Chapter 20 Head Balloons (13) In the city of Yokohama...
Deep in the narrow alleys of Yokohama's old neighborhoods, there's a bar where underground information is traded.
Dazai Osamu hummed a song whose melody was unrecognizable as he walked into the depths of the narrow alley and came to a wooden door with a faded brass plaque hanging on it.
This place is only found by regulars in the gray or black markets, and it is also an area run by the Port Mafia.
When Dazai Osamu stepped into the bar, most of the people in the bar fell silent upon seeing this familiar face.
The name "Double Black" seemed to have an invisible deterrent effect; even though Dazai Osamu had already defected, they instinctively held their breath when they saw the person in front of them again.
The nightmares dominated by Osamu Dazai made them pretend they couldn't see him.
Some people quietly withdrew their hands from their neighbors' shoulders, while others pretended to be focused on wiping their wine glasses.
Dazai Osamu's footsteps were exceptionally clear in the silence. He walked briskly past the dining tables, and the leaders of the small organizations who were negotiating in the corners fell silent, trembling as they picked up the wine on the table, trying to pretend to drink without being noticed.
Good heavens, didn't the information broker say that Dazai Osamu had been exonerated and defected? How did he end up here?
Could it be that they're looking for officials from the Central Plains?
Everyone secretly glanced to the other side.
At this moment, Chuuya Nakahara sat at the end of the bar, with an untouched glass of whiskey in front of him.
The orange-haired cadre lowered the brim of his hat, exuding an air of impatience.
"Oh dear, the Port Mafia's Gravity Master actually showed up right on time."
Dazai Osamu sat down next to Nakahara Chuuya, tilting his head to examine him, his iris-colored eyes filled with amusement: "It seems your leader is quite interested in this intelligence."
Chuuya Nakahara snorted coldly, pulling down the brim of his hat to hide most of his face in the shadows, his tone full of undisguised disgust: "Stop talking nonsense, Dazai."
"You'd better not waste my time and have some information worth trading."
The bartender at the counter handed over a glass of whiskey on the rocks, as if by unspoken agreement.
Dazai Osamu picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and the usual nonchalant smile on his lips gradually faded, while the smile in his iris-colored eyes deepened into an unfathomable depth: "You want that evidence too, don't you? I know who the mastermind is, and more importantly, I know where that evidence is right now."
Chuuya Nakahara raised an eyebrow: "Conditions?"
“The Port Mafia helped us retrieve the evidence and ensured its safe delivery to the prosecutor’s office.” Dazai Osamu swirled his wine glass. “In return, I’ll give you a list—the names of the big shots behind Moriyama Masao. Think about how much this information is worth to the Port Mafia.”
Chuuya Nakahara remained silent for a moment before a very slight upward curve appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Interesting."
"Those high-ranking figures are most afraid of having their secrets exposed by others. Aren't you afraid of offending them?"
"Eh~ Is Chung concerned about me too?"
"Who cares about you, you bastard." Venus bulged on Chuuya Nakahara's forehead. Very well, he was thoroughly disgusted by Osamu Dazai.
“Yokohama Port, Third Warehouse District.” Dazai Osamu stood up from his chair. “They plan to ship the evidence by sea within an hour. As for detailed information on those important figures…”
Dazai Osamu tossed the USB drive into the air, where it traced a short arc before being caught precisely by Nakahara Chuuya: "After it's done, the password will be sent to your phone."
Chuuya Nakahara took the USB drive, looked up, and his smile was filled with undisguised fighting spirit: "The evidence will be back in your hands within an hour. Tell your people to prepare to receive it."
Dazai Osamu glanced at Nakahara Chuuya with his iris-like eyes, his interest undisguised: "I'm looking forward to it."
Everyone in the bar shivered.
It looks like someone's going to be in trouble.
Yokohama Port Third Storage Area.
Chuuya Nakahara stood on the warehouse roof, his coat billowing in the strong wind.
Below, a dozen fully armed men were loading several sealed boxes onto a speedboat. These men were well-equipped and acted professionally, clearly not ordinary criminals.
"You really don't hide it at all." Chuuya Nakahara chuckled, and a dark red light emanated from him.
The next second, he fell from the sky like a cannonball, crashing heavily onto the speedboat's deck. The deck cracked instantly, and the speedboat began to shake violently.
“The Port Mafia is handling this.” Chuuya Nakahara’s voice was as cold as a knife in the wind: “If you don’t want to die, put down your things and get out of here.”
The armed men reacted quickly, raising their weapons and raining bullets at Chuuya Nakahara.
But all the bullets mysteriously stopped in mid-air when they approached Chuuya Nakahara, and then fell helplessly to the ground.
"How boring." Chuuya Nakahara amplified the gravity field, and all the attackers were slammed to the ground as if by an invisible hand, unable to move.
A man who appeared to be the leader struggled to press the communicator, but Chuuya Nakahara stepped on his wrist: "Tell your employer that the Port Mafia has taken over these things. If they have any objections, they can come and talk to us directly."
In just over ten minutes, all resistance was suppressed by Chuuya Nakahara's gravity.
Chuuya Nakahara opened the box and confirmed its contents; it was indeed the stolen evidence.
“Mission accomplished.” He reported through his headset: “I’ll personally deliver it later. By the way…” He glanced at the subdued armed personnel: “I also need a list of their employers.”
The atmosphere inside the Armed Detective Agency was unusually heavy the next morning.
Kunikida Doppo paced back and forth, his shoes clicking on the floor, reflecting his anxious mood: "So much time has passed, and there's still no news from the Port Mafia? What if they..."
"Kunikida." Fukuzawa Yukichi had just returned from negotiations with the government. He was wearing a kimono and his hands were tucked into his sleeves. "Calm down. Impatience won't solve anything."
“But President,” Kunikida Doppo stopped in his tracks, “that evidence is crucial to the success or failure of the entire case. If the Port Mafia…”
Dazai Osamu leisurely flipped through the newspaper, seemingly unconcerned about the matter: "Don't worry, Kunikida-kun. They will keep their promises. It's not just a matter of credibility, but also..." He smiled meaningfully, "The rewards they receive are much richer than we imagine."
Edogawa Ranpo suddenly sat up from the sofa. The young man wearing a detective hat pushed up his glasses and said with a slightly dissatisfied tone, "You didn't even call me for such an interesting case."
He said to the anxious Kunikida Doppo, "Don't worry, Kunikida. We have terms they can't refuse. The Port Mafia is best at this kind of deal."
Edogawa Ranpo's words undoubtedly reassured Kunikida Doppo.
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki said weakly, "This evidence involves too many people. Won't they all vent their anger on the detective agency? After all, we were the ones who uncovered these secrets first..."
He stole a glance at the Armed Detective Agency's nameplate on the wall, his eyes filled with worry.
Edogawa Ranpo said angrily, "How could that be! Don't underestimate the president's connections."
He stuffed a piece of coarse pastry into his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and muttered, "Do you think the connections the boss has built up over the years are just for show? The high-ranking officials of the Metropolitan Police Department, that guy from the Port Mafia, and a few old foxes hiding behind the scenes—who doesn't give the boss face?"
"Ranpo." Fukuzawa Yukichi interrupted him in a deep voice, his brows furrowing slightly as if he had a headache: "This matter involves a complex web of forces, and just untangling their intertwined interests will take a lot of effort. Even if connections can help, it will still take time to navigate."
Just then, Atsushi Nakajima rushed in, panting, and said, "They're here! The Port Mafia has sent people."
Chuuya Nakahara entered the Armed Detective Agency with several of his men. The group became somewhat wary. Chuuya glanced at them and placed a sealed box on the table: "Here's what you wanted."
Kunikida Doppo hurriedly opened the box to check, and after seeing what was inside, he breathed a long sigh of relief: "Everything is here, thank you so much."
"Don't misunderstand," Chuuya Nakahara said coldly. "This is just a transaction."
He looked at Dazai Osamu: "Where is what we want?"
Dazai Osamu, with his signature nonchalant smile, handed over a folded square piece of paper held in his long, slender fingers, the bandages on his wrist barely visible: "Password, and an extra surprise."
He leaned forward and whispered in Nakahara Chuuya's ear, "Tell Mori-san that the people on this list should be... cooperating now."
Dazai Osamu took two steps back, put his hands in his pockets, and still wore that inscrutable fake smile.
Chuuya Nakahara quickly scanned the characters above, his pupils contracted slightly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up into a slight smile, only to be quickly concealed by a cold, hard expression: "Heh."
"Looks like this deal wasn't a complete loss." He stuffed the note into his inner pocket: "Next time there's a deal like this, remember to contact me first."
Before leaving the Armed Detective Agency, Chuuya Nakahara paused at the door: "The evidence will be handed over to the prosecutor's office before tonight. The Port Mafia will escort it throughout the process to ensure everything goes smoothly."
Fukuzawa Yukichi nodded slightly: "Please give my regards to Lord Mori."
Chuuya Nakahara paused for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment and left with his men.
A week later, the Yokohama District Court held a trial that shocked the entire city.
Due to covert pressure from the Port Mafia and testimony from the Armed Detective Agency, those powerful figures who originally wanted to interfere with the judiciary were forced to remain silent.
In court, Masao Moriyama stood in the dock, his face ashen.
Faced with overwhelming evidence, he confessed to all the crimes he had committed. The gallery was filled with the victims' families and journalists. With each new crime revealed, suppressed sobs and angry whispers could be heard in the room.
In the audience, Fukuzawa Yukichi sat upright, while Edogawa Ranpo unusually maintained a serious expression.
“This case is more complicated than I imagined.” Edogawa Ranpo said softly to Kunikida Doppo beside him, “If it weren’t for the help from the Port Mafia, those people would probably have destroyed the evidence long ago.”
Kunikida Doppo nodded silently.
Finally, the judge solemnly pronounced the verdict: "The defendant, Masao Moriyama, is found guilty on multiple counts and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole."
A sigh of relief rippled through the courtroom. Kunikida Doppo said softly, "It's finally over."
As the impact of Masao Moriyama's case continued to unfold, surrounding schools were affected, leading to a large-scale overhaul of the education system. With the assistance of the Armed Detective Agency, several people involved in the case were investigated and punished, and a new protection mechanism was established.
At dusk, Dazai Osamu came to Yokohama Port alone. Under the setting sun, the sea was dyed golden red.
“Being a good person…” Dazai Osamu murmured softly, “isn’t so bad.”
As he turned to leave, he did not notice that not far behind him, Takeichi was standing quietly in the shadows, and next to him stood the semi-transparent figure of Nishimura Yuko.
"I never expected it to have progressed this far." Zhu Yi looked at the sunset, then seemed to say to someone, "You're leaving now, aren't you?"
Yuko Nishimura bowed slightly to Takeichi with a calm smile on her face, then disappeared into the sea breeze as the last ray of sunlight faded away.
[The ghost story has been successfully retrieved.]
[Matching for the Haunted House of Heads: Yuko Nishimura (She died without receiving justice, and her obsession remains in the world. Matching score: 82)]
Back at the detective agency, Fukuzawa Yukichi was making tea. Seeing Dazai Osamu return, he gently pushed a cup of tea towards him: "Is everything settled?"
Dazai Osamu took the teacup, the steam obscuring his expression: "Ah, it's over."
"But president, do you really think justice has been served?"
Fukuzawa Yukichi gazed at the swirling tea leaves in his cup: "Justice is never perfect. What matters is that we are always moving in that direction."
He looked up at Dazai Osamu: "Like this time, sometimes we need to make a deal with darkness in order to get light."
Edogawa Ranpo looked up from the pile of snacks: "The great detective thinks that as long as the final result is good, it doesn't matter if the process is a little convoluted. After all, the world is not black and white."
Kunikida Doppo pushed open the door and entered, frowning upon hearing these words: "But ultimately, dealing with the Port Mafia..."
“Kunikida,” Fukuzawa Yukichi interrupted him, “remember our ideals, but also understand the complexities of reality.”
"yes……"
Meanwhile, more information about Yuko Nishimura's story was unearthed by a netizen, and the photo of the human head balloon was once again widely circulated online, causing more people to know about Yuko Nishimura's story. People's first reaction was not fear, but heartache.
"If the human head balloon were real, that would be great, but it's just an urban legend."
"Hey, I'm in Yokohama, and I can vouch for the existence of the human head balloon."
"May the deceased rest in peace. This was probably photoshopped on purpose."
“I’m also from Yokohama, and I can vouch for what the person on the second floor said. It was originally spreading in Yokohama, but for some reason it was suppressed.”
"Waaaaaah, I've turned into a human head balloon and am wandering the world. What a terrible injustice I've suffered!"
"This is disgusting. Neither the principal nor Yota Sato are good people."
Zhu Yi pursed his lips as he watched the ghost story points gradually increase.
I don't seem to be very happy.
He lowered his eyes.
On the other side.
The screen's pale blue light reflected on Fyodor's face as he bit his nails, a flicker of interest crossing his eyes.
"...A ghost story?"
A note from the author:
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The thought that Dazai was a former defector and that he joked with Chuuya Nakahara about being a member of the mafia makes me want to laugh.
The ghost story of the human head balloon is over. I'll start thinking about the next one, hmm (pondering).
And thank you to all the readers for your support! [heart emojis]
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