Bungo Stray Dogs Vol 1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Translator: Kuririn

Editor: Janey

8th

               There was rainfall this morning.

               A solemn and cold winter rain, as if the time for extreme coldness has come.

               I wish to live according to ideals.

               To conduct one’s ideals, that’s what I work for. Moving forward without fear, without losing interest, without hesitation.

               Alas! To chase after the privilege of being able to dream about the future, will I be blessed to faithfully carry out my professional duties?

               If you climb a slope near the harbor of Yokohama, there lies the office of the Armed Detective Agency.

               It is a reddish-brown brick building. Because it is an old building and the sea breeze is strong, even the drains and telephone poles are rusting. But although the outwards appearance looks doubtful, it is actually solid, that, even when an enemy shoots at it with a machine gun, they won’t be able to land a single damage inside.

               Why am I able to confidently say this? It’s because there was someone who had tried.

               It’s simply that the Armed Detective Agency houses only the fourth floor; other than that, the other floors have their respective tenants. The first floor is a coffee shop, the second floor is a law firm. The third floor is empty and the fifth floor is a storage room for miscellaneous things. Before payday, I am often indebted to the coffee shop. Whenever troublesome work comes, I would go down to the law firm and beg for help.

               I am now getting on the elevator of said building, coming to work.

               I get off the elevator and stood in front of the door to the Armed Detective Agency’s office. Written with a brush, a simple Armed Detective Agency was framed and hung from the door.

               I looked at my wristwatch. There’s still 40 seconds left until I have to go to work at 8 am.

               I have arrived a little too early.

               Strict compliance to time is my motto. In the 40 seconds that I have to wait, I opened my notebook and confirmed today’s schedule once more. I looked over the breakfast time once, the departure time from the dormitories once, the waiting time at the red light once, but because I’ve went through them once, I won’t treat these schedules as dead.

               While reading the notebook, work flickered across my mind. I fixed my collar and looked at my wristwatch again.

               … Well then.

               “Good morning.”

               I opened the door.

               “Ah, Kunikida-kun, morning! Hey, please take a look at this! This is dreadful!”

               Dazai suddenly appeared in front of the door. Smiling.

               “After a long struggle, I finally did it! Oh, what a wonderful world this is! This is the world after death, the Underworld! It’s just like I imagined it, look at it! Smokes are creeping along the ground, the moonlight stained glass feels familiar, in the western pink sky an elephant is dancing!”

               He gestures in exaggeration and dances in front of the office door. What a nuisance.

               “Hohohohoho, as expected the The Complete Suicide Manual is a masterpiece! Just by eating the mushrooms growing on the mountain trail behind, I am able to go down such a happy and pleasant road towards suicide! Wonderful! Hoho!”

               Dazai’s eyes are not focused. His pupils are twitching.

               “P-Please do something, Kunikida-san!” An office worker looked at me with tearful eyes.

               I presume, that even before business hours starts, he was already in this state.

               I glance at Dazai’s table.

               Over there, lying open to a single page, lies the damned ancient book, The Complete Suicide Manual. The title of the page reads ‘Death by Poison – Mushroom’. On the plate beside the book, there’s a slice of bitten fungus.

               What’s more, if you pay attention a bit more carefully, there’s a slight difference in color to the one drawn in the book.

               “Hey, hey, Kunikida-kun, come on over to the Underworld too! Look, the alcohol are free flow, there’s endless food, and you can smell the pretty ladies all you want!”

               “Please help us, Kunikida-san! No matter what we do, he’s still…”

               Long story short, the one Dazai consumed was not a deathly poisoned mushroom, but one that must’ve caused hallucinations.

               But, that’s the thing.

               Every morning, right after I come to work, he would mess up my scheduled order and scheduled actions. If I can’t proceed with my morning plans smoothly in the first place, will I be able to proceed with the rest of the day smoothly? There’s just no way.

               Ignoring the twisting and wiggling Dazai and the close to crying employee, I headed towards my own desk.

               I placed the bag on the table as usual. Then I turned on the computer. I opened the window as usual.

               “Wow! Kunikida-kun, there’s a gigantic sea anemone outside the window! Banana! It’s eating a banana! It’s taking away the white party blowers around us!”

               As usual, I poured the coffee into my cup. I scrapped away the useless documents from the day before.

               “I get it! I’ll strip; if I strip the viewer’s ratings will go up! It’s not an easy task but let’s strip, then as a change let’s put on full body tights! Everyone wearing tights, going to the bank, then dance the Cossack Dance!”

               I check the telegram in the correspondence cabinet as usual. I downed the coffee in one gulp.

               “There’s a voice… urgh, he- he’s inside my head! …A small gramps! And he’s whispering to me, to go to Kyoto, there’s an authentic tofu with a unique flavor that I have to tr—-“

               I landed a flying kick to the back of Dazai’s head. He crashed to the wall and fainted.

000

               From the start.

               The day this person who definitely failed the exam with 0 points became my colleague was around 4 days ago.

               “New employee?”

               That day, I was organizing the work files for the day when I was called into the President’s office.

               A new investigator got employed and he wanted me to look after him.

               It was unexpected.

               Even though working in the Armed Detective Agency is a dangerous job that involves killing and fighting, I’ve never heard of us being short on staff. In this way, I work as an algebra lecturer at a school as my side job twice a week.

               Naturally, like the recent ‘Blue Flag Terrorism’ case, or the ‘Serial Disappearance of Yokohama’s Visitors’ case, or the conflict with the illegal organization of the Port Mafia, etc. the cases that requires the help of the Armed Detective Agency have been increasing lately. The requests coming in for our main investigator Ranpo-san will also increase, I am sure. I wonder if the President’s decision was because he already anticipated this.

               “I’ll introduce you. Come in.”

               After contemplating for a while, the President looks at the door and called out.

               “How do you do?”

               I look at the man walking in with a smile.

               Sand-coloured coat and an open-collared shirt. He was tall and too thin, dark unkempt hair and unmaintained clothing; but despite the disheveled appearance, he had nice features. I was a bit bothered by the white bandages around his neck and wrists.

               “Dazai Osamu. Aged 20, nice to meet you.”

               20. Same as me.

               “Kunikida, if there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me.”

               “Ooh! Are you an investigator of the highly appraised Armed Detective Agency? I am impressed!”

               The man who goes by the name of Dazai forcefully grasps my hand and shakes it. He swings it exaggeratedly.

               At that moment, suddenly – I felt like a cold and sharp light flickered in that man’s eyes. No, it felt like it pierced to the depths of my mind, just like a monk above the clouds –

               But in a blink, that saintly look disappears, and Dazai’s face returns to its normal stupid face.

               Did I see wrongly? Was it a delusion of the eyes?

               “Anyway, Dazai? Why this detective company? This is not some temple where you’ll be accepted if you just beg, you know.”

               “About that. I was unemployed, unmotivated, and frequently drunk at a bar. At times I would talk with the uncle beside me and we placed a bet. Whoever wins the drinking contest shall be mediated into a job. I thought it was a joke, but then I won.”

               Who the heck is that old man?

               “Said person is the Department of Special Force’s Taneda-sensei. Yesterday he came to greet us with a favour.”

               The President said with a serious look.

               However, the moment Taneda-sensei’s name was said, my breathing stopped.

               If we’re talking about the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department of Special Force’s Taneda, there’s no one who doesn’t know him in this line of business; he’s the executive of the Special Force Unit. His work is managing and regulating all ability users. Even when the President was building the Armed Detective Agency, he often depended on Taneda-sensei’s helpful influence.

               No matter what a bigshot the President is, he can’t turn down a person recommended personally by Taneda-sensei.

               “I’ll be under you care, senpai.”

               I don’t know if he knows about the unrest in my heart or not, but our new employee showed his white teeth while smiling widely.

000

               But, no matter if he’s a super important person that was accepted by the leader of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or not, eating a mushroom and flying into a delusional world all on his own first thing in the morning is really annoying.

               This is the third day I am partnered with Dazai.

               My heart and soul can’t rest for even a moment, work has not progressed even a bit, and calls of complaints keep coming in.

               If I keep my eyes off him just for a second, he would jump into a river. When he says he wants to go for a break, he would end up drinking at a bar and come back all drunk. When he says he received a divine revelation, he would randomly go hit on a pretty lady. Calling him a 20-year-old child suits him really well, behaving as he pleases without caring for anyone else, he tore my plans into a thousand pieces.

               Having said that, work is still work, a subordinate is still a subordinate. If I go against the President’s instructions and raise my voice after only three days, starting with the President’s trust, I would go against the Armed Detective Agency’s dignity.

               “How is he? The new guy?”

               At a Go place near the Agency’s office, the President asked while playing Go in a small tatami room.

               “A disaster. He’s like a hybrid of the devil, the poltergeist and the god of poverty in one.”

               I placed a black Go stone on the cypress Go board. The sound of the stone hitting the board resounds.

               “But, well, I will do something about it.”

               After work, I would always play Go with the President at this place. Without anyone else around in this Japanese-styled room, sitting across each other beside the Go board.

               “This isn’t ending…”

               The President placed a white stone on the board and gained the upper hand, leaving me in a dilemma over my right side of the board.

               “No. There is Taneda-sensei’s case. But, why did Sensei placed such a man here?”

               While talking, I look for a move to play. Maybe I should aim for a kou at the bottom right corner of the board – no, it will become a mountain of barrier for a yosekou. Even if I persevere on the left side, I can’t expand to the middle and it will end. I have no more moves. It looks like it’ll only take a few more moves from the President.

               “Taneda-sensei may have a wild personality, but he has discerning eyes when judging people. He might’ve noticed an extraordinary ability in that young man.”

               Certainly. As the rumours said about Taneda-sensei, he’s second to none when it comes to judgment. If not, he couldn’t have possibly commanded the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department of Special Force.

               It’s just that – “extraordinary ability”? That guy whose head looks like it’s stuffed with mud?

               “I agree with Taneda-sensei. When Dazai took the exam beforehand, he passed with full marks on the spot. That guy is a born winner. To the extent that it is doubtful.”

               “What do you mean by… doubtful?”

               “I looked up Dazai’s past in the office. However, there’s nothing. It’s completely blank. I asked for help from a friend in the police investigation team, but it is uncanny how nothing shows up. It’s as if there’s someone out there who deliberately erased his past.”

               To think that even the police investigation team couldn’t find anything, it is certainly strange.

               “Possibly, there’s simply nothing and he has just been idling around all this time?”

               “Maybe. Otherwise –“

               A few moments passed and a wrinkle showed up in the middle of his forehead, then the President continued.

               “Have you asked Dazai about the ability he has?”

               “No, not yet.”

               Speaking of which, I’ve heard that he’s an ability user, but I’ve never had the chance to ask what it is.

               “Dazai’s ability… is the ability to nullify abilities with a touch.”

               I am doubting my own ears.

               Nullifying. At a glance, it seems like a simple ability that doesn’t hold brilliance, but even among ability users, depending on how it’s used, it is an extraordinary ability that holds the possibility of shutting down other abilities.

               My ability is called “Doppo Poetry”, it is an ability where if I write words on a page, tear it and pray silently, the real thing will appear physically. But, if I wrote it on a page larger than my notebook’s size, it won’t appear. It is a generic, superior and often criticized ability. But even so, it does not exceed “convenience”. If there’s something I need, I just have to carry my notebook around, but it is exactly because of that.

               But Dazai’s ability is different.

               Theoretically, it is expected that rivals cannot use their abilities because of Dazai.  Even the world’s strongest ability user will end up being just an average guy in front of Dazai.

               It’s not strange if many nations’ ability users’ organizations come together to scout him.

               I’ve slowly started accepting what the President had just said.

               “In other words… it’s something like this isn’t it? At the place where someone as great as Taneda-sensei goes to drink, a genius ability user just happened to sit beside him, and they just happened to make an agreement together. A man, who with queer words and actions took the exams and passed with full marks. That kind of person, just happened to be unemployed. Then by someone else’s connection, to the Armed Detective Agency that is very impossible to get employed in, he entered instantly without a hitch.

Isn’t that too good to be true?”

               “It might just be overthinking. However, the Armed Detective Agency has many connections to the authority and the police. In this line of work, there might be times where we have to conform to state secrets.”

               Certainly, if in the case of a criminal organization, this detective company that works together with the police, it is a profitable place to sneak into.

               However – is it possible, that Dazai is a spy that sneaked into the Agency?

               To the extent that he is able to outwit the outstanding Taneda-sensei?

               That Dazai?

               “Kunikida. I want to entrust that man’s entrance exam to you.”

               I nod my head in agreement. The ‘entrance exam’ the President is talking about is an assessment that the Agency gave to investigators for generations. It’s just like a ‘secret inspection’. If you don’t pass this, you won’t be accepted as a true employee.

               “At work, stay close to Dazai, make sure of the genuineness of his spirit. If there ever comes a time where you doubt him as a secret agent, emissary, spy or anything of the sort, fire him without hesitation. Also, more than anything else, if his soul is evil, if there is a time where he shows signs of wickedness –“

               From behind the President, he took out a black automatic pistol from a bag he had prepared earlier and handed it over to me.

               “…”

               I accepted the gun without a word.

               Heavy.

               “You shoot.”

               “Yes.”

               If Dazai is implicated in any evil business, it is the role of the detective company to stop that at the coastline.

               A person who holds a detective license from the Armed Detective Agency is granted the same authority as the police. With conditions attached, we have permission to carry guns or knives. We can withdraw information from the police. Above all, by the jurisdiction of the investigation, bothering and disturbing the search, falsification of police information, wiring and bugging of important facilities, every wrongdoing is possible. In the worst case, acting as a terrorist and destroying important buildings, taking away the lives of what hundreds and thousands of people, there are no such impossibilities.

               The iron automatic pistol feels cold and silent in my hand.

 

At the bay where the waves softly crash, the moon soaks that figure with light.

               I walk along the hustle and bustle of the harbor. The sound of the current rivals the noises of twilight, the moonlight rivals the lamps on the street.

               Walking behind me, Dazai bobs along.

               Dazai’s mushroom turmoil had continued on for half the day, we can finally do some work.

               “Kunikida-kun, that ability you displayed – was it called Doppo Poetry? Show me again sometime.”

               “I refuse. Abilities aren’t something to be revealed lightly. And anyway, every time I use my ability, I lose a page of my notebook. This notebook is a limited edition product made by a certain craftsman, who after a long time, only managed to make 100 volumes and even the price is exceptional. As if it could be traded with your gags.”

               I look at the watch around my wrist and turned around.

               “More importantly, Dazai, walk quicker. We are going to be late for our appointment.”

               “Even if you say we’re late, Kunikida-kun, there’s no appointed time to go to the information broker, so it wasn’t really an appointment, isn’t it?”

               “No. I told them by phone ‘around 7 pm’.”

               “And? It’s exactly 7 right now. If we walk from here, it’ll only take 5 minutes, so there’s no way we can be late.”

               “Idiot! If it’s ‘around 7 pm’, then I’ve set my watch from anywhere between 18:59:50 to 19:00:10, these 20 seconds were decided!”

               “That kind of time-keeping, only you would do that though…”

               I walked while bantering back and forth with Dazai.

               By the way, because my wristwatch is synchronized with the standard time to which I get out of bed every morning, the miscalculation in time is less than 1 second.

               “Who was it that ate a Happy Mushroom and caused work to not progress for the day? Don’t even think to do that a second time. Even if you do, make sure it’s the poisonous one you eat.”

               “Well, it was a happy hour.”

               “Are you already fine? Are you not seeing the elephant in the pink sky anymore?”

               “Elephant? Don’t be stupid. There’s no way such a thing can fly, right? The one that can fly is the purple coloured paramecium.”

               This person is probably already hopeless.

               Every time I speak to Dazai, I feel like my own doubts are sounding stupid.

               Secret agent? Evil?

               The worst thing he could do is probably jump into a railway and throw the train schedule out of order.

               Be that as it may, Dazai is just your interesting average incompetent person who speaks simply, it’s enough just to dismiss him. Although it’s just as I wish –

               “Dazai, you remember the request we are going to do from now on, right?”

               “Exterminating the purple paramecium.”

               “…Until just now, I’ve been thinking that you’re talking a bit vaguely, but you’re doing it on purpose, right?”

               “Ahaha. It’s that right? The Haunted House Investigation.”

               I scowl when he said that without delay and with a smiling face.

               Yesterday, I received a request addressed to me on my electronic mail. The content of the letter is as follows.

               Dear Sir,

               With respect to the Armed Detective Agency, we hope this letter finds you well.

               During this opportunity, we would like to make a request to the Armed Detective Agency. We know it is a busy time, but please let us trouble you with this.

               To tell the truth, it started with a bizarre phenomenon arising night after night. This is a request for an investigation. In a building that is supposedly not being used by anyone, we can hear eerie groaning voices and whispering sounds. What’s more, there is a faint flickering light coming from the windows; those of us who live nearby have not a moment to relax.

               Though we know that this is an ill-mannered request, but we appreciate if we could receive clarification on whether it is a work of mischief or not. And if it is, how it was carried out.

               It is nothing more than a little, but we will send a special retaining fee. We will gladly accept the bill.

               Furthermore, we wish for the contents of this request to be kept secret, while it is selfish, we request your cooperation.

               We pray for everyone’s health and happiness.

               Yours Sincerely

               Actually, it’s very roundabout. Even though the content of the letter was beating around the bush, the point seems to be “There’s suspicious noises coming from the nearby building, go check for us.”

               Right after this letter was delivered to me, said retaining fee arrived at the Agency’s office. After checking the inside and deducting the expected expenses, there’s enough for the retaining fee left.

               If it’s like this, there’s no reason to reject. We will conduct the investigation as usual.

               However – there’s only one concern.

               There is no name of the requester.

               Who sent this request, where does this person live, is there any way to contact said person. Everything is unclear. Possibly, this person is purposefully hiding himself, but we can’t report our findings either.

               That’s why I, accompanied by Dazai, end up with this difficult task of finding the unnamed person.

               “Maybe the person who sent in the request is also an evil ghost waiting for us in the haunted house. And us, the detectives that fall into its trap, will be swallowed in one gulp –“

               “You fool. As if there’s a horror story where the ghost can send an e-mail in this world.”

               Though, even if the other party is a ghost I won’t be scared… probably.

               While we’re talking about useless nonsense, we walk towards the warehouse district by the bay. The cluster of brownish red bricked buildings reflects the moonlight back into the dark and hazy night.

               We tread into one of those warehouses that was smaller and older than the rest.

               The ceiling is high, the plasters on the walls are peeling off from the sea wind. The smell of spare machine parts and oil, and also the smell of old dust and time are floating around. I pressed the buzzer to the office.

               The sound of iron moving across the surface resounds and the chains lifted.

               “Enter.”

               Sure enough, from the inside, a shrill voice replied.

               Behind the many padlocks, I dive into the wide and heavy birch door and entered.

               The room is a bit smaller than 20 tatami. On the walls and the floors, electronic machinery are piled up and flickering diodes illuminate the dim room.

               The inner center has a clump of computers lined up, and the fans resound like the growls of stray dogs. On the table were four LCD panels, each showing a different picture glowing palely.

               “Yo, glasses. Are you doing as the notebook tells you today too?”

               “Don’t take advantage of that cocky mouth, information broker. If we circulate that evidence we have in the agency to the right places, you’ll end up living ten years in prison. If that happens your late father will cry.”

               “Don’t be talkin ‘bout my dad.”

               The information broker that has both his legs resting on top of the table is a 14 year old boy.

               Large eyes and cropped head. Whether it is summer or winter, his only choice of clothing is a white sweater. His body might be small, but the glint in his eyes are as sharp as glass fragments.

               “More importantly, you’re actually late? How unusual. What, on a date?” He raised his pinky, indicating homosexuality.

               “Absolutely not. Dating is only reserved for the girl I am planning to marry. What’s more, in my notebook, the page about my future plans wrote that marriage is in 6 more years.” I said while flipping my notebook open.

               “What’s that, glasses? You have a girl you are planning to marry?”

               “That is scheduled to happen in 4 more years.”

               “Oh, I see…”

               The boy’s eyes widens and his jaw falls when I answer him seriously while turning open my notebook.

               “Living off ideals and plans, that’s what being an adult is. Watch and learn, young man.”

               “Hmm…. I kinda more or less understand Kunikida-kun’s character, but just now was a bit…”

               Dazai appeared from the wooden door behind me.

               “Hm, a new face. Who?”

               “Hi. Introducing myself is obviously not a bad thing to do, but because of the thing Kunikida-kun is going to say next, it’s impossible.”

               “Boy, before you ask for someone else’s name, you should give your own first. And Dazai, don’t anticipate my words and actions without my permission.”

               “Glasses, you really like the word ‘should’ don’t you… Oh well. My name is Taguchi Rokuzo. 14 years old. My profession is computer hacking.”

               “He was caught hacking into the agency’s network. An idiot that was hurled away by me.” I politely commented.

               “Enough with that talk. Hey, stop fooling around and hand over the transmission record from that time.”

               Three months ago, this Rokuzo brat hacked into the Armed Detective Agency’s information database, there was such a time when the agency fell into such mayhem. Naturally, there’s no way the agency lets their guard down when it comes to cyber defense. The mayhem was settled quickly and a tracing investigation pinned this location.

               In the end, this Rokuzo brat screwed up big time, his proof of being a criminal, the transmission record, wasn’t handed to the police and he should’ve accepted it as a condition for him helping out the agency as an information broker in a win-win situation.

               “Well, and? Did you find out who the sender of that e-mail was?”

               “The way you talk to your work partners is rude, glasses. There’s no way I can do it immediately. Wait a little bit more.”

               Just like the boy said, he was entrusted with the job of locating this person without a name. Tracking the source of an e-mail is his special skill, so it shouldn’t be such a difficult case.

               “Even without this, I am already busy with the other case – ‘tracing the missing person’. That one came first, right?”

               “That’s right.” I consented.

– Serial Disappearance of Yokohama’s Visitors.

A disappearance case where the victims who have no connections to each other at a glance unexpectedly disappeared and didn’t return after. The current number of people missing is 11.

It’s been a month since the investigation team started. The common feature between the victims is very minor, other than the fact that these people are from outside Yokohama and they were walking on their own two feet when they disappeared, there’s nothing else. It’s a searching-a-needle-in-a-haystack level of difficulty to solve.

Rokuzo’s assigned job is to make a log about what the victims were doing right before they disappeared. He was requested to start searching from railway and taxi reports, but it seems like the course of events was not favourable.

“What is that case? This is the first time I heard of it. Tell me in detail.”

Dazai was sticking his nose in, showing signs of interest.

“I’ll tell you later.”

For all that, I lightly denied the topic at hand.

Of course there was a reason for it. I had planned to set the solving of this serial disappearances case aside for Dazai’s entrance exam.

“Hmm, educating new recruits. Glasses, you’ve promoted huh.”

“He’s a pretty obstinate superior; I am troubled, you know.

– Ah, that’s right, Rokuzo was it? You’re a hacker, right? Don’t you have something, like Kunikida’s weakness, or something like his embarrassing hidden photos…?”

“Oi, Dazai! Don’t openly look for blackmail in front of the person!”

“Oh, so you understand, new employee. 1000 yen, 10000 yen, 100000 yen, which deal is good for you?”

“You have such a thing!?”

Wait, wait wait. Calm down.

“Don’t fool around, I don’t have a weakness. The brat is just putting on airs, Dazai, don’t play along.”

“…Hmm.” Dazai looked at me with a gaze full of hidden meanings.

“If you don’t believe me, then whatever. I only sell to customers who believed in me anyway. However, if glasses here pays for everything, I can erase all of the evidence for you.”

“Who would pay!? I don’t have such embarrassing information about me! We are going, Dazai!”

I pulled at the nape of Dazai’s neck and stepped out of the wooden door, leaving the boy’s room behind me.

…111000 yen huh…

At night, not a single person can be seen in the warehouse district.

              On the streets of this district, Dazai and I were waiting for the taxi we had reserved earlier.

              The lamps of oncoming and going railroad cars pulls elongating rays of light. Yellow-coloured shadows. Like silver ribbons. Diffusing red lights of brake lamps. The white headlights cut out the shadows of the buildings. The nightlights reflected on the cars’ glass windows were like liquid, flowing into the distance in front of one’s eyes.

              The sea wind blows the clouds back and forth, the moonlight dropping black and white shadows on the harbour’s road.

              “What a pleasant kid.” Dazai said while staring at the night sky.

              “Letting the kid meet you was a failure on my part. I should’ve realized that nothing good will come out of it earlier.”

              “Senpai, can I ask one question?”

              “What?”

              “Why are you looking after Rokuzo?”

              When I look at Dazai, he has a serious expression.

              “I was wondering why you gave him a job. Things like going after missing people, I am sure even the agency can do that much. Even this instance, a conversation than can be done over the phone, you even go out of your way to get here.”

              I kept quiet. It’s not an easy question to answer.

              “It appeared just a little in the conversation, but does it have to do with the kid’s father?”

              I instantly looked at Dazai.

              “So I got it right.” Dazai looked at my face and laughed.

              “…Rokuzo’s father is an excellent policeman. However, he’s dead.”

              Seeing no way out, I begin talking.

              ”Before, he worked together with the agency in pursuit of a criminal. Some kind of big shot criminal that destroyed facilities that belongs to the country and corporate businesses. No matter how frantically the police chase him down, it’s like they couldn’t get a firm grasp on his whereabouts.”

              “And that – is the Blue Flag Terrorism case?”

              “That’s right.”

              The police and the army were involved, it was a heinous case that shook the country into an uproar.

              “At the end of the agency’s pursuit, we were able to succeed in discovering his secret base and reported it to the city police.”

              “Well, isn’t that a great accomplishment!” Dazai admires.

              “Yes, it certainly was. However, at the time, the army, the public welfare office and the city police were working together, the chain of commands got mixed up and created confusion. Unfortunately, the criminal was able to sense danger because of this and barricaded himself in the secret base. He was carrying a lot of high-level explosives.”

              The memories come back. The angry roar of the city police from the telephone receiver. Order to arrest. Order to wait. The inconsistent instructions flying about.

              “Because of the confusion in instructions, the only detectives that were able to rush towards the location quickly were a mere 5 people. The instructions given to them were breaking in and taking control… But in this kind of society, what can the criminal called the ‘Blue King’ who doesn’t have a part in any special organizations or hold any ability do to 5 people?”

              However, the people in the location couldn’t understand everything. They thought there was no other way but to break in from above.

              “The result was them driving the criminal to light the explosives. The criminal and the five detectives all died.”

              “ –And one of those five men who died was Rokuzo’s father, right?”

              “Rozuko’s mother died early and the two of them lived together. He said he had respected his father who was a police officer.”

              I clenched my fist.

              “At the time, the one who reported the discovery of the secret base, was me.”

              At that time, if only I contacted someone with more authority. Or perhaps, if the agency had helped with the break-in.

              “It’s as if I was the one who did the murder.”

              “That’s not true. No matter how much I think about it, the head of the city police who gave the instructions and the criminal who blasted himself to death was at fault.”

               “Maybe. But I am sure the young boy’s opinion begs to differ. Or else he wouldn’t have hacked into the agency in a revenge-like attack.”

              Perhaps Rokuzo is bitter towards the agency. I’ve never confirmed it face to face. However–

              “Rokuzo’s father is no longer around. Only that is the truth. Someone must watch over him in place of his father, and occasionally discipline him. I just happen to be able to do that. That being the case, the timing is convenient.”

              “Kunikida-kun is a romanticist, huh.” Dazai let out a sigh similar to sarcasm.

              I’ve never thought of myself as a romanticist, nor do I understand whatever this romance thing is.

              However, all my acquaintances tells me, “You’re a romanticist.” I do not understand the reason why.

              Even though I keep saying that everything in this world does not follow ideals.

              As I think, a taxi stopped in front of us. The driver is waving his hand.

000

              Concerning taxi drivers, there are those endowed with a variety of different experiences and knowledge.

              Such as being clean, being steady, knowing all kinds of alleyway shortcuts, having the driving skills for being a driver for way too long, or a good young man with a refreshing smile, or those putting the passenger’s will to economize on the meter fare first. There are those that treat each request sensibly, not once interrupting.

              Speaking of which, the request I made to this driver is only one.

              “Well – it has been a long time, hasn’t it, Inspector Kunikida? Today is a perfect day for detective duties isn’t it? Today’s glasses also suits you well, as I continue my driving work, I became well versed in understanding the merits and demerits of glasses, y’know! Calling it elegance, or calling it the good quality of birth. Inspector Kunikida’s glasses is really excellent! You have my word!”

               “I am begging you please shut up a little and drive.”

              First and foremost, what does he mean by judging the virtue of the birth of glasses. How stupid – Although I want to know a little bit more about it.

              “‘There’s nothing better than a quiet driver’. Have passengers not told you before?”

              “Nope, I’ve never been told that, huh. Rather, passengers never talk when I am driving. It’s only me who does all the talking.”

              I know what this taxi should be called around town. A deadfall.

              Dazai and I rode the taxi we contacted before and headed towards the location of the request. In the darkness that can be seen outside the car window, the illumination in the city streets is little to none, the sparse outline of the forest sweeps the cloudy moonlight and flow it over to the rear.

              Of course, we didn’t ride this deadfall of a taxi because we were out of luck. We even purposefully send for it. Why so?

              It’s to gather information.

              “Dazai, do you remember the Serial Disappearance of Yokohama’s Visitors case that we talked about a while ago?”

              “Ah, the one that Rozuko boy was investigating?”

              “Yes. There are eleven victims. Out of those eleven, two of them were witnessed by this driver right before they disappeared.”

              I pointed to the petite driver in front of me.

              “Rather than witness, I only drove them from the harbor to the hotel though. One of them was a lady on holiday, the other one was a businessman on a business trip.”

              “And you’re sure they are the people in these photos?”

              I took out several sheets of photos from my breast pocket. Either way, we already confirmed with the hotel’s surveillance camera, these are the photos of the missing people. The figure of them walking into the building, checking in at the reception and walk out the next day; there were three kinds.

              “Yeap, these are the people without a doubt. Even their clothes are the same as the ones in the pictures. I dropped them off at this hotel.”

              “Okay, anyway Kunikida-kun, do you think you can kindly tell me about the case in detail when you are free?”

              “…Fine.”

              At that place, I begin to roughly describe the case.

              About a month ago, a 42 year old man on a business trip to Yokohama suddenly disappeared. After tracing his footsteps, it became clear that he went to the hotel from the harbor and checked in, spent the night then went out to the city the next day. However, he didn’t show up at the business meeting, nor did he return back home. Leaving his things in the hotel room, there’s no telling where his feet guided him to.

              The other victims were more or less in the same situation, lone tourists, exhibition participants, and totals to eleven people. Among the missing, they don’t have the same ages, addresses or jobs, only the fact that they came alone to Yokohama is their common point. The police set up investigations to track their footsteps down after they left the hotel, but they came up with nothing. It’s as if they disappeared in a puff of a smoke.

              According to the city police, the most possible case is kidnapping. But, in a big city like this, there’s no place where someone can be kidnapped without anyone witnessing. Also, the families were not threatened with ransom, the objective for kidnapping is unclear.

              “If it is objective, isn’t there one?”

              The quiet Dazai who has been listening up until now, suddenly said that with a clear voice.

              “It’s trafficking.”

              “What?”

              “I’ve been saying, after kidnapping, they were sold. From what I hear, the missing people are all healthy adults, right? Heart, kidney, cornea, lung, liver, pancreas, bone marrow – well, if they were sold in the overseas market with Japanese yen it won’t amount to much, but the body of eleven people is like a mountain of gold already. If it’s the doing of a lone criminal, it would be a fortune.”

              “Certainly, the black market have that kind of money circulating – but you know an awful lot about it.”

              I thought that for the average person, that kind of knowledge only comes from stories in books and films at most.

              “No way, in a bar at the outskirts of the city, I just happened to hear people talk about it.”

              What a dubious explanation. It’s like he’s making an excuse.

              Well, everything about this man is dubious.

              “…If that’s the case, then does the missing people personally beg their buyer, “Please buy my organs?” like that? Purposefully in the middle of a holiday or a business trip?”

              “That’s true, it is a little bit unnatural. Well if it’s

Chapter end