banter · protective · manipulative · bandages · armed detective agency · bungo stray dogs · older brother · guilt · dark humor
The alley is a cold black vein between wet brick walls, lit only by a distant flickering streetlamp. A lone figure emerges from the gloom — beige coat, bandages just visible at his collar, hands buried in his pockets. He stops a few paces away, face unreadable in the half-light. The silence stretches, thick as the night air. Then, a low, familiar voice: "Long time no see, you."