𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏: 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐈
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟑,𝟕𝟐𝟓
╭⋟────────────────────────╮
✦✧✦✧
╰────────────────────────⋞╯
"...You want me to kill that herbalist guy?"
Smiling, Mori nodded at the fourteen year old boy. His eyes were almost soft, but it did nothing to conceal the icy coldness and evil intent that oozed out of him. "That's correct."
His answer, though obvious, didn't fail to make Dazai's brows furrow. Indeed, the man he was supposed to kill was the very same herbalist [Name] had visited earlier that day. Having watched their interaction, it was clear the two were quite close, and based on what he had gathered from his previous dealings with [Name], he had come to the conclusion that she was an integral part of the Chinatown community.
...But what reason would Mori have to kill such a man? He had told Dazai about his trip to Lu Zhao's shop and the events that unfolded during the visit, but other than that, Mori had no other connection to the man.
And that's when it occurred to him. "I see... You're doing this because of [Name], aren't you?" He voiced his thoughts, eyes narrowing slightly before he chuckled. "Heh, no wonder you were so lenient with her behavior."
Mori hummed in return. "Well, that's not quite it, but yes—this is because of [Name]." The boss didn't need to say anything further for Dazai to understand his intentions. Mori was clearly aware of [Name]'s feelings towards him, and thus had doubts about her willingness to cooperate with future orders. By killing someone she deemed important... well, it was pretty self-explanatory.
Unfortunately, the situation was much more complex than Dazai could have ever known, but he was at least privy to the surface of the matter. "Understood." He didn't stick around for much longer after that. Mori had sent [Name] to the other side of town in order to prevent her from interfering, which also meant Dazai had to get the job done before she returned.
As he walked towards his destination, he couldn't help but wonder: how would [Name] react to finding out the man who clearly viewed her as one of his own had been killed? And by his doing, at that (on Mori's order, but ultimately the blood would still be on his hands). Would she be absolutely crushed and devastated? Or maybe she would be furious and lash out in retaliation. Either way, she would surely take a mental hit. But what else was new? It was the Port Mafia, after all. Death was a common occurrence, and assassinations like these—a means of intimidation—were not out of the ordinary either.
"Ah, welcome, welcome," the cheery Lu Zhao greeted his bandaged customer. "Are you looking for something in particular?" He had put on his customer service smile, but Dazai could tell the herbalist was wary of him. It was understandable—his appearance was indeed suspicious, especially to the man whose shop had gotten ransacked by rapscallions around his age only a few days before; it was only natural for Lu Zhao to be on guard. "Have you perhaps come for an eye ointment of sorts?"
The question caught Dazai off guard. Ah—that's right, he always wore bandages over his right eye. The herbalist must have mistaken it for an injury. Well, that made things easier for him, at least. Putting on a small smile, he nodded. "That's right. My boss just so happens to also be a doctor—he recommended this place to me. He gave me a list of different ointments that might help, so if you don't mind, I'll take a look around for these myself." Very convincingly, Dazai even pulled out a small folded piece of paper—blank, of course—and showed it off to the man.
Lu Zhao easily bought the act. He was a kind man, and always tried not to judge based on appearances. He had just been a little on edge since the recent incident, but seeing the "list" and Dazai's polite demeanor convinced him that the boy was being genuine, and so he nodded. "Alright then, feel free to browse at your leisure. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be at the front desk if you need anything." With one last smile, Lu Zhao took his leave.
As soon as his back was turned, Dazai's own smile fell, and his expression darkened slightly. He was no medicinal expert, but he was smart enough to find the section containing eye and other facial medicines so as not to arouse suspicion. Luckily, the area just so happened to be surrounded by shelves and out of the view of the front desk where Lu Zhao was.
For a few minutes, he pretended to browse, picking up random bottles and skimming over their labels. He didn't want to spend too long in there, so once he had been there for what would be considered the average browsing time, he quickly took a small box out from the inside of his coat and placed it in the very back of one of the shelves—a bomb. From there he exited, gaining Lu Zhao's attention in the process.
"Did you find anything suitable?" He questioned, frowning slightly when he realized the boy hadn't picked anything out.
But Dazai was someone quick on his feet, and had already prepared an excuse. "Ah, I'm afraid all of the medicines contained an ingredient I happen to be allergic to. My boss may be a doctor, but I don't consult him regularly, so he was unaware of the fact—that was my fault." He once again put on a smile; his explanation was sufficient for the man.
"Oh, I see." Lu Zhao seemed a little dejected, but seeing as allergies were beyond a person's control, he could not hold it against anyone. "That's unfortunate. The next time you see a doctor, be sure that you inform them of any allergies so you can get proper medication," he advised in good nature. Kind and compassionate—that was the type of person Lu Zhao was. He ran a business, yes, but he cared more about people's health than making money.
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks." Giving a faux polite nod, Dazai exited the shop. The bomb was on a one minute timer, and taking into account his conversation with the owner, there was roughly thirty seconds or so left before it detonated. Closing his eyes, he let out a small sigh. He didn't know why, but the moment he had left the building, a sense of unease began to bubble up inside him.
...It was probably just his curiosity about the outcome that he was feeling. Shaking his head, Dazai brushed off the thought and continued walking. His job was finished and now it was time to head back to the clinic so he could report to Mori...
But only a few steps down the road, the sound of hurried footsteps entered his ears. And despite the frantic movements, Dazai couldn't help but freeze in his tracks, eyes slowly opening in pure disbelief.
Heading straight for him was none other than [Name], a fierce expression painted on her face that was focused on him.
No—it was focused right behind him.
Dazai found his own gaze glued to her approaching figure, unable to look away. This... was a development he did not expect. And as [Name] passed him, it felt as if time had slowed to a snail's pace, her eyes which were previously set on Lu Zhao's shop moving to meet his own ever growing shocked ones.
That look on her face... She did not appear worried or frantic in the slightest—her face was straight, focused. But the way she intentionally made eye contact with him suggested that she knew exactly what she was heading into, and Dazai, whose head had been following all of [Name]'s movements, watched as she ran into the building without a second thought. And only a few moments later...
BOOM!
Pedestrians on the other side of the street began screaming as the place went up in flames, broken glass and bits of what used to be the shop's walls leaping into the air, falling ever-so-slowly as his mind processed what had just happened—it felt almost as if the world itself was mocking him.
They're both dead now, and you killed them.
"Heh... hehe..." Clutching onto the fabric of his chest, Dazai found himself chuckling bitterly, eyes locked onto the pavement that lead straight to the two's final resting place as a hurricane of thoughts and emotions overwhelmed him. "So it seems I was right... You were never meant for the Port Mafia, [Name]..." He thought back to their first meeting, when [Name] had suddenly declared that she was going out to babysit, forcibly dragging him along because he "needed to act his age." He remembered how the kids practically tackled her to the ground, laughing and smiling because they were excited to see her—because she cared for them, treated them like younger siblings. And then... her meeting with Lu Zhao earlier. She had lied... for the sake of not worrying him. 'Good people like you... who venture into places where they do not belong... Hah... Perhaps this is the fate you deserve, dying in an effort to save someone else...'
[Name] had brought her own ending upon herself, dragging her life down along with Lu Zhao's.
So why...?
Why did Dazai feel so... unsatisfied?
No—why did he feel so emotional? As if the only person who should have died in that explosion was the herbalist, not her.
The blaring sirens of police cars and firetrucks pulling up barely fazed Dazai as he remained unmoving. In fact, it was as if he couldn't even hear the sounds at all—only the sounds of his racing thoughts and elevated heartbeat.
A person he had known for only a few days just died, and yet... he did not feel numb. But at the same time, he had no idea what it was that he actually felt. Was it sadness? Regret? Guilt even?
No... He was not capable of feeling those things—the very concepts were foreign to him.
...Right?
"Over here!"
Dazai had never looked up so fast. What he saw in front of him... he had to be hallucinating; what he was looking at was certainly not reality.
It was [Name], holding up an unconscious Lu Zhao. But the image... something was very wrong. Lu Zhao was injured, ash decorating his exposed skin, while [Name]... there was not so much as a single speck of dust to be found on her person, let alone any injuries.
...Could it have been an ability?
No. If [Name] had a healing ability, she would have healed Lu Zhao as well. Self healing, perhaps? No, that didn't sound right either.
So what was it...?
Even as [Name] handed Lu Zhao over to one of the firemen for medical attention, her calm expression did not waver.
And then, she turned towards his direction. She was walking slowly, but her gaze never once met his, even as she walked right past him.
*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Despite the blade being pointed straight at his face, Mori sat at his desk calmly. But he couldn't lie, seeing it so up close filled him with excitement, for it was no ordinary blade. However, this was not the time nor place to speak on it—the dark glare on [Name]'s face not failing to make that clear. Yet Mori was not threatened in the slightest. Well—at least, he did not feel his safety was threatened; [Name] wouldn't kill him. This, they both knew well.
"Hm? Oh, that? It was merely a test. No need to think too much into it." With a closed-eyed smile, Mori waved off her concerns. It was not a complete lie—nor was it the entire truth, either. He did not expect for Dazai to actually succeed in killing Lu Zhao before [Name] caught wind of his plan and went running back to save the man. Despite that, he still brushed her off even though he knew it would only serve to make her more angry.
...Perhaps it was because he was secretly hoping she would unleash more of her power.
And unleash more power, she did—that magnificent blade of hers inching just a little bit closer to his person as her glare deepened, even the very air surrounding her beginning to radiate a frightening energy. "I'm warning you," she spoke lowly, tightening her grip on the hilt of her sword. "Don't think that just because I cannot kill you now that I will hesitate to leave you just shy of death's door."
Finally, Mori's expression became more serious, and he looked her in the eyes that had begun to glow white. For a few moments, they just stared at each other, neither of them backing down until Mori finally looked away with a chuckle. "Very well then."
At his words, [Name] backed away, her sword disappearing in a flurry of golden particles. Her eyes stopped glowing and the air around her returned to normal, but she continued to gaze at him with a cold and threatening look. Only once she felt he had truly gotten her message did she walk away.
*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:
The fire from the explosion at Lu Zhao's shop had long since been put out, but the building had sustained heavy damage. Part of the roof was missing and all of the windows had been broken, the entrance left in shambles—among other things.
And yet, Dazai found himself unable to leave the scene, entering the building that was once filled with a welcoming atmosphere later that night after all the authorities and nosy spectators had gone home. The windows had been boarded up and the entranced taped off, allowing him to remain inside undetected. And as he stood there, his eyes subconsciously wandered over to where the section of shelves he had been standing in when he planted the bomb used to be.
He... did not feel guilty about it. He hardly felt anything at all.
Then what was he feeling so emotional about before? Why did he feel that way? Once again, he held onto the fabric of his shirt where his heart was, brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of his own emotions.
"Dazai."
The brown haired boy stiffened, feeling his face grow tighter. He didn't even sense her, let alone hear any footsteps, yet [Name] somehow managed to completely escape his radar. Slowly, Dazai turned around, putting up a calm exterior to mask his ever-growing internal conflict. "...You."
The expressions they wore were both similar, yet they couldn't be more different. While Dazai's eyes were dull, seemingly lacking in emotion, [Name]'s eyes contained something that he felt his could never hold a candle to: Empathy.
Still looking straight at him, she raised a question. "I want you to answer this truthfully: How much value do you place in others' lives?" [Name]'s eyes narrowed, piercing his own. "How much value do you place in your own life?"
They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and in that moment, Dazai felt that for the first time since meeting [Name], he truly understood her, just as she had so clearly understood him. He remained silent, but there was no need for words; she already knew his answer: Are we not just ants in the eyes of this big world? Such insignificant insects... Do our lives even mean anything? What purpose do we serve, if any?
[Name]'s expression softened slightly as she studied him, ruminating in his answer, and for a while, they stood in complete silence, only the sounds of the wind that blew cool air into the building and the chirping of crickets filling the gap. But despite the silence, the atmosphere was not awkward in the slightest. The two were simply standing there without exchanging a single word, and yet... they learned more about each other by doing that than they would have through a conversation.
With a small sigh, it was [Name] who finally broke the silence. "Hey, do you know..." she started, looking up at the starless night sky through the hole in the ceiling, "the universe is vast—infinite, even. ...It's true that in the eyes of the universe, we are naught but tiny specks of dust, seemingly serving no purpose. But in this world, even if one out of many, do you know who it is that stands at the forefront? The ones who make this place we call Earth, Earth?"
Dazai blinked, pondering for a moment, his eyebrows knitting together as his mind drew a blank. "...No, I don't."
Though that was the response she was expecting, it didn't make it any less sad. And so, with a small smile, [Name] looked him directly in the eyes and gave him the answer: "It's humans."
The boy was momentarily stunned. It was humans? But that answer was so obvious! How did he not get it?? Was he stupid or something?
No. Dazai was anything but. Yet he had convinced himself so well that human life held such little value that the very notion of the opposite seemed almost inconceivable to him. The realization that he had been so blind made him laugh. "Hah... I see..."
This girl really was full of many surprises... But despite knowing that there was truth to her words, Dazai just couldn't bring himself to fully believe them.
[Name] knew this well. Mindsets were not so easy to change, especially ones that were as grim as Dazai's. Normally, people like him, who cared not for the lives of others, were the ones she disliked the most. But Dazai's way of thinking could not be attributed purely to himself—the one to truly blame was Mori. Thus, she wished to undo (or, at least, attempt to fix/lessen) the damage that the boss of the Port Mafia had inflicted upon him. This was no easy task, nor was it something that could be done in a day.
...But so long as she remained in the Port Mafia, with Dazai, she'd do her best to try and show him that there truly was meaning in life, and that it was not as worthless as he so thought.
*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:
EXTRA:
Delinquency was not uncommon amongst youths around the age which would normally be considered the "rebellious years," and thus, most were not taken as seriously as criminals. Seeing that it was their first offence, the four youngsters who had attempted to steal from Lu Zhao's shop were let off with a warning—a light punishment for which they were thankful for.
"Hey... Genta... So like, now what are we gonna do? You know, since we weren't able to get that medicine for your little brother..." One of the boys, specifically the one who had attempted to "persuade" the group into leaving before they got into big trouble, asked the boy who was clearly the leader of their little ragtag bunch. By nature, he was what one might call... a little bit of a coward, but he would not flee by himself and was loyal to those he called friends.
Genta, the leader, let out a distressed sigh. "I don't know..." The other two boys, whose names weren't of any particular importance, had gone home after being released from the police station, while the two of them... well, they didn't actually have a place to call home like their two other friends. "But no matter what... I have to save my brother." Clenching his fists, Genta thought of his little brother, who was only eight years old and had been diagnosed terminally ill just shortly before their parents died. Since then they had been on their own, fighting to survive—until he met Kino (his fellow orphan) and the other two. The three had banded together with him, agreeing to help find a cure for his brother to the best of their ability.
Kino couldn't help but shoot his friend a sad look, unable to find any suitable words of encouragement to give. The rest of the walk to their shabby home—a small, unoccupied shed—was silent, only being broken by Genta's brother, Shouta, coughing upon their arrival. The boys immediately rushed over to his bedside (which was merely a thin fleece blanket ridden with holes and tears) with worried expressions.
"Shouta! Are you alright??" Genta grabbed his brother's hand, placing both of his own on top in an attempt to share some of his body warmth.
Shouta shook his head weakly. "I'm alright... How did it go...? Did you guys have a lot of fun?" As an ignorant eight year old who had suffered the tragedies of being deathly ill and orphaned, Genta naturally did not want his brother to know the truth of what he was doing, let alone worry him; Shouta was a kind soul, always striving to do the right thing despite being bedridden. And so, he simply gave a reason any kid would understand: "I'm going out to play with my friends".
"Yeah... We had lots of fun," Genta replied with a forced smile, motioning for Kino to fetch some water for his brother. "Next time, when you're all better, we'll take you with us, alright?" Squeezing his brother's hand, Genta's smile became more genuine as Shouta smiled back.
"Yeah! I'll get better as fast as possible, promise! That way, we can go play together sooner."
When Kino returned, he was frantic and out of breath, carrying something in his arms. "Genta!"
Seeing his frazzled state, Genta became alarmed, but tried his best to remain calm in the face of his younger brother. "Yeah? What's up? Where's the water for Shouta...?"
Still panting, Kino pulled out a small container filled with water from behind his back. "Right here..." While Genta waited for Kino to regain his bearings, he helped Shouta drink his water. Once he was finished, his friend finally seemed to be back to normal. "Look at this!"
The boy shoved a parcel in Genta's face, momentarily stunning him. Though confused, he took it anyway, unwrapping it slowly. "What the...?"
Both Kino and Genta's eyes widened as they looked at the contents of the package with disbelief.
...Someone had sent them a blanket and medicine, a note written in elegant handwriting that read "Live truthfully" attached to it.
╭⋟────────────────────────╮
✦✧✦✧
╰────────────────────────⋞╯
Annnnd that concludes the first interlude arc yippee!! With more to come LMAOAOOO (after the end/at the beginning of each season though). So now we can finally get back to the main storyline 😼
ALSO, I would just like to clarify (I kept forgetting to add this), I know the Tanizaki siblings are included in the love interests list, but they aren't really love interests. It's more like a one-sided puppy-crush thing that they have going on but mc sees them as purely platonic, so yeah (and Atsushi is semi-platonic but also kind of not idrk yet lol) 👍
Hhhhh to be honest, I really don't know how I'm going to put mc into season 2 JADFJLDSJKA Like, I have ONE thing planned, but it's literally just an appearance at the end and not actually her taking part in the arc 🧍♀️ so uhhh, if you have any suggestions/ideas, pls share them cause I'm on a motivation streak rn and I'd like to write as much as possible and have these things at least planned out before I go into another hibernation (maybe) and y'all don't see me for another month or smth 😭 But dw, I do at least have some ideas for season 3 (but will gladly take suggestions), and obv I already have this season planned out so there won't be a wait for that (in terms of me taking my sweet time trying to figure out what to write, not time between updates LMAOOO) but I'll try to get it done as soon as possible so I can feed you guys.
See you lovelies next chapter 💖💖