*"Who am I?"*
When Chuuya opens his eyes on a mountain of rubble, he has nothing but his own name. No past, no family, no memories—just a power to bend gravity itself and the comrades he'd die to protect. But the question he's too afraid to ask haunts every battle, every drink, every laugh he fakes: *What if I'm not even human?*
Eight years later, a strange ability is running wild through Yokohama, and anyone who touches it has their deepest secrets torn into the open. Assigned to investigate,
The Night the Twin Dark Hearts Leak - The Battle of the Seventh Warehouse District — The True Feelings of Two Foul-Mouthed People
The Black Whale's executive office stayed dim even after dawn broke. With the heavy curtains still drawn tight, Nakahara Chuuya glared at the harbor district map spread across his desk. His fingertip traced the road stretching north from Fogwhistle Bridge. The Seventh Warehouse District. Where the Ashcrown Trading Company's people were peddling ability-enhanced gear on the black market.
"...Hah."
A sigh escaped him. He couldn't get the order the Boss had handed down last night out of his head. A joint investigation with Dazai. No right of refusal. The word "worst" was stuck to the inside of his skull.
The door opened without so much as a knock.
"Yo, Chuuya. Looking grim first thing in the morning. Couldn't sleep?"
A sand-colored coat fluttered. Short, wavy black hair, bandages wrapped around his body. Wearing the same easygoing grin as always, Dazai strode into the room.
" You bastard, don't just waltz in here!"
Chuuya kicked his chair back and stood. His short orange hair seemed to bristle with rage. His blue eyes narrowed sharply.
"So cold. A partner's room is so relaxing, though."
Dazai laughed and planted himself on the reception sofa without asking. He crossed his long legs, lounging as if it were his own room.
(Why is this guy so damn comfortable here? It pisses me off.)
Chuuya's inner voice reached Dazai exactly as it was. That was the effect of the leak-your-true-feelings ability. The light they'd been bathed in at Fogwhistle Bridge had left both their hearts' voices completely exposed to each other.
"...Hmm."
Dazai's smile deepened, just slightly.
" You can hear it, can't you! You asked knowing full well!"
"Who knows."
(It's been a while since I came here. A little nostalgic, actually.)
This time, Dazai's inner voice echoed in Chuuya's head.
"...Huh?"
Chuuya froze. Nostalgic. Dazai, in this room. Back in the mafia days, this was where the two of them had hammered out strategy again and again.
"What's wrong? You're making a rather foolish face."
" Shut up! Like I'd play along with your creepy nostalgia trips!"
Chuuya turned his face away. The tips of his ears were faintly red.
"Nostalgia trips is harsh. Even I look back on the old days now and then."
" Don't ever come back here!"
"Don't be like that. We're on a joint investigation starting today, aren't we? Let's attack this with vigor from the morning on."
Dazai stood and peered at the map spread across Chuuya's desk.
"Oho, the Seventh Warehouse District. Nice, I was thinking the same thing."
" ...Where'd you get your intel?"
"The black market. The Ashcrown people are trying to move something strange. It might be a catalyst for the leak-your-true-feelings ability."
Chuuya clicked his tongue. This guy was always one step ahead.
" Then let's move. If you dawdle and it gets sold off, what then?"
"A fine idea, coming from you. Shall we go?"
——
The harbor district's black market was dim even in broad daylight.
Narrow paths threaded between warehouses. Vinyl sheeting stretched overhead, blocking the sun. Sea wind gusted through now and then, mixing the smell of salt, the smell of rusted iron, and the smell of human sweat.
"Ability gear, get your ability gear! Latest-model ability-suppression cuffs, dirt cheap!"
"Buying information! Inside scoop on the Fogwhistle Bridge ability incident!"
Hoarse voices barked from every direction. Chuuya pulled his hat down low, hiding his face as he walked. A Port Mafia executive loitering in a place like this stood out far too much.
"Chuuya, hiding is pointless for you. With that flashy hair and hat, you're spotted instantly."
" Shut up. You're the one standing out with those bandages."
"This is fashion. Unlike you."
" Hah? You picking a fight?"
"Quiet. Found them."
Dazai's voice turned suddenly serious.
At the far end of the path, in front of an old container, several men had gathered. All of them wore the Ashcrown Trading Company crest. In their hands was something like a small box wrapped in black cloth.
"That's the catalyst...?"
Chuuya held his breath.
"Won't you leave the negotiating to me?"
Dazai said it with a cheerful smile.
(Leave it to Dazai and nothing good ever comes of it.)
Chuuya's inner voice leaked out as-is.
"Terrible, Chuuya. I'm a negotiation pro, you know?"
" Your negotiations don't win people over—they flatten them whole! I know how you work!"
"Well then, just watch."
Dazai walked briskly up to the circle of men.
"Hello there, gentlemen. Would you let me have a look at that merchandise?"
The Ashcrown men all glared at Dazai at once.
"Hah? Who the hell are you?"
"Just a buyer of ability gear. If it's good, I'll pay well."
Dazai flashed a wad of bills from his pocket. The men's eyes were drawn to the money like magnets.
"...Heh, now you're talking. I'll show you. But don't you dare touch it."
The man slowly peeled back the black cloth.
What emerged was something like a small crystal, radiating a pale purple light. The same color as the ability residue they'd seen at Fogwhistle Bridge. The light pulsed, flickering like a heartbeat.
(That's it. No mistake—the catalyst for the leak-your-true-feelings ability.)
Chuuya's inner voice reached Dazai.
Dazai gave a faint nod.
"This is magnificent. How much?"
"Don't be in such a hurry. This ain't just any gear. It's a custom piece—only works on specific people."
"Specific people?"
"Yeah. The Twin Dark—the former Port Mafia's Dazai Osamu and Nakahara Chuuya. Word is this thing was made to target those two."
Chuuya's heart gave a great leap.
(Targeting us?)
"Oh my, how interesting. Who'd you get it from?"
Dazai's voice was as calm as ever. But his eyes weren't smiling.
"Who knows. We're just the couriers. The buyer's already decided."
"And where is this buyer?"
"The Seventh Warehouse District. There's a deal tonight."
The man had run his mouth far too much. The man beside him jabbed him with an elbow.
"Hey, you're talking too much."
"Heh, my bad. But this guy's good for the money."
Just then, one of the men noticed Chuuya standing behind them.
"Hey, you there, little kid. What've you been staring at?"
—Little. Kid.
A vein throbbed at Chuuya's temple.
" ...What'd you just call me? Say it again."
Chuuya stepped forward. Gravity began lifting the gravel at his feet.
"Stop it, Chuuya. If you go wild here, the deal's ruined."
" Shut up! I'm gonna blast these guys!"
"Don't get cocky, you little runt!"
The man swung at Chuuya.
Chuuya slipped aside lightly. Then he grabbed the man by the collar.
" Gravity, you see—it works best on big lugs like you."
The next instant, the man's body shot up toward the ceiling. CRASH! He tore through the vinyl sheeting and vanished outside the black market, screaming all the way.
"H-hiii!"
The remaining men went pale.
" Get lost, now. Otherwise I'll sink every last one of you into the sea."
At Chuuya's glare, the men dropped the merchandise and fled.
"Aaah. All that negotiating, wasted."
" Shut up. We got the intel in the end, didn't we?"
Chuuya picked up the black cloth from the ground. The crystal still glowed faintly.
"The Seventh Warehouse District, tonight. Perfect. We'll pay them a visit ourselves."
"You really do hate waiting."
——
At night, the Seventh Warehouse District showed a different face than by day.
Countless containers stacked high, forming a maze of paths. Few streetlights—only the moonlight to rely on. Wind off the sea rattled the rusted iron doors.
Chuuya and Dazai stood at the entrance to the warehouse cluster.
"...Something's off."
"Yeah. Too quiet."
The smiles had vanished from both their faces.
This was where the Ashcrown deal was supposed to happen. And yet, no sign of anyone. No—that wasn't it. There were presences. But they were—
"Chuuya-san."
A man in a black coat emerged from the darkness.
Twenty years old. Short, straight black hair. His bangs fell over his eyes, through which peered sharp, dark-colored pupils. Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, commander of the Port Mafia's strike force.
"Akutagawa. What're you doing here?"
"I was investigating the Ashcrown Company's backroom dealings. My strike force has been operating independently."
Akutagawa answered flatly. But the moment his gaze landed on Dazai standing beside Chuuya, his expression froze.
"...Dazai-san."
His voice grew low and sharp.
(Why is Dazai-san here?)
Akutagawa's inner voice echoed in Chuuya's head. Did the leak ability work between Chuuya and Akutagawa too? Or was it because Chuuya and Dazai were nearby?
" We're cooperating right now. Boss's orders."
Chuuya explained briefly.
"...Cooperation. Chuuya-san, with Dazai-san."
(Dazai-san abandoned me. And yet he stands beside Chuuya-san. Why Chuuya-san, and not me?)
Akutagawa's inner voice leaked out again. Chuuya pretended not to hear. He'd heard something he shouldn't have.
"How awkward. Running into my former pupil."
Dazai said it in a light tone.
" ...Dazai-san. As I am now, I could kill you."
Akutagawa's coat stirred, writhing. His ability, Rashomon. The beast in black stood ready to lunge at any moment.
"Stop, Akutagawa. Ashcrown comes first right now."
Chuuya stepped between the two.
"...Understood. However, Dazai-san. If you drag Chuuya-san down, I will be your opponent."
"Oh, how reliable. You've been attached to Chuuya since the old days, after all."
" I am not attached to him!"
Akutagawa's voice rose for the first time.
(I want Dazai-san to acknowledge me. But I hate him. What is this feeling?)
Akutagawa's inner voice reached Chuuya. Chuuya gripped the brim of his hat.
" Enough, let's go. The Ashcrown deal is deeper in."
——
Deep in the warehouse cluster, in front of one especially large warehouse, the Ashcrown men had gathered.
"Hey, you're late. The buyer here yet?"
"Coming soon. More importantly, seems some strange pair got a look at the merchandise at the black market earlier."
"What? The Twin Dark?"
"Can't say. But better safe than sorry."
The men set the ability catalyst they held in the center of the warehouse. The pale purple light cast an eerie glow through the space.
"...We using that?"
"In case of trouble. If the Twin Dark show up, we'll use it to expose their true feelings. Make them turn on each other, and they're ours."
"Heh, nice. Getting to watch the legendary duo kill each other over their honest feelings."
Just then, the warehouse door blew off its hinges.
BOOOOM!!
" Too bad. We heard your whole little farce!"
Chuuya stormed into the warehouse, manipulating gravity. His orange hair gleamed in the moonlight.
"H-hiii! It's the Twin Dark!"
"Doesn't matter, do it!"
The men raised their ability gear all at once. Ability-suppression cuffs, ability amplifiers, and the catalyst for the leak-your-true-feelings ability.
"Rashomon!"
Akutagawa's coat transformed into a black beast and lunged at the men. Sharp fangs shattered the ability gear one after another.
"Chuuya, stop that catalyst!"
" I know!"
Chuuya sprinted toward the catalyst in the center of the warehouse.
Just then, one of the Ashcrown men grabbed the catalyst and shouted.
"Damn it! If it's come to this, I'm taking you with me!"
The man slammed the catalyst against the ground.
With a shattering crack, purple light exploded.
"What—!"
The light flooded the warehouse, making the steel beams overhead groan. An ability outburst. The power, now beyond control, began destroying the warehouse itself.
"Everyone evacuate!"
Chuuya shouted to the subordinates nearby.
A massive steel beam came crashing down from the ceiling.
"Executive!"
A young member was about to be crushed beneath it.
Chuuya had already lunged without thinking.
" Move!"
Chuuya shoved the subordinate out of the way and stood before the beam himself. He raised his right hand, concentrating gravity.
"Guh—!"
The beam grazed Chuuya's right shoulder. The sensation of flesh tearing. Fres
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