Bungo Stray Dogs - Volume 5 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER I 

1—1 

A steam whistle echoed across the harbor, announcing that a ship was about to set sail. The strong afternoon sun reflected off the suspension bridge and the sea’s surface. The ocean breeze blew by as the seagulls cried and flew away. A bell could be clearly heard ringing from afar. 

This was the port city of Yokohama with its mélange of modern high-rises and stately brick buildings. Atsushi Nakashima restlessly looked down at the city from a hill as if he was searching for something. On his way down the staircase, he suddenly stopped, for he had discovered a cemetery plot surrounded by greenery. 

“I wasn’t expecting to find a cemetery here…,” Atsushi quietly muttered to himself in awe and surprise. Surely it was no more than a few years old. Scores of white tombstones neatly lined the grounds, illuminated by the orange sunlight. Almost immediately, Atsushi saw the man he was looking for out of the corner of his eye, so he rushed over. 

The man wore a light-brown overcoat and had unkempt black hair. His neck and hands were wrapped in bandages. He was sprawled out with his back against a tombstone, idly gazing up at the sky. 

Osamu Dazai. 

He was the one who gave Atsushi a place to belong and served as his mentor at the Armed Detective Agency. He also happened to be the person Atsushi was searching for. But before Atsushi even greeted Dazai, he stopped in front of the grave and calmly placed his hands together in a brief prayer. 

“Do you even know whose grave this is?” Dazai softly asked out of the blue. 

Puzzled, Atsushi replied, “No… But I know they’re someone important to you, right?” 

He glanced at the tombstone and saw the name S. ODA carved into it. Atsushi didn’t know who that was, but he did know one thing: They had to be someone extremely meaningful to Dazai. 

Dazai wore a faint smirk as he asked, “What makes you say that?” 

“Because I’ve never seen you visit someone’s gravesite before.” 

“Does it look like I’m visiting someone’s grave?” joked Dazai. 

Atsushi, however, simply blinked. What was he talking about? It was a rather unique way to pay one’s respects; most people wouldn’t rest their head against a tombstone. But it was clear as day to Atsushi: Dazai was undoubtedly visiting someone’s grave. Hence, Atsushi didn’t exactly understand Dazai’s question, so he nodded and replied in earnest, “Yes, it does, actually…” 

Dazai’s eyes slightly widened in wonderment at Atsushi’s sincerity until his lips wordlessly curled into a smile. 

Dazai recalled the events of four years ago—memories of the dilapidated Western-style house’s ballroom covered in dust and blood. 

“Be on the side that saves people… If both sides are the same, then choose to become a good person. Save the weak, protect the orphaned. You might not see a great difference between right and wrong, but…saving others is something just a bit more wonderful.” 

“…” 

He thought about his friend’s last words, then stared at his hands with a blank expression. Atsushi couldn’t tell how Dazai was feeling from his profile alone. 

“So…” Atsushi spoke up as Dazai idly daydreamed. “Was this someone you used to be in love with, or…?” 

“If this were a woman I loved, I would’ve died with her.” 

“Yeah, I bet…,” Atsushi muttered to himself. Dazai then suddenly stood up and faced him. 

“Did you say something?” he asked. 

“Oh, uh… No, it’s nothing.” Atsushi averted his gaze. 

“…He was a friend of mine,” Dazai added quietly. He then began slowly walking in Atsushi’s direction while seeming somewhat sentimental. He stared into the distance. 

“He’s the reason I quit the Port Mafia and joined the agency. I’d probably still be killing people for the mafia if it wasn’t for him.” 

“Huh…?!” 

Atsushi was baffled. He had no idea whether that was true. What did Dazai mean by that? Curious, Atsushi turned around to face Dazai, but all he could see was his back. Nevertheless, before Atsushi could even get another word out… 

“I’m kidding,” Dazai assured almost jokingly. The melancholy Atsushi felt from Dazai had disappeared, and Dazai continued to speak in his usual lighthearted manner. 

“I’m guessing Kunikida asked you to find me, right?” 

Atsushi suddenly remembered what he was here for. “Yes, we have an important meeting.” 

He originally came here because Kunikida ordered him to drag Dazai back to the agency. 

“I’ll pass.” 

“What?” 

Dazai continued to briskly walk ahead with his back still turned to Atsushi. Atsushi shot him an accusatory gaze, but his mentor showed no signs of turning around. 

“I just thought of a new way to kill myself, so I want to test it out.” 

“Again…?” Atsushi muttered in exasperation before sighing as Dazai casually waved good-bye. There was nothing you could do to stop the man once he said he was going to try killing himself. All you could do was sigh. Atsushi simply watched as the sand-colored trench coat gently fluttered in the ocean breeze. 

1—2 

A few hours later, Atsushi returned to the Armed Detective Agency—a redbrick building near the port. He was heading to the conference room. After slowly opening the heavy door, he walked inside. The room was neither spacious nor cramped but had just the right amount of space for meetings. A large screen hung from a wall while a whiteboard stood by another. In the center of the room was a long table with close to a dozen people huddled around it—all members of an armed organization that oversaw the twilight that existed between the worlds of day and night. 

The Armed Detective Agency was a group of skill users who handled cases in the port city of Yokohama that the authorities alone couldn’t solve, and every policy and decision ever made was done here in this conference room. A silver-haired man took a seat near the entrance, where he had a clear view of everyone sitting at the table. His aura was very relaxed, just like his elegantly colored kimono. And yet, he was dignified with a sharp gaze, making it clear he was no ordinary man. A talented martial artist once known as Ginrou, the Silver Wolf, he was now president of the Armed Detective Agency. His name was Yukichi Fukuzawa. 

An office clerk at the agency, Haruno stood diagonally behind Fukuzawa. She seemed to be something of a secretary. Standing in front of the screen with a red ribbon tied at his neck and his hair pulled back in a long ponytail was Doppo Kunikida. It looked like he was going to be conducting the meeting. Dressed in a collared shirt and vest that perfectly fit his tall frame, he adjusted his glasses with an extremely serious stare. 

The individual already seated with a bunch of snacks scattered over the table was Ranpo Edogawa. He wore a cape with a loosely fitted tie and a flat cap, the kind of ensemble you would find in a Western detective novel. Ranpo was generally childlike and guileless, with innocent almond-shaped eyes that were nearly impossible to read. Nevertheless, he was the heart of the agency, and while he was just an ordinary human, he had an extraordinary brain that allowed him to uncover truths in the blink of an eye. 

Sitting across from him was Akiko Yosano, her neatly trimmed hair grazing her shoulders complemented by a butterfly hairpin. She wore a well-fitted white collared shirt with a black tie, black skirt, and black gloves as if she were in mourning. She sat so quietly that no one would ever doubt her wit and beauty…as long as she kept her mouth shut… 

Compared to the majestic Yosano, the young man sitting next to her, Junichirou Tanizaki—essentially a salesclerk for the agency—had a face that just screamed helpless. He had light hair and a pale complexion and wore a slightly oversize, long-sleeved knit shirt that exposed his delicate-looking collarbone. A troubled expression crossed his face as his beautiful sister, Naomi Tanizaki, who was sitting by his side, nestled coquettishly next to him. 

This was nothing new, but Naomi and Tanizaki were so uncomfortably close that Atsushi had to avert his gaze. However, the boy who sat across from Tanizaki—Kenji Miyazawa—didn’t seem fazed in the least as he cheerfully chatted with Ranpo at his side. He was dressed in well-worn overalls and a straw hat. His friendly smile was accented by the freckles on his cheeks. 

Sitting one seat away from Kenji, as if to distance herself from his cheerfulness, was a kimono-clad girl named Kyouka Izumi who had just recently joined the Armed Detective Agency. Her long black hair was bunched into two low pigtails with flower hair ties, and she had long, curved eyelashes. Her expression was still. While she seemed somewhat cold, Atsushi already knew that she really wasn’t. He was sure the empty seat next to her was for him. In fact, her encouraging gaze prompted Atsushi to take the seat between her and Kenji. Even Kyouka, who was once used by the Port Mafia as an assassin for her skill Demon Snow, seemed to have adapted to the agency. 

Fukuzawa, Haruno, Kunikida, Ranpo, Yosano, Tanizaki, Naomi, Kenji, Kyouka, and…Atsushi—all the agency members were present for the meeting, save for Dazai. Seeing so many gathered here, Atsushi could feel that the topic was going to be serious. He grew nervous. Just what had happened? 

After everyone was seated, Kunikida turned off the lights. Then a video of a city was projected onto the screen. There was an old-fashioned-looking street with eye-catching brick buildings lined up one after another. It was unrefined yet somehow nostalgic. Displayed on the corner of the screen was the time and location: midnight, Dihua Street, Taiwan. After a few moments went by, the footage showed what appeared to be a faint mist beginning to rise. It was fog. It slowly rose, clearly getting denser as it engulfed the street. Once the street was completely hidden beneath the fog, the video was fast-forwarded. 

“This is security footage from three years ago in Taipei, Taiwan,” Kunikida solemnly explained. “As you can see, a dense fog appeared within a mere few minutes before vanishing. However, this was not due to unusual weather.” 

The fog cleared, and the footage was stopped before switching to another event. Click. A photo popped up on the screen. It appeared to be the same location as before, but it was a close-up of an alleyway between two brick buildings. A large crowd had gathered around something in the middle of the street. An even more zoomed-in photograph was displayed next, revealing what that “something” was. Lying facedown on the ground— 

“A suspicious body was discovered after the fog cleared… The burnt corpse you see here.” 

—were the charred remains of a human. 

Whatever did this to the victim was so hot that even the ground was scorched. Obviously, no hair or clothes remained on the corpse, but there were no bones left, either. There was no way to make out the victim’s face or features—and understandably so. It was so grotesque that Atsushi began to feel sick. “How awful,” he couldn’t help but murmur. Burning a body until it carbonized wasn’t something someone in their right mind would do—that is, if this were done by human hand. 

Atsushi knit his brow as the others fell silent after witnessing such a horrific sight. Ranpo, however, made an observation as he chomped away at his snacks: 

“They’re a skill user.” 

“Precisely. Impressive as always, Ranpo.” Doppo Kunikida complimented his colleague with a firm nod. “Specifically, a fire-wielding skill user well-known in the area.” 

Kunikida then pressed a button on the remote and displayed the next photograph. 

“This is a picture of Singapore, one year ago.” 

The screen showed a Merlion statue with its lion head and fish body. However, the focus wasn’t on the area of the white statue commonly seen in magazines—the front side that faced the bay—but its back. A man was crucified to it with his arms and legs listlessly hanging. His skin had turned pale, but most surprising of all were the countless red and black playing cards piercing his body. He was very clearly dead. 

“Sure enough, that same thick fog appeared, and immediately after it dissipated, another suspicious body was found. He was a highly skilled assassin with the ability to manipulate playing cards,” Kunikida explained with a detached tone before clicking the remote again. The picture of the mutilated body disappeared, replaced with a photograph of a woman impaled by icicles. 

“This happened half a year ago in Detroit. You get the gist: This body was found after the fog as well.” 

The photo showed a busy street surrounded by high-rise buildings, yet for some reason, there were numerous icicles jutting out of the ground. The colossal, crystal-clear spears had pierced the woman high in the air, killing her. Kunikida continued: “As you have probably guessed, she was an ice-wielding skill user.” 

“In other words…,” began Fukuzawa, “…following this mysterious fog, skill users around the world have died after using their own skills on themselves.” 

Kenji immediately turned to Kunikida. “Does that mean this fog is somehow responsible for what happened to them?” 

He’d phrased it in the form of a question, but it was more of a confirmation. It would be hard to believe that the bizarre deaths of the skill users and the fog covering the city were unrelated. 

“There have been one hundred and twenty-eight confirmed cases considered to be of the same nature. Over five hundred skill users have died as a result,” Kunikida replied. He pushed up his glasses with his index finger. “The Special Division for Unusual Powers refers to this chain of events as the Serial Skill User Suicide Phenomenon. And speaking of suicide…” 

Kunikida suddenly looked up, and a cold chill shot down Atsushi’s spine. 

Oh, crap, Atsushi thought. 

“…what happened to that idiot Dazai?” Kunikida asked. 

I knew he was gonna ask! Who else besides Dazai would come to mind with the word suicide? 

Atsushi’s shoulders slumped dramatically. Kyouka shot him a quizzical look, but this was no time to be worried about that. Atsushi didn’t want to answer Kunikida’s question…but he didn’t have any other choice. His expression tense, Atsushi replied, “…He apparently thought of a new way to kill himself.” 

“That oxygen-stealing bastard…!” Kunikida screamed to no one’s surprise. 

I knew this would happen, thought Atsushi. It was understandable, though. There were only so many times Dazai could do this to Kunikida before he lost his temper. It had become such a regular occurrence that Atsushi was actually starting to sympathize with Kunikida, even. Both Kunikida’s face and voice were burning with rage. But while Kunikida was furiously giving him an earful of what he should have done, Atsushi suddenly heard Ranpo mutter, “I see…” 

Ranpo then began packing his cherished snacks into the office safe as if he had just thought of something. Kenji curiously tilted his head to the side. “What are you doing?” he said. 

“It’s a secret.” Ranpo smirked as he continued to stuff his snacks into the safe while Kenji sat there, confused. After shooting the two of them a quick glance, Tanizaki knit his brow and asked, “So does every skill user commit suicide when they touch this fog?” 

He was clearly concerned, but a moment later, Naomi threw her arms around him. 

“I would never let that happen to you! I can’t have you kill yourself and leave me behind!” 

With an enraptured gaze, Naomi tightened her grip around him…then tightened some more. 

“N-Naomi…?” 

Tanizaki panicked, but Naomi paid him no mind. Her cheeks turned red for some reason as she nearly strangled him in her arms. 

“You’re suffocating me! You’re suffocating meeeeee!” Tanizaki yelled while Yosano calmly spoke up. 

“So what does all of this have to do with us?” she asked as she looked at the documents in her hands. “I know you’re not just asking us to be careful because we’re skill users, too.” 

Kunikida nodded solemnly after he’d finished giving Atsushi an earful. 

“We’ve received an inquiry from the Special Division for Unusual Powers to investigate the incidents,” he firmly replied. “They learned that the man assumed to be involved in these suicides has made his way to Yokohama, so they have asked us to search for and capture him.” 

Atsushi sat straight up in surprise. It wasn’t difficult to imagine how dangerous this was going to be. Click. Click. Kunikida clicked the remote. 

“…This is our target.” 

On the screen was a picture of a frail young man with long, wavy white hair and a pale complexion reminiscent of snow, with crimson eyes that glowed dimly. The only things known about him were his nationality, name, and age. Every other entry had Unknown written next to it. 

“Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, twenty-nine years old. All we know about him is that he is some sort of skill user and goes by the alias the Collector.” 

“The Collector…,” Kenji repeated. Atsushi’s shoulders trembled slightly. 

The Collector. Tatsuhiko Shibusawa. 

Atsushi gazed at the man’s picture as if his name was drawing him in. It felt like Shibusawa was quietly staring right back at him. Even though he knew that wasn’t possible, Atsushi thought he would start seeing things if he kept looking into the eyes of the man in the picture. 

“…” 

All of a sudden, he was overcome by an odd sensation—as if there was something like a door in the depths of his heart. 

I mustn’t open it. 

The thought mysteriously came to him, and he began to zone out wondering what “it” was. 

“What’s wrong?” Kyouka asked, snapping Atsushi out of his trance. Even after taking a second look at Tatsuhiko Shibusawa’s photograph, he didn’t get that odd feeling he got a moment ago. Perhaps it was just his imagination. 

“…It’s nothing.” 

Atsushi smirked to himself and shook his head. The lights were suddenly turned on with a click, instantly brightening the conference room. Now that everyone was able to see one another, Fukuzawa made an announcement: “The Armed Detective Agency will be taking this job.” 

Everyone’s expression grew tense. Atsushi straightened his spine before looking over at Fukuzawa. 

“The victims in every one of these cases have been skill users,” Fukuzawa stated. “This is also to protect the lives of you all here at the agency. More than anything, I get the sense that ignoring this case will only invite even greater public harm.” 

Atsushi pursed his lips at the ominous prediction. That was something that had to be avoided at all costs. He waited for Fukuzawa’s next words with bated breath. Then, with a piercing gaze, Fukuzawa declared: “The search for this man starts now. Do everything and anything you can to find him.” 

1—3 

Two men softened their footsteps under the moonlight. They were at the warehouse district near the Yokohama port with its many rusted storehouses. The light from the Bay Bridge, which was just visible from between the storehouses, made the area feel even darker. There were no streetlights or signs of any other people. A deep silence blanketed the district, making it the perfect place for a secret rendezvous. A tall, bespectacled man was walking alongside a younger, frail-looking man—Kunikida and Tanizaki. 

“…What do you think, Kunikida?” Tanizaki asked hesitantly. 

“About what?” 

“Do you think serial suicides are even a real thing?” 

Tanizaki’s eyes briefly darted in Kunikida’s direction. Kunikida’s expression remained unchanged for a few moments before he eventually answered the question. 

“It’s hard to say,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Even if this man had some kind of mind-control skill, then international intelligence agencies would surely have information on someone that powerful…” 

And yet, their client, the Special Division for Unusual Powers, had absolutely no information on him. Tanizaki lowered his gaze despondently after finally grasping the reality of the situation. 

“Well, I really hope the Division agent we’re about to meet has some new intel on the guy…,” he said with a sigh as he continued to walk by Kunikida’s side. The area was so quiet they could hear each other breathing. The moon was extraordinarily large that night—a full moon, perhaps?—and shone down on them. 

They were close to the rendezvous point, and it wasn’t long before they stopped in their tracks in front of an alleyway between two storehouses. Kunikida rolled up his sleeves to check his watch. It was 7:59:45 PM—fifteen seconds before the meeting time. Kunikida made absolutely sure to set his watch to the time signal broadcast every morning, so there was no doubting it. He nodded confidently. They were perfectly on schedule. However… 

“…? He’s not here yet,” muttered Kunikida. “This should be the place…” 

“Kunikida!” Tanizaki shrieked after surveying their surroundings. Kunikida immediately looked up before following Tanizaki’s nervous gaze. He didn’t have so much as a moment to reply before he saw someone collapsed in the alleyway. It was a man in an unblemished business suit and slightly scuffed shoes. His limbs were completely limp. A pool of blood slowly crept out from underneath his body, its vivid crimson hue clear as day as the pale moonlight reflected off it. 

“…!” 

Kunikida and Tanizaki reacted the moment they noticed the motionless, silent body. Kunikida promptly drew his gun tucked behind his belt before lowering his posture and rushing toward the body. Tanizaki simultaneously drew his own gun that he was concealing and got into his stance. They held their weapons at the ready while standing back-to-back by the body while surveying the area. 

It didn’t even take more than a few seconds for them to prepare for battle after discovering the collapsed man. They listened closely, looking for any signs of the enemy. Kunikida then placed two fingers on the man’s neck—his carotid artery. The man was warm, but there was no pulse. Not much time had gone by; he must have been killed minutes before they arrived. Nevertheless, there were no signs of anyone else around. 

…Had the attacker already escaped? 

“Kunikida?” Tanizaki called out, wondering what happened. Kunikida then tucked away his pistol and said, “It’s the Division agent… He’s dead.” 

Tanizaki jumped, then turned his head and looked back as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard. Kunikida crouched down by the body where he had suddenly noticed something on the ground. He took a handkerchief out of his breast pocket and used it to pick that something up so he wouldn’t get his fingerprints on it. Tanizaki, who was still holding his gun at the ready, couldn’t see what it was, though. 

“What’s wrong?” Tanizaki anxiously asked. However, Kunikida didn’t respond. He simply stood up with that something in his hands. It was unnatural. Extremely unnatural. Clearly, this object hadn’t just fallen there by chance. If anything, it felt like it was some sort of message to Kunikida. He furrowed his brow slightly and whispered, “Did the criminal leave this behind?” 

Wondering what Kunikida was talking about, Tanizaki lowered his gun and turned around. That was when he finally saw what Kunikida was holding. 

It was an apple as red as the blood it was found next to. The moonlight gleamed off its smooth surface. This wasn’t a prop or a bomb of any sort. It was, without a doubt, a simple fruit…save for the fact that there was a knife sticking out of it as if to condemn the taste of sin. 

A blade had been driven into the symbol of original sin. A dreary, ominous aura oozed from the ripe fruit like venom. 

“What’s that?” asked Tanizaki, but Kunikida shook his head. This wasn’t enough information to go by. All that was clear was that this was left by the murderer. The criminal might have used the knife to kill the agent as well. 

“Why an apple?” Tanizaki quietly muttered. 

“Hell if I know,” Kunikida spat in frustration. Juice from the apple dripped down the knife and onto the ground, leaving a tiny puddle. 

The starting bell was already ringing.