Chapter 43
Dazai Osamu stood by the bridge, his hands in the pockets of his sand-colored windbreaker, staring down at the river water under the bridge that had not yet frozen.
The street lights at the bridge head stretched his shadow extremely long. His back was straight, and the light-colored clothes made him look slender and gentle, completely different from the gloomy and cruel mafia member that everyone knew.
After tonight, his status as the youngest officer in the history of the Port Mafia will no longer exist.
In the distant night, a wild cat cried out; a few stones rolled into the river, creating ripples; the wind blew through the branches, leaving only the remaining leaves swaying gently.
The night without gunshots and explosions in Yokohama was as quiet and peaceful as sleep, and the sound of Dazai Osamu's breathing was hidden in the city's sleep talk.
He thought again of the same time late at night three days ago.
He arrived too late. By the time he finally mustered up the courage to stand on the path leading to the garden, a sea of pure white flowers had already blossomed, filling his vision.
Under the cold moonlight, a soft silver halo floated around one of them. It was too far away to see the expression on his face, but he seemed to be smiling and talking to the person next to him.
They were so close, their figures overlapped closely. But he was so far away from him that no matter how hard the person stuck in the mud struggled, he could only watch the moon fall into the arms of others.
So the attempt to pick a flower just to prove a coward's courage ended in failure.
But when he saw the Epiphyllum disappear from his fingertips, Dazai Osamu suddenly understood everything.
The cold air pushed and squeezed his internal organs, his heartbeat became disordered for a moment, and his chest rose and fell violently, showing signs of hyperventilation.
He grasped the fabric in front of his chest and clenched his teeth tightly to prevent any sound from coming out.
His special ability brought him many conveniences, but also brought him many troubles. However, this was the first time that he felt fear.
...Flowers are supernatural creatures, so they will disappear if you touch them. What about people?
The bandage around his neck, the hand that avoided him in panic, the distance that he kept deliberately... Without realizing it, had he become someone he couldn't touch?
Whether you hate him or don't want to see him again, he will have to swallow the bitter fruit of his own actions alone.
Only this...only this thing...!
——Why is it supernatural powers?
It was as if God was playing a vicious joke on Dazai Osamu. God placed the best gift in the world in front of him. Just when he was about to open it with joy, the gift was suddenly smashed to pieces by someone.
The mysterious voice echoed in his ears, torturing him over and over again like a brainwash.
"Everything you pursue is meaningless. Everyone has the opportunity to be happy, but you are destined to be abandoned."
"Life is worthless, and death is insignificant. Look, everyone who gets involved with you will become unhappy, and it's all because of you."
"Everything you did was hurting him."
This sound lingers in my ears all the time, and with the chill of the winter night it rolls into my lungs, making my body temperature cooler with every breath.
Dazai Osamu raised his head slightly, his heart filled with emptiness, and stared at the moon above his head.
It has been almost a year since I last was by this river.
"Today is also a full moon."
The long-awaited voice came from behind, and Dazai Osamu's fingers curled in his pockets trembled suddenly. He was extremely glad that he was facing away from the person who came, otherwise he didn't know if his expression would be completely exposed.
When they were three steps away, Kimino Seiryoshi stopped and looked towards the river bank.
When he received the message, he felt that the place looked familiar. He went there in person and found that it was indeed a place they had been to before.
It was the day when Dazai Osamu had just arrived in this world and was asked by his subordinates to fetch water but failed. The two of them were waiting for the rain to stop together.
Thinking of this, Kono Seiryoshi's gaze was fixed on a certain point in confusion.
"…The original platform has been demolished."
Dazai Osamu's murmurs were carried by the wind, and he seemed to sigh softly, "No one will take shelter there anymore."
Kono Seiryoshi lowered his eyes with some regret, but immediately he remembered something and his mood cheered up again.
That night he secretly took a photo of Dazai Osamu's back. Although the phone containing the photo was lost, a copy was still retained in the system CG record.
His mood brightened up, and his body relaxed a little. With a little smile in his eyes, he was about to speak to ease the gloomy atmosphere, but he unexpectedly saw Dazai Osamu's pale face in the cold night.
He arrived half an hour earlier than the time agreed upon in the text message, but judging by Dazai's appearance, he had been standing there for at least over an hour.
The words I had prepared went around in my throat and were swallowed.
"Have you decided to leave?" he asked in a low voice, with a hint of hesitation in his voice that he hadn't noticed.
"...Well," Dazai Osamu slowly smiled a faint smile that could be ignored, "Mr. Mori will find out tomorrow that I have abandoned my mission and defected."
He maintained a calm expression, his handsome features were gentle and relaxed, as if he was talking about where to go for a midnight snack, rather than what kind of revenge and pursuit he would face next.
"Odasaku and the children were sent to the countryside, where Ango is taking care of them. They are safe. The port mafia still has a time bomb. Mr. Mori doesn't dare to kill me."
Dazai deliberately ignored the reaction of other organizations that hated him to the core upon hearing the news of his defection, and continued as if nothing had happened, "Before coming here, I went to see the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and he was willing to help me because my special ability was still useful."
Gongye Shengliang listened quietly to him arranging the old matters in an orderly manner, and remained silent after he finished speaking.
After five minutes of silence, he was stared at before he spoke hesitantly, "What about you? Where are you going next?"
Dazai looked away, lowered his eyes and smiled, "I heard there is a supernatural organization that can help others... But before joining, you have to clean up your files first, and you will probably have to stay underground for two years."
Kono Sei nodded in his heart. It would be great if he could go to the bright side. If Dazai wanted to save people, he would definitely be able to do it with his brains and abilities.
But two years... is still quite a long time.
"...Before, you said you would help me fulfill a wish."
The no longer calm voice brought him back to his senses. When Kono Seira raised his head, he saw Dazai Osamu's trembling eyelashes.
"It still counts," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Do you want to use it here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gongye Shengliang suddenly hissed, immediately turned his head to look at the river water under the bridge, then turned back and asked uncertainly: "Help you get into the water, now...?"
Dazai Osamu felt that he should make some response to this sneer, but he used up all his strength and could only purse the corners of his lips stiffly and shook his head.
What should he say?
"Come with me and leave the Port Mafia", "Please don't disappear no matter what", or "I won't hurt you again, don't abandon me", each one reveals a willing, despicable and ugly desire.
His body suddenly became a floating empty shell, and the cold wind made a booming sound when it poured in. He looked in despair, rejoiced, prayed, and cried bitterly. He heard his own voice pretending to be relaxed: "Well, let's talk about it after I come out from underground, how about that?"
——Please.
At least he has to wait until that time before he is qualified to express his feelings.
The man in the line of sight frowned slightly. He must be troubled by this willful request, but soon, he showed a helpless smile, "Then let's work together."
An effort to move from a dirty and dark past to light.
One tries very hard to keep the container from breaking.
They both knew the hardships they were about to face, but the moonlight was too quiet and no one spoke out.
That day may never come, or it may come tomorrow. *
--
Yokohama remains the same as always, a city that embraces humans and non-humans, good people and evil people, the past and the future.
Flowers bloomed and withered, migratory birds came and went, collapsed buildings were cleared and new high-rises were built on their original sites, and tender green leaves sprouted among the randomly discarded dirt and bricks.
The Yokohama Museum of Art, which was destroyed in a riot a year ago, has become more magnificent than before. However, at noon, the door of this magnificent exhibition hall was tightly closed.
There were no lights on in the hall, and amid the onlookers watching the various precious treasures sitting in the collection cabinets, an angry shout suddenly broke out.
"You actually want to take away 70% of the shares?! Are you kidding me!!"
The short, fat, middle-aged man was so furious that he slammed his hand on the table so hard that the decorative vases on it shook.
"The Port Mafia is going too far! I tell you, not only me, but other shareholders will not accept it! Just give up!"
The man still felt unsatisfied after yelling, and panted heavily. He loosened his tie without caring about his image, and looked at the ignorant kid sent by the port mafia with a look that was about to burst into anger.
In contrast to the short and fat middle-aged man with a face full of flesh, the boy opposite him had a delicate and fragile appearance, and his body, which was not strong at all, became increasingly weak amid the man's roar.
In the dim light, his long eyelashes cast a small shadow, as if he was frightened, and his eyebrows were shrouded in a vague atmosphere of melancholy.
The man looked away with disdain and snorted heavily. The port mafia sent such a weak kid to fool him. To put it bluntly, they had no sincerity to cooperate. Even if he kicked the guy out today, it couldn't be his fault!
"But, Mr. Okubo, all shareholders except you have agreed."
"Huh?! What are you talking about—"
Okubo's voice suddenly stopped, and he looked like a duck being picked up by the neck, his eyes red.
The young man had a smile on his lips, and his eyes darkened in the dim light. He looked gently at the man who was staring at the signature on the document with disbelief on his face.
"I had a quick chat with other people this morning, and everyone felt that the share allocation was reasonable. Mr. Okubo, do you think there is any problem?"
Recalling the unanimous agreement among his partners to "give the port mafia a warning" and the boy's submissive attitude just now, Okubo's mind exploded.
He was so angry that his breath got stuck in his chest. Every inch of his face was trembling. He shouted in shame and anger, "You lied to me!"
"How could that be?" The young man chuckled and shook his head. "Isn't it the most important thing in doing business to keep your word?"
He handed over the document he had prepared long ago. "Please sign it. You can rest assured that the promised interest rate will not be reduced because of your attitude just now."
Okubo held the pen in his hand for a long time without moving, and the pen cap was soaked with cold sweat. He lowered his head, and a look of anger and hatred flashed from the corner of his eyes.
The ink almost dripped onto the document, and just as Okubo quietly pressed the museum's security switch, the tightly locked door suddenly exploded open with a bang!
In the dust, the beast stood with its back to the light and slowly retracted its frenzied supernatural powers.
Okubo froze in place, not daring to move, while the boy sitting opposite him lowered his head and sighed helplessly.
The man who was originally arrogant suddenly put aside all his evil thoughts. He swallowed hard, and with his limbs stiff, he smiled and greeted the figure at the door: "Hello, hello..."
If you want to survive in this city, you must avoid encountering this extremely dangerous person. The port mafia mad dog who uses his powerful superpowers to wreak havoc on all enemy forces... Why is he here? !
Akutagawa Ryunosuke walked straight ahead as if he didn't notice that someone was trembling and retreating.
Just when Okubo breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped, the former's footsteps suddenly stopped.
The dark and cold eyes were like looking at a dead person, and just one glance was enough to scare the man so much that his legs became paralyzed and he could not use any strength.
Okubo watched Akutagawa Ryunosuke withdraw his gaze expressionlessly, then took two steps forward to block his body.
The hem of the windbreaker that relied on the supernatural power fell naturally, and the black mad dog bent down, completely different from the cold attitude when facing the man, as if all the sharp spikes were retracted in an instant, and whispered to the boy who was still sitting on the sofa: "The mission has been completed, please give instructions."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
