The Port Mafia had many unsolved cases, something you learnt as soon as you became a subexecutive. One of these cases just so happened to be the finding of Arahabaki, an incident that was tied with the explosion that created Suribachigai. The only reported eye witness at the site was Randou, who claimed to be at the center of the upside-down cone, which reached a depth of two kilometers. Yet, Randou claimed that he could see the sea from his spot.
Even as a thirteen year-old, when you were first granted access to these files, you found it suspicious. However, when you mentioned it to the previous boss, he demanded you leave the file be. For according to him, not only was it rude to question your elders, it was especially rude to question your higher-ups.
So, you listened to him. Because even if you had been right, Randou was close friends with Mori and a trusted subordinate of the previous boss. No matter how far you argued, the previous boss would never give in. You were well aware that Dazai and Chuuya had both figured it out, though you didn't think they would get far with claims alone.
You sighed for seemingly the hundredth time as you threw on some clothes for Chuuya's party, before heading to the hall that Dazai was decorating. A gut feeling had almost made you cancel the whole ordeal, but that would only end up in Dazai being disappointed. So, to satisfy both parties, you pocketed a gun. Should anything happen to confirm the uneasiness in your stomach, you would at least be prepared to deal with it.
"Randou-San?" You sputtered, surprised to see him present, enjoying some tea with Dazai.
"I was just getting to the best part of the story!" Dazai pouted. "Randou-San is the culprit of our case!"
Randou, who was listening quietly, sighed as if he had given up.
"You and Chuuya-kun had a bet," Randou said. "In that case, you won. Since you found the culprit first."
"Thank you, Randou-san." Dazai smiled. "With this, I can use him as my dog for life―"
Something broke through the wall and jumped in the room.
Randou's body was struck from the side and flew to the other side of the room.
"―ound you!" There was a violent shout. "I win the bet with this scheming bastard! You're the culprit!"
Randou broke through the wall of the building and flew outside the room, tumbling along on the ground.
On top of that, a small figure leaned forward.
Dazai couldn't believe his eyes. "...Wow."
"Sorry, but this is the end of the line for you." Naturally, Chuuya had a proud smile. "There's no escaping my eye. I predicted a long time ago you were lying about―Woah, the sly bastard! What are you doing here?!"
"That's my line, Chibi-San." Dazai said with a bored face. "Just so you know, I beat you to the prosecution. I was in the middle of explaining his crime."
"Huh? In the middle of? So you're not done yet? Then it's my win. I beat the culprit, in other words, my victory. The guy who is strong wins. That's the truth of this world," Chuuya smirked victoriously.
"It's guys like you that make the world full of raw meat," you said, a look of disgust gracing your face. "Did you come to that conclusion from Randou-San's inconsistency with the sea?"
"The sea?" Chuuya stared at you blankly. "What are you talking about?"
"Hm? Then how did you find out Randou-san was the culprit?" Dazai gaped.
"Right when I heard his story. So far, the testimonies had only talked about seeing the old man. However, he said he saw the body of Arahabaki. That's impossible, so I knew it was a lie," Chuuya scoffed.
Randou, who had been kicked by Chuuya and rolled on the ground, opened his mouth with a groan.
"Then you... thought I was the culprit because there's no such thing as a god?" Randou sputtered.
"Haha, you're wrong. It's the opposite. There actually is a god." Chuuya affirmed. "I know it. And there's no way you would have witnessed him in Suribachigai."
When he heard that line, Randou's presence changed.
His shivering from the cold stopped.
"Were you aware...that Arahabaki really existed?" Randou said as if he was being squeezed.
"Oh... You saw it, then? Eight years ago. If you didn't, you wouldn't have been able to give such an accurate testimony on what he looks like," Chuuya shrugged.
"Oh, I saw him..." Randou said, standing up. "But I didn't just see him. He gave me an explosion up close. It was a complete surprise attack... I was seriously injured and about to die, walking between the boundary of life and death. I lost my memories due to the shock and flames, wandering through the city of Yokohama. I caught the previous boss's eyes, stayed overnight in his organization, then joined the mafia..."
Randou looked at Chuuya with a heated gaze.
"Chuuya-kun, you must know―Where is Arahabaki right now?"
Chuuya didn't answer, just looked at Randou through a sharp gaze.
"Tell me."
"That's what I'm curious about, Randou-san." Dazai laughed slightly as he looked at Randou. "After all, you made this big deal about him just to know. Only the person who knows the truth of Arahabaki can see through his lie. The reason Arahabaki was portrayed accurately was because you used yourself as a huge bait to catch the person who knew the truth, right?"
Chuuya looked between the two for a while, and eventually shook his head.
"Geez... Why do you even want to meet that guy?" Chuuya said. "He has no mind or personality, he just exists. What will you do when you meet him? Pay your respects? He's a powerful deity, a simple lump of power. The same as a typhoon or earthquake. It's not much different from paying respects to fuel at a power plant."
"Personality is not a problem. A mind and thinking are not a problem." Randou said in a solemn tone. "A great destruction. The burning earth, the dyed sky, the quivering atmosphere, a grotesque being. To reach that understanding, the state of nirvana. That power is enough for me. Tell me, Chuuya-kun. Existence beyond human knowledge―Where is the being that burned me?"
Chuuya didn't answer immediately. He turned his palm over, then turned it back around, gaining himself some troubled time.
"If it were possible for a God to reside on this planet, he would need a vessel," you mumbled, absent mindedly plucking a rose from nearby decoration.
Both Dazai and Randou turned to you, curious, waiting for you to continue.
"Of course, the vessel isn't Randou-San, since he himself was surprised when the thing we know as Arahabaki actually existed," you continued. "But the only other person who has been hunting Arahabaki and is able to give a proper account of what he looks like, is you, Chuuya-kun. Your obsession started before we knew about him. You are the only one to believe in him. And you claim to have proof of his existence. Not even someone as religious as the Pope would go that far."
"That's a bit far fetched, don't you think?" Randou stammered.
"Y/N is rarely wrong with her predictions, it's why she's Consigliere and you're not," Dazai smirked. "Well, Chibiko-kun?"
Chuuya pursed his lips, clearly thinking his next words over. However, before long, he realised a sigh that sounded as if he'd given up.
"Ok. I'll tell you what I know." Chuuya's eyes were clear. They were so clear that they could take in everything that they saw. "Arahabaki―"
He took a breath, then exhaled.
And said.
"―is me."
Dazai took a step back, grabbing onto your sleeve out of instinct.
"What... do you mean?"
Chuuya's expression was calm. His face suggested nothing, concealing his true goal. It was a face that only stated the facts.
"It's as I thought." Randou slowly nodded. "I thought he was there, vaguely."
"I only have memories starting from the middle of my life." Chuuya continued with a quiet voice. "It's not as if I temporarily lost my memories like you did. Only on that day eight years ago did my life come into existence. Before that, it was darkness. I floated in a blue-black darkness, sealed in an institution somewhere. Arahabaki is not a god. He has no power to resurrect the dead. I don't know why this personality of mine exists. All I know is someone's hand broke the seal and pulled me out. —That hand, was it you, Randou?"
A bluish black darkness.
A heavy and quiet darkness, surrounded by transparent walls.
And the strong hand of someone who broke the seal.
If there was one thing you knew about your ability, it was that light could not live without darkness. The other was also true. Meaning Chuuya escaping from the darkness could only prove to be a positive turn of events... right?
"Answer me." Chuuya said. "Where did you find me? Why did you take me out? And—how did you get his complete body to manifest? I followed this incident to find that out. I finally understand. Now, tell me everything you know."
There was no reply.
Randou had his face down, his hidden expression trembling. But it wasn't trembling from the cold—he was laughing.
"Of course, of course. Even if I were to refuse... You have the right to know." Randou said in a low voice. "But it's faster to show you rather than explain through words. This is what I did to you eight years ago."
The surrounding scenery began to change. The area around them wasn't the former shipyard anymore, but something completely different.
"Randou-san's subspace ability...?" Dazai looked around their surroundings. "But... a subspace transfer of this large of a scale shouldn't be possible, it's only been reported once..."
The subspace ability was expanding wide enough to cover the entire shipyard. The subspace, higher than the roof, began to flicker a deep, shining crimson.
"As you know... my subspace ability is a completely different world than a normal isolated space." Randou said. "You can't enter unless you've been invited in."
"Unbelievable." Dazai looked around. "So much power, just above the level of executives. An executive rank, no, even more... Such an extraordinary ability, how did you hide it until now? No one in the organization knows about this."
"I wasn't hiding it. I just remembered it recently. Along with... my true name." Randou took a step forward. Even in the crimson space, his bizarre presence was shown.
"True name? You're Randou-san."
"My name is not Randou." The space around Randou shook, and a black flame appeared. It blazed like petals around Randou without a sound. "The name Randou was given to me by a friend who saw the spelling on my belongings... And when I remembered my true name, I came to a decision. This plot. To defeat a fraudulent god using the devil. All of this, Chuuya-kun... Was to find and kill you."
Suddenly, the center of the subspace popped. The high density atmosphere descended down on them like a shock wave. However—it wasn't exactly an atmospheric wave. The explosion of the space itself, along with the creation of the wave, swallowed Chuuya up like a surging sea.
"Gah?!"
The spatial wave struck Chuuya violently, and blew his body away. He flew horizontally and broke through a rusty iron pole in the shipyard, then flew against the concrete wall.
"Ga....hah..."
Chuuya, who fell to the ground, could not even stand up as he spit up a large amount of blood.
"Hmm... Did you die already? Even though it's far from the complete Arahabaki, your body is said to be a resilient one," Randou mused.
"Hey..." Dazai looked at Chuuya, dumbfounded. "Why didn't you defend yourself with your gravity?"
"He couldn't. In this space, whenever I hit him with my shock wave, if it defies the physical laws of nature he can't defend himself." Randou said.
Your eyes widened, and you snapped your fingers in an attempt to create a flare of light.
"Shit," you grit out. "Can't even use light in this hell hole."
"Indeed, L/N-kun. This subspace is my private kingdom. Therefore, my ability can only exist inside this interior. Like this," Randou explained.
There was the sound of wind blowing.
"Damn... This guy is crazy..." Chuuya put his hand on the ground and wiped the blood off of his lips. "He's come out."
A distorted, crimson haze emerged from the other side of the subspace, and a figure appeared.
"There... There is a nostalgic face. Hey, brat... Are you in good health? Have you been bullied by the doctor?"
It was the old boss floating in the air, wearing a traditional, black robe. You instantly froze, fighting the urge to bow in respect. Dazai noticed, and held you back from doing anything stupid.
"Hey there." Dazai smiled stiffly, his grip on your shoulder increasing. "It's been a while. How's your back pain? Your complexion is looking nice. Wasn't it a good thing you died? Boss—no, previous boss."
The old boss's limbs were skinny and, due to old age, his eye sockets were caving in. His blood vessels were visible on his cheeks and his eyes blazed, carrying only the brutality of the past.
The tyrant of the night, Yokohama's evil. His will for destruction was beyond human limits, and was even expressed as a curse.
The personification of the Port Mafia's evil.