A Christmas bonus chapter

It probably happened after I finished my trip to the other world.

Today is Christmas, but both the Hong Kong Triads and the detective agency are still diligently sticking to their posts.

That's not entirely true. After all, there's no mandatory requirement to be on duty, and even Mr. Mori didn't go so far as to assign work in a crazy way. It's just that during such a joyous time for families, it's better for these lonely individuals to get together and celebrate.

But this time was different. The members of the detective club glanced at Dazai from time to time, while Ranpo turned his back to Dazai and buried his head in his snacks.

Dazai changed his clothes today. Although he still had that carefree and nonchalant look, there was something strange about him that was hard to describe.

It seems normal, after all, he is Dazai, but there is another saying: "A quiet child is always up to no good."

Kunikida adjusted his glasses. "I still feel like there's something wrong."

Kenji, kneading dough in his hands, glanced at the cheerful Dazai and asked with some confusion, "But Mr. Dazai seems perfectly normal."

Atsushi stirred the egg mixture in his hand and joined the group chat, "But Dazai-san usually skips these kinds of events."

Kenji suddenly realized, "Oh right, Dazai-san doesn't seem to like this kind of scene. He's skipped it several times before."

The group, somewhat speechless, ignored Kenji's slow reaction and resumed their discussion.

Yosano put the marinated chicken wings into the oven, turned around and clapped her hands. "My woman's intuition tells me that this time is really different. Dazai is wearing the latest designer clothes today, and his hair has been carefully styled."

Everyone suddenly realized that the Grand Tutor was different today, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it. Now they understood everything.

Kunikida suddenly looked up at Yosano and said, "I knew this time was different. Dazai is definitely hiding something from us. Who is he going to see that requires so much effort? Can the detective agency's salary really afford that?"

Kenji asked with some doubt, "Doesn't Dazai-san seem to have plenty of money? Is he going to meet someone?"

Atsushi sighed deeply: "Mr. Ranpo knew, but he couldn't tell us. He was kicked out before we could even ask."

I wish I could live from Ranpo's perspective.

[Apart from Ranpo, probably no one knows that Dazai and Chuuya are together, since no one would believe it if it were told.]

Is today going to be a special Christmas date? I can't wait!

[A group of single people probably couldn't come up with a solution even after discussing it back and forth, right?]

[If Tanizaki and Naomi were here, we wouldn't be so clueless. But it's Christmas, such a great atmosphere, of course we should go on a date!]

I have a clear understanding of the salary levels at detective agencies, but to be honest, the salaries there aren't low.

[It's easy for Dazai to make money. If Dazai ever complains about being poor, there's no doubt he's faking it.]

Dazai leaned back on the sofa, reading a book with a cheerful mood, but actually he was watching the comments on the screen. He finally understood Chuuya's joy. Watching them so curious and eager, yet too afraid to come up and ask him, was really too funny.

Dazai glanced at the time and realized it was almost time, so he closed the book and stood up. Of course, Christmas meant going on dates—let these single dogs huddle together for warmth, he was going to find Chuuya.

On the other side, the Mafia, Chuuya had already contacted the eldest sister and the leader to explain that he would be absent this Christmas.

This surprised the two of them, since the three of them usually enjoyed the night view and fine wine together in the leader's office, especially Chuuya, who was most enthusiastic about fine wine.

However, neither of them said anything. After all, everyone has their own secrets, and they would give Chuuya enough private space.

After Chuuya left, Mori Ougai picked up the red wine that Chuuya had brought and began to open the bottle to let it breathe, all the while marveling at its quality.

"Chuuya-kun really went all out this time. I remember this is the bottle he's always wanted to drink. I didn't expect that he would bring it to us to drink, but then run away himself."

Looking down at the bustling city through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Ozaki Kouyou smiled faintly. "Chūya seems to be of age, isn't he? I wonder what kind of girl won him over. I'm really curious!"

On this rare holiday, Mori Ougai relaxed and joked with a smile, "Is this a woman's intuition? But lately, it seems like only Dazai-kun is getting closer to Chuuya-kun, right? After all, he signed a peace treaty with the Detective Agency. I didn't expect that Chuuya-kun and Dazai-kun's relationship would be so much better after their reconciliation. He's really grown up!"

But after Mori Ougai finished speaking, the two of them fell silent at the same time. They thought to themselves, "Stop thinking, don't let your imagination run wild. It's like we've discovered something incredible."

Regardless of what others think, the two have now met, and Chuuya has specially changed into a casual outfit. The two now look like an ordinary young couple.

Chuuya slowly walked towards Dazai, feeling somewhat uneasy. This was the first time the two of them had gone on a date on such a special holiday in a crowded street. Chuuya could feel many eyes on him and Dazai because of their outstanding appearances.

As for what Chuuya was uneasy about, it was just love between people of the same sex, which wasn't unusual here. So after only slightly admiring the two people's appearances, he quickly looked away, which relieved Chuuya.

Dazai looked at Chuuya's scarf with some disappointment; it seemed his little scheme had already failed before it even began.

Chuuya handed the thing he had been hiding in his arms to Dazai, then turned his head away awkwardly, avoiding looking at Dazai's expression.

Chuuya threatened fiercely, "This is your Christmas present. If you dare to complain about it, you're finished."

Dazai accepted it with delight, immediately opened it and ate one, his eyes crinkling sweetly. "Did Chuuya make this himself? I love it~ It's so delicious!"

Chuuya glanced suspiciously at Dazai, who was looking utterly captivated, then tentatively picked one up and put it in his mouth. In reality, he had only chosen the ones that looked the best and was in a hurry to pack them up after they were made; he genuinely didn't know what they tasted like.

It tasted bitter and slightly burnt. On a whim, he added red wine, which gave it a strange, sour taste and made it quite unpalatable.

"Stop eating."

"How could I possibly ask for the chocolates Chuuya gave me back!"

Chuuya reached out to pull his hand back, but Dazai dodged it. He started to protest, then turned around and disappeared in the blink of an eye. No one knew where Dazai had hidden it; he always had a knack for hiding things.

"It's not good. I'll make you something else later."

Let me explain.

"I think it's delicious~ Everything Chuuya makes is delicious."

Dazai refuted Chuuya's statement.

"I'll eat you to death."

"I could have accepted such a happy way to die before, but now I want to live on with Chuuya."

Chuuya's lips curled into a smile. He didn't comment on Dazai's sweet talk, but he was clearly pleased.

Dazai rubbed his fingers together, wanting to take the item out now, but he decided to wait a while, just to fit in with the festive atmosphere.

The two walked side by side through the streets of Yokohama, their destination the Christmas tree that was taller than a house. It was the tallest Christmas tree in Yokohama's history, so many people came to see it. Dazai, who provided the Christmas tree, kept his merits hidden.

He just wanted their first date to go as well as possible.

Chuuya noticed the dampness on his head and looked up. It was snowing. Christmas music filled the air, and the light from the ribbons on the giant Christmas tree shone in Chuuya's eyes.

Everything was so beautiful, so beautiful that Dazai Osamu couldn't help but sigh again, "It's so good to be alive."

Neither of them liked crowded places, so they found a relatively quiet corner, and Dazai finally took out what he had hidden all night.

"What's this?"

Chuuya looked at Dazai strangely, then suddenly took out a branch from some unknown tree and held it high above their heads.

Dazai's expression froze, and he slowly sighed.

"It's mistletoe~ Chuuya, you have to kiss under the mistletoe, it symbolizes love and is a blessing."

Chuuya seemed to understand, but he pulled down Dazai's collar and pressed himself against him, ending the kiss with a kiss.

"What you're worried about won't happen. I've always been here. You don't need these things. You can check with me anytime."

Chuuya said seriously that he knew this was Dazai's little problem—he was always anxious and insecure—but he didn't mind letting Dazai confirm his feelings at any time.

"Chuuye was taking photos, and I suddenly felt like documenting it."

Dazai blinked and suddenly jumped to another topic, the leap in which left Chuuya stunned for a moment.

"Chuuya, don't look so stiff. It's not like we're taking an ID photo. Smile."

However, Chuuya rarely takes photos, and Dazai, who always stiffens and becomes unnatural when taking pictures, is never satisfied with any of the shots.

"Chuya, close your eyes."

Chuuya subconsciously did as he was told. He smelled a familiar scent and felt warm breath on his face. The next second, the sound of a camera shutter clicked, freezing the moment in time.

When Chuuya opened his eyes, Dazai was already admiring the photo that pleased him.

"Chuuya, I'm going to use this photo as my profile picture, so everyone will know you're mine."

Dazai's tone was excited, and Chuuya thought for a moment before continuing in response.

"Hopefully, this won't have too much of an impact on the leader and the eldest sister..."

The next day, the members of the detective agency and the Mafia were shocked, disoriented, and incredulous as they looked at the image of them kissing under the Christmas tree.

"It's not that surprising," Mori Ougai said calmly, if you ignored the slight trembling in his hand holding the pen.

Tanizaki and Naomi arrived at the detective agency very early the next day; they had discovered a shocking secret the day before!

However, upon opening the door of the detective agency, they found that everyone had already gathered, except for the person involved in the topic.

You'd never guess what we saw yesterday!

Naomi's tone was excited.

"Dazai and that Mafia executive were kissing?"

As Yosano answered, the other boys were already half-dead and slumped in their seats, beginning to question their existence.

How did you know?

Tanizaki was a little puzzled, as they hadn't seen any other members of the detective agency yesterday.

"Because Dazai changed his profile picture." Yosano said with a somewhat numb expression, clearly the shock was still too great.

"It's one thing that Dazai is gay, but how did someone like that even find a partner?" Although he had a clear plan for his own love life, he couldn't accept Dazai's betrayal.

Another one has gone mad. The only one who's still normal here is Ranpo, who saw through everything long ago and is currently eating snacks.

As expected, Ranpo-sama is the world's greatest detective; Ranpo is cheerful on his own.

The two perpetrators who caused all the chaos were still sleeping soundly in bed, embracing each other. From the fallen blankets, one could see some red spots on their exposed skin. As for what happened last night, that couldn't be broadcast.