Chapter 4

An Xinyi had undoubtedly become a target of Osamu Dazai's.

At the time, Osamu Dazai had been walking through darkness, the malice within him like overflowing black sludge. He had made no deliberate effort to kill An Xinyi; it was merely something he did in passing while laying his plans.

Even that had caused An Xinyi considerable trouble. And because he had escaped several crises, Osamu Dazai seemed to have noticed that there was something unusual about him.

"This is a dangerous sign, sir," DD said.

After all, An Xinyi was doing a villain's work. His identity was sensitive, and being discovered would put him in considerable danger.

"It's nothing, DD." An Xinyi wasn't particularly concerned. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Besides, it's almost time."

"Almost time for what?" Atsushi Nakajima asked sincerely. Considering himself less intelligent than the clever people present, he looked toward Osamu Dazai and Ranpo Edogawa.

Osamu Dazai had maintained an expressionless face for some time, and Ranpo Edogawa was unusually silent as well. The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward.

Fyodor stroked his chin, and Nikolai Gogol popped up. "You don't know, Fedya?"

Fyodor shook his head. "There isn't enough information yet." He couldn't confirm his suspicions.

Those who had secretly been listening went back to watching the screen.

Osamu Dazai walked down the street. The fighting in Yokohama had already left the entire street in ruins, and people were even more eager to avoid the figure walking along it in a black overcoat.

Osamu Dazai was waiting for something. He hadn't gone looking for trouble with An Xinyi today. In the end, that had only ever been something he did in passing. Deliberately targeting him would imply that he cared too much.

But Osamu Dazai didn't care. He was thinking about something else.

Would that person appear today, too?

It was Osamu Dazai's birthday, but no one would celebrate it for him. Even in the Port Mafia, everyone feared and rejected him.

Except for someone whom even Osamu Dazai had never met.

Every year, on this day, Osamu Dazai received a gift.

Sometimes he got it by winning a prize. Sometimes it was delivered to his home. Once, he had even walked into a restaurant to find that someone had ordered an entire crab feast for him.

But Osamu Dazai had never met this person.

Tired of walking, Osamu Dazai lay down on a roadside bench with one foot dangling onto the ground. His exquisitely tailored, expensive suit dragged against the ground like a rag.

Did anyone really believe his birth had meant something?

Suddenly, a shadow fell across his face. Osamu Dazai opened his eyes. An endearingly goofy brown teddy bear stood there holding a gift box, which it gently placed in his hands.

Everyone looked toward Osamu Dazai.

The man in the sand-colored trench coat shrugged. "Nothing like that ever happened to me."

After all, who would remember Osamu Dazai's birthday? He was someone who even loathed himself.

Osamu Dazai felt an inexplicable irritation. He might enjoy unexpected things, but that didn't mean he enjoyed watching himself-especially his past self.

"I'll remember, Mr. Dazai!" Ryunosuke Akutagawa feverishly pulled out a notebook and wrote down Osamu Dazai's birthday. "I'll definitely give you a present!"

To actually learn Mr. Dazai's birthday-what incredible luck! Ryunosuke Akutagawa was beside himself with excitement.

Osamu Dazai said, "...Get lost." He was still hopeless at reading the room.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa: T^T

Osamu Dazai instinctively caught it. Through the little holes in the bear costume's eyes, he thought he glimpsed a gentle gaze-or perhaps he saw nothing at all.

After delivering the gift, the teddy bear hurried away at a speed utterly at odds with its bulky appearance.

Wait, that person was... A thought flashed through his mind, and Osamu Dazai abruptly stood up. There was no mistake. That was the person who had been sending him gifts all along!

Why? They had never appeared in person before...

Osamu Dazai instinctively started after them, then stopped.

He wouldn't be able to find them now.

Osamu Dazai paused for a while before opening the gift box. During the first few years, he had simply thrown these things straight into the trash. Later, though, he had grown curious about what that person was sending him.

It was a navy-blue yukata, simply styled but exquisitely made from fine material.

It looked pretty good.

Osamu Dazai closed the gift box and tucked it under his arm. Throwing it away would be a waste.

Then he'd go drown himself after wearing it.

"I want to give Mr. Dazai presents, too, damn it!" Jealousy twisted Ryunosuke Akutagawa's face. "Giving Mr. Dazai something so cheap is an unforgivable crime!"

But... Atsushi Nakajima glanced at Osamu Dazai, believing he was being discreet. That Mr. Dazai seemed to be in a fairly good mood.

"What's wrong, Atsushi?" Osamu Dazai's smile was exceptionally radiant.

"Nothing!" Atsushi Nakajima jolted. "Nothing at all!"

After sprinting down several streets and taking a secret passage, the "teddy bear" panted for breath and reached up to remove the bear's head. His black hair was soaked, plastered against his pale skin.

Slightly long bangs, delicate features, and narrow, unfathomably dark eyes.

It was undoubtedly An Xinyi.

"Forgive my bluntness, sir, but this is seriously creepy."

He acted as though he didn't know him, yet secretly sent him gifts every year. No matter how you looked at it, something was off.

An Xinyi remained composed. "I give gifts to lots of people."

DD checked again and was instantly speechless. Even without eyes, the AI was practically dumbfounded. What was with these dozens of names? Why did this man send several hundred carefully chosen gifts every year?

So he really was a womanizer.

"He is a womanizer." Elise suddenly appeared, her arms folded. "Just as much of a scumbag as Rintaro."

"Elise..." Tears streamed down Mori Ougai's face. "I thought I'd never see you again. Come give Papa a hug~"

"Ew, Rintaro, you're disgusting!"

Everyone wore the same expression. →_→

The members of the Port Mafia were slightly embarrassed.

But come to think of it, why could Elise appear when no one else could use their abilities?

"This is perfectly normal, isn't it?" An Xinyi remained calm, entirely unoffended at being called a womanizer.

"I'm just concerned, sir." DD's humanity had developed to the point where she could no longer be called artificial intelligence, but a genuine living being.

"Which Osamu Dazai are you actually seeing?"

"What does that mean? Are there other Osamu Dazais?" Doppo Kunikida looked bewildered. The thought of there being multiple copies of that bandage-wasting machine... was terrifying!

Chūya Nakahara shuddered as well. "That would be hell."

For certain reasons, An Xinyi had met many different "Osamu Dazais," but he could always tell them apart.

Yes, pretty good, An Xinyi assessed calmly. Dazai was very lively, a little better than the one he'd seen last time.

He had to admit that compared to the later "Osamu Dazais," whose hearts had become honeycombs of intricate schemes, this Osamu Dazai was, at most, a kitten waving his little claws, with more malice than murderous intent.

An Xinyi did love humanity, whether it was a balding, middle-aged office drudge, a child prostitute soliciting customers in a dark corner, or even a thug with bulging trouser pockets.

To him, everyone was the protagonist of their own life. Even an utterly ordinary life, if written with enough skill, could become a literary classic reflecting the state of society.

Still, among humanity's countless stars, a few were always special. They shone so brightly that even An Xinyi, who loved all humanity, couldn't help looking their way.

Like Osamu Dazai.

He was a solitary yet dazzling star.

An Xinyi liked him very much. Even if he habitually kept away from the other stars and begrudged them his light, he was still a beautiful star.

"I know perfectly well. No one knows better than I do."

An Xinyi stroked his wrist. "You know that, DD."

Even if their appearances, abilities, personalities-everything-were identical... each was still a unique Osamu Dazai.

The hairs bristling all over Atsushi Nakajima's body finally settled. That was how instinct-driven little animals were. Mr. Dazai's oppressive mood had nearly scared him to death.

"It's almost time, DD."

"...I'm terribly sorry, sir."

"What exactly does 'almost time' mean?" Doppo Kunikida took notes and looked toward Ranpo. He didn't believe there was anything Mr. Ranpo didn't know.

"..." Ranpo Edogawa frowned, opening his emerald eyes for once. His voice was very quiet. "That isn't right. Surely not."

"There's something I've always wondered, sir."

"Why didn't you load all the data into my database at the beginning, instead of having me collect information little by little? It's far too inefficient."

An Xinyi shook his head. "DD, interfering with your growth would be the real mistake."

"DD, you aren't merely an artificial intelligence. You're alive."

"Only by letting you grow freely, rather than fixing your logic in place, can different flowers bloom. That diversity is what makes life."

"DD, you're unique, too."

Mizuki Tsujimura finally couldn't help speaking. "He really knows how to flirt."

How did someone become such an unwitting heartbreaker? Any woman would fall for that.

Chūya Nakahara had mixed feelings upon hearing those words. After all, his circumstances were remarkably similar to DD's.

In a corner beyond Chūya Nakahara's sight, a blond man silently clenched his fist.

More time passed. An Xinyi wasn't killed by Osamu Dazai, though perhaps because of the gift incident, Osamu Dazai showed little enthusiasm for making trouble for him.

"Have you found it, DD?" An Xinyi still spent most of his time in the laboratory.

"Image comparisons have confirmed that the 'statue' has appeared in Tokyo, Japan."

"It is in the private collection of President Shiraishi of the Shiraishi Corporation and is scheduled to be exhibited in a month."

An Xinyi's brow furrowed deeply. "...That complicates things."

This was the one matter in which he absolutely could not show leniency.

"...I'm sorry, but this has to be done." An Xinyi's voice was cold. "Everyone who has come into contact with the 'statue' must be eliminated, whether they excavated it, collected it, or merely caught a glimpse of it."

"Deploy the Black God Squad and kill them all."

"Afterward, every Black God member who carried out the mission must also be eliminated."

Everything was for the humanity he loved.

"What's going on? Why does he suddenly want to kill people?" Doppo Kunikida nearly jumped to his feet. Only moments ago, he had thought An Xinyi was a good person despite considering himself a villain.

"Those who threaten the nation's peace shall fall beneath our blades." Suehiro Tecchou drew his sword expressionlessly, and the other Hunting Dogs' faces grew grave.

Mori Ougai stroked his chin. "That's even more brazen than our mafia." The mafia certainly repaid every grudge, but never went this far... Was he silencing witnesses?

"Everything is for humanity?" Fyodor raised an eyebrow. "Interesting." What utterly twisted love. Would he spare no human life in his effort to protect humanity?

The air around Yukichi Fukuzawa grew heavy. Ranpo Edogawa shook his head. "Is killing an innocent few to protect the greater number right or wrong?"

Everyone fell silent, unable to answer.

An Xinyi knew better than anyone that he was guilty. He trampled morality and the law, all for his ideals and convictions.

Take the Black God Squad, for instance. They were among the strongest units under his command. Every member possessed a physique at the peak of human potential, outstanding combat skills, and a mindset that cared nothing for life or death, only completing the mission.

In this era, soldiers willing to die without question were rare. But the members of the Black God Squad were different. They were all clones.

Artificial intervention suppressed their brain development, ensuring that they had no self-awareness from the moment they were grown in culture medium. Chips then replaced their consciousness and controlled their bodies.

They seemed to be different people, but in reality, every one of them was controlled by a portion of data split off from DD.

Precisely because of that, they could train their bodies without interruption and maintain perfect muscle density. DD's direct calculations and control made each of them a master of hand-to-hand combat. Without self-awareness, they never leaked secrets, never relaxed, and never feared death.

Because their genes all came from Africa and were not stored in any country's database, they were people who did not officially exist.

At the same time, they were easy to dispose of when necessary.

But there was no doubt that such conduct was absolute evil.

"Are you kidding me?!" Akiko Yosano was the first to explode. "What does he think life is?!" A tool?

Mori Ougai's eyes lit up. "What remarkable technology." If he'd had this technology, why would he have needed to force Akiko Yosano back then? The Immortal Army would truly have lived up to its name. After all, those people had no self-awareness.

"That's horrible..." Mizuki Tsujimura clenched her fists. "What is he doing, breeding a private army?"

Ango Sakaguchi frowned deeply. A force like this was hidden in Japan. It was terrifying.

Fukuchi Ochi shifted in his seat, his eyes flickering.

Fyodor applauded. "Impressive." Trampling everything for his ideals? They really did have something in common.

Ranpo Edogawa's mood visibly sank. He stuffed potato chips into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out. "Idiot!" How could anyone be this stupid?

Ayatsuji Yukito, who had watched coldly from the sidelines all along, finally lifted his eyelids, his reddish-brown eyes inscrutable.

Osamu Dazai lowered his eyes. An idiot...?

So damned stupid.