Chapter 6. Double Black

Dazai Osamu did not dream every day, nor could he clearly remember the contents of every dream.

Upon waking, he would always forget something that seemed very important, something about the world of his dreams.

All he could be sure of was that the people who appeared in his dreams would almost always appear in reality; it was just a matter of time.

He accumulates more and more dream records, which he then rereads after a period of forgetting, before destroying them at a later time.

The repeated overlap between his dreams and reality made him certain that these were indeed precognitive dreams, but perhaps not predictions about the future of his world, but rather predictions about a parallel world that was extremely similar to this one.

Or... perhaps it wasn't a prediction, but rather his life in another world.

He didn't know if he could be considered lucky to have this ability. If he asked others, a large number of people would probably say that they desperately needed this ability, even if it was just to foresee the future of parallel worlds.

Human curiosity will always manifest itself in every aspect of life. Of course, he had this curiosity and expectation at the beginning, but now, as time goes by, he is gradually losing sight of his own heart. His thoughts seem to be shrouded in a fog. He knows that clearing away this fog will be easy, provided that he has the courage to face everything.

...But unfortunately, at this stage he's just a coward, and he's well aware of it. So, to him, the fog is thick and unshakeable, mysterious and untouchable. He's curious, but before he has the ability, he won't voluntarily venture into the fog, becoming a panicked and helpless fawn, only able to stand there with his wet eyes wide open, waiting for an endless wait for rescue.

Dreams about the future, dreams that differ slightly from reality, become increasingly different over time.

Dazai tried various methods to verify the reality of the dream, including investigating the characters who appeared later in the dream. Both his investigations and inquiries confirmed that there was some overlap between the dream and reality.

Reality and dreams are like two straight lines that intersect at a certain moment, and then drift further and further apart.

Having learned much in advance, Dazai Osamu didn't remain indifferent. Instead, he used this knowledge to do other things, much like the butterfly effect, flapping his tiny wings to have a minor impact on the world. Whether this will lead to significant change remains to be seen.

Although dreams are brief and actions within them are limited, the amount of information gained is considerable. He used that knowledge to complete tasks ahead of schedule or with greater efficiency, securing more for [redacted] and preventing many events that would have been difficult for him to handle alone. He achieved maximum benefit with minimal effort, embodying the concept of the "optimal solution."

In just a few years, his name resounded throughout the entire underworld, and everyone was terrified of his cruel methods.

He was all alone.

This world is so boring. Dazai Osamu often thought this.

Sometimes he suffers from insomnia, and when he does, it doesn't matter where he lies down. Nighttime is the gathering place for dreams, and even with his eyes open, images from his dreams begin to play in his mind.

The colors were hazy, the figures indistinct. Everyone had appeared, except for Chuuya Nakahara.

He still can't remember what the other person looks like, even though he saw them very clearly in his dream, but he can't draw them or remember them.

He remembered that in a dream, he suddenly realized this and wanted to try to draw a portrait of Nakahara Chuuya himself. Drawing was not difficult for him; it was just a matter of arranging and combining lines. But he could never quite capture Nakahara Chuuya's appearance accurately.

In the end, the finished drawing was still a mess. Apart from the coloring, nothing else had anything to do with real people. It even scared Alice, who barged into his office to find him, into screaming and claiming that it was a "horrible work that would give anyone a nightmare."

Later, Chuuya Nakahara also saw the painting and was startled as if he had seen a ghost. His reaction was hilarious, which made Dazai, who was standing next to him, burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears almost came out. Dazai's behavior made Chuuya Nakahara increasingly annoyed, and in the end, the two had a small fight.

Chuuya Nakahara was also unable to destroy the painting, and it was hung on the wall of Dazai Osamu's office for several days. Everyone who came in and saw it said that it could be called "the most terrifying painting in history".

The memory unconsciously brought a smile to Dazai Osamu's lips, but he quickly suppressed it as soon as he realized it.

He kept emphasizing the difference between dreams and reality, even if they had many similarities, they were ultimately different.

Dazai managed to pull the brakes with his rationality before he completely succumbed.

The line between dreams and reality is gradually blurring, and he is clearly aware of this. There is only one variable.

The existence of a certain person is their method of distinguishing between dreams and reality.