Chapter 81
It didn't take Dazai long to become one of Takase Taisei's confidants.
Even if people gossip about his age behind his back, they can hardly question Dazai's achievements.
Even if someone dared to question Dazai's achievements, they would have to ask Odasaku and Chuuya behind him for their permission.
"He clearly looks like a young, inexperienced boy..."
"They have absolutely no respect for the Second Master Takase; they're utterly arrogant and rude..."
"But the profits from his newly established jewelry smuggling route were so high that the fifth-generation leader was grinning from ear to ear for half a month..."
"I heard he used to be a member of the Port Mafia, could it be..."
"Shh, don't let him hear you. You don't want to experience his methods."
Amidst the sudden hushed discussion, Dazai Osamu, wearing a black overcoat, walked expressionlessly past the gossiping executives and found his seat.
He attended the monthly core cadre meeting, which was only open to the cadre himself.
For Dazai, whose physical skills were not particularly strong and whose supernatural abilities were not highly offensive, this action could be described as entering a dragon's den alone—no matter how worried Odasaku and Nakaya were about his safety, they could only wait outside.
This spacious conference room is in a Japanese style. Sunlight streaming in from the courtyard shines through the open sliding doors, illuminating the room's antique decor with a solemn and grand atmosphere, showcasing the unique charm and heritage of a long-established company.
Unlike other emerging mafia organizations that have grown rapidly and aggressively, the Takase-kai, which has been based in Japan for many years, has extremely strict promotion rules and organizational systems. Even if there are personal connections to consider, one must still demonstrate the strength that matches their worth to the organization.
In the rigidly structured Takase-kai, ordinary members at the bottom of the hierarchy will remain at the bottom for their entire lives, never able to rise through the ranks based on age or seniority.
Therefore, Dazai Osamu's joining and promotion seemed like a myth to them. After climbing up to Takase Taisei, his status rose at an unprecedented speed. Not only did Takase Taisei confide in him, but the head of the group also praised him highly.
The reason is simple—if someone can bring in tens of millions of yen in net profit for the organization in just two months, the boss will definitely treat that person as an honored guest.
Even after this boy named Dazai Osamu joined the Takase-kai, he caught several spies planted by other organizations with incredible accuracy and swiftness!
To paraphrase Dazai Osamu's understated words, "When I see a mouse burrowing into its hole in the backyard, I can't help but want to sweep it out."
Takase Taisei treated this kind of brilliant and talented person, who had no ambition, with utmost courtesy, as if afraid of slighting him in the slightest.
The leader was also willing to go to great lengths to recruit Osamu Dazai so that he could make more money for the organization; at last month's meeting, he personally announced the promotion of Dazai to one of the new executives.
He ignored all the open and covert opposition and discussions.
Even if Dazai had no idea how to develop smuggling routes, what difference would it make if he simply converted the original trade routes of the Port Mafia into those of the Takase Association? After all, the Port Mafia was gone, and he was already worried about not finding a way to take over the legacy from his old rival.
Just like the other party's age, which makes others even more unconvinced, it is utterly insignificant in the face of enormous organizational profits.
Moreover, Dazai Osamu was not the type to passively accept his fate; he had more ways to teach those people what it meant to "shut up as a survival instinct."
At that moment, Dazai Osamu, with his cold and dark eyes, only needed to sweep his gaze over everyone, and they all lowered their heads in silence, not daring to look him in the eye—as if they were facing not humans, but ghosts that brought darkness and despair.
No one dared to speak loudly in front of him. Even Takase Taisei, who was sitting next to the fifth generation, only nodded slightly to him as a silent greeting.
The scene was completely silent.
"boring."
Dazai Osamu's voice was soft and low, and his voice, which was not yet fully out of puberty, sounded clear and bright, full of youthful charm.
Even so, no one dared to utter another word in rebuttal.
This was not only due to the mental pressure from Dazai Osamu's own aura, but also because the Fifth Generation had already arrived in the conference room and was sitting in the head seat in the very center, yet he did not show any reprimand or dissatisfaction towards Dazai Osamu's behavior.
As long as Osamu Dazai can continue to generate revenue for the Takase-kai, his position as a senior executive remains unshakeable.
The Fifth Generation's indulgence clearly demonstrates this point.
"Since everyone agrees with this arrangement,"
The Fifth Hokage, though advanced in age, exuded an ever-deeper aura of authority, surrounding the others as a warning.
"Then, let's begin this meeting."
"yes."
Takase Taisei responded and skillfully began by talking about the monthly financial report—which was also the part that the fifth generation was most concerned about.
Although the content is largely the same as before, this arrangement clearly conveys a message.
Since Dazai Osamu joined the Takase-kai, the fifth generation leader has also become more focused on his second son and has been giving the eldest son the cold shoulder.
This is a very unusual signal, meaning that the fifth generation intends to pass the Takase-kai to his second son, Takase Taisei, rather than his eldest son, Takase Hayato.
Not only in hosting meetings, but also in managing several new smuggling routes recently developed, the fifth generation leader has handed over management authority to Takase Taisei.
For those below, they need to reconsider whether to side with the eldest son or the second son.
Beneath the surface of the apparent harmony lies a hidden struggle and intrigue, a fierce battle between powerful figures.
The financial report has been completed. Of the new profits, Dazai Osamu still accounted for at least 80%.
All eyes were on Dazai Osamu, but the black-haired boy himself stared blankly at a small wound on his thumb, lost in thought.
It was as if the content of the report had nothing to do with him at all.
The leader was very satisfied with the significantly increased profits and did not reprimand Dazai Osamu for being distracted at such an important meeting.
Next, we will proceed with the reports on specific major matters, starting with those that have been completed and moving on to those that are currently underway.
This included dealing with the government—Dazai Osamu pretended to be lost in thought, but was actually listening very attentively.
"Due to the recent activities of the 'House of the Dead Rats,' at least fourteen officials have severed ties with us,"
Takase Taisei said, "At least nine other members of parliament from different departments were also brought down and eliminated by their political enemies in a short period of time. I suspect that this was also the work of the 'House of the Dead' – the only thing those members of parliament had in common was that they had all received political donations from the 'Holy Heavenly Staff' and had openly expressed their support for the 'Holy Heavenly Staff'."
"Rumor has it that the leader of the House of the Dead is a [demon] named Fyodor D."
One of the officers spoke up cautiously, "Some people have started calling him [the Grey Cardinal] because the police always cooperate with him in their operations, just like..."
It's as if even the government has become his subordinate.
“How could that be?” the other person retorted. “I’ve heard of that name too. It’s an illegal supernatural organization from Russia.”
"Unlike us, who have been cultivating our presence in Yokohama for many years, it hasn't been long since he first made his move against the Port Mafia. Are you implying that he accomplished in just a few months what we haven't achieved in years?"
“But he always struck from a very tricky angle, and the organization was wiped out so thoroughly that there was no chance for him to make a comeback.”
Another objection was raised: "Even if the other party didn't make many moves, couldn't he have been secretly preparing in Yokohama for years?"
“Instead of racking your brains trying to guess the actions of the ‘Rats in the House of the Dead’,” Takase Taisei pointed out the key point, “you should think about what they want to achieve, as this will determine their next target.”
Leaving aside the high-profile and brutal Port Mafia, the power and reputation of the Holy Staff were far less than those of the Takase Association, yet the House of the Dead bypassed the latter and chose to completely annihilate the Holy Staff first.
This made Takase Taisei think deeply. Was the other side's action retaliatory? Did they intend to stop now? Would the [Takase Group] become the next target? And the one after that?
Having enemies is not scary; what is scary is not knowing how strong or weak your opponent is.
"Needless to say, it's definitely to enhance their reputation."
"To curry favor with a certain group of politicians?"
"Let's take over the territory."
"It's also possible that they'll be vying for control of Yokohama."
"Eliminate all illegal organizations."
—Amidst the cacophony of voices, Osamu Dazai's remark silenced everyone.
It wasn't that I was afraid of him, but rather that I was simply shocked by the content of his answer.
“This is no joke, Dazai-kun.”
The leader also turned his gaze to Dazai Osamu, who was resting his chin on his hand with a bored expression, and said seriously.
"Even the Yokohama government wouldn't dare to boast that it could eliminate all organizations in the city."
"How will you know if you don't try?" Dazai Osamu's lips curved slightly, and he spoke in a light tone, "In my opinion, [the Grey Cardinal] has such enormous ambitions."
The entire venue was silent.
Clearly, no one can be happy with this future that is a choice between death or imprisonment.
Look at the Port Mafia next door, they all left quickly and peacefully, and even the police couldn't find many survivors; then look at the Holy Staff, they cooperated with the police and arrested everyone without bloodshed, and incidentally even beat that superhuman into believing in feudal superstition.
Unlike ordinary people, they, who possessed a large number of superhuman combat abilities, were certain that Master Takano was a genuine and powerful fire-type superhuman, yet he was arrested as a swindler and cult leader!
"...If I had to say, it's not impossible."
After a long while, the fifth generation leader slowly spoke.
"I have recently received some rumors that the 'Rats in the House of the Dead' have big ambitions and may very well want to dominate Yokohama and take all the spoils."
"This is far too arrogant!" A hot-tempered cadre immediately slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Why don't we strike first and wipe out those rats!"
"That's right!"
"That's a great idea!"
Compared to the scene where many people echoed the proposal and the discussion became increasingly heated, Dazai Osamu's expression gradually became serious.
"We can't delay any longer."
—After returning home, Dazai Osamu let out a deep sigh.
He kept saying he couldn't delay, but he was lying face down on the sofa, looking listless and weak, as if he didn't want to move an inch.
This is his office in the "Takase-kai". It was specially assigned to him by Takase Taisei after he applied to the fifth generation. It has a large and exquisite desk, a sofa for guests and a bookshelf, all of which cost a lot of money.
However, Chuuya was sitting on his desk with his legs crossed, completely ignoring the "expensive" cost.
"Didn't you just say a couple of days ago that you had just become a cadre and needed to hide for a while to gather intelligence?" Chuuya asked, his blue eyes narrowing. "Why did you change your mind after the meeting?"
"The situation has changed, Chuuya."
Dazai Osamu tilted his head, his once expressive eyes now fixed on him. “If we continue to be so slow, it will become more troublesome to defeat these organizations one by one once they band together to launch a counterattack.”
"Phew... I really don't want to do anything too strenuous."
He exhaled heavily, burying his head back into the sofa, letting out a weak, muffled howl. "I'm so exhausted, I want to go into the water, I want to die... Damn it, Oda Sakunosuke is watching me too closely, he didn't even leave me a rope..."
Chuuya: "…………" I've never heard of suicide replenishing energy.
If Oda Sakunosuke weren't currently out of the picture, he would have called him over to hear if Dazai dared to complain like that in front of him.
That said, even though Oda Sakunosuke is out on a mission and no one is watching him, Dazai didn't attempt suicide.
"Then let's do as you say and get started?"
Having grown accustomed to this guy's intermittent lack of motivation, Chuuya skipped the topic of suicide altogether.
"Anyway, I've figured out the composition of this organization's fighting force over this period of time, and there's no one who can fight me better."
“Being able to fight is certainly not a bad thing,” Dazai said quietly, “but please, try to think a little more, Chuuya—according to the latest research by scientists, not using your brain often can stunt your growth.”
Chuuya's expression immediately tensed up. "...Really?"
"Just kidding."
"You bastard!"
Faced with Chuuya's bristling anger as he lifted him off the sofa again and threatened to punch him, Dazai Osamu, limp and weak, tilted his head to the side, giving up the struggle with a sense of "whatever."
Chuuya: "…………"
He took a few deep breaths and loosened his grip on the collar of his shirt.
We can't stoop to this guy's level. If we really beat him up, Oda Sakunosuke will have to explain when he gets back, and it might even give him a chance to play the victim and ask for ice cream.
"Let's talk about it tonight."
Dazai slumped back onto the sofa, his once-neat suit now a mess, but his bright, lively eyes seemed no different from any other vibrant and ordinary person in the world.
“Even if we have to take action, we shouldn’t expose ourselves,” he said. “My principle is to complete the plan with minimal effort.”
…………
"News came from Dazai's side that they are about to close the net."
Ivan relayed the secret letter he received to Yeikh.
"So that means they're finally coming back soon? That's great, I've been missing them a bit."
Ye Yihe was delighted to hear this good news.
Following Ayatsuji Yukito's instructions, Ye Yihe stayed in the small building to recover from his injuries during this time, without going anywhere else.
With Ivan and Pushkin around, he was actually quite reassured about his personal safety.
Moreover, Ayatsuji Yukito also said that he would help keep an eye on the movements of the adjutant, Tonan, and notify them if anything unusual happened.
In return, Ye Yihe asked Ivan to make a doll that Ayatsuji Yukito liked and sent it over as well—unsurprisingly, it received great praise from the other party, who lauded it as "perfectly natural".
Ye Yihe thought that it was indeed perfectly natural, purely sculpted by Ivan using his mental power, without needing to use tools for fine polishing, carving, and coloring.
Although Ye Yihe had considered using unconventional methods to ask Commander Taneda to remove the agents monitoring Ayatsuji Yukito so that he could return to a normal life instead of being constantly monitored.
However, Ayatsuji Yukito was the one who first politely declined the suggestion.
"Releasing the supervision of those with extremely dangerous superpowers would scare them so much they'd wet their pants."
Ayatsuji Yukito twirled the thin pipe between his fingers, his words remaining calm and seemingly devoid of emotion; however, a closer look revealed a slight, yet remarkably gentle, smile playing on his lips.
"It's just giving them a little psychological comfort. As for them wanting to really affect my life, ha, they're far from it."
Although that's what he said, Ye Yihe sensed that Ayatsuji Yukito's mood had improved, and before parting, he even invited him to have coffee at the agency next time.
Ye Yihe decided to go back and apply to Chief Taneda for normal access to Ayatsuji's office—and then figure out how to lift his soft confinement.
It's not that dangerous ability users can't be monitored, but Ayatsuji Yukito's ability is only targeted at criminals who have killed people.
From Ye Yihe's perspective, it was not only not dangerous at all, but it was also an extremely useful superpower. Why shouldn't he be allowed to move around freely?
[This is naturally because there are also those within the government who have broken the precepts.]
Upon hearing Ye Yihe's complaint, Fyodor chuckled softly. [They dared not let that detective investigate so freely, fearing that one day he would get himself into trouble.]
If Ayatsuji Yukito were allowed to accept commissions without government oversight or restrictions, he would eventually receive a murder case instigated or ordered by them—at that point, Ayatsuji Yukito's supernatural ability would kill them.
Compared to murderers who directly commit murder, instigators are just harder to classify, but not impossible to classify.
In particular, Ayatsuji Yukito's top-notch detective mind is the root of their fear of this [Another] ability.
"...And what about you?"
After a moment of contemplation, Ye Yihe asked suspiciously, "Are you going to tell me that you have never killed anyone, including instigating or giving orders?"
He didn't believe a single word of it. He hadn't forgotten that this cunning little mouse was actually the villain—the other party's ideal, or at least the ideal he was told, was to eliminate all superhumans and create a world without sin.
Including his previous experience of waking up in Yokohama and discovering that he was a high-ranking member of the [V] organization, Ye Yihe was curious as to why Fyodor seemed unconcerned about being affected by Ayatsuji Yukito's supernatural abilities.
[Because of your presence,]
Fyodor spoke with a smile, and the perfect syllables conveyed a special, silky rhythm, as if the cello was played not by a bow, but by a handful of water dripping from the fingertips.
You are my antonym.
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