Chapter 38

"Ha."

At that soft laugh, everyone instinctively looked over.

"Hahahaha..." Osamu Dazai clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. Yet Atsushi Nakajima felt that his smile was more genuine than usual.

Osamu Dazai wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his index finger and said softly, "What an enviable guy."

Had he actually made peace with the world?

Even he had only stumbled and struggled through this world by imitating Odasaku.

Osamu Dazai's eyes darkened. Was this a miracle? Or perhaps it was simply inevitable.

Osamu Dazai instinctively touched his chest. He could feel the heart beating beneath his skin.

Ah, in the end, Osamu Dazai was only human. So it was perfectly normal for him to be moved, wasn't it?

Still, even Osamu Dazai felt a little jealous of that "Dazai," because he was simply too lucky. Before encountering humanity's deeper darkness, everything he had met had been a radiance bright enough to bring tears to one's eyes.

A radiance that even someone like Osamu Dazai could not help being moved by.

He had not experienced any of it himself, but Osamu Dazai found it all too easy to empathize with another version of himself, and all too easy to transfer those feelings to himself.

Osamu Dazai rested his chin in his hand, his whole demeanor calming. Big brother Yiyi...

Perhaps he should visit that country?

Osamu Dazai considered it quite seriously.

The storm had subsided. Dawn floated quietly upon the sea. Even the natural disaster had failed to sink it, just as the apocalypse had never brought humanity to its knees.

"We survived!"

"Thank goodness, thank goodness... sob..."

"Ahhh!! We're alive!"

Everyone cheered and screamed, until tears glistened in all their eyes.

How many people had been sacrificed for this moment?

No one could count them all. Even with records, there were simply too many. No one knew whether anyone had been overlooked.

Nameless heroes slept forever on the seabed. Their flesh and blood had forged hope; their souls had lifted up the light.

Osamu Dazai smiled along with everyone else, tears in his eyes.

Before, aside from his ignorant early childhood, he had never cried. He had once loathed himself for it. Perhaps this was what it meant to be No Longer Human-to be unable even to cry.

Yet now, as he looked at the people and things around him, the entire world seemed to brighten, so vivid and so beautiful.

Yes, he had finally become part of humanity.

Of course he could cry.

Because, in the end, he was still a person-a human who loved this world.

"Phew..." Mori Ougai let out a long breath, complicated emotions filling his reddish-purple eyes.

"Jealous, aren't you, Rintaro?" Elise mocked him mercilessly. "Dazai is doing much better without you."

"How sad, Elise." Mori Ougai pretended to cry, only to suddenly add wistfully, "Actually, Dazai is quite nice like this, too."

After all, he was a child Mori had raised... Seeing him live a fuller, better life, Mori Ougai silently offered him his blessings.

"But Dazai looks so adorable when he cries. Come to think of it, he never cried when he was with me." Mori Ougai blurted out something outrageous. This was a twelve- or thirteen-year-old Osamu Dazai, younger than the one even he had raised. "He'd surely look even cuter in a little dress."

"Rintaro, you're a complete pervert!" Elise stomped hard on Mori Ougai's foot.

"Exactly. Mr. Mori is a complete pervert!" Osamu Dazai looked repulsed.

So this is what your Port Mafia is like. That was what everyone's eyes said as they pointed and whispered.

Yukichi Fukuzawa silently rested his hand on his sword hilt. Mori Ougai could not be allowed to remain.

Chūya Nakahara and the others were so embarrassed they nearly dug holes with their toes.

No, we're a perfectly respectable □□!

Osamu Dazai stepped onto the deck, and a figure was reflected in his russet eyes.

That person was still wounded, bandages wrapped around his arm and ankle. Yet his gaze was so clear, his smile so gentle, and his spine had never bent.

"Aji."

An Xinyi called his name. There was no sunlight now, and the sky was dim. Perhaps for decades, even a century to come, humanity would never see blue skies, white clouds, or clear weather again.

Yet Osamu Dazai seemed to see sunlight falling upon An Xinyi... Was the light shining on him, or was he himself shining?

"It was you, Yiyi."

How could Osamu Dazai fail to understand now? An Xinyi had launched the rescue, but he also knew perfectly well that it was not An Xinyi alone who had saved him. It was the countless ordinary strangers willing to stake their lives on rescuing him.

"Ah, I can't hide anything from you," An Xinyi said with a smile. "Aji."

"How wonderful." An Xinyi brushed Dazai's bangs. "We survived."

Thousands of words ultimately became that one simple sentence.

"Yes, we survived." Osamu Dazai reached out and wrapped his arms around An Xinyi. "How wonderful. It's really, truly wonderful."

"Aji."

"Do you know the meaning of life now?"

An Xinyi suddenly spoke, returning that question to Osamu Dazai.

"You're so sly, Yiyi," Osamu Dazai muttered in complaint. But then he smiled again.

It was not mocking, not cold, not a disguise. Osamu Dazai smiled, truly smiled from his heart.

"Life doesn't have any meaning at all."

That was what Osamu Dazai said.

Because he would no longer agonize over that question.

"But I'm definitely going to live my life properly."

"I'll carry everything from the past-love, sorrow, responsibility-and keep moving forward."

"Because being alive is already wonderful in itself. If you don't even understand that, how can you explore anything more?"[1]

"I still want to see more beautiful things."

Faces flashed through his memories. Some were workers, some transporters, some communications personnel, some soldiers... Smiles appeared on their weathered, sun-darkened faces as they talked and laughed, passed him by, waved to him, and walked into the wind and rain.

Osamu Dazai remembered their smiles, and he remembered their departing backs.

They, too, were ordinary people, their bodies so frail. They cried, grew afraid, complained, and made mistakes.

Yet there were always those who charged to the front without hesitation and never retreated.

For faith, for conviction, for the legacy they would pass on.

At that moment, Osamu Dazai made a decision. He would remember them.

Those ordinary, nameless heroes who had left behind no images or written records.

No matter what, he would keep them in his memory.

History engraved their names, while he would remember their souls and sing of them to others.

He would never forget them, until his death.

"Ordinary humans..." Satoru Gojo murmured, then suddenly laughed. "What about them is ordinary? Even I, the strongest, have to admire a feat like that. What extraordinary mortals."

"Talking about protecting ordinary people really is too arrogant, isn't it?" An unrestrained grin curved Satoru Gojo's lips. "That's why I hate righteous preaching."

Masamichi Yaga froze, then suddenly sighed. He thought of the student who had once upheld those righteous ideals more than anyone. If he had seen all this, would things never have reached that point?

Atsushi Nakajima could not help glancing at Osamu Dazai. A bright light shone in Mr. Dazai's russet eyes, and he seemed to be humming... He was in a very good mood.

The white-haired boy smiled too. How wonderful. That Mr. Dazai could finally live a proper life.

The curve of Osamu Dazai's lips had not faded since earlier. "That doesn't sound like something I'd say, but this is fine too."

You've finally returned to this world of suffering and tenderness.

"Tch."

Chūya Nakahara looked away. That bastard Dazai was really moved. Otherwise, he'd have noticed me watching and started mocking me ages ago... Whatever.

The auburn-haired man adjusted his hat. At a time like this, he would not pick a fight with that guy.

After all, they had once been partners.

The two enjoyed the quiet of the moment. Sometimes, words were unnecessary. Simply leaning against each other was enough.

Just then, a broadcast sounded. It was the voice of the Human Alliance's highest leader, ringing out in every Sea City, even aboard Sky Manipulation City and Noah's Ark.

An Xinyi and Osamu Dazai raised their heads and listened quietly. Across the world, people of different skin colors, races, and countries all looked up. At that moment, their figures merged into one.

"...Comrades, we can now proudly declare-we have won! Facing a disaster capable of destroying humanity, we paid the tremendous price of nearly six billion lives, but we still won! We have carried human history onward. Their sacrifices were not meaningless. Now we can hold our heads high and proudly say-we have all done well!"

"We are the generation that has suffered most and sacrificed most, but we are also the most glorious, most extraordinary generation. From now on, our descendants will take pride in us!"

"...Comrades, what do you think the essence of humanity is? The essence of humanity is passing on our legacy, passing civilization and spirit down from generation to generation. People die, but civilization and spirit do not! We have sacrificed many people in the face of disaster, but we must never forget those sacrifices. As long as we live, their radiant figures will remain forever engraved in our memories. We must pass this spirit on forever. It will be humanity's greatest spiritual wealth..."

"...Comrades, now is not the time to rest. I must interrupt your peace, because our problems have not yet been solved. We still face an extremely difficult future. Food, resources, and a whole series of survival challenges await us, and we must overcome and conquer them one by one. I must tell you-a new war has begun!"

"But we will not be afraid. We have already defeated a terrible natural disaster. No matter how many hardships lie ahead, we will not fear them. We will inherit the will of those who came before us and continue onward!"

"Forward, comrades-in-arms! We must keep fighting, keep writing humanity's history, and engrave humanity's resolve and courage beneath these stars!"

"Let us give civilization to time, rather than time to civilization!"[2]

"To humanity's greatness!"

"To humanity's greatness!" ×n

Different languages and different voices resounded across the world. An Xinyi and Osamu Dazai exchanged a glance and spoke at the same time. "To humanity's greatness."

Then they smiled at each other.

An Xinyi looked into the distance. Thick volcanic ash obscured the sky. Perhaps their generation would never see what the sun looked like again. Perhaps several generations to come would only see it in images left behind by the past-but he felt that the sun had never set.

Because the light humanity shone with had never gone out.

An Xinyi gazed into the distance. There were still wind and waves, and the sea surged restlessly, but it could not destroy that Ark of Hope-both the one beneath their feet and the one in people's hearts.

How beautiful.

An Xinyi marveled from the bottom of his heart.

Yes, the disaster was not over, and the suffering had not ended.

Perhaps humanity would ultimately perish in some future disaster. The Ark of Hope would sink, and the flames of resistance would die.

Yet that radiant sight had already imprinted itself upon his heart. He would never forget it.

He had seen them-humanity, so incomparably beautiful.

And so-

An Xinyi made a vow.

No matter what, he would help humanity. He would ensure that this ugly yet beautiful, foolish yet radiant species lived on.

For that, he would die a hundred deaths without regret.

Yes, one day, the Ark of Hope would cross despair and reach the other shore.

And now, they had already crossed the first stretch of despair. The Ark of Hope had set sail.

Perhaps terrible disasters still lay ahead, but they would face them together and fight together.

This was humanity's radiance and spirit.

May humanity be granted glory, and civilization immortality.

An Xinyi & Osamu Dazai: "The Ark of Hope that crosses despair" - reincarnation begins

The record has ended