It's Christmas. Another Christmas and its typical celebration for the Armed Detective Agency. It's not like Dazai hates it. He participates in the gift-exchanging, tree-decorating, mostly by annoying his colleagues, of course.

And yet, just like at any other celebration that happens in there, he leaves as soon as the main party had started. The clock went past twelve, and everyone is having fun. For some reason, he feels like he should go. No one notices when he sneaks out.

Going into the empty apartments doesn't seem like an option too right now. Making another attempt at the time like this is too selfish. So he just walks around the center of the city, silently observing decorated shops here, the colorful, Christmas themed commercials, watching couples, groups of friends and families from the side.

Why does this emptiness in his chest aches more than usual at the times like this?

Suddenly he stumbles upon someone he definitely didn't expect to see there. Someone who has annoyingly noticeable among Japanese people ginger hair. Someone ridiculously short with a weird fashion sense.

Great, now his heart aches too.

Why is Slug doing here at the time like this? And why does he look so unusually solemn? He wants to tease, annoy him, like he always does when they meet each other, yet this time, for some reason it doesn't come out right.

"...shouldn't you be having fun with your colleagues at some ridiculously big and fancy party that Mori-san must have arranged?"