Drowning in a sea of ​​moonlight

Akutagawa and I were fighting the enemy next to an art museum hidden by bushes in the mountains.

Oda was on the other side of the battlefield.

——This situation occurred because Dazai knew the possible location of the hostile organization by collecting leaves from the soles of the captured people’s shoes.

Then, after Oda rushed to see Sakaguchi who was suspected of being captured, after saving him, he was cut off by another team from an unknown organization.

Here's a little episode.Sakaguchi prepared a ball of thread coated with delayed-onset poison, which was specially used to deal with Oda.

But Oda cautiously didn't touch it at first, then he picked it up by himself, looked at it for a while, and then handed it to Oda.

Judging from Oda's later hospitalization, Sakaguchi was exposed to the poison in a larger area, and the coma must have been longer.

He really didn't hesitate to beat himself up.

The smell of leaves and organic soil filled the air, surrounded by impenetrable man-made forests, and the art gallery standing in the middle was originally white and flawless. The buildings and various sculptures like Greek temples became dilapidated in the intensive war, revealing A majesty of decay, like the end of the mythical gods.

Dazai went to investigate because of the emergence of a new suspicious organization, so I and Oda, who was recovering from his wounds, rushed in as support. Oda rushed in from the backyard, and I went to the front yard to join Akutagawa.

I didn't use a knife, but fired with double guns, which are more lethal at a long distance, and Akutagawa killed without hesitation, his black blade rolled up like a pitch-black storm, and blood spattered everywhere he went .

I shot mechanically, but an inexplicable sadness rose in my heart.

——The one fighting with us is a soldier named "Mimic", who has made military achievements.

However, he was betrayed by the motherland and turned into a war criminal hunted down by his former comrades, a ghost wandering around in a daze with no meaning of life.

...Unpredictable people, unpredictable fate, such a thing, although tragic, is not unusual in the first place.

Compared with how they were treated in this way, what makes me more sad is that the belief they have always defended with their lives has been dusted, deteriorated, and no longer regained its former glory.

Not far away, a sculpture of an angel was suddenly pierced by bullets. At that moment, countless white gypsum powders scattered in front of the eyes, and the huge wings crashed down, smashing into several pieces on the ground, but the angel's eyes were still pitiful.

At the same time, a steel-like voice sounded.

"My name is Gide, come here...to fight with Jun!"

——The visitor wore countless military badges, and stood upright, like a sword that never bends, but his eyes were empty, and he couldn't even reflect the shadow of the person in front of him.

That was the look of someone who begged for death. He came here to fight.A fight to the death.

Akutagawa showed a bloodthirsty look of ecstasy: "An enemy who has the power to predict the future, it's really wonderful! Let's see if the next "Rashomon" can even smash fate—"

As it turns out, no.

At least not for now, Akutagawa's abilities are far from being developed to the limit of his potential.

Gide used a mafia member's gun to injure several members of the mafia, but I stopped him with a knife.

During the battle, he cast his attention and glanced at me. That glance seemed to be critical. Although it was dead silent, it still made people feel like they were on a bloody battlefield, with the smell of steel and gunpowder blowing against their faces.

I imagined in advance how powerful such a power would be, but it was still not as shocking as seeing it with my own eyes.

He seems to be under the care of the only "God" in the world, and he seems to control everything with an invisible but absolute power.

The movement of him avoiding Akutagawa Iren is like dancing on the tip of a knife, but it is so calm and unhurried, as if it is not a fight for life, but some kind of thrilling pas de deux, one side is full of murderous intent, and the other is strolling in the garden.

——until a bullet from another man of fate knocked his gun to the ground.

At that moment, Gide's eyes almost burst out with a light called "surprise". In his empty eyes, the figure of Oda holding a gun was clearly revealed.

My heart also sank suddenly.

When the two confronted each other, Akutagawa, who was emotionally unstable when he saw Oda and wanted to attack him, was brought down by me.

During the verbal confrontation, intertwined beliefs and diametrically opposed wills are like colliding knives and swords, making harsh friction sounds.

"I want to be a novelist. I want to put down the gun and get a pen and paper, and killing people would disqualify me from describing life.

"Compared with fighting, I am more interested in how to survive."

Oda spoke calmly.

"There is nothing more important than death to survive!"

Gide roared, and he stared at Oda with excitement and ecstasy as if he had found salvation.

"My subordinates and I have been wandering around like ghosts for a long time, looking forward to this battle from the bottom of our hearts!"

"You are the only one who can bury me!"

...No, there are.

I stared at the undead of this former hero, thinking so.

——Instead of watching you fall all the way down like this,

It would be better for me to bring you a more dignified death.

late at night.

Dazai's dormitory was almost empty, and the only furniture was placed in a very unreasonable way, as if it hadn't been tidied up after moving here.

For example, there are two sofas crookedly placed in the living room, for example, there is not even a bed in the bedroom, only a mattress and an empty table.

— There is hardly any trace of human life.

I waited in the living room of his dormitory without the lights on.

The moonlight is as cold as water, flowing on the porcelain floor, and there is silence outside the window, only the black shadows of trees slanting across.

Not long after, Dazai pushed the door in, reeking of alcohol.

I knew he was back from Lupine, so I stood up, a bottle of anti-alcohol in my hand, and walked towards him.

He raised his head slowly, his face illuminated by the moonlight outside the window.

——What kind of expression is that?

In his eyes, there was a clear emptiness and despair.

Like a child shrunk in a corner, weeping sadly, overwhelmed by the loneliness like the tide.

It seemed that, right away, one of his hearts was going to be broken in this huge, excruciating pain.

So, every cell is screaming desperately,

"help me"

"Anyone is fine, help me"

I couldn't help being stunned, but at this moment he leaned forward and fell obliquely into my arms.

I raised my arms to hug him, and his face was buried in my neck, but there was no smell of alcohol in the air on his body, only a cold and bitter aroma.

For a while, there was only the sound of our breathing in the surroundings.

After a moment of silence, he said, "...I'm tired."

I let out a "huh", picked him up horizontally, put him on one of the sofas, put the anti-alcohol medicine on the armrest, then got up, and planned to go to the kitchen to get the poured hot water.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed my sleeve, and said in a hoarse voice, "Come with me."

I don't know where my heart softened suddenly, I smiled slightly and said, "Okay. I'll be with you."

Then bent down, took off his coat and shoes and socks, and stuffed him into the quilt.

Dazai looked up at me for a long time, and then suddenly showed a bewildered smile.

He said, "Little friend, what's the point of doing this? You will leave me sooner or later."

"In this world, there is nothing that cannot be lost."

I sat sideways next to the sofa, covered the quilt for him, and gently pinned the black hair beside his cheeks behind his ears.

"Yeah, I'm going to leave you one day. Everyone will. There's no way."

Then, holding his hanging hand, I only felt a coldness in it, like ice that never melted from ancient times.

"But here I am now."

"I'll be with you until I can't do this anymore."

I parted his fingers and interlocked with him.

"Although it will always be lost, but ah. All the good things and things in this world, as long as you have had it, you will be very happy."

Dazai looked at me silently, the despair and helplessness in his eyes faded away, leaving behind a childlike innocence and confusion.

At that moment, I suddenly realized that he was really just a child. His eyebrows and eyes were beautiful, like the dark clouds in the distant mountains, the moonlight shining like a shadow in the sky, and a little delicate glow on the peach petals. bright red.

He gave a slight, pleased smile.

Then he hooked my palm with his fingertips and said, "Then you are not allowed to go anywhere tonight. Just stay here with me."

So I tidied up the other couch opposite him, and simply fell asleep on it.

I didn't talk all night, and all I could see was his sleeping profile in the dim light.

The author has something to say:

Hey hey hey.

Another chapter full of the sour smell of love.

(Why does it feel that if any two other people are replaced, it is time to drive according to the development of this chapter?)

The Mimic incident may be coming to an end, and here Dazai is coming back from Lupine meeting Ango for the last time.

Compared with the original novel, the words of Oda Saku and Gide have been adjusted and rewritten in order, and then I feel that it may be more interesting to compare with the novel. There are many small details that I changed hhh

(For example, Odasaku was injured more lightly here, and Ango was also injured. For example, compared with Odasaku/Akutagawa’s perspective, he will pay more attention to the sculptures in the museum today. For example, Akutagawa was released today before he had time to attack Odasaku. fall down)