Chapter 58 The Sorcerer's Three Days
I never imagined that Gojo Satoru, Edogawa Ranpo, and Dazai Osamu would all appear in the same location at the same time.
They are all people who exist in different and unique dimensions to me, but in my preconceived notions, they should have no connection.
If Gojo Satoru only came into contact with me after I brought him here, then Dazai Osamu and Edogawa Ranpo were connected to me before I even got there.
I wondered if Ranpo would ask me anything, just like Atsushi Nakajima was, filled with surprise and doubt that I had known Osamu Dazai for so long, but he didn't.
During a break, while Gojo Satoru and Edogawa Ranpo were talking, Dazai Osamu took the opportunity to pull me aside for a private chat, and we ended up talking about Edogawa Ranpo again.
I said, "I was just wondering if Mr. Ranpo would be surprised, like Atsushi, that we've known each other for a long time."
Dazai Osamu laughed upon hearing this: "If the target is Mr. Ranpo, then don't count on it—he already knew a long time ago."
My gaze paused, meeting his smiling eyes. I nodded in agreement, but remained puzzled by his reasons for saying that.
Sensing my questioning gaze, Dazai Osamu shrugged and said, "Anyway, Ranpo-san knew about it the day I joined the Detective Agency."
"As for when Mr. Ranpo found out... I guess it was even earlier." He narrowed his eyes, a sly smile playing on his lips.
Then he shrugged and immediately put on an innocent look. "But that was before I joined the agency. As for what happened before the Armed Detective Agency, I don't know."
The implication is that you should be more aware.
Dazai Osamu's words suddenly reminded me of a long, long time ago—actually, it's not that long, because the time span from then until now is no more than a year.
But I experienced so much during that time, so bizarre that it was equivalent to half a lifetime, that when I look back, it feels like a lifetime ago.
At that time, I knew Dazai Osamu, but we weren't close. I hadn't met Fyodor or Akutagawa Ryunosuke yet. It was raining that day. I took a black umbrella from the detective agency and went downstairs with Ranpo.
Before he left, he told me not to worry about anything.
Then I asked, "All of them?"
Ranpo said, all of it.
If we're discussing when Edogawa Ranpo first learned of my acquaintance with Dazai Osamu, that's probably the earliest time I can think of.
But it's only a possibility.
Quickly regaining my senses, I looked at Dazai Osamu and, mimicking his expression, put on an innocent look and smiled faintly, "Mr. Dazai, I don't know either."
He raised his voice, his tone revealing a hint of childish dissatisfaction: "Hey—that's such a perfunctory act, or..."
I shrugged: "It's true that you were just being perfunctory, but what you said was also true."
"I haven't mentioned you to Mr. Ranpo, at least I don't remember saying you, and Mr. Ranpo would certainly not have mentioned you to me." I turned my head to look at Gojo Satoru and Edogawa Ranpo, who were sizing each other up. To my surprise, they both turned around at the same time. I smiled in response.
Then he looked back at Dazai Osamu, widening his eyes to show his sincerity: "Even if Ranpo-san didn't say, I wouldn't be able to guess when he found out. But one thing is for sure, you were never part of our story, Dazai-san."
Osamu Dazai: "..."
Like me, he turned to look at Ranpo, then after two seconds his gaze returned to me, and said, "Ranpo-san is just being nice to you, Ori-kun."
The fact that such a direct statement came out of Dazai Osamu's mouth really startled me. After a brief half-second, I quickly laughed and said, "Yes."
"Mr. Ranpo is the smartest person I've ever met. He probably doesn't say it because he thinks it's better not to."
“I think so too,” I said. “So even though I wanted to ask him several times, I never did.”
Between me and Edogawa Ranpo, it is clear that I possess more secrets that have not been fully revealed, while Ranpo quietly touched upon all of this when I was not entirely certain.
But he just said that there was nothing to worry about.
It was the same when it rained at the detective agency, and it was also the same when it was sunny during that phone call at the vocational high school.
It always has been.
"I've always believed that the luckiest thing after I turned sixteen was meeting Mr. Ranpo."
"Oh?" Dazai Osamu asked curiously, "What about before you were sixteen?"
I got to know Oikawa and Iwaizumi, and of course—
I smiled gently: "I ran into Gojo Satoru."
Dazai Osamu: So it turns out I'm the only one who doesn't deserve a name :)
****
Later, I talked to Dazai Osamu about himself, about how the last time I saw him he was a member of the Port Mafia, and when I came back he had become a member of the Armed Detective Agency.
Dazai Osamu was indifferent to this, only saying, "I told you before you left that I wanted to change jobs, Ori-kun."
“Yes. But I thought it was just a random thought,” I said.
Just like Maki has said many times that she wants to beat up Gojo Satoru, but she has rarely actually done so, just like Mr. Nanami has said countless times that he will get off work at five o'clock, but he will still choose to finish even if he is late.
When I was designing Alice's little dress, there was a moment when I wanted to tear up the design and yell that I was quitting, but after calming down, I buried myself in my work and continued drawing diligently.
“At first, it was just a random thought.” Dazai Osamu picked up where I left off, his tone light, as if he were talking about what he had for dinner the night before. “But after thinking about it again, I thought it was quite feasible, so I just did it.”
I:"……"
Yes, Mr. Dazai.
As expected of you, after working for so long and even becoming a manager, you just quit like that.
I asked again, "Speaking of which, it seems that you in the Mafia can just quit whenever you want?"
There are many reasons why I didn't expect Osamu Dazai to actually leave the Port Mafia.
Aside from his casual and unserious attitude when he said he wanted to switch jobs, and the fact that he had become an executive in the Port Mafia, there's another reason: in my understanding, this kind of work in the darker world isn't something you can just quit on a whim.
Dazai Osamu held up his right index finger and pressed it to his lips, making a shushing gesture: "That's the secret, Mr. Ori."
"Oh," I said, "okay."
It seems that it really isn't something that can be dismissed simply by saying something.
Although Dazai Osamu didn't reveal anything to me about his resignation and the Port Mafia, citing secrecy, he did talk quite a bit about joining the Armed Detective Agency.
"Then why did you come to the Armed Detective Agency?"
"Because the day I brought Atsushi here, I found this place to be quite nice, and when Atsushi heard that I wanted to find a job, he invited me to join the detective agency." He smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Mr. Ranpo and the president didn't have any objections either, so I stayed."
"Does Mr. Ranpo know about your previous job?" I asked.
Dazai Osamu shrugged: "Perhaps he knows? Ranpo-san never said anything, I'm just guessing he knows."
“This feeling is familiar to me, Mr. Dazai,” I said with a smile.
When I talked to Osamu Dazai about him, he mentioned the Port Mafia, the Armed Detective Agency, and Edogawa Ranpo. But when we talked about me, he mentioned Satoru Gojo.
He raised his chin, pointing towards Gojo Satoru: "Gojo Satoru, I know him."
I nodded: "Mm."
His gaze darted back and forth between me and Gojo Satoru, making no attempt to conceal it, seemingly unconcerned about attracting attention: "Your relationship is better than I thought, Aru-kun."
I didn't back down and teased him, saying, "That's why he was my lucky charm before I turned sixteen."
When Ranpo leaned over to ask me and Dazai Osamu what we were talking about, Dazai Osamu and I exchanged a glance, and then I said, "We were talking about Ranpo-san, who is the smartest person we've ever met."
He raised his chin and said smugly, "Of course, the famous detective is definitely the smartest."
Gojo Satoru walked over with him, stood there, and asked casually, "What about me?"
As soon as I said that, Dazai Osamu's gaze fell on my face. This time I didn't look at him, but raised my head and said, "It's my dream to say that you are my teacher."
"..."
I was staring at him when suddenly Gojo Satoru looked up and pressed my head down.
I was still confused when he corrected me, saying, "It is enlightenment."
****
After returning to the vocational high school, some time passed before I finally got on track for my second year of college. This meant I would have more time to spend with Zenin Maki, Inuyama Toshiki, and Panda.
It was around that time that Yi Gu You Tai found out that I had returned to the vocational high school. As for why he found out so late—it was probably because everyone else had forgotten to tell him (not really).
Upon hearing this, he immediately sent me a message saying, "That's great!"
I also said, "Yes, that's great."
During a conversation with Yuta, I felt a strange sense of happiness, like taking the first bite of blueberry toast for breakfast, as if everything had finally settled down.
The real surprise came half a month later when I received a phone call from Miyagi.
It was evening, and I was walking back to the college with Maki and the others, discussing what to eat for dinner. Before we could reach a decision, my phone rang without warning.
I picked it up and glanced at it. The moment I scanned the signature, I instinctively let out a soft "Huh?"
Maki stopped and turned to look at me: "What's wrong?"
Panda glanced at it curiously and read out the name on the caller ID: "Oikawa Tetsu".
Panda stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. Maki, however, had a good memory and immediately remembered: "You used to know some volleyball players."
I looked up at her and nodded: "Yes."
Then he walked to the side and answered the phone: "Archer?"
"or--"
Oikawa opened his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs, the volume of which almost startled me so much that I threw my phone away.
I said, "Stop shouting, or you'll go deaf."
He grinned and said, "Okay."
I asked, "What's wrong?"
He said, "Xiaoyan and I are going to Tokyo."
"Huh?" A burst of surprise erupted in an instant, making my voice tinged with obvious joy, but after calming down and thinking about the date, I was a little confused. "But it's not a competition period recently, Archer."
"It's not a competition," he said. "It's a high school training camp!"
I suddenly realized what was going on, and in my excitement, I joked, "Wow, Archer, you guys in Qingye City West have really made something of yourselves!"
He didn't hide his pride: "Of course."
"when?"
"Ah... I think it's next week? I forgot, let me ask Xiaoyan."
Then I heard Oikawa's voice soften, but it was still clear; he was asking Iwaizumi for the time.
I:"……"
Iwaizumi was probably speechless. After a moment of silence, he said in a lukewarm tone, "Next Saturday," and Oikawa Tetsu repeated it to me.
I couldn't help but laugh and say, "I understand."
After a pause, I called out to him, "Archer."
"Um?"
When Oikawa responded, many images flashed through my mind, fragmented and varied, from Miyagi to Tokyo to Yokohama, from all sorts of places.
I took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
Then I said, "I'll be waiting for you in Tokyo."
He said, "Okay."
After ending the call, Maki and the others waited at the same spot.
I wasn't too far away from them; they couldn't hear what was being said on the other end of the phone, but they could hear what I was saying.
We tacitly continued walking back, and after only two steps, Maki asked me, "Are they coming to Tokyo?"
"Um."
She and Ji both glanced at me, but neither of them said anything further.
I smiled and steered the conversation back to what we had discussed before Oikawa's phone call: "Let's have omelet rice for dinner."
"Okay." That was Maki.
"Salmon." This is a spiny fish.
"Yay!" This was Panda, who was a second late.
--The End--
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