Chapter 111

The Stalker

Dongshu instantly recognized the other party's identity; the spiritual energy that had spread out and was wandering throughout the space still existed.

It is an enemy's katana.

The familiar yet shouldn't exist, the enemy here, Fuyuki didn't hesitate, the being wearing a tall hat was enveloped in spiritual power.

Its movements were easily halted, like a lamb to the slaughter, standing between Hasebe and Kuninaga, the katana that had been brandished at the Saniwa already knocked to the ground.

"Something's not right." Fuyuki pushed away Mikazuki Munechika's hand that was pressing against his head, his gaze falling on the Time Travel Army. "Something's wrong with it. Why are there enemy katanas existing in single form?"

Like the spirits, the Time Travel Army usually forms a team of at least six people before launching a general attack.

Sometimes they even use sheer numbers, like the sudden nighttime attack on Yokohama.

"Disconnect! Disconnect now!" a voice suddenly rang out. "I don't want him to die! This isn't my wish—"

Fuyuki frowned, but noticed that the other three swords present did not change their expressions, so the voice was one that only she could hear.

At the same time, the enemy katana that was being controlled suddenly twisted, raised its arms, and took steps to the left and right, its entire human form assuming a strange posture.

His head started to rotate to one side, eventually rotating 360 degrees, and the muscles in his neck were visibly about to burst.

However, the non-human body material prevented the head from breaking off directly.

...What kind of weird thing is this?!

Without hesitation, Hasebe decisively swung his sword and severed his own twisted head. The solid head fell to the ground with a crisp thud, then turned into black particles along with the body and disappeared completely.

"Well done," the Saniwa, still immersed in the strange scene, praised after a beat.

Press-cut Hasebe: Floating Flowers.jpg

"Aaaaaah—it hurts! It hurts so much... That's why I said I'd disconnect! Can't you just listen to me?!"

The voice appeared again.

This time, Fuyuki was even more certain that only he could hear it, and the more he listened, the more familiar the voice became.

That's clearly... the voice of that guy who calls himself Dazai Ming.

"Master, have you found anything?" Mikazuki Munechika, who was closest to him, asked with a smile.

"...There were strange noises, and I also saw some things, but I can't find any connection, and I don't know why I saw those things." Fuyuki rubbed his head and tried to understand, but his mind was still a mess.

She looked up at everyone around her, let out a long breath, and then smiled again: "Forget it, let's find a way to leave here first. We can deal with the rest later. Anyway, I can't solve everything in an instant."

Thinking is not something she excels at, let alone now that she is only one-third of her original self, which makes it even more difficult for her.

"I will do anything as long as it is my master's wish." Hasebe walked over instantly, reached out to Fuyuki, his eyes burning, trying to guide his master into his arms.

Fuyuki looked at his hand, still wondering, when his body changed direction following Mikazuki Munechika's movement.

Fuyuki: "?"

What are these two knives trying to do?

Tsurumaru Kuninaga gazed intently at the old and new swords, their eyes locked in a silent, electrifying exchange.

Interesting, interesting.

With one hand outstretched and the other turning around, Fuyuki tightly embraced Mikazuki Munechika. After a long while, he weakly stopped her, saying, "...Don't move."

Mikazuki Munechika paused, "Hahaha... You can't even handle this much?"

"I really want to hit you when you talk like that." Fuyuki decisively raised her hand and vigorously rubbed the face of the spoiled and arrogant Most Beautiful Blade.

"Hmm?" Mikazuki Munechika smiled and leaned closer. "How about we give it a try?"

As the crescent moon moved, beautiful eyes stared straight at him, and even though he had seen it many times before, Dongshu was still stunned for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, she used one hand to support herself on Mikazuki Munechika's shoulder, and with the other hand she clenched her fist and slammed it hard on the top of his head.

Mikazuki Munechika blinked, feeling a force that was neither too strong nor too weak above his head, but it was definitely... a punishment.

Then, he smiled, but judging from the tone and the force of his actions, his master did not really intend to do anything harmful. It was more like a warning and a way of being affectionate than a punishment.

...Seriously, she's the kind of person who makes it impossible for you to stop being affectionate.

"Want to do it again?"

Dongshu raised an eyebrow, decisively grabbed his cheeks, and pulled them apart.

"Hmph." Feeling that things were about right, she jumped off his arms. "Did you think I was just joking? That's so unfair. Even if we're just playing around, you should consider my feelings, okay?"

She was spinning around and around, faster and faster, and her head was starting to spin.

My brain, which was originally focused on solving a problem, has completely turned into mush, and I really can't make sense of it at all.

"Yes, I understand." Mikazuki Munechika raised his sleeve to cover his flushed cheeks.

This time it really hurts.

Hasebe was restless, his gaze fixed on the Saniwa, and he waited a long time before the familiar dark eyes returned his look.

"host."

"Yes, I'm here." Fuyuki put his hands on his hips. "Hasebe too, and Mikazuki is an old man, but you're not."

Mikazuki Munechika's smile froze.

Although he always refers to himself as "Grandpa," it still feels a little strange to be called "Grandpa" by his own owner in such a helpless tone...

"Yes, I understand." Hasebe's expression was serious, and his outstretched gaze became reserved.

The master hopes he can be more reliable, so he will become the most reliable knife!

Dongshu nodded in satisfaction: "Good boy."

“Unexpected.” Tsurumaru Kuninaga, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up. He stroked his chin, his golden eyes revealing a hint of melancholy in his thoughts. “Master, look here.”

Fuyuki looked over and exclaimed, "Huh?"

She took two quick steps closer, and the small black ball that had been spinning rapidly between the sudden appearances of the three Dazai Osamu's gradually stopped spinning, and the visibility in the room began to decrease.

"What's going on? Was this caused by that thing just now? No, wasn't it already shattered?"

“Perhaps, the real problem is about to emerge?” Tsurumaru Kuninaga laughed. “Will the real ‘Dazai Osamu’ also appear here? That’s a good question.”

He didn't know what had happened before, but based on his understanding of systems, he could roughly guess...

Suddenly, heavy breathing sounds began to fill the room.

Fuyuki cautiously looked in the direction from which the sound came, and suddenly a person appeared in the dimly lit corner.

His eyes were the familiar iris color of Fuyuki, but his hair was silver-white, and he wore a pure white jumpsuit, making him look like a blank sheet of paper completely covered in white.

As he raised his head and looked directly into the eye, Dongshu noticed that his pupils were a darker color, yet they were like round black pearls pressed firmly into the center of his eye sockets, giving him an eerie aura.

"You shouldn't have come here, child favored by Yokohama..." The man's voice was extremely calm, carrying a mechanical indifference, showing no trace of human vitality.

He closed his eyes, opened his palm, and a piece of paper appeared on it—a worn-out piece of paper that exuded the atmosphere of an era.

The spirits stepped forward and surrounded their master, their bodies radiating the sharp aura of swords, looking extremely dangerous.

The man remained completely unmoved and showed no reaction whatsoever.

Fuyuki asked warily, "Who are you? Why are you saying this?"

How did this strange guy who suddenly appeared know about her relationship with Yokohama, and once again, he was someone who looked like Dazai Osamu?

“You should know me.” The man was expressionless, his whole demeanor icy. “Please be careful. As their prime target, they will be omnipresent around you. The invisible 0s and 1s that make up the data flow are always watching you.”

He said, "Once you step into this world, your every move will be monitored."

Without exception.

Because the reason Fuyuki entered this world in the first place was to protect Dazai Osamu's life.

Before the moment when one truly wants to die, this being cherished by the world must never die.

As the world deals with the constant influx of outsiders, it has no spare time to care for its beloved, suicidal child, and thus seeks help from the outside world.

By sheer coincidence, the child chosen by Yokohama City was a mission agent sent from another world.

As a being currently pampered by the world, everything about Dazai Osamu seems to be watched by all sorts of things.

His appearance, his memories, his emotions are no secret; everyone is stealing his existence.

"Dazai Osamu" has become a symbol. All his struggles are ruthlessly observed and analyzed, and people try to figure out how to break him down.

Fuyuki suddenly understood this information.

In different worlds, whether they are students, office workers, or even inhuman beings, all are captured by the system and brought to this world—

All this was to capture Dazai Osamu, who was the embodiment of destiny.

Their goal is this world, a world where even the world consciousness is still in its infancy.

Even if the entity that brings together fortune changes in the future, they will not give up.

Perhaps now, if Fuyuki were to travel back in time to a time before this happened, she would see another white-haired child treated this way, surrounded and intercepted, and schemed against in this way.

Fuyuki let out a long breath: "If that's the case, what am I supposed to do?"

Her mission is to stabilize the world. As one-third of the original body, she was separated in this way to carry out the mission given to her by the identity card within her body.

The unfamiliar man in pure white blinked. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up and revealed a familiar smile: "Little Winter Tree, just continue to watch over this world as you once watched over 'me'."

[Author's Note]

I'm suddenly very curious how many versions of Osamu Dazai I could write [pigeon emoji]