Chapter 27

Lolita complex? No way!

With her blonde hair falling loose, the girl lay curled up in the starry sky, surrounded by faint, breath-like flickering lights, and slightly yellowed papers fluttering around her.

Fuyuki crouched down to look at her unconscious sleeping face, and asked in confusion, "Is she alright?"

The empty starry sky firmly supported her body. Fuyuki sensed a familiar aura from the girl, but it was so ethereal that he couldn't grasp that fleeting thought.

The fluttering papers stopped, and the black words were only half revealed before being erased again, swirling around the girl once more.

As Fuyuki pondered the world's strange behavior, a few crackling sounds and a rough, mechanical voice echoed in the space: "The mark has been... banished. As for this child... the power she has lost, we can only... see what her world... does."

Like a toddler just learning to speak, the mechanical sounds of the world are jerky and paused, but each pause is no longer cold and indifferent; instead, it brings more emotion.

Fuyuki nodded, offering encouragement: "Go world!"

In the first large-scale invasion by the Time Retrograde Army, the world failed to prevent the girl placed in an independent space from being taken away, and even became the energy source for the Time Retrograde Army to invade the world.

They used the unique power of destiny emanating from this girl as a continuous source of energy to forcibly tear open the cracks in the world and invade.

During the battle, the world seized the opportunity to rescue the trapped girl and placed her in this space filled with power, while quickly re-establishing contact with the girl's original world that it had previously found.

This time, the world must send this darling of another world back.

—

"Little Winter Tree, what are you thinking about?"

Fuyuki was brought back to her senses by Dazai Osamu's voice. She looked at the hand waving in front of her and said, "It's nothing."

"What a perfunctory response—" Dazai Osamu drawled out his dissatisfaction.

Today, Dazai Osamu was still wearing that black overcoat, and the black hem bounced as he jumped around.

He was dressed in a black suit as always, with bandages peeking out from the sleeves at the elbows and wrapping around his wrists. As he turned his head, his slightly curled black hair swayed by his ears, looking relaxed and at ease.

Dongshu didn't say anything more, but just kept walking forward. A cool breeze blew from the riverbank, and her loose black hair fluttered slightly in the wind. She raised her hand to tuck the hair behind her ear, and her vision became clearer again.

She returned the hairband of Soza Samonji when she saw everyone off. The tsukumogami's clear eyes were lowered, and his pink hair fell down, making one want to tie his hair up with one's own hands.

"Things have gotten so busy lately. Mr. Mori really doesn't treat people like human beings. One mission after another, I don't even have time to embrace death..." Dazai Osamu walked beside Fuyuki, complaining casually.

With his cheeks puffed up in anger, he looked more like a teenager complaining to his friends about his troubles than a dangerous mafia member.

Dongshu looked at him with some curiosity: "Your job sounds like it pays really badly."

“Yes.” Dazai Osamu nodded in deep agreement.

"Then what are you doing here now?"

He clearly sounds so busy, how could he possibly have the leisure to take a walk with her by the river?

Fuyuki's words went unanswered. Dazai Osamu put his hand to his eyes and made a gazing motion, observing the river that was right in front of him.

"Little Winter Tree, don't you think this river is perfect for me?"

Thump!

Seeing the person who jumped into the river without asking for help, Fuyuki was forced to stop. She stood on the riverbank and quietly watched Dazai Osamu.

She didn't feel comfortable being suddenly given more work.

Please do not exploit minors.

Dazai Osamu's black hair spread out in the water, and he looked very peaceful. He didn't struggle at all. Except for the bubbles that rose up and the ripples that splashed on the surface of the water, he was as peaceful as ever afterward.

Fuyuki stood on the bank watching him without making any move, letting Dazai Osamu sink. The river wasn't very deep, but it was enough to completely submerge him.

The flow of water caused Dazai Osamu's clothes to sway, and his long black hair covered his eye, which was not covered by bandages. A gentle breeze stirred the calm water surface, creating ripples.

Dongshu approached, squatted down, and put her hand into the water. Her small palms opened and closed in the crystal-clear river, completely shattering the small patch of tranquility.

The water was a little cold, and she withdrew her hand after only a short while, shaking off the water droplets. The bubbles rising from where Dazai Osamu was standing had weakened, and his already fair skin appeared even paler.

Fuyuki watched as the paper, bearing the marks of time, appeared, its edges as rough as ever, with the familiar black arrows. Her gaze followed it.

"Cough! Cough!" Dazai Osamu coughed a few times, his thin body trembling slightly in the cold wind. He raised his hand and pulled his wet black hair that was obscuring his vision behind his head. After regaining his composure, his tone even carried a hint of regret, "Oh dear, another failure. How unfortunate."

Fuyuki helped him remove the moisture from his body, turning him back into the dry Dazai Osamu. The ground beneath him was forced to soak, turning a darker color.

She replied somewhat perfunctorily, "Okay, I wish you success next time."

Seeing that he had completely recovered from being submerged in water, Fuyuki asked, "Shall we go?"

"Where are you going?" she asked, grabbing the outstretched hand and struggling to her feet.

Dongshu looked up at him, her eyes showing doubt, but her tone was matter-of-fact: "Of course we keep going."

Although her walk was interrupted today, she will resolutely continue her walk once the unexpected event is resolved.

However, if her walking companions have things to do, she won't stop them, even if it adds to her workload.

Fuyuki asked in confusion, "Are you still going to go into the water?"

Dazai Osamu blinked: "Eh? Doesn't Fuyuki want me to leave the riverbank?"

Dongshu said seriously, "It's up to you whether you want to do what you want to do."

She doesn't force others.

Dazai Osamu paused for a moment, then laughed, blurting out without thinking, "Fuyuki, do you want to commit double suicide with me?"

Fuyuki was taken aback by his outrageous words. Dazai Osamu wasn't that kind of person. He then looked at him sternly and said, "Dazai, don't learn strange things from your boss."

She stood with her hands on her hips, trying her best to look very serious, but her short stature prevented her from being intimidating no matter how serious she was.

Having a thing for young girls is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable!

That weirdo, Forest Taro, don't use your position as a teacher to teach your students weird things!

Dazai Osamu's thoughts quickly connected with hers, and he quickly tried to salvage the situation for himself: "It's about dying for friendship!"

But this sentence also sounds strange no matter how you look at it.

Dongshu was puzzled, Dongshu pondered, Dongshu did not understand.

She nodded and then shook her head: "I don't like suicide."

Their eyes met, and they remained silent for a long time.

Ultimately, neither of them entered the water.

[Author's Note]

Look at my cover! [winking emoji]