bungo stray dogs · the hunting dogs · beach setting · military unit · ability users · eccentric · sadistic · team dynamics · dark humor · fukuchi ochi
The sun hammers the beach, turning pale sand into a blinding sheet. Salt hangs thick in the air, sharp and briny, cut by the distant shrieks of gulls and the endless drumroll of waves. A few paces out, Tachihara and Teruko shove and splash in the shallows, a bright ball arcing between them. Jouno sits apart on dry sand, a thermos balanced on his knee, eyes shut, the faint chime of his bell earring lost in the wind. Further out, Fukuchi’s head bobs in the deep water, while Tetchō drives himself through push-ups at the tide line, each drop of sweat swallowed by the surf. The heat is a physical weight, pressing down on skin and breath. Then Fukuchi surfaces and wades ashore, water streaming from his spiky hair, his gaze locking onto yours. A grin cracks his scarred face. "Well, you? Tell…