Red-haired girl, Yosano, and the postman [1+2+3]
As summer arrived, the weather in Yokohama grew increasingly hot, with waves of noisy cicadas chirping incessantly. The five black buildings in the harbor stood majestically like pillars of heaven under the glaring sunlight.
At this moment, on the fifteenth floor of a certain building.
At the end of the corridor, covered with an intricately patterned carpet, stood a black-haired young man in a white coat, carrying a silver-white medicine box in his right hand. He stood in a corner of the line of sight, glancing behind him from time to time, seemingly waiting for someone.
Deep in the corridor behind him, a door suddenly opened, revealing a black-haired boy wearing a T-shirt with a green monster printed on the chest.
The door was ajar. Tsurumi Kawakami, who had just stepped out, hesitated for a few seconds before turning back to the figure on the sofa and asking, "Dazai, are you coming with me today?"
Inside the room, another boy with black hair and piercing eyes was nestled on the sofa. He lazily glanced at him, then yawned and said listlessly, "I don't want to be around an old man all day long."
Tsurumi Kawakami looked hesitant, but seeing that he was about to say something more, Dazai Osamu simply slumped onto the sofa armrest and waved his hand cheekily: "Let's go, isn't Mori-san still waiting for you?"
Hearing Dazai Osamu's urging, Tsurumi Kawakuri did not hesitate any longer. He quickly said goodbye, closed the door, and ran to the end of the corridor.
Hearing footsteps, Mori Ougai turned around and saw Tsurumi Kawaru alone, realizing that Dazai Osamu still hadn't given in to his promise today.
"Is Dazai still feeling unwell today?" Mori Ougai, dressed in a white coat, asked with a smile, without pointing out Dazai Osamu's excuse.
Tsurumi Kawakami wasn't good at lying, so he stammered a nod and awkwardly changed the subject: "Are we going to the top floor again today?"
Mori Ougai paused, then shook his head and said, "I have other plans for today."
The black-haired, red-eyed youth stared at the person in front of him for a few seconds, then suddenly changed the subject, saying, "What does Liu think of the Port Mafia?"
Despite being within the range of the surveillance cameras and potentially being monitored or eavesdropped on, Mori Ougai seemed completely unconcerned.
Tsurumi Kawakami paused for a few seconds, then seriously considered the question. "...Hmm, I like the buffet and steak here. Randou is also nice; he even brought me things for Chuuya, and I've asked him to bring Chuuya steak from the cafeteria. Momiji-nee is also very kind; she even gave me some sweets. Dazai also likes hanging out with Momiji-nee."
Tsurumi Kawakami began to mutter to himself, counting on his fingers. It was then that Mori Ōgai learned of his relationship with Dazai, Randou, and Momiji. This surprised Mori Ōgai, who was also pondering the impact of their interactions on the plan.
“But I don’t like the person I met yesterday, nor do I like Dr. Mori’s current patients,” Tsurumi Kagawa muttered, expressing his dislike directly.
Mori Ōgai listened attentively, and after carefully recalling the events, said, "Was it the cadre with the scar near his eye that I saw on the top floor yesterday evening?"
Tsurumi Kawakami nodded and said, "His eyes gave me a very bad feeling, and he smelled strongly of blood."
There was a meeting of executives yesterday, and all four executives were present except for one who flew abroad. Of the four, Ozaki Koyo has been in office the shortest time, but she controls the intelligence department and also possesses powerful supernatural abilities.
Of the other three, two were veterans who had helped establish the Port Mafia alongside the old leader, loyal to him. The other was the officer with a scar near his eye and a fierce look, whom they referred to; he had some connection with the Takase Association, was ambitious, and subtly defiant.
This information about the executives was obtained by Mori Ōgai from Ozaki Kōyō.
After recalling all this, Mori Ōgai led Tsurumi Kawaru to the basement parking lot of the port building. Before getting out of the elevator, he told Tsurumi Kawaru about his outing that day.
Mori Ougai: "The leader's illness has improved. Today is the day to inspect the territory, and we will all be traveling together in the vehicle."
A hint of surprise flashed in Tsurumi Kawakami's eyes: "Eh, even as the leader, you're going?"
Mori Ougai smiled meaningfully and said, "Normally it's not necessary, but today is different."
Tsurumi Kawaru looked at him blankly and nodded, then followed Mori Ougai out of the elevator and into the underground parking lot.
Before long, Tsurumi Kawaru saw the old leader, who had just recovered from a serious illness, arrive surrounded by several cadres. He then got into the black car in the middle, and Mori Ougai, as his private doctor, was fortunate enough to get into that car as well.
Tsurumi Kawakami, being just a junior assistant, didn't receive this honor and got into the car behind with the others.
Five black cars drove out of the parking lot. Looking at the familiar scenery outside the car window, Tsurumi Kawaru leaned against the car window with a little excitement.
When they arrived at their first stop, Tsurumi Kawakuri got off the bus with the crowd and, after realizing what it meant to be a territorial inspection, completely lost any sense of anticipation.
He watched as a group of men in black suits rushed in, and then a conflict broke out for some unknown reason. After the gunshots, Tsurumi Kawaru smelled a strong stench of blood.
He stood on the periphery, watching from a distance, frowning uncomfortably. His gaze followed Mori Ougai's figure, and he saw him standing with Randou beside the old leader, whispering something to each other.
Before getting on the train, Tsurumi Kawakami found an opportunity to approach Mori Ougai and said bluntly, "Dr. Mori, I want to go back."
The man in the white lab coat narrowed his eyes at the refined-looking, dark-haired youth, then glanced at the easily understood boy whose emotions were readily apparent on his face, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Liu? Are you bored?"
Tsurumi Kawa looked up at him, meeting his gaze in Mori Ōgai's dark red eyes, and felt somewhat puzzled by the emotions revealed in his eyes.
He shook his head and said, "No, what did those people do wrong?"
Tsurumi Kawaru gestured with his eyes to those who had just been killed.
Mori Ougai paused for a moment, then said cryptically, "They secretly infringed upon the interests of the port Mafia, colluding with other organizations to embezzle a batch of goods and sell them at a high price to another organization."
Tsurumi Kawakami paused, a hint of confusion flickering in his golden eyes. He pursed his lips, pondering for a few seconds, trying to find a way to exonerate them: "But... but this way, they don't have to pay the price with their lives..."
Mori Ougai chuckled softly and said slowly and methodically, "They sold a batch of weapons, which were then used by the buyer. Yesterday, a team of twelve Black Lizards died at their hands."
Tsurumi Kawa was stunned, his mind a mess, unable to make sense of the stakes and the cause and effect involved.
Mori Ougai smiled and shook his head, then patted Tsurumi Kawaru on the shoulder, saying with a deep smile, "Remember what I told you before? You can't easily define good or bad people, just like this incident. If they hadn't harmed the port's interests and hadn't engaged in reselling, this wouldn't have happened today."
Due to his limited intelligence of 4, the black-haired, golden-eyed boy's mind was a complete mess. Only his intermittent intuition, stemming from poor contact, made Tsurumi Kawaru feel that Mori Ougai's words seemed a bit off, but he couldn't find a way to refute them.
Like a robot malfunctioning, Tsurumi Kawakami paused for a few seconds, then looked up, appearing as if he had been brainwashed: "Is that so? Then I think I understand a little bit."
Mori Ougai nodded with a look of satisfaction, then said, "We'll be passing through Leibo Street later. If you don't want to go, you can get off there."
Tsurumi Kawakami's golden eyes lit up, and he looked at him with surprise, saying, "Really? Then I'll go find Chuuya to play later."
Mori Ougai smiled and didn't say anything, only giving a few instructions before they got into their respective cars.
-
Leibo Street, Sheep Territory.
Tsurumi Kawakuri got off the car early on the way to the next location, but the man in the black suit in the car told him that the next area to be inspected was near the Raiba Street.
He ran to the sheep and happened to run into Shirase, who was leading a group of people out. Tsurumi Kawakami greeted them, glanced around but didn't see Chuuya, so he looked at Shirase, who was leading the group, and asked, "Where are you going, Chuuya?"
Shirase's gaze swept over Tsurumi Kawakami, lingering for a few seconds on the monster T-shirt he was wearing, his expression somewhat strange.
Shirase looked at him and said, "You've come to see Chuuya again."
Tsurumi Kawakami nodded, then peeked behind them. "Is Chuuya not here?"
Shirase glanced at him arrogantly, snorted coldly, and said, "Let me tell you, Chuuya is one of our Sheep, not someone that just anyone can kidnap."
Tsurumi Kawakami, puzzled, said, "I know, Chuuya told me."
Shirase glared at him fiercely, wanting to bump into Tsurumi Kawaru's shoulder, but thinking of the guy's abilities, he ultimately didn't do anything and led his men around Tsurumi Kawaru.
As Sota, who was trailing behind, passed by, she tugged at his sleeve and whispered to Tsurumi Kawaru: "Chūya-nii is inside."
After saying that, Sota caught a glimpse of Shirase turning around and glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. He immediately shrank back in fright, shut his mouth, and ran away.
Tsurumi Kawakami watched Sota run away, scratched his head in confusion, and then happily went to find Chuuya.
-
Port Mafia.
Dazai Osamu stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and watched several black cars leave. He lowered his eyelashes, remained silent for a few seconds, scoffed, and turned to leave the room.
The Port Mafia's intelligence department was underground, right next to the interrogation room. As a newly appointed officer, Ozaki Koyo had a lot of intelligence to handle and interrogations every day, but she didn't need to personally conduct many interrogations.
When there was a knock on the office door, Koyo Ozaki, who was engrossed in her work, assumed it was a subordinate and called out "Come in" without even looking up.
Dazai Osamu entered, glanced around the office, and finally fixed his gaze on Ozaki Kouyou. "Eh, Kouyou-nee didn't come along?"
Hearing Dazai Osamu's languid tone, Ozaki Kouyou looked up from the pile of documents on the table. "It's Dazai."
Wearing a maple leaf kimono with her long hair piled up behind her head, the Yamato Nadeshiko smiled subtly, "You didn't go with Ryu either, did you?"
Dazai Osamu curled his lip, sat down in the chair in front of the desk, glanced at the various intelligence reports on the table, leaned back in his chair and slumped into a ball, saying with a hint of disdain: "I don't want to go with them. Mori-san can only fool idiots like Ryu."
A hint of surprise flashed in Ozaki Kouyou's eyes. She raised her hand to cover her mouth with her wide sleeve and chuckled softly: "If Ryu heard this, he might get angry with you."
Dazai Osamu scoffed and said nothing more, simply picking up a piece of intelligence from the table out of boredom. Ozaki Kouyou paused, lowered her wide sleeves, glanced at the intelligence in Dazai's hand, and continued working.
-
"Chuuya, is there really a Spark Festival on the 17th?" Tsurumi Kawaru held a Spark Festival flyer in his hand. The brightly colored promotional images were very eye-catching, and he couldn't take his eyes off the line of information at the bottom.
Chuuya Nakahara glanced at the flyer in his hand for a moment and said, "Oh, you mean the fireworks festival? Yokohama held one last year, but I didn't think it was very fun."
Tsurumi Kawakami held up a flyer to him, pointed to the bottom line, and said excitedly, "But there's a food competition this year! The winner gets a free set of restaurant vouchers!"
Chuuya Nakahara paused for a moment, then leaned over to look curiously at the flyer in his hand: "Really? I don't think there was this event last year."
After reading the activity rules above, the ochre-haired boy widened his azure eyes slightly. He looked up at Tsurumi Kawaru and said with surprise, "Ah, this activity is perfect for Kawaru. But it says that the company has also invited a competitive eater to participate. I think I remember this one; she's a very famous competitive eater."
Tsurumi Kawaru puffed out his chest and said with great enthusiasm, "It's okay, I'll definitely win, then I can use the restaurant vouchers to treat Chuuya and Dazai to a meal!"
Chuuya Nakahara said with a hint of amusement, "Hey, the match hasn't even started yet, and you're already thinking this far ahead?"
Tsurumi Kawaru wrinkled his nose and said with dissatisfaction, "Eh—does Chuuya not have confidence in me?"
Chuuya Nakahara shook his head frantically: "No, I was just saying that. Ryu will definitely win the match!"
The small room had its windows wide open, letting in a sweltering summer breeze that caused a stack of papers on the table to rustle as it flipped through the pages. Chuuya Nakahara frowned slightly and picked up a file folder from the side, covering the paper with it.
The papers on the table, including this file folder, were all obtained from Lantang. They contained information about Huangbatu, but very little of it was recorded. After searching for so long, including rumors from the capital and information from back then, this was all he had found.
Chuuya Nakahara had seen it many times, but he still had no clue where it came from. No, or rather, he had some guesses in his heart, but he never dared to think in that direction.
Tsurumi Kawaru took a closer look. The dense text and pieces of paper cut from newspapers made his head spin. He looked away, uninterested, and started telling Nakahara Chuuya about what had happened to him that day.
"...Chuuya, what do you think about this?" The black-haired, golden-eyed boy sat back in his chair, his arms resting on the back, and asked him.
Chuuya Nakahara frowned and thought for a few seconds, then vaguely agreed with Mori Ougai's words, "No matter what, it's wrong for them to do something like betrayal and reselling. If anyone in Sheep does that, I will expel them."
Upon hearing this, Tsurumi Kawakami fell into deep thought. After a moment of silence, he raised his head, his golden eyes looking directly at him: "But weapons must be used eventually, no matter who has them."
Chuuya Nakahara said coldly, "That's why I do this, so that the sheep can avoid being bullied by others."
Upon hearing Chuuya's words, Tsurumi Kawakami paused for a few seconds, then frowned and fell into deep thought.
Neither of them spoke again, and the room fell silent, save for the faint chirping of cicadas.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar. Sota and another boy who had followed Shirase ran back one after the other, looking anxious and walking quickly.
Interrupted from his thoughts, Tsurumi Kawakuri got off the chair, leaned out of the window, waved, and called out, "Sōta—"
Upon seeing him, the two men's eyes lit up, and they shouted, "Something's wrong! They're arresting people outside!"
Chuuya Nakahara jerked to his feet, quickly walked to the window, opened it, and stood next to Nagaru Tsurumi. He frowned, staring at Sota and the others. "Explain clearly what happened. Where are Shirase and the others?"
“We followed Shirase to the arcade, and as soon as we got to that street, we heard gunshots. Then a group of port Mafia members in black suits rushed over and grabbed us, asking if we had seen a red-haired boy.”
"Yes, yes, yes! They're arresting people, arresting red-haired boys. Anyone with red hair has been taken away! Shirase sent us back to tell you!"
Tsurumi Kawakuri looked at them with surprise: "Redheads"
Chuuya Nakahara frowned, then suddenly his expression changed. "Where is Kotaro? Did he go out with you guys today?"
Kotaro is the only one among the sheep who fits the description of having red hair.
Hearing his question, Sota and the others were taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances. Kotaro was usually quiet and reserved, and had little presence among the sheep.
Seeing their expressions, Chuuya Nakahara clenched his fists and jumped out of the window. Ryuu Tsurumi also quickly jumped out of the window to follow him.
"Sota, you guys stay here and tell the others not to go out until we get back!" Chuuya Nakahara said, turning to them.
Tsurumi Kagawa followed Nakahara Chuuya at a jog all the way to the street where the arcade was located. There were hardly any pedestrians on the street, and the shops on both sides were closed. The shop owners and some employees were looking out the door with fear in their eyes.
He inadvertently caught sight of several black cars parked at the end of the street, and immediately slowed down, recalling what Sota and the others had said when they ran back earlier.
'A group of port Mafia members in black suits'
Tsurumi Kawakami stopped and said to Nakahara Chuuya, who was looking back at him, "Chuuya, you go ahead. I'll go check over there."
He pointed to several men in black suits not far ahead.
Chuuya Nakahara glanced at them, nodded with a somewhat complicated expression, and then quickly ran towards the arcade.
Tsurumi Kawaru walked up to the group of burly men in black suits who were grabbing people and questioning them. "Where's Dr. Mori?"
The muscular men, weapons at their waists and wearing sunglasses, exchanged glances, recognizing the person before them. They replied, "Dr. Mori went back with the leader."
"They actually went back?" A hint of surprise flashed through Tsurumi Kawakami's mind, and then he asked about their capture of people.
"The leader's car was vandalized, and he was furious. He ordered us to catch the person who vandalized the car."
"Tsurumi Kawakami blinked, looking puzzled, and said, 'The car was scratched.'"
"A long white scratch was left on the car. After checking the surveillance footage of the sushi restaurant next door, we found that it was deliberately scratched by a red-haired teenager."
Tsurumi Kawakami: "So, what will you do with the person you catch?"
The three men in black suits exchanged glances. One of them coughed and said sternly, "They'll definitely be taken back to hear what the leader has to say."
The black-haired, golden-eyed boy nodded and stopped bothering them while they were capturing people.
After asking these questions, Tsurumi Kawakami went to the arcade to find Nakahara Chuuya and told him what he had just asked.
Chuuya Nakahara frowned in disgust after hearing this. "It was just a scratch on a car, and they're making such a big fuss about arresting people."
Tsurumi Kawakami: "Chuuya, is Kotaro alright?"
Chuuya Nakahara nodded, gesturing to the tall, red-haired boy playing the claw machine diagonally across from him, "He's over there, he's fine."
Tsurumi Kawaru followed his gaze and saw a tall, thin, somewhat gloomy-looking red-haired boy standing in front of a claw machine flashing with colorful lights.
Chuuya Nakahara nodded his chin towards the arcade machines not far away, gesturing with his eyes, and said, "Want to go play some?"
Listening to the energetic music in the arcade, Tsurumi Kawa was somewhat tempted, but thinking about what had happened today, he reluctantly looked away from the game console and shook his head at Nakahara Chuuya.
“We’re not playing today.” Tsurumi Kawakami looked at him and said with a smile, “But let’s go to the Spark Festival on the 17th together. I’ll invite Dazai.”
Upon hearing that Dazai Osamu was also going, Nakahara Chuuya rolled his eyes and said fiercely, "Why would we invite that annoying guy?"
Tsurumi Kawakami skillfully stroked his hair, saying bluntly, "Dazai can be quite annoying at times, but he's smart and can give us advice."
Chuuya Nakahara scoffed and muttered a few words, but did not refute the statement.
After agreeing on the fireworks display for the 17th, Tsurumi Kawakami waved goodbye to Nakahara Chuuya and returned to the port of Mafia.
-
The atmosphere in the port Mafia suddenly became tense. It was said that the leader, returning from inspecting the territory, had fallen ill again due to a stroke. Unable to find the person who vandalized the car, the old leader, in a fit of rage, ordered the Black Lizards to kill all the red-haired youths on that street.
In the penthouse suite of the Mafia in the port.
The old leader, who had fallen ill again due to anger and frustration, lay on the bed with an oxygen mask on his face. His high cheekbones and sunken cheeks made him look as if he had suddenly exhausted his life force, and his face exuded a deathly gray aura.
He was having some difficulty speaking, and slowly turned his head to look at Mori Ougai by the bedside. His increasingly cloudy eyes were like a bonfire that had burned out, with only a few sparks remaining.
"Hah—" the old leader gasped for breath, as if phlegm was stuck in his throat, and said in a hoarse and labored voice, "Have we found that superhuman?"
Mori Ougai stood by the bed, his expression still respectful, but he did not approach. Instead, he stood a meter away and said in a calm voice, "We have some clues, but we haven't been able to confirm which sanatorium it is yet."
The old leader coughed a few times and said in a light tone, "Have Hongye find the person within three days. If she can't, then let her go see her lover."
Mori Ougai narrowed his dark red eyes slightly, a deep meaning flashing in them. He glanced at the old leader without leaving a trace, then lowered his head and responded.
Once the old leader had fallen asleep, Mori Ougai withdrew and returned to the fifteenth floor with his medicine chest.
-
Dazai Osamu looked at Tsurumi Kawakami, who had been sullen ever since returning from his last trip, and felt a little uneasy, as there was no one chattering away in his ear asking him all sorts of questions.
He put down the Rubik's Cube, which he had already figured out and was getting bored with, stared at Tsurumi Kawakami with his deep, dark eyes for a few seconds, and suddenly said, "Are you upset about those who betrayed and sold weapons, or about the red-haired boy who was killed?"
The black-haired, golden-eyed boy, who was sitting by the French windows, was startled. Hearing his words, he paused for a few seconds, and when he turned around, the color of his golden eyes seemed to have dimmed a little.
Tsurumi looked at him listlessly: "Dazai, I don't understand. I'm just too stupid."
He couldn't understand either the previous or the later incident, but he couldn't get over the mental hurdle of letting Tsurumi Kawaru go unpunished.
His previous understanding was simply insufficient to make him operate according to the established rules.
Dazai Osamu scoffed, a hint of mockery flashing in his deep, dark eyes at Tsurumi Kawakami's self-awareness. He crossed his arms and said disdainfully, "If you know you're stupid, why bother thinking about it so much?"
Dazai Osamu had long known that Mori Ougai had an unusual interest in Tsurumi River, after all, he was capable and unafraid of his own supernatural abilities, simple-minded and easy to fool, and most importantly, easy to control.
Thinking about what had happened recently, Dazai Osamu narrowed his eyes, roughly guessing Mori Ōgai's thoughts.
So, the black-haired, kitschy-eyed boy, as if taking pity on someone, offered a roundabout suggestion: "If you don't understand, go ask Mr. Mori."
Tsurumi River, recalling the meaningful smile he had seen on Mori Ōgai's face that day, shook his head with lingering fear and said, "No."
Seeing this, Dazai Osamu raised an eyebrow, inwardly marveling at the terrifying intuition of the "idiot-type" group. Sure enough, simple-minded, physically strong guys like him always have incredibly sharp intuition.
Dazai Osamu: "You can go and learn, and the more you learn and see, the more you will understand."
Tsurumi Kawakami raised his head, his expectant golden eyes looking at him earnestly, with a hope in them that even he himself was unaware of.
“Really?” he asked.
Dazai Osamu's gaze seemed to be burned, and he quickly looked away, giving a perfunctory "hmm."
Having received an answer, Tsurumi Kawakami regained his energy and temporarily suppressed the two things he couldn't understand. He rubbed his stomach, remembering how little he had eaten in the cafeteria these past two days, and decided to make up for it by eating more that night.
...
As dusk fell, the sun dipped below the horizon, swallowing the last rays of light and leaving only a patch of orange-yellow sunset.
After the sun set, the temperature gradually dropped, not as hot as during the day. But the evening breeze still carried a hint of warmth, accompanied by the salty scent of the sea, giving it a muggy feel.
Summer days are long, and it was almost seven o'clock when the streetlights came on. Tsurumi Kawakami, who had eaten about 80% full after leaving the cafeteria, let out a burp, still holding a self-service vanilla ice cream cone in his hand.
"Dazai, come with us to the fireworks festival on the 17th. Chuuya and I have made plans to participate in the food competition."
With a small scoop of ice cream in his mouth, Tsurumi Kawara looked at Dazai Osamu in front of him, his voice slightly muffled.
"Ha! I'm not going to some fireworks festival with two idiots. It'll be so crowded and packed, am I just going to feed the mosquitoes?"
Tsurumi Nagare didn't seem to care about Dazai Osamu's rejection. He took another bite of ice cream and told him about the reward for winning the match: "But if I win the match, I can treat you to crab hot pot."
The prize is a set of dining vouchers, which can be used to enjoy a free meal at any of the participating restaurants.
Having spent so much time with Dazai Osamu, Tsurumi Kawakami was able to use Dazai's love of crabs as bait to lure him in.
As expected, Dazai Osamu thought for a few seconds and reluctantly agreed.
Tsurumi Kawakami inwardly cheered and asked about the fireworks festival. He looked at the brochure and roughly understood the origin and meaning of the festival, but what he saw most were the various fireworks.
With a few days left until the 17th, Tsurumi Kawakami was already quite impatient.
That evening, Tsurumi Kawakami, who had just finished showering and drying his hair, heard a knock at the door. He put down his towel and ran to open it, where Mori Ougai stood, having taken off his white coat and wearing a thin black overcoat.
"I need to go back to the clinic. Do you want to come with me?" Mori Ougai asked him with a smile, as if she had just remembered him and knocked on the door before leaving.
Tsurumi Kawaru, wearing his newly bought short-sleeved pajamas, stood at the door for a moment, then remembered the piggy bank he had forgotten in the closet on the second floor of the clinic.
"Yes! I have something to take." Tsurumi Kawakami nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
He then ran back to his room to change into his outdoor clothes, ran to the bathroom door to say something to Dazai Osamu inside, and then ran out the door.
"Dr. Mori, let's go."
The two drove back to the clinic on Leibo Street. After opening the door, Tsurumi Kawaru ran upstairs to the second floor to retrieve his piggy bank hidden in the closet.
Downstairs, Mori Ougai quickly dusted off his desk and then sat down to wait for someone.
A moment later, a tall, silver-haired man dressed in dark samurai attire knocked on the clinic door. It was the same man who had visited the clinic before; he had a serious expression and a samurai sword at his waist.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Mori Ougai smiled and rose to greet him: "Lord Silver Wolf."
The silver-haired man, whom he addressed as Lord Silver Wolf, nodded slightly and said with a serious expression, "Dr. Mori."
Mori Ougai handed him a file folder on the table and said, "The intelligence is all in here. It's confirmed that Yosano is in the suburban sanatorium. We'll have to trouble you, Silver Wolf, to bring him out of there."
Silver Wolf opened the file bag, inside was a layout and detailed map of the sanatorium, even marking the floor and room where Yosano Akiko was located.
After reading it, he packed the things back and handed them back to Mori Ōgai unopened: "I understand. Shall we leave now?"
Mori Ougai nodded, and was about to speak when Tsurumi Kawaru's footsteps came from upstairs.
The two looked up at the second-floor staircase following the sound. A black-haired, golden-eyed boy wearing a white T-shirt stood at the top of the stairs, holding a pink piggy bank, and stared at the two of them.
Tsurumi Kawakami paused for a moment when he saw the silver-haired samurai-style man downstairs, but quickly remembered him. He just didn't expect the man to come to the clinic so late.
However, upon seeing the distance between him and Mori Ougai, as well as the file bag in his hand, Tsurumi Kawa immediately understood. He ran downstairs, glanced curiously at the silver-haired man, and whispered, "So the file bag in Dr. Mori's hand contains the information you want to buy."
Tsurumi Kawaru still remembers the first time he saw this silver-haired man; Mori Ougai said he had come to buy information.
Mori Ougai paused as he raised his hand to take the file bag, then naturally withdrew it. He then said to Tsurumi Kawa, "Lord Silver Wolf is here to exchange information. We need to go out for a while afterward and will be back by 10 o'clock at the latest."
Tsurumi Kawaru looked up at the man called Silver Wolf, curious about the second half of Mori Ougai's sentence about where he was going: "Eh, Dr. Mori, are you going out? Where are you going?"
Mori Ougai smiled and shook his head, gave Tsurumi Kawaru a few instructions, and then left the clinic with the silver wolf.
Tsurumi Kawaru muttered something, closed the glass door of the clinic, and lowered the roller shutter a third of the way. He sat in the leather chair behind his desk, pacing around boredly, then became curious about the drawer that was slightly ajar.
He opened the drawer, inside were several books, a fountain pen, and a file folder. Tsurumi Kawakami took the books out and placed them on the table. He opened the first page and saw a signature in black ink below the prologue.
"Natsume, Natsume Soseki," he repeated the name, flipped through the pages, and, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the dense black text, put the books aside.
Then Tsurumi Kawaru's gaze shifted to the yellow file bag. He squeezed its thickness; it seemed to contain only a few sheets of paper, light as a feather.
He untied the wrapped thread, opened the file bag, and sure enough, there were only two sheets of paper inside.
Tsurumi Kawakami took the items out and suddenly noticed a photograph inside. He poured it out and his eyes widened in shock.
"Eh—!!" He stared at the person in the photo and said in surprise, "It's a photo of Chuuya."
The person in the photo was none other than Nakahara Chuuya, but he looked like he was seven or eight years old, with a much more youthful appearance than he does now. Moreover, Tsurumi Kawaru noticed that the photo seemed to have been taken secretly, as the background was near the sheep territory in the Leibo Street.
He looked at the photo with curiosity for a while before putting it back in the file folder and then looking at the other two sheets of paper.
Tsurumi Kawaru: "Dr. Mori actually has information about Chuuya, that's amazing."
Tsurumi Kawakami knew almost everything about the information about Nakahara Chuuya on the two sheets of paper, including information about Arahabaki that wasn't on them.
So after a quick glance, he packed the things back and prepared to put them back in the drawer.
"Is the doctor here?" There was a knock on the door, and a deep voice with a hint of clarity came from the doorway.
Tsurumi Kawakami paused, then hurriedly tried to put the book back, pulling it down onto the table in his haste, his knee slamming hard against the table in the process.
Just then, the person outside heard the noise and pushed the door open to enter. The newcomer had red hair and a pair of bright blue eyes. He was tall and looked to be around twenty years old.
Tsurumi Kawakami stared at him, his gaze sweeping over the other man, before saying, "Dr. Mori isn't at the clinic right now. Are you here to exchange information?"
“No, I’m the postman. There’s a letter from Dr. Mori here, addressed to the clinic. I found the clinic closed when I came to deliver the mail a few days ago,” the red-haired youth said calmly.
Tsurumi Kawakami was somewhat surprised: "A letter?"
"Yes, the address is for a clinic."
Tsurumi Kawakami took the letter, and sure enough, it had the clinic's address written on it. He felt it from both sides; the letter was quite thick.
"You're a postman? I thought you were here to trade information." Tsurumi Kawakami was a very outgoing person. His intuition told him that the red-haired youth in front of him meant him no harm, so he started chatting with him in a very familiar manner.
The red-haired youth remained silent for a moment, but when he caught a glimpse of the book on the table signed by Natsume Soseki, a different emotion appeared in his eyes.
Seeing him staring at the book, Tsurumi Kawakami blinked and handed it to him: "Do you want to read it?"
The red-haired youth was taken aback for a second by his action, then took the book with both hands and thanked him earnestly: "Thank you. My name is Oda Sakunosuke."
“I am Tsurumi Nagaru, you can call me Nagaru.”
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