Chapter 33 The Main Body in Seventeen Days
It's raining in Yokohama.
I closed the window of the Armed Detective Agency and heard the sound of raindrops hitting the glass.
It's raining.
"Huh? What a coincidence." Yosano Akiko said, walking to the window, looking somewhat disappointed, and sighed, "I was planning to go shopping at the mall later."
“Then next time, Miss Akiko,” I said.
Yosano Akiko shrugged: "That's the only way."
She turned to the side, her gaze pausing as it swept over me. "I'm telling you," she said, "Edakawa."
"Um?"
"You've seemed a little tired these past few days," Yosano Akiko said, looking at me. "What's wrong?"
I'm quite glad that it was Ms. Akiko who asked me this question.
If I were facing Mr. Ranpo right now, I would definitely be much more nervous.
"I don't know why, but I felt quite tired when I woke up this time."
“Tsk.” She frowned. “This doesn’t sound like a good omen, Edakawa.”
"Maybe."
"Don't take it so lightly. Be careful and pay attention to any unusual signs."
"I know, I know," I said with a wave and a smile.
The moment my eyes met Yosano Akiko's, my smile involuntarily vanished.
Her eyes reminded me of Maki at a certain point in her life, and also somewhat resembled those of Etotsu and Spine.
However, what echoed in my ears were Dazai Osamu's words from the Lupin bar a few days ago.
He said, "But you are definitely not a good companion."
I was quite surprised that Osamu Dazai would say that.
He didn't seem like the kind of person who could say such things, or perhaps he was Dazai Osamu, a member of the mafia.
Even without any prejudice, I always felt that there was a strange sense of absurdity and ridiculousness in his use of the word "companion."
But instead of immediately refuting him, I naturally began to weigh his words.
I firmly believe that Dazai Osamu used some little-known techniques when he spoke.
Because afterwards I really started to doubt whether I was a qualified companion.
For all college graduates.
To everyone in the detective agency.
Am I a good companion?
My answer is: "Whether in the past or now, from the perspective of a companion, I have done the most appropriate thing, Mr. Dazai."
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, Dazai Osamu continued, "But life will never move in the most suitable direction."
Looking up, I saw those iris-colored eyes.
He held up two fingers and pushed the empty glass forward a few inches.
"or."
****
The rain stopped briefly during the day, but it started again when I was about to leave the detective agency, though not heavily.
Mr. Kunikida gave me an umbrella, the surface of which was a monotonous and deep black.
"or."
As I opened the door, Edogawa Ranpo called out to me.
I turned around: "What's wrong?"
He squinted and said, "Even the famous detective is coming downstairs."
"Huh?" I was taken aback, guessing he probably wanted to go downstairs to the coffee shop to get something to eat. "Want to go to the coffee shop?"
Ranpo nodded.
I smiled and asked to join them, "Okay, let's go together, Mr. Ranpo."
As they descended the stairs, Ranpo suddenly spoke up: "Or are you worried about something?"
I stopped in my tracks, startled, and turned to look at him. "Huh?"
"What have you been worried about lately?" Ranpo continued walking forward one step before stopping. "But there's really nothing to worry about."
Ranpo turned to look at me: "Don't worry about anything."
I can't say for sure whether I saw Ranpo off or Ranpo saw me off, but we parted ways downstairs.
Before I left, I said, "See you tomorrow, Mr. Ranpo."
He replied, "We don't need to meet tomorrow, or..."
"?" I was very puzzled, and countless possibilities that this sentence represented flashed through my mind in an instant.
"Mr. Ranpo?" Surely I haven't been fired?
"The famous detective has given you a vacation, you idiot."
I blinked: "Is it okay?"
"Of course, the famous detective's assistant is decided by the famous detective." He put his hands on his hips, quite confidently. "Hurry up and thank Lord Ranpo."
"Yes, yes, thank you very much, Detective Ranpo-sama."
I turned around, opened my black umbrella, and walked into the rain.
After walking a few steps, I turned around, but I couldn't see the detective's uniform anymore.
I remembered Ranpo telling me in the steamy stairwell that I shouldn't worry.
I asked, "All of them?"
He said, "All of them."
However, I cannot confirm whether everything Ranpo said and everything I asked are the same thing.
[Do you think Edogawa Ranpo could detect your presence?]
[Uncertain. Current analysis suggests a 52% chance of being detected and a 48% chance of going undetected.]
...Isn't that almost a 50/50 chance?
It's as if I said nothing at all.
The rain lessened.
But the wind suddenly became stronger, so strong that I had to hold onto the umbrella tightly.
"Oh, or!"
Under the gray sky, rain was falling in Yokohama, and I saw Osamu Dazai.
His eyes were curved in a smile, like a black cat that had fallen into a river, with several patches of his black hair stuck together. The dim twilight made his eyes shine.
He really did slip under the umbrella as nimbly as a black cat, saying, "Where are you going? Could you give me a ride?"
“…” I glanced at him. “Mr. Dazai, can’t you order your Port Mafia people around?”
“This isn’t work time, and besides, I can’t contact my subordinates with just my personal phone.” Dazai Osamu turned his head and laughed. “I can’t remember that many numbers.”
I asked, "Where are we going?"
"Lupin Bar".
"You don't go this way at all to get from the Port Mafia Building to Lupin Bar."
“Because, just like this rain, wanting to go to Lupin Bar was just a sudden thought.” He snapped his fingers. “A thought that arose at the moment I saw it.”
"Didn't you make plans with any friends?" Like Oda Sakunosuke or something.
"No."
I suddenly remembered that apart from meeting Oda Sakunosuke only once, Dazai Osamu had come alone most of the time.
I asked, "Mr. Dazai, don't you have any friends you can invite to drinking parties?"
Dazai praised confidently, "Correct! Or!"
"..."
“I used to always hang out with Oda Sakunosuke, but he got really busy later on, so we rarely had time to go out for drinks anymore.” He said, then suddenly remembered something and asked me, “Or, do you remember Oda Sakunosuke?”
"I remember."
I have more than just an impression of him; I can't even fully remember Oda Sakunosuke, and I can even guess why he's become so busy.
It can only be because they adopted Sakura and the others.
After adopting Sakura and the others, Oda Sakunosuke's manuscript submission speed increased significantly.
Dazai Osamu reached out and caught a drop of rainwater, then suddenly asked, "Have you ever heard of the butterfly effect?"
“Of course,” I said. “Mr. Dazai, putting aside high school, I’m at least a junior high school graduate.” Unlike you Port Mafia members, many of you haven’t received much education.
The so-called butterfly effect refers to the idea that if a butterfly flaps its wings twice in the South American rainforest, it could cause a tornado in Texas two weeks later.
Based on my experience of several conversations with Osamu Dazai, I could roughly guess what he was going to say.
"You're not implying there's such a relationship between us, are you?" I pondered for a moment the reason for my entanglement with Dazai Osamu. "Does the butterfly refer to Mr. Nakahara?"
"Eh? Don't you think so?"
"..." I glanced at him and said, "I don't think so. At most, it's a big moth effect. — I didn't mean to say that Mr. Zhongyuan is a big moth."
Dazai Osamu laughed so hard his legs trembled.
He said regretfully, "It's a pity that Zhongye can't hear those words."
But I really didn't mean anything against Chuuya Nakahara. My denial is just because I've long realized that, if we're making an analogy, the real equivalent of the butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon rainforest of South America happened much earlier.
Earlier, I woke up and saw Gojo-sensei, giving up on saying the complete sentence, "Instead of doing something meaningless, I'd rather exorcise the curse."
At that moment, the butterfly's wings fluttered almost imperceptibly twice.
****
Dazai Osamu dragged me to sit at the bar counter of Lupin Bar for a while, and it was clear that he really liked the bar counter position.
Although I've been to Lupin Bar many times, this is the first time I've stayed there as a customer.
Dazai Osamu asked for a glass of Scotch whisky, but remembering that I had never drunk alcohol before, he recommended a cocktail to me, saying that cocktails are not strong and have a better taste.
But I refused.
Although I've been in quite a few fights, I'm a proper minor, and I don't touch alcohol unless I say I won't. I only had a glass of milk.
He blinked, feigning curiosity: "Or do you like to drink milk?"
"almost."
Actually, I started drinking milk simply because I wanted to grow taller.
Perhaps because of playing volleyball for so long, Oikawa and Iwaizumi grew taller faster than me, which led me to the idea of drinking more milk.
Later, it seemed like I got used to it, used to the taste of milk, and even my daily food choices started to lean towards milk.
I was biting my straw, and Dazai Osamu and I were mostly silent.
I realized that it didn't really matter whether I was here or not. He didn't ask me to stay for any particular reason; he just made sure I probably wouldn't refuse.
But I like this quiet atmosphere. When I'm at the bar, this quietness is what I'm facing most often.
I also enjoy the soothing music in bars. I often work quietly by myself in its company, as if all the bizarre and wonderful things in the lobby have nothing to do with me.
"The rain has stopped." Dazai Osamu suddenly spoke up.
I snapped out of my daze and we bumped into each other just as he was looking away. A fleeting glint of light settled in my eyes.
He smiled faintly: "Let's go, or..."
However, his eyes held no smile, and even when they were filled with sparse light, they still revealed a dark and gloomy atmosphere.
"Based on reasonable judgment, is it okay to just leave me alone?"
"Dazai Osamu."
The sky has cleared, the rain has stopped, and now you think you're all set?
My voice sounded calm, but it wasn't actually like that.
I'm saying this very seriously.
If you were to carefully observe my reflection through one of Dazai Osamu's bare eyes, you would discover this fact.
"If you loathe that so-called nauseating tenderness, the best option is to stay away from it, or to be more direct, tear it apart."
"But if you insist on getting close... I can tolerate some insignificant or trivial exploitation, but at least don't say anything to provoke me for now. Even the common saying 'crossing the river and then dismantling the bridge' means dismantling the bridge only after the whole river has been crossed, not dismantling a plank after each step."
****
I left Lupin Bar.
Normally it's still quite bright at this time, but today it's cloudy, so it's a bit dark.
The air after rain has a high concentration of water vapor, making your skin feel damp.
The leaves on the roadside have been washed clean of dust, revealing their new green color.
The air smelled of dust.
Everything was in the post-rain atmosphere, except for one strange thing: a young man was squatting next to the trees in front of us.
As I was about to pass by, I stopped beside him out of curiosity. "Sir, excuse me, what's wrong with this tree?"
Upon hearing this, he looked up, revealing a face with striking classical Eastern beauty.
With his slightly curled, medium-length black hair, golden pupils, and three plum blossom marks below the corners of his eyes—such striking features quickly reminded me that this was the young man from the ramen shop that day.
I was even considering getting my ears pierced back then, but then I ran into a bunch of problems and put it out of my mind.
...Is his name Suehiro no Kōshi?
"Nothing," he shook his head.
I politely asked, "Where are you?"
“I’m observing ants,” he said.
I:"……"
Your hobby is quite unique, buddy.
Although I think Suehiro is very handsome, I'm not so idle as to squat there with him watching ants.
A faint drowsiness washed over my brain like surging waves—my earlier reply to Ms. Akiko, "I felt rather tired when I woke up this time," wasn't a lie; it was true.
Right now, all I want to do is get home as soon as possible and snuggle up on my soft sofa.
The lights came on almost simultaneously when the door was opened.
"??!!" I had never seen such a scene before, and I was immediately startled. Not screaming was already my limit.
But what surprised me even more was yet to come.
"Welcome back! Or!"
Your five insights suddenly appeared. (jpg)
Mr. Gojo suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He opened his arms wide, as if this were his apartment and I were a guest.
I was taken aback, but then I wanted to laugh.
“I’m back,” I said.
I imagine my expression right now is quite ridiculous, maybe a state of being both laughing and crying, but I don't have the mind to think about that right now.
I initially thought it was because I hadn't seen Gojo-sensei for so long that my nose suddenly felt a little sore. But upon closer inspection, it had only been a few days since I last saw him.
So I realized it must have been too long since I'd heard "Welcome back."
Today was absolutely a magical day.
I rarely get as angry as I have before, and I rarely get as moved as I am now, but it all happened to happen today.
I was deeply moved when Gojo Satoru suddenly came up to me.
"Teacher?" I asked, puzzled, unable to fathom his actions.
I couldn't help but wonder if something strange had possessed me, but if something had, I should have noticed it—even if I didn't use spells often, I shouldn't have regressed to this extent. So I could only stand there, afraid to move.
He moved closer to my neck, and I felt his breath patting against my skin, a ticklish sensation.
Fortunately, Mr. Gojo quickly withdrew. He straightened up, stroked his chin, and said in a serious tone, "Or, you smell of alcohol."
"Teacher, I didn't drink alcohol," I explained immediately. "I just... went to a bar."
Although this explanation seems terrible.
I figured I needed a reason to go to a bar, so I hesitated for a moment and then added, "I'm going with a friend."
...It still seems pretty bad.
"That's really going too far," he exclaimed.
"?"
"I waited for a long time, from dawn until now it's dark, and I ended up happily staying in the bar."
I:"……"
I am not, I did not.
"I'm so sorry, Gojo-sensei." I bowed my head and apologized.
Regardless of the circumstances, I am ultimately in the wrong.
Suddenly, a hand pressed down on the back of my head, and I felt a forward force before my forehead hit something hard.
“You don’t always have to apologize,” he ruffled my hair, then pretended to smooth it, saying in a relaxed and joking tone, “You’re such a lovely student, no matter what, your teacher won’t blame you.”
"And I want to be, and have never been, someone to apologize to." Gojo Satoru raised a finger, and I stepped back to announce that I saw him looking radiant and incredibly confident. "But rather, someone to rely on. —Well, after all, I am the strongest."
"?" I blinked and said seriously, "You already are, teacher."
He patted my head lightly again, and I instinctively shrank my neck.
Gojo Satoru said, "If that's really the case, then rely on me a little more, or..."
Just a little more than anyone else.
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