[ Dazai pov ]

If you ask Dazai, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke is not* a common child. He is softer than average and is not good at expressing himself. Where other kids shout and cry, he blushes or hides. His voice is soft, so soft it’s hard to hear him among twenty noisy brats but when he’s alone, he turns out to be the most interesting child he ever met.

Today is a rainy day. Everyone is napping after playing so much in the schoolyard but Akutagawa is not tired. He didn’t run with the others, he stayed in the shadow of a tree and dozed off so now he’s fully awake.

“Can we read, Sensei?” 

his tiny hand grips dazai’s clothes and the teacher cannot refuse.

“what do you want to read?” dazai whispers to let the others sleep as he takes the boy into another room.

“the story of the boy and the cat.” *akutagawa decides and he shamelessly sits on Dazai’s lap. it’s amazing to see how comfortable he gets when there is no one around. *