[Bungo Stray Dogs] Beware of Online Dating Scams

Hello, everyone. My name is Huang Shang, and I'm an ordinary student from the Flower Country.

I want to make a few things clear:

First, I'm a guy!

Second, I'm straight!!

Third, I absolutely have not been pretending to be a girl to catfish people online!!! [Furiously flips table.jpg]

I'm Huang Shang, an ordinary student from the Flower Country. I was bored during summer vacation, so I went surfing on the internet and joined a chat room. I made a few friends who shared my interests, but I couldn't understand why a user named Byakuran kept thinking I was a girl. No matter how many times I corrected him, it never worked.

He even made fun of the ab photo I used as my avatar, saying it was terribly tacky.

Me: Damn it! Can't I dream of having an eight-pack?!!!

After being mocked for my taste, I instantly turned evil and decided to pretend to be a girl and chat with him, just as he expected.

While Byakuran and I were trading barbs online, I unexpectedly met a girl named Chiko. She praised my avatar to the skies, approved of my taste, and cheered me on with an unbelievably kawaii voice message.

Aww, I think I'm in love.

My nephew Hibari Kyoya mocked me, saying I had to be an idiot to fall in love. I immediately sent our chat history to my cousin, then gleefully watched as she pressured him to find a girlfriend every day.

My days chatting with Byakuran and Chiko were always full and happy.

Until, one day, our chatroom friends met in person...

The good news: Byakuran finally learned that I'm a guy.

The bad news: He said I had deceived him about my feelings and that he was going to destroy the world.

Me: ?!!!

After beating him up, I couldn't help wanting to vent to Chiko.

Damn it, he was the one who got my gender wrong in the first place! Why is he accusing me of catfishing him and having a breakdown so bad that he wants to destroy the world?

Then I saw Chiko in Yokohama, dressed in a black suit and wearing a red scarf. Correction: Chiko is a man.

...I think I understand why Byakuran wants to destroy the world now, ahhhhhhhhh!!!

An alternate-world Huang Shang. In this world, Huang Shang is male. [Dog-head emoji]

Probably a short story. I haven't decided on the pairing: either Byakuran or Boss Dazai. In short, Huang Shang catfishes Byakuran online, then gets catfished by Boss Dazai. [Stares at the sky]

Theme: Beware of online scams!