Chapter 19

"All right, all right, calm down first." Osamu Dazai yawned in his chair.

In fact, Osamu Dazai had understood from the start that sending Chūya Nakahara might not solve anything, and might even leave Chūya at a loss.

Because that was the kind of person Kamiki Yūhaku was.

He was too deranged, doing things no one could understand, a strange man set apart from the world. But whenever he did or said something in earnest, people couldn't help believing him. That unparalleled power to move others, combined with his tragic past, made it impossible to bear opposing him.

Yes, who could bear to stop Kamiki Yūhaku when he was like this?

Being himself, saving himself, and hanging himself.

"Then I'll ask you one more time," Osamu Dazai said. "If there's a way that gives us a chance of saving Kamiki without stopping him, will you do it?"

"Is there really a way like that?"

"There is, but it's a lot of trouble." Osamu Dazai propped his legs up on the table. "So, do you still want to save him?"

Chūya Nakahara started walking again. "Of course."

"Then give him a reason to live."

Osamu Dazai said, "Kamiki Yūhaku is fixated on the past. Now he's determined to settle things with it. The remnants of the French Concession were wiped out back then, but the experimental data still remains within the government. Those things will give rise to more experiments, and sooner or later, Kamiki will go and deal with them."

"What we wanted to do at first was stop him from confronting the government head-on. But now, let's change our thinking and let him fight the government."

Chūya Nakahara frowned. "But how can Kamiki stand against a government agency on his own?"

"Don't forget, he survived the explosion when your ability went out of control back then." Osamu Dazai's lips curved slightly, amusement in his russet eyes. "Let's believe one more time. Believe that the ability forcibly instilled in Kamiki Yūhaku won't bring him nothing but sorrow."

"And then?"

"Kamiki lacks the will to survive, an obsession with staying alive. If we find him a reason to live, maybe he can hold on a little longer. That's when we step in."

As long as Kamiki Yūhaku didn't die at the end, everything afterward would be much easier.

The Armed Detective Agency, to which Osamu Dazai belonged, had Akiko Yosano, the strongest healing ability user. As long as Kamiki Yūhaku didn't die, Osamu Dazai could persuade Yosano to help, and he would survive. Chūya Nakahara was an executive of the Port Mafia, and his authority gave him access to the underworld's smuggling routes, which he could use to take Kamiki Yūhaku out of Yokohama.

As for Ango Sakaguchi, although he couldn't control the government, he could still cover things up a little.

If they did that, would Kamiki Yūhaku really feel the warmth of the sun?

This was a major undertaking hidden from everyone else. If anything went wrong on any side, all their efforts would come to nothing.

"Ango has already agreed," Osamu Dazai said. "What about you? What do you think?"

Chūya Nakahara let out a long breath. He stopped beneath a park pavilion that sheltered him from the rain and looked at the dim lights glowing in the park, a trace of resolve flashing in his eyes.

"Then let's do it."

He wanted to save him.

He wanted to take his hand and pull him out of that bottomless abyss.

Kamiki Yūhaku walked along with an umbrella, searching beneath the eaves and among the branches as he went, trying to find a crow in the dark.

Unfortunately, the night was too dark, and the crow's feathers were black too. He couldn't tell whether the crow was there at all.

With a soft sigh, Kamiki Yūhaku leaned against a wall under his umbrella.

"Little Crow." Kamiki Yūhaku looked up at the sky, watching the rain slide down his transparent umbrella. "Come back soon."

"Do you need my help?"

Kamiki Yūhaku looked away and calmly turned his head, his gaze settling on the alley beside him. At the back of the alley, Fyodor Dostoevsky smiled and waved at him.

"Oh, it's you, Fedya." Kamiki Yūhaku continued twirling the umbrella in his hand. "Long time no see."

"No, we saw each other in Tatsuhiko Shibusawa's White Mist."

"Ha ha, I guess we did. I actually forgot." Kamiki Yūhaku's voice was very light. "So why did you come looking for a defector like me, Fedya? Are you planning to execute me as a traitor, like last time?"

Fyodor Dostoevsky didn't come over. He simply shook his head. "Of course not."

"Actually, we aren't enemies, but partners." Fyodor Dostoevsky's voice had a coaxing quality. "I know what you're planning to do. I can help you."

"How are you going to help me?"

"How about I keep Yokohama's organizations occupied for you?" Fyodor Dostoevsky rested one hand against the wall, giving the impression that his heavy clothes had soaked up so much water that he could barely bear their weight. "I'll soon be starting a little plan in Yokohama. When the time comes, every organization will be caught up in it, and even the government won't have the attention to spare for your affairs."

"Then you can devote yourself to it without worrying about being disturbed."

Kamiki Yūhaku looked at him. "So why would you help me, Fedya?"

"As I recall, we don't have the kind of friendship where we've helped each other through hard times."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Fyodor Dostoevsky said with a smile. "I want to create a world without abilities. Naturally, this kind of inferior artificial ability can't be allowed to exist either. How's that for a reason?"

"Of course, this would be mutually beneficial. I'll help you throw them into confusion, but in return, could you refrain from telling them about me?"

Fyodor Dostoevsky met Kamiki Yūhaku's eyes. "That's what cooperation is."

Silence fell over them for a full ten seconds, broken only by the sound of rain striking the umbrella. Kamiki Yūhaku neither agreed nor refused.

"Speaking of which, where's your crow?"

"You mean Little Crow?" Kamiki Yūhaku smiled. "Isn't he right behind you?"

Fyodor Dostoevsky spun around. Behind him, a pitch-black crow blended perfectly into the darkness, its sharp claws aimed at Fyodor Dostoevsky's eyes. Fyodor Dostoevsky swiftly dodged.

As Kamiki Yūhaku's colleague for several years, he knew better than anyone how many terrifying things this crow carried. The crow deserved a great deal of credit for the reputation Kamiki Yūhaku had earned.

"I'm terribly sorry." Kamiki Yūhaku raised his arm, and the crow landed on it, shaking the water from its feathers. Kamiki Yūhaku looked at the crow tenderly. "Although it sounds very tempting, I don't really trust you, Fedya."

"I think it would be better if we didn't cooperate."

Chapter 19

Kamiki Yūhaku and Fyodor Dostoevsky parted on bad terms.

Fyodor Dostoevsky possessed an extremely lethal ability, but Kamiki Yūhaku's ability was a perfect counter to it. Or rather, Kamiki Yūhaku's ability countered most offensive abilities. Without their abilities, Fyodor Dostoevsky naturally couldn't defeat Kamiki Yūhaku, even though Kamiki Yūhaku was seriously injured.

Besides being an intelligence operative, Kamiki Yūhaku was also an excellent undercover assassin. His assassination skills could rival those of certain assassination organizations.

Fyodor Dostoevsky had no desire to test Kamiki Yūhaku's abilities with his life.

After Fyodor Dostoevsky left, Kamiki Yūhaku's expression barely changed. He simply held out his hand and let the crow perch on his finger.

"Don't you think you went a little too far?" Kamiki Yūhaku's voice held a childlike note of complaint. "I worry about you too."

The crow cawed twice, as though expressing disdain for Kamiki Yūhaku.

"All right, all right, I know. I know you're worried about me too." Kamiki Yūhaku poked the crow's drenched down. "Look, aren't I just fine now? I haven't kept growing flowers either. It's all right. Just wait a little longer. Once everything is over, we'll go live somewhere peaceful together."

"Just like before, we'll raise a flock of crows to be your underlings," Kamiki Yūhaku murmured. "Then you can lead them flying through the sky."

The crow flapped its wings. There was no telling whether it understood.

But Kamiki Yūhaku didn't mind. He leaned against the wall, the transparent umbrella above his head keeping out the rain. He and the crow huddled together, both soaking wet. They looked a little worse for wear, but that was all right. As long as they were still together, there was no problem.

Little Crow was all Kamiki Yūhaku had left to care about. He couldn't let that love slip through his fingers again.

"It's so cold," Kamiki Yūhaku murmured.

The crow shook the water from its body, then took flight and plunged into the rain. Kamiki Yūhaku blinked and followed. The crow struggled to flap its wings in the rain, and Kamiki Yūhaku chased after it, holding the umbrella over it. They went down a street like that before the crow landed and cawed at him.

Kamiki Yūhaku walked over and held out his arm. The crow hopped onto it, and Kamiki Yūhaku tucked the umbrella under his arm, then fished a flashlight out of his pocket. He switched on the soaking wet flashlight and saw an abandoned shipping container. It was fairly clean, and it didn't leak.

"So you were hiding here before." Kamiki Yūhaku went inside with the crow. "Isn't it nice here? Why did you come out looking for me?"

The crow hopped down from Kamiki Yūhaku's arm and flapped its wings on the ground, shedding a few black feathers.

Paying no attention to the dust on the ground, Kamiki Yūhaku sat down. He rummaged in his pocket, then took out a small bag of bird treats. He opened the bag, set the treats in front of the crow, and watched it peck at them.

"Eat up." Kamiki Yūhaku looked at the crow. "Consider it my apology, all right?"

Rain pattered against the top of the container, and a string of droplets ran off the umbrella. Kamiki Yūhaku gazed quietly outside, a touch of peace in his red eyes.

After that rain, everything seemed to return to peace.

Regarding the explosion at a certain underground facility, the government claimed it had been an electrical accident at an underground warehouse and that the Military Police were investigating, using that story to fob off ordinary people.

Certain well-informed ability organizations had a vague idea that there was something suspicious about the place. Not only did it change locations frequently, but researchers in white coats could occasionally be seen there. But even if something connected to the government was suspicious, no one would talk out of turn, and so the matter remained hidden.