Chapter 34 The Main Body in Eighteen Days

From Edakawa's perspective, he was already quite dependent on Gojo Satoru.

Currently, the only people who can make him feel dependent on them are probably Gojo Satoru and Edogawa Ranpo.

"If that's the case..."

If you say you can rely on me a little more.

"Teacher, can you stay a little longer today?"

He wouldn't say such things to anyone else, and he almost made such an inappropriate request even to Gojo Satoru.

"Hmm." Gojo Satoru was about to walk towards the balcony when he heard this and turned back. He grunted, "It's rare to see you making a request."

or:"……"

In reality, they might wish they could just cover their faces and disappear on the spot.

He's an idiot.

What was he just saying?

The light from the ceiling shimmered in the boy's deep blue eyes. Gojo Satoru recalled the first time he met Edagawa, when the sunlight shimmered in his eyes, reflecting the boy's reserved yet gentle vitality.

He snapped his fingers, in a cheerful mood: "But no problem."

Faced with rare requests from adorable students, the invincible people's teacher will almost never refuse unless absolutely necessary.

Gojo Satoru originally wanted to take a stroll on the balcony, but after being called back halfway, he simply turned back, crossed his long legs, and sat on the sofa.

He had the air of an old man.

Or she glanced at him, walked to the coffee table, and bent down to look for something in the TV cabinet.

Gojo Satoru noticed the boy's thin back and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Looking for a disc." or "I'm looking for a disc."

He didn't look up, and his voice sounded muffled.

"Huh? Watching a movie?" Gojo Satoru sounded quite interested.

He always felt that after not seeing his most adorable student for a few days, he had developed some strange little oddities.

He changed to a half-kneeling position, his back straight, his light blue bangs neatly combed, and turned to look at Gojo Satoru: "Hmm."

Edakawa might have to admit that when he asked Gojo Satoru if he could stay a little longer, he wasn't really thinking anything. He just followed Gojo Satoru's previous statement, and perhaps with some internal motivation, he asked that question.

Besides watching movies, he couldn't think of anything else he and Gojo Satoru could do right now.

He asked the other person for their opinion: "Is there anything the teacher would like to see?"

"A horror movie!" That sounded even more intriguing.

"..." or after a moment of silence, seemingly somewhat helpless, "Teacher, I don't usually watch that kind of stuff. But it should exist, I'll look for it."

He bent down, rummaged through the cabinet, and finally found a few rare horror DVDs.

"You can choose, teacher, either one is fine."

Gojo Satoru pointed to one of the pictures and asked, "Have you seen it?"

"No." or shake your head.

He doesn't have the habit of watching horror movies.

When I was in Miyagi, I was dragged to watch horror movies by Oikawa, and when I was in high school, I was dragged to watch movies by Panda.

Then Gojo Satoru happily decided: "That's it."

Before turning off the lights, take out two glasses of milk from the refrigerator.

He raised his hand and looked around: "It's still just milk, teacher. It's inconvenient to boil, and adding honey might be a bit difficult to dissolve."

Gojo Satoru waved his hand to indicate that it was alright, and Edagawa handed it to him.

To the left of the living room is the balcony, its windows reflecting the streetlights. To the right is the dining room, illuminated by the lights of the neighboring building.

The light was dim but not dark; one could still discern the surrounding environment using only the range of human vision.

However, in order to match the horror movie atmosphere emphasized by Gojo Satoru, the curtains were also drawn, so now you really can't see anything lit except for the light from the TV screen.

Alternatively, place your phone on the coffee table between the sofa and the TV so you can easily grab it when you need it later, instead of letting it fall into the gap between the sofa and get lost.

After doing all this, he sat cross-legged on the sofa, biting on a straw.

He had already had a glass of milk at Lupin Bar when he was with Dazai Osamu before, but he really likes milk and doesn't get tired of it easily.

Gojo Satoru's legs are probably too long (?) to cross easily, so he just sits with his legs crossed.

Or perhaps they have no interest in it.

He stared intently at the screen, the flickering light and shadow reflected in his eyes like a mirror or a DVD replay.

His mind was almost blank; there was nothing there, but nothing could enter it either.

The air was so still it seemed to have stopped moving.

He gradually became aware of the strange stillness, realizing this shouldn't be the atmosphere of a horror movie. At this moment, only silence flowed into the small space, but there was no eeriness.

The virtual image displayed on the screen and the screaming sound coming from the speakers seemed to be blocked at the point above the coffee table.

He glanced at Gojo Satoru casually, trying to do something to cover up the eerie silence.

To avoid any unexpected events from happening.

What has the teacher been doing lately?

"Going on a business trip."

Or perhaps he recalled that a few hours earlier, Dazai Osamu had mentioned the butterfly effect to him, which he himself had likened to the butterfly flapping its wings in the South American rainforest even earlier.

That was when he took the first step in making a compromise, and it was the boy that Gojo Satoru had mentioned to him.

He asked, "How is Huzhang doing?"

Gojo Satoru was surprised for a moment. He hadn't expected that Edagawa would mention something about Itadori Yuujin next: "I let him follow Nanami."

or:"……"

You're making Mr. Nanami sound like your subordinate, Mr. Gojo.

"Teacher." He finally broke from his long-held posture, grabbed a nearby cushion, and buried his face in it: "Didn't you ever think about abandoning me?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Edakawa probably realized that he was now completely contrary to his original purpose.

From the moment the silence began to spread, it was destined that something would develop out of control.

The only difference is whether it was him or Gojo Satoru who brought it up first.

What's this?

Is it also the butterfly effect?

But his tone was as calm as the air around him.

While not all of Dazai Osamu's comments about him are entirely accurate, one statement is undeniably true.

Edakawa is perhaps overly calm.

The more important something is, the calmer he becomes—perfectly inversely proportional.

He felt Gojo Satoru turn his head and look at him. Gojo Satoru's expression was almost exactly the same calm as Edakawa's.

“No, or,” he said.

"Why?"

"Well, maybe it's because I feel that if I don't take care of you, you won't come back."

He felt a sudden sense of relief, as if the contradictions he had been suppressing and restraining had been torn apart.

He smiled, not in a desolate way, but rather with a gentle grace, like the bright moon hanging high in the night sky outside the window: "Teacher, it's not just what you think, it's the truth."

But at the same time, I also feel a bit tired.

From the day he happened to meet Chuuya Nakahara, only to have his secret ultimately exposed by Osamu Dazai.

I was gripped by an unspeakable anxiety.

He rarely doubted himself.

From his youth... no, it should be from his early childhood, much earlier than his youth, Edakawa may have already been able to recognize himself.

As a longtime friend, Oikawa Tetsu could sense this, which is why he repeatedly said, "I don't know whether to say it's easy or easygoing."

Oikawa Tetsu really couldn't explain it, because even Edagawa or himself couldn't tell the difference.

But his suspicions are now quite obvious.

The slight wavering came from Gojo Satoru at the beginning of the story, but the most fundamental doubt was attributed to Dazai Osamu.

However, it may be impossible to make a judgment immediately—it is impossible to determine whether Dazai Osamu's breakdown was a good thing or a bad thing.

People can never be generalized; some people would rather live in darkness, while others long to die in the sunlight.

Not to mention that the so-called "suitable" and "willing" are never the same thing.

He suppressed a smile, watching the changing scenes on the television, his gaze drifting towards the screen but not focusing on it.

His gaze transcended the real space, escaping the three-dimensional realm, and it was unclear what he was looking at.

“I don’t really like anything, teacher.” He turned his head, the flickering lights making Gojo Satoru’s vision unclear. He organized his thoughts, trying to explain objectively from an observer’s perspective. “I have two childhood friends in Miyagi who love playing volleyball. We’ve known each other for six years, and I’ve watched them play volleyball for six whole years, but I’ve barely even touched a volleyball. When I came to the vocational high school, I didn’t particularly like the profession of sorcerer. At first, I even had regretful thoughts like, ‘Vocational high school is so tiring. I should have gone to Aoki with Oikawa Iwazumi,’ or ‘It’s okay if I just keep watching them play volleyball.’”

It's too long.

This passage is too long.

As he grew older, the boy's voice gradually became somewhat ethereal, as if it were coming from a very distant place.

"Of course, even now, I still really like the identity of a sorcerer—I'm serious, no joke." At this point, her tone shifted again, "But, Gojo-sensei, you know, no emotion is permanent. I could go from regretting joining the high school to being very happy to fight alongside everyone, Maki, Toshi, Panda, and Yuuta, so I can also change it or forget it."

There is no such thing as an unattainable result in the world; there is only a lack of the process to reach that result.

“I like sorcerers, but that doesn’t mean I’ll always like them, or that they’ll be my only like.” After saying that, he suddenly paused, “…Teacher, does this sound like some kind of scumbag quote? But it really is, and if it comes to that, I really won’t turn back.”

“That’s why I have to hold onto you,” Gojo Satoru said.

You're practically begging me for help right now.

He reached out and easily touched Zhichuan's wrist, which trembled slightly, like an uneasy animal cub.

But he couldn't break free; he huddled into the sofa, sinking even deeper.

Or perhaps they were relieved that the lights were off and the curtains were drawn, making it very dark.

He opened his mouth and continued speaking.

This was the last sentence he wanted to say, and the only question in his long speech. It was a short sentence, but it sounded somewhat disjointed.

One might ask, "Teacher, what's the point of you holding me?"

He is not good at saying no to people, especially to Gojo Satoru.

For so long, because he hadn't been able to completely sever his ties to Tokyo, he had never asked so directly and bluntly, letting everything continue as it was.

But now, or rather, they've spoken out completely.

Dazai Osamu said that his sorrow was nauseating.

Edogawa Ranpo made him worry-free.

Gojo Satoru told him that he could rely on him more.

Then tell me.

—What's the point of holding me like this?

Edakawa may not be a genius sorcerer. Although he grows quickly, in the sorcerer industry where talent determines the upper limit, a sorcerer without a good bloodline will also reach the limit quickly while growing fast. Once he reaches level one, he is almost set and it is unlikely that he will continue to grow and become powerful enough to become a new generation successor.

Among their cohort, excluding those who were halfway through, he was the last to meet Gojo Satoru.

Including this year's first-year students, the closest one is undoubtedly Fushiguro Megumi.

What's so special about Edogawa? What makes it different from other places?

Even he himself couldn't quite find it.

Whether it's Tokyo or Yokohama, among so many people, find one who can become a sorcerer like him or a detective's assistant like him.

Is it difficult?

It's not difficult.

There are countless branches or streams in the world.

He appears incredibly calm now, but this is actually his least composed moment.

He had been praised for his rationality in so many battles, but now he was gambling.

Throughout his life, he always took one step at a time, never indulging in wild fantasies or hoping for anything beyond that.

Edakawa's life trajectory is extremely stable.

He doesn't have unconventional ambitions, but this time he's willing to take a gamble.

But just this one time.

If we lose, we'll give up Tokyo forever.

I will never look back.

“It’s rare for someone to ask me about the purpose of my actions,” Gojo Satoru said.

He's always been used to doing things his own way. He might do many things that go against the wishes of those above him, but no one cares about his motives; they only care about the results. Besides, asking about the final outcome might just make them angry.

“I’m not used to thinking about these kinds of questions; it’s just that I want to do it,” he said. “I can watch you leave the vocational school and come to Yokohama because that’s the direction you chose. But I can’t watch you completely say goodbye to Tokyo and me; that’s something I can’t accept.”

Or suddenly feel even more intense fatigue.

It seems like many things are out of control, he thought.

He leaned to his left, where Gojo Satoru was sitting.

He asked softly, "Why?"

“Hmm, it’s also a bit of a hassle for me to keep asking why,” Gojo Satoru said. “I’ve said it before, right? She’s probably my cutest student, so it’s only natural that I want to keep my cutest student.”

Or perhaps they remembered something from the underworld.

Who is the teacher's favorite student?

His voice lowered.

"It's pretty obvious by now, isn't it?" Gojo Satoru said with a smile, "Or."

The self-evident answer left Edakawa in disbelief.

If life is likened to a game of chess, this was undoubtedly the boldest and most reckless move he ever made.

He had no definite certainty.

But his gamble proved to be worthwhile, because he won so decisively.

……Why?

Or perhaps he was reminded of Osamu Dazai.

He remembered what the black-haired boy had said when he pushed the empty glass toward him: "But life never moves in the most suitable direction."

Osamu Dazai.

He reluctantly admitted that the statement was true.

Suddenly, Gojo felt a weight on his shoulder, and the boy's breath pattered against his neck.

"...Teacher, I'm so tired."

"..." Gojo Satoru turned his head and saw the boy's quiet face. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow and even.

She fell asleep.

Gojo felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.

The surrounding light wasn't particularly bright, but Erikawa was so close to him that Gojo Satoru felt he could count Erikawa's eyelashes if the lights were on.

The movie never paused, and the screen kept shaking. They had just talked so much, and the movie just kept playing. Now, I don't know where it is.

Gojo Satoru wasn't interested and pressed pause.

"Goodnight," he said softly at the end, gently smoothing the boy's fluffy light blue hair with his hand. "Sleep well, or perhaps you really are too tired."