Chapter 26 (Vertical Comic)

Chapter 26 is the twenty-sixth chapter of the Bungo Stray Dogs (Vertical Comic).

Summary
As they head back to the agency, Dazai, and Atsushi trailing behind Ranpo, Atsushi gushes about how amazing Ranpo's ability was. Dazai says he can understand about half the case, Atsushi asks what he means by understanding and Dazai says that Ranpo had deducted nothing with his ability as he isn't an ability user. Atsushi is extremely confused and surprised, Dazai explains that Ranpo is very rare among ability users assembled at the agency because he is just an ordinary person, he just acts as if he has an ability.

Atsushi asks how it was possible for Ranpo to deduce the crime so easily then, and Dazai recalls Sugimoto saying the culprit had shot the body twice more to disguise it as a mafia hit, and that an innocent person would see a person with 3 bullet wounds and assume they were all shot at the same time, yet Sugimoto had assumed the first bullet was shot, and then the other 2, and that, of course, he would know such a fact without before the autopsy report because he is the shooter. Atsushi asks how Ranpo could've figured out the time of the murder, and Dazai explains that the body was in good condition and couldn't have floated in the river for more than a day. The day before, was Tuesday, a working day, yet the body was in casual clothing and wore no makeup. Yamagiwa was a busy police officer with frequent overtime shifts, wearing casual clothes and no makeup could only mean the murder was before work, in the morning.

Atsushi asks about how Ranpo knew about the location of the murder and how the murder was done but Dazai says he couldn't figure it out. Atsushi asks about how Ranpo could've guessed her last words when Dazai explained that although it was said Yamagiwa was single, she and Sugimoto wore matching expensive watches, Yamagiwa having the woman's version and Sugimoto having the men's version. She agreed to meet Sugimoto so early because they were lovers, and she trusted him. That also explains why Sugimoto didn't break her face by kicking her head in because he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Dazai turns back to Atsushi, asking if he finally understands why the agency tolerates Ranpo's attitude and respects him.