Chapter 30 sequel: Takeichi felt as if he were in the deep sea...
Zhu Yi felt as if he were floating in the deep sea, his consciousness sometimes clear and sometimes blurry.
He always felt like he was trapped in an endless dream, with a familiar shadow always nestled beside him, an outline he should have memorized but could never quite make out.
His head rested on the other person's lap, and he could vaguely smell the fabric of the other person's clothes, a damp smell from the rain.
The other person's fingers were cool, and they were gently cleaning his ears with an almost reverent touch. Zhu Yi looked over, but he couldn't make out the other person's face no matter what he did, except for those iris-colored eyes.
It was as desolate as the ashes of a burnt-out fire, or like withered leaves in autumn, shrouded in an unyielding melancholy.
Those eyes were desolate and melancholy. He gently leaned down to Zhu Yi's ear, his breath brushing against her earlobe, his tone as tender and cloying as a woman's.
He spoke first: "You're just like me, Zhu Yi."
Do you think we're monsters like hellhorses?
"Day after day... repeating the same life path that was already written, even the struggle with all one's might, and the death that one thought could bring liberation, were just pre-marked pauses."
He spoke to himself, his voice so soft it seemed to drift away: "Do you remember?"
"I completed one self-portrait after another."
Zhu Yi's consciousness swayed, and a canvas suddenly unfolded before his eyes. The gray-black paint was like congealed blood scabs, yet it was torn apart by several overly bright colors.
The facial features of the person in the painting are always blurred. The gray-black paint and the brightly colored paint make up a portrait, but the facial features are not clear.
Distorted, polluted.
"How pathetic." The man chuckled softly, but the laughter filled Zhu Yi with a strange sadness.
"I don't even know what I really look like, and you and I, sooner or later, will too..."
"……pollute……"
The rest of the words were like sand scattered by the wind. Zhu could only see his lips opening and closing slightly, the syllables blurred in the air, and he couldn't hear half of what he said.
“Zhu Yi…”
"Leave...this place..."
"Leave here."
A flicker of emotion finally appeared in the other person's desolate, iris-colored eyes. His tone was calm, but the repeated words sounded like the sigh of a dying person.
Immediately afterwards, my consciousness seemed to fall into a long period of silence.
Until I heard faint conversations and the smell of disinfectant entered my nostrils.
"...Exhausted, mentally drained, and showing signs of mild mental pollution similar to those of Yuta Kobayashi, you need to rest for a while," an unfamiliar voice said.
"What about supernatural abilities?" That was Ango Sakaguchi's voice.
"It has stabilized, which is very peculiar. It is highly similar to Mr. Dazai's ability fluctuations, confirming it as a conceptual nullification ability. Its nature is stable and it has not temporarily manifested."
"Continue testing."
The conversation faded into the distance. Zhu Yi tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy, and she fell back into a deep sleep.
When he woke up again, he found himself lying in a clean and tidy hospital room. The sun was shining brightly outside the window, and it was already daytime. 001 was curled up next to him and snoring.
Takeichi turned his head and saw Dazai Osamu sitting on the chair next to him, leisurely flipping through a book called "The Complete Suicide Manual". But then the person sitting on the chair changed into a man wearing a kimono whose face could not be seen. Takeichi painfully covered his head and heard a piercing buzzing sound like an electric current in his ears.
When he looked over again, Dazai Osamu was putting down his book and sizing him up.
“Dazai-san…? How long have I been asleep?”
“Almost a day and a night.” Dazai Osamu closed the book, his iris-colored eyes smiling as he looked at him. “How did you feel?”
"It's alright," Zhu Yi replied.
"He's changed a lot... Is it because of his special ability?" Dazai Osamu moved his chair closer to Takeichi, scrutinizing him closely.
"You've changed a lot?" Takeichi touched his face, and Dazai Osamu chuckled. "Not that. It's your aura!"
"It's become... well, how should I describe it? It's become a cold, icy feeling!" Dazai Osamu said cheerfully, but with a deeper meaning: "It's more like a feeling of being inhuman."
"Don't tease me, Mr. Dazai." Takeichi rubbed his temples. "What about the others? How is Mr. Kobayashi? That apartment..."
“Let’s take it one step at a time.” Dazai Osamu stretched. “Kobayashi Yuta has been transferred to the Special Mental Sanatorium of the Special Abilities Division. His situation is rather complicated. Although you understand the core of the ghost story, the psychological trauma and that kind of, well, fetish, are not so easy to eradicate. He needs long-term psychological intervention and treatment.”
"As for that apartment building," Dazai Osamu shrugged, "307 is basically destroyed. Chuuya's destructive power is top-notch. The entire building's structure needs to be reinforced. The landlord suffered heavy losses and was almost in tears at first. However—the Special Abilities Division and the Port Mafia gave the landlord a lot of compensation funds, so he's probably overjoyed now."
As soon as Dazai Osamu finished speaking, there was a gentle knock on the ward, and then Kunikida Doppo walked in with a middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion and even a hint of joy.
"Ah, you must be Mr. Takeichi," the middle-aged man said with a smile.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
Kunikida Doppo said helplessly, "This is the landlord of that apartment building. He insists on meeting you."
The middle-aged man rubbed his hands together, his joy barely concealed: "Thank you, Mr. Zhuyi, for resolving the trouble in my apartment. Thanks to everyone, I've turned misfortune into blessing. The important thing is that no one is hurt, and I'm so grateful that you eliminated that potential hazard."
He even offered a fruit basket with great courtesy: "A little something, a little something! Mr. Zhuyi, please rest well, I won't disturb you any longer." After saying that, the other person bowed and then left the ward with a light step, satisfied.
The atmosphere in the ward didn't lighten much after the landlord left.
Ango Sakaguchi knocked on the door and came in, holding a notebook in his hand. He looked at Takeichi and asked, "Takeichi-kun, how are you feeling?"
"It's alright," Takeichi replied somewhat guiltily, especially feeling uneasy under Ango Sakaguchi's gaze.
"Regarding your special ability," Ango Sakaguchi cut straight to the point, his gaze sharp: "Preliminary investigations have confirmed it to be an extremely stable, permanent ability, highly similar to Dazai-kun's, though the specific reason remains a mystery. According to regulations, you must register with the Special Abilities Division and cooperate with subsequent research and investigations."
Zhu Yi sighed inwardly, knowing there was no escaping this: "I...I understand," he replied listlessly.
"Get some rest. The report can wait." Sakaguchi Ango's tone softened slightly. "Regardless of the matter, thank you for your final intervention."
After Ango Sakaguchi left, Osamu Dazai approached Takeichi with a playful smile on his face: "Hey, Takeichi-kun."
"Now that there are already two 'No Longer Human' in Yokohama, when the Port Mafia encounters a troublesome superhuman, or when the Armed Detective Agency needs to remove a superhuman's abilities—do you think they'll come looking for you first, or wait outside the detective agency to ambush me? In that case, it's better if you're half ineffective and I'm half ineffective."
Takeichi: "...Dazai-san, please don't make such jokes."
"Well, don't be nervous," Dazai Osamu said slowly. "Anyway, things will get really interesting from now on. Oh, and I have some good news and some bad news for you."
"What?"
"The good news is that Fyodor—the guy who was stirring things up behind the scenes—has quickly quelled the rumors he spread as the supernatural tales dissipated and the Special Abilities Division took control. People are always quick to forget."
"And the bad news?"
“The bad news is,” Dazai Osamu’s smile became enigmatic. “That rat has probably achieved part of its goal. It successfully tested the possibility of creating ghost stories and witnessed their growth and destruction firsthand. I suspect that if there’s another ghost story incident, the other party might get involved, and—it seems they’ve already noticed you, as well as the Port Mafia.”
Zhu Yi's heart sank. The existence of the system was his biggest secret, and now he was undoubtedly being targeted by an extremely dangerous person.
Afterwards, Takeichi stayed in the hospital for a few days. Occasionally, members of the Armed Detective Agency would come to visit him, and Dazai Osamu also came a few times.
The discharge procedures were completed quickly, and the Special Abilities Department sent a car to take him back to the agency, ostensibly as an "escort," but in reality, it also had the implication of surveillance. Dazai Osamu hitched a ride and happily said he would take him home.
Zhu Yi: There's absolutely no need for that.
Back at the familiar ghost story consulting office, Takeichi felt a sense of relief from his exhaustion. He slumped onto the sofa, 001 jumped onto his lap and curled up, while the calico cat sat by the window, glanced at Takeichi and Dazai Osamu, and continued to groom itself elegantly.
Dazai Osamu wanted to pet the calico cat, but the cat dodged away and even hissed. Dazai silently withdrew his hand.
Dazai Osamu walked back to the living room and poured himself a glass of water without any ceremony. He looked around the small office, which was located in a very remote area with hardly anyone passing by. No wonder Takeichi was handing out business cards on the street later.
"So, what are you planning to do next? The reports from the Special Abilities Division are not easy to write~ And being watched by a rat is not a pleasant feeling."
Zhu Yi sighed and rubbed his temples. "Let's just take it one step at a time. The report was a sudden awakening anyway; believe it or not, it's up to them. As for that person you mentioned—"
"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."
"Oh, you're really motivated." Dazai Osamu smiled, walked to the door and waved: "Then keep it up. If you need anything, you can come to the Armed Detective Agency for a service, and we'll give you a 1% discount."
After seeing Dazai Osamu off, the office finally quieted down.
Zhu Yi opened the system panel and looked at the notification that the "[The eavesdropping ghost story incident has been resolved, and a large amount of ghost story points have been obtained]" and the brand-new, unhideable "No Longer Human" icon in his character status and ability bar. He had mixed feelings.
He gained a lot from this incident, but also got himself into huge trouble.
The permanent "No Longer Human" status, the attention of the Special Abilities Division, the watchful eyes of the Port Mafia, and the interest of the most dangerous—the Demon Fyodor.
He picked up 001 and said softly, "It seems that it's unlikely I can continue to coast along."
He could never let go of the various things in his dream, or the person who seemed to have some interaction with him in the dream.
In his view, this was by no means a simple hallucination caused by mental pollution; there must be something deeper behind it that he did not know.
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Author's Note: Has anyone noticed that the name "Zhu Yi" is a duplicate of a character's name in "No Longer Human"? [Dog head with rose in hand]
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