*"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 - At the End of True Intentions—The Twin Dark Bond Connected by Gravity
Deep in the underground warehouse, the shattered fragments of the catalyst continued to glow with a purple light.
Chuuya was down on one knee on the cracked stone floor.
"...Ngh."
Something burst deep inside his head. A white light. A white room. Featureless walls. And that voice.
—My brother.
"U-Uwaaah!!"
His vision was painted white. A pain like hard fingers grinding into the inside of his temples. His stomach lurched, and the back of his throat turned sour.
"Chuuya!"
Dazai's voice was distant, as if heard from the bottom of the water.
His body pitched forward. Dazai's hand dug into his shoulder, supporting his weight.
"Chuuya, stay with me! What are you seeing right now?"
An arm wrapped around his back. The heat of that palm seeped through the coat. But Chuuya's consciousness was still inside the white room.
(Who is it... who calls me brother)
Chuuya's inner voice flowed into Dazai.
(Who are you. What did you do to me)
Dazai's fingers stiffened for just a moment against Chuuya's shoulder.
"Chuuya, can you hear me? Don't let that memory swallow you."
The usual lightness was gone from his voice. It was a tight, urgent sound, like something strangling in the back of his throat.
From beyond the rubble, multiple footsteps approached. The sound of feet on stone, of coats slicing through the air.
"Chuuya-san!"
A black coat whirled, its hem taking the shape of a beast and blasting away the surrounding debris.
"Rashoumon."
The black beast spread like a membrane over the three of them, crushing the falling ceiling fragments one after another. Stone dust rained down.
"Chuuya-san, are you unharmed?"
His voice was flat. But his eyes peered into Chuuya's pale face, waiting without blinking.
"...Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little pissed off."
Borrowing Dazai's shoulder, he rose to his feet, his soles scraping against the stone floor. His knees were still shaking.
Then, a low, cold, mechanical voice echoed through the entire warehouse.
'The catalyst is not one.'
'What you destroyed was a vessel for leaking true feelings. But the vessel for exposing memories still remains.'
Chuuya's fist trembled. His nails bit into his palm.
"You bastard... how far are you going to toy with me?"
His voice growled low with anger.
(Exposing my memories without permission. Making a toy of my past.)
Chuuya's inner voice flowed into both Dazai and Akutagawa.
Akutagawa's eyes wavered slightly. The black beast of his coat groaned, its form creaking.
"Chuuya-san... I understand how you feel. But right now, escape comes first."
Those words struck Chuuya's back.
The warehouse pillars began to lean with a creaking groan. Sand and dust poured from the ceiling, and his mouth filled with the dry taste of earth.
"Run, both of you! This warehouse won't hold!"
Dazai gripped Chuuya's hand hard. Hard enough to make the bones creak.
"Chuuya, don't let go of my hand."
"Wha— you bastard, what are you—"
He tried to shake it off. But Dazai's fingers wrapped around his hand with surprising strength.
"I'll interfere with the flow of the true-feelings ability in reverse using No Longer Human. Combined with your gravity manipulation, we can float the collapsing rubble and create a safe path."
He spoke fast. A decisive tone, without hesitation.
"So don't let go. Overlay my ability onto yours."
Chuuya glanced at Dazai's profile for just a moment.
(Can I really trust what this guy says)
The ceiling groaned, sinking another notch lower.
"...Fine. Don't let go, Dazai."
He gripped back. Dazai's palm was slick with sweat.
In that instant, both of their abilities activated at once.
Chuuya's gravity manipulation lifted the rubble. Dazai's No Longer Human neutralized the flow of the true-feelings ability, expanding Chuuya's power. The floating debris braced the ceiling, and a path barely wide enough for three was carved through the collapse.
"Now—run!"
The three of them broke into a sprint at once.
—
The three of them ran through the collapsing warehouse.
Chuuya's gravity manipulation blasted away the rubble falling from above. Akutagawa's Rashoumon sliced through the steel beams blocking their path. Dazai read both of their movements and kept calling out the optimal route.
"Chuuya, right! Akutagawa, cut that pillar!"
Chuuya leaped right, kicking rubble to pieces. Akutagawa's black beast split the leaning pillar clean in two.
"I can see the exit!"
From the warehouse entrance, the faint light of pre-dawn filtered in.
"Just a little further!"
The three of them ran with the last of their strength.
—
BOOOOM!!!
The instant the three of them burst out of the warehouse, a massive collapse roared behind them.
Dust billowed up into the pre-dawn air. The Haikan Trading Company's underground warehouse had completely caved in.
"...Hah, hah..."
Chuuya dropped to his knees on the cold ground of the wharf, gasping for breath. The back of his throat was full of the taste of iron.
Dazai sat down beside him. His sand-colored coat was filthy with white dust.
Akutagawa stood a little behind them, staring at the collapsed warehouse.
"...All three of you, alive?"
Dazai's voice was a little hoarse.
"Yeah, somehow."
He raised his face. The eastern sky was beginning to pale. Only the sound of waves and the distant cry of gulls could be heard.
"...Dazai."
Chuuya looked straight at Dazai's face.
"That thing from earlier—was it true?"
His voice was low and serious.
Dazai blinked, looking genuinely puzzled for a moment.
"From earlier—what do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. Inside the collapsing warehouse, I heard your inner voice."
Chuuya stared hard into Dazai's eyes.
"'Chuuya, I wanted to protect you, all this time.' ...That's what I heard."
Dazai's smile vanished.
An expressionless face he'd never seen before. Chuuya felt as if his heart had been seized.
"...Yeah."
Dazai slowly lowered his gaze.
"It's true."
His voice had completely lost its usual lightness.
"I wanted to protect you. The reason I left the mafia was because I didn't want to drag you into it."
Something deep in Chuuya's chest pounded violently.
(What did this guy just say)
He gripped the brim of his hat. His fingers were trembling.
"...You bastard, are you serious right now?"
His voice shook.
"I'm serious. I didn't want to drag you in. You should have lived in that place as an executive of the mafia. I didn't want to take your place away from you because of me."
Dazai raised his head.
Those eyes were not the usual brown with a smile floating in them. They held a raw, serious emotion—somehow sorrowful.
"...So I disappeared without saying anything. I knew you'd think I was a traitor, and I accepted that."
Chuuya bit his lip. His teeth broke the skin.
(So that's how it is. You disappeared because you were thinking of me, huh)
Chuuya's inner voice flowed into Dazai.
(You went and put me on the protected side without asking)
Chuuya grabbed Dazai by the collar and hauled him up.
"Don't give me that crap!"
His shout echoed across the wharf.
"You're always like this! You don't know a damn thing about me, and you go deciding things for my sake! I'm not so weak that I need you to protect me!"
His eyes burned with anger. But Dazai knew that behind them, another emotion was swirling.
(...I wanted you to be with me)
Chuuya's inner voice reached Dazai.
Dazai's eyes widened slightly.
"...Chuuya."
"...That part of you, I've hated since way back."
Chuuya released Dazai's collar.
And looked away.
"But I'll believe you now. Next, we expose my past. Not alone. You're coming with me."
His voice was a little fast, as if to hide his embarrassment.
Dazai gazed at Chuuya's profile.
Then, softly, he wore his usual smile.
"I'm honored, partner."
His voice was gentle.
But behind that smile, Dazai was secretly thinking.
(...But the mastermind's target is your memories themselves. How far can I protect you)
That inner voice did not reach Chuuya. The purple residue no longer wavered between them—barely at all.
—
Akutagawa stood rooted to the spot, silently watching the exchange between the two.
(Dazai-san left the mafia to protect Chuuya-san.)
Complex emotions swirled in Akutagawa's heart.
(Dazai-san never said anything to me. He left me behind, alone.)
His fist clenched tight. His nails dug into his palm.
(And yet, to Chuuya-san, he speaks his true feelings.)
Akutagawa stood frozen between his loyalty to Chuuya, his hatred for Dazai, and his craving to be acknowledged.
"...Chuuya-san."
Akutagawa spoke quietly.
"I will continue pursuing the remnants of the Haikan Trading Company. I will find a lead on the mastermind, without fail."
His voice was flat, as always. But his eyes were fixed straight on Chuuya.
Chuuya looked at Akutagawa's face.
"...Yeah. I'm counting on you, Akutagawa."
His voice was the caring tone of a superior toward his subordinate.
Akutagawa gave a small nod.
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
He whirled his black coat and left the pre-dawn wharf.
—
Yamashitacho. The Armed Detective Agency office, "Ranpo-do."
The morning sun streaming through the window lit the documents scattered across Ranpo's desk.
Ranpo, wearing his hat and sucking on a candy, was staring at the analysis results of the true-feelings ability's residue.
"...I see. So that's how it is."
Ranpo grinned.
Just then, the office door opened and Dazai walked in.
"Hey there, Ranpo-san. Good morning. You're up awfully early."
Dazai sat in the chair across from Ranpo with his usual breezy smile.
"Morning, Dazai-kun. You're the one coming home at dawn, aren't you? That coat is covered in dust."
Ranpo pointed at Dazai's sand-colored coat.
"Ah, well, you know. The wharf at night is terribly dusty."
Dazai lightly brushed the dust from his coat.
"So, how were the analysis results?"
Dazai peered at the documents on Ranpo's desk.
"I found something interesting."
Ranpo crunched down on his candy.
"The mastermind was using two different catalysts. One for leaking true feelings. The other for exposing memories."
Dazai's smile stiffened slightly.
"Two, huh."
"Yeah. What you destroyed was the catalyst for leaking true feelings. But the catalyst for exposing memories is still out there somewhere."
Ranpo stared hard into Dazai's eyes.
"And, Chuuya-kun. Deep in your memories, there may still be another key hidden."
At those words, Dazai's smile vanished for just a moment.
"...Another key, huh."
His voice dropped.
"Yeah. The 'white room' and the voice saying 'my brother' that Chuuya-kun saw in this flashback—those are just fragments that surfaced on the surface of his memory. There may be far more important memories sleeping deeper down."
Ranpo traced the brim of his hat with a finger.
"And, Dazai-kun."
His voice lowered a little.
"You seem to still have secrets you can't tell anyone."
Dazai smiled brightly.
"Who knows."
His voice was light. But Ranpo did not miss the shadow that crossed behind that smile.
—
On the way back to the Black Whale.
Chuuya suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The northern part of the harbor district. He stared fixedly toward the direction of the Silent Lighthouse.
"...Just you wait, my past."
He muttered under his breath. The sea breeze pushed up the brim of his hat.
"Next time, I'm coming to expose you."
He pulled his hat down deep and started walking again. His footsteps made a dry sound on the cobblestones.
—
At the window of the Armed Detective Agency.
Dazai was gazing in the same direction as Chuuya—toward the Silent Lighthouse.
A smile played at the corner of his mouth.
But his eyes were not smiling.
"...I just hope exposing your memories doesn't end up hurting you."
He murmured softly, so no one could hear.
The faint effect of the true-feelings ability still connected the two of them like a thin thread.
That voice reached Chuuya, just barely.
—
Chuuya stopped.
He didn't turn around.
"...You're still hiding something, aren't you."
His muttered words did not
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