Chapter 10: The Double Black
At the age of eighteen, Dazai Osamu was sent abroad by Mori Ōgai on business to deal with a rebellion by his subordinates in a branch office.
This matter isn't a big deal, but I heard that the traitor's background has involved a lot of other things, making things more complicated. It's something the branch can't handle on its own, which is why he needs to make a personal trip.
On his first night in a foreign country, he had a strange dream.
The dream began in complete darkness, gradually revealing color. He felt as if he were kneeling on the ground, with a lingering, metallic smell of blood in the air.
What he saw was extremely blurry; he only knew that different colored blocks were gliding past him. He vaguely felt that he was holding someone in his arms and that someone was speaking in his ear, but he could neither see nor hear anything clearly.
Then, he suddenly woke up. Upon waking, he felt inexplicably terrified, but he didn't know why.
He treated it as if he were having a nightmare, and such moments were not uncommon.
After that, during his time abroad, he never had such nightmares again, but he also didn't have any precognitive dreams.
This situation remained unchanged until several months later when he returned to China.
At that time, when Dazai boarded the plane back to Japan, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
Oda Sakunosuke, Dazai Osamu's best friend, has died.
When Dazai Osamu learned of this news, he was still on his way to headquarters to report on the mission.
It is said that the enemy who fought Oda Sakunosuke was exceptionally formidable, and in the end, the two perished together, with no trace of Oda Sakunosuke's remains.
Dazai Osamu was unable to see Ango one last time, only managing to attend his hastily arranged funeral. The funeral was sparsely attended, and he couldn't find Ango anywhere.
The coffin was empty, and the grave was empty. He stood before the stone tablet engraved with Oda Sakunosuke's name, offering a prayer to his deceased friend at the empty grave.
Everything happened so hastily; he wasn't prepared for the farewell, but it came unexpectedly.
When he arrived at the mission location recorded in the mission report for Oda Sakunosuke, he only saw a vast expanse of scorched earth.
It was as if something had exploded here, flattening the place and leaving nothing but barren land.
Not only that, but all the children his friend had adopted had also died. The curry shop he used to frequent was also burned to the ground in a sudden fire. All traces were covered up by the accident.
He originally intended to look for Ango, only to find that Ango had also disappeared without a trace. According to those who knew him, Ango had been missing for quite some time. The day he completely lost contact with him happened to be the very day Ango returned to his country.
Dazai Osamu was still investigating the relevant information. He had been abroad for too long, and many unexpected things had happened in Japan during that time, with the signs of human intervention being far too obvious. Just as things were starting to look clearer, he suddenly received an email on his phone from Mori Ougai.
Dazai Osamu stared blankly at the email Mori Ōgai had sent him on his phone.
He was summoned to the leader's office.
He stood in Chief Mori's office, pondering the other party's intentions.
Until Mori Ougai took out a piece of paper.
He stared in astonishment at the piece of paper the other person had placed on the desk.
The paper had the words 'Special Ability License' written on it.
He quickly used his intelligence to connect all the recent events and figured everything out.
All the tragedies occurred because of this 'superpower license'.
No, or rather, the source of all regrets can be attributed to him.
He reflected on the past few years, how diligently he had worked in reality to distinguish between dreams and reality, to the point that he barely had time for his only hobby—suicide. He knew his reputation within the Port Mafia and even the underworld was extremely high. Although the Port Mafia had become stronger because of him, it had also instilled a strong sense of crisis in Mori Ougai.
Dazai Osamu estimated that this was why Mori Ōgai chose the "optimal solution." There were clearly better solutions, but sacrificing Oda Sakunosuke would achieve more objectives and was more feasible. Therefore, Oda Sakunosuke became a pawn sacrificed in this game.
He also recalled the days he and Oda Sakunosuke would eat each other's favorite extra-spicy curry at a curry shop. Unlike the mafia's Oda Sakunosuke, he had died just like that. Although he had anticipated this moment, its sudden realization was still too sudden.
It's only been a few months since I went abroad, but I never imagined so much had happened.
...and this happened without him noticing.
Perhaps there had been signs of it around him, but because of trust and because most of his energy was consumed by dreams, Dazai Osamu didn't think much of it and subconsciously ignored the past.
He should have been more careful.
If we could notice something amiss beforehand, could we prevent these things from happening?
Dazai Osamu didn't know the answer, because reality wouldn't allow him to do it all over again.
He simply kept his head down, his body seemingly sliced apart by light and shadow, half of him hidden in the shadows. He remained silent for a long time regarding Mori Ōgai's behavior, finally uttering a soft voice:
"I see."
After leaving the boss's office, Dazai Osamu continued to carry out his work as usual. Those who knew the inside story saw his nonchalant demeanor and assumed that he and Oda Sakunosuke were just ordinary drinking buddies. Otherwise, why would he not even show a trace of sadness on his face and continue with his work as usual? He was truly cold-blooded and ruthless.
After dealing with the pile of documents that had accumulated on them, Dazai Osamu and the others finally had some time to themselves.
Or perhaps he was just trying to find something to keep himself occupied in order to keep his brain functioning.
After a busy day, the night is his own private time. He stays in one of his safe houses, the small, dimly lit space enveloping him.
He sat on the ground with his back against the wall, his eyes filled with desolation, his iris-colored pupils tinged with black, and his face deathly pale.
He did not weep upon hearing of Oda Sakunosuke's death; he simply sat alone in a dark room all night.
He thought he was cold-blooded and heartless, and the news of his friend's death couldn't even make him shed a single tear.
But his fingers holding the cigarette were trembling slightly.
The lit cigarette wasn't inhaled; it just burned listlessly.
Smoke swirled around.
A note from the author:
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Edited
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