Ishikawa Takuboku politely left the detective agency. After walking out of the old red brick office building, he raised his eyes slightly and happened to meet the "eyes" of
Shi Wu who was lying on the edge of the rooftop in a daze. But it was obvious that this eye contact was only one-sided. Shi Wu fell into a daze again.
"Mr. Ishikawa, is it over?" Hearing this familiar voice, Ishikawa Takuboku retracted his gaze and the smile on his face became much more genuine.
Ishikawa Takuboku addressed the black-haired young man wearing glasses in an intimate tone: "Have you been waiting here for me, my guardian."
"...Please don't call me that, Mr. Ishikawa."
"Okay, okay, Kyousuke, my friend, my creditor--" Ishikawa Takuboku teased his good friend whom he had known since elementary school.
"Mr. Ishikawa, the money you owed me has been settled in this commission. I am no longer your creditor." Kindaichi Kyousuke reminded honestly.
"There's nothing wrong with my address, because I was planning to borrow money from you again, Kyousuke." Ishikawa Takuboku hooked his shoulder, "How about we go for a drink? I'll treat you!"
Kindaichi Kyousuke looked helpless, but he didn't refuse the proposal. On the way to the izakaya, he asked curiously, "How was the commission completed? Mr. Ishikawa."
"Of course it was done perfectly~ Mr. Ishikawa is here, what else do you need to worry about?" Ishikawa Takuboku smiled, but couldn't help but recall what happened in the detective agency just now.
He actually rarely accepts this kind of commission - memory-related superpowers can also be classified as psychic superpowers in a sense.
As for psychic psychics, their mental states are basically problematic. Even if they don't have any, their psychics will make them abnormal.
Reading other people's memories is equivalent to being trapped in those memories and emotions. Ordinary people might be better off, but reading the memories of those with amnesia - even if they lose their memories, they can still remember the emotions and feelings, how strong they are... Ishikawa Takuboku will inevitably be affected to a certain extent.
Ishikawa Takuboku pushed open the door of the izakaya very familiarly, showed a frivolous but gentle smile to the proprietress, and sat in the private room of the old place with Kindaichi Kyousuke.
He poured himself a glass of sake, and his thoughts wandered again.
Just as he said, his ability is not just to read photos, because he does not intend to hurt the other party and does not want to cause irreparable damage to Tokiwa's brain, there is not much he can do, but it is not a small amount.
In addition to the three necessary "emotional photos", he can also read the other party's most recent memory through "video recording".
Supernatural powers have cause and effect and are unscientific. Even if the other party loses his memory, it does not prevent Ishikawa Takuboku from obtaining that memory.
However, the amount of information contained in that memory made Ishikawa Takuboku realize how uncalculated he was to accept this commission.
It would be better to continue to owe the money! Kyousuke will not let him pay it back anyway! Ishikawa Takuboku felt a little toothache.
- Time goes back to half an hour ago, the detective agency.
After Ishikawa Takuboku turned over the three photos, the meanings they represented made the entire detective agency speechless.
The phrase "before you die" - before death, when death is approaching, their "Mr. Ranpo" is still thinking about protecting others.
The detective who is respected and worshipped by the entire detective agency, the child who is spoiled by all of them, what has he experienced to use such a tone and force himself to persevere!
It is obvious that it is not an easy picture!
Is there no one to protect "Mr. Ranpo"! Is there no one around "Mr. Ranpo"? How could they let "Mr. Ranpo" fall into such a difficult situation!
... They don't even dare to think more deeply.
Yosano Akiko even recalled the first time they met "Mr. Ranpo". In order to try to treat his eyes, he blurted out "I'm afraid of pain"...
Dazai Osamu and Edogawa Ranpo understood something deeper than the surface truth they only perceived.
Ishikawa Takuboku waited for a while, and the room remained eerily quiet - this did not mean that they were really calm, it was just the tranquility before the storm.
But no matter when the storm will come, Ishikawa Takuboku doesn't want to get caught up in it, so he can only take the initiative to speak: "So, do you still plan to continue to understand?"
"Continue." It was Yoseno Akiko who spoke. Her eyes were a little red, but her expression was calmer and more serious than usual.
"...Okay." After making sure that no one objected, Ishikawa Takuboku shrugged, "In order to avoid damaging his brain, I can only randomly extract a memory for you."
"As for what memory it is and when it was, I can't be sure."
Even though he knew that Edogawa Ranpo could see it, Ishikawa Takuboku still lied habitually and did not tell the true situation of his supernatural power.
Edogawa Ranpo was too lazy to expose the truth at this moment, and just stared at Ishikawa Takuboku coldly. The
silver-haired young man sighed, waved his right hand above the three photos, and the golden sand appeared again - but this time, they did not dissipate quickly, but projected a video screen that only an old camera would show above the photos.
Although it is called a video, it is actually the same as the photos, without any pictures, because "Mr. Ranpo" is blind, this is not surprising.
The video only has unclear and intermittent sounds.
However, what rang was... the voice of Nakajima Atsushi. They realized this.
[“I don’t know who the person you saw was…”
“Mr. Dazai, your plan never fails. I thought I would never have the chance to see you again—”]
Dazai Osamu? Everyone’s expression froze for a moment. They had never expected to hear the conversation between Dazai Osamu and Nakajima Atsushi in the memory of “Mr. Ranpo”.
【“But, but…” The voice, which was exactly the same as Nakajima Atsushi’s, was trembling uncontrollably, and there was an imperceptible glimmer of hope: “You protected this fragile world for that person. You said your regret was that you had never read the novel written by that person…! Even if it was for him or for the novel…!”
“If it’s because of the ‘book’—I’m willing to exchange my opportunity for you to stay!”】
【The originally clear boy’s voice became hoarse, almost squeezed out word by word from his throat: “…That novel must be very exciting.”
"Would you like to stay a little longer...? Even if it's just for that novel you've been looking forward to for a long time and haven't read yet..."]
There was too much information - this was a direction they had never thought of.
Even Ishikawa Takuboku, who was just a bystander, was at a loss.
Everyone subconsciously looked in the direction of Dazai Osamu, but unexpectedly saw an expression on the face of this man who had always acted frivolous and casual, which was completely different from his usual expression.
There was a hint of helplessness in Dazai Osamu's iris-colored eyes. At this moment, he was like a child who had let down all his defenses.
As if he had just noticed everyone's gaze, he even closed his eyes in a frenzy. The next moment, the calm expression on Dazai Osamu's face made them wonder if what they had just seen was just an illusion.
"Why... in Ranpo-san's memories, are Dazai and Atsushi present?" Someone asked this question lightly.
But the answer is obvious, because at that time, Ranpo was beside them, listening to their conversation.
The video was still playing, and in the background of the video, the "Nakajima Atsushi" almost collapsed, and his emotions even infected them across the world——
【"Dazai, sir...!!】
This is the memory of "Ranpo Edogawa", which means that "Ranpo Edogawa" was definitely present at the time.
But why... from beginning to end, "Ranpo-san" didn't say a word...?
Whether it was collapse or sadness, "Atsushi" could at least shout out, cry out, and vent his emotions. But throughout the whole process, "Mr. Ranpo" was like an unrelated bystander, not revealing a single emotion.
- Ah, that must be because "Mr. Ranpo" understood better than anyone that he could not stop "Dazai Osamu".
So he could only accept this ending in silence and "watch" his acquaintance go to death.
Because he is the world's number one detective, he understands better than anyone what death means to "Dazai Osamu".
It was in such an atmosphere that Ishikawa Takuboku put away the three photos and quietly left the detective agency.
- Back to the present.
Ishikawa Takuboku's face was covered with drunken blushes. He spoke to his extremely tight-lipped friend and forgot the confidentiality agreement he had agreed to before.
"My friend, do you know?" Ishikawa Takuboku burped, took out the photos from his arms, and put the black one on the table, "This is the first time I can read black."
"My ability can never read dead people-"
"Do you know what this means?" Ishikawa Takuboku said dazedly: "He forgot his own death and appeared in this world for unknown reasons."
"Ah, this commission is really too bad!"
"Once he recovers his memory, it means-" Ishikawa Takuboku stuffed the black photo into Kindaichi Kyousuke's arms, "I don't want to see this photo! You keep it for me, Kyousuke!" "Once he recovers
his memory, it means that I killed him again with my own hands!"
- No matter who completes this commission, it means that they have killed a person with their own hands.
The author has something to say:
Shi Wu: But I died a long time ago.
Kindaichi Kyousuke is a Japanese linguist. He was a good friend of the Japanese poet Ishikawa Takuboku when they were at the First High School. He often lent him money.