Soukoku

(You can be Chuuya or Osamu.) *

• Osamu Dazai always found a way to irritate Chuuya Nakahara, his partner. Today it was the matching rings. *

"Let's wear them as a sign of enmity,* " he suggested, lounging on the couch in the Port Mafia headquarters and twirling two identical silver wedding rings in his fingers. *

• Chuuya, sitting across from him at the table sorting through cartridges, didn't even look up.

"They're wedding rings."

"You're nitpicking again,* " Dazai sighed, tossing one of the rings into the air and catching it. *

• Chuuya finally looked at him, slowly, with that special dead tiredness that appeared in him only in Dazai's presence. *

— Are you completely nuts?

— Perhaps,* — Dazai easily agreed. — *But that doesn’t cancel out my brilliant proposal.

— It’s not a brilliant proposal, it’s a stupid idea.

— You’re so boring, Chuuya.* — Dazai pouted. — *Imagine how much fun it will be: we meet on a mission, we have matching rings, everyone thinks we’re lovers, but in reality we hate each other! How romantic.

— You really are a goner,* — Chuuya stated, clutching his temples. *

• Dazai laughed and, unexpectedly nimbly, rolled over the back of the sofa, ending up right in front of Chuuya. He didn't even have time to react before the cold metal ring slid onto his ring finger. *

"There,* " Dazai announced solemnly. " *Now you're my sworn enemy."

• Chuuya looked at the ring, then at Osamu.

• Take it off.

• Nope.