Chapter 36 Midnight Subway (5) Takeichi watched Ye Zang disappear...
Zhu Yi remained frozen in place as Ye Zang disappeared. The stinging pain in his brain eased slightly as Ye Zang vanished, but another heavy feeling of suffocation made it hard for him to breathe.
system.
Time travel.
Ghost Stories Value.
Memories woven together.
A world on the verge of destruction.
Furthermore, the information revealed by Yozo's appearance was overwhelming. Only then did he realize that his every move had been controlled by an invisible hand all along, and even his past had been a carefully orchestrated stage set.
"Meow." 001 in my arms stirred and rubbed its fluffy head against Zhu Yi's chin.
The warm touch and the softness of the cat brought Zhu Yi back to his senses. He lowered his head and rubbed 001's head.
At least the goal was achieved, wasn't it?
However, the result was not as good as I had hoped.
He took a deep breath, letting his mind gradually clear. Now was not the time to wallow in self-doubt and despair.
Although Yozo's words were malicious and manipulative towards him, one thing was true.
If his original world were to completely collapse, he, as an outsider who came from that world to this one, would probably not be able to remain unscathed in this world.
Collecting ghost story points is, in a way, a way of maintaining his own existence.
His gaze swept across the empty carriage; his immediate priority was to deal with the strange tale before him.
Just as Yozo said, these strange tales do indeed turn those things into His nourishment.
He would never harm ordinary souls trapped by obsessions, as Yozo had suggested.
In the real world, at the entrance of a subway station.
Dazai Osamu stood in the cold night wind, looking at the seemingly ordinary subway station entrance in front of him.
The information from Ango Sakaguchi was clear: Takeichi disappeared here, and the surveillance was interfered with for some unknown reason.
"The last train at midnight?" Dazai Osamu muttered to himself, a hint of interest flashing in his iris-colored eyes.
He took out his phone, and the screen displayed a summary of recent urban ghost stories by Ango Sakaguchi, with one story highlighted in particular.
[Midnight Subway]: Rumor has it that during specific midnight hours, certain subway stations will have their last trains running outside of normal operating hours. Some who board these trains return safely, but with hazy memories. Others simply disappear without a trace. Those who return occasionally mention seeing deceased people or figures transformed from their inner obsessions on the train.
“A deceased person, huh?” Dazai Osamu put away his phone, his face expressionless. He lifted his foot and walked down the stairs without hesitation.
Almost as soon as he entered the station, his supernatural abilities began to subtly sense him.
"How interesting." He smiled and walked briskly through the empty ticket gate. The electronic clock on the platform showed 12:03, and an old-fashioned subway train with dim yellow lights was silently and slowly pulling up beside the platform.
Dazai Osamu went straight in without hesitation.
The carriage was empty, or at least it appeared to be. Dazai Osamu chose a seat near the door and sat down, his gaze sweeping across the empty carriage as if waiting for something.
A few minutes later, the train started silently, and the platform outside the window moved quickly backward, gradually disappearing into the night.
Just as the train entered the tunnel completely, a figure slowly appeared in the seat opposite Dazai Osamu.
He was a man with red hair, wearing a sand-colored trench coat, and a calm face.
He sat there quietly, looking at Dazai Osamu with gentle eyes, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Dazai Osamu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. Even though he was mentally prepared, his usual smile froze on his face when he saw the figure in person.
“…Oda Sakunosuke.” When Dazai Osamu uttered this name, his voice still trembled slightly.
Oh dear, this is terrible.
Dazai Osamu lowered his eyes, quickly composed himself, and looked at the person in front of him again.
The red-haired man—that is, Oda Sakunosuke—nodded slightly to Dazai Osamu, his voice and tone just as he remembered: "Ah, it's Dazai."
"You've arrived."
At the entrance to another platform, a group of people arrived.
This is how the Special Abilities Division located the specific location based on the fluctuations in the ghost stories.
The train will arrive at the next stop.
Atsushi Nakajima, Kyoka Izumi, and Doppo Kunikida arrived hastily, guided by Ango Sakaguchi.
Due to the large energy fluctuations in this strange tale, the Special Abilities Division and the Armed Detective Agency are collaborating again.
"Has Mr. Dazai already gone in?" Atsushi Nakajima asked with some concern, looking at the empty chariot.
"According to the surveillance footage and the last information Dazai Osamu sent, yes." Kunikida Doppo pushed up his glasses and looked seriously at the old-fashioned subway train that was slowly coming to a stop: "This is that midnight subway. It feels very bad."
"Kyoka, be careful." Atsushi Nakajima instinctively stepped in front of Kyoka Izumi to protect her.
Izumi Kyoka shook her head, her eyes resolute: "It's alright, Atsushi. If there's any danger, Yasha Shirayuki will protect me."
Edogawa Ranpo opened his emerald green eyes, seemingly understanding something; he was very interested in this ghost story.
"Hmm, I see. Interesting, let's go up and take a look."
After saying that, he was the first to step onto the train. Kunikida Doppo sighed and followed closely behind. Nakajima Atsushi and Izumi Kyoka exchanged a glance and then followed as well.
After they had all entered the carriage, the doors closed quietly.
The train slowly started moving.
As soon as they got in the car, the four of them noticed something was wrong.
The lights in the carriage were equally dim, but compared to the carriage where Dazai Osamu was, this one seemed to have more "human presence."
It is precisely this kind of "popularity" that makes people feel uneasy.
Atsushi Nakajima was surprised to find that the carriage no longer seemed empty, and some blurry figures gradually became clear. They were dressed in different clothes, including office workers, students, and the elderly, but they all remained silent, with empty or sorrowful eyes.
"Who exactly are these people..." Kunikida Doppo murmured.
Just then, Izumi Kyoka's body moved slightly in one direction, but Nakajima Atsushi grabbed her wrist, and Izumi Kyoka stopped, her eyes fixed on the connecting part of the carriage.
"Mirror Flower Sauce".
“Father…Mother…” Izumi Kyoka’s voice was somewhat incredulous. Several people looked in Izumi Kyoka’s direction, where a man and a woman dressed in kimonos stood. Their faces were clearer than those of the other passengers, and they had gentle smiles on their faces as they waved in Izumi Kyoka’s direction.
"Kyouka-chan!" Atsushi Nakajima hurriedly grabbed her: "Be careful! That might be an illusion."
“No, it’s not an illusion.” Izumi Kyoka murmured, looking in their direction, her eyes beginning to fill with tears: “It’s them, I can feel them.”
It was so real, that warm feeling of blood connection was irresistible to her.
The same thing happened to Edogawa Ranpo.
He was initially observing his surroundings with great interest, but when he caught sight of a figure, his expression froze, and his emerald green eyes snapped open, his gaze falling on a couple reading newspapers and magazines not far away.
The couple were well-dressed and looked relaxed, as if they were just ordinary citizens out for a stroll.
"Dad, Mom?" Edogawa Ranpo looked almost blankly at her, and the snacks in his hand fell to the ground.
The couple looked up at the sound and gave Edogawa Ranpo a loving and familiar smile.
"Ranpo, what interesting case have you discovered this time?" the gentleman, Edogawa Ranpo's father, asked with a smile.
“Ranpo has grown up so much, he’s even taller than his mother now.” The woman, Edogawa Ranpo’s mother, looked at him with a gentle expression.
This heartwarming scene made Edogawa Ranpo unable to resist touching it.
But his super-reasoning tells him that this is not a real resurrection, but a projection based on his deepest obsession.
Even if it was fake, it was still Edogawa Ranpo's genuine emotion that was constantly impacting his reason.
Edogawa Ranpo fell silent.
Kunikida Doppo and Nakajima Atsushi watched this scene with tension, realizing that the subway was launching an attack on the most vulnerable parts of everyone's heart.
The atmosphere in the carriage where Dazai Osamu was was very heavy.
Dazai looked at Oda Sakunosuke in front of him, trying to find a flaw in the other's face, but the other's eyes, expression, and even the slightest movements kept overlapping with the Oda Sakunosuke in his memory.
“You are not him,” Dazai Osamu finally spoke, his voice returning to calm.
Oda Sakunosuke did not deny it, but nodded: "I know, I am just a shadow he left in the world. Or rather, I am the collection of your memories and regrets about him. Because of the rules of this train, I am able to materialize and talk to you."
"A conversation?" Dazai Osamu smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes. "What are we talking about, reliving old dreams, or listening to your advice to go to the side that's rescuing people?"
Oda Sakunosuke looked at him calmly, his blue eyes still gentle and undisturbed.
“I think my advice was effective. Dazai, you have been pursuing death, but you struggle more than anyone else to find meaning in living.”
“But I haven’t found it yet,” Dazai Osamu muttered.
Oda Sakunosuke stepped forward slightly, his ahoge (cowlick) bobbing, seemingly happy to see his friend again: "But you've been putting it into practice unconsciously, and the clothes are quite nice."
The two remained silent for a while.
"Odasaku," Osamu Dazai said.
"Yes, I'm here."
Dazai Osamu raised his eyes, his iris-colored eyes looking straight at him: "Even if you save a lot of people, the dead will never come back, just like you."
"Yes, I died, but I don't regret it. It was my choice," Oda Sakunosuke admitted frankly.
“I know,” Dazai Osamu said in a muffled voice.
"But these things are not meaningless. They have affected you, haven't they? Dazai, you are still a worry for people now, but you are much better than you were back then."
Dazai Osamu fell silent. He could not deny that Oda Sakunosuke's death was one of the most important turning points in his life.
“This train will devour obsessions and time,” Oda Sakunosuke continued. “Staying here may allow you to remain forever immersed in the illusions of the past, but in the end, you will lose yourself and become an empty shell without a soul. Dazai, you know this better than anyone else, so I know you won’t stay here for me.”
"Go do what you want to do."
"What a pity. Perhaps I should have brought a bottle of wine. At least the two of us could have a drink," Dazai Osamu said casually.
Oda Sakunosuke pondered for a moment: "Perhaps you can come to my grave for a drink."
"..."
"As expected of Odasaku." Dazai Osamu sighed helplessly.
Regardless of which Odasaku it was, he would often suddenly utter surprising remarks, without the person being aware of them.
This is Izumi Kyōka's side.
She broke free from Nakajima Atsushi's hand and walked step by step toward the smiling man and woman in kimonos. Yasha Shirayuki's figure was faintly visible behind her, but she did not show any hostility, as if she was also confirming something.
"Father, Mother... is it really you?" Izumi Kyōka stopped a few steps away from them, her voice slightly choked.
“Our Kyoka has grown up.” Kyoka’s mother reached out to stroke her cheek, her eyes filled with affection.
“We’ve been watching you, Kyoka,” Kyoka’s father said, his tone gratified. “You’ve become very strong.”
Atsushi Nakajima followed nervously behind Kyoka Izumi, fearing it might be a trap.
Surprisingly, Izumi Kyoka's parents did not show any malice, but were filled with longing for their daughter.
"I...I killed so many people." Izumi Kyoka lowered her head, tears streaming down her face. "I...I don't deserve to see you all again..."
"Silly child." Tears welled up in Izumi Kyoka's mother's eyes as she looked at Izumi Kyoka, which pained her deeply. "It wasn't your fault. The darkness swallowed you up, but haven't you come out of it now? You have new companions in the Armed Detective Agency and are trying to live on."
"Live well, our little Kyoka." Kyoka's voice was steady and strong as he looked at her gently. "Live happily, including our share. That is the best comfort for us."
Izumi Kyoka looked up at her parents' faces, and the guilt and longing that had been building up in her heart finally burst forth the moment her parents showed concern.
She threw herself into her parents' arms and burst into tears.
On the other side, Edogawa Ranpo quickly regained his composure after the initial shock, and used his super deductive reasoning to analyze the situation before him.
“I see.” Edogawa Ranpo pushed up his glasses, his emerald green eyes gleaming with smugness. “This train can read the deepest obsessions of its passengers and materialize them in a form that most closely resembles their expectations. For those who have lost loved ones, it lures them by presenting the image of their deceased relatives.”
"Ranpo's reasoning has become even more impressive, honey." Edogawa Ranpo's mother covered her mouth and laughed as she looked at Edogawa Ranpo.
"Well, look who the child is," the man said proudly.
"That's right, I inherited my mother's intelligence," Edogawa Ranpo hummed.
"No father at all?!" The man was on the verge of tears.
"But Dad's reasoning lost to Mom's. I must have inherited my intelligence from Mom."
The woman chuckled to herself, her eyes crinkling as she looked at Edogawa Ranpo, opening her arms wide: "Want a hug?"
Edogawa Ranpo hesitated for a moment, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes. He knew, having seen through the illusion, that it was all a lie, but—
Edogawa Ranpo finally stepped forward and gently embraced them, feeling this false warmth. Tears welled in his eyes as he whispered:
"I miss you all so much."
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Author's note: Hahahaha, finished writing, third update! (Added).
My friends and family say I'm being heartbroken, but seeing the person I miss again doesn't really count as heartbreak.
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