Chapter 13 Head Balloons (6) Zhu Yi, still dazed, started from…
Zhu Yi sat up from the sofa in a daze, his head still feeling heavy.
He reached for his phone on the coffee table, and when he turned it on, the screen showed 5:40 PM. There were only 20 minutes left until the meeting time he had agreed upon with Kunikida Doppo and the others.
Zhu Yi sat up, quickly washed her face to clear her head, then hurriedly packed her things and left.
There's no way around it; if he doesn't get enough rest, he'll feel exhausted no matter how much he sleeps during the day. It's probably due to the common blood and qi deficiency among college students.
When Takeichi arrived at the coordinates provided by Kunikida Doppo, he found Kunikida Doppo standing there alone, his back ramrod straight, holding a notebook with the word "ideal" written on it in his hand, and occasionally raising his other hand to look at the clock on his wrist.
Takeichi quickly quickened his pace and waved to the other person: "Mr. Kunikida! I'm sorry I'm late."
Kunikida Doppo turned around when he heard the voice. His gaze first fell on Takeichi, then he glanced at the clock on his wrist. The second hand had just skipped the last tick and was pointing to the hour.
His tone wasn't harsh, but it carried his usual methodical quality: "No, strictly speaking, you just arrived on time."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhu Yi's collar, which had been ruffled by the wind as he rushed over, and added, "Looks like you rushed over? Next time, be sure to plan your time in advance."
"Okay," Zhu Yi replied with a laugh.
This sense of déjà vu was so strong for Zhu Yi; it was as if he had been caught red-handed by his homeroom teacher, who could see right through him why his homework was so perfunctory and even gave him advice that hit the nail on the head.
The manner and tone were exactly the same.
So Takeshi asked instinctively, "Was Mr. Kunikida a teacher before?"
Kunikida Doppo paused for a moment, then his gaze behind his glasses softened: "I taught math in junior high school for a while."
“No wonder Mr. Kunikida is so meticulous about everything; he must be a very good teacher.” Takeichi smiled, his eyes crinkling.
Kunikida coughed lightly and turned his face away, but his ears turned red: "Standing in front of the podium, explaining the knowledge points clearly, and seeing that the students can understand them is what we should do. This is what we as teachers should do."
"Just like now at the Armed Detective Agency, doing the mission well and protecting the people around you is the same thing; it's just your responsibility." Kunikida Doppo's tone was unusually gentle. Takeichi looked at him, seeing the serious expression on his face, and saw emotions behind his glasses that Takeichi couldn't understand at the moment.
"Hey, you've all arrived."
Kunikida Doppo and Takeichi turned to look when they heard the sound.
Osamu Dazai strolled over slowly, his hands in his trench coat pockets, his hair slightly ruffled by the wind, and a nonchalant smile playing on his lips.
"Dazai, you're late again." Kunikida Doppo's tone was calm, but this one word emphasized his words.
Dazai Osamu seemed not to notice the words emphasized. He clasped his hands together, put on an innocent look, and dragged out his words.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
“I saw a really nice tree on the road and was thinking about which branch would be the most suitable to hang myself from. I got so engrossed that I forgot about the time,” Dazai Osamu explained.
This explanation is worse than no explanation at all.
Kunikida Doppo clenched his fist, a tic-tac-toe mark appearing above his head, and said through gritted teeth, "Next time you're late, I'll hang you on a tree."
"Wow, that's brutal."
"Shut up."
Zhu Yi stood to the side and chuckled awkwardly: "Now that everyone's here, shall we... set off?"
"You're right." Kunikida Doppo took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
The three of them arrived near the Sato family's house once again.
Kunikida Doppo stepped forward first and rang the doorbell.
The crisp sound of the doorbell rang from inside, but quickly faded into silence.
Kunikida Doppo withdrew his hand and patiently stood in place for a moment.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds... There was still no movement inside the door, neither the sound of anyone walking around nor the expected response.
Kunikida Doppo's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He raised his hand, this time with a little more force, and pressed the doorbell twice.
After waiting for a while longer, no one responded.
"Could it be that the other person isn't home?" Zhu Yi couldn't help but whisper beside him.
Kunikida Doppo slowly shook his head, his tone firm: "No. Before I came, I asked the old woman next door, and she went into her house after get off work and hasn't come out since."
"How about I do it?" Dazai Osamu raised his hand, and Kunikida Doppo stepped back to make way for Dazai.
He stepped forward, raised his hand, and knocked on the door: "Hello, is anyone home?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door clicked open a crack, and a pair of weary eyes peered at the three of them through the gap.
Yota Sato asked impatiently, "What do you want?"
Kunikida Doppo stepped forward, bowed slightly, and identified himself: "Hello, we are members of the Armed Detective Agency. We have a few questions for you. Is this a convenient time for you?"
Yota Sato's face remained expressionless behind the door. Before Kunikida could finish speaking, and before he could say another word, the heavy door was slammed shut again.
"No time," the other person said in a muffled voice from inside the doorway, loud enough for the three of them to hear clearly, his words carrying an undisguised urgency.
“We just want to ask some questions about Yuko Nishimura,” Dazai Osamu said calmly. “I imagine you’re also troubled by this.”
After a while, the door to the house was opened again. Sato Yota's gaze swept over Dazai Osamu, then fell on Takeichi and Kunikida Doppo standing behind him, his eyes filled with undisguised vigilance.
"Come in." His tone was curt, as if he was not welcoming any strangers into his house.
Dazai Osamu still wore that nonchalant smile on his face, and he nodded slightly: "Thank you for your trouble."
The three exchanged glances. Kunikida Doppo followed Dazai Osamu through the door, while Takeichi glanced at the sky before following.
As soon as you enter, a smell of alcohol mixed with fast food sauce hits you, making Zhu instinctively hold his breath.
He looked down and saw that the floor was almost completely covered with scattered beer cans, and the living room table was piled with empty instant noodle containers and a jumble of tissues and sauce packets.
Zhu Yi felt like vomiting, and he swallowed several times to suppress the nausea.
"Sit wherever you like," said Yota Sato, slumping onto the sunken old sofa in the center of the living room, his gaze falling on the three of them.
"Ask me any questions you have."
Dazai Osamu looked around. There was really no room to move. The single sofa was piled with messy clothes, and there was a half-eaten instant noodle container on the low stool.
He didn't mind at all, and simply sat down on the small empty chair next to the table.
Kunikida Doppo and Takeichi decided to stay standing, since it was really difficult to find a place to sit down.
"I want to ask about the real reason why Nishimura Yuko committed suicide by jumping into the river," Dazai Osamu said. His usual languidness was gone from his iris-shaped eyes, and a strange sense of oppression emanated from his body.
Kunikida Doppo frowned when he heard Dazai Osamu's question, because according to the investigation data, Nishimura Yuko most likely committed suicide due to psychological problems caused by school bullying.
Did Dazai Osamu discover something secret?
Upon hearing Dazai Osamu's question, Sato Yota's pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly pulled out a sarcastic smile, his voice filled with undisguised mockery and even a hint of deflection: "How else could someone commit suicide? Of course, it's because their mental fortitude was too weak that they committed suicide."
These words were like a sharp needle, piercing Kunikida Doppo deeply.
"Too weak psychologically?" Kunikida Doppo retorted through gritted teeth, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "If it weren't for your daily bullying of her at school..."
Yuko Nishimura would not have suffered from severe depression and chosen to commit suicide.
If it weren't for school bullying, she could have even gotten into her dream school, lived the life she wanted, and boldly pursued her ideals.
How dare he say such things when it doesn't concern him?
Kunikida Doppo took a deep breath, his chest still heaving with anger, trying to maintain his composure.
"So what?" Sato Yota grinned. "You came to me because you want to seek justice for her?"
"Her suicide wasn't caused by us; it was her own choice. Do you want to arrest me for her sake? Please—you have no evidence to prove that her suicide was related to me." Sato Yota sat on the sofa with his arms crossed, raising an eyebrow at Kunikida Doppo's angry expression: "What, you want to fight me? I'm not afraid of you."
“Who says we have no evidence?” Dazai Osamu smiled, his tone meaningful: “Do you think the truth will be obscured by the passage of time?”
Yota Sato's breathing quickened, and he looked at Osamu Dazai, his eyes bulging slightly as he stared intently at him: "What do you know?"
"Why did you drop out of school back then, and why did Nishimura Yuko commit suicide after you dropped out?" Dazai Osamu slowly withdrew his smile. He did not answer Sato Yota's question, but after saying these words, he let the other look at him. There was no warmth in his iris-colored eyes, and Sato Yota's figure was reflected in his black pupils.
Yota Sato felt as if he was seeing a reflection of his own inner self, and he looked away in evasion.
“Tell me,” Dazai Osamu’s voice was soft, his tone carrying a seductive undertone: “Why does Nishimura Yuko only pursue you?”
There was a long silence.
Sato Yota's temple veins throbbed, and he suddenly raised his voice, his tone filled with barely suppressed rage, almost shouting, "You all know already, so why are you asking me!"
Dazai Osamu looked at him.
The other person seemed flustered by Dazai Osamu's gaze, but stubbornly maintained a fierce demeanor, as if he were about to charge forward recklessly at any moment.
"Oh dear, don't get so excited." Dazai Osamu's tone was light and cheerful, as if he were chatting.
“If you don’t speak, the sin will be even greater—” Dazai Osamu drawled, smiling, but there was no smile in his eyes: “You might be directly judged as an accomplice!”
A note from the author:
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I've made some minor changes, roughly.
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