Chapter 44: Water Intake x Dropping Out of School x Good Boy

Dazai stood up and pushed Yuya Koshigi's back to sit in the chair that belonged to the leader.

"How does it feel to sit here, Yuya?"

Xiao Lu You also carefully observed: "If you don't draw the curtains, the outside light is a bit dazzling, and the computer screen reflects light very badly."

Dazai couldn't help but chuckle.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the smile on his face never faded after seeing Yuya Ozawa. His iris-colored eyes were as gentle as if filled with moonlight.

"What about Mr. Nasen? Did you kill him?"

Dazai tapped the table, his pace unhurried: "No. Mr. Mori is my mentor, how could I do such a thing to my mentor?"

Yuya peeked out from behind the chair: "Did Chuuya help?"

Chuuya Nakahara gritted his teeth: "How could I possibly help him do something like that? He used a mission to get me away, and by the time I came back, it was all over."

Although the reasons for joining the Mafia were not pleasant, since he chose to pledge allegiance to the Mafia, Chuuya Nakahara naturally offered his full loyalty.

He willingly made Mafia his home, becoming the sharpest sword in Mori Ōgai's hand.

The Grand Preceptor knew this, which is why he deliberately moved the people away.

The entire process of rising to power was not bloody. No one knows when Dazai had this idea or when he gathered so many people around him.

One night later, the port Mafia welcomed a new leader, Mori Ōgai, who had disappeared without a trace.

Yuya looked at Dazai, his gaze filled with worry: "So, something happened that I don't know about?"

Dazai did not answer: "Did Yuya bring us any gifts when he came back?"

Xiao Lu You could only rummage through his suitcase: "Of course I brought it. I came back suddenly without telling you because I wanted to give you a surprise, but who knew you would give me an even bigger surprise."

He bought some famous snacks from Tokyo, and two dolls.

"The black puppy belongs to Chuuya, and the brown puppy belongs to Dazai."

Chuuya Nakahara compared the two dolls and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant: "Why is mine so much smaller?"

Xiao Luyou also felt a little guilty: "After all, sometimes animal sculptures need to be based on the original models..."

Chuuya was about the same height as him, but much shorter than Dazai.

That, of course, manifests in the doll's body as...

Chuuya Nakahara's expression didn't reveal how happy he was, but he still said, "I'll keep it safe."

Yuya chuckled and ruffled Chuuya's hair.

Without standing on tiptoe, it seems he can only touch Chuuya's head.

Chuuya Nakahara's expression was gentler than he himself had noticed.

"By the way, what's with those cat ears? I didn't know you had a cosplay fetish."

Yuya exclaimed in surprise, "Chuuya, you even know about cosplay?"

"I've encountered this before during missions."

Yuya Oguri also talked about the cursed spirits.

Chuuya Nakahara was somewhat surprised: "Fortunately, it didn't harm your body."

"Want to touch it? It feels really nice."

middle

Harunaka was somewhat tempted, but he restrained himself and told Yuya, "Don't say things like that to others, or invite others to touch your cat ears, it's dangerous."

"Chuya is no one else, so I'll let Chuya touch me."

Chuuya Nakahara couldn't help but laugh.

"Now that Yuya is back, I want a vacation! I want to rest!"

"What are you talking about, kid! Do you think this sudden change of leadership and expansion of power has accumulated a lot of work? You haven't even approved the documents on the table yet!" Chuuya Nakahara was here to protect Dazai and also to supervise him.

After becoming the new leader, Dazai implemented many reforms.

The smuggling routes were cut off, and the unjustified breach of contract triggered a series of chain reactions.

Chuuya Nakahara has been sleeping only four hours a day for a week now.

He had to suppress the riots outside and also keep an eye on Dazai. Because if he wasn't careful, Dazai would disappear from his office and reappear in some unknown river in Yokohama.

He left behind a huge pile of work, and everyone rushed to him in a panic, seeking his help.

Dazai said casually, "Isn't there still Chuuya? I'll leave those things to you."

"That's a matter for the leader to handle!"

Dazai picked up the paper and pen on the table and casually wrote something down: "Silver Edict, now, you are the acting leader."

Keep up the good work!

He grabbed Yuuka and ran off, leaving Chuuya Nakahara furious but forced to leave work.

All Yuya could say in his heart was, "Chuuya, I'm sorry."

It's clear that something happened to Dazai that he doesn't know about, which caused him to change his past behavior.

He was a little worried.

If you can find a quiet place, just ask Dazai carefully.

However, Yuya felt he probably wouldn't get any information from the questions.

Dazai is very good at giving montage-style answers.

Everything he said was true, but it might not be entirely true.

Montage-style lies.

She divorced me and got together with someone else, so I hit her.

I hit her, and she divorced me and got together with someone else.

Simply reversing the order of the three short sentences completely changes their meaning.

As a childhood friend, Yuya Kojima knew better than anyone how adept Dazai Osamu was at using such linguistic traps.

"Back in Yokohama, back in familiar surroundings, why does Yuya still have such a long face?"

Yuya Ogura looked resentful and said, "Don't you know why I have a crying face?"

Whose fault is it that he did this?

Dazai smiled.

Instead of having someone take them back, he walked with Yuya Kojima along the road.

As they crossed the bridge, Dazai suddenly stopped, looking at the shimmering water: "Yuya, do you remember what you said to me on my third birthday?"

"Remember."

Xiao Lu Youye also stopped: "That was your first birthday, and you said you didn't want to celebrate it."

But for Yuya, birthdays still hold special significance. He took out his meager allowance and bought a small birthday cake.

At midnight, I carried the cake up the pipe to the third floor and knocked on the door on the balcony.

Dazai didn't sleep either.

Upon seeing it was him, he immediately opened the balcony door.

When she saw the birthday cake, she even showed a disgusted expression.

[Give me a jar of crab roe instead of this.]

Of course, you have to eat birthday cake on your birthday.

That night, Yuya Ogawa pressed Dazai's head down, blew out the candles, made a wish, and cut the cake.

What did you wish for?

[Isn't it true that saying it aloud makes it lose its power?]

Didn't you say you didn't believe in this?

It's okay to believe it occasionally, right?

It was late at night, and Yuya hadn't gone home yet, so he squeezed into Dazai's bed to sleep.

[Yuya, how long can you stay with me?]

I don't know, it's been quite a while. If he doesn't die, with some maintenance, he should be able to live to seventy or eighty.

What if I die?

"You still haven't given up on suicidal thoughts? I told you a long time ago that this kind of thing is wrong."

[If this is just a hypothetical scenario.]

【I don't know. Dazai, you're always sick and your health isn't good. I told you I'd take good care of you. If you die, there's probably nothing I can do.】

【What's the meaning? 】

Since I'm protecting you, I must die before you do, then you'll die.

[Will Yuya protect me?]

Well, I'm willing now, I'm willing next year, and I'm willing the year after. But what about after that? I can't say for sure.

It's hard to say for sure, but since then, Mingming has never left and has always protected her.

Moreover, they kept their promise.

"Wait a minute, are you trying to change the subject?" Yuya suddenly became wary. "You're deliberately changing the subject again."

"How can you say it's changing the subject? I just asked a question out of curiosity."

"One person, one time. Now it's time for you to answer my question."

Dazai readily agreed: "Indeed, some things have happened."

This is the answer to the first question asked during our meeting.

Yuya grabbed Dazai by the collar and shook him violently: "You know perfectly well that's not what I'm asking!"

"Oh dear, didn't we agree to one question per person? I've already answered Yuya." Dazai remained calm despite being shaken dizzy.

"You're cheating!"

The Grand Preceptor remained silent.

Yuya softened his tone: "Osamu, please tell me, tell me what happened. You know, with my personality, if you don't tell me, I'll keep feeling bad."

"Given Yuya's personality, if he can't get a result on something within three hours, he'll just give up."

Dazai hit the nail on the head.

Yuya Ozawa has very good habits.

He never lets too many things bother him.

Yuya blushed: "It's different. It's different for Osamu."

If Aji hadn't told him, he... would have agonized over it for at least a day, and wouldn't have given up until more than twenty-four hours later.

Any longer and I'll pass.

Given how tight-lipped Dazai is, there are things I really can't tell him...

No matter what, I won't say anything.

Dazai held Yuya's hand and loosened his collar.

Amidst the horrified expressions of those around him, he climbed over the bridge and jumped off.

"Thump—!"

With a huge splash, Dazai's voice disappeared on the bridge.

He made no attempt to struggle, letting himself sink little by little.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Luyou jumped down with a "plop".

Dazai opened his eyes and saw Yuya the deer swimming towards him, and slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Yuya grabbed Dazai's hand, but instead of pulling him up, he was pulled deeper into the water.

He stared into Dazai's eyes, as if trying to confirm something.

After a few seconds, he stopped moving, letting himself and Dazai sink deeper into the water.

Yuya thought that if Dazai really didn't want to live anymore, then he would just go with him.

In the water, one should only hear the gurgling of the water, but Xiaolu You also felt that he heard a sigh.

"Splash—"

Two heads suddenly popped up from the water, scaring away the wild cats drinking by the river.

The first time, it was Dazai who pulled Yuya Koshino ashore.

In the past, it was always Yuya Ozawa who dragged Dazai along like a dead fish.

Watching Yuya, who was spitting out water and cleaning the fish weeds off his body, complaining that Dazai didn't choose a clean river to enter, Dazai suddenly spoke up: "Yuya, Mori-san is no longer the leader."

Yuya wrung out his clothes, and water splashed onto the floor: "I know."

"Therefore, you don't need to continue the task that Mr. Mori assigned to you before."

It took Yuya a moment to realize what Dazai meant.

"Let's go back to Yokohama. We don't need to continue with the vocational school."

"Whether or not you learn the spellcaster's techniques is irrelevant."

He has the ability to solve these problems in other ways.

At that moment, the faces of Gojo Satoru and Natsume Yuuya appeared in Kojima Yuya's mind.

His distraction wasn't obvious, but how could Dazai miss it?

Her iris-colored eyes grew even deeper.

Dazai pinched Yuya's chin: "Who was Yuya thinking about just now?"

"Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Suguru?"

"In just one month, have their influence on Yuya reached the point where they can interfere with your decisions?"

Yuya Kojima hesitated before answering, "It shouldn't be that bad."

Dazai looked at Yuya: "Which side should we choose?"

"Which side? What do you mean, which side?"

"Should you choose either of them, or me?"

Dazai has never really liked multiple-choice questions like this.

But the person he was facing was Yuya Ozawa, and he had the confidence that he was chosen without any reason.

Yuya's hesitation didn't last long.

He spoke slowly: "Then... I should drop out of the vocational college?"

Dazai smiled.

"Good boy!"