even the Armed Detective Agency keeps a calico cat as a mascot, which shows how much Fukuzawa Yukichi loves cats.

After waiting for a long time without seeing Fukuzawa Yukichi stop, Dazai Osamu sighed helplessly: "President, didn't you say you were going to do something important?"

Upon hearing this, Fukuzawa Yukichi stopped petting the cat: "Yes, let's begin then."

Bandage Three glanced at them, assuming they were about to begin some official business, and reached out to ask for his cat.

But Fukuzawa Yukichi acted as if he hadn't seen it, turned around and walked to the dining table, where he sat down.

He placed the cat on his lap, continued stroking it with one hand, and gestured for it to sit with the other, saying to Bandage Three, "I have some very important questions I need your answers to. Can we talk?"

Bandaged Three blinked, pointed at himself, and asked, "Is the important matter you're doing related to me?"

Although he had been cowering like a chick under Fukuzawa Yukichi's pressure, after talking with him and realizing that Fukuzawa Yukichi's expression was just fierce, Bandage Three was no longer so afraid of him.

So, her tone naturally returned to normal.

“That’s right.” Fukuzawa Yukichi nodded.

“My kin are so fond of you, which means we are connected by some kind of will.” Bandage Three plopped down in a chair. “Since that’s the case, I have no choice but to submit to this fate. Mortals, thank my generosity.”

"..."

Fukuzawa Yukichi was stunned.

Then, he turned to Dazai Osamu beside him and whispered, "Dazai, can you understand what this child is saying?"

“Although I hate to admit it, I did understand.” Dazai Osamu gave a wry smile. “She meant that you, President, can ask questions.”

"I see. It's good that Kunikida suggested bringing you along." Fukuzawa Yukichi thanked him. "The way young people talk these days is getting harder and harder to understand. Maybe I'm just falling behind the times."

"No, President, there are very few young people who speak like her, believe me."

After a brief conversation, Fukuzawa Yukichi turned back and looked at the bandaged figure in front of him.

After receiving permission to ask questions, Fukuzawa Yukichi, who never liked formalities, said directly, "We received a document from the Special Abilities Agency, and we have a few questions that we need answers from you."

"Go ahead and ask."

"Why would you, as a clone of Nightmare, betray Nightmare?"

"Cough cough cough cough--------!"

Faced with Fukuzawa Yukichi's direct question, Bandage Three was caught off guard and choked on his own words.

She coughed for a while, and just as she caught her breath, she pounded on the table and shouted, "Wh-what, what nightmare clone? I-I-I-I don't know anything about it!"

Dazai Osamu, who was standing nearby, laughed: "Stop pretending. Our club's great detective has already deduced your relationship with Nightmare."

As he spoke, Dazai Osamu recounted Edogawa Ranpo's reasoning in its entirety to Bandage Three.

After listening to Edogawa Ranpo's reasoning, Bandage Three was speechless and tried to argue his point.

However, faced with Edogawa Ranpo's logical and well-reasoned reasoning, she could not refute anything and could only fall silent in the end.

"Don't worry, we mean no harm. Otherwise, there would be more than just me and the president here," Dazai Osamu reassured him. "We just want to confirm some things, things that only Nightmare's clones can know."

“We understand that you are hiding your identity to protect yourself, but we are not your enemies,” Fukuzawa Yukichi added. “After answering our questions, you can still stay with the Armed Detective Agency.”

Bandaged Three hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Where did you get this information from?"

"Special Abilities Agency".

"Where did the Special Abilities Agency get its information?"

"In the hands of a girl named Tokisaki Shozo."

Upon hearing this answer, a look of surprise appeared on Bandaged Three's face: "Tokisaki Shozo... Could it be that besides me there is...?"

"What else?" Dazai Osamu asked curiously.

“Other betrayal clones.” Bandaged Three sighed, finally acknowledging his true identity.