For ninjou.

[tenimuho]

[For some time now, Dazai had been... the center of unusual occurrences.

Calling them 'supernatural' wasn't precisely it, since Dazai dealt with supernatural abilities on a regular basis. These were on a much smaller scale, barely fit to be called 'disturbances'.

Pens falling off his desk with no apparent cause. Books being closed one moment and open the next time anyone glanced their way, only when in Dazai's presence. In the most dramatic incident, a roll of bandages had caught fire.

No one could adequately explain what was going on, not even Ranpo, although he did shoot down most theories besides Atsushi's somewhat joking "maybe you're being haunted, Dazai-san?"

There's a whiteboard in the agency's planning room, which Dazai is currently occupying by himself. The markers are capped and definitely immobile.]

DAZAI

[But that wasn't written on the board the last time Dazai glanced that way, about two seconds ago.]

Comments

[ninjou]

[Well, yes. Odd things happen to Dazai on a regular basis, but this has verged on ridiculous. He's fairly certain it's an Ability user doing something to him, but he doesn't get how, why, or the source, making it all the more frustrating.

They've escalated of late, and he's at the end of his rope.

And then he sees his name on the board.

Nope.]

...No.

[tenimuho]

[Wow, Dazai, just because you don't know exactly what's going on for once...]

NO WHAT?

[That wasn't actually a yes or no question? It was just a name.]

[ninjou]

[Erasing this shit rn.

And also writing on the board the word:]

REJECTION!!!!

[tenimuho]

[The word doesn't get erased, because that would be impolite. But underneath it:]

THAT'S RUDE
I'M NOT EVEN ASKING YOU TO DO ANYTHING THIS TIME

[ninjou]

[DYING WAS RUDE, ODASAKU. CONSIDER THAT, GOOD SIR.]

I DON'T REALLY LIKE PRANKS UNLESS I'M THE ONE DOING THEM.

[tenimuho]

[...fair.]

I'M NOT PRANKING YOU
DO YOU WANT SOME KIND OF PROOF

[ninjou]

[......wat.]

ARE YOU AN ABILITY USER?

[tenimuho]

YES

[Well, it's true. Although, maybe 'were you an ability user' would be better - but it's more or less the same thing.]

[ninjou]

[......]

HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?

[tenimuho]

I'M A GHOST

[And after a pause, there's an addendum, like he just thought of it.]

NOT A MIMIC GHOST
AN ACTUAL GHOST

[ninjou]

[................o......kay...........]

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

[Time to feign ignorance.]

[tenimuho]

DID YOU FORGET?
I GUESS IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS SO YOU MIGHT HAVE FORGOTTEN
BUT I THOUGHT YOU HAD GOOD MEMORY

[Dazai, he'll actually believe you when you say things like that.]

[ninjou]

I REMEMBER.

I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WITH THIS KIND OF ABILITY.

COME OUT ALREADY OR MAKE YOUR POINT.

[Ugh. Oda......... Not that he knows it's you...]

[tenimuho]

[How many people could it be?]

I CAN'T COME OUT

I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN
AND FIND OUT IF YOU WERE LONELY
THAT WAS THE POINT

[ninjou]

[He sighs. Looks around. Puts the marker down.]

Can you hear me?

[tenimuho]

YES

[At least you won't get hand cramps.]

[ninjou]

[He's lazy.]

So, you're either someone I used to know, who had an ability I don't know about, which is mostly impossible, or you're a ghost.

[And ghosts should not be a thing.]

[tenimuho]

[You have no proof they're not a thing.]

I ALREADY TOLD YOU I WAS A GHOST
FLAWLESS DOESN'T DO THIS

[ninjou]

[Nope.]

[tenimuho]

[He can also see that expression.]

IS IT REALLY THAT UNLIKELY

[ninjou]

[ N O P E ]

Odasaku...?

[tenimuho]

IT'S ME

SHOULD I HAVE SAID THAT FROM THE START?

[Probably, Odasaku.]

[ninjou]

That would have made this easier.

[HE DOES NOT BELIEVE YOU but he sounds somber rather quickly.]

You think I'm lonely?

[tenimuho]

I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE
I WANTED TO ASK IF YOU STILL WERE

[Even ghosts don't know everything, or read minds. And Dazai is very good at pretending, even pretending to like people.]

[ninjou]

[Well, it's a complicated situation, isn't it? Dazai's life now is full of contradictions and good people and bad people and moderate amounts of hatred but mostly a place where he almost belongs.

For Odasaku, he'll tell the honest truth.]

Sometimes.

[A pause.]

Tell me something only the two of us know. I still don't believe you.