27 Chapter 27

Winter is coming, and on the night of the full moon, everything is silent.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Bailibian quietly pushed open Nakajima Atsushi's door.

Sure enough, the bed was empty.

Everything was as expected.

"Nod your head for yes and shake your head for no, okay?"

A whole night of long conversations and nodding heads.

Now, only Nakajima Atsushi, who is in the vortex, does not know all the truth.

"A-Dun," Baili Bian, who had been prepared, refused to stay up late and chose to stay up all night. He called out to Nakajima Atsushi, who had just woken up, with full energy, "The meal is ready. Come and bring the dishes to the table."

"Okay, brother." Although he had a good night's sleep, Nakajima Atsushi was still a little listless. But even so, he still forced himself to respond.

It’s so strange. I went to bed early last night.

In order to make up for the missed lessons, Nakajima Atsushi studied hard every night during the first week of school.

It was not until the weekend, that is, last night, that he reluctantly put down his book and fell asleep before 11 o'clock under Bailibian's advice.

Maybe it’s because I suddenly went to bed so early and my body can’t adapt to it?

Somehow, Nakajima Atsushi felt not only listless but also a little dizzy.

Fortunately, it was not too serious. Nakajima Atsushi looked at Bailibian who was eating breakfast and thought, otherwise his brother would worry again.

After breakfast, Nakajima Atsushi took it upon himself to clean the table and dishes. When he came out of the kitchen, he saw Baili Bian sitting on the sofa in the living room and waving at him. "A-Dun, there are some things I think I should tell you now."

Although Bailibian's tone was not serious, Nakajima Atsushi suddenly became nervous.

Although he had long since determined that Bailibian was a good person, Nakajima Atsushi couldn't help but think that he was the kind of person who would say "The world will be destroyed tomorrow" in the tone of "What a nice weather today."

"Actually, there are people in this world who are called superpowers." After Nakajima Atsushi sat down next to Bailibian and hugged the pillow, Bailibian spoke, "That's right, superpowers do exist, but we call them superpowers."

Why?

Why!

Nakajima Atsushi looked at Bailibian in disbelief. Could it be that...

"Yes, I am a person with special abilities."

Sure enough, his brother is a person with super powers.

Nakajima Atsushi accepted this well. He was just a little worried that Bailibian, as a person with superpowers, might have a similar mission of saving the world.

"And you are also a mutant."

Why?

Why!

Are you kidding?

Nakajima Atsushi pointed at himself in disbelief. He looked at Baili Bian with confusion, expecting him to say as usual that he was just joking and teasing him.

But Bailibian nodded seriously, ignoring Nakajima Atsushi's panicked expression, and continued, "My ability is to prevent harm within a certain range and strengthen people's desire to communicate, and your ability..."

Did he actually have special abilities? Nakajima Atsushi recalled his life over the years, but apart from making the dean unhappy, he seemed no different from other children.

"It's turning into a cat."

cat?

So… "That cat in the orphanage was me?" Nakajima Atsushi suddenly realized, then said with difficulty accepting, "But I don't have any memory of this!"

Baili Bian didn't say anything, leaving space for Nakajima Atsushi to think on his own.

Nakajima Atsushi felt like he was being torn in two. One half belonged to him, constantly shouting, "This is impossible!" The other half came from Bailibian. His trust in him and years of doubts prompted him to believe the absurd facts Bailibian said.

During the constant pulling, a small part of one side fell off, and the sound it made even drowned out the other two parts.

Is this the reason why my brother chose me?

If I am not a person with super powers, if Bailibian has found the wrong person, then...what should I do?

Under immense pressure, Nakajima Atsushi didn't know whether he had actually spoken out loud about this thought. He could only see Baili Bian, who was originally sitting across from him, walk forward, pat his back, and say:

"I was also surprised at first that Adun would become furry when he fell asleep. Remember the bed that was moved? That's how I discovered it."

bed?

"There are traces of cat scratches all over the bed boards. I even suspected that you had a cat behind my back."

Is that why you ask "cat"?

Nakajima Atsushi recalled the day when Bailibian invited him to become a family member. The other party enthusiastically talked about his love for cats, and then talked about the cat in the orphanage.

"Although I didn't get any definitive information that day, seeing how A-Dun changed his attitude after just a few words and accepted the nightmare that had enveloped his entire childhood as just an ordinary big cat, I felt that regardless of whether he was a superpower or not, A-Dun would definitely be able to accept that I am a superpower."

Nakajima Atsushi widened his eyes in surprise, his slightly open mouth revealing his confusion.

"...No matter what, people with special abilities are a minority. Just like Harry Potter's aunt and family couldn't accept that he was a wizard, there are many people in this world who can't accept the existence of people with special abilities."

"So, only after I was sure that A-Dun wouldn't reject me just because I was different did I have the courage to keep you. After all, even if you were deceived, you would forgive me."

Looking at the complacent Baili Bian, Nakajima Atsushi was not angry at being deceived, and even felt strangely happy - it turned out that he was not the only one who was worried about having a family.

"So..." Mustering his courage, Nakajima Atsushi asked, "How do I use my special abilities?"

Is it like shouting slogans like in cartoons? Or chanting spells?

"I don't know," Bailibian frankly stated what he knew. "Everyone has different ways of controlling their abilities: touch, notebooks, injuries... As for A-Dun, what's certain now is that you transform every time the moon is full or when you're emotionally agitated, and your body's ability to repair itself is also slightly stronger than others."

Although he didn't know how to control his supernatural powers, Nakajima Atsushi still nodded seriously and carefully took note of what Bailibian said.

The foreshadowing was almost complete, and Bailibian outlined today's schedule. "To better understand superpowers, let's go to the Armed Detective Agency for our next commission."

After spending some time together, Bailibian has found the secret to getting along with Nakajima Atsushi - don't give him time to react.

He would just leave after saying it, pull up and run, and Nakajima Atsushi would subconsciously follow his actions. By the time he reacted, they had usually reached their destination.

"younger brother?"

Although the Armed Detective Agency is not the Port Mafia or the Special Ability Agency, they are still open all year round - not by numbers, not by pressure, but by rotation.

The members who stayed in the Armed Detective Agency today were the dedicated Kunikida, the stern president, and Ranpo, who was still present despite sleeping in.

Without caring about Bailibian's concealment for many days, the people in the detective agency congratulated Bailibian on having a family.

This enthusiasm also gradually reduced the tension that had arisen after Nakajima realized it belatedly. He followed Bailibian obediently, followed him into the lounge, and listened to the details of Bailibian's request with the other detectives.

"Controlling supernatural powers?" This was not something Kunikida was good at, but he still dutifully told Nakajima Atsushi everything he knew about supernatural powers.

Although he listened carefully, Nakajima Atsushi still couldn't find the trick.

This face was full of certainty, but there was a confused expression in his eyes, which obviously could not be concealed by Kunikida Doppo, who used to be a mathematics teacher.

It’s just like supernatural powers and math problems, sometimes they require some sudden enlightenment and can’t be achieved by blindly forcing them.

Edogawa Ranpo, who was joining in the fun, activated his special ability on Nakajima Atsushi, "Let me see, your special ability is... turning into a cat!"

The exclamation shocked not only Nakajima Atsushi, but also Fukuzawa Yukichi.

Baili Bian, who had been prepared, clapped his hands in admiration - this was the purpose of his special conversation with Nakajima Atsushi before coming.

Edogawa Ranpo has never boasted that he is the best detective in the world. Whether in observation or reasoning, he had already realized how powerful the other party was when he first met him.

Baili Bian knew that the secret of his special abilities might not have been fully discovered in front of this famous detective, but what the other party knew was definitely beyond his imagination.

But even though the Armed Detective Agency is very different from the Special Ability Department and the Port Mafia, he is still unwilling to reveal all the secrets, nor does he want Nakajima Atsushi's ability to be exposed to the other party.

So how can we hide it from the sharp eyes of the famous detective?

First, fool yourself;

Then, let him discover it on his own.

Nakajima Atsushi knows that his special ability is to turn into a cat. Bailibian thinks that Nakajima Atsushi's special ability is to turn into a cat. The evidence in both of their minds is the cat's claw marks in the room and Nakajima Atsushi's cat-like hobbies.

Lacking superb concealing skills, Edogawa Ranpo does not need to use his special ability "super reasoning" to get the answers he wants from his words and actions.

As for whether Nakajima Atsushi's first impression was so profound that he couldn't properly understand his own abilities for a long time afterwards...

Is this important?

Will he lose the courage to resist just because he is a cat?

"What's the name of your superpower?" Faced with the question, Nakajima Atsushi remembered what Baili Bian had specifically told him on the way here - just make one up yourself, and don't be too childish.

"A cat." Nakajima Atsushi, who had no experience in naming, was busy all the way, and in the end he could only give the most concise and clear name.

To say I wasn't shocked would be a lie.

Similar abilities, similar ability names. Although Fukuzawa Yukichi's confidence in his teacher's character made him believe that the teacher would never abandon his child, he still couldn't help but wonder whether Nakajima Atsushi might be the descendant of Natsume teacher who was left behind.