Chapter 86
"Ranpo... are you sure the information is accurate?"
The president never expected that the one who would actually be reminded would be his childhood friend.
"President," Ranpo's cheeks puffed out as the renowned detective's abilities were questioned.
"How dare you underestimate my decoding abilities? I put on my glasses properly and activated my [Super Deduction] ability! I am the world's number one detective—humph, you said that yourself, are you only now thinking of refuting it?"
"..." The president was speechless and couldn't utter a single rebuttal.
Since the [Angel Murder] incident, he had never told Ranpo that Ranpo didn't actually have the [Super Deduction] ability—or rather, he didn't even have an ability.
The so-called "super deduction" was just a reason he made up in an emergency to calm Ranpo down... cough cough.
But precisely because of this, he was absolutely certain that Ranpo's mind was far superior to that of ordinary people, and he could always give him unconditional trust in solving puzzles and pointing to the truth.
The question I just asked wasn't because I didn't believe Ranpo's abilities, but rather a conditioned reflex of not wanting to believe in such a possibility.
“Sigh… but I haven’t seen Genichiro for many years,” the silver-haired swordsman sighed softly, “I don’t know how he is doing. Besides, it would be abrupt to ask him so abruptly…”
Frankly speaking, given his personality, the other party might guess his intentions before he even opens his mouth... Forcing him to lie would be extremely difficult...
“There are two interpretations to the ‘danger’ here,” Rimbaud, who was walking beside him, said.
“If he were in danger, then it wouldn’t be unreasonable for the president to personally visit and warn him. But…”
“If it means [he himself is dangerous]…” Ranpo scratched his head in annoyance. “President, that’s really terrible.”
The president tucked his hands into his sleeves and responded in a low voice.
After all, the president's childhood friend, Fukuchi Sakura, should now be a beloved "Hero of the Far East," and his position in the military and police has even reached a high level... Ah.
“There are even more pressing problems than these,”
Stepping on his shadow, stretched long in front of him by the setting sun, he muttered to himself as he walked aimlessly.
"I wonder if he's noticed..."
"—Achoo!"
Dazai Osamu sneezed.
A subtle look of disgust flashed in Chuuya's eyes, and he shifted his buttocks on the sofa in the opposite direction from Chuuya's.
"The cold medicine is in that cabinet over there. Go get a packet, mix it with water, and give it to me."
"This isn't a cold; someone must be talking about me behind my back."
Dazai sniffed, twirled the ballpoint pen deftly between his fingers, and continued to highlight key points on the stack of documents.
Because he's been preoccupied with the political issues these past few days, he hasn't had time to play games with Chuuya and can only sit next to him pitifully doing his work.
“Is that so?” Chuuya gave him a sly look. “You’d better not have actually stayed up all night and caught a cold, otherwise Fei Jia will be bringing you a bowl of bitter, dark soup and watching you force it down your throat…”
Osamu Dazai: “………………”
"I'll go make myself a packet of cold medicine and drink it." He silently got up.
"Oh, it's just the two of you here."
Just then, Pushkin returned, drenched in sweat. He greeted them and went to take a shower. A little while later, he returned with his short, wet, dark gold hair.
"Oda accompanied Feda to deliver green rice dumplings to Ayatsuji, while Ivan went to buy ingredients and daily necessities."
After explaining where the people in the small building had gone, Dazai Osamu asked Pushkin curiously, "Why did you come back so early today? Did you finally lose patience with the oppression and smash that Ivan doll that pricks your butt?"
Pushkin: "…………"
That kid.
"How could I possibly break that Ivan guy's doll? He specially made it for me out of granite; you couldn't even leave a mark on it with a drill..."
Besides, his ability is a virus, not a mushroom. He has absolutely no way to deal with this kind of rock-type puppet. It's infuriating.
As Pushkin looked for water in the refrigerator, he answered Dazai Osamu's question with considerable puzzlement.
"I felt someone was following me, and they even followed me for several blocks. Something was wrong, so I came back early."
When I first realized it, I told the Ivan puppet, but he didn't believe me. I had to poke his butt several times before he finally took control and responded that he would investigate... Seriously, where can he go to reason with him!
"Is someone following you?"
Dazai Osamu astutely grasped the key point: "Did you see the other person's appearance? Their clothes and appearance? What were their distinctive features?"
"To be precise... it wasn't just one, it was a group."
Pushkin scratched the back of his head. "I know I run that road every day, so someone will definitely recognize me. But today's encounters are different. They're wearing ordinary clothes, but they look..."
"Sneaky and furtive."
He thought for a moment and then uttered this adjective. After a pause, he added, "He doesn't look like a good person."
"How do you know they're not good people?" Chuuya interjected curiously.
"Because their expressions are almost the same as mine used to be,"
Pushkin spoke with remarkable candor, casually revealing his embarrassing past as a fat man.
"It's about believing that you're a weak being, so whatever you do can be forgiven, while secretly hating the arrogant faces of those elite bastards... cough cough cough, I don't think like that anymore, not at all!"
"Oh? So you used to think that Ivan and your boss were both elite bastards?" Dazai Osamu said with a smile.
"...Tell them I'm going to die, so please, please don't tell them."
"Then next time, the lookout..."
"I'll do it, I'll do it."
"I want some ice cream..."
"I'll eat, I'll eat... no, I'll buy, I'll buy."
"very good."
With the unilateral deal completed, Dazai Osamu was completely satisfied.
Chuuya, who was watching from the sidelines: "..."
That Dazai is really wicked.
"So, you suspect they're planning something bad for Pushkin?" Chuuya turned to ask Dazai.
"No, I suspect they want to harm us."
Dazai frowned in thought, "But even a fool like Pushkin could easily detect this kind of tracking... Is our opponent very strong? Or are they deliberately trying to lower our guard? Or is it just a crude test? Or perhaps a cover to distract us? No, there's another possibility..."
During this long string of self-talk, Pushkin's expression gradually changed from resentment at being looked down upon to numbness at the thought that this kid's brain was terrifying.
...I was originally going to stay angry, but oh well, never mind.
“In short, one thing is certain,” Dazai Osamu said, “we are being targeted by an unknown enemy.”
Pushkin was astonished: "Even you didn't guess who it was?"
"..." Dazai Osamu said quietly, "If you had been a little more diligent and brought back a prisoner, I might have been able to interrogate him to find out the enemy's identity. What a pity, Pushkin."
Pushkin: "…………"
"Sigh...it's inevitable."
Dazai's few casual words left Pushkin speechless, so much so that he went to a corner to grow mushrooms, while Dazai himself sat there, chin in hand, troubled.
“I know that Fedia’s purges of the Mafia will provoke hatred from many sides, which is why I want to wipe out the remnants as completely as possible each time to prevent any possibility of retaliation. Therefore, even government officials with ties to them are targets that need to be dealt with…”
He sighed, "But obviously, the further we go from dealing with enemies, the deeper the secrets we uncover. The [Sorcerer Kyogoku Natsuhiko] incident a while ago, although it also involved investigators under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, at least Ayatsuji helped clean up the mess and keep an eye on the follow-up."
The Port Mafia, controlled by a deranged old man, is already the easiest organization to deal with; the Holy Staff, manipulated by the cult leader, doesn't pose a particularly high challenge even with the addition of just the right amount of help.
"But this time, it's not just about involving a secret government agency; there are clearly more troublesome enemies lurking in the shadows..."
Dazai frowned. "Perhaps this is my intuition, or maybe it's a subconscious deduction... In any case, there's some unusual hostility watching us closely."
"Moreover, they're about to make their move."
…………
On the other side, Ye Yihe was knocking on the door of Ayatsuji's office while carrying a green rice dumpling.
An agent from the Special Abilities Department even came over to tell them that they couldn't just enter the agency to see Ayatsuji Yukito, but he stared at them with cold eyes and made them sheepishly go back.
He hadn't even bothered about these agents monitoring Ayatsuji Yukito 24/7, making his own office feel like prison; and now these same people were warning him not to go into the office to see him? What kind of logic was that?
Do you really think he's afraid of these owls who always turn a blind eye and only know how to aim at people with sniper scopes?
What Ye Yihe didn't know was that the agents were more afraid of Ayatsuji Yukito than of him, who usually followed the rules.
After all, the Special Abilities Division also has its own internal communications. Even if Ayatsuji Yukito's ability is dangerous, it is only used against murderers. But this seemingly sickly and thin but handsome young man has a record of wiping out three large organizations and sending a bunch of politicians to jail with ease—if they even have the chance to go to jail...!
The name of the [Grey Cardinal] had even reached their ears.
The farming officer had specifically instructed them to help the other party as much as possible when they had the chance, and that as long as it did not cause harm to society, he could do whatever he wanted.
Hmm... just visiting Ayatsuji Yukito shouldn't be considered a threat to society, right?
The agent silently veered the muzzle of his sniper rifle, pretending not to see Ayatsuji Yukito open the door and welcome him in.
“They actually agreed to let you in,” Ayatsuji Yukito said to Ye Yihe with a slight smile, clearly in a good mood. “It must have been that Commander Taneda who specifically instructed them to do so.”
"Anyway, since they were quite polite, I won't make a fuss about it."
Ye Yihe handed him a carefully packaged cardboard box. "Would you like to try some of these red bean paste-filled qingtuan (sweet green rice dumplings)?"
"Qingtuan... Oh, I've heard of this food."
Ayatsuji Yukito carried the cardboard box to the kitchen, intending to find a suitable container to heat it up.
Ye Yihe stepped into the office and locked the door behind him.
Oda Sakunosuke stayed close to Ye Yihe, remaining extremely vigilant throughout – Ye Yihe had originally planned to come alone, but he firmly disagreed.
This office is also Ayatsuji Yukito's residence, so it has an exceptionally relaxed, homey atmosphere.
The most noticeable scent is a faint aroma of smoke, floating in the air filled with incense, gently stirred by the overhead fan blades, blending into a somewhat peculiar, sweet tobacco fragrance.
The ceiling features an antique arched shape, with a rocking chair in the center surrounded by several caramel-colored rattan chairs, illuminated by warm, atmospheric lighting provided by Western antique lamps.
Looking to the side, the empty walls were mostly filled with bookshelves. Ye Yihe glanced at the titles and saw that there were quite a few foreign language works.
Some books that had been read but not yet tidied up were placed on the carpet embroidered with intricate patterns.
One of the walls connects to the kitchen, where Ayatsuji Yukito is steaming green rice dumplings.
This was Ye Yihe's first time at the firm—not counting Fyodor's last visit—so he looked around with great interest for a while.
"Coffee and qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling) don't really go well together, so I'll brew a pot of roasted tea instead,"
Midway through, Ayatsuji Yukito's voice came from the kitchen, speaking at a leisurely pace, "Would you like some milk?"
Ye Yihe: "Yes!" Of course he would choose milk tea if given the choice.
Oda Sakunosuke: "I only need tea."
Ayatsuji Yukito responded with an "Mm," and then fell silent.
After a while, he returned with steaming hot glutinous rice balls and roasted tea, placing them on the table. The steam slowly rose, gradually spreading throughout the dimly lit Western-style house.
Because Ayatsuji Yukito was being watched from outside the window all day long, he always habitually drew the curtains tightly to block the spying. At most, he would leave a west-facing window with a relatively narrow view for the agents.
"Even I, who can only stay here, have heard that the [Takase-kai] has been completely wiped out."
Ayatsuji Yukito chose a rattan chair and sat down, holding a pair of bamboo chopsticks in his hand—he had consciously put away his thin pipe after visiting Ye Yihe's office.
There's nothing that can be done about the lingering smell of smoke, but at least you can't let the other person nag about it to your face.
"Mm." Ye Yihe nodded.
"Although I really want to congratulate you, eliminating the three major organizations will at least wipe out 70% of the Yokohama Mafia."
Despite saying the good news, Ayatsuji Yukito's tone was very calm, and even his eyes behind his brown-tinted glasses contained almost no joy.
"But it is obvious that the 'political elites' associated with the Takase-kai are the ones who need to be dealt with."
“Yes,” Ye Yihe nodded, “Dazai is trying to find a solution. Some cases only require collecting relevant evidence of the crimes, while others can be handed over to their political enemies to resolve—among them, there are a few high-ranking officials who are the most troublesome, even Dazai cannot find any evidence of their crimes.”
To be precise, Dazai was able to roughly determine the crimes the other party had committed based on the relevant information he had obtained; however, it was very strange that even he could not find any evidence to convict him.
"It can only be explained as being done by the Seventh Agency," said Dazai, whose eyes were slightly dark and bluish-black.
Furthermore, Dazai complained that if they really couldn't find any evidence to go through legal procedures, they might as well just sneak in and kill him in the middle of the night, since they had a top expert in assassination here anyway.
Oda Sakunosuke had no objection to this, treating it as unpaid overtime.
“It’s rare to see someone bother that Dazai to this extent.” Ayatsuji Yukito took a sip of hot tea. “As for the Kyogoku Natsuhiko incident, I cooperated with him quite well.”
It was arguably the most pleasant and smooth working experience he had ever had with any of the cases he had handled.
Each of the teammates is a top-notch strategist with exceptional intelligence. They can guess each other's general plans without needing to explain a single word, and quickly understand their own roles and positions within the plan, working together to push the enemy into a dead end.
Even a hundred years from now, he still wouldn't be able to build that kind of tacit understanding with those goldfish that only know how to blow bubbles.
"Yes, Dazai said that killing him directly could easily trigger a violent upheaval within the government, and the subsequent chain reaction could lead to even worse consequences, so it must be avoided as much as possible."
Ye Yihe thought for a moment, "I remember he is now using certain media outlets to slowly release some bad news about the members of parliament, attracting everyone's attention in order to buy more time."
After saying all that, Ye Yihe roughly told Ayatsuji Yukito about the existence of the Seventh Agency, emphasizing its duty to [eradicate government crimes].
“…” After a moment of silence, Ayatsuji Yukito spoke, “I had been suspecting this for a while, and now it’s finally confirmed.”
Just like why he was under government surveillance, even the events were all entrusted to him by them, as if he had become a dog kept by the government and could only obey orders, otherwise he would face the danger of being shot.
"This can be considered a double insurance policy from the government."
Ayatsuji Yukito's tone was indifferent, "The fact that Dazai couldn't find a single piece of evidence even after the crime was confirmed means I'm certain that one of them must be an ability user capable of erasing evidence."
"Yes." Ye Yihe nodded.
This was also Dazai's conclusion, but unfortunately, the Seventh Organization had evacuated with everyone in an emergency, leaving nothing behind.
“Things have indeed become complicated. Given the previous two purges, this time, those ‘political elites’ might very well target you.”
Most of the time had passed in the chat, and Ayatsuji Yukito finally spoke to Ye Yihe.
"Never underestimate their abilities. Those who have climbed to that position are cunning and shrewd, and they also know what it means to 'use one tiger to devour another'—well, but that requires them to be willing to unite. As long as they belong to different parties, getting them to join hands and help each other is as difficult as climbing to the sky."
"Moreover, those whose crimes have been erased have no need to worry about [being exposed for scandal], and assassins who can successfully carry out assassinations despite tight security measures are extremely rare."
"In short, I will try to find out some inside information, so please be careful."
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