Chapter 102 How to Win
102 - The basic components of a chess game. Recently, Atsushi Nakajima has been feeling that his life is too dreamlike, so dreamlike that it doesn't seem real.
Just a month ago, he was a homeless man who had been kicked out of the orphanage and was struggling to survive every day. But after he rescued a drowning person from the river, everything changed as if the fast-forward button had been pressed.
The person who fell into the water (Osamu Dazai) treated him to a meal with his colleague's money; he was discovered to have supernatural abilities; he was invited to join the Armed Detective Agency; the organization put a 7 billion yen bounty on his head; after fighting with the mafia, he even kidnapped a child from them...
Just two days ago, he was attacked by a notorious fugitive. And in a rather incomprehensible way—he was transformed into a tiger cub!
Okay, to be precise, it was transformed into a female tiger cub wearing a little dress.
Because he was being hugged and petted by Izumi Kyoka, and because a certain irresponsible former mafia member had disappeared for an entire day without returning to the detective agency, Nakajima Atsushi wasn't transformed back into human form until noon on the third day by the belated arrival of Dazai Osamu.
After finally regaining his human form, Atsushi Nakajima was moved to tears: "Dazai-san, where have you been?!"
Before he was turned back, Atsushi Nakajima was practically being fed cat food!
Ah, although judging from the ingredient list, this cat food is healthier than what Atsushi Nakajima usually eats, this really isn't a matter of nutritional value...
Dazai Osamu smiled broadly, seemingly unaffected by Nakajima Atsushi's tearful complaints;
“I was working properly before. I was in charge of liaising with the Joint Major Crimes Unit for the past few days. I stayed there to help out.”
Kunikida Doppo, who was nearby, nodded subconsciously, confirming Dazai Osamu's statement.
While it's somewhat startling that the notorious slacker Osamu Dazai has suddenly become so diligent, his efforts these past few days are undeniable.
After listening to Dazai Osamu's explanation, Nakajima Atsushi still had a long face, but he stopped complaining to Dazai and started muttering to himself.
Meanwhile, Izumi Kyoka, who was listening in, started looking at Nakajima Atsushi's head, seemingly trying to find a way to rub it again, preferably in tiger form.
Having successfully fooled Atsushi Nakajima, Dazai, who had been slacking off in the Joint Major Crimes Unit for two days and had just received the photos from Edogawa Ranpo, revealed an impeccable smile.
Then, as if remembering something, Dazai Osamu's smile deepened.
However, that bright smile didn't seem like a genuine expression of emotion, but rather an unconscious expression on her face to cover something up.
That's not a smile; it's just the movement of facial muscles. At most, it's hard to tell because it's so practiced, but it doesn't change the essence of the smile.
Seeing that Nakajima Atsushi had finished his rambling, Dazai Osamu grinned and patted him on the shoulder—"By the way, we did discuss Atsushi-kun yesterday when we were discussing countermeasures against the UN. There might be a crucial step later that requires Atsushi-kun's assistance. So I'll take this opportunity to ask Atsushi-kun about his intentions."
"Huh?" Atsushi Nakajima asked, somewhat puzzled. "I'd be happy to help, but is there anything you need my assistance with?"
After all, Atsushi Nakajima's abilities in all aspects can be described as rather mediocre, with his only strength being his combat skills. However, the rather awkward thing is... judging from Atsushi Nakajima's current combat strength, he is not particularly outstanding in the well-equipped Joint Major Crimes Unit.
Even with Atsushi Nakajima's involvement, it would only be a decent addition to the fighting force. It's unlikely to have any significant impact.
—Clearly, Atsushi Nakajima had not remembered the huge bounty on his head or its origin.
"Human Tiger" is the only clear clue that can lead to the "Book" as designated by the "I Ching". In many people's eyes, Atsushi Nakajima does not represent an ordinary combat-type ability user, but a walking treasure map or a moving pile of US dollars.
Therefore, Atsushi Nakajima is quite suitable as bait to lure the UN into the game.
Although the search for "books" is currently a low priority for the UN, it remains a clear objective.
Or rather, it is the only clear objective.
Although the UN was retained because Christie wanted to play chess with Holmes, such a game cannot happen out of thin air.
While the enjoyment of playing chess comes from the process, a clear objective is a prerequisite for a game to proceed normally.
Therefore, rules and "victory conditions" are both necessary.
The winning rule for Holmes is obviously to arrest the UN. However, for the UN, "escaping capture" is not a very suitable objective.
After all, given the Nautilus's maneuverability, the UN could easily move it if it wanted to, and could even be sunbathing on the Pacific coast one day and then heading to Antarctica to eat shaved ice the next.
Therefore, as it stands now, the UN's "victory condition" is the struggle for the "book".
Although we don't know exactly what role Atsushi Nakajima played in the search for the "book" during the process of Zhouyi's divination, he is currently the only clear clue related to the complete "book." Even if all we could do was capture Atsushi Nakajima and tie him to the ram of a submarine as a mascot, the UN would still act.
—At worst, arresting Atsushi Nakajima and using him to exchange for commissions to resolve UN's financial misconduct is a pretty good option.
Thinking of this, Dazai Osamu's smile towards Nakajima Atsushi became even more genuine.
Meanwhile, at the same time, at the sight of Dazai Osamu still smiling so brightly, Nakajima Atsushi couldn't help but shiver.
Suddenly... I have this strange feeling that I'm going to get scammed!
As if to prove Nakajima Atsushi's animalistic intuition correct, Dazai Osamu maintained a light and cheerful smile on his angelic face. But the words he uttered sounded like the whispers of a devil to Nakajima Atsushi.
"So, Atsushi, would you be willing to accept the honorable yet challenging role of 'bait'?"
If Atsushi Nakajima were in his tiger form right now, his fur would probably be standing on end.
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