Epilogue to Chapter 112 (Part 6): A Chieftain Fished from the River
The young Dazai Osamu—or, to put it another way, Dazai Osamu, who became the leader of the Port Mafia in another world—was probably feeling astonishment, suspicion, and a bit of incomprehension.
What does it mean to say that "Oda Sakunosuke is on my side"?
No matter which world he was in, he had never seen Oda Sakunosuke become Fyodor's man... or call him "Oda Sakunosuke"!
Could this be the huge butterfly effect caused by his unauthorized alteration of Oda Sakunosuke's future death?
Impossible. Oda Sakunosuke has become a member of the Armed Detective Agency. His past, present, and future will inevitably be so closely connected with the "Rats in the House of the Dead" and the "Demon" Fyodor.
Even if they crossed paths, they should be enemies. He knew that Fyodor's ambitions were always at odds with the rest of the world, and he had no chance of gaining any support.
Moreover, before completing his final plan, he also did some minor calculations on the other party.
However, Oda Sakunosuke did not deny Fyodor's words...
Dazai Osamu, lying on the tatami mat, was actually forcing himself to wake up.
Therefore, at this moment his mind was foggy and his vision was limited. When he turned his gaze to one side, he could only see Oda Sakunosuke and Ye Yihe standing on the same side.
In the world of young Dazai Osamu, after becoming the leader of the Port Mafia, his four years of tireless work, lack of food and sleep made his body weaker than it appeared. For some reason, the water he fell into made his lungs feel like they were on fire when he breathed, and his body was burning hot.
Even though the fabric was damp and cold, sticking clinging to the skin, it brought a shiver that made the nerves tremble slightly.
Even without taking a temperature reading, it can be inferred that this body is most likely running a high fever.
...Could this scene before him be a hallucination constructed by his brain under the influence of extreme pessimism and negative thinking?
"Does he have a fever?"
Seeing that the younger version of Dazai hadn't spoken again for a long time after saying "Eh," Chuuya, who was squatting on the other side, hadn't gotten up yet. He took the initiative to place the back of his hand on the other's forehead for a moment—and then realized that the other's body temperature was indeed abnormal.
Hearing Chuuya's voice from just outside their immediate field of vision, and even reaching out to take his temperature, the leader, Zabuza, was speechless.
"Oh, this is really a ghost story."
He murmured, unable to break free from the cool touch on his forehead.
Am I really still alive?
Even if a fever could cause hallucinations, he simply couldn't imagine Chuuya caring about his physical condition in this way.
Normally, this rude and ill-mannered guy would kick open the top-floor office door, put the kidnapped doctor in front of him, and then immediately threaten to kill him if he refused treatment.
He must have already gone to hell.
Just as Chuuya was diligently imitating Ye Yihe's method of taking temperatures, he was unexpectedly criticized for looking like a ghost: "...Huh?"
Why is it that when Ikki and Oda Sakunosuke see each other, the response is "Eh," but when it comes to him, it's "Are you still alive?"
Damn it, I really want to punch this bastard.
But seeing the young Dazai's weak and half-dead appearance, Chuuya, who had never actually beaten up the young Dazai before, couldn't bring himself to actually hit him at this moment.
As a result, he could only click his tongue, get up, and reluctantly go to the first aid kit to find fever-reducing medicine for the mackerel whose breathing was still burning hot.
Turning his head, Chuuya noticed that Dazai, who had been lying on the sofa with his back to them, had instead lay down and hidden behind the sofa's blind spot, as if he didn't want to be discovered.
Seeing Chuuya looking at him as he stepped over the sofa, the young Dazai silently raised his index finger, signaling Chuuya not to call out to him.
Chuuya: "…………"
It's one thing for Ikh to be pretending to be Fyodor, but what's this guy up to now?
On the other side, Ye Yihe continued to dutifully play the role of Fyodor.
"It's a pity you're still alive."
Ye Yihe tilted his head slightly, pretending not to understand.
"Since Oda Sakunosuke is here, I think you shouldn't be too surprised to see Chuuya here as well, right?"
"…………"
The port mafia leader, Osamu Dazai, silently and quietly gazed at Ye Yihe.
Shouldn't be too surprised? Zhong is the highest-ranking officer of the [Port Mafia] that he created, and the next leader he handpicked—yet here he is, wearing a jacket and casual pants, squatting down and even reaching out to touch his head.
This incredibly impactful scene unfolded before his eyes, yet [the Demon] said he shouldn't be too surprised.
"…………"
The young version of Dazai, lying on the tatami mat, remained silent, and Ye Yihe could only respond with a puzzled gaze.
But before the other party could make another sound, his eyes gradually sharpened—the young man, Dazai, who had fallen into the water and been rescued, was clearly burning even more badly, and even his blinking had become slow and heavy, as if he was about to completely lose consciousness at any moment.
Let's put aside the matter of pretending to be Fyodor to extract information; changing people's clothes is the priority first.
But considering how much this young Dazai resisted Pushkin's approach... After a moment of contemplation, Ye Yihe spoke to Oda Sakunosuke, who was clearly receiving special attention from the other party.
"Oda Sakunosuke, could you please help me carry him to the sofa?"
Ye Yihe pointed his chin at the incredibly thin young man, Dazai, and said, "I'll leave the task of washing his body and changing his clothes to you as well... Please."
Oda Sakunosuke naturally wouldn't refuse Ye Yihe's request, "Alright."
Even as his consciousness gradually descended into a state of self-doubt due to the high fever, the leader, Zai, still subconsciously refused upon hearing the conversation.
"...Wait, even if it's a hallucination, you still need to ask my opinion first..."
The next moment, he was enveloped in a warm and comforting embrace.
There is no room for using illusions as an excuse to escape.
The leader's body stiffened.
Back then, in order to follow the development of key events in the main world, and also to minimize the impact of Oda Sakunosuke's death and avoid causing the world to collapse, he deliberately injured himself and collapsed at the door of Oda Sakunosuke's apartment, where Oda Sakunosuke took him back for treatment and care.
But at that time, he could not be heard by Oda Sakunosuke, could not be seen by Oda Sakunosuke, and could not become a close friend with him.
Saving and being saved have become routine tasks after a decision has been made, actions taken solely to achieve a goal, like a small gear in a precision instrument.
He regretted it, but he did not feel remorse.
However, why is he having such close contact with Oda Sakunosuke right now?
As the leader of the Port Mafia, which controls the lifeline of the entire Kanto region, Dazai Osamu's expression was unusually blank.
This tangible sensation makes it impossible to deceive oneself into believing it's an illusion.
As for the young Dazai, he had already slipped out the door by taking advantage of the blind spot of the sofa when Oda Sakunosuke came over carrying another version of himself.
He doesn't want to be discovered by his other self and then forced to admit that he is also a member of the "House of the Dead Rats".
What? He admitted it to the "Hound" before? That was just a strategy to get them to shift their focus and capture the main target.
Dazai Osamu, who had been placed on the sofa, had no time to be stunned. Even though he was weak all over from a high fever, he was struggling.
"I changed my own clothes...and I had to wipe myself down too!!"
Pushkin, who was responsible for bringing the hot water, watched helplessly as the young version of Dazai Osamu struggled for a few moments before being swiftly and decisively knocked unconscious by Oda Sakunosuke's chop to the neck, collapsing limply onto the sofa and remaining motionless.
"…………"
Hiss... As expected of Oda Sakunosuke, a top-tier assassin, his method of achieving his goals is truly simple and brutal.
Once Oda Sakunosuke confirmed that the young Dazai had completely lost consciousness and would no longer interfere with his caregiving efforts, he quickly began to change the other man's clothes, wipe his body, feed him medicine and water, and cover him with a blanket, completing the entire process in one smooth motion.
Of course, this is under the premise that there is a sofa back blocking the view and that there will not be many people watching.
While Oda Sakunosuke was helping to take care of the young Dazai, Ye Yihe also took the warmed milk and breakfast from the kitchen and returned to his bedroom.
Fyodor remained lying on his side in the soft bedding, but his dark red eyes, devoid of emotion, were open, facing the door.
"Good morning."
Upon seeing his messiah return, he finally smiled, his slightly dark red eyes now tinged with a warm, purplish-red hue, making him look incredibly beautiful. This stirred a desire in Ye Yihe, making him want to kiss him.
So he did just that.
"I vaguely heard some arguing. Did something happen to you?"
Fyodor sat up and closed his eyes slightly, letting the soft kiss land on the corner of his eye, intimate and lingering.
"You probably don't believe what I saw,"
He shoved the hot milk into Fei Jia's hand and stared at Ye Yihe as he finished drinking it, saying, "Is he Dazai grown up, or from another world?"
“…” Fyodor, holding a mug, blinked slowly before speaking.
"That's true, it's quite rare."
"He even called me 'you,' which means he probably has never seen me before." Otherwise, given Dazai's intelligence, how could he not tell him apart from Feya?
Ye Yihe was not surprised by this.
After all, his appearance in this world was originally due to Xiao Ai's intervention, who rescued him from another dimension.
According to Xiao Ai, even though countless possible worlds can be derived from the branching lines of this world—including some with a future of complete destruction—those are just "possible worlds" and will not cause turmoil in the main world.
Therefore, Ye Yihe can only exist in this world.
"Don't you recognize me...?"
Fyodor, leaning against the headboard, took a couple of sips of warm milk, looking quiet and well-behaved as he fell into deep thought.
Ye Yihe fed him the toast he had prepared, and he obediently took a bite along the edge without any resistance.
Compared to Fyodor, who used to consume only the bare minimum of calories and nutrients just to survive, he is now well cared for by Ye Yihe, and his symptoms of anemia and weakness have greatly improved.
"Yes, and Oda Sakunosuke said that his intuition, honed from his time as an assassin, is reminding him that the younger version of Dazai is extremely dangerous, far more dangerous than our Dazai."
Recalling what Oda Sakunosuke had said when they were watching Dazai, Ye Yihe added to Fyodor.
The "danger" here does not refer to the fact that the young Dazai himself is in danger, but rather to the strong sense of unease he can bring to others even without doing anything.
Oda Sakunosuke said that the Dazai had probably killed many people, until finally, he killed himself.
"His clothes,"
After hearing this, Fyodor paused for a moment before speaking.
How does it look?
"It was a pure black overcoat, and it felt incredibly high-quality to the touch," Ye Yihe recalled. "Inside, there was a white shirt and a black suit made of equally top-quality fabric... Ah."
He hadn't seen this outfit in so long that he hadn't even remembered it just now—putting aside the jacket, he had seen the classic combination of a white shirt and a black suit in a long-extinct organization whose headquarters building had been requisitioned.
【Port Mafia】.
"Yes,"
Confirming Ye Yihe's unspoken guess, Fyodor's eyes revealed a meaningful smile. "You're right."
If we extrapolate the future based on the premise that [Dazai Osamu joined the Port Mafia at the age of thirteen or fourteen], then it's no surprise that Ye Yihe would describe the younger version of him as "dangerous" by Oda Sakunosuke.
With Dazai's intellect, becoming one of his comrades would allow him to continuously destroy illegal organizations and manipulate those villains. When his allies switch sides and he becomes a member of the Port Mafia, Ye Yihe can hardly estimate how much that organization could grow.
"Does that mean he's become our enemy?"
Ye Yihe immediately became worried.
At first, he felt that even if Dazai was dangerous, he was still Dazai whom he and Oda Sakunosuke had watched grow up, so there was no way he could be their enemy.
They later discovered that he was Dazai from another world who didn't recognize him, but given his extremely poor health and high fever from falling into the water, it was impossible for them to just leave him alone.
It wasn't until now that they realized this Dazai was from the Port Mafia, which they had already wiped out long ago?
Considering the bloody deeds and cruel atrocities committed by that organization's leader... and then thinking about Dazai, whom he raised... Ye Yihe began to worry about the safety of Oda Sakunosuke, who was left in the living room.
No wonder that Dazai's health was so poor. How could an illegal organization that commits all sorts of evil possibly raise children properly?
"Judging from your description of his reaction, he was only hostile towards me."
Fyodor said calmly, "Even in this world, it makes no difference, whether it's the two you refer to as [Odasaku] and [Chūya], or many other people."
The only person who can understand him and is willing to realize his ideals is his Messiah.
Faced with Fei Jia's lonely yet clear-headed self-awareness, Ye Yihe reassured him by squeezing his fingers, indicating that he was still there.
The cold sense of alienation instantly vanished from the depths of those eyes, like snow melting in the sunlight.
Fyodor's lips curved into a silent smile, and he readily added on Ye Yihe's behalf, "Except for you."
"Yes, and me too."
Ye Yihe, who had been observing his emotions, felt a little relieved and continued the conversation about the young Dazai.
"I can't let him know yet that I not only wiped out his [Port Mafia] organization, but also turned their headquarters building into a haunted house..."
"We need to find a way to get him used to us first."
Following Fyodor's guidance, Ye Yihe pondered for a long time.
"How about we have Rimbaud dig up the body of that long-dead port Mafia leader, turn him into a supernatural being from the 'Colored Picture Book,' and pretend he's still alive, so that Dazai can remember him?"
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