Chapter 244 The Third Player
The peaceful daily life always passes quickly.
Xihai Qingdou thought.
After he successfully met with Odasaku and Dazai Osamu, it was no surprise that the relationship between Dazai Osamu and Odasaku progressed quickly.
That Dazai Osamu guy - after finding out that Oda had no objection to him, he took advantage of him and by the time Saikai Haruto came to his senses, they both made an appointment to go to the bar for a drink, and they also dragged him along.
Saikai Haruto: Should he say thank you to them for taking him with them?
Drinking with Dazai Osamu and Oda Saku in the Lupin bar where the rogue trio often hangs out is a bit weird... especially since Ango Sakaguchi isn't there yet.
I don't know what Dazai Osamu's attitude towards Sakaguchi Ango is now - he put him undercover in the Hong Kong underworld, but he said nothing and did nothing when he put him in front of him, and even brought him here and put him in front of him and Odasaku. Wait, so this time there is still friendship among the three of them? It won't be gone, right?
…The feeling seems to be more subtle.
As if there were ants crawling all over his body, Xi Haiqing Dou only went there twice before not going again, using the excuse that he had to write. And his reason was quite legitimate: he had to finish the manuscript of the second half of "Book of Shadows".
He wrote "Readers' Letters" because he had time to write the second part of another novel that was supposed to be submitted to the editor and publisher. At that time, he and editor Maeda were planning to publish the same book in parallel... "Readers' Letters" is progressing rapidly, but he has not started writing the second part of his other book, "Book of Shadows" - he submitted the manuscript for the first part at the beginning of this year, and the second part cannot be delayed any longer.
Both Dazai Osamu and Oda Saku expressed their understanding of this.
Fortunately, Saikai Haruto's subtle feeling did not last. When he raised his head from writing in seclusion, he found that not only had Odasaku joined the port mafia, but he even became acquainted with Sakaguchi Ango without knowing when.
When he came to his senses again, Odasaku and Sakaguchi Ango were already dragging him into a drinking contest.
——Who is he, where is he, what happened to him, and why did they suddenly start drinking?
"Teacher Mochizuki, can you still drink?"
Sakaguchi Ango put down the empty wine glass in his hand and gave him a look of hidden concern.
It's no wonder that Sakaguchi Ango was worried. On the one hand, he likes to respect and admire the author, and when "Mochizuki Kaoru" puts on glasses, he still looks like a scholar - in short, a gentleman who is a loser. In short, he doesn't look like the type who drinks.
Sakaguchi Ango was really worried that Saikai Haruto was just trying to save face and accidentally passed out from drinking.
Unfortunately, for Saikai Haruto, "concern" at this time is no different from provocation.
Unlike the other aliases, although "Mochizuki Xun" cannot be said to be an alcoholic, he is also a guy who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. He is good at smoking and drinking, and no one has discovered it until now... It can only be said that his face and his temperament are too deceptive.
...Forget it, let's just drink!
Xi Haiqingdou laughed and gulped down another large glass of wine without changing his expression. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Sakaguchi-kun, don't underestimate novelists."
Stereotypes won't work. Writers are very deceptive creatures. In his original world, there were many writers who were both good at smoking and drinking.
The wine glasses and bottles in front of the three people were all empty. They had been drinking for quite a while, but Xi Haiqing Dou's expression remained unchanged, as if he had drunk water instead of wine. There were also the most empty glasses placed in front of him.
He said slowly, "The last time I got drunk, Sakaguchi-kun, you might have just been sent to elementary school by your father."
Sakaguchi Ango's face sank.
"——Come on, continue!"
When Dazai Osamu finally arrived slowly, what he saw was three drunkards drinking enthusiastically and wildly.
"Hey, Dazai, you're here too?" Xi Haiqingdou turned around, his eyes lit up: "You're just in time, do you want to drink with me?"
Dazai Osamu looked confused.
...Who is he, where is he, and what is he going to do?
How did the three of them suddenly become close enough to drink together? What happened?
"Mochizuki-sensei, Odasaku. ...Oh, and Ango."
Dazai opened his mouth and said something nonsense: "Are you drinking together?"
"Good evening, Dazai." Odasaku raised his glass to him.
"Good evening, Dazai-kun!" Perhaps because he drank too much, Sakaguchi Ango rarely showed a trembling look in front of Dazai Osamu - or perhaps because of the presence of Kaori Nozomi and Oda Saku beside him, he was emboldened. In any case, the elegant young man with a slicked-back hair and round-framed glasses raised his glass to Dazai Osamu casually.
"Evening is the best time to drink! Do you want to have a drink together?"
"Yeah, Dazai, come with us?"
Saikai Haruto nodded, stared at Dazai Osamu without sincerity, and then turned his head back hastily as if he suddenly discovered something, saying, "Ah, sorry, I forgot that you are underage and cannot drink... Then let's continue! Dazai, please be the referee."
"Ah... I forgot. Dazai is not old enough to drink yet."
Odasaku nodded calmly and put down the wine glass in his hand: "Then there is nothing we can do."
"Ha!" Sakaguchi Ango drank the wine in his hand in one gulp: "Minors...Minors cannot drink!"
He loudly and righteously repeated Saikai Haruto's words.
"Then let's renegotiate the bet."
Xi Haiqingdou sat upright and said, "The loser will be the victim in my next novel."
"So what about the person who won?"
"Act as a murderer."
"The murderer doesn't sound any better than the victim, right?!"
"Then just act as a policeman or detective who catches the murderer." Xi Haiqingdou quickly changed his words.
"So no matter what the outcome is, you, Mr. Mochizuki, will be the winner, right?"
Sakaguchi Ango's eyes are sharp. Oh, a novelist!
Xi Haiqing Dou slowly smiled, and his tone was still calm: "Ah, you found out."
“…No, wait, I want to come too! This sounds interesting. I want to be a victim or a murderer!”
Dazai Osamu immediately jumped up and down and complained: "Mr. Mochizuki, you guys are going to drink together and you don't plan to take me with you? This is too much!"
"After all, you're already the leader of the Mafia, why do you still care about underage drinking?"
He feels excluded and he's going to make a scene!
"Even the mafia leader is still a minor! This is an objective fact."
Saikai Haruto said as a matter of course: "At least we have to wait until you, Dazai, turn 18."
Dazai Osamu's expression was solemn: "Actually, I am already 18 years old this year. The age before was just a lie to you, okay?"
Odasaku: "Eh? So Dazai, you are already 18 years old, so it seems you can drink now."
Sakaguchi Ango: "No, Odasaku, he is lying, right? He just lied to get a drink, why did you believe it?"
Oda Saku was surprised: "What, Dazai is lying?"
Dazai Osamu said innocently: "How is that possible? Of course I am not lying, Odasaku."
Ango Sakaguchi was speechless: "Dazai-kun doesn't look like he's 18 years old no matter how you look at him!"
Odasaku pondered: "Really? I thought Dazai just looked younger."
"Stop talking - you know too much, Ango." Saikai Haruto suddenly interrupted and gave Sakaguchi Ango a sympathetic look.
"Mr. Mochizuki, you're too late. What a pity that my perfect lie was ruthlessly exposed by Sakaguchi-kun..."
Dazai Osamu sighed with a smile, then suddenly changed his expression and said sternly: "So, Sakaguchi-kun, have you thought about what kind of punishment you will receive for exposing the leader's lies?"
Sakaguchi Ango was a little slow to react: "...What? Didn't we agree that after get off work, there will be no distinction between leaders and subordinates? And what kind of perfect lie is this!"
Dazai Osamu smiled: "Ah, but I suddenly want to regret it."
Sakaguchi Ango's hands trembled slightly: "That's too much..."
Odasaku: "But, if he's the leader, there's nothing you can do even if you want to go back on your words, right? He's the leader after all."
Sakaguchi Ango supported his forehead with his hand: "Don't nod to everything, Odasaku! You should complain now! Complain bitterly about this black-hearted leader!"
"And Teacher Wang Yue——Did you guess it just now and that's why you kept silent on purpose?"
"You are still too young, Ango."
Saikai Haruto sighed, "The leader is a monster made of lies. You can't trust everything he says. You have to stay alert even after get off work."
Sakaguchi Ango realized it belatedly and was horrified: "So, am I the only one who said something wrong?"
Saikai Haruto and Dazai Osamu nodded without hesitation.
Odasaku was still thinking about Saikai Haruto's previous words: "Ah... I remember now, what Mochizuki-sensei said just now was from "The Last Day", right? As expected of Mochizuki-sensei."
Oda Saku was filled with respect.
…You've lost the point again, Odasaku!
Sakaguchi Ango grabbed the table with his head.
——So, the result of this incident was that the next day, Ango Sakaguchi had one month's salary deducted for "being late for work due to drinking the day before."
...In any case, he was probably the only one who was hurt.
But even so, Sakaguchi Ango didn't seem to have much memory, and the habit of the four of them getting together to drink remained.
Later, by chance, there was even an additional Nakahara Chuuya - the leader of the Hong Kong gang suddenly disappeared in the middle of overtime and threw all the work to other cadres. After a long time, even Nakahara Chuuya could not find anything wrong. Not to mention that Dazai Osamu's concealment was not taken seriously.
As a result, the resentful Central Plains cadres caught their unreliable leader in a small bar.
"Found it - it turns out that you guys always disappear at a certain time every day and that's why you come here!"
Nakahara Chuuya gnashed his teeth and said, "Go back and review the documents, you bastard leader! You left so many documents to me. Do you want to throw the position of leader to me?!"
Saikai Haruto and Oda Saku looked at each other in bewilderment—Sakaguchi Ango was working overtime and therefore not present that day.
...And before Nakahara Chuuya could take the leader back, he was tricked into staying with them.
After three or two drinks, he soon passed out drunk on the table next to him.
Dazai Osamu looked pitiful: "Mana, Chuuya, you got drunk so easily."
Unfortunately, Dazai Osamu's happiness did not last long. The drunk Nakahara Chuuya had a very poor drinking tolerance. He shook Dazai Osamu and started to complain and curse... In short, his sincerity attracted almost everyone's attention.
In the end, he almost lost his bank card password to Dazai Osamu.
Xi Haiqing Dou could hardly hold back his laughter at that time.
After this incident, although the mission to bring Dazai Osamu back failed and Dazai Osamu almost maxed out his card at the bar that day, fortunately, Nakahara Chuuya still managed to gain something - at least in the future, when Dazai Osamu was missing, he knew where to catch him, no, to find him.
Thus, there was one more regular customer named Chuuya Nakahara among the Lupin Bar's regulars.
——A leader with a fighting power of only one bluefin tuna, a civilian member with no fighting power at all, and a lower-level member, are these people afraid that the leader of their port mafia will encounter too few assassinations? Nakahara Chuuya couldn't figure it out at all.
Where on earth did Dazai Osamu get the confidence to hang out outside every day as the leader of a mafia? ! How could a leader go out without his own armed subordinates? ——Oh, it turns out that he is the leader of the Hong Kong mafia.
Xihai Qingdou smiled but said nothing.
However, Nakahara Chuuya's worries are not without reason. Since Dazai Osamu came to power in the Hong Kong underworld, the number of assassinations he encountered has only increased. The "head of the Hong Kong underworld leader" is extremely tempting to many people.
Even for Dazai Osamu, as the Port Mafia's territory expanded, it became difficult for him to leave the five-building building of the Port Mafia and go to the Lupin Bar alone as time went by - because he would always encounter various dangers.
As a result, the frequency of Dazai Osamu appearing in Lupin Bar dropped sharply.
——He went to Mochizuki Kaoru’s house to have a drinking party instead.
"Mr. Mochizuki is better at keeping secrets and hiding things than I am..."
Dazai Osamu sighed: "I really made the right decision to come to Mochizuki-sensei's house! Cheers!"
Xihai Qingdou glanced at him.
"When you say this, Dazai, can you please let Atsushi go first?"
He sighed: "Don't corrupt the child."
"Teacher Mochizuki..." Nakajima Atsushi tried his best to push away the wine glass that Dazai Osamu handed to him, and looked at Saikai Haruto for help.
Mr. Dazai is really bad! Mr. Mochizuki told him that he is still a child and cannot drink, but Mr. Dazai still wants to feed him wine!
Dazai Osamu pouted and shouted: "What? Teacher Mochizuki, you are becoming more and more partial now!"
He smiled and said, "It's just a little drink for Atsushi-kun, it won't be a problem. And don't you want to see the white tiger, Mr. Mochizuki?"
"Alcoholic beverages are not considered drinks."
Saikai Haruto said ruthlessly: "If he is drunk, I will tell Odasaku. As for Baihu - I believe Atsushi will try to control himself one day, right?"
Nakajima Atsushi straightened his back instantly after receiving Saikai Haruto's encouraging gaze, and answered loudly: "Yes, yes! Mr. Mochizuki, please rest assured that I will try my best to live up to the expectations of you, Mr. Oda, and Mr. Dazai!"
"...Don't be so nervous, Atsushi." Saikai Haruto smiled gently, "You are still a child, don't put too much pressure on yourself. You still have me and Oda Saku by your side. Even if things get worse, you still have Dazai and Nakahara-kun."
Nakajima Atsushi's eyes welled up with tears again.
"Teacher Mochizuki - you clearly told me before that I was still a child." Dazai Osamu accused in a dark tone.
"I see. Teacher Mochizuki, you are just like Oda Saku. After you adopt a new child, you no longer care about the existence of others, right?"
"But Dazai you're grown up now."
Saikai Haruto said, "Whether it's Atsushi or the other children adopted by Odasaku, they are all much younger than you."
Osamu Dazai: "..."
Dazai Osamu: "But, I'm not an adult yet, okay?"
Saikai Haruto smiled: "So Dazai, you want to remind me that I almost forgot that you can't drink now?"
Dazai Osamu's expression froze.
Nakajima Atsushi looked at Saikai Haruto with admiration in his eyes, and he almost couldn't help but smile subconsciously - Mr. Mochizuki is really amazing! Even better than Mr. Dazai!
Then, he immediately received a threatening look from Dazai Osamu, so Nakajima Atsushi immediately held back his laughter.
——Nakajima Atsushi, half a year ago, was an ordinary orphan in an orphanage... The only thing that was unusual about him was that there was an extremely strict director in the orphanage who would impose various punishments on the children there.
Nakajima Atsushi grew up in an orphanage until he was 12 years old. He originally thought that his fate was to endure suffering in the orphanage until he was 18 years old, then be kicked out of the orphanage by the director and wander around Yokohama. Unexpectedly, half a year ago, his fate miraculously took a new turn.
Half a year ago, Mochizuki Kaoru went to the orphanage with Oda Saku to gather inspiration for her new book. He heard Nakajima Atsushi's cry for help.
So, he responded to Atsushi's call for help. Mochizuki Kaoru and Oda Saku took Atsushi home from the orphanage - despite the director's advice that "adoption of this child is not recommended", they still insisted on taking Nakajima Atsushi back.
...Although Atsushi was brought back by the two of them, since Odasaku himself had already adopted several children, in order to reduce the burden on her friend a little, Mochizuki Kaoru initially vowed that she could take care of Atsushi by herself - but soon, because she "didn't know how to raise a child", she hurriedly entrusted Atsushi to the reliable adult, Odasaku.
Mr. Oda lives next door to Teacher Mochizuki. He is also a very gentle and kind person. His family has adopted several orphans. Because of the lack of space in the house, they usually rent the second floor of a nearby Western restaurant. Therefore, he is very experienced in taking care of children - at least, that's the case for Mochizuki Kaoru.
Unlike Mochizuki Kaoru who occasionally has some harmless bad tastes, Oda Sakunosuke is a guy with a very natural personality and seems very approachable. Even though Nakajima Atsushi knows that he is a member of the legendary port mafia and the close protection officer of the leader of the port mafia, he cannot feel any awe towards him.
Therefore, it can be said that Nakajima Atsushi was adopted by both Mochizuki Kaoru and Oda Sakunosuke.
Nakajima Atsushi and Odasaku also get along very well. He is currently living in Mochizuki Kaoru's house, but he can even help Odasaku take care of the other children he adopted. Those children are not very old. Even the oldest one is only 7 years old now, which is 5 years younger than Nakajima Atsushi, who is now 12 years old. Nakajima Atsushi can be said to be very good at taking care of them.
In addition to Kaoru Mochizuki and Saku Oda, Nakajima Atsushi also got to know several other friends of his guardians after arriving at their homes.
For example, the legendary leader of Hong Kong gangs, Dazai Osamu.
Another example is Nakahara Chuuya, the rumored youngest leader of the Hong Kong underworld.
Another example is the Hong Kong underworld intelligence agent Ango Sakaguchi.
And Mr. Mochizuki's other mysterious friend, Mr. Rimbaud.
…
The ones I interacted with most often were Mr. Sakaguchi and Mr. Dazai.
Perhaps due to work reasons, Mr. Dazai comes less often than Mr. Sakaguchi, but Nakajima Atsushi can see that Mr. Dazai still has a good relationship with Mr. Mochizuki and Mr. Oda.
Mr. Nakahara occasionally appears with Mr. Dazai.
Although he seems to have a bad temper, you will find that he is actually a very good person after getting to know him more... After knowing Nakajima Atsushi's background, his attitude towards him even seemed to subconsciously become much more cautious and friendly.
Mr. Nakahara would occasionally drink with Mr. Mochizuki and the others... Although he was always the last one to be persuaded to drink, he was also the first one to get drunk.
To be honest, when Nakajima Atsushi first learned that Dazai Osamu was the leader of the Hong Kong underworld and the top boss of Odasaku, Nakahara Chuuya and Sakaguchi Ango, he was surprised - because he really didn't look like a murderous, ruthless and terrifying mafia leader.
There were even times when, next to Mr. Mochizuki and Mr. Oda, Nakajima Atsushi couldn't help but feel that Mr. Dazai was even more childish than he was - not even as serious and scary as Mr. Sakaguchi and Mr. Nakahara.
Mr. Dazai even complained to Mr. Oda and Mr. Mochizuki!
...After hearing what he said, Mr. Sakaguchi and Mr. Nakahara's expressions suddenly became very strange for some reason.
But Nakajima Atsushi was still very grateful to Dazai Osamu - because he overheard that Mr. Mochizuki and Mr. Oda had told him in advance that the reason they happened to go to the orphanage that day was because of Dazai Osamu's accidental suggestion.
Moreover, Mr. Dazai helped replace the director of the orphanage at the suggestion of Mr. Mochizuki... The new director was a middle-aged man with black hair and a good temper. Nakajima Atsushi even dared to go back to the orphanage to take a look occasionally.
If possible, Nakajima Atsushi simply hopes that days like this can continue forever.
Mr. Mochizuki and Mr. Oda were chatting about words and writing by the door as if no one was around, and occasionally they would pull Nakajima Atsushi over to ask for his opinion.
Mr. Dazai and Mr. Sakaguchi would sometimes sneak over after “getting off work” to have dinner and drinks with everyone.
Occasionally, Mr. Dazai would be dragged back by his tie by Mr. Nakahara, who would suddenly appear with a distorted and angry expression.
These are very ordinary and trivial daily things that can be seen everywhere, peaceful, tranquil, happy and perfect.
No more violence and painful twisted rules.
No need to worry about not having enough to eat, no need to be afraid of the "tiger" anymore.
This is exactly the life that Nakajima Atsushi has always been pursuing and dreaming of.
If this was a dream, it must have been a beautiful dream. Nakajima Atsushi hoped that he could be immersed in this beautiful dream forever and never wake up.
...but this is obviously unlikely.
He seemed to be cursed with never being able to experience lasting happiness.
After he spent nearly half a year of quiet time at Mochizuki Kaoru's house, two days later, Mochizuki-sensei had another gathering with Mr. Oda, Mr. Dazai, and Mr. Sakaguchi.
Something happened to Mr. Dazai.
——The leader of Hong Kong underworld, Dazai Osamu, suddenly disappeared.
It was after that day that all daily life became chaotic...all the peace was suddenly broken in an instant.
Just like a broken mirror - no matter how hard you try, you can't put it back together to look like it was originally intact.
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