Akutagawa's Story

I was supposed to go with Kyouka-chan, but Kunikida-san told Akutagawa to go and buy a cake with me instead.

On the way to the bakery, I asked him about what really happened to Dazai-san and what this world is about. Akutagawa looks like he knows what is happening and I don't have anybody to ask about the situation right now but him, so even though it's hard to trust him, I tried my best to do it.

Akutagawa said he's an orphan who killed a group of six outlaws that murdered his friends before. Choosing to take revenge for his dead friends and leaving his sister alone, he had encountered a man in black, mostly covered with bandages at the very same night. The man was originally planning to recruit him, but changed his mind when he saw that Akutagawa is bent on killing out of blind rage and revenge.

Akutagawa said he got furious when the man said that he will take his sister, Gin, and will be the one to look after her. He tried to kill the man in black, but he couldn't do it because of the man's ability to nullify every ability of the person he touched. Akutagawa stayed at the riverbank, starving for days, throat dries, body unclean as he had no proper food to eat and he couldn't move his feet to clean himself, but he was found by Oda Sakunosuke—a man working at the Armed Detective Agency.

The man didn't hesitate to help him when he saw how hopeless he was. Oda picked him up and carried him on his shoulder, he also nursed him after bringing him to his house.

Four and a half years later, Akutagawa passes the Armed Detective Agency entrance exam where Oda-san works. His entrance exam consisted of disposing of a fake bomb that was held by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and his sister, Naomi, pretending to be a hostage. It was just like the entrance exam that the agency prepared for me before. I immediately passed the exam because I hugged the bomb over my chest to cover it with my body, not thinking twice to sacrifice myself to save everyone.

Akutagawa got mad because Tanizaki used his own sister to pretend as a hostage. He remembered his own sister, Gin, and told Tanizaki to cherish his sister well. His goal for joining the detective agency is to find Gin who he thought got kidnapped by the man in black he met 4 and a half years ago. Akutagawa still didn't pass the real exam though. The real test is to prove whether he possesses self-discipline and morals—to see if he is really qualified to be part of the Armed Detective Agency. Meanwhile, I, Atsushi Nakajima, the feared Port Mafia's White Reaper, was busy completing a mission with Kyouka-chan, based on the order of the Port Mafia's boss, Osamu Dazai.

Akutagawa told me that he asked Oda-san to train him to become stronger. He also said that they sought Ranpo-san's help to find Gin, though the detective seemed to not give a single care and doesn't have any plan to help, he issued Akutagawa an OK card and he has a mission to convince his fellow detectives to fill it with their stamps. In return, he needs to do the members' conditions and follow their orders that were given to him one by one.

Akutagawa added that we met at the Café Uzumaki—the cafe on the first floor located in the same building as the agency's office. We talked and found out that we both grew up as orphans. We exchange stories from our respective pasts. Akutagawa said that he finds out about where his sister is, from the document that Dazai-san asked me to deliver to the agency. We both got embroiled in a skirmish.

Akutagawa told me that I ended up retreating while he suffered from wounds and was rendered unconscious. After Akutagawa got healed by Yosano-sensei, he saw his OK card already filled with the members' stamps. The agency had a meeting during that time and right there, he found out that Dazai-san is the man in black who he had encountered before. He recognized his voice from the secret footage Ranpo-san and Oda-san retrieved.

His sister, Gin, was actually the secretary of the Port Mafia's boss. Akutagawa didn't wait and went out to storm the Mafia's headquarters impatiently and killed all of the armed guards that tried to get on his way.

Many blood was sacrificed, many lives were killed. Akutagawa said that he's like a beast that doesn't have any control over himself as all he wanted to do was to kill the man in black and also me who's trying to protect Dazai-san.

While we were fighting, I was haunted by a past order by Dazai-san not to go to my former orphanage and engage Akutagawa in combat. Akutagawa told me that it was when I attacked the orphanage and confronted our orphanage director against Dazai-san's order.

I killed the director in both panic and fear when he showed me a box that I thought he would use to hurt and kill me, but after killing him with my claws, I opened the box and found out that it was actually a watch that the director of the orphanage wanted to give me as a birthday gift.

I felt guilty after I attacked the orphanage that didn't give me any happy memories. I killed the director with my own claws and regretted it afterwards. Akutagawa told me that based on my reaction while I'm telling that story to him, I regretted everything... because I would never be able to hear the only thing that I wanted to hear from the director.

In the midst of our battle, Akutagawa said that Gin urges him to forget her and asserts that he is born to do evil. He said I transformed into a white tiger, and we both fell off the Mafia's headquarters.

There's a lot of things that happened next, but at the end, Akutagawa said that he had spared my life on the rooftop. When I tried to ask him why he spared my life, he didn't answer and just continued with the story, telling me that Dazai-san arrived right after he spared my life and I got fired working at the Port Mafia—by Dazai-san himself. Akutagawa said Dazai-san told me to live in the outside world with Kyouka-chan. Dazai-san also told us about a certain book that allows whatever written in it to become a reality. He ultimately reveals that he had planned for us to face and understand each other, that's why Akutagawa and I met, and as part of his fifth and final stage, Dazai-san jumped from the rooftop—successfully commiting suicide.

When Dazai-san was gone, Akutagawa shared that he managed to learn non-combat skills with his ability and lived as a full-fledged detective at the agency. He didn't know what happened to me, but he heard that I was with Ogai Mori—Dazai's Mafia predecessor who was believed to be dead, but it turns out that he is the new orphanage director and it's also part of Dazai-san's plan.

"This world is a mere shadow of the real world, but Dazai-san believes that our lives here are nonetheless genuine. It's been a year that passed since then and you and Kyouka-chan became an official member of the Armed Detective Agency—just a month ago. That is the reason why the two of you are working at the agency right now." explained Akutagawa, ending his story that doesn't have any hint of lies or jokes to tease or piss me off.

Hearing the story he told me makes everything somewhat clearer to me now.

Dazai-san was here before, but this world might disappear if there's a lot of people who would know the truth about it being fake. I was not originally made in this world so knowing it won't do any harm to the people living here, but I shouldn't tell what I know to anyone so I would not disappoint Dazai-san.

We already arrived at the bakery without knowing so we immediately bought the cake Kunikida-san told us to buy and walked back to the agency once again, but this time, both of us were covered in silence.

The reason why I am here is because the photo Dazai-san was finding is here. He might have left it here when he was still inside this world. I need to find that photo and also that thing that I desire the most.

I need to find those before I go back to the original world.

##

"Where is Atsushi-kun?"

Dazai asked in confusion when he saw Ranpo Edogawa get back at the agency's office with the former Master architect of the Guild, Edgar Allan Poe without Atsushi standing behind them.

Ranpo had already delivered the cake to the president and of course, he ate half of it. The president got furious when he saw the cake only in half and turned red as his blood rushed to his face. But even how furious he is, he still managed to control his temper and only ask Ranpo to get lost.

"He is missing," answered Ranpo without any hint of worriedness in his voice.

Dazai's eyes widened and looked at him in disbelief.

"What? Aren't you just with him earlier? Why did he go missing? Where is he right now?" Dazai asked worriedly.

"I don't know. I came back here with the help of my friend, but I'm sure Atsushi-kun will be back here soon." said Ranpo.

"No, he needs to be back now." Dazai said with a firm and serious voice.

"Why? Is it because no one would eat his portion on the cake? I could eat it myself if you want—"

"Ranpo-san," Ranpo looked at Dazai who called his name with a warning tone. It was a scary voice. It's the same tone Dazai is using to his target when he was still working as an executive of the Port Mafia.

"I am worried about Atsushi, please tell me where he is." Dazai added, almost sounds like begging.

Ranpo Edogawa stares at him for a couple of seconds before his expression becomes serious and talks to Dazai again.

"I really don't know where he is... And even if I do, I don't think it's the right idea to tell it to you. I can't tell you where Atsushi is right now because I know how impatient you are, but I can assure you that he's safe so you don't need to worry about him. Let's just wait for him to come back."

Hearing those words from Ranpo, Dazai's gaze softened for a bit. He also relaxed because he knew he could trust Ranpo's words. Atsushi is okay and safe, that's what matters for him right now.

He didn't ask another question anymore and just waited for Atsushi to come back just like what Ranpo said. Hoping Atsushi would be back soon before he totally loses his patience and finds Atsushi himself.