Atsushi Nakajima seemed to be immobilized by an unknown supernatural power. He stood there unable to move and stared straight ahead.

Nakajima Atsushi's childhood nightmare, the source of pain, was lying on the ground not far from him at this moment. The red blood gradually dyed the ground red and continued to spread.

He saw the gun next to the dean that probably fell out of his arms when he was hit. The fear that penetrated his bones made him tremble unconsciously, and he did not listen to his inner voice because of Arasuke's previous conversation with him and his own thoughts.

Reflexively, he turned around and ran away. Instead, he stood motionless and stared at the dean who was lying on the ground.

Hei Atsushi stood up staggeringly, pressed his injured and bleeding arm, frowned and shouted to Nakajima Atsushi, "Why are you still standing there?! Save people!"

This sentence seemed to be a spell that made Atsushi Nakajima's mind start to work. He first took a step back, then opened his mouth and said in a dry voice: "He, the dean..."

Nakajima Atsushi's mind was in confusion, and he didn't know how to react at the moment.

Tsk.

Hei Dun directly transformed into a tiger and ran away with the dean on his back. The driver sat aside uninjured and was watching their actions with a horrified look on his face.

"Old, tiger! There is a tiger!!"

Pedestrians were so frightened by Heidun that they screamed and looked at them in horror. Some even took out their mobile phones and called the police.

"Why are you just standing there?! Follow me!" Kuro Atsushi ignored all of this and shouted to Atsushi Nakajima as he ran.

Nakajima Atsushi pursed his lips and quickly followed him in his tiger form. Before following him, he picked up the gun that had fallen on the ground and put it in his arms.

No matter what, whether it was what he thought or not, he still...

Still don't want to, just watch the dean die.

It wasn't until the dean was sent to the operating room for the operation that Atsushi Nakajima's heart dropped a little. He looked up at Atsushi Kuroyukihime, whose wounds had long since healed but his sleeves were still dripping with blood. His expression

Confused like a wild dog, he asked Heidun like a child asking a much older adult for an answer, "What should I do?"

Hei Dun was silent for a while, then tilted his head: "This is your dean, and you should make your own decision. I only said those words to you so that you don't have to regret it. You have the right to know the inside story, and you have the right to know the inside story."

The ability to make judgments about these things.”

So there is no need to bear any burden, what you think is your business, no one can make decisions for you beyond your own control.

Atsushi Nakajima took out the gun in his arms, his voice trembled, and his emotions suddenly lost control at this time, "So, is he here to kill me? He brought this gun because he saw it in the newspaper

Is that why I came all the way to Yokohama to kill me?!"

"No matter what I did or what I protected, am I someone who needs to be killed in front of the dean?!"

At this moment, Atsushi Nakajima's phone rang. He picked up the phone with trembling hands. It was Junichiro Tanizaki.

"Adun, where are you now? Mr. Ranbu asked me to convey a sentence to you, 'When you feel confused, go to a flower shop.' That's what the original words said. Although I don't know what it means, I feel like

Very profound! As expected of Mr. Ranpo! Oh? Adun, are you there? Why haven’t I heard your voice? Hey, Adun??..."

Atsushi Nakajima asked slowly: "...Flower shop?"

"Yes," Junichiro Tanizaki said on the other end of the phone, "Adun, what happened? Your voice doesn't sound right?"

"No, it's nothing," Atsushi Nakajima said, "I still have something to do here, so I'll hang up first."

After hanging up the phone, Atsushi Nakajima looked at Hei Atsushi and looked at him. This was the first time Atsushi Nakajima saw a look that could be said to be gentle and encouraging on Hei Atsushi's face. Atsushi Nakajima heard him say, "Since it's

Mr. Ranpo said, then go and take a look, maybe you will find the answer."

Hei Dun said, "I'll watch over here, you can go ahead."

Atsushi Nakajima was silent for a while, looked at the gun in his hand, hesitated, then put it back in his arms, "I'm leaving."

This time, there was no hesitation in Nakajima Atsushi's tone, but determination, "I will find the answer."

Looking at Atsushi Nakajima's leaving figure, Atsushi Kuei turned his head to look at Osamu Dazai who appeared at some point, "Mr. Dazai, is this your purpose?"

Dazai Osamu had a faint smile on his lips and shook his head slightly: "No, Atsushi-kun, you think too highly of me. Even I couldn't have known in advance that the dean would encounter an unexpected accident like a car accident.

An accident occurred.”

"But you are ready." Hei Dun said with a calm expression.

"Yes." Dazai Osamu nodded, "I have already told Akutagawa. After this is over, I believe Atsushi-kun will grow a lot."

Hei Dun blinked, "...Mr. Dazai, we have prepared a lot for him."

Osamu Dazai suddenly laughed, with a naughty boyish air, "Are you envious, Atsushi-kun? But Atsushi-kun, you have to make a distinction. I am not the leader of the port mafia. I am now an ordinary member of the armed detective agency."

Club member Dazai Osamu has nothing to do with the leader you are loyal to."

Dazai Osamu sat next to Kui Atsushi, put his hands in his pockets and raised his head and said, "Atsushi, please understand that your leader is dead. I do not need your loyalty to the respected leader." He tilted his head towards Kui Atsushi and looked at him.

His eyes said, "You can now stand alone and protect Yokohama on your own. It's time to step out of that person's shadow."

The air suddenly became quiet.

After a while, Hei Dun shook his head and said, "Mr. Dazai, you have never been a shadow."

Kui Atun stood up and bowed to Dazai Osamu: "Mr. Dazai, I'm going to the doctor to check the situation and take the first step."

After saying that, Kui Atsushi left without waiting for Osamu Dazai to say anything.

"Oh, it's rare that I want to be a reliable elder." Dazai Osamu watched Kui Atsushi walk away, took out his mobile phone from his pocket, flipped through it casually, and laughed again without knowing what he thought of, "But, it's not bad.

"

///

When Atsushi Nakajima returned to the hospital, the director had completed the operation and was admitted to the ward. His body was covered with tubes. Although he didn't know what the situation was, it looked like the director would die at any time.

He moved his gaze to Heidun, his lips turned white and he asked nervously: "He, how is he?"

Hei Dun put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. "The injury is not serious. It will be fine after you wake up and recover for a while. Have you found the answer?"

"Ah, the answer has been found." Nakajima Atsushi returned his gaze to the unconscious dean lying on the bed, "Even though this is the case, I can't forgive it. There is no way, that past has already been

There is no way for the pain that is engraved into the bone marrow to disappear just like that."

"But, I thought about it and said thank you to him after he wakes up. No matter what, he is doing his best to protect me. But that's all. Maybe I will change my mind in the future.

, but now I still can’t forgive.”

A slightly relaxed expression appeared on Nakajima Atsushi's face. He turned his head and looked at Hei Atsushi, "I want to thank you."

Nakajima Atsushi's tone was solemn. He took a step back and bowed to Hei Atsushi: "Thank you very much!"

Hei Atsushi took a step to the side, avoiding Atsushi Nakajima's salute, with a calm expression, "You don't need to thank me, I didn't do anything. I just didn't want to lose what I did well to let myself hear it. Isn't that quite

I just thought that if he was still alive, he might hear it one day in the future."

Nakajima Atsushi straightened up in a daze and looked at Hei Atsushi. His expression was clearly still the same, but Nakajima Atsushi seemed to see a kind of sadness surrounding him. It was completely opposite to the path he took, joining the Port Mafia.

On the other self, known as the "White Death", this kind of sadness is like a neck ring filled with sharp thorns, which makes the person bleed and unable to struggle. No, it should be said that the imprisoned person does not want to struggle.

right.

Atsushi Nakajima blinked slowly, and he thought,

that is,

A sense of guilt.

Although the collar worn by the black tiger has been damaged and is no longer worn around his neck, the invisible collar is still tightly confining him, like an invisible black mist that tightly wraps him, like protection, but also like

It's a prison.

Nakajima Atsushi discovered that this person who was completely different from him actually had a very immature face, with a childish look left, and his skin was much paler than his. His sense of existence was always suppressed to the extreme by habit, and his body was full of hard training.

Mark of.

He really didn't look like a teenager, but a god of death who quietly harvested people's lives. He stood in the dark, killing without changing his expression, while in his heart he was afraid of a child who was about to cry.

His body moved faster than his mind. Nakajima Atsushi took a few steps forward and hugged Hei Atsushi. He hugged him tightly. He was so strong that Hei Atsushi couldn't break free for a while. His tone was a little unhappy, "

Hey, what are you doing?! Let go!"

He was answered with tighter hugs and rambling words, "If you can't express your most intuitive reaction to those things, I'll express it for you! I've always been a timid guy, whether it's guns,

The knife, the enemy's murderous intent, and the blood flowing from my own injuries all scare me! But even so, even so, you still did a good job!"

"There is no need for guilt, no need for fear, no need for anything. Don't you understand best? As you said, the dean doesn't need any reaction from you at all. He just wants to give you a gift!

"

"So, please don't continue to huddle in the corner in the shadows! I'm about to come out, and so are you! It doesn't matter if I take it for granted or I am self-righteous, don't stay alone in that dark corner anymore

Cry, you have come to the light, haven’t you?!"

Atsushi Nakajima hugged him tightly, as if he was holding himself when he was a child, standing in the dark and sobbing. He said these words without much thought. His tone was firm, "Please come out from that area."

Come out of the shadows."

Just like Kui Atsushi said to Dazai Osamu,

Mr. Dazai has never been a shadow.

Shadow has always been the director of the orphanage.

Unable to forgive myself, unable to let go of the past.

This feeling of guilt turned into a blazing fire deep in his heart all the time. No matter whether it was guns, knives, the murderous intent of the enemy or his own injured blood, it could not cover the flames.
To be continued...