Epilogue to Chapter 111 (Part 5): A Chieftain Fished from the River
A beautiful morning begins with waking up to a meal.
The curtains were drawn back, and Pushkin, standing by the window, stretched contentedly; his short, dark golden hair, rather stiff, shone with a special luster under the winter sun, like molten gold slowly flowing between black rocks.
Even though the morning temperature was still low, he was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt in his bedroom. His full muscles stretched the fabric, outlining every inch of his smooth and restrained lines. He was agile and exuded a sense of effortless power.
Perhaps the training in the first year or two was very grueling, but for someone who has been suffering physically for years, running ten or twenty kilometers now is just a warm-up exercise.
His position in the food chain has remained unchanged for decades; he is not only at the bottom, but now he also has a boss.
Pushkin sighed resignedly.
Even that kid Dazai, who is several years younger than him, can easily control him; his brain must be incredibly sharp.
...Thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, this is a strongman who managed to beat his boss in a final showdown.
Glancing at the time, Pushkin realized it was almost time, so he pulled out a fleece-lined sweatshirt, put it on, and prepared to head to the restaurant for the meeting.
The food that Boss Ihe makes is so delicious—although most of the time he only prepares simple boiled or steamed dishes with just a little seasoning, it's still nice to smell the aroma.
Besides, what if Boss Ikh takes a soft heart and gives him some?
Even if we take a step back and assume that only he gets to eat the special dishes made by Boss Yihe, how can that not be considered a form of special care for him?
Pushkin offered himself a rather optimistic reassurance, and when he saw Ivan outside, he greeted him in a good mood.
When he arrived at the restaurant, he noticed that the atmosphere was a little off compared to usual.
First up are Odasaku, Chuuya, and Ikko, squatting in a circle with different colored faces, seemingly observing something on the tatami mat, which appears dark from a distance.
Dazai, on the other hand, was lying on the sofa, looking particularly listless.
Like not getting enough sleep... or being caught sneaking ice cream by Odasaku and Ikko in winter... or being hit by something else?
Pushkin examined it for a long time, unsure of what to do.
Good morning!
Squeezing next to Chuuya, he decided to satisfy his curiosity first and see clearly what that dark blob was.
Then I was startled, "This is!"
"Shh...!"
Yeikh immediately raised his index finger to his lips, signaling Pushkin to be quiet.
Pushkin: "…………"
Pushkin suppressed the shock that was about to burst out of his throat and exclaimed in a barely audible whisper, "Dazai actually has a materialized second personality!?"
Ye Yihe, who was shot: "…………"
Dazai Osamu, slumped listlessly on the sofa: "…………"
Chuuya, who raised his hand to cover the lower half of his face, stammered, "...Tch."
At this moment, the young man lying unconscious on the tatami mat did indeed resemble Dazai Osamu exactly, although he appeared a few years older. His face was deathly pale, devoid of any vitality, reminiscent of cold marble or some kind of jade. In short, he could not possibly be a living being.
What's even more remarkable is that his left eye is wrapped in bandages—although they've loosened considerably, it's clear that the bandages completely cover his perfectly good left eye.
Meanwhile, their Dazai no longer wears bandages over his eyes... even if he used to, it was only covering his right eye.
Aside from his pale face and the unusual placement of the bandages, the young man, Dazai Osamu, had bloodless lips and faint dark circles under his eyes; his brows were clearly furrowed in pain, yet his overall expression seemed to carry a faint sense of relief and pleasure.
Ye Yihe had seen this contradictory yet coexisting expression before.
In himself.
Looking back, it was like a broken vinyl record that kept spinning. Even though each rotation worsened the cracks, you persevered, giving it your all to ensure a perfect final performance, until the very last note fell—
Bang.
The music ended and the audience dispersed.
Given that Ye Yihe himself is not actually the embodiment of Fyodor's second personality, he is guessing in the direction of time travel—as for why he doesn't consider being Dazai's biological brother or something like that, it's because the other party was the first to deny that.
He also didn't believe there could be another person in the world with such a similar temperament to Dazai.
But if we're going to speculate based on time travel... for example, what happened to them in the future that made Dazai want to die again, and when he succeeded, he returned to the past, which is their present moment.
Thinking of this, Ye Yihe turned his gaze to Dazai, who was hiding behind the sofa.
"...Although I don't know what you're imagining, there's something wrong with your eyes."
Dazai, who was being stared at by those deep red eyes, subconsciously defended himself.
“I’m pretty sure I don’t have a second personality… My memories have never been interrupted, including things from my childhood that I remember perfectly.”
"But he's clearly several years older than you."
Chuuya chuckled, "What if he's the real main personality, Dazai Osamu, and you're the second personality that was separated out and unwanted beforehand?"
"..." Dazai Osamu deliberately put on an incredulous expression to convey his surprise more strongly. "Could it be that you only met me today, Chuuya?"
That shorty, Chuuya, dares to question him? Just you wait and see!
Compared to Dazai and Chuuya, who were bickering so fiercely that they were gradually losing their temper, Pushkin, having calmed down, looked at the black-haired youth who seemed to still be unconscious and quietly reached out to rub the large, pure black coat he was wearing.
It was indeed wet.
"Could it be another one like this...?"
Pushkin looked up and tentatively asked Oda Sakunosuke.
“Yes.” Oda Sakunosuke nodded in acknowledgment. “I fished it out of the river on my way out to buy milk.”
"...Is there a river here that specifically carries a species of creatures called Dazai Osamu?"
Upon receiving the confession from the person involved, Pushkin's pupils dilated in the midst of a violent earthquake. "You actually managed to pull out two Dazai in a row?!"
Dazai Osamu: "...How could there be a river specifically for my clan to float on? Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble? Even if there is a river where Dazai Osamu is floating, there's only one, because I jumped in on my own!"
After exchanging a few words with Dazai, Chuuya remembered Ye Yihe's instructions not to speak too loudly, but he just couldn't help but laugh.
"...Pfft...Ha...Hiss..."
Pushkin: "Otherwise, it's hard to explain why there are two Dazai Osamu's. You wouldn't accept it as a second personality..."
Osamu Dazai: “…………”
"..." Ye Yihe rubbed his forehead, but still chose to ask Oda Sakunosuke.
"He hasn't woken up yet. Should we take him to the hospital? Or did you knock him out with a karate chop on the way back?"
"..." Guessing what Ye Yihe was going to say, even Oda Sakunosuke couldn't help but fall silent for a moment before explaining, "I didn't knock him out this time."
"As for why he hasn't woken up yet," Oda Sakusuke thought for a moment and added, "it's probably because his health is too poor."
When he brought the man back, he could clearly sense that even though his clothes were soaked with water, Dazai Osamu's weight was far below the healthy minimum.
“It is quite obvious,” Ye Yihe nodded. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. We thought that given Dazai’s personality of resisting being seen naked, he probably wouldn’t want us to strip him naked.”
"We can't wait for him to wake up on his own. We need to change him into clean clothes quickly so he doesn't catch a cold."
Fortunately, the room was well-heated, so even though my clothes were soaked, I didn't feel cold.
Even so, it's not appropriate to keep the young Dazai Osamu wrapped in wet clothes, especially since his physical condition seems to have deteriorated considerably.
"I'll go get some clothes."
Ye Yihe stood up and instructed Pushkin, the strongest man present, to help the young Dazai Osamu move to a different spot, "You help carry him to the sofa and take off his wet clothes."
Then, he turned to Oda Sakunosuke, who had also gotten up with him, and instructed him, "Oda Sakunosuke, hurry up and bring a basin of hot water to wipe his body."
“Okay.” Oda Sakunosuke nodded.
Pushkin never imagined that the clothes of Osamu Dazai that he couldn't get off back then would be repeated by history a few years later, forcing him to take them off.
Gogol had told him that, according to the logic of that psychology doctor with dissociative identity disorder, the primary and secondary personalities were one good and one evil... just like his two bosses, clearly Ikh was the [good] one and Fyodor was the [evil] one.
But if it were Dazai... if he really did have a split personality, which of these two Dazai Osamu is the "good" one and which is the "evil" one... hmm, surely they can't both be "evil" one?
Just as Pushkin was lost in thought and about to actually reach out and pick up the young man, Dazai Osamu, he was...
The other person's eyelashes trembled, and they slowly opened their kite-like eyes.
"Wait a moment……"
He spoke very slowly, as if he were a weary traveler.
But the words he spoke were very firm.
"I have no interest in being seen naked by others."
The young Dazai Osamu's eyes were dark and deep, like a dark night without light, and even the slightest movement of them carried a strong sense of death—until he met Ye Yihe's face.
That lifeless gaze lingered between Ye Yihe and Oda Sakunosuke several times.
"…………"
After a long silence, he couldn't help but speak up, "Fyodor??"
Upon hearing this name, Ye Yihe breathed a sigh of relief.
In any case, Dazai on his side would not mistake him for Fyodor.
If the other party mistakes him for Fyodor, then at least it proves that this is not Dazai from the future traveling back in time to the present.
Young Dazai Osamu: "…………"
Why did Fyodor, who was standing in front of him, look relieved after being recognized?
"Dazai-kun,"
After thinking for a moment, Ye Yihe readily accepted the title Fyodor and responded with the title Fyodor usually used for Dazai, "You look so disheveled, it's not like you at all."
After jumping from the top floor and experiencing excruciating pain, Dazai Osamu lost consciousness and then awoke, only to find himself in an unfamiliar environment. He offered no response and showed no curiosity about his situation.
Or rather, he deduced that [The Devil] Fyodor had been secretly watching the situation unfold and had planned and orchestrated this step in preparation for the final moment.
"Another failed suicide attempt."
Ye Yihe had no idea what the young Dazai Osamu was thinking, and dutifully continued his performance.
He smiled at the other person and raised his hand, saying, "Didn't expect Oda Sakunosuke to be on my side, did you?"
Oda Sakunosuke was also very clever; he managed to bring back another Dazai.
"…………"
The young Dazai Osamu could no longer contain his surprise and doubt, "Huh?"
Wait?
————————
The Chief's [book] doesn't record this world, aha.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-08-08 23:58:50 and 2024-08-09 23:59:23!
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