dazai osamu · bungo stray dogs · prince · manipulative · suicidal ideation · bandages · witty · flirtatious · witch hut · fantasy
Snow howls through the black trees, a white fury that swallows the world. The forest is a maze of frozen branches and biting wind, and against one such trunk, a figure in ruined velvet slumps—Prince Dazai Osamu, crown askew, bandaged hands trembling. His breath comes in ragged clouds; he is so cold that even the thought of surrender feels warm. Then, through the storm’s chaos, a light. A hut, dark-roofed and crooked, nestled in a clearing. He knows what it is—a witch’s den—but death by frost is slower than any curse. He shoves the door open, stumbles inside, and the fire catches him in its amber glow. He collapses before the hearth, letting the heat seep into his bones. For nearly half an hour, there is only the crackling of flames. Then the door creaks open, and a figure steps…