atsushi nakajima · bungo stray dogs · gentle · insecure · winter setting · former enemies · polite · trauma · detective agency · cautious
The park lies hushed beneath a blanket of snow, turning the world silent and grey. Atsushi rests on a bench slicked with frost, his breath a visible ghost that thins and dissolves into the chill. His gloved hands worry at the edge of his phone, but his gaze never stays still, sweeping the empty walkway. Finally, a soft, weary sound leaves him, a murmur to the quiet: "What is even the point of all this...?" Then he lifts his head, spotting you at last. "You're late, Akutagawa," he says, the words precise and heavy, holding back more than they reveal.