6 Chapter 6
Perhaps after all the bad times have come, good times have come. Just as Bailibian was packing his bags to join Chuuya Nakahara and his group on their trip to France, Rambo received news about Yosano Akiko. So the group went back to the Armed Detective Agency. While the place looked a bit shabby from the outside, they were indeed living up to their hype—Chūya's brother had been cured, which meant Bailibian didn't have to go to Europe anymore.
But Nakahara Chuuya and Rimbaud still extended an invitation to Bailibian. The special nature of Yokohama meant that there were few peaceful days here. Bailibian yearned for a stable life and was proficient in multiple foreign languages, so it was not difficult for him to leave.
When they first met, Bailibian, who had just woken up from a coma, saw Zhongyuan Zhongye with red hair and blue eyes, and tried to communicate with him in English. When that failed, he used French. This was also the reason why Zhongyuan Zhongye did not take him back to "Yang" - he was obviously a rich young man.
But Bailibian refused. He understood Chuuya's good intentions and Rimbaud's care for him, but both Yokohama and France were foreign countries to him. Moreover, Yokohama was the first city he had visited after traveling through time. Whether it was a fledgling complex, nostalgia, or cowardice, at least he didn't want to leave again.
After working tirelessly day and night, Bailibian's house was completed, marking the impending departure. While helping Bailibian move, Chuuya Nakahara's farewell party also began. While the days ahead were long, Chuuya was heading to France after all. For most of the Hong Kong|Black members and former "Sheep," they likely wouldn't see each other again until Chuuya returned to Yokohama. The party, however, was quite cheerful, likely due to the fact that most people had already prepared, and the fact that Chuuya Nakahara would indeed have a better life in France.
After bidding farewell to Nakahara Chuuya, Bailibian began to plan his new life. While Moriogai boasted about the generous benefits, easy work, and friendly colleagues of the Port Mafia, and while Detective Edogawa Ranpo of the Armed Detective Agency considered his own workplace leisurely and comfortable, given his age and the substantial salary offered by Rambo, Bailibian felt he could do what his age demands: attend school. However, it was already late spring and early summer, and all schools had already entered their final review period for the academic year. After careful consideration, Bailibian decided to wait a few months and enroll in the fall.
With plenty of free time, Bailibian decided to settle down in his new home. He had only prepared basic furniture, and there were still many things to buy. Although he had spent nearly half a year in Yokohama, he had not yet truly enjoyed the city's scenery.
The passage of time always catches people off guard. After noticing some changes in the furnishings at the door of his house for the nth time, Bailibian was able to calmly open the door, skillfully turn on the softest light in the living room, and then kindly ask Dazai Osamu about his purpose today.
"Of course, I'm here to invite you to join us on behalf of Mr. Mori. I always ask this question: Is Baili a forgetful old woman?" Dazai Osamu lazily lay on the sofa in the living room, his iris-colored eyes half-open and half-closed, and it was impossible to tell whether he had rested or not, but the blanket that was originally placed next to him fell to the ground.
Bailibian reluctantly picked up the blanket from the floor, dusted it off as usual, and then unceremoniously spread it over Dazai. "Okay, I've received Mr. Mori's invitation. Please allow me to decline again. What would you like to eat today?" Bailibian received no response from Dazai. Aside from one day at the beginning when he suddenly asked for canned crab meat, he hadn't received any food-related feedback from him since then. He simply followed his own portion each time, saving time and effort, and not having to worry about Dazai looking at him as if he was eating alone.
Looking at the extra dinner provided for him, Dazai Osamu did not show the proper gratitude. Instead, he was picky about the food in front of him. "Hey! Fish? It's so disgusting. There are so many fish bones... Could it be that Baili finally lost his patience and wanted to stab me to death with fish bones?"
"We don't rule out this possibility. You can give it a try." Facing Dazai Osamu's sudden fit, Baili Bian was already at ease. He could even immerse himself in his own memories while dealing with him. The three of them were not very good at cooking, but it was impossible to not have enough to eat in City A, and it was also impossible not to have delicious food - any roadside stall might have five or six food gods or cooking gods. If you were lucky enough to meet a rich girl on the run or a prince experiencing life, they would even pay to prepare a sumptuous dinner for the guests.
The good old days are gone forever. Baili Bian recalled the days when he had just achieved financial freedom. Whether it was a roadside stall or a five-star hotel, the food was always unsatisfactory. After many attempts, he finally accepted his fate. It turned out that not every place could gather the culinary masters from all corners of the world and spanning tens of millions of years like City A.
Noticing that Bailibian, sitting across from him, had once again lost his mind, Dazai knew he was lost in his usual reminiscences about his hometown. He still remembered the first time he'd dined in Bailibian's room, when he'd suddenly fallen into depression upon seeing him, then raved about the limitations and shortcomings of Yokohama cuisine, and the stark contrast between the past and present. The next day, he reported this to Mr. Mori, who, mistaking him for an opportunity, prepared a feast of supposedly luxurious delicacies for the discontented Bailibian. While he'd behaved elegantly and appropriately during the banquet, the feedback he'd received was that he'd be better off cooking for himself.
But Bailibian wasn't exaggerating. Dazai slowly savored the meal before him. While the presentation wasn't impressive, the taste was truly exceptional. He sometimes even wondered if he'd secretly ordered takeout while the food was cooking, but that was impossible. Even the best hotels in Yokohama couldn't produce food this good. The only comparable food he'd tasted was at an international banquet Moriogai had taken him to. Because of this, Dazai sometimes wondered what magical world Bailibian had come from, the one that made him yearn for it in every aspect of his daily life.
"I'm done. If you're not eating, take your plates back to the kitchen." Initially, Bailibian would wait for Dazai to finish before clearing the dishes out of politeness. But when he realized the more he did so, the longer Dazai would wait, and his overall appetite wouldn't increase, he abandoned this false courtesy forever. Dazai didn't treat him like an outsider anyway, so even if he really wanted to chase him away by clearing the dishes, it probably wouldn't work. As for having him wash his own dishes, Bailibian no longer dared to hope for it.
When he woke up, there was nothing to indicate Dazai had been there except for the kitchen trash can filled with leftovers and dishes waiting to be washed. Sometimes Bailibian would think he had raised a small black cat with bad morals. It ate and drank for free, and sometimes even lived in it for free. It would make trouble in his house from time to time, but would not let him hold it and would even stretch out its claws to threaten people.
With the start of school approaching, Bailibian increasingly treasured the days when he could wander freely in broad daylight, so his walks increased. "Stop—hold—" Hearing a familiar voice, Bailibian stopped, awaiting the arrival of the world's number one detective.
Baili's cooperation effectively stopped the grouchy detective from complaining about being rejected so many times. Edogawa Ranpo looked at Baili who had stopped walking with satisfaction and said, "Very good, you have fully understood what the detective meant."
"Thank you for the compliment, Detective. I'll keep working hard." Looking at the smug Edogawa Ranpo, Bailibian couldn't help but imagine his grandmother's Border Collie—when he'd been obedient as a child, it'd looked at him with the same affirmative eyes. "Very good! As a reward, I'll give you a chance to join the company. Accept it quickly, and thank the Detective." Edogawa Ranpo was quite impressed by Bailibian's flattery.
Although the invitation from the famous detective was very tempting, after several times of getting along, Bailibian also realized that the treatment he described was not false, but he still refused, "This won't do, school is about to start." "Ahhh, what's the point of going to school, solving cases with the famous detective is the most fun! As long as Baili joins the famous detective, I promise you will be my only assistant!" Even though he already knew the answer, Bailibian's reply still made Edogawa Ranpo dissatisfied. He really couldn't understand why the other party was still obsessed with school when he obviously didn't think that school was the only place to get knowledge, and he also agreed with his point of view that there were many boring guys in his school.
"Ranpo, you can't force others. The Armed Detective Agency is a free place." Fukuzawa Yukichi stopped the angry Ranpo and apologized to Bailibian.
Bai Libian didn't care. He smiled and said, "It's nothing. If I didn't really want to work, I think I would have chosen to join the Armed Detective Agency." This was true. Compared to the Port Mafia, Bai Libian's heart was indeed more inclined to the Armed Detective Agency. Apart from anything else, just looking at the relationship between Dazai Osamu and Edogawa Ranpo, every time he came to recruit him, Dazai Osamu looked like he had just been exhausted by work, while Edogawa Ranpo was mostly buying snacks, with no trace of work left on his face.
"I didn't force you, President. It's obvious that Baili herself thinks that going to school is an unnecessary thing. She might as well join the Armed Detective Agency." Edogawa Ranpo defended himself unwillingly, but he still couldn't escape the fate of leaving.
Bailibian does think that going to school is not a necessary thing, but just like the classmate sitting at the back who has attended all the world-renowned universities and owns industries covering all parts of the country, but still chooses to go back to the high school classroom to sleep, going to the school that one should go to at one's age is like a special ritual, an opportunity that only comes once in a lifetime, and one does not want to miss it.
Murase took Bailibian to school on the day he officially started. Although Bailibian hadn't mentioned it, he seemed to have realized the death of his long-missing brother. Although he didn't show any sadness, on the night of Nakahara Chuuya's departure, he spoke to Bailibian about his past for the first time, recounting the details of his time with his brother. Bailibian didn't remember whether Murase had asked about the fate of his long-lost relative. He only remembered that the next morning, Murase solemnly told him that he should be a good person and shoulder his own responsibilities.
Schools in Yokohama were very different from those in City A. In City A, school rankings were the most unreliable data, as the top and bottom places could be fake. But Yokohama was different; their rankings were real, and everyone tested based on their true abilities. Bailibian's attitude towards school changed as a result, from a place full of elites to a simple and unpretentious one.
【Author’s words】
Can I have a bottle of nutrient solution today?
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