Granted, it was Ranpo who caused the slow business to resurge as well. Fukuzawa, with too much free time on his hands, received a new job offer, this time asking Ranpo to do some detective work. Rumors of a young detective who possessed supernatural powers capable of uncovering any truth had slowly spread throughout the city after the incident at the theater. He started receiving job offers from various strata of society and people from all different types of work, including the police. He would solve almost every case instantly at the scene of the crime.
Things were complicated for Fukuzawa, though. While it wouldn’t be a problem letting Ranpo work alone, Fukuzawa accompanied him for the most part. One of the reasons was because he knew all too well how reckless and dangerous Ranpo could be, like during the incident at the theater, which was now known by many as the case of the “Murdering Angel.” But for the most part, the biggest reason why he accompanied Ranpo was because he was “the only one who could control him.” Ranpo was selfish and egotistical, but he listened to Fukuzawa for some reason. Maybe the slap and scolding after the first incident had had an effect on him. Or maybe there was something else that tugged at his heartstrings. In any event, Ranpo was attached to Fukuzawa and never left him alone. He was like a little puppy running around yipping, “Fukuzawa! Fukuzawa!” Even then, he would sit quietly for an hour or two if Fukuzawa ordered him to. From then on, every time a client wanted to request Ranpo’s services, they would beg, “Fukuzawa, please come with him! I’ll pay double!”
Before long, not a soul in the neighborhood hadn’t heard of the detective duo Fukuzawa and Ranpo: a selfish and uncontrollable yet genius detective teenager and an unsociable, quiet middle-aged man who was a master of close combat and boasted extraordinary strength. There wasn’t a conspiracy they couldn’t see through, no enemy that could escape them, no case they couldn’t crack. Murderers trembled at the sound of their footsteps, and wealthy men frequently came to pay the two their respects. Even the police sometimes visited in secret, begging for help on difficult cases. Known as skilled detectives, Ranpo and Fukuzawa solved countless cases together. Nobody stood a chance before them as the days of prosperity and unrivaled victory continued. And that was exactly why…
…the moment of decision was nearing.
“Looks like this is the place,” said Fukuzawa in the middle of a dark underground passage.
“Looks that way,” agreed Ranpo, pushing up his glasses by Fukuzawa’s side.
One day, Fukuzawa had requested Ranpo’s help. He asked Ranpo to find someone who appeared in unexpected places at unexpected times—someone whom no investigative organization could get a lead on. And in spite of all this, said individual was rumored to have connections with both the government and underground organizations, along with being near every conspiracy and scheme in Yokohama.
“I’m opening the door.”
In Fukuzawa’s hand as he pushed the iron door in the underground passage was a dignified-looking cane. That cane was the only lead they had. Without Ranpo’s powers of deduction, it would surely be impossible to find the target with such a small clue.
They strode through the dim room before descending even more stairs until they found themselves in a bright auditorium. There was a row of benches and tables with a blackboard and a teacher’s desk against the front wall.
“Welcome to Bankoudou Hall,” a cheerful voice echoed throughout the room. “Good work on finding the place.”
Fukuzawa lightly bowed before showing the cane in his hand.
“Oh, why, if it isn’t the cane I lost some time ago. You came all this way to return it to me? How commendable.”
“Your reputation precedes you, sir. If you would pardon my intrusion, I came to ask a favor.”
“Don’t be so formal. Come, have a seat.”
Fukuzawa bowed before taking a seat in the nearby chair. Ranpo, on the other hand, quietly stared at the man before him without even moving.
“No way… I didn’t notice before, but he’s—”
“I owe you my gratitude for saving me that day, my dear boy.” The man cackled. He wasn’t wearing a suit this time, but he still had on a bowler hat.
“Oh, okay,” Ranpo mumbled as if he were standing on pins and needles. His voice was hoarse. “You saw through that trap at the theater from the beginning. You noticed the rug’s adhesive, and yet, you allowed yourself to fall into the trap. Why? Was it to lure out the enemy—? No, there were plenty of ways you could have done that—”
“Whether I did or not, I owe your father.” He smiled faintly.
Ranpo stood absolutely still as if he were struck by lightning. “Don’t tell me… From the very start, you—”
“I came with a request,” Fukuzawa abruptly said, cutting him off. “As you know, Ranpo here has been building a reputation as a skilled detective. But it is taboo in the world we live in for a skill user to go public and try to make a name for themselves. That is why I would like to request your help.”
“A Skilled Business Permit, yes?” The man grinned. “So you’re telling me…you plan on starting a business?”
“Yes,” replied Fukuzawa.
Fukuzawa asked himself:
Am I even capable of becoming a boss?
Am I prepared to be the leader of an organization?
He still didn’t have an answer. He even felt inexperienced. Fukuzawa had hidden behind his skills as a martial artist, grown frightened of the thrill of killing, and distanced himself from others, choosing to live out his years alone. He was weak and unable to reject these desires, and it even felt as if that weakness coagulated and swelled over time.
But Fukuzawa had undergone a significant change over the past year solving cases with Ranpo. He’d been thrown for a loop, what with Ranpo pulling him every which way while people praised him and begged him for help. It was a chaotic year spent solving cases, sometimes willingly, sometimes not. But he did it all together with Ranpo, and he learned something: what it meant to be a leader, what it meant to help others as a team.
Over the past year, Fukuzawa discovered something he never expected: He still wanted to help others. He wanted to be the shield that protected the weak and the sword that vanquished the unjust. He wanted there to be fewer people who grieved over the death of a loved one at another’s hands. He didn’t want to pretend as if he didn’t notice that the weak were being unfairly exploited. He wanted to be someone who would quietly stand before those who do wrong and scare them, dissuading them from committing misdeeds.
For lack of a better word, what he wanted in the end was justice.
He still wanted to be just. And to not repeat the same mistakes, he needed Ranpo by his side. But not only Ranpo. He needed far more allies who could fight. He wouldn’t be able to protect Ranpo forever, after all. He wanted to create an aria of righteousness that would live on in this violent yet beautiful city for when he or even Ranpo was gone. And for that, he needed a team—people who were strong but kind—an armed, never-ending group of detectives based around Ranpo.
Is this an inordinate ambition, too big for me to handle?
“I beg of you.” Fukuzawa lowered his head. “It wouldn’t be possible to receive permission from the secret government organization, the Special Division for Unusual Powers, through half-hearted efforts. No money, connections, or abilities would ever be enough. That is why I need the help of the man rumored to know everything about this city. I need your help, Souseki Natsume.”
“I see.”
The man took a few steps before stopping in front of Fukuzawa. He quietly gazed into Fukuzawa’s eyes as if he were peering right into his heart, and then…he smiled.
“It won’t be easy.”
That moment…
That moment was the start of it all.
It was the start of an armed organization from Yokohama whose name would soon be well-known even abroad. Standing in the twilight, a group of skill users with extraordinary talents who fought for justice and struck fear into the heart
s of the wicked.
A legendary detective organization that would save countless lives under their president, the skill user Yukichi Fukuzawa.
This was the Armed Detective Agency’s first step forward.
AFTERWORD
How time flies. It feels as if it were only yesterday when the second Bungo Stray Dogs novel was released. I spent too much time writing this novel sitting under the kotatsu, so I ended up hurting my back. Also, I learned I didn’t have any clothes to wear to go buy clothes for meetings, and I lost yet another sock to the abyss. But I’m doing well, despite that. I also have my heart set on never wearing mismatched socks again.
I don’t leave the house much due to the nature of my work, but the other day I went to the zoo for a change, where I saw a bird called a shoebill. It lorded over its surroundings with a piercing gaze befitting of a monarch. “Surrender and serve me or die resisting,” it seemed to say, to which I instinctively responded “Your Excellency!” and bowed. His Excellency’s expression didn’t change; he simply stood still all day, barely even moving every now and then. That’s when I thought to myself, I wish I could exude such a powerful aura and spend the rest of my life doing absolutely nothing, just like His Excellency!
At any rate, that was what I did during the time I wrote this novel. I hope you all enjoyed the two stories.
I would like to take this time to thank everyone for reading this book, and I would also like to extend my gratitude to illustrator Sango Harukawa and Editor I. for their help once more. Well, until we meet again!
KAFKA ASAGIRI
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The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency Page 19
