Chapter 43: The one recognized by Kotori's mother

The drizzle fell on my body.

The clothes were soaked with moisture, sticking to the body wetly, feeling heavy and cold.

It's so cold.

——My body feels so heavy.

Walking alone on the street, Dazai Osamu was not aimless, he had a precise destination.

【Little Bird House】

Looking at the words on the doorplate, the young man smiled weakly. His chaotic brain no longer allowed him to think too much, and his body had reached its limit.

Sit down against the wall with your legs casually spread out on the ground.

He lowered his head and let the rain erode him.

At Hayana's house, before leaving with Ango to work underground to cleanse his name, he wanted to meet Hayana's family, and wanted to meet Kotori's mother and grandfather.

He cares about everything that Hayana cares about.

He wanted to set foot in the protected area which had been considered a restricted area before.

"...Are you okay? Hey, wake up... wake up... it's hot! Daddy! Come out and help me!!"

"Reimei, what's wrong?"

"...Is it a child who's still in school? He has a fever..."

"Dad, help me drag him inside. I'm going to call the doctor at the clinic."

“…”

The warm palm touched me and left me as soon as I touched it. Compared with the aches and pains in my body, the pain from the fever-reducing injection was so mild that it could be ignored.

Despite having a high fever, Dazai Osamu remained conscious.

He was sober and was carried into the house by Kotori's mother and grandfather. He was sober and was diagnosed by the doctor. He watched the fever-reducing medicine being injected into his body with a hazy vision. He was very conscious the whole time.

When he was the only one left in the room, a sudden fatigue swept over his whole body.

My brain is in a state of confusion.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until one swoop and he was plunged into darkness.

When I woke up again, the rain had stopped.

Water was still dripping from the eaves and the sky outside was gray. Until a rooster crowed, Dazai Osamu, who was sitting on the bed, suddenly came back to his senses.

I had a very comfortable sleep.

Although I still had some body aches from the high fever, I felt very calm.

It tends to be a kind of joyful calmness, and a little curious.

When he opened the window, the fresh smell of earth after the rain hit him in the face, and Dazai Osamu saw the apple tree downstairs that had already borne fruit.

This is Hayana's home.

A place he had always wanted to see.

"Are you awake?" The door opened, and a beautiful woman in home clothes stood at the door with a kind smile on her face. "Are you lost? You collapsed at my doorstep."

"Yeah." Dazai Osamu nodded.

The next second he was hit on the head with a knife!

The friendly smile on the woman's face also turned into a fire-breathing dragon: "Well, you head! I'm obviously testing you to tell the truth, right? Don't get away with it, you little brat!"

"It hurts~" The boy covered the place where he was hit, tears in his eyes.

Suddenly he remembered what Hayana had said to him, "If you were my mother's son, I would probably use a feather duster to beat your whole body red in one day."

It seems that what he said is true.

With her arms folded, Kotori's mother looked at her closely: "Tell me, why did you get caught in the rain and have a high fever and collapse at my doorstep?"

"Even if they are a delinquent teenager, they should have a home address."

"My home?" Pointing at himself, Dazai Osamu's eyes widened as he gave the answer: "I used to live in an abandoned container in the garbage dump."

Kotori's mother: "..."

Looking at this silly boy who was looking around while pulling at his ill-fitting old-fashioned pajamas, Kotori's mother was stunned for a few seconds, and her domineering and pressing aura obviously weakened.

Why are you asking this question?!

"So...where are my family?"

“I wandered around on my own when I was very young.”

“…”

“…”

What a poor kid, I really want to slap myself!

Pointing at his pajamas that smelled of soap nuts, the boy asked with a confused expression, "Did my mother change my pajamas?"

"Grandpa changed it for me." Outside the house, the old man stuck his head out and smiled.

He looked at the boy with a kind and gentle expression: "It must have been very hard over the years, right?"

Osamu Dazai: "..."

Dazai Osamu: “…Neither.”

I didn't expect to be accepted so easily.

Without any guard, they take care of him like a child, gentle, violent, Hayana's family.

"Let's go have breakfast," said Kotori's mother, looking at the boy's stunned expression. "You haven't eaten all night. You must be so hungry that you could eat a whole cow, right?"

"Actually, I can endure hunger very well." The boy's eyebrows were curved, and his voice was weak after being sick.

In the eyes of Xiaoniaoyou's mother and grandfather, this smile made him look like a fragile, pitiful, lonely and suffering child.

"Stop talking nonsense. The fact that you can be hungry has nothing to do with me being able to feed you!" Grabbing the boy's hand, Kotori's mother pulled him downstairs with a fierce but gentle force.

Sitting at the dining table, looking at the rice balls, fried eggs and hot milk in front of him, Dazai Osamu blinked.

"Mom." He raised his hand. "I want some chicken nuggets."

"Order for me?" Xiao Niaoyou's mother, who was frying eggs with a wooden spatula, scolded her with a stern face: "What kind of good child would eat fried chicken nuggets so early in the morning!"

Without waiting for Dazai to say anything else, she put the fried egg she was going to give him into her own plate.

Tell him: "Finish what's on your plate first."

"Ah, then I'll help too." Grandpa Xiao Niaoyou took the fried egg with his serving chopsticks and chewed it with a smile: "It just so happens that I want to eat fried chicken nuggets too."

Dazai Osamu put the fried chicken nuggets with crispy skin and tender and juicy meat into his mouth and chewed them. He suddenly realized that they were not as delicious as the ones Hayana brought him.

Although the fried chicken nuggets in the box have cooled down and are no longer as crispy and juicy as they are now, they are still very delicious and much better than freshly made ones.

"How does it taste?" asked Xiao Niaoyou's mother.

Swallowing the food in his mouth, Dazai Osamu replied: "Delicious."

Mother Kotori looked at the boy.

Although he said "delicious", he felt very lonely inside.

She sensed his sadness.

Something seemed to have happened to this young man that was difficult for him to get over.

…

The day after Dazai Osamu was identified as a defector by the leader, Hayana Kotori went to the top floor to meet the leader.

She volunteered to take over all the responsibilities that Dazai was responsible for, including the ongoing tasks under his name.

Dungeon.

The door of the interrogation room slowly opened, and the young man who was handcuffed to the wall hung his head, with a murderous aura surrounding him.

Hearing the voice, he looked up. When he saw the girl in front of him, surprise flashed in his dark eyes. Then he calmed down and said in a hoarse voice: "Ms. Kotori Yu, Gin... I mean, your deputy, is he okay?"

"She is very worried about you." Said Hayana Takanashi.

Although he was not tortured, Akutagawa Ryunosuke was extremely gloomy at this time, like a rabid dog locked in chains. Once he was released, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Then I feel relieved." After getting the answer he wanted, Akutagawa Ryunosuke closed his eyes and decided not to speak anymore.

She asked, "You've been following Dazai around all this time, and the higher-ups are doubting your loyalty to the organization. What are you going to do?"

The room was dead silent, and the question took a long time to be answered: "Find Mr. Dazai."

Akutagawa Ryuunori has a Shura-like face and a deep voice.

Hayana Kotori: "I took over everything from Dazai."

The girl's words made Akutagawa Ryunosuke open his eyes wide in disbelief, and his shackles rattled with his excitement! The serious man, who was full of vigilance and murderous intent, was now shocked and relieved.

If it were Miss Kotori, she would not destroy all traces of Mr. Dazai's existence.

On the contrary, perhaps it will be well protected.

After being let down and stretching his wrists, which were sore from being tied up for so long, Akutagawa Ryunosuke asked, "Did Miss Kotori guarantee me?"

Hayana Kotori didn't look back as she left with the boy, her voice cold and low: "I've already said that I want to take over everything from Dazai, and that naturally includes you."

"Are you already a cadre?"

"no."

The boy pursed his lips and followed her silently, looking at her slender and straight back.

Miss Takanashi is helping Mr. Dazai keep his position as an executive.

She believed that she would be able to see Mr. Dazai again.

He is in great pain. So how does Miss Takanashi, who has a good relationship with Mr. Dazai and trusts Mr. Dazai with all her heart, feel?

Ryunosuke Akutagawa couldn't analyze it.

Because Hayato Takanashi, who took over everything for Dazai Osamu, is as impenetrable as a solid wall.

…

Yoshida-cho, amusement park rest area.

Watching the clown carrying balloons passing by, the black-haired girl picked up the orange juice on the table.

Opposite her, there was a silver-haired man wearing a long black trench coat that was not suitable for the season. His angular face under the brim of his hat looked fierce and full of hostility!

"I saw the bounty issued by the Port Mafia." The anger of being toyed with for so many days had made Gin lose some of his usual calm and rationality. His dark green cruel eyes stared at the girl opposite him: "Dazai Osamu, the guy in charge of the transaction, his real name is Dazai Osamu."

Sitting next to Gin, Vodka had a serious and cold-blooded expression, and looked ready to shoot the girl at any time.

"Yes." Wearing a cool dress that blended in with the tourists playing and vacationing around her, Hayana Kotori pointed at herself and said with a smile: "I am - Hayana Kotori."

"Well, it was just a little joke because I was angry that you guys used the code name [Wine] instead of your real name. Don't take it too seriously."

Gin's eyes narrowed, and murderous intent burst out: "You are seeking death."

No one can play a trick on him and get away with it. It's a shame!

Undeterred by the other party's murderous aura, Kotori Hayato calmly persuaded them, "Originally, our two organizations were just conducting a transaction. It was a matter of giving and taking. Names and such were just code names and were not important at all."

"Or—"

She glanced at Gin with cold eyes and said in a low voice, "Do you think you have tasted enough sweetness?"

"Brother Gin..." Vodka looked at Gin.

The port mafia's military support is very strong. I'm afraid that gentleman will not easily become enemies with them and cut off the deal.

Swallowing the rage in his heart, the murderous intent gradually faded. Gin sneered and said in a mellow voice, "The deal must continue, but Dazai Osamu has defected. He knows a lot."

The hand holding the glass paused, and Hayana Kotori met Gin's fierce eyes: "You guys don't want to be the boss of our port mafia, do you?"

"Not yet qualified."

"The bounty on Dazai Osamu is posted on the black market. Anyone can take action against him." Gin raised his eyes, the corners of his lips becoming increasingly cold. "We want the huge bounty too."

"Isn't it targeting him?"

"Whatever you think."

"Then I advise you not to attack him." Hayana Takanashi leaned back in her chair, the smile on her face disappeared, and her expressionless face stared at Gin.

She asked him, "Do you know why the bounty on Dazai's head is so high but he hasn't been taken yet?"

Facing the silver-haired man's silent confrontation, she smiled and said, "Besides the fact that those scumbags are no match for him, there are also two wild dogs lurking in the dark behind him."

"Stray dog?" Gin chewed the two words slowly, and saw that Kotori Hayato's eyes had changed.

Knowing that he understood her meaning, the black-haired girl spoke out her protective words without hesitation: "The Black Organization is currently relying on the protection of our Port Mafia through transactions, but - if any of you dare to make a move on Dazai Osamu, I will take action at all costs."

"As long as they are from the Black Organization, I will kill them all."

"As long as it is the Black Organization's base, I will destroy it all."

"I will hunt down the Black Organization until all of you are gone, and I will not stop until you are dead."

"If we don't stop fighting, that man will die too." Gin's face turned cold. "I thought the Port Mafia was a group of people who valued profit."

"Don't impose your cold-bloodedness on us." Hayato Kotori said disdainfully, "Besides, if you attack Dazai, he will only kill you in return. You have no chance of winning against him."

"If you don't believe me, you can try it."

The girl said it with certainty and confidence.

Gin was curious instead: "Speaking out your weakness so easily and letting us know is the beginning of falling from a great height."

Hayana Takanashi, however, held a different view. In the crowded amusement park, amid the sweet air of popcorn and marshmallows, she said calmly, "Weaknesses aren't meant to be hidden, they're meant to intimidate people."

"Only when you make others fear the consequences of attacking you, so much so that they dare not attack your weaknesses, can you be truly powerful."

Is it like the Black Organization that wants to attack Dazai Osamu at this moment? Gin lowered his eyes to hide the murderous emotion in his eyes.

There is no doubt that he wanted to kill Dazai Osamu.

However - Hayana Takanashi's ability is too strong. If she really goes crazy, the organization will also pay a certain price.

What's more, another of Wild Dog's is a gravity user for the Port Mafia.

"But! Is it really okay to protect a defector like this?!" Vodka was shocked.

In his world, defectors should be killed!

Takanashi Hayana: "No problem."

…

"Is it okay to approach the family of Little Bird Tour like this?"

Standing next to the car, watching the boy coming from the corner of the street, the lenses of Ango Sakaguchi's glasses reflected a cold light.

"No problem." Dazai Osamu opened the car door and said coldly: "I left a note to tell them I'm leaving."

Sakaguchi Ango stopped talking.

…

Hayana Kotori, who reached a friendly consensus with the Black Organization, bit her straw, looked at the name on the caller ID, and walked aside to answer the call.

"Hayasana! It's terrible! Your brother is missing!!!" On the other end of the line, Kotori's mother's voice was panicked: "Hurry up and bring Ranpo back. Let him see if he can find your brother!"

"Cough!" Choking on her orange juice, Hayana Kotori suppressed the itchiness in her throat. "What are you talking about, Mom? Apart from Ranpo, where do I get my brother?"

And Ranpo took a look and thought he was a hound?

"Grandpa and I have only been taking him in for three days. We plan to introduce him to you and Ranpo next Sunday."

"I didn't expect him to leave a note and run away from home today."

"Dad is grieving."

"Well, that proves that he has no fate with our family." Hayana Kotori comforted Kotori's mother indifferently.

"Mom, I'm working now. The package is about to be lost. I won't tell you anymore."

"Eh? But Dazai..."

"What's his name?"

Interrupted by her daughter's voice that suddenly became serious to the extreme, Kotori's mother was puzzled: "Dazai Osamu, I found him at the door three days ago."

"Mom, I was just talking nonsense."

"I'll be back right now!"