Chapter 56

Feeling a bit guilty for neglecting the children, Takizawa Sei prepared souvenirs the next day, looking very much like someone returning to his hometown to visit family.

"Takizawa-san, you're finally taking a vacation," a colleague who frequently interacted with him said with a wry, sympathetic smile. "Every time I see you spending the whole day by the Boss's side, I worry about whether your body can handle the strain."

Takizawa Sei: "……?"

"The pressure the Boss gives off cannot be explained by ordinary words. He is definitely the man most suited for the Mafia. With your personality, you must feel so pressured and uncomfortable being around him."

……? A personality like mine?

"Though I know you're just worried about me and understanding me from the perspective of an overworked corporate slave, but..." Takizawa Sei's voice gradually lowered, "keep talking like that and I'll get angry, you know."

His tone was light and airy, but the warning embedded within it was far from light.

At that moment, Takizawa Sei's aura was almost identical to that of Osamu Dazai.

With a gloomy, convoluted malice, he threatened, "Just where on earth did you get the misconception that I am unsuited for the Mafia?"

Takizawa Sei was classified as a partner-type utility person, not a saintly altruist.

Kindness was simply his essence, meaning he would not oppress the weak without reason; loyalty and keeping his word were the foundational colors that forged his personality, while pouring out a solitary, courageous love was his distinctive trait—the very marrow that allowed him to walk with his head held high.

"Did you think I climbed to this position as easily as winning an elementary school certificate?"

The colleague was instantly struck with awe, suddenly realizing what an absurd misconception he had fallen into!

That's right, the person before him was the Boss's right-hand man who constantly stayed by his side; how could he possibly be a simple character?

He merely appeared a bit more normal than the majority of Port Mafia members, whose personalities varied wildly yet shared the same eccentric temperaments. At his core, he might very well be just as much of a lunatic.

Thinking of the bloodthirsty runaway mercenaries, arrogant ability users, and mentally unstable assassins harbored by the Port Mafia, the clerical worker clicked his tongue, and actually said in a tone of slight admiration and flattery, "I apologize, it was rude of me. Takizawa-san, I wish you a pleasant vacation."

This was a world that worshipped the strong; showing only a soft side made it too easy to be looked down upon.

Takizawa Sei offered him a distant, faint smile, and his gaze swept straight past the man. The colleague unconsciously stepped aside to clear a path, watching the green-eyed young man—who had just exuded such a sharp aura—walk straight toward the direction of the Boss's office.

Going to see the Boss again... Is he handing in his resignation this time?

The man sighed inwardly in disbelief.

The closeness of their relationship was simply unbelievable; even seeing it with one's own eyes felt surreal.

Inside the Boss's office at that moment, Osamu Dazai lightly supported his chin with one hand, his dark-blue eyes listening to a subordinate's mission report.

The young man standing before him was the leader of the Flags—the Pianist. With an elegant demeanor and a respectful, solemn expression, the Pianist reported, "Chuuya and I checked all the outposts from a few years ago that could possibly have conducted the Arahabaki experiments. Aside from N, who remains unaccounted for, we also discovered another set of human experimentation data in the archives, along with a list of personnel involved." He paused microscopically, as if recalling that long-buried piece of intelligence. "Just as you suspected, Boss, the military base back then was not merely researching Arahabaki. They were conducting other ability experiments as well, making random innovations based on the empirical data of Europe's Black No. 12."

Seeing that Osamu Dazai did not react excessively, the Pianist continued, "We have yet to find the person in charge of that specific experiment, and the relevant data has mostly been destroyed, but one thing is certain—all of the subjects studied were people without identities."

People without identities.

"They weren't stowaways, nor were they undocumented residents of the slums. They even still had surviving relatives, yet no one actively searched for them. Judging by the cruel nature of the research they had to endure, those people were all very young, at least in the prime of their youth." The Pianist swallowed hard, as if trying to moisten his parched throat. "They were people who had already 'died' in society."

"Very well." Osamu Dazai seemed to have no need to listen any further. Gloomy light swirled in his eyes as he clasped his hands together on the desk, his fingers as pale and devoid of color as a corpse's. "Keep searching. Also, tell Chuuya to hurry up; come back the moment the mission is completed." His instructions were utterly ruthless. "If Takizawa is discovered by them, negotiations will inevitably be required."

And the foundation of negotiation was military might.

The Pianist felt as though they were sinking into a strange and profound conspiracy, making his nerves grow somewhat tense.

"Furthermore, regarding the person Takizawa wanted to find..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the very subject of their discussion pushed open the door and entered.

"Dazai, I'm all packed and ready to go whenever." Bringing souvenirs for every single child, Takizawa Sei carried two large suitcases and countless handbags. "I'll head out through the secret passage as usual, I'll keep an eye out."

The other two men in the room did not exchange any further glances. The Pianist bowed respectfully as he retreated, nodding to Takizawa Sei as he passed him, while Osamu Dazai put on the familiar, somewhat gentle smile that Takizawa Sei knew so well.

"I'll have Akutagawa accompany you."

"I figured you'd send someone to protect me." Takizawa Sei walked with brisk agility despite holding two suitcases. "I'm not that weak, you know. My hand-to-hand combat skills are above yours anyway, otherwise how could I have protected you back then?"

Osamu Dazai stood up from his seat. He walked over to Takizawa Sei, his gaze subtly looking him up and down from head to toe. Because the distance between them was extremely close, they were completely exposed to each other's eyes, making that gaze appear very straightforward.

"What is it~ I dressed up nicely today just to see the kids." Takizawa Sei tugged at his newly bought clothes. "To make my image of working outside and earning big money more convincing, I picked a black trench coat very similar to yours."

Even when wearing black, Takizawa Sei never gave off the impression of someone severe or unapproachable—unless he put on the super cold expression he had learned from Osamu Dazai.

Osamu Dazai reached out and plucked a stray piece of fluff clinging to the trench coat.

"Ah, did the people at the dry cleaners slack off on their job?" Takizawa Sei lowered his head to look at Osamu Dazai's slender fingers. "Is there anything you want me to relay? Though I suppose you and Mori probably don't have much to say to each other, but considering you used to be master and apprentice, if there are certain things you'd rather not say to his face, just leave it to me to pass on."

Every time moments like this occurred, Osamu Dazai would experience a profound sense of dissociation.

Takizawa Sei treated life as earnestly as a genuinely living person. Every single action and intention of his signaled that he was looking forward to tomorrow.

This implied a terrifying possibility—Takizawa Sei had no idea that he was the fuse of a conspiracy.

His resurrection from the dead was merely a bargaining chip used to target the Port Mafia, and if he were to discover this truth one day, he would undoubtedly suffer unimaginably.

He might even develop the thought of "dying."

How horrifying.

Osamu Dazai said coldly, "Mori-san says I'm very much like him."

The dark-blue-eyed youth wore an expression that showed deep aversion to communicating with him. "That's why he understands my thoughts."

That would be too terrifying...

For Takizawa Sei, who had never once wanted to die, to harbor thoughts of ending his own life—there was nothing in the world that could fill him with greater despair.

Takizawa Sei suddenly leaned in close to him.

The wide-open eyes of Osamu Dazai revealed a panic that was too hastily concealed. He found himself pinned under the gaze of those eyes that seemed capable of seeing right through him, and heard Takizawa Sei say, "What are you thinking about? You feel like you're in a super bad mood. If emotions could weep, I feel like you're about to be drowned by your own tears."

He leaned in even closer, his height slightly towering over Osamu Dazai's, lending a sense of oppression to his approach. "You didn't secretly cook up some scheme behind my back while I was taking a day off, did you..."

This guy was truly as sharp as a monster.

For once, Osamu Dazai felt a prickle of a guilty conscience. "What's wrong? If you're worried, you can just stay."

"Well, I am a little worried about you," Takizawa Sei said. "That's why I'll be right back."

"..."

"But you're too cold. Do you have any idea what I came here for?"

"..."

Osamu Dazai looked as though he were struggling internally. "Don't move."

"Okay."

"Don't get too excited."

Takizawa Sei agreed cheerfully, "Okay, okay."

The next second, the brown-haired youth standing before him shifted slightly aside and cautiously gave him a brief embrace.

This hug was as light as the one on the day of their reunion.

The only difference was that this time, Takizawa Sei was prepared. He suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms tightly around Osamu Dazai's waist.

He prolonged this otherwise fleeting embrace into a warm moment, allowing himself more time to savor it carefully.

Yet he still remembered his promise not to get too excited, so his movements remained exceptionally gentle.

"Alright, alright, I won't torture you anymore~" Calculating the threshold of what Osamu Dazai could endure, Takizawa Sei smiled so brightly the corners of his eyes and brows crinkled with joy, doing his best to ignore the fleeting moment of stiffness in Osamu Dazai's body. "Honestly, why is it every time like I'm about to shatter into pieces? If this keeps up, I'm going to start teasing you for muscle weakness."

Osamu Dazai: "...... Hugging like this is just weird."

Japanese people really were a bit too reserved; Takizawa Sei simply had no way around that trait.

Right then, the sound of a door being pushed open came from behind them.

Takizawa Sei turned his head and saw Akutagawa Ryunosuke's expression, which had frozen in utter shock.

Takizawa Sei's hand, raised in greeting, stopped mid-air as he watched the black-haired boy fiercely rush forward, looking panic-stricken as he shouted, "Let go of Dazai-san!"

"Wait—"

"Let go!"

In a flash, Takizawa Sei was yanked away, leaving him blinking: "??"

Akutagawa Ryunosuke wore the expression of someone whose deity had just been assaulted. "Dazai-san! Are you alright?!"

At that exact moment, Takizawa Sei and Osamu Dazai fell into a subtle, synchronized silence: "......"

Five minutes later, Takizawa Sei was seated inside the concealed vehicle sent to drive him away.

Aside from Akutagawa Ryunosuke, the car also held a heavily muscled foreign retired mercenary, and even the driver was an extraordinary ability user—his ability was called [Clock], capable of slowing down or speeding up the time of a specific person or object. The activation manifested as a suspended, gigantic golden clock, and anyone affected would experience a bizarre deceleration in their personal time, thinking speed, and physical movements. It felt as though they were moving in slow motion while the rest of the world operated normally, giving Takizawa Sei the strange sensation of being enveloped in a divine halo beneath that clock.

While this ability seemed like a cheat code, it was actually quite easy to crack; one only needed to disrupt the ability user's focus or forcefully destroy the clock. Yet in the heat of battle, even a brief pause could determine life or death.

"Compared to you guys, I seem to be the most ordinary one here—" Takizawa Sei sighed with an optimistic mindset, "Hizora, Lewin, long time no see."

The two men only offered cold, perfunctory responses, and Takizawa Sei did not press the matter further.

The car drove all the way out of the urban area, heading toward a distant, secluded destination.