Bungo Stray Dogs - Volume 6 - Chapter 2

#2 

A privately managed café called Uzumaki was located on the first floor of the multipurpose building where the detective agency had an office. The interior was old-fashioned; the walls, tables, and chairs were discolored with age. The fragrance of coffee filled the air as classic jazz played in the background. 

Akutagawa sat at the counter with a cup of roasted green tea in one hand while glaring at some documents. However, no matter how long he stared, the documents did not back down. It was a stack of procedural reports. He had finally gotten to the point where he couldn’t ignore them any longer. They had become a powerful foe that stood in his way and had the upper hand. Sweat dripped down Akutagawa’s cheeks as the paperwork beat him helpless into a corner. 

There were no other customers in the café, and the owner was busy wiping coffee mugs in front of the cupboard. It was raining outside. 

A café. Rain. Jazz. The smell of coffee. 

Akutagawa had those four things necessary to slow the flow of time, but he whipped out his cell phone as if he couldn’t bear the silence. 

“It’s me. Would it be possible to exempt me from filling out paperwork this year?” 

“Of course not, you idiot,” barked Kunikida on the other side of the line. 

Akutagawa replied with a scowl, “Imagine this was a field that would yield twice much if I was to allow it to lie fallow. Wouldn’t taking down twice as many fiendish criminals be better?” 

“You’ve been using a lot of farming metaphors lately.” 

All of a sudden, the door to the café chimed. 

It was a fateful sound—one that would change everything. 

In walked a boy wearing a black overcoat drenched from the rain. Droplets of water dully shined on his nearly pure-white hair. He wore a gentle expression that seemed almost apologetic to this world, yet his overall appearance could only be described as nothingness itself. He didn’t have a presence. A tiny spider on a rooftop stood out more than he did. 

The boy took his coat off at the entrance, then briefly brushed off some of the water droplets before noiselessly strolling over to the counter and taking a seat next to Akutagawa. The boy walked even more silently than a cat. Akutagawa didn’t turn his head, but he followed him with his eyes the entire time. 

“…He’s strong,” muttered Akutagawa quietly. 

“What?” replied Kunikida. Akutagawa, however, simply hung up without explaining. 

“I’ll have a coffee,” the newcomer said to the owner before falling silent once more. Still as a statue, he didn’t budge even an inch after that. Some time went by until all of a sudden he faced Akutagawa and asked, “Excuse me. I overheard your phone call a moment ago, and I was wondering if you were a detective?” 

Akutagawa studied him from head to toe with a piercing gaze before responding, “Yes, I am.” 

“I see.” The boy smiled. “To tell the truth, my boss sent me here to deliver a letter to the president of the Armed Detective Agency, but I got lost. Then all of a sudden, it started raining, so I thought I’d come in here and wait it out.” 

Without even blinking, Akutagawa replied, “The agency is on the fourth floor.” 

“Oh, it is?” The boy’s face lit up. “Thank goodness.” 

The owner placed a coffee on the table before the boy. After getting a brief whiff of its aroma, he picked up a sugar cube off the saucer and dropped it into the mug. 

One. Two. Three cubes. 

Akutagawa silently counted the sugar cubes. Noticing this, the boy faintly smirked as if he had to excuse his behavior. 

“Oh, this? Um, you see…my colleagues always tell me three is too many, but I just can’t help myself. Where I grew up, sugar was worth its weight in gold. Old habits die hard, right?” 

Akutagawa quietly stared at the boy until eventually saying, “An orphanage?” 

The boy was taken aback. “How did you know?” 

“There is something unique about you. The way you’re excessively focused on others’ behavior… The way you keep your distance as if you expect others to alienate you… I grew up in a similar environment as well, and I’ve seen a lot of kids who have run away from orphanages.” 

“Is that so?” The boy smiled wistfully. It was the smile of someone who dwelled on the past. “I didn’t have the courage to run away. For the longest time—even now—these sorts of quirks were just second nature to me, even though I know I can have as much sugar as I want… I’ll probably be like this for the rest of my life.” 

Akutagawa watched the boy for some time after that until eventually picking up his mug and casually saying, “I put four cubes in this green tea.” 

The boy’s eyes opened wide. “Sugar cubes? In tea? …And four at that?” 

“Yes.” Akutagawa sipped his tea with an apathetic expression. “I’m the same as you. It’s a habit from when sugar used to be a rare luxury for me.” 

The boy stared at Akutagawa in mute amazement for a few moments until he eventually burst out laughing as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer. 

“Pffft! Ha-ha-ha.” His laughter instantly made him appear even younger. “So you’re also used to fighting over stuff, right? Like pencils and notebooks?” 

“Of course. Normal people wouldn’t be able to understand… We used to get more competitive over pencils and notebooks than sugar or even meat. After all, you were the freest person in the entire world whenever you wrote something down on a sheet of paper. It was war. Children who didn’t know how to write wanted pencils and paper for reasons unknown to even themselves… How about chocolate bars? Did you fight over those, too?” 

“Naturally. They’re basically currency, right? For something so commonplace, there was such high demand for chocolate bars that their value never changed, which was why everyone used them as currency. Potatoes went for five chocolate bars. A day of teaching someone how to read and write netted you three chocolate bars.” 

“I once managed to save up three hundred as a bodyguard and backup in street fights.” 

“Three hundred?!” The boy was visibly shocked. “You must have been the richest kid in the neighborhood!” 

“I ate chocolate for days on end after that until I collapsed from malnutrition.” 

“Ha-ha-ha-ha!” laughed the young man mirthfully. 

They continued to shoot the breeze for the next few minutes or so. Both boys shared small yet profound experiences that their colleagues would never be able to understand or even empathize with. The two of them could just be kids, something they seldom did around others. 

“This is the first time I’ve ever been able to talk to someone like this,” the white-haired boy said with a chuckle. “I probably should just have you deliver the letter for me. By the way, I didn’t catch your name.” 

“Akutagawa.” 

“I’m Atsushi. Atsushi Nakajima. Could you please deliver this letter to the agency’s president for me?” 

The youth named Atsushi pulled a black envelope out of his pocket. There was no address or name written on it, but it was made from the finest paper available and didn’t even make a sound when shook. 

“What’s the sender’s name?” Akutagawa asked. 

“I was told the president would know who sent it when he read it.” 

While observing the envelope, Akutagawa commented, “It doesn’t seem to be anything dangerous, but one can never be too careful in my line of work. I hear there are chemical explosives in the shape of paper going around lately.” 

“You’re free to open the envelope and see for yourself. It isn’t sealed.” 

Akutagawa faintly nodded, then flipped the envelope over and took out the two sheets of paper inside. However, his mood instantly changed the moment he looked at one of them. 

“…What the hell is this?” Akutagawa spoke in a deep voice, quiet and cold as ice. “Is this some kind of joke?” 

It was a picture of a woman. She wore a black suit as she stood impassively before the camera. Her eyes harbored no emotion toward the photographer. 

“Is something the matter?” asked Atsushi. 

“This picture… Do you know this person?” 

“Oh, that’s Gin,” noted Atsushi as he took a peek at the picture. “Why would the boss send the agency’s president a picture of her, though…?” 

“Heh… Heh-heh-heh…” Akutagawa let out a deep-throated laugh. “An amusing taunt, I must admit. I would have been the biggest clown of the century had I given the president this envelope without looking inside.” Akutagawa shook Gin’s picture as he spoke. 

“Do… Do you know her?” Atsushi asked. 

After quietly staring at Atsushi’s stiff expression for a few moments, Akutagawa demanded, “Where is Gin?” Hatred spewed out of every pore of his body. “Answer me, or die.” 

Seemingly unfazed, Atsushi simply observed Akutagawa and confessed, “I know where she is.” His voice was calm in every sense of the word. “But I can’t tell you.” 

Akutagawa’s rage swelled. 

“Tell me where she is. Now. I’ve been looking for her the past four and a half years, and I don’t plan on giving up now.” 

“Oh, really? Four and a half years, huh?” The emotion in Atsushi’s voice suddenly receded until it had completely faded. “Then…” 

There was the sound of something cutting through air. 

Akutagawa bent backward, but a vermilion line appeared on his throat and a trickle of blood immediately ran down his neck before landing on the floor. 

“…?!” 

Something had sliced Akutagawa’s neck the instant Atsushi moved. However, he had no idea how he was attacked, nor did he see what sliced through his skin. If he had reacted even a split second later, his carotid artery would have been sliced open before painting the ceiling with his blood. 

“That…attack…,” Akutagawa uttered while holding the cut on his neck. Atsushi was standing in his original position with lowered hips and his shoulders at an angle. He wasn’t holding any sort of blade or weapon…but a touch of blood was dripping from his fingernails. Akutagawa immediately understood what happened. It was Atsushi’s nails. He had approached Akutagawa so quickly that he looked like a blur before slashing his throat and returning to his original position. 

“We have a rule in our organization,” began Atsushi as emotionlessly as before he assaulted Akutagawa. “We must immediately dispose of anyone who asks of Gin’s whereabouts no matter who they are, since she’s the boss’s personal secretary and spends every waking moment with him. Doing so would put the boss’s life in danger.” 

“I see.” 

Akutagawa’s overcoat began flapping in the air. It furiously wriggled as if it had a mind of its own while gradually spreading out around him. 

“Your boss is a coward, but that is irrelevant. Tell me where Gin is. She’s—she’s my sister.” 

“Liar,” Atsushi promptly replied. “She doesn’t have any family.” 

“I’m in no mood to have a heart-to-heart to convince you.” 

Akutagawa’s overcoat transformed into a spear, then immediately shot through the air. A battle to the death had begun in the cramped café. The blade of fabric was as quick as a bullet, but Atsushi simply tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, dodging the blow. Akutagawa launched another attack, but Atsushi twisted his torso and dodged again. Each blade pierced the wall behind Atsushi, littering it with holes. 

Akutagawa retracted his extended blade and tried using it to attack Atsushi from behind, but Atsushi dropped to the ground on all fours, avoiding the blade without even looking back. He then slammed his hands and feet into the ground and leaped into the air as if his entire body were a spring. After hitting the ceiling on all fours, Atsushi immediately kicked off it and launched himself toward Akutagawa. He suddenly threw his claws at an angle, but Akutagawa predicted his attack and used his leftover fabric as a slanted shield. Atsushi’s claws created sparks as they scraped down the shield at the speed of lightning while tearing through the fabric before his fist smashed into the floor, leaving a crater as fissures ran about. A violent roar shook the café. 

“I’m surprised you were able to block that,” admitted Atsushi as he quickly leaped back. “I can’t believe such a powerful skill user has gone undetected by our network for this long.” 

Atsushi then swiftly hopped off the wall before swinging around Akutagawa and opening the café’s front door. 

“The Armed Detective Agency has far exceeded my expectations… It’d be foolish of me to keep fighting right under my enemy’s nose like this. I need to report to the boss…and figure out why Gin’s photograph was inside that envelope as well.” 

“Wait…!” demanded Akutagawa, but his body didn’t budge. Atsushi then slipped out the door and vanished without making a sound. Akutagawa stepped forward and tried to go after him, but that was as far as he got. He was bleeding copiously from his abdomen. The claws that cut through his fabric’s defense bored a hole in his side. Unable to even walk, Akutagawa fell forward onto the cracked floor. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the picture of Gin lying on the floor right in front of him. 

“…Gin…,” Akutagawa mumbled desperately before passing out. 

Someone once said, “It’s human nature to lash out with violence. But if hurting others is your natural instinct…then you are nothing more than a mindless beast.” 

The black night. Wavering darkness. The flames of hell roared, reducing the sinner to ashes. 

“You just wanted revenge? Even if it killed you? Did you not even think of what would happen to your little sister if you left her all alone in a place like this?” 

Something was burning my throat. It was a scream, it was a lament—a fire that no shouting or howling could extinguish. 

It was regret. 

All I felt was hate. Pure hatred. Hatred for not the enemy but the world itself. But it was hatred that motivated me to kill my enemies, and it was hatred that took my sister away. How did it come to this? Who stole my sister from me? 

“Come find me once you figure out what makes you so weak. We’ll have a rematch. I’ll be holding on to your sister until then.” 

It didn’t make sense. I couldn’t comprehend it. 

Where should I direct this burning resentment, this feeling beyond despair? Who should I curse if I do not even believe in a god? 

“Do not pursue the beast within you,” another voice told me. 

I didn’t understand. It didn’t make any sense, so all I could do was act. 

If I could get my sister back and atone for the mistake born from my anger, then perhaps I would be given a chance…to redeem myself. 

…A chance to atone for my mistake of feeling emotion. 

When Akutagawa woke up, he was in the detective agency’s infirmary. He reflexively grabbed at his side…but nothing was there. His wound had completely healed without even leaving a scar. Akutagawa then began to look around the room until he locked eyes with Yosano, a hatchet in her hand. 

“Oh, you’re awake,” she grumbled while placing down her hatchet and curling her fingers. “I had a lot of fun while you were unconscious.” 

She then pulled out a piece of paper as if out of thin air. On the OK Card was a stamp in every square. Yosano, Oda, Kunikida, Tanizaki, Kenji, the president—everyone’s stamp was on that card. Yosano handed Akutagawa the card and headed for the door. 

“Come,” she instructed, the hem of her skirt fluttering as she walked. “There’s something I want to show you.” 

Kunikida, Tanizaki, and Kenji were already sitting in the conference room. As Yosano took a seat in one of the empty chairs, Kunikida said, “Watch this footage.” 

A video started playing on the wall-mounted television. It showed a deck on a small ship somewhere out at sea. Two men were sitting while facing each other with a small table between them. One was a bald middle-aged man in a kimono while the other was a tall man in a black overcoat. Standing in the center between them was a nervous-looking individual wearing round glasses and a suit. 

“This is footage from a clandestine meeting between two leaders from different organizations following a certain event four years ago,” commented Kunikida as he watched the video. “The older man is Chief Taneda of the Special Division for Unusual Powers, and the other is the underground organization Port Mafia’s boss, Osamu Dazai.” 

“So that’s the Port Mafia’s…,” Akutagawa muttered absentmindedly to himself. 

The Port Mafia was considered the most wicked and powerful criminal organization in all Yokohama, but not a soul knew their boss’s whereabouts, let alone his name or what he even looked like. 

“The Special Division recorded this in secret with a super-telephoto lens just in case anything should happen. You would have to be a highly skilled agent in the Special Division to film the Mafia’s secret meetings, but Ranpo discovered that the government had this footage stored away in one of their facilities with other top secret information.” 

Akutagawa surveyed the room and asked, “Where is Ranpo?” 

“He currently has other business he needs to attend to, but he told me to show you the footage.” 

“Akutagawa, it was actually Oda who obtained this video,” said Tanizaki, who was seated. “Even with Ranpo’s Super Deduction and Oda’s extraordinary skill Flawless, which allows him to see into the near future, it took them three whole days to sneak into the secret facility and steal the footage. That just shows you how extremely dangerous the mission was and how hard it was to get this information.” 

That was when it hit Akutagawa. He had just recently been asked to watch over the orphans for three days while Oda was out of town on business. 

“Now, look here.” Kunikida pointed close to the center of the screen. “Do you know what that is?” 

After squinting at the screen for a few moments, Akutagawa quizzically replied, “It looks like an ordinary wineglass to me.” 

“This is the glass of destiny. For you, that is.” 

“What?” 

Kunikida turned back around and clasped his hands. “Are you familiar with directional laser microphones? It’s a surveillance device that uses lasers to detect and analyze sound vibrations in a distant object. In other words, it picks up on all surrounding sounds and echoes. This agent was able to use a laser on that glass and record what was being said during the secret meeting.” 

Kunikida then synced the audio player in his hand to the video. 

“The bureaucrats back at the Home Affairs Ministry are waiting for my report, but I feel like that’s not going to be enough. I’m sure they’d be thrilled if I brought them your head on a silver platter as a gift, though.” 

The recording played in sync with the middle-aged man’s lip movements. It was Chief Taneda’s voice. And there was one other person—a tall young man in a black overcoat. He smirked faintly as he replied to Taneda: 

“Oh, I hardly doubt I’m important enough for them to care. My head would stink up the place. Especially compared to the last leader of the Port Mafia, the great Mori—my predecessor. I’m just a nobody.” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. A little bird told me you gained your position as the new leader after assassinating Mori.” 

“Oh my. That’s a chatty little bird you’ve got there.” 

They both smiled, but their expressions were nothing more than masks to hide their true intentions. As he listened to them speak, Akutagawa suddenly slammed his hand against the table. 

“…That’s him.” Akutagawa’s voice harbored the heat of lava. “There’s no way I could forget. That’s the voice of the man in black that I heard that day. This man is even the same height.” 

After hearing that, Kunikida knitted his brow and let out a deep but short sigh. “That’s what I thought.” 

“Where is he?” Akutagawa approached the screen. “Ranpo said he had a good idea of his whereabouts. Tell me. Where is this man? Where is Dazai?” 

“Hold on.” 

“Answer me!” shouted Akutagawa as he slammed his hand against the wall, causing the entire room to shake. 

Kunikida, however, did not even flinch as he calmly replied, “Listen. We know where he is, but it isn’t possible to even get close to him. He’s on the top floor of the Port Mafia’s headquarters—the innermost room of an impenetrable fortress considered the most difficult place to sneak into in Yokohama. Countless enemy organizations that despise Port Mafia have tried to get inside, but none have succeeded. Army platoons, state-of-the-art tanks or armored helicopters, highly trained combat-oriented skill users—no one has ever succeeded. Do you understand what I’m saying? If you go there, you will die. So right now—” 

“I don’t care,” Akutagawa insisted, cutting Kunikida off. “I fought one of Port Mafia’s skill users at the café on the first floor. He had my sister’s photograph and said she was the boss’s secretary.” 

“Right.” Kunikida nodded solemnly. “The owner gave me a rough idea of what happened.” 

“Then what are you still sitting around for? That person is about to inform his boss of what happened today, and his boss—The man in black knows that I’m looking for my sister. In other words, he’s going to either further tighten his security or simply disappear… In fact, we would be lucky if that was all he did. What if he decides to kill my sister to get me off his tail? There’s no guarantee she will be alive tomorrow. Now is my only chance.” 

Akutagawa then turned on his heel and headed for the door. His visage was that of a fiendish beast. 

“Akutagawa, wait!” Tanizaki stood before him. “Even you wouldn’t be able to make it inside! They’d kill you before you—” 

“Move!” 

Akutagawa shoved Tanizaki out of the way before he could grab Akutagawa’s arm. A blade of fabric grazed Tanizaki’s flesh. 

“Ow!” 

Tanizaki fell backward, then tightly applied pressure to his hand. On the back of his hand was a fine cut left by Akutagawa’s skill. He winced in pain and looked up at Akutagawa. When Akutagawa saw his face, he scowled faintly for a brief moment, then immediately averted his gaze and began heading toward the exit once more. 

“Akutagawa!” 

It was twilight in Yokohama—the fleeting fiery moment where the indigo and black swap places in the sky. In that moment, all hell broke loose in the Port Mafia headquarters. 

Countless armed Mafia soldiers rushed to the lobby at the entrance of the building with guns, grenades, and radios. However, not a single one of them could comprehend exactly what was going on. This was Akutagawa’s plan to sneak inside and make it to the top floor of the impregnable fortress, but nothing about it seemed sneaky at all. Akutagawa simply strode in through the main entrance. 

“Shoot! Kill him!” 

Numerous shouts rang out as a volley of bullets flew through the air…all because of one unarmed man walking casually through the lobby. Nevertheless, not a single bullet even touched Akutagawa. Each one froze right before hitting him and then fell to the floor. 

“Show yourself.” Akutagawa looked ahead sharply with a fire burning in his eyes. “Man in black—leader of Port Mafia—show yourself. Where are you?!” 

No one could comprehend what was happening, not even the moment their own head was sliced off. 

“Eek!” 

“Do not retreat! Shoot him! We can’t let hi—” 

Fresh blood scattered like flower petals in the hallway, on the walls, and on the ceiling. Akutagawa’s rage had taken shape in the form of carnage, followed by a cacophony of shrieking and death. 

“Where is he? Where is your boss?” he demanded furiously. “Bring him to me. Now!” 

The gray fabric had become the claws of a demon, destroying the lobby. Pillars were sliced in half as decorations fell and shattered on the ground. All that was left were spent cases and bullets scattered about the severed guns and mountain of ravaged corpses. 

Akutagawa did not even glance at the bodies he created or the destruction he caused. His eyes only looked forward. He climbed up the stairs and walked down the hallway. Before long, the alarm sounded as bulletproof and fireproof shutters sealed off each passageway, but even then, Akutagawa could not stop. His fabric blade hollowed the shutters, allowing him to calmly pass through. 

His expression never changed, whether it be a gun or shutter that got in his way. He hardly showed any interest, even when he pierced his foe with his blade and splattered their blood onto the ceiling. The only time he paid attention to his enemies was when he sliced their heads off. Their pained cries and moans were nothing more than background noise. There was no longer anything human about him. He was the bringer of death—a demon of the underworld focused on only one thing: the despicable man on the top floor who had robbed him of his sister. 

Akutagawa climbed the stairs until he reached the third floor. 

Judging by its appearance, the Mafia’s headquarters, the tallest building in Yokohama, was around forty stories tall, and Akutagawa was only on the third floor. While that was still under 10 percent of building, just a select few had ever made it this far during the building’s long history. Akutagawa walked down the passageway until he came to a sudden stop, where a peculiar shadowy figure stood before him. 

It was a petite girl wearing a kimono with black hair and calm azure eyes. Her childlike presence was wholly unsuited for this setting. Most peculiar, though, was the shadowy figure behind her. It was floating in the air; its feet weren’t touching the ground. In fact, its feet were nowhere in sight. The figure wore a smooth, white mask that hid its face. Its long hair fluttered back and forth despite the lack of any wind, and in its hand was a sheathed sword without a handguard. It was clearly not human. 

“A skill… Hmph,” muttered Akutagawa. 

“My name is Kyouka,” the girl said softly. “I’m an assassin with the Port Mafia.” 

She then took a flip phone out of her pocket and placed it to her ear. 

“Move.” Akutagawa’s voice was rigid and as sharp as steel. “Don’t think I’ll go easy on you simply because you’re a woman. I shall kill all those who stand in my way to the top floor.” 

“That’s fine.” There was even less emotion in her voice than Akutagawa’s. “If I let you pass, you’ll eventually have to fight him. So I must silence you before you can cause him any harm. You will become silence itself.” 

Kyouka immediately pressed a button on her cell phone and ordered: 

“Demon Snow, kill this man.” 

The personified skill behind her unsheathed its sword—a silver katana as long as Kyouka’s entire body. 

“So this is the first hurdle? Hmph,” replied Akutagawa without blinking an eye. “Very well. Come.” 

The silver blade and the gray fabric blade clashed in a burst of light. 

“Dazai, we have an intruder,” said Atsushi after stepping into the boss’s office. 

“It would appear so,” answered the boss, Dazai, as he gazed out the window in his black overcoat. Atsushi took notice of the window as well. It was electrochromic glass that could tint until it was a black wall with the press of a button. However, it had not even been used once in the past four years. And yet, right now, it was a clear gateway to the vast blue sky and city below. 

“The intruder has already broken through levels one and two,” reported Atsushi after returning his gaze to Dazai. “He is highly skilled. He’s already defeated all our guards.” 

“You know him, don’t you?” asked Dazai as he turned his back to Atsushi and stared out the window. 

“I do,” Atsushi replied with a nod. “I checked the cameras in the security room and saw him. His name is Akutagawa, a skill user I happened to run into at the café.” 

“I see,” Dazai responded coolly. “The time has finally come.” 

There was neither surprise nor bewilderment in Dazai’s voice. Instead, it sounded as if he was making sure everything was going according to plan. 

“Dazai…may I ask you something?” 

“Go ahead.” He still didn’t look at Atsushi. 

“Is the intruder really Gin’s brother?” 

Dazai remained silent for a few moments. 

“Yes,” he replied icily. 

Atsushi furrowed his brow and showed a hint of hesitation. “So does that mean…you lured him here?” 

Dazai didn’t say anything. He simply stared at Atsushi out of the corner of his eye. 

“I handed him the letter you gave me at the café, and he fell into a rage the moment he saw Gin’s picture. He showed up here not long after that.” 

Dazai listened without moving a muscle. 

“Did you mention in that letter that Gin was here?” Atsushi calmly asked. “What I’m trying to say is, did you purposely have that skill user attack our headquarters?” 

Dazai turned around, then walked over until he was standing in front of Atsushi without changing his expression. He spoke in a deep, raspy voice that would tear the soul apart of all who heard it: 

“What if I did?” 

Atsushi stopped breathing. It was if all the air in the room had disappeared. 

“Imagine that the rain caused a flood and wiped out an entire village or that lightning struck a tree and caused a major forest fire. Imagine the slightest earthquake triggered a tsunami and changed the shoreline. That is precisely what you’re witnessing, Atsushi.” 

There was even a hint of kindness in Dazai’s hoarse voice. 

“This is a convulsive natural phenomenon created by the massive underground organization the Port Mafia. It isn’t something that a single soldier could stop, let alone even understand. This is a powerful vortex current. Why try to understand a flood’s true meaning?” 

Atsushi looked at Dazai. He then saw an illusion: a torrent of schemes produced from a single point in Dazai’s brain that was swallowing this room, the buildings outside, the city—everything. 

“So everything was all part of some plan of yours?” 

But Dazai didn’t respond. 

“Does this have to do with the phase two and phase three thing you mentioned a while back?” 

Dazai still didn’t respond, but Atsushi saw something far more meaningful in his distant gaze than some eloquent speech could ever have. He immediately straightened up and vowed, “Very well. As captain of the Port Mafia’s commando unit, I promise to return this building to its usual peace and tedium.” 

Atsushi then turned on his heel and headed for the exit. 

“If you’ll excuse me.” 

Dazai quietly watched as Atsushi strode out the door. He then faced the empty room and whispered to himself: 

“Yes. This is a natural phenomenon.” 

There was a slight ring of prolonged exhaustion in his voice. 

“Nobody can stop it…not even I. The only thing I can do is love—love the fact that this world is one huge lie.” 

The fabric blade and silver katana violently collided, creating a wall of light in the air. The blades stretching from Akutagawa’s overcoat assaulted Kyouka like a shower of bullets. Demon Snow silently swung its sword at the speed of sound, deflecting each attack, but Akutagawa’s overcoat was never going to run out of ammo. Even with Demon Snow’s superhuman speed, there were far too many blades for Kyouka’s skill to ever get a chance to counterattack. 

“What’s wrong, Port Mafia assassin?” Akutagawa calmly taunted as he covered his mouth. “Were you not going to silence me? Your blade will never reach me if you keep on defending like that.” 

Kyouka quietly watched as the torrent of fabric blades filled the hallway. Her eyes harbored a darkness within. 

“You’re right,” she replied, expression unchanging. “But this is all I have. I am a flower born from darkness. Killing is all I know. That’s why I will kill you no matter what it takes.” 

She sprinted forward. 

“What?!” 

Pulling a dagger out of her pocket, she dashed forward headfirst, even passing Demon Snow’s range of defense. Kyouka was met with a barrage of cloth blades, but she deflected each one with her dagger, sending silver streams of light shooting through the air. Nevertheless, Akutagawa’s skill could cut through metal and even space itself. There was no way a physical object such as her dagger could compete. Each hit chipped away at its blade before reducing it to mere ash. 

“What’s wrong? Surely this is not all you’ve got.” 

“I admit you’re strong, but…he is far stronger. I should know, after all. He was the one sent to kill me when I tried to escape the Mafia.” 

“What?” Akutagawa’s eyes narrowed in rage. “Hmph. Then allow me to end this charade so I can move on to the main performance.” 

His overcoat’s blades began twisting together until they formed a large spear and shot forward. And yet, there wasn’t even a ripple of change in Kyouka’s expression. The instant Akutagawa acknowledged the quiet darkness deep within her gaze, he instinctively threw his head back, and Demon Snow’s silver blade immediately thrust right past where his head had just been. 

“…?!” 

Demon Snow had blended into the wall next to Akutagawa and thrust its sword out in a surprise attack, cutting a few hairs off the top of his head and faintly slicing open the bridge of his nose. Kyouka had used herself as a decoy while Demon Snow slipped behind the wall. Demon Snow would not miss its chance to strike the moment Akutagawa lost his balance, so it kept close enough to strike with its katana. Its barrage of sword thrusts was far too dense for any human to slip by and escape. Akutagawa didn’t even have a moment to cut through space itself and defend. He was managing to deflect the blows with Rashomon’s fabric, but Demon Snow was simply too close. 

“Tsk!” 

Akutagawa thought back to Oda’s advice: 

“Your skill is powerful, but your lack of physical strength is always going to hold you back when it comes to a battle of endurance.” 

“Then I’ll just have to make this a battle of skills once more…!” 

Akutagawa pierced the floor with his overcoat while using his leftover fabric to cover himself, then immediately hurled his body in the opposite direction of Demon Snow to create some distance between them. Demon Snow’s whirlwind attacks tore into the walls, floor, and ceiling as Akutagawa spun down the hallway until landing at one of its ends. Without a moment of hesitation, he promptly turned his overcoat back into blades and took a defensive position. Akutagawa had the greatest advantage when he was at an intermediate range from his opponent, since his physical capabilities wouldn’t hinder him in any way. The scales had finally tipped back in his favor. 

…Or so he thought. 

“I won’t let you hurt her.” 

A fist slammed into Akutagawa’s face, launching him through the air like a rag doll. A pair of claws appeared before him. Akutagawa flew down the hall as his body helplessly ricocheted off the walls and floor. 

“Are you okay, Kyouka?” Standing there was Port Mafia’s White Reaper…Atsushi Nakajima. “I came to save you.” 

“Damn…you…,” grunted Akutagawa as he sat up at the other end of the hallway. He panted, trying to catch his breath in between coughs. Atsushi, wearing his black combat overcoat and massive collar used to control his skill, cast an unfeeling glance at Akutagawa. 

“He can still stand after that…? I thought that’d break his spine,” Atsushi remarked with a slight frown. “Oh—he must’ve used his skill to cover his body with his overcoat and cushion the blow the moment I punched him. That’s not some sort of technique or a thing you learn through training. It’s more animalistic, like the instincts of a beast… This guy’s strong.” 

Atsushi quietly stood in the hallway without even the slightest opening. All he did was stand there, yet the air around him was chilling and tense. Kyouka silently walked over to his side. 

“I felt it in my gut,” she explained while touching Atsushi’s hand. “I felt that if I didn’t defeat him, you would be his next opponent, and if that happened…it would be a battle to the death with only one left standing. I’m sorry…” 

“It’s okay, Kyouka.” Atsushi gently held her hand. “I’m not going to die. I’m here for you. I’ll never again leave you to drown in the dark alone.” 

Kyouka’s pale, delicate fingers slightly tightened around Atsushi’s hand as if she were grasping on to her last lifeline amid an endless abyss. 

“I’m not afraid of the dark…,” she began softly. “Not as long as I’m with you.” 

Akutagawa squinted as he observed them. He was having a hard time against one of the Mafia’s skill users, but now it was two versus one, and to make matters worse, he was in their territory. Nevertheless, his voice showed no signs of dismay. 

“Two bloodthirsty killers with hearts of gold, drawn to each other through a criminal organization,” scoffed Akutagawa with a subtle laugh. “How touching. However, I looked into you both on my way here. ‘Port Mafia’s White Reaper…’ ‘The Thirty-Five-Man Killer…’ Such detestable titles. No matter how long you hold the other’s bloodstained hand, you will never be able to share each other’s warmth.” 

“You’re probably right,” replied Atsushi, his eyes never wavering. “But that means you and Gin will never be able to share each other’s warmth, either.” 

Akutagawa’s hair stood on end. 

“Damn you…!” 

His canines audibly gnashed together as the fabric twisted around him like a pit of giant snakes. 

“If Gin’s hands are stained with blood, it’s only because you bastards kidnapped her…!” 

Akutagawa’s overcoat gradually amassed into the head of a wolf. The beast violently roared as Atsushi simply watched in silence. 

“You can’t beat me. I have Kyouka, but you’re all alone. Nobody’s going to help you. You lost because you chose solitude,” Atsushi explained. “…Kyouka.” 

After he called out to Kyouka in a monotone voice, she nodded back softly and brought her cell phone to her ear. 

“Demon Snow, kill the enemy and protect us,” she quietly ordered into the phone. 

However… 

“…?” 

Demon Snow wasn’t getting into stance with its weapon. It wouldn’t even move. It simply floated behind Kyouka and flickered as if it was not of this world. 

“Demon Snow?” 

Kyouka looked at Demon Snow, then down at her phone. The screen was black—its battery had run out. 

“What was that about ‘nobody’s going to help’?” came a voice from out of nowhere. “Because he has plenty of help—and from the most powerful organization of skill users in Yokohama, to boot.” 

All of a sudden, an invisible hand swiped Kyouka’s phone away, and a gentle snow began falling upon the corridor seemingly out of thin air. 

“Akutagawa! Break through the floor and run! We’re getting out of here!” 

A shadowy figure suddenly appeared behind Kyouka, but the moment she realized it, Akutagawa’s wolf roared as it tore through the floor. Countless flashes of light violently clashed in the hallway. 

The Mafia headquarters began to shake, activating the emergency devices and setting off the alarm that the building was in danger of collapsing. The hallway’s foundation began collapsing. Furniture was destroyed, and countless cracks ran down the walls. Taken aback by the destruction and alarm, the remaining Mafia soldiers grabbed their guns with one hand and their radios with the other as they darted through the building. 

In the midst of the chaos, Akutagawa and Tanizaki slowly walked to the end of the hallway, hidden behind Tanizaki’s skill, then slipped inside the janitor’s closet. After making sure there weren’t any security cameras, Tanizaki locked the door and sat down on the floor. He then looked up at Akutagawa and asked, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” Leaning against the wall, Akutagawa covered his mouth and lightly coughed. “Minor injuries… Just like this assassin’s as well.” 

He looked down at his feet where Kyouka lay unconscious, restrained by his skill’s fabric. Her long eyelashes hung over her gently shut eyes. Akutagawa had grabbed her with his skill and took her with him. 

“Why did you bring her?” Tanizaki asked. 

But Akutagawa did not answer. He simply gazed at Kyouka, then faced Tanizaki and asked a question of his own: “Where is her cell phone?” 

“Right here.” Tanizaki slipped it out of his sleeve and showed him. “Ranpo told me about the Port Mafia’s assassin Kyouka Izumi. He said that her skill Demon Snow only obeys her orders when she speaks to it through this phone.” 

“I’ve heard similar rumors as well,” Akutagawa said calmly. “Which means she could be of use to us in more ways than one.” 

“How so?” 

“First, I need you to tell me something.” Akutagawa lightly coughed and looked at him. “Why did you come, Tanizaki? This battle is my private affair. I alone made the decision to come here. There is no reason for the agency to help, much less risk your life to sneak into Port Mafia’s headquarters to save me. What is this, sympathy for a fool who lost his sister?” 

“No. I came because I’m a detective.” Tanizaki smiled awkwardly. “We have a lot in common, but you’re not a detective. And a detective wouldn’t look the other way when someone was risking their life to save their sister from being killed.” 

Akutagawa’s eyes narrowed. “‘Killed’?” 

“This letter.” Tanizaki pulled a letter out of his pocket. “It’s the letter you received at the café. It’s from the Port Mafia’s boss, and it gives the date and time your sister Gin is going to be executed.” 

“What?!” 

Akutagawa snatched the letter right out of his hand and began carefully looking it over. 

“It says the execution is today at sundown. There isn’t even an hour left to spare,” said Tanizaki with a harsh stare. “After the president read the letter, he put all our current work on hold and ordered us to assist you. The others are coming up with a plan as we speak. However…” 

Tanizaki’s expression suddenly turned grim as he continued, “We barely even have an hour left, which limits what we can do. We still don’t even know why the Port Mafia’s boss sent the agency a notice of your sister’s execution.” 

“He’s taunting me.” Akutagawa coldly crushed the letter in his hand. “That bastard is trying to provoke me. ‘Come to the top floor before time is up. You must sacrifice yourself if you wish to save your sister.’” 

“So it’s a trap, huh?” Tanizaki looked deadly serious. “What are you gonna do?” 

“Naturally, I’m going to play his game. I’ll break through his traps, dispose of my enemies, and defeat the man in black on the top floor.” 

“But…” Tanizaki wore a sour expression as he stared at him. “The Mafia’s most powerful skill users are going to stand in your way. They might be as powerful as the ones you just fought or even stronger. I can use my skill to make you seem invisible, but there’s nothing I can do about the shutters on each floor. You could drill a hole through them with your skill, but that would set the alarm off and give away your location. What should we—?” 

A voice suddenly cut Tanizaki off from the other side of the door: “You don’t need to do anything…because your lives end here.” 

The door immediately exploded, sending pieces of the wall pelting into the room. Countless shadowy figures stood on the other side of the broken door. 

“I can’t believe you chose to hide in a closet. You do know you’re being pursued, right?” said a young voice. 

“What?! B-but how did you…?” 

Tanizaki stared at the door, his mouth agape. Standing there were over a dozen armed Mafia soldiers, and an innocent-looking youth with short, white hair was in the center. 

“Detective, you may be able to hide your bodies with that skill, but it appears you can’t hide your smell,” intoned Atsushi Nakajima. “I used my tiger’s sense of smell to find you. Finding wounded prey is what carnivores are good at, after all.” 

Several guns were promptly aimed at Akutagawa and Tanizaki. The situation instantly grew increasingly dire. 

“Heh-heh… Heh-heh-heh…” 

A laugh unbefitting the tense atmosphere echoed. 

“A carnivore? Do you know what a carnivore’s weakness is, Tiger? It’s that they’re not used to being hunted.” Akutagawa’s lips curled into a blood-chilling sneer as black flames burned in his eyes. “Never would they expect the prey to be waiting for them in the hunting ground.” 

“‘Waiting’?” Atsushi knitted his brow. 

“Observe.” 

Akutagawa placed a cell phone to his ear. It was Kyouka’s phone that Tanizaki had swiped from her. 

“Demon Snow, kill your master Kyouka one hour from now.” 

“What?!” 

Atsushi was taken aback and tried to leap forward, but Akutagawa kept him at bay with his fabric blades while he continued giving orders into the phone: 

“You are only to stop if my voice gives you the order, and do not respond to anyone else’s voice over the next hour.” 

Demon Snow appeared, then floated by Akutagawa’s side with its sword drawn like a loyal servant. Atsushi was the first to realize what happened. 

“Damn it…!” 

His eyes opened wide as he glared at Akutagawa, who looked back with an air of nonchalance. 

“Now, Tiger, do you understand the situation you are in? Take me to the top floor.” 

“Tsk…!” 

Akutagawa took a step forward, and the Mafia soldiers turned their guns on him in alarm. 

“Men! Lower your guns!” roared Atsushi, his anger shaking the walls. The soldiers shifted their gaze in bewilderment, so he shouted once more. “I said lower your weapons! Now! Do you not get it? Kyouka’s Demon Snow only follows orders from the voice that speaks into her phone! No matter what!” 

“Exactly,” said Akutagawa. “And the demon is going to kill her one hour from now, so you must do as I say if you wish to save her life. In other words…” 

“You’re…taking her hostage…!” 

“Precisely. So what’s it going to be, Tiger? Will you sacrifice the girl and resort to violence and domination like you mafiosi always do?” 

Atsushi didn’t respond. He lowered his gaze and placed his head in his hands. 

“Don’t…hurt her…” 

His voice was trembling with anger. 

…No, it wasn’t anger. 

“What the…?” muttered Tanizaki. “Something’s not right.” 

Atsushi began to squeeze his head with both hands until his knuckles turned white and his fingernails dug into his skin. 

“No… I have to protect her… I must… ‘Those who fail to protect others do not deserve to live…’ ‘Those who fail to…’” 

Both Tanizaki and Akutagawa, and even the Mafia soldiers, were closely observing Atsushi. His voice wasn’t trembling with rage. Every muscle in his body wasn’t tense because he was ready to fight. 

This was fear. 

“Okay. I’ll do as you say. I’ll take you to the top floor…so don’t hurt Kyouka. You have to let her go,” demanded Atsushi with terror in his eyes. His teeth chattered as cold sweat dripped down his face. 

After staring at him expressionlessly for a few moments, Akutagawa replied, “Very well. You have my word.” 

“Everyone, lower your weapons. This is an order. I’ll kill anyone who disobeys,” Atsushi commanded his men before he began walking into the hall. “This way.” 

The city below the boss’s office glowed in the evening sun. Dazai sat alone at his desk with his arms crossed, his smirk so subtle that it was almost nonexistent. There was a faint darkness in his eyes as he gazed at the space between this world and the next. 

“It’s finally time to start phase four,” Dazai muttered hoarsely as he stood from his desk. “Let’s do this.” 

His light footsteps echoed as he crossed the room before opening a door and vanishing from his office. 

Akutagawa and Atsushi traversed the building together. It was a bizarre spectacle. The Mafia guards drew their guns on them—once. But the guards were unable to do it a second time. Nobody had the courage. After all, a silent death was everywhere the Port Mafia’s White Reaper walked. He didn’t even order them to lower their weapons, nor did he instruct anyone to not harm the intruder. Atsushi was simply present, quietly walking through the premises. However, every seasoned Mafia soldier, each of whom lived in a world of only violence and domination, instinctively understood: Anyone who even thought of attacking Atsushi or the intruder would be killed before they could pull the trigger. 

“The Port Mafia’s White Reaper” wasn’t a name given to Atsushi by his enemies. It was given to him by his Mafia colleagues. 

The shadowy beast from hell who was prisoner to an emotion he couldn’t identify. 

The one who spread white death wherever he went. 

Once his switch was flipped, he would bring death to anyone in his way, be they friend or foe. He was a god of a world beyond any and all comprehension—the White Reaper. 

“I’m gonna use this stairwell to go back down to the first floor,” said Tanizaki, who had remained invisible until Akutagawa and Atsushi reached the emergency staircase. After readjusting Kyouka over his shoulder to carry her more easily, he earnestly advised, “Be careful, Akutagawa.” 

“I will,” Akutagawa said with a nod. “You can release the girl once I give you the signal. Until then, remain hidden so nobody can find you.” 

“Got it.” 

Atsushi stared at Tanizaki with a stonelike expression, but the White Reaper didn’t utter a single word. As he walked down the staircase, Tanizaki looked back once more. 

“Akutagawa,” he called. 

“What is it?” 

“Earlier, I said the difference between us was that I’m a detective and you’re not.” Tanizaki hesitantly glanced up at Akutagawa. “But that’s not quite right. You’re a detective, too, now. And if you find yourself confronted with a difficult decision on the top floor, I want you to remember that.” 

After staring at Tanizaki for a few moments, Akutagawa replied, “Why did you decide to tell me that all of a sudden?” 

“Because a hero saves his sister and returns safely with her. That’s why.” Tanizaki briefly smirked before promptly putting on a serious expression. “That was something I realized soon after joining the agency, and I can’t tell you how much it’s saved me.” 

Akutagawa stared hard at Tanizaki as if he were searching for the truth, which was hidden away somewhere in his expression. 

“Listen, the test doesn’t matter. The moment you believe you’re a detective is the moment you become one. That conviction will give you the power you need. All you have to do is believe.” 

Akutagawa observed Tanizaki as if he were trying to grasp the true meaning of what he was saying, but he eventually nodded in acknowledgment. 

“Then I will take your word for it. Be careful, Tanizaki.” 

“You too, Akutagawa.” 

Tanizaki began walking down the stairs with the young woman on his shoulders until they eventually vanished into thin air like melting snow. 

Akutagawa and Atsushi pressed forward after parting ways with Tanizaki. Once they arrived on the tenth floor, there were no guards in sight. There wasn’t even a sound. The order not to approach the intruder had reached everyone in the Mafia. As if they were walking through an abandoned cemetery, only Akutagawa’s and Atsushi’s footsteps echoed among the silence. 

“How high up are you allowed to go?” asked Akutagawa. 

Atsushi turned around. He looked like he was trying to keep his emotions in check. Then he replied, “The top floor.” 

“It appears I chose the right man to threaten,” taunted Akutagawa with a subtle nod. “Seems you’ve been in this organization longer than I imagined, seeing as you can shut up all those suited guards with a simple stare. How many years have you been in the Mafia?” 

Atsushi didn’t respond. Instead, he quietly glared at Akutagawa. 

“You don’t have to answer that,” said Akutagawa with a chilling stare. “But do not forget that I could make one phone call and have that girl immediately killed if I feel like it.” 

“Don’t…!” pleaded Atsushi with fear in his eyes as he swiftly turned around again. “Okay, okay… Four and a half years ago. I joined the Mafia four and a half years ago.” 

“Four and a half years ago…?” Akutagawa narrowed his eyes. “What made you join?” 

“Someone asked me to after I got kicked out of the orphanage and was roaming the countryside,” admitted Atsushi while he stared off into space. “He said he would give me what I wanted if I joined the Mafia.” 

“This man who asked you to join… Was it the current Port Mafia boss Dazai?” 

“That’s right.” Atsushi nodded. “How did you know?” 

“I figured as much,” said Akutagawa after pondering for a few moments. “That man appeared before me around the same time four and a half years ago… He ended up choosing you over me to be his new subordinate, though.” 

“You? In the Mafia?” Atsushi glanced at Akutagawa. “That’s hard to imagine.” 

“I agree. I would never join the Mafia,” declared Akutagawa. “Criminals working for underground organizations make me sick. My friends were killed by—” 

Akutagawa suddenly shut his mouth, leaving the hint of his last few words to linger in the air. The two walked in silence for the next few minutes, but by the time they reached the thirtieth floor, Atsushi spoke up again. 

“Maybe things would’ve been different…,” murmured Atsushi in a hushed tone, “…if Dazai ended up choosing you over me. But that didn’t happen. Everything he imagines comes to fruition. That’s why you won’t be able to save your sister.” 

“What?” 

Akutagawa’s expression suddenly changed. 

“It’s inevitable. Don’t you get it? Your colleague from the agency said, ‘A hero saves his sister and returns safely with her.’ And maybe he’s right. But you’ll never be a hero—because you will never be a good person. It’s clear as day.” 

Akutagawa immediately grabbed Atsushi by the collar and slammed him against the wall. 

“Take that back,” growled Akutagawa like a wild beast as Atsushi’s choker creaked. 

“Taking back what I said isn’t going to change anything,” Atsushi replied with a curiously calm voice. “In my line of work, you start learning how to distinguish who’s good and who’s evil, whether you want to or not. A man who took a girl hostage to threaten someone and only cares about what benefits him… A man who doesn’t even realize his mission has transformed into nothing more than an appetite for destruction… That’s you. Ever since you’ve arrived, you’ve demanded to see our boss and to be taken to the top floor, but not once have you even asked anyone to bring you your sister—and yet, that’s the one thing you should’ve said the most. Your goal has become satisfying your appetite. That’s just the kind of guy you are, and that’s why you’ll never be able to save your sister.” 

Akutagawa’s overcoat swelled, then pinned Atsushi’s entire body against the wall as Akutagawa punched him square in the face. 

“You’re wrong!” 

He punched Atsushi again and again. Atsushi’s lip split open, and blood splattered against the wall. Akutagawa’s overcoat curled into a giant spear behind him, pointing at Atsushi like a scorpion tail. 

“Die…!” 

“Ryuunosuke, stop.” 

A tranquil, dignified voice echoed throughout the room. Akutagawa’s fist froze in the air while he looked in the direction of the voice as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Standing there was a woman in a dark suit. She had long, black hair tied in a ponytail that dangled past her neck. She was quiet—so quiet that she hardly had much of a presence. She was more like a painting that came to life than a living human being. 

“Gin,” muttered Akutagawa with disbelief. 

“Why did you come, Ryuunosuke?” 

Her footsteps didn’t make a sound as she approached him. 

“The Mafia will hunt us down for the rest of our lives if you save me.” 

“I don’t care,” replied Akutagawa. “I will save you no matter who gets in my way or what the future may bring. I made a vow to myself.” 

“Yeah…,” uttered Gin with a hint of sorrow on her face. “That’s just the kind of person you are.” 

Gin stopped directly in front of Akutagawa. He threw his arms open, and she immediately jumped into them. 

“It’s been so long,” Akutagawa said as he closed his eyes while embracing her. “But I’ve finally gotten you back…after losing you four and a half years ago. It was all my fault.” 

“You haven’t gotten me back,” Gin whispered. “You still haven’t gotten anything back.” 

The next moment, Akutagawa’s face twisted in agony. He shoved Gin, who didn’t even attempt to move, and she leaped back like a small animal, creating some distance between them. 

Akutagawa squeezed his side. Sticking out of it was a dagger with a thin, silver blade that shone like a shooting star. 

“Gin…,” muttered Akutagawa, his countenance stricken with pain. “Why…?” 

Gin stood quietly as she stared at her brother’s face. 

“The boss was right,” she grumbled while shaking her head. Her black ponytail fluttered, peculiarly amplified as it brushed against her shoulders. “You were about to kill Atsushi…even though you needed him to save me.” 

“No, I…” 

Akutagawa’s clothes began drowning in blood that continued oozing out of his wound. 

“You don’t care about me, Ryuunosuke.” Gin lowered her gaze with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “You don’t care about anyone but yourself.” 

“You’re wrong… I wanted…to save—” 

“I’m not wrong. Because you were no different that day, either.” Gin’s penetrating voice cut Akutagawa off. “You became a prisoner of anger and vengeance that day. You disappeared into the forest to kill those men. But why? Why did you leave me behind when I was injured?” 

Her eyes were judging him—accusing him. Gin’s gaze was cold, sharp, and relentless. 

“Because…” 

“If you really wanted vengeance—if you really wanted to avenge your friends—you would’ve come up with a plan before attacking. You would’ve stood by until your wounds healed, researched your enemy, and patiently waited for your chance. But you didn’t do that. You left me behind when I was injured and rushed right into battle without so much as a plan. It was like you were enjoying the flames of revenge.” 

“No… Gin… I…,” Akutagawa sputtered. 

“If I’m wrong, then prove it. Convince me. Prove to me that you had some sort of grand scheme that day. Prove to me that you didn’t just want to destroy the world you despised like some wild beast.” Gin’s eyes faintly narrowed. “Please. Say something.” 

“I…” Akutagawa began to speak. He had the perfect explanation. “I…” 

He thought he had the perfect explanation. 

“I…” 

The perfect explanation was somewhere. He just needed five, no, ten seconds, and he would be able to convince her. But even after thirty seconds went by, Akutagawa remained frozen, staring at the floor. Not a single word came out of his opened mouth. Gin lowered her gaze in despair and shook her head. 

“The boss said you’d only use me as an excuse again if I returned…” Gin turned her back to Akutagawa. “An excuse to destroy everything around you. I feel the same way. That’s why I can’t be with you anymore.” 

She then looked away from Akutagawa and began walking off. 

“No! Gin, wait! The boss plans on killing you! You mustn’t go back!” 

Gin suddenly halted. “I know,” she muttered. “I pleaded with him to sacrifice my life to spare yours. That’s the only way you can survive. Farewell, Ryuunosuke.” 

Gin dashed off. 

“Stop! Gin, wait!” 

Akutagawa began to chase after her while holding his side, but Gin was as swift as a small animal. Not even a few seconds went by before he lost sight of her. 

“Why? I only came here to save you! That’s the only reason! Really, it is!” 

He sprinted after his little sister. 

After a few moments went by, Atsushi began to chase after them as well, but he suddenly stopped. He was getting a call from the boss on his handheld transceiver. 

“Don’t go after them,” ordered Dazai. “I already know what happened. Your job is to stall him.” 

“Boss—Dazai.” Atsushi bent an ear to his own transceiver. “Are you watching us on the monitors in the security office?” 

“No. I’m somewhere else, but I know what’s going on. I know that you betrayed us and were helping the enemy to save Kyouka as well.” 

“‘Betrayed’?! No, I—” 

“I know. That’s why I’ll tell you what we’re going to do.” Dazai seemed both serious and amused at the same time. “I knew about Kyouka’s weakness long before this happened. I understood that the enemy could use Demon Snow as a weapon, so I installed a device that records everything said into the phone.” 

“Wait…” Atsushi knitted his brow. “Then that means—” 

“I can edit the audio and change Demon Snow’s orders.” 

After leaving the Mafia headquarters, Tanizaki headed over to the detective agency’s truck parked nearby and hid in the truck bed. 

“Hmm… Only thirty minutes until sundown,” he anxiously muttered while checking his watch. “I really hope Akutagawa’s doing okay…” 

All of a sudden, Kyouka’s cell phone rang until it randomly answered itself, and a voice started to come out of it. 

“Demon…Snow.” 

The audio was full of static and the voice seemed somewhat synthesized, but it was undoubtedly Akutagawa speaking. 

“Stop… Do not…kill your master Kyouka.” 

“What the…?!” 

Tanizaki grabbed the phone in a fluster, but it wouldn’t turn on no matter what button he pressed. Someone had turned it off remotely. Hovering over Kyouka’s unconscious body, Demon Snow gently nodded before disappearing. 

Inside the Mafia headquarters, Atsushi held his handheld transceiver in disbelief. 

“I took sound bites of Akutagawa’s voice when he gave the order and spliced them together to make a different order, then played it through Kyouka’s cell phone.” Dazai was the epitome of calm. “After that, I remotely cut the phone off, so they couldn’t make any new orders to threaten you.” 

“So that means Kyouka’s—” 

“She’s safe now… Well, I wish I could say that, but there’s another thing I’m worried about,” began Dazai. “Kyouka is still being held captive by the enemy. In other words, if Akutagawa finds out what happened, he might contact his colleagues and have Kyouka killed. Of course, I plan on finding her, but it’s going to be hard, since her captor can create illusions and essentially disappear with his skill. There’s only one way we can be certain she’ll be okay.” 

“I need to kill Akutagawa before he gives orders to kill her…,” replied Atsushi so calmly that he sounded delirious. He tightly squeezed the transceiver in his hand. 

“Save Kyouka, Atsushi.” 

The connection cut off. Atsushi curled forward as he held the now silent handheld transceiver. His back trembled from the fear that had nowhere else to go. 

But that trembling found an exit, and it suddenly stopped. 

“‘Those who fail to protect others do not deserve to live.’” 

Atsushi shifted his gaze forward, a cold, pale fire burning in his eyes.