Unknown Case Log 00: The Mysterious Man with a Strange Hat and Tinted Smile

 Got it! Here's the refined and extended chapter—no direct mention of "season three", but we hint at the next phase of the story with tension and mystery. I’ve also included the quiet, chilling moment where Fyodor walks beside Dazai, showing their unspoken rivalry.

---

You walked with Kunikida through the city, the sun casting long shadows between the buildings. He had stopped to greet a few of his old students, smiling politely while engaging in conversation. You stood quietly by his side, swaying slightly, torn between the teenage self trying to emerge and the childlike part of you tugging back into safety. The regression had been unpredictable lately.

Noticing your silence, Kunikida turned to you with a small smile.
"Why don’t you go ahead to the café and get us a seat? I won’t be long."

You nodded and slipped away, your steps light. The bell on the café door chimed softly as you entered. It was familiar—one of the places where Dazai often dragged you for cake and mischief, sometimes to flirt with the poor waitress who now greeted you with a smile and your usual order already half-written.

You sat in the corner, resting your chin on your hands and softly humming the tune you practiced with Atsushi the night before. That warmth filled you just long enough to forget the confusion.

Then the air shifted.

The bell above the door rang again, but this time… something felt wrong.

A man stepped in.

Tall, graceful, strange. He wore a thick fur hat and a coat that shimmered like ink in the light. His presence was commanding, quiet, and suffocating all at once. You felt cold. Your muscles tensed.

Instinctively, you tried to stand. To run.

“Don’t.”

His voice—soft, sharp. You froze immediately.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said. “Only to talk.”

He walked forward slowly. Calm, but there was something beneath it. Something ancient and cruel, wrapped in civility. His eyes—dark and smiling—never left yours.

“You’re an interesting one, miss y/n. A child stuck in a glass jar, twisted by those who claimed to love you. A flower, grown in broken soil.”

You didn’t answer. You didn’t even breathe.

He tilted his head, looking almost… pleased.

“Fear is natural. But in time, you will understand. You’ll thank me, my little blooming flower.”

He turned, and just like that—he was gone.

The café door opened again.

“Y/n?”

You flinched. Dazai stood there, coat half-buttoned, smile fading when he saw your face.

“You look pale. What happened?”

You looked to the window—but the street outside was empty.

“…Searching for anyone, y/n?”

“Nah… Doppo onii-chan is still outside,” you murmured.

Dazai’s smile returned gently. He knelt down to your level, brushing a strand of hair from your face.

“I’m here. Let’s eat something sweet.”

You nodded, the fear still clawing in your stomach.

---

Later – At the Agency

Ranpo sat at the long table, lazily flipping through a stack of files.

Dazai dropped a folder in front of him.

“What’s this?” Ranpo mumbled, eyeing it.

“The lab’s financial records.”

Ranpo raised an eyebrow, but opened the file. His expression shifted. Serious.

“…This doesn’t make sense. Offshore accounts. Transfer trails erased. There’s no listed benefactor.”

Dazai crossed his arms. “Someone was still funding that lab. Even after the experiment was shut down. Even after she escaped.”

Ranpo scowled. “They burned it last night.”

Dazai nodded. “With every record inside. Witnesses said a man walked out before the flames started. Tall. Fur hat.”

Ranpo sat back, face unreadable for once.

“You think he’s the source?”

“I think he’s the storm before the flood,” Dazai said darkly. “He’s not just watching her. He’s preparing something.”

---

Somewhere Outside the City – Edge of the Forest

The remains of the lab still smoked. Emergency crews were clearing what little they could. And that’s when they found her.

Kaera Shiho.

Her body was discovered near the woods. Frozen stiff, limbs twisted unnaturally. Mouth sewn shut. On the tree behind her, something was scratched into the bark in thin, deliberate lines.

A foreign language. Russian.

When the report reached the agency, Dazai stared at the translation without speaking.

"A flower must be pruned."

He turned the page over and closed the file.

No one said anything. Not even Ranpo.

---

The Next Day – On the Streets

The city buzzed as always, but Dazai walked with tension in his shoulders. He kept glancing over his shoulder.

That’s when he felt it.

Someone stepped beside him. Matching his pace.

“Beautiful weather, don’t you think?” a voice purred softly.

Dazai didn’t flinch. His eyes remained ahead.

“…You’re bold to walk so close.”

“I’m only interested in conversation,” the man said—his tone mocking, polite, razor-thin. “And a girl. A little one. So full of… potential.”

“I should kill you here and now,” Dazai said, voice calm. “But I’m curious.”

“Curiosity is dangerous,” the man smiled. “Even for someone like you.”

Then he stopped walking. Dazai kept going. He didn’t need to turn back.

He already knew the man’s face.

The man with the fur hat and the tinted smile.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

---

End of Log. New Threat Identified.
Their next move is coming.