Shibusawa Tatsuhiko stepped out of the Tsushima estate and found the two travelers waiting for him.
Asou Akiya had completely abandoned his usual Mafia attire. He wore a tropical-patterned shirt, cream-colored trousers, and dark blue loafers—a look that practically screamed summer by the sea. Beside him, Randou had added a light spring trench coat. For the sake of matching outfits, the Frenchman had reluctantly taken off his fluffy earmuffs and replaced his usual scarf with a men's silk neckerchief.
Under the warm May sunshine, the temperature was pleasantly mild. Randou no longer felt unbearably cold. Wearing gloves, he cradled a cup of hot coffee in his hands, finally looking like a normal person dressed for the season.
Well... perhaps his outfit still leaned a little too heavily toward "warm."
In any case, the sight of the two of them instantly dispelled the dark emotions that had been festering inside Shibusawa.
"Good morning, Akiya-san, Randou-san."
Carefully patching up his fragile pride, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko greeted them before taking the initiative to address Randou.
"Randou-san, are you afraid of the cold?"
Randou answered lazily, "With the sun out, it's not that bad."
Shibusawa's gaze shifted to their clasped hands, then followed them to Akiya.
His eyes conveyed an unmistakable message:
[Tsushima Shuuji's ability. His ability. His ability…]
The power capable of erasing Draconia had become the greatest source of anxiety in Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's mind.
Asou Akiya rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling the familiar sensation of willingly stepping into the heart of a storm.
"Let's find somewhere quiet."
One of the Shibusawa family's cars parked nearby came in handy.
At the same time, surveillance personnel from the Special Division for Unusual Powers also spotted the Port Mafia Analyst and his lover.
An open café was reserved in its entirety.
It was a weekday, and there were few Japanese patrons who had the leisure to spend their day sipping coffee and enjoying a relaxed café atmosphere. It didn't cost Akiya much to secure a private place where they could talk.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko said, "There are people outside."
—The Special Division for Unusual Powers had agents watching them.
Asou Akiya snapped his fingers, "It's fine. I'll leave it to you, Randou."
The next second, Randou opened his hand before the two of them. A golden cube materialized out of thin air, hovering above the Frenchman's palm.
His ability—
Illuminations.
Unlike many Japanese ability users, who liked to call out the names of their abilities, Randou never did. He preferred to activate his power silently, finding the idea of shouting an ability's name unbearably embarrassing.
Under Shibusawa's watchful gaze, the golden cube descended onto the tabletop and expanded at astonishing speed.
In less than three seconds, the enormous cube enveloped the entire café, sealing it off from the outside world. The surrounding noise vanished, and anyone outside was completely unable to eavesdrop on the conversation within.
Randou calmly withdrew his hand as though nothing unusual had happened, lifted his cup of hot coffee, and took a leisurely sip.
"There."
A spatial ability!
Even Shibusawa Tatsuhiko had encountered very few ability users of the same type.
Once again, he was convinced that there wasn't a single ordinary person around Akiya-san; Every member of his circle is an ability user!
The White Qilin felt the instinctive urge to unleash Draconia begin stirring within him.
Such an exceptionally rare ability...
—I want it so badly.
Perhaps sensing the collector's desire in Shibusawa's gaze, Randou lowered his eyes and swallowed another mouthful of coffee. Warmth slid down his throat as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Within the golden subspace created by Illuminations, the European's deep-set eyes reflected gleaming flecks of gold and emerald.
Who, exactly, was whose prey?
This troublesome little brat is rather different from Ranpo and Chuuya.
Asou Akiya glanced at Shibusawa Tatsuhiko. To keep him from completely falling apart, he steered the conversation back to the main issue.
"Tatsuhiko, tell me exactly what happened today when you used your ability."
Shibusawa's wandering thoughts were interrupted. Hearing Akiya call him "Tatsuhiko" stirred something inside him. The feeling reminded him of the first time he had ever been praised, long ago.
Instinctively, he reached for the ribbon beside his ear, but his hand found only empty air.
That hateful little brat had stolen it.
"Akiya-san, today Shuuji-kun and I started talking about abilities. He said that, years ago, someone who looked like his older brother told him... that he was the strongest."
The word "strongest" immediately caught Randou's attention.
He turned to Asou Akiya.
"You said that?"
Akiya had never once called him the strongest.
"...I did." Asou Akiya, worried about provoking Randou's jealousy, answered tactfully. "I was comforting a child back then, but it wasn't exactly wrong; I was referring to his ability priority."
Randou tilted his head.
"That sort of thing..."
Wasn't that just another one of your made-up theories?
Asou Akiya spooned sugar into his slightly bitter coffee, sweetening it by hand.
"Tsushima Shuuji is a special child. His ability has a higher priority than anyone else's—at least, higher than anyone I've encountered. That's why I originally asked Tatsuhiko to teach him. I wasn't considering any other possibilities, I simply wanted Tatsuhiko to meet this child."
Diamonds could only be polished by other diamonds.
The eleven-year-old Dazai Osamu was an uncut gem of extraordinary value, one capable of refining Shibusawa Tatsuhiko even as Tatsuhiko refined him in return, adding a little brightness to both of their childhoods.
However, the twisted and warped Tsushima Shuuji had become an enigma.
"That's impossible!" Shibusawa blurted out. "You and Ranpo-kun are stronger than he is! Even if he can nullify my ability, I can still drag him into the mist realm of Draconia!"
Asou Akiya narrowed his eyes.
Randou stirred his coffee, silently enjoying the show.
Go on. Let's see how you explain this.
"...Well, if you insist on looking at it that way, I suppose that's one way to put it," Akiya said with obvious difficulty. Remembering that the future Armed Detective Agency Dazai admired Armed Detective Agency Ranpo gave him a sliver of confidence. "Abilities come in many different forms. Ranpo and I belong to an extremely rare category—deductive and analytical abilities..."
He had just invented another category of abilities for Japan.
What a sin.
"The conditions for activating our abilities don't come from the outside—they come from within. Our minds are our weapons."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko accepted it without question.
"So... Shuuji-kun isn't actually the strongest?"
Asou Akiya offered another deliberately cryptic answer. "Abilities can grow. Back then, he was the strongest. His ability surpassed mine and suppressed my 'power.' But ability priority isn't something fixed forever. I haven't been in contact with Shuuji for many years, so I can't say for certain how things stand now."
Responsibility successfully deflected!
Having been thoroughly convinced, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko nodded earnestly.
"Thank you, Akiya-san, for clearing up my confusion."
Asou Akiya shamelessly accepted the gratitude. "You're welcome."
Randou nearly laughed. His shoulders trembled slightly until Akiya, beneath the table, gave his palm a resentful pinch.
Hold it in, don't ruin your lover's performance!
After that, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko became remarkably well-behaved. He recounted everything that had happened before, during, and after he activated Draconia in painstaking detail. He even pointed out countless details that Akiya himself had overlooked despite having personally experienced similar situations. He thoughtfully broke everything down step by step, exposing nearly every secret the Tsushima family had tried to hide.
As a student, he was exemplary.
After all, he had practically "taught" his teacher, giving Asou Akiya the chance to stand on his student's shoulders and see further into the future.
By the time he had heard the full story of the Tsushima family, it felt as though a fire had been lit inside Akiya's chest.
He was rarely this furious.
The look in his eyes seemed to freeze over with razor-sharp ice.
The Tsushima family discovering Tsushima Shuuji's ability wasn't, by itself, the problem. No Longer Human was an extraordinarily rare gift and, in any family, it would have been an unexpected blessing.
Tsushima Shuuji had even unknowingly used No Longer Human to heal members of his own family; which should have been a good thing!
No one wants their parents or relatives to die, even in a family with strained relationships!
But of all the things they could have done, the Tsushima family had chosen to turn Tsushima Shuuji into a tool!
They had used slaps across the face to trigger his ability!
What kind of insanity was that?
Had the entire family lost their minds?!
All they had needed to do was hug him! His ability, No Longer Human, only required skin-to-skin contact!
"Idiots! complete and utter idiots!" Asou Akiya was furious beyond words. His fingers curled stiffly as he said through gritted teeth, "To keep that secret, they refused to conduct proper tests and instead sacrificed a child's pain and dignity to protect their own lives? What kind of family does that make them?!"
"Akiya." Randou clasped his hand in return and said steadily, "We still have a chance to make things right. At the very least, we won't stand by and watch a child suffer like that any longer."
Asou Akiya lowered his eyes in self-reproach. "The damage has already been done..."
All these years, he had never gone to the Tsushima household to visit Tsushima Shuuji. Partly because he lacked the status and influence to do so comfortably—they had never been close enough to justify such a visit. But more than that, he had naively assumed the boy wouldn't remain trapped in that house for long. He thought all he had to do was cast his net in Yokohama and wait for him to swim into it.
A mischievous, brilliant to the point of world-weariness, child—that had always been the image of young Dazai in his mind.
But after years of relentless psychological abuse, would the boy even have the strength to run away from home anymore? A bird with broken wings could hardly be expected to fly.
After listening quietly, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko felt Asou Akiya was being overly pessimistic.
"Akiya-san, there's no need to despair. The moment Shuuji-kun learned about his ability, he immediately figured out the truth behind the abuse. With his intelligence, he won't allow himself to be manipulated any longer."
Putting himself in Shuuji's place, Shibusawa knew exactly what he would have done in that situation.
"Perhaps he'll kill them himself?" The White Qilin said it with complete composure.
Asou Akiya was so taken aback that he ended up laughing in exasperation. "You're quite the filial son, aren't you?"
"I'm not a filial son." Shibusawa Tatsuhiko failed to catch the sarcasm.
Asou Akiya felt utterly defeated.
I'm insulting you, and it went straight over your head... You really are hopeless.
Trying to lighten the mood, Randou asked on Akiya's behalf, "Tatsuhiko, has he written any novels?"
Faced with the teacher's spouse—who clearly wielded considerable influence over Akiya—Shibusawa Tatsuhiko fell silent for a moment before answering against his conscience. "He... wrote the opening of a few sentences."
"Read them to us." Randou said.
At that point, even claiming he had a bad memory wouldn't save Shibusawa Tatsuhiko.
After listening to his flat, emotionless recitation, Asou Akiya was left speechless. He finally understood the level of his student's "teaching."
So you actually gave him Black Magic Notebook to read.
"Tatsuhiko, he's never going to like your novels."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko: "...Mm." That one hit home.
"You should have given him novels by Edogawa Ranpo and Oda Sakunosuke."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko: "I did..." That much was true.
"Did he ever smile?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko: "He... laughed at them; Does that count...?"
Asou Akiya: "..."
At the scene where two diamonds were supposed to polish each other...
No one could tell whether Tsushima Shuuji had it worse, or whether Shibusawa Tatsuhiko had been the unluckier one.
Asou Akiya had discovered another merit of having a disciple. The boy was remarkably good at amusing his teacher—especially with that utterly calm expression that betrayed not the slightest awareness of what he'd done. It almost made Akiya want to see him burst into tears.
"Tatsuhiko, your approach was wrong."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko: "?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko touched the ends of his hair and looked at Asou Akiya with quiet confusion.
Asou Akiya enunciated every word.
"What you did with the maid was far too extreme. You cut off every possible way forward. Do you know what it looked like from Shuuji's perspective?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko answered matter-of-factly, "I was helping him."
Asou Akiya ground his teeth as he laid out the truth. "A complete psychopath walked into his house."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko: "..."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko slowly pointed at himself.
A psychopath?
He had been helping Tsushima Shuuji. He had shown more goodwill than he had in his entire life.
Asou Akiya met Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's visibly shaken expression.
"You'll never make him smile sincerely because he's wary of you. He dislikes you. Tell me—would you dare treat Ranpo that way?"
"From this moment on, get rid of those methods of yours!"
"Go back to the Tsushima family."
"Take him out openly and honestly. Teach him the common knowledge every ability user should know."
"And one more thing—"
Asou Akiya raised his hand like a pistol, pressing his outstretched index finger against Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's forehead as though it were the barrel of a gun.
"Any rivalry between the two of you can wait until later. I won't interfere once you're on equal footing. But right now, Shuuji needs someone to look after him. If you dare set your sights on his ability crystal, or kill him behind my back while I'm not watching, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life."
With Asou Akiya's finger against his forehead, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko made no attempt to hide the emptiness in his gaze. He was simply curious about what Akiya could possibly do.
"What would I regret?"
Looking into the White Qilin's hollow eyes, Asou Akiya delivered his greatest threat.
"You'll die at the bottom of the well."
Being a Transcendent?
Heh—before you ever grow into one, why don't you take a good look at the man sitting beside me?
A level-ten beginner trying to challenge a max-level player is just asking for death!
At that moment, Randou—the max-level player who had started over from scratch—watched them with quiet composure.
"Akiya, doesn't your arm get tired holding it up like that?"
They were inside Illuminations.
Which, if you rounded up, meant they were all sitting in a subspace used to hide corpses... drinking coffee together.
The White Qilin unlocked another life achievement.
Faced a Transcendent head-on.jpg