Chapter 32
The next morning, Rokudo Mukuro sat alone in the living room, casually flipping through the magazines that the Akutagawa siblings had left him.
It must be said that among all the novels in this magazine, only those by Ryunosuke Akutagawa could catch his eye.
Ryunosuke Akutagawa's works have a charm that makes you want to read them again and again.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening caught Rokudo Mukuro's attention. He looked up and saw that Dazai Osamu had returned.
At this moment, Dazai Osamu seemed different to Rokudo Mukuro than he had always been.
Today, Dazai Osamu was dressed neatly, clutching something tightly in his arms. His eyes were bloodshot and dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't had a good rest.
But his eyes were very bright.
Even though Dazai Osamu looked dejected at this moment, his eyes told others that he was in a very good mood.
He was in better spirits than ever before.
Now, he is like a walking corpse that has finally had its soul awakened and has a goal of its own.
Rokudo Mukuro was unusually surprised.
"Oh my, Dazai-kun, who hasn't returned all night, you're finally back."
Dazai Osamu hugged the thing in his arms tightly and leaned against the door. His eyes were bright, but his words were unusually weak: "Mukuro-kun, is there anything to eat? Give me a bite quickly."
Upon hearing this, Rokudo Mukuro was taken aback, then jokingly asked, "What, on your date last night, your friends didn't even provide you with food?"
Dazai Osamu shook his head. "It has nothing to do with that."
He didn't eat anything last afternoon or evening, only received a glass of juice from the owner of Lupin Bar, went for a swim, and then spent the night waiting at the entrance of the bookstore.
This morning, when the bookstore owner opened the door, he mustered his last bit of willpower and swept away all the remaining magazines under the owner's horrified gaze.
Then, like a vengeful ghost, it floated in front of the boss to pay, but was sternly stopped by the boss.
He clearly remembered what happened that morning:
"Boss, bring out all your inventory, I'll buy it all!"
Even if he didn't have enough money, it wouldn't be a problem; he could always sell himself. He was confident that Dr. Mori would be willing to pay for it.
But the boss stared at him with eyes that were hard to describe.
Behind him came voices of varying volumes, "Young man, I know you probably like my work, but you can't do this."
"Yes, we were all persuaded to buy the magazine."
"I bought it all elsewhere, and this bookstore is the only one that still has it in stock."
"..."
At this moment, Dazai Osamu realized that there was a long line of people behind him, all of whom had come for the magazine in his hand.
He felt both happy and sad. He was happy that his teacher's works were loved, but sad that his teacher's works were loved.
Dazai Osamu was conflicted, but he still held onto the book in his arms tightly.
Finally, the boss stated firmly, "Each person is limited to three copies."
This made him reluctantly give up the idea of buying them all.
But three books are fine too: one for collection, one for reading, and one for recommending to others, such as Oda Sakunosuke.
With that thought in mind, he paid the money with satisfaction and prepared to leave.
But because there were so many people, he accidentally bumped into someone at the entrance.
Dazai Osamu hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon, and coupled with his frequent exposure to water, which had already made him quite thin, he staggered back a few steps and almost fell.
He looked up and saw a boy about his age, wearing glasses and holding a notebook, looking refined and serious.
"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry and bumped into you."
Dazai Osamu, with a blank expression, simply said, "Oh."
“My name is Kunikida Doppo,” Kunikida said, his eyes lighting up as he glanced at the magazine Dazai Osamu was holding. “You’re here to buy this magazine too? My Oni-sensei’s work in it is just too good. In today’s stagnant literary world, he seems to be a rising star…”
Kunikida's praise was sincere, and Dazai Osamu listened attentively, his previously stern face slowly softening into a gentle smile.
Dazai Osamu: "Yes, you have a good eye. My demon teacher is the best."
I'll forgive you for bumping into me, since you like my teacher.
Kunikida was in a good mood after meeting a fellow fan of the same age, and chatted with Dazai Osamu for a while longer.
Given Kunikida's talent for speaking, especially for praising people, Dazai Osamu patiently chatted with him, memorizing the compliments for future reference.
Kunikida looked at the crowd in the bookstore, then at the long line in front of him, worried that he wouldn't be able to buy a magazine. Seeing his new friend holding three magazines, an idea popped into his head:
"Dazai-kun, I..."
Kunikida stared at the magazine in Dazai Osamu's hand, and hesitated before speaking, "...I..."
"Kunikida-kun, forget about that idea!"
The gentle smile on Dazai Osamu's face vanished instantly, replaced by a blank expression. Even if you're a fan of my books, you can't possibly snatch a magazine from me.
"Huh?" Kunikida looked at Dazai Osamu with some surprise.
"If you want the magazine, just line up."
Kunikida explained, "I was worried that they'd run out soon, so I thought I'd buy one from you first, but I'll keep queuing, and I'll buy the rest..."
Dazai Osamu interrupted him mercilessly, "Impossible, give up."
The initial goodwill I felt was instantly wiped out.
“Alright.” Kunikida nodded. He wasn’t disappointed. He only had this idea as a precaution. He didn’t care if Dazai Osamu disagreed, since his approach was somewhat opportunistic.
"Ugh, you don't look like a good person at all. You're such a grown man, and you still want to steal my things."
Dazai Osamu was lying through his teeth.
Kunikida: "I didn't mean to rob you, I just..."
Before he could finish speaking, Dazai Osamu, as if staging an accident, lost his balance and fell to the side.
Kunikida quickly steadied him, "Hey, are you alright? I really didn't mean to steal your things."
Dazai Osamu shook his head with the force of the movement, "If you keep talking to me like this, I think I'll starve to death."
"..." Kunikida released his hand with an indescribable expression.
Dazai Osamu wasn't in a hurry to go to the underworld at this moment; he hadn't even had time to read the spiritual nourishment he had just received.
…………
Dazai Osamu: "So, Mukuro-kun, hurry up and get me some food. I'm dizzy and everything's black out. Ah, the goddess of death is beckoning me~"
Rokudo Mukuro considered himself a very kind and upright person, and could not bear to see others starve to death in front of him, so he gladly got up and brought bread and milk for Dazai Osamu.
Dazai Osamu slumped on the sofa, eating large mouthfuls of food, looking as if he had finally come back to life.
Rokudo Mukuro, who was watching him with a smile, noticed something amiss with a quick glance. Dazai Osamu usually had a book with him at all times, but that book was a red-covered one, and now it was gone, replaced by a very familiar magazine.
And that magazine was placed with unusual care on Dazai Osamu's lap while he was eating.
Upon realizing this, Rokudo Mukuro's smile deepened.
He slowly dragged the magazine from the other side of the coffee table over and started flipping through it in front of Dazai Osamu.
This scene also caught the attention of Osamu Dazai.
Having finally eaten and drunk his fill, Dazai Osamu glanced at the magazine Rokudo Mukuro was reading and his eyes lit up slightly. "Oh, Mukuro-kun likes this magazine too?"
Rokudo Mukuro sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, a mysterious smile on his small face. "Yes, I really like this magazine. The novels in it are very well written, aren't they?"
At this point, Dazai Osamu immediately perked up, "Yes! My Demon Teacher's works are truly outstanding."
"So, Dazai-kun, did you go to line up to buy magazines first thing this morning?"
Dazai Osamu remained silent for a moment. He didn't want to tell anyone that he had been waiting outside the bookstore since last night.
"...Yes. This magazine is hard to buy; so many people like it that the bookstore owner even limits the number of purchases." Dazai Osamu's tone was full of resentment as he said this.
He should have owned a whole bunch of magazines, but now he only has three.
"Mr. Mukuro, this magazine must have taken a lot of effort to make, right?"
Rokudo Mukuro turned slightly to the side, resting his hand on the armrest of the sofa. "It didn't take any effort at all. Akutagawa and the others bought this magazine, and I finished reading it last night."
Moreover, not long ago, he also paid for the magazine's publisher to reprint a batch.
Upon hearing this, Dazai Osamu was completely bewildered. He had already finished reading it last night, so what was he doing last night?
All that effort he put in was less effective than Rokudo Mukuro returning much earlier!
Having already noticed something amiss, Rokudo Mukuro didn't let Dazai Osamu continue down this dark path. He pointed to the magazine in Dazai's arms, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Do you really like the novels in there?"
Dazai Osamu answered without hesitation, "Of course I like it."
Rokudo Mukuro followed up with the praise, saying, "I like it very much too. His works are so insightful in their depiction of human nature, and his writing style is delicate and elegant..."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Hearing these words, Dazai nodded repeatedly. "My teacher's writing is both romantic and realistic, like that unattainable star in the sky. No, no, a star is too small. It's the moon, it's the sun. Reading his words, I feel my soul tremble with him. Ah, if only I could really meet him..."
Rokudo Mukuro's smile deepened. "What kind of person does Dazai-kun think I, a demon, am?"
Dazai Osamu hugged the impurities on his legs tightly, his whole body radiating pink bubbles, his eyes sparkling. "My Oni-sensei is definitely a great writer who is both romantic and elegant, and whose whole being shines!"
"Although I don't know if he is a man or a woman, I am sure I will meet him."
At this moment, Dazai Osamu had already planned in his mind how to meet and get to know Oni-sensei, and then naturally become friends with him, or even have a closer relationship.
Rokudo Mukuro laughed and said, "It seems that Dazai-kun has a very high opinion of me, a demon."
Dazai Osamu said decisively, "Of course! I, Oni-sensei, am absolutely the best person in the world!"
Akutagawa Ryunosuke, who happened to be coming downstairs, overheard the entire conversation thanks to the deliberate arrangement of someone with ulterior motives. His earlobes, hidden under his hair, turned slightly red, but his face remained calm and composed.
Then, he stood calmly at the top of the stairs and said in a calm tone, "Dazai-kun, you flatter me."
Upon hearing this, Dazai Osamu was startled, then quickly turned to look at him, his pupils shrinking slightly, his mind blank.
Seeing this scene, Rokudo Mukuro finally couldn't help but burst out laughing:
“kufufufu…”
Dazai Osamu had already frozen in place.
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