#Ranpo cause he's total bestie with Yosano so you know...

[kyouka-supremacy]

This is probably more of my personal headcanon / how I best like to interpret the characters rather than something canon based but... I have been thinking, at the end of the day most of the relationship bonds Dazai created in the ada span between rough and silently hostile. He doesn't get along with Yosano because of their shared link with Mori, and he doesn't like Ranpo because Ranpo being the only person he can't trick or manipulate probably makes him feel unsafe. It's not like he can exactly get along with the Tanizakis either, he's simply... Too distant from them to actually build anything positive with either Naomi or Jun'ichirou.

I think this explains why Dazai is so obsessed with Kunikida and can't leave him alone one second: because despite everything, I truly believe Kunikida is fond of Dazai (for reasons he himself would never be able to explain), and I feel like due to Kunikida's straightforwardness the tension between Dazai and Yosano and Ranpo would go completely unnoticed to Kunikida (whereas otherwise his seniors' negative opinion of Dazai could have negatively influenced Kunikida's feelings for him). That's why Dazai loves to spend time with and torment Kunikida, because he's the only member that doesn't feel directly hostile / out of reach. Even better, you know Kunikida isn't happy with Dazai; but it's also all very superficial, kind of a game, and the hostility isn't personal. It all makes me reflect on how Dazai feels truly desperate for human connection despite what he makes it look like. It's maybe more of a gut feeling, but I do truly believe Kunikida cares about Dazai and is willing to play their game, because I feel like otherwise he would have already told Dazai off definitely.

That also explains why once he met Atsushi Dazai absolutely latches onto him. It's like he's saying, this is my dude, I brought him to the agency; he's under my wing, and he's on my side. Which is a weird thing to say, there's no sides in the ada, but be it relapsing to old habits, be it a deep insecurity of Dazai, I feel like he's trying really hard to create connections and find allies. And Atsushi is such an ego boost for Dazai, I have no doubt Dazai absolutely loves him. In the end, as crazy as it may sound, I'm convinced that Dazai is way more dependent on Atsushi than Atsushi is on him.

But Atsushi is in good terms with the whole agency. Well, because he's Atsushi, and he's kind and clumsy and just trying to do his best, I feel like everyone warms up to him sooner or later. It's very nice to think in the end it may be Atsushi himself to bring Dazai closer to the rest of the ada, by breaking sides that never existed to begin with and linking them all together.