Chapter 35

Several years later.

Dazai Osamu sat in Lupin Bar, wearing the black coat that Mori Ougai had shamelessly shoved into his clothes. He leaned on the bar counter, listlessly staring at the glass of iced water that was supposed to be whiskey, and poking at the ice ball in the glass with his finger.

The dim light cast a shadow on him, making him appear both lonely and captivating.

There was a book pressed tightly under his arm, but it wasn't his beloved "Complete Kill" from before; it was a completely different book.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind Dazai Osamu. He sat up straight and lazily greeted them without turning his head, "Odasaku, Ango, you're too slow!" He dragged out the words, as if he were being coquettish.

The two approaching figures ignored Dazai Osamu's complaints and strode over to sit down beside him.

"Huh? You're ignoring me? I'm so heartbroken. I've been waiting for you guys here all this time!" Dazai Osamu looked at his two friends beside him.

Ango Sakaguchi pushed up his glasses, the white light reflecting off them obscuring the dark circles under his eyes. He ordered a drink for himself and Sakunosuke Oda before turning to look at Osamu Dazai.

"Do you think everyone can be like you? Skipping work whenever you want, slacking off whenever you want, and still getting paid without a complaint from the boss! They practically treat you like royalty." As he spoke, Ango Sakaguchi felt a surge of bitterness welling up inside him, and the envious yet resentful look he gave Osamu Dazai couldn't be hidden even by his glasses.

"Hehe!" Dazai Osamu smiled sweetly. This was the benefit of keeping Dr. Mori on his toes, something these two wage slaves could only dream of!

"Don't laugh, I'm jealous right now!" Sakaguchi Ango turned his head away from Dazai Osamu's punchable face.

“Dazai, don’t provoke Ango. He’s only rested for four or five hours in the past two days. Now he just wants to come out for drinks to relax.” Oda Sakunosuke explained to his two friends on behalf of Sakaguchi Ango.

"Is the leader really that heartless? Isn't he afraid that Ango will suddenly die?"

Oda Sakunosuke fell silent for a moment. If the leader was afraid of such things, he wouldn't be the leader of the Port Mafia, but a philanthropist.

Capitalists are all corrupt, let alone Mori Ōgai, who is also a Mafia leader. He is even more corrupt and despicable.

“Ango, don’t let him bully you! You have to fight back, you have to rise up…” Dazai Osamu sidled up to Sakaguchi Ango and gave him a bad idea, “Next time the boss assigns you so many tasks, just climb up to the rooftop above him and threaten him!”

“Doing this would cause a big news story, wouldn’t it? For example:…” Oda Sakunosuke thought for a moment, following Dazai Osamu’s words, but before he could say anything, Dazai Osamu blurted out:

"An unscrupulous boss bullies his employees, driving one to the brink of suicide!"

"The agony of continuous overtime work drove an employee to suicide!"

"Is this a distortion of human nature or a decline in morality?"

It's just another clickbait headline.

The three of them couldn't help but laugh.

“This is something you can do, but I can’t.” Sakaguchi Ango smiled and glared at Dazai Osamu.

"Is that the book under your arm a collection of works recently published by Akutagawa-sensei?" Oda Sakunosuke had already noticed the unusual book under Dazai Osamu's arm.

Dazai Osamu raised his arm, revealing the book "The Complete Works of Ryunosuke Akutagawa".

"This book was just published and it's extremely hard to buy. I queued for ages but still couldn't get one. Dazai, you're really lucky!" Oda Sakunosuke's gaze lingered on the book for a long time, so long that Dazai Osamu tucked it even deeper into his clothes.

"Hmph, good luck?!" Sakaguchi Ango, who had been teased by Dazai Osamu, snorted coldly and ruthlessly exposed the fact that Dazai Osamu was trying to cover up: "Oda, you don't know, do you? Dazai is a big fan of Akutagawa-sensei. He even mobilized his subordinates to queue up at various bookstores in Yokohama to buy this book."

"He ostensibly invited us for drinks today, but he probably just wanted to show off!" Sakaguchi Ango outwardly expressed disdain for Dazai Osamu's behavior, but in reality, he was already extremely envious of that book.

"Tch, don't think I don't know. Ango skipped work once in a century just to buy it. But he still couldn't get it, and now he's just envious of me~" Dazai Osamu said smugly.

“I really like Akutagawa-sensei’s collection of works, but I haven’t been able to buy it yet,” Oda Sakunosuke said with some regret. “Fortunately, I heard that the publisher has started expedited printing.”

"Didn't Oda Sakunosuke say he was going to write a novel too?" Dazai Osamu asked.

“Yes, as I told you before, I really like a novel without an ending, so I wanted to try writing one myself. But I’ve always doubted whether I can really write a novel with these blood-stained hands.” Oda Sakunosuke looked at the “Complete Works of Ryunosuke Akutagawa” in Dazai Osamu’s hands, his eyes filled with confusion.

"What kind of thinking is that?! As long as you have hands, a pen, and paper, you can write a novel. It's just writing a novel, why does it have to be different for people?" Sakaguchi Ango particularly couldn't understand Oda Sakunosuke's idea. "No profession is superior or inferior. Of course, we are Mafia, bad people in the social sense. If we die, it's our just deserts. But that doesn't prevent us from having freedom of thought!"

Ango Sakaguchi was particularly charismatic when he said those words.

"Wow!" Dazai Osamu clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Ango is absolutely right! Oda Sakunosuke, you should take note. It's just writing novels, keep it up!"

"Moreover, I've always felt that it's not a question of whether you're qualified to write or not. Oda Sakunosuke clearly has procrastination issues and hasn't started writing at all." Dazai Osamu, who had known Oda Sakunosuke for several years, made a sharp remark.

Oda Sakunosuke choked, unable to refute, and could only change the subject.

"Then... what do you think about me trying my best to participate in the 'Akutagawa Prize' established in the name of Professor Akutagawa?" Oda Sakunosuke asked hesitantly.

"Great idea, give it a try! I believe you can do it!" Ango Sakaguchi was very generous, showering everyone with encouragement.

Dazai Osamu remained silent. "The Akutagawa Prize! ...He wants it too! So, Oda Sakunosuke is no longer a friend, but a rival?"

As friends of Dazai Osamu, Oda Sakunosuke and Sakaguchi Ango could easily see the change in his expression.

"Dazai, do you also want the Akutagawa Prize?"

Isn't it obvious?

Dazai Osamu not only wanted the Akutagawa Prize, but also wanted Ryunosuke Akutagawa's autograph!

God knows how complex his feelings were after he learned that the author of his favorite novel was Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Excitement, joy, disbelief...

Sometimes he would think: If Akutagawa's fans knew that he had known Akutagawa since childhood, and that they had lived under the same roof, gone to school together, eaten together, and chatted together, they would be so envious of him!

Believe it or not, he now envies his former self and often regrets not cherishing the time he spent with Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

Why didn't he stay with him properly when he was in school? If he had just kept one of Akutagawa Dai-sensei's homework papers back then, he wouldn't be filled with such remorse now!

But besides him, the one who regrets it the most is probably Dr. Mori! If Dr. Mori had put in a little more effort back then, he could have brought Ryunosuke Akutagawa back to the Port Mafia, and he could have worked with Akutagawa and gone to work together...

Dazai Osamu placed one hand on his chest; the scene was too beautiful for him to imagine!

But he couldn't tell these things to anyone else.

"...Can I?" Dazai Osamu rarely showed a hint of fear. "Can I win the Akutagawa Prize?"

It should be noted that although he was encouraged by Ryunosuke Akutagawa to start writing, he, like Oda Sakunosuke and Dr. Mori, only worked sporadically. After such a long time, there were only a few words left in his notebook.

This made Dazai Osamu sometimes feel particularly embarrassed when facing Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

Seeing Dazai Osamu, who was usually indifferent to everything, with such an expression, a fire ignited in Sakaguchi Ango's heart: "Of course you can! Whether it's you or Oda, it's just a mere 'Akutagawa Prize.' With your abilities, you can definitely win it easily!"

In a moment of impulsiveness, Ango Sakaguchi blurted out, "It's just the Akutagawa Prize! Just wait, I'm going to go back and write some novels too. What's the Akutagawa Prize? I'm going to be a judge for the Akutagawa Prize!!"

Upon hearing this, Dazai Osamu and Oda Sakunosuke were filled with respect for Sakaguchi Ango, staring at him with admiration: "Ango! You must do your best, we're counting on you!"

"Okay! Don't worry, leave it to me!" After saying that, he collapsed onto the bar counter with a thud.

"Is he drunk?" Oda Sakunosuke nudged Sakaguchi Ango, who was slumped on the bar, but the man didn't move.

“I think Ango feels ashamed to face anyone right now!” Dazai Osamu boldly guessed, looking at Sakaguchi Ango’s clenched fist.

“Possibly.” Oda Sakunosuke nodded in agreement.

After all, these three Mafia members, who had neither academic qualifications nor writing experience, made boastful claims in a bar, saying that the Akutagawa Prize was nothing and that they would become the winner of this nationally renowned award, or even become its judges. It all seemed like they were just bragging after drinking.

No, judging from Sakaguchi Ango's appearance, he should be considered a cultured person, but to make such a bold statement in public would make any thin-skinned person want to crawl into a hole in the floor.

Ango Sakaguchi is already being quite lenient by pretending to be drunk.

“But Oda Sakunosuke, are you really planning to write and try your luck at the Akutagawa Prize?” Dazai Osamu looked at Oda Sakunosuke seriously.

After thinking for a moment, Oda Sakunosuke nodded seriously as well: "I've always had the idea of ​​writing, but I've never put it into action. After hearing Ango's words this time, I want to give it a try. Dazai, what about you?"

“Me?” Dazai Osamu placed his hand on the book “The Complete Works of Ryunosuke Akutagawa”, his fingers tracing the spine for a moment before replying, “This time, I want to be your rival, Odasaku.”

Oda Sakunosuke chuckled, "Then let's do our best together!" With that, he raised his wine glass.

"And Ango too! Let's cheer each other on!" Dazai Osamu picked up Ango's hand, who was "drunk" on the bar, and placed it on his own glass.

"We can't forget about Ango just because he's drunk."

"Come on, let's clink glasses!"

Oda Sakunosuke chuckled, stretched out his hand, and clinked glasses with Dazai Osamu and Ango, who was forced to raise his glass.

"I misspoke before, it should be 'The three of us cheer each other on'!"

Surrounded by friends and dreams, Dazai Osamu smiled genuinely and happily, a rare occurrence. Little did he know that, as time passed, some of the grand ambitions the three of them had made that day would actually come true.

His good friend Ango Sakaguchi eventually became a man he both loved and hated!