Chapter 8

In the end I went.

It seemed as if God was against Dazai Osamu. At this moment, half of the sky was clear enough to see the stars, while the other half was slowly gathering thick dark clouds, brewing a violent downpour.

Even if Dazai Osamu didn't jump into the river, he might have been washed into the river by the heavy rain.

Seiryo Kono was sitting in the back seat of the car, with two black umbrellas that he had hastily bought from a convenience store beside him. He didn't care that his hair was a little messy due to the wind, and he rested his chin on his hand and looked at the night sky outside.

——I’ll have to work overtime if I go back anyway, so I might as well go out on some field work.

Strictly speaking, although he was nominally Dazai Osamu's subordinate, he had never worked outside with the other party except writing and submitting reports.

After a period of training, his physical condition was stable and maintained above the passing level. Every day, he sat in the inner building to process documents. The most exercise he got was walking to the next street to buy desserts. Neither Dazai Osamu nor Mori Ogai had ever assigned him any mission that required fighting.

Staying in the office all the time is not a solution. Just look at Dazai Osamu, who committed suicide by jumping into the river and hanging himself all day long, but his wits, strategies, mission completion, and even his weak physical skills all showed the qualities of a mature mafia member.

Kono Seiryoshi felt that it was time to put the application for a job change in motion. Putting aside his ability in hand-to-hand combat, he was quite confident in his abilities in other areas.

But before that, it is better to find a capable subordinate - it would not be good to get involved in a gang fight.

As he was selecting a partner who would be a pleasant partner from the list of ordinary members of the port mafia, heavy rain really came down.

The sky was gloomy, with dark clouds rolling and occasional blinding lightning flashing through it. The big raindrops were about to rush into the car, so I had to close the windows.

When Kono Seiji got off the car, he frowned uncomfortably. He tried his best to hold the handle of the umbrella to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.

According to Dazai Osamu's personality, committing suicide on such a chaotic rainy day was obviously inconsistent with his usual pursuits, and he might have already slipped away.

No, any normal person would not stand there stupidly.

Thinking of this, Kono Seira suddenly felt like an idiot for rushing all the way here. He was about to give up and get back into the car, and he habitually glanced around before opening the door, but he noticed something flashing intermittently behind him on the right.

He paused in his attempt to raise his hand, half-closed his eyes, and walked towards the light source.

The abandoned bus station faces the river. It is not very big. The rusty iron roof can barely provide shelter for two or three people. The light is from an old street lamp, which flickers and casts a swaying shadow in the rain. In the middle of the station, a dark figure squats alone.

Kono Seiryoshi was silent for a few seconds and took back the complaint he made a minute ago.

He walked onto the platform, shook off the water on his umbrella, and shook off the cold air from the rain.

Dazai Osamu didn't look at him. He squatted on the steps with a listless look on his face where rain was pouring down from time to time. His expensive black coat was stuck with a lot of mud and water. The front of the coat and the exposed bandages were almost completely wet.

Now it’s hard to tell whether he has jumped across the river or not.

"Kuno-kun," he continued to stare at the no longer peaceful river across the street, his voice so soft it seemed like it could be blown away by the wind, "how did you find your way here?"

Kouno Seiryo sighed, "I was called in to clean up the mess."

"Is that so?"

Dazai Osamu tilted his head slightly, his dark pupils darker than the dark night outside, and his tone seemed to be laughing, "I thought you cared too much about me and put a tracker on me."

Kono Seiryoshi: “…”

He decided to take back his words again. Dazai's train of thought was indeed not normal.

Kono Seiryoshi took out a handkerchief and wiped the rain stains off the handle of another umbrella. Under Dazai's indecipherable gaze, he held up the umbrella and covered the latter's head without saying anything: "Here, the tracker."

Dazai Osamu: “…”

The black-haired boy turned his head in disgust, still squatting in the same place, but did not throw away the umbrella.

After staring at Dazai Osamu in boredom for a while, Kono Seira suddenly discovered something extraordinary. He held his breath and took a few steps back until his back touched the bulletin board on the platform. Then he took out his cell phone and carefully aimed it at Dazai Osamu's back.

The umbrella he gave to Dazai Osamu was black, and Dazai was also wearing black. A half-crouching figure was revealed under the curved umbrella, blending in harmoniously.

Simply——

With a click, this scene was captured in the album and named by Kono Seiryoshi as "A lonely mushroom found on a rainy day."

Kono Seiryoshi couldn't help laughing and uploaded it to the system's CG collection as a souvenir.

It was unknown how long Dazai Osamu wanted to stay there, and he didn't remind him, but simply retrieved the files from his phone.

During the time when Seiji Kimura was gradually concentrating on his work, Dazai Osamu, who was only two or three meters away from him on the other side, tilted his head and adjusted the black umbrella that was pressing between his collarbone and arm into a more comfortable position.

The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella reached his ears clearly. He closed his eyes slightly, and then opened them again after a while. This time his vision was clear, and he did not look at the river opposite, which he said "you will definitely regret it if you don't jump into it once in your life", but instead looked up at the sky.

There was a small bright spot there, as if it was looking back at him curiously.

There was someone accompanying him behind him.

The rainstorm came and went quickly. When the sound of rain gradually died down, the moist air was brought in by the wind, and the coolness spread all over his body. Gongye Shengliang couldn't help but shiver and stopped what he was doing.

"Look."

Dazai Osamu's voice suddenly came, and it seemed to contain some hidden smile, "The moon is out."

"……?"

It took two seconds for Kono Seiryoshi to react before he looked up at the night sky.

The sky was exceptionally clear after being washed by the rain. A full moon was embedded in the night sky. The moonlight was soft, casting a shimmering silver light on the river not far away. Even the small puddles beside the platform where rain had splashed had a moon hidden in them.

Kono Seiryoshi was a little dazed.

——Today is the full moon day.

...So, Dazai had been in the rain and the cold wind for so long in the remote suburbs just to wait for the moon to rise?

I always think it's a bit strange.

Kono Seiryoshi recalled Dazai Osamu's extraordinary words and deeds in the past, and suddenly he understood.

He understood! Who said that mafia members can't be literary youths! Dazai... he is a performance artist who was delayed by the mafia career!

That’s right, thinking about how to die painlessly all day long, making mean remarks from time to time, and often destroying other people’s mentality - all of these are evidence of rebellious and avant-garde performance art!

Kono Seiryoshi gradually understood everything!

At this moment, the performance artist had no idea of ​​his thoughts and seemed to be in a much better mood. The dark aura that had been lingering around him before disappeared easily as if it had never appeared. He turned his sore neck and turned his head to meet the shining eyes of Kono Seiyoshi.

Dazai Osamu: “?”

Although it was a bit strange, his sixth sense told him that it was best not to ask.

So Dazai Osamu put away his umbrella, looked at Kouno Seiryoshi with a smile, and said, "Go back."

Kono Seiryo blinked a little late, and saluted the artist: "Are you not going to jump into the river?"

"We'll talk about it next time."

"Are you happy today?"

"Well, who knows?"

"Mr. Dazai," Kouno Seira couldn't help laughing, "Do you want to live for yourself tonight?"

Dazai Osamu's gaze stayed on his face for a long time, and then he looked at the moon and laughed softly: "If possible, I would rather die for myself."

His voice was so low that it was almost a whisper, and Gongye Shengliang did not hear it clearly. He walked forward, grasped the sharp handle of the black umbrella in the black-haired boy's hand, and said with a smile: "Let's go back together."

Dazai Osamu tilted his head and stared dully at the umbrella that tied the two people together. Suddenly he chuckled and followed Kono Seiryoshi obediently.

One person held the handle of the umbrella, and the other held the tip of the umbrella. They walked forward slowly at a distance of two steps. Neither of them was in a hurry, as if they were playing some childish game in which they could not touch each other.

But in the moonlight, their shadows overlapped intimately.

--

Unlike the original plan, Seira Kono and Dazai Osamu returned to his apartment.

He originally proposed to return to the Port Mafia, but Dazai Osamu looked at him with a "are you kidding me?" expression, and held his forehead with his hand in silence, sighing with a headache, "Kuno-kun, your persistence in certain aspects is really beyond my expectation."

Kono Seiryoshi was flattered and asked, "Really?"

"I'm not exaggerating." Dazai looked even more speechless, raised his hand and tapped him on the forehead, "Follow me."

The two of them switched seats, and Kono Seira tactfully shut up and followed Dazai Osamu into a winding alley.

As a quasi-cadre, Dazai Osamu did not live in the staff dormitory. In order to prevent the revenge of the enemy organization, his private address was a top-level secret. Kono Seira looked at his nose and heart all the way, and was very polite and did not look around.

Dazai Osamu was worthy of his status as a performance artist. Standing at the door, he slowly took out a piece of wire under the shocked gaze of Kono Seiryoshi and performed his lock-picking skills again.

——This person doesn’t even have the key to his own house!

If Dazai Osamu had not turned on the circuit switch in the house with ease, Kono Seiryoshi would have almost thought that they were breaking into a private house.

Wait, it seems that for the Mafia, breaking into private homes is in line with their character.

The apartment was unexpectedly clean, as if it had hardly been lived in. Some pieces of furniture were still wrapped in plastic and casually covered with a layer of white cloth to prevent dust.

It looks like a temporary residence.

When Kono Seira entered the room, he hesitated a little, lowered his head, and whispered, "Sorry to bother you."

"If you're really embarrassed, just clean the room." Dazai Osamu hung his half-wet windbreaker on the hanger, without any of the good virtues of hospitality, and waved his hand nonchalantly: "By the way, there is only one bedroom, I don't plan to give it to you. Ah, you can use any other place you want."

Gong Ye Shengliang, who was already ready to lay the floor, brightened his eyes and said, "So, can I sleep on the sofa?"

Dazai Osamu paused as he walked up the stairs. He turned his head and looked at her subtly, with a hint of pity in his eyes: "...Your requirements are too low."

Gongye Shengliang said humbly: "It's okay. In fact, the environment here is much better than the prison."

Dazai Osamu: “…”

"Really?" The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes, thinking of something, and said in a brisk voice, "Then I'll ask you to guard the door at night. Recently, there are wild cats running around and barking outside at night, making it hard for people to sleep... There is no such job in the prison, right?"

He did not wait for an answer, but went upstairs without stopping. Finally, he showed a smiling face to Gongye Shengliang and closed the bedroom door on the second floor in one go.

Seira Kono: "...?"

He slowly typed a question mark, unable to figure out Dazai Osamu's intention.

Forget it, he finally comforted himself, the thinking of artists is always difficult for ordinary people to understand.

After a quick tour, Gong Ye Shengliang found that this apartment was even simpler than he had imagined. Several rooms on the first floor were locked, and the only room with a sense of life left was the kitchen.

There were a few boxes of refrigerated canned food in the refrigerator, and the kitchenware was clean as if it was brand new except for the burnt pot. In this kitchen that had almost no signs of use, the faucet was broken and dripped water.

...It's hard to imagine what Dazai Osamu had done here.

Kono Seiryoshi tried his best not to make any noise and tidied carefully. When he finally made his bed, it was already later than usual after working overtime.

He turned off the light and lay on the sofa for a while with his eyes closed.

The living room was completely silent, except for the rustling of the evening breeze blowing through the leaves outside. The faucet in the kitchen was dripping slowly and continuously, with a "tick-tick" sound that woke everyone up from sleepiness.

Kono Seiryoshi opened his eyes and stared straight at the chandelier in the living room.

...The more I look at this house, the more it looks like a haunted house.

Once this idea came into my mind, it stayed with me for a long time.

Kono Seiryoshi tossed and turned, trying to plug his ears with a pillow, but it was of no use; his heartbeat only grew louder.

Three minutes later, unable to bear it any longer, Kono Seiryoshi pulled out his cell phone.

He scrolled to the bottom before he found the chat box of the owner of the haunted house. He picked and chose among a bunch of emoticons but couldn't find a suitable one, so he had to send a dry "good night".

The other party replied to the message unexpectedly quickly.

"Dazai: ...

Dazai: ...Kuno-kun

Dazai: Do you know that I just fell asleep ten minutes ago and you woke me up? [Smile]"

「Kimino:……!!!

Kimino: [Cat shock]

Kimino: [Cat bows his head and admits his mistake]

"Dazai: [Throwing a cat]

Dazai: Good night [Hanged man with a smiley face]"

"Kimino: Good night! [cat wink]"

Gongye Shengliang turned off the screen, curled up in the quilt, and closed his eyes peacefully.

It feels so good to communicate with a living person! Although it seems to have disturbed Dazai's sleep...!

I'll think of a way to compensate him tomorrow... This thought came to his mind vaguely before he fell asleep.

Gongye Shengliang, who had already fallen asleep, didn't know that someone upstairs had been staring at the chat interface for a long time without falling asleep, and only fell asleep at three o'clock in the morning.

The author has something to say:

Haunted House Lord·Rainy Night Mushroom·Performance Artist·Black Mud Bandage Spirit·Dazhai

I didn't even tick the thank you list yesterday. This jj feature is really not easy to use (pounding the table)