[Wen Ye] Do caged birds dream of butterflies?

Only then can she live a safe and comfortable life. "

"'A bird accustomed to a cage cannot survive in the wild'...?"

Mori Ogai nodded: "Exactly."

***

But even so.

The young man standing in the elevator with a book raised his hand and pressed the brim of his hat. Thinking of the look in the girl's eyes when she mentioned the dead mackerel just now, he couldn't help but twitched the corners of his mouth like a toothache.

"Tsk, I still don't understand. It's not good to like someone, but you want to like that bastard with bandages?"

It was decided that the next time that bastard got into the water again and he found out, he would punch him a few more times - he never wanted to see Fu Jiang crying in fright again.

13

13

You were actually born at the beginning of the year, but in this world, your adoptive father, Akira Nagasawa, registered your birth date as March 3, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom—White Valentine’s Day.

Yes, this world also has Valentine's Day and White Day.You were quite surprised when you first found out about it, and you felt like “the writers have changed their careers as chocolate manufacturers, but they still work hard as always”.But because you live alone all year round, you are not very sensitive to various holidays or anniversaries, so you just sighed casually.

Whether it's a birthday or Valentine's Day, in the end it's just the same day as before.The sun rises as usual, the earth is not destroyed, and Dazai-sensei is fine, that's enough.Although Mori Ogai will arrange a dinner on your birthday every year to convene quasi-cadres and above to celebrate your birthday.But that's all routine, you've always been sensible, and you always leave after drinking the first toast, leaving the venue for him to play freely.

倒是这几年，太宰老师开始突发奇想时不时送你些小礼物，让你对“生日”这种东西也开始有了些不一样的感觉。毕竟3月14日也是男生送心仪女生回礼的日子嘛——虽然你2月14日从不送巧克力，但不妨碍你在3月14日骗骗自己啊。

So on the eve of your birthday two days ago, Osamu Dazai brought a bottle of wine to celebrate your birthday in advance, and when he asked you what you wanted, you made a very bold request.

"Is anything ok?"

"Xiao Fujiang, you can do anything." The black-haired young man stretched out his hand to run along your hair, his iris-colored eyes looked like a calm lake under the light.

"Then I want to go out with Mr. Dazai." You are eager to try, "I don't need to go all day, and I don't need to go to crowded places. I want to visit Lupine and Mortar Street."

In fact, after the [Dragon Head War] is over and PortMafia's power is further stabilized, Mori Ogai will not prohibit you from going out.He also specifically asked if you wanted to go out to play, and said that if you wanted to, he could take you and Alice to go shopping together.But you say no.You really don't have much interest in the outside world, and you are even less sensitive to acting with Mori Ogai.

But it’s different with Dazai-sensei—the first time I went out, I was with the teacher, which sounds so romantic no matter how it sounds.And if you want to go out, you will definitely be assigned a bunch of subordinates - you are actually very curious about what Mr. Dazai looks like outside.

The youngest cadre must be very handsome.

"Lupin, I thought of it. It was Odasaku who told you. Mortar Street?" Osamu Dazai tilted his head, "What did the little man tell you?"

"You don't need anyone to tell me. Mortar Street is the place where Shuanghei first partnered." You reached out and grabbed his sleeve, and shook it a few times symbolically, feeling that you are very crazy now, probably because you drank half a bottle just now Because of the whiskey, I dared to make a request to Mr. Dazai, "Pilgrimage to the Holy Land~Mr. Dazai~"

Probably because your performance was different from usual, he raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You want to go so much?"

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" You nodded like a pounding garlic, and then felt your head tilted as you nodded.

"Little Tomie?"

The scene in front of you became a little hazy, your hand slid down, and subconsciously hooked Osamu Dazai's fingers: "Mr. Dazai...I'm so dizzy..."

"You're drunk." You heard his voice, as if it came from far away, and then his hand was held.

His hands are always cold, you didn't think much, you raised them to your cheeks and rubbed them twice, "...so comfortable..."

There is the familiar smell of gunpowder smoke.

"Little Tomie?"

"Hmm..." You feel that your eyelids are fighting, as if you were enchanted by an elf, and you feel drowsy coming up one after another.You seem to have heard what Mr. Dazai said again, and then you answered something, but you really can't remember the content.

Then, you fall asleep.

***

She fell asleep.

The petite and slender girl was reclined on the big red velvet sofa, her snow-white silk skirt spread out like an upside-down lily.Leaning his head on the sofa, one hand was still in his.

Osamu Dazai looked at her for a while, then stretched out his other hand, and pinned her slightly disheveled long hair behind her ears, revealing the girl's astonishingly beautiful face.

Her fingertips rubbed against her delicate earlobe, probably because she drank alcohol, and the girl's body temperature was a little high.As if tempted by that kind of temperature, his fingertips paused, and then gently followed the curve of the girl's cheeks down, brushing over the pointed chin, the thin white neck, and the skin exposed outside the suspender dress. Clear collarbone, and then lightly jumped to the other side of the collarbone, moving upwards.

Delicate and full red lips, a beautiful and straight nose bridge, long and thick eyelashes curled up, under the light, cast a faint shadow on the delicate and white skin, and the eyebrow-level hair parted, revealing the same fair and plump forehead.The small mole under the left eye was as black as a speck of ink, exuding a strange beauty.

It's not the first time he saw her sleeping face.For a while, he hugged her from behind and closed her eyes, and when he opened them again, it was usually him who woke up and she who didn't wake up.She was always very quiet when she fell asleep, her whole body was relaxed and motionless, if it wasn't for her light breathing and soft and warm touch, she would have looked like a beautiful corpse.

Corpse...

Osamu Dazai's hand paused, and moved away from the girl's cheek, a few strands of raised front hair slipped over his fingertips and fell gently.

If it could really kill her, maybe it would be a good thing instead.

But no, because his little Fu Jiang is an unkillable monster.It is a monster made of love that hides in the body of a girl.No matter how many times he is rejected, how many times he is hurt, or how many times he is avoided, he will always try to wrap him tightly with pure, warm, sweet and viscous love for no reason.

The little monster he couldn't get rid of - or did he not want to get rid of?

Osamu Dazai stretched out his hand to the girl again, this time, picked up a bunch of her hair, and slowly wrapped it around his fingertips.Obviously it was the cool and smooth touch that he was already familiar with, but he curled the corners of his mouth childishly and innocently like a child getting a new toy.

This little monster who has been standing closest to him since he was 14 years old is not only the person who understands him best in the world, but also the only existence in the world who loves him—even if the origin of that love has nothing to do with him relation.

But to her, it's the same.

'Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, is not rude, does not seek its own, is not provoked... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things ;'*

'Love never fails. '*

As the Bible says, his little monsters don't envy, don't get angry, don't lie, don't betray, don't fear, don't reject, don't resist, don't grieve, and don't even demand.He is obviously a monster, but when he looks at him, he will reveal the image of a virgin.How terrible that even death could not stop her, but instead became her ally and accomplice.

The most distorted love, but also the purest love.Because in this thick and viscous love, he actually tasted the salty sweetness like blood covered in honey.

That feeling is too comfortable and warm, like closing your eyes and returning to the safe and dark amniotic fluid of the mother's body.

So he left again and again, and then came back here again and again.

It was so terrifying, it was like a monster born from his nightmare, only for him.

"So, are you trying to drown me in love? How cunning, little Tomie..." Osamu Dazai let go of the hair in his hands, and slowly curled the corners of his lips, "But this is not enough."

He remembered the only time he had seen her completely lose her composure, the human expression revealed under the monster's skin.

"You have to drown for me..."

***

You sleep until dawn, and when you wake up, you see a dark room with the lights turned off and a few strands of twilight peeking through the cracks in the curtains.

The whiskey bottle and empty glasses were still on the coffee table.Teacher Dazai has already left.

Your head is rarely in a daze, and it took a few seconds to review what happened last night before you fell asleep, and then smiled while hugging the long black coat covering your body with a blushing face.

You think you're probably laughing silly, but you're so happy.

Dazai-sensei who will make you pull your sleeves and act like a spoiled child, and Dazai-sensei who will cover your clothes when you are asleep.

Ahh~ Today is also a super beautiful day!Think about it, the memories with Dazai-sensei have increased again, how happy it is!

——As for the question that I didn’t have time to wait for the answer yesterday, let’s ask next time when I have a chance.

***

Osamu Dazai didn't give you a second chance to ask - it's not that he rejected you, on the contrary, he gave you an answer very quickly with his actions.

April 3