Week 5, Friday, post-investigation: Kyouka.

[thesettingsun]

[After the announcement - a few hours after, when Kyouka has had time to be comforted by the people she's close to first. Dazai doesn't delude himself into thinking that he's the best person to talk to her right now, and Kyouka deserves someone who can tell her she's going to be okay and sound convincing.

But a few hours after, he knocks on her door anyway.]

Kyouka, are you in? It's Dazai.

Comments

[nivation]

[ When Kyouka opens the door, she doesn't look any better than she did when the investigation finished. She may even look more grim and more like both a sharpened and jagged blade.

She looks up at Dazai with dark and empty eyes.

She won't say anything, but she'll wait to hear if he has anything else to say. ]

[thesettingsun]

[Not much improvement, but at least she isn't going to stab him the moment he speaks to her. He'll take that.]

Can I give you a hug?

[nivation]

[ That question makes her break a little. Every mention and gesture of a hug only reminds her of Jae-ha.

She walks forward and shuts the door to her room behind her.

That's her way of saying yes. ]

[thesettingsun]

[Dazai doesn't need further confirmation. He wraps his arms around Kyouka gently, tugging her closer to him.

He's a spirit, but he's as warm as a human being. Maybe not the best at hugs, not as good as Jae-ha might have been, but he's trying.]

[nivation]

[ Kyouka closes her eyes, and it takes all her willpower not to tremble. ]

We must find out who's guilty.

[ That's part of what's keeping her together. ]

[thesettingsun]

We will.

[They made Evan cry and Kyouka break down like this. They can't be allowed to escape punishment.]

We will find them.

[nivation]

I'll kill them myself if I have to.

[ She doesn't raise her voice, but there is conviction in her tone. Maybe that's not something you want to hear from someone you're hugging. ]

[thesettingsun]

I know.

[Dazai doesn't seem too unnerved. Maybe because-]

I'll help.

[-they're similar people that way.]

[nivation]

[ and then he volunteered to have himself killed

thanks for accepting her murder proclamation, though. ]

Right now, I don't have any idea of who it is.

[thesettingsun]

I don't either. But... we figure these things out more often than not, don't we?

[last trial was totally a fluke]

[nivation]

Do we? The last trial wasn't a success. Almost every trial before that someone confessed.

[ She's pragmatic about this. ]

[thesettingsun]

That still means we're usually good at getting confessions from people...

['Usually' isn't 'always', but it's pretty good.]