Chapter Text
Dazai rested his head on his hand as he stared out the window watching the grassy plains pass by. The car was silent; his family chauffeur, Hirotsu, was a quiet man that wouldn't speak unless spoken to, and Mori had of course claimed he was too busy with work and Elise to come drop him off. Not that he minded, he didn't necessarily want to talk to either Mori or Elise anyway.
He sighed to himself and flipped his phone that had been laying face down on his lap. He read the group chat he was in with some friends from high school. Atsushi and Tanizaki wished him luck with move-in day, and Ranpo and Yosano were making plans to find him after he unpacked. They were living off-campus in an apartment they would share with each other, and had moved in a few days before. Unfortunately, freshmen had to stay in the dorms on campus, so Dazai had to stay there with some unknown roommate.
Dazai sent a quick text agreeing to meet up at 5 that afternoon in front of his dorm before looking up to see the prestigious University of Tokyo rising up to view. He had easily gotten in due to his high grades and Mori's influence. He was going to study to become a doctor, but he was starting a year ahead due to the work Mori had gotten him to do before college.
Hirotsu parked in the parking lot closest to his dorm as Dazai observed the campus around him.
The University of Tokyo had a relatively large campus, with one or two buildings for each general area of study. It had many green areas with tables for studying and trees for shade. There was a buzz of activity; people milling around under the shady trees, reunions with friends, and freshmen moving into their dorms.
Hirotsu stepped out of the small limousine Mori used for day travel and walked to the other side to let Dazai out.
“Ah.. Thank you, Hirotsu-San.”
Hirotsu bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement and opened the trunk to start moving Dazai's things. Hirotsu grabbed his two duffel bags of clothing while Dazai grabbed a smaller bag. Hirotsu closed the trunk and followed Dazai and they walked towards his dorm.
The way to his dorm was a wide sidewalk lined with large cherry blossom trees. It wasn't far from the parking lot, so he and Hirotsu quickly arrived.
Dazai went to pick up his key from the seemingly bored student sitting at the reception desk, not passing the opportunity to flirt with her. “And who might you be, m’lady?” Dazai winked at her and grabbed her hand to give it a kiss, “You have such luscious red hair, and the most beautiful face, dear.”
The student pulled her hand away and gave a tight smile towards Dazai, “Name?”
“Ah! I knew you'd be interested! I am Dazai, Dazai Osamu.” Dazai grinned at the girl.
The young lady ignored his comments and searched in the system before turning in her chair and standing up. She disappeared into a back room, returning with a key that she then handed to Dazai.
“Thank you..?” Dazai trailed off, still not having received the student's name.
The girl doesn't fall for this, and only states a dull “You’re welcome,” before turning back to her computer.
Dazai pouts, but turns away nonetheless. He swings his bag around his shoulder and checks the key for his dorm number. 314. Third floor. He heads towards the stairs, Hirotsu following closely. Dazai starts up the stairs, searching for his room.
Once the two arrive at Dazai’s dorm, he inserts the key into the old fashioned lock and turns it, hearing the click of the door unlocking. He places his hand on the knob, feeling the cool metal both on his fingers and through the layer of bandages on his palm.
The door opens to reveal a standard dorm. Mori could have paid for an individual dorm, but he claimed Dazai needed to experience life through the eyes of any other person, much to Dazai’s annoyance. He didn’t want a roommate, never mind some random stranger. At least Mori didn’t skimp out on paying for the slightly more expensive room that had a bathroom in the dorm.
The dorm had two mirrored sides. Each side had a tall bed with plenty of space underneath it for storage, a desk next to the head of the bed with a chair to study that could be doubled as a night stand. Along the wall near the foot of the bed was a small closet to store more clothing. The door to the dorm was on the right side, and in the small entrance space on the opposite side of the dorm was the bathroom. Small, but it had enough space for a toilet, sink, and shower.
Dazai and Hirotsu set down the bags next to the bed and Dazai turns to Hirotsu, “Thank you, Hirotsu-san. You can go home now.”
Hirotsu nods and speaks before leaving, “Of course, Dazai-kun. Good luck with your stay.” He turns and quietly leaves the dorm.
Dazai sighs as the door clicks closed behind Hirotsu. He turns back to the empty dorm, getting down on his knees next to his bags. He unzips one of the bags and starts unpacking.
About ten minutes before Dazai, Yosano, and Ranpo planned to meet up, he finally finishes unpacking everything. He hangs up his last suit in the small wardrobe by his bed, grunting softly as he finally gets up from sitting on his knees on the cold wooden floor for hours. He sighs to himself, wanting nothing more than to collapse on his bed and sleep, but he had to go meet Yosano and Ranpo soon.
Dazai walks over to the bathroom, quickly brushing through his hair to make himself look a bit more presentable before grabbing his phone and the dorm keys and heading downstairs.
He reaches the lobby to find Yosano chatting with the young lady that had given him the key. Ranpo was leaning against the desk as Yosano and the student talked, holding a lollipop in his hand and seeming to have another one in his pocket.
Both turn their heads towards him as the door to the stairs swings open and Dazai exits the stairwell.
“Dazai!” Yosano calls out, pulling him into a hug. Dazai stiffens, not having expected the sudden touch, but eventually relaxes into her hold. She pulls away quickly, knowing Dazai wasn’t too keen on hugs, eyes wandering over his body, checking for injuries. Similarly, Ranpo had his eyes trained on Dazai, scanning for any information that even Dazai himself probably couldn’t tell them.
Dazai stands there awkwardly for a second before covering it up with a cheerful grin, “Ah, Yosano-san, Ranpo-san! It’s been a while, hm? How about you two stop examining me and give me that tour you had promised me?” Dazai bounces past Ranpo, smoothly swiping the candy he had stuffed in his pocket, quickly unwrapping it and stuffing it in his mouth. He stops at the door of the building, turning around just in time to see Yosano rolling her eyes playfully and Ranpo pouting.
“You owe me candy now,” Ranpo mutters, frowning pitifully as he walks over to Dazai.
Yosano waves a quick goodbye to the student, and the trio leaves the building. The last thing they hear is the greeting a redhead who just walked in gives the receptionist before the door closes behind them.
The trio was walking a tree-lined path, no lecture halls in sight just yet. Yosano elbows Ranpo in his side, “Stop sulking about the candy, you have enough.”
Ranpo scowls, but stops his hunched over shuffle in favor of his normal walk. Yosano was walking in the middle, with Ranpo to her left, and Dazai on her right.
They fall into a comfortable silence, and Yosano and Ranpo soon start pointing out certain buildings Dazai would need, along with Yosano going in depth about which room was what inside the medical building.
It was the building furthest away from the dorms, and right next to the Library. Naturally, the closest building to the dorms was the humanities building, where Dazai would be spending none of his time, and the rec center. The rec center was filled with a variety of activities to do, and Dazai would decidedly do none of them, unwilling to be around other people.
Two hours later, Yosano and Ranpo finish up the tour.
“I’m hungry,” Ranpo whines, causing Yosano to check her watch.
“It is getting a bit late, let’s get dinner together. We need to show Dazai the good places to eat, anyway,” She responds, grinning at Dazai.
Dazai honestly wasn’t feeling too hungry, but he knew it would only worry the pair if he refused, so he nodded his head with a smile. “I knew I could depend on you two!”
The trio make their way to the campus food court, and Dazai settles for fries and chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A, claiming he had eaten a snack in his dorm before they met up. Ranpo narrowed his eyes at him for the lie, but let it go for now.
They all get their food and settle down to eat. They silently eat for a bit before Ranpo speaks up, “Well, Dazai, how has Mori been?”
Dazai stiffens at the mention of his guardian, but forces the discomfort down to appear still relaxed. “He’s doing fine, thanks for asking.” His smile is sharp, and would be threatening if it were not for the fact that he was doing it towards the two people that knew him best.
“Dazai-” Yosano starts with a stern voice.
Dazai turns his eyes on her, a cold glare silencing her before she can speak more. “Yes, Yosano-san? There’s not much else to discuss on this topic.” His voice is cheerful, as usual, but his eyes have a dangerous glint to them.
Yosano sighs and Ranpo frowns, but they let it go. Conversation drifts to other, more light-hearted, topics, such as the weather and their friends back home in Yokohama. It remains like this up until they have left the food court and wandered their way back to the freshmen dorms.
Just as Dazai was about to disappear into the building, Yosano puts a hand on his arm to keep him from leaving. Both Yosano and Ranpo look serious, and Yosano soon speaks.
“Text us if you need us, okay? Whether it’s for school or for.. other things. We’re your friends, don’t ghost us when it gets bad.”
She takes her hand off Dazai’s shoulder, giving him a small punch. Dazai rolls his eyes and waves them off, “You guys are such worrywarts. I’ll be fine.”
Ranpo raises his eyebrow at him and Yosano levels him with a mildly threatening stare.
“Okay, okay! No need to look at me like that,” Dazai pouts, “I’ll text you guys if I need anything from you. I promise.”
Yosano nods, appeased, but Ranpo gives him another blank look and seems as if he wants to call Dazai out on the lie, but eventually decides against it.
“Let’s go, I want more candy,” Ranpo pouts, grabbing Yosano by the arm and starting to drag her away from the dorm.
Dazai laughs, “Bye Yosano-san! Bye Ranpo-san!” Ranpo doesn’t look back, but Yosano gives him a wave as she lets Ranpo drag her away.
Dazai watches them until they’re out of sight, and sighs at the empty loneliness that immediately fills the gaps his friends had left. He turns, and heads into the dorm building.
He doesn’t speak a word to the receptionist, who was now an older lady who clearly wasn’t a student at the university, immediately making his way to the stairwell. He wanders up it, silently grumbling to himself about who decided to have stairs instead of an elevator.
He lets his mind wander until he’s reached his dorm. He pulls out his dorm key from his pocket and inserts in the lock. It opens with a click, and Dazai pushes it open to reveal that his roommate had arrived while he was gone.
“HAH?? DAZAI??”