33 Chapter 33
It was two weeks later that I saw Dazai Osamu again.
The last time this happened was when Bailibian asked Dazai Osamu for money for renovations.
Although Bailibian couldn't figure out what had triggered Dazai Osamu's sensitive nerve, it didn't affect his going to find Dazai Osamu.
It wasn't the maturity brought by time that made people learn to bow their heads, but because Dazai Osamu had promised Bailibian to teach Nakajima Atsushi well. The mission wasn't even halfway done yet, so he couldn't just leave without a fight.
Baili Bian did not doubt that Dazai Osamu would complete the task, but there were many ways to complete the task. A quick victory was one, a slow simmer was another, dragging it out was another, and treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause was another.
What's more, as a former mission target of Dazai Osamu, Bailibian knew clearly how much energy the other party would have when he wanted to procrastinate and deal with it.
So on a sunny spring day, Bailibian took Nakajima Atsushi to the dormitory of the Armed Detective Agency - to catch them in a jar.
The working hours of the Armed Detective Agency can be said to be both flexible and regulated.
They have flexible working hours. Except for Kunikida who insists on arriving at the detective agency on time at 8 o'clock every morning, as for the other members, well, it depends on their personal schedules.
As for after get off work hours, staying one second longer is disrespectful to life, don’t you think?
But was Dazai Osamu the type to return to his dorm after work? Clearly not. How could he truly showcase his immense charm without wandering around?
Although Baili Bian was not short on patience, he had brought Nakajima Atsushi with him this time, so he obviously couldn't just leisurely search around like usual. So he prepared a strategy to find Zai in advance.
But even so, Dazai Osamu's whereabouts cannot be figured out by any random strategy!
Because of this, the first person Baili Bian and the others saw was not Dazai Osamu who was waiting anxiously, but Yumeno Hisasaku.
Ever since meeting Dazai Osamu, Yumeno Hisasaku's mood has been getting more and more depressed, but he dares not directly tell the reason. He can only find ways to target Dazai Osamu, using all kinds of excuses to express his dissatisfaction with this new member and old acquaintance.
Yumeno Hisasaku's original intention was to distance Dazai Osamu from the detective agency members. However, the more he did this, the more relieved the other members of the detective agency seemed - he became more and more like a naughty child, and Yumeno Hisasaku finally stopped living a life of fear and caution like he did in the beginning.
So they became more and more convinced that Dazai Osamu and Yumeno Hisasaku must have had some very beautiful childhood memories.
The only good news is probably that because of this belief, the members of the detective agency always intentionally or unintentionally create a private space for Yumeno Hisasaku and Dazai Osamu.
Although it had deviated from the original plan, at least the ultimate goal had been achieved. Yumeno Hisasaku could only swallow his bitterness in silence.
Generally speaking, it was Kunikida or Yosano Akiko who sent Yumeno Hisasaku home.
But as luck would have it, Yosano Akiko had extra medical equipment delivered today, and Kunikida was tied up for the time being with a commission. And Oda Sakunosuke, come on, he has five children to raise, how could he possibly live in the dorms!
So the responsibility of escorting Yumeno Hisasaku home fell on the neighboring brother Dazai Osamu.
The depressed Yumeno Hisasaku walked alone in front, trying to leave Dazai Osamu far behind.
Of course he protested—if he could get back to the Armed Detective Agency from school alone, he could also get back home from the Armed Detective Agency alone.
But the protest was ruthlessly dismissed.
Are you kidding? What time does school end? What time do we get home?
After the sun sets, in this restless Yokohama, letting a 12-year-old child go home alone, is this a joke?
But the height difference meant that no matter how hard he tried, Yumeno Hisasaku would be easily caught up by Dazai Osamu. In anger, he simply took off running.
The moment he ran into the dormitory and saw Bailibian and Nakajima Atsushi standing at the door, Yumeno Hisasaku suddenly felt the joy of being a champion. It seemed as if he had finally found an outlet for the long-simmering depression.
"Brother Baili, Dun, why are you here!" Yumeno Hisaku was a little excited. Bailibian and Nakajima Dun never came to the Armed Detective Agency dormitory on their own initiative. Usually, he would go to Bailibian's house to look for them.
And it has been a full month since he parted with the two of them.
"Hello, Hisaku. We're here to look for someone."
Looking for someone? Who? Him?
Yumeno Hisasaku stared at Baili Bian expectantly.
Bailibian smiled and said hello to Yumeno Hisasaku. Then, as usual, he asked about his life. "How have you been lately, Hisasaku? I heard you've been going home by yourself since the new semester. That's amazing."
Accepting the compliment once again, Yumeno Hisasaku puffed out his chest with joy. Then he prepared to complain about his recent life.
"No, things haven't been going well lately. There's a new bad guy in the Armed Detective Agency, and he's..."
"Dazai-san, you're back!"
Before Yumeno Hisasaku could finish his words, Nakajima Atsushi saw Dazai Osamu who had arrived late. He excitedly greeted him.
Regarding Dazai Osamu's sudden departure, he once blamed himself for his teaching method being too obvious and thus hurting the other person's self-esteem.
Now that he saw that the other party was safe and sound, Nakajima Atsushi felt relieved.
Dazai...brother?
You must be kidding!
Yumeno Hisasaku stared at Nakajima Atsushi in disbelief, as if he wanted to see something out of him, or catch a ghost that had possessed him.
Not only Nakajima Atsushi, but even Bailibian greeted Dazai Osamu.
"Dazai, long time no see."
Dazai Osamu snorted indifferently, seemingly dissatisfied with Bailibian's approach, which perfectly demonstrated the meaning of perfunctory.
In fact, Dazai Osamu was not very happy. The moment he saw Nakajima Atsushi at the door, he knew exactly why Bailibian came to see him.
This is really too much!
It’s obvious that when Baili was angry in the past, she would wait for a month or two before looking for him!
Now he has come here so quickly just for Nakajima Atsushi!
That’s too much!
Obviously they knew each other earlier.
"I'm really sorry, Dazai-kun. I really didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I...I shouldn't have underestimated you." Nakajima Atsushi apologized sincerely, but there was no response.
No way, am I hated?
Seeing Nakajima Atsushi's increasingly frightened expression, Bailibian patted his hand soothingly, stepped forward and said to Dazai Osamu, "I'm sorry to make you feel uncomfortable. I recently learned 28 new ways to eat crab. Would you like to try them?"
Bailibian tried to tempt Dazai with food, but Dazai refused.
Are you kidding me? Is Dazai Osamu cheap? He can be bribed with just a few meals.
Dazai Osamu decided to leave Bailibian alone for a while.
Yumeno Hisasaku, who watched the whole process, felt the malice from the world. What on earth is going on?
This look of despair piqued Dazai Osamu's amusement. He said excitedly, "Oh, I've been here for so long and haven't had time to introduce myself to Hisasaku. This is Baili. We've been good friends since we were 14. This is Atsushi, a very cute kid."
14 years old, doesn’t that mean... Yumeno Hisasaku looked at Bailibian in disbelief, who was still smiling and showed no sign of rebuttal. He just felt like he was living in a huge joke.
"That's right, that's right," Dazai Osamu added, adding fuel to the fire. "Baili and I can be said to be the people who know each other best in the world! We've witnessed each other's growth every step of the way."
He felt dizzy. A series of news poured into Yumeno Hisasaku's head like an overwhelming flood, directly destroying his inner world. The only thought in his confused mind was sleeping.
Looking at Yumeno Hisasaku who walked in foolishly, Dazai Osamu smiled happily.
He was quite satisfied with the cooperation between Nakajima Atsushi and Bailibian, who were confused about the situation. So Dazai Osamu said mercifully, "Although I really want to experience living alone, since... well, I will move back in after a while. Don't worry."
As for when is the next period of time? That depends on my mood.
Bailibian will not give Dazai Osamu a chance to take advantage of the situation, but being aggressive is not a good way to trick a cat.
"Okay, then let's wait until we finish eating the 28 ways to eat crab."
Without giving Dazai a chance to deny it, Bailibian left with Nakajima Atsushi in style. Before leaving, he said to Dazai: "It will start tomorrow. Don't worry, I will come every day."
Not only does he need to deliver meals, but he also has to take care of the collapsed Yumeno Hisaku, and...
The next day, Dazai Osamu received a lunch box from Bailibian.
The next day, Yumeno Hisasaku saw Bailibian at the school gate.
"Brother Baili..."
The setting sun stretched the shadows long, and the shadows of two people walking side by side and talking to each other made it impossible to tell their actual distance.
After more than ten minutes of silence, Yumeno Hisasaku took the lead in breaking the deadlock, but he didn't know what to say next - he had too many questions.
"It must be very uncomfortable to get along with the former port mafia, and that's Dazai Osamu." Bailibian touched Yumeno Hisasaku's head.
Although neither Dazai Osamu nor Yumeno Hisasaku mentioned it, just based on the special nature of their abilities, Bai Libian could guess that it was Dazai Osamu who captured Yumeno Hisasaku and was responsible for training and commanding him in the days that followed.
Not knowing how to reply, Meng Ye Jiusaku hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded honestly.
It's more than just uncomfortable. For Yumeno Hisasaku, getting along with Dazai is the biggest torture.
But what can be done about it? Yumeno Hisasaku had asked Kunikida Doppo, and Dazai Osamu had entered the Armed Detective Agency with a letter of introduction from the Special Ability Division. Even Fukuzawa Yukichi couldn't reject Dazai Osamu based solely on his past.
What else could he do besides accept it?
Yumeno Hisasaku lowered his head even lower.
"Then why do we have to spend so much time together? If you just say it directly, both Dr. Yosano and Mr. Kunikida will be willing to help Hisasaku." Bailibian said softly.
What?
Yumeno Hisaku looked at Bailibian in disbelief, trying to confirm the truth of his words. But Bailibian looked at him sincerely, as if he really wanted Yumeno Hisaku to seriously consider his proposal.
Why?
Aren’t Bailibian and Dazai Osamu good friends?
"If you're afraid of him and if you hate him, why force yourself to accept him? Just ignore him and stay away from him."
Baili Bian didn't think his words were difficult to understand.
Childhood is a very important thing. In City A, everyone's life is closely related to his childhood.
Decades of companionship in adulthood may not be as good as the candy handed to you in childhood. Billions of dollars in wealth years later cannot heal the dark night of the past.
So why do you have to force yourself to change?
In City A, none of the dark-fearing Mr. Gu, Prince Shen, or Mr. Mo would force themselves to accept it. They would either never turn off the lights, or go looking for Miss Bai, Queen Ruan, or Professor Lin who had saved them. In short, they would not see a psychologist or undergo desensitization treatment.
I'm fully aware of my flaws and weaknesses, but why do I have to overcome them? My life is mine, and my life is mine. I'm willing to accept that I can never escape that shadow, and I'll make it my lifelong goal to stay away from it.
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