DURARARA!! Vol.6 EPILOGUE & NEXT PROLOGUE
EPILOGUE AND NEXT PROLOGUE
Evening of May 4th, the McDonald's at Ikebukuro East Gate
"So? What was that all about and how did everything go?"
Tom dipped his chicken nugget in mustard and put it in his mouth. Shizuo, on the other hand, sucked at the straw on his milk shake and tilted his head.
"Well, I don't really know either, actually…Shinra called me all of a sudden and said 'It's OK now, they're not suspecting you any more.'…and when I walked in the streets after that nothing happened. So it was alright, I guess."
"Speaking of which, what did you ever do to Awakusu-kai in the first place, anyway?"
"Nah, I can't tell you that."
"?"
Tom looked surprised. Shizuo stirred the milk shake with the straw to make it flow better and said:
"Shinra spoke with Awakusu-kai for me, but in exchange they want me to keep my mouth zipped up about everything I saw…something like that."
"Hm. Well, I don't want to get any more involved in that myself, either. I won't ask any more questions."
"Thank you very much."
Shizuo lowered his head candidly. As if the thought had just come to his mind, Tom added:
"The Manager said he'd still pay you for today."
"Eh, really?"
"Yeah. You'll have to make up for today's work tomorrow, though."
"Ah, of course…"
It was perhaps Tom's own brand of worldly wisdom - they soon switched the topic and began to talk about the work scheduled for tomorrow instead.
The name Awakusu-kai never turned up in their conversation again, and Shizuo's life was officially back to normal.
♂♀
Somewhere in Ikebukuro, an office belonging to Awakusu-kai
This was one of the offices in Tokyo that belonged to Awakusu-kai.
In the "executive's office", two men were talking in calm voices.
"…I am very relieved that Miss turned out safe and sound, Young Head."
"…Yeah."
Awakusu Mikiya nodded at Shiki's words, his expression difficult to read.
Shiki, in turn, continued to speak in a tone that did not reveal his emotions, either.
"Like you indicated, I told others to no longer treat Heiwajima Shizuo as a suspect. I hope that is alright."
"Yeah."
Right after Akane was kidnapped, Shiki's recovering ears caught Mikiya's voice as he yelled:
- "That bastard…he betrayed me!"
As soon as Shiki heard these words loud and clear, he told his subordinates to stop looking for Heiwajima Shizuo.
The man was built and equipped in a way hard to mistake for anyone else.
Even if Mikiya was flashed in the eyes and only slightly beginning to regain his vision, he would be able to tell who that man was -
- Provided that he had met the man before.
Looking around to make sure that no one was listening, Shiki asked Mikiya about what was really going on:
"The three killed men - were they spies?"
"…That's right."
"It's hard to believe that the cops would station three spies in one place, though."
"One of them was from Asuki Group. Another was sent by some foreign organization. …They just don't take me seriously, do they."
Mikiya answered curtly. Shiki fell silent and nodded.
He did not ask any more questions. He was able to deduce enough from the information he gathered during this short period of time.
The one who had three of their men killed was none other than Mikiya himself.
He had asked Slon, the Russian "freelancer", to kill three of his subordinates. His plan was probably to fake evidence that Asuki Group had been behind the killings and use it to their advantage when striking the deal of peace.
But the young subordinates who witnessed Heiwajima Shizuo's unexpected arrival at the scene turned the entire situation upside-down. They ended up treating a non-yakuza as the suspect.
What was more, they ended up showing their own weaknesses to Asuki Group instead.
To cover up for the embarrassment they began to hunt down Heiwajima Shizuo, claiming that he was the culprit.
However, as Mikiya realized that Shiki - as well as Akabayashi and Kazamoto - had begun to suspect that something was not right, he began to take measures to prepare for the next step.
Shiki did not know how much Mikiya thought about the fact that he owed Shizuo one for saving Akane when ordering his subordinates to stop tracking Shizuo down. But he knew that the man right in front of him was not the "chivalrist" type overconscientious about social obligations.
Was his love for his daughter real then, at least?
To a certain degree that intrigued Shiki, but he cut the thought out since it was none of his business. Instead he continued:
"And, about what is to be done with the Russian…"
"Ah, Akabayashi and Aozaki have set out to take care of it."
"Two executives in person? And those two at that?"
"They're the old-fashioned type who believe everything should be taken care of in person. They wanted to meet 'their' agents face-to-face, it seems. I was really surprised when I heard them tell me this, but…"
Awakusu Mikiya closed his mouth for a moment and looked into the sky in the distance before continuing:
"Well, I guess kids are the parents's first concern…regardless of the country."
♂♀
Without the slightest clue of this conversation going on inside the Awakusu-kai office, Shizuo returned briefly to his daily life. After he had finished his milk shake, he frowned as if he had remembered something.
"Speaking of which, if I ever run into that woman in the rider suit again, I'll have to make sure to grab that expensive-looking helmet and crush it right in front of her eyes…"
Pulling himself slightly away from Shizuo, who was fuming from the memory, Tom sighed heavily.
"…Seeing as how you kicked a car in her direction, I don't really think she's going to show up again whenever you're around."
♂♀
Somewhere in Tokyo, a construction zone
It was the construction zone for a certain building. All work had been suspended due to lack of funding since the economic stagnation began.
Vorona and Slon, who had made it their temporary quarters, were talking about their plan of action beginning tomorrow.
"…I am half pleased and half displeased."
"There was nothing we could do about it. Fortunately, though, neither of the two jobs has expired. We still have a chance at kidnapping Awakusu Akane…if worst comes to worst, we'll just try shooting the girl in glasses."
Slon made this dangerous suggestion to Vorona, whose face had gone back to expressionless after sunset.
They sat on the piles of construction materials and continued their conversation next to a little lamp. In front of them there were empty supermarket bento boxes. It seemed that this bloody topic had already been on the table when they ate.
It was probably the everyday topic for them, though.
Vorona tied the trash bag up as she began to mutter her opinion.
"But still…this city is splendid. I hope for our work to be finished soon, so that I will be able to concentrate on hunting the Black Motorbike and the bartender. This state of mind is my current ego."
Contrary to Tom's prediction, she was planning to attack Shizuo again after all.
As she thought about the various kinds of "beings" she had encountered within these two days, her expressionless mask was shaken by waves of pleasure coming from beneath.
"The job Slon took is finished this morning, no? If so, once we finish the jobs on hand, I propose that we stop working for a while. Please affirm."
"You're basically telling me to affirm…can I even say no?"
Slon laughed and replied -
"Hell no, you can't. At least not from this effin' second, bastard."
"!" "!?"
A low and harsh voice reached them from a shadowy part of this construction zone. Vorona and Slon stood up and turned their eyes in that direction.
What they saw was a tall and strong man walking out of the shadow and towards them.
"Who are you? I request the immediate self-revelation of your name."
"…That emblem…Awakusu-kai?"
Slon saw the emblem on the man's suit and knew that it was someone from Awakusu-kai. But judging by the man's looks and the intimidating air he seemed to emanate like a wild beast, this man was probably not a mere underling in the organization.
The man widened his arms and said his name.
"I'm Aozaki. …Well, you know what I came here for, Mr. and Miss Kidnapper."
"…AOZAKI…the street fighter executive Aozaki?"
"I'm impressed that you know how to say 'street fighter' in Japanese."
Walking toward his opponent, Aozaki laughed slowly and steadily as Slon inquired in alarm.
Calmly, Vorona began to provoke the man who emanated a different kind of dangerous air than Shizuo did in the day.
"Are you foolish? An executive of the organization should not show himself so proudly alone in front of people like us."
"…Miss, your Japanese sucks."
The massive man who was an Awakusu-kai executive returned the provocation with a chuckle.
"Nah, I'm not that stupid. Unlike that fool over there."
"You're so mean, Aozaki-san."
Vorona's hair stood on end.
"I'm just here because I heard one of the kidnappers of our little Miss was a knockout from Russia, so I wanted to have a look. And what do I get? I get called a fool all of a sudden."
The flirtatious voice was coming from the side for Vorona.
As she quickly turned her gaze to the side, Vorona saw a man in a gaudy suit and colored sunglasses sitting there. He was holding an ornamented cane with exaggerated designs. The man who looked like he had just walked out of a film village somewhere simply sat there doing nothing.
"You can call me Akabayashi. I forgot my emblem today, but like that old man who looks like a gorilla over there I'm also an executive of Awakusu-kai's. Well, nice to meet you."
He was sitting right next to where she had been sitting a moment ago as if he had been there since they had first started to eat.
Of course, that was simply impossible - yet that was just how abruptly he had appeared in front of her.
Vorona and Slon did not feel him approaching at all.
Her body tense, Vorona hastened to check on the weapons and equipments she had on her.
The pistol Black Motorbike had held back with "shadows" was no longer good for use. She had put new guns and knives in her waist pouch. Slon was good at killing with bare hands and once they get back into the truck they would have even more weapons to choose from.
Vorona decided to look for a route to escape from her opponents -
But before she could do so, Aozaki was already laughing and shaking his head.
"Unlike that fool who came here on his own, I have of course brought a bunch of men with me."
In that second -
The air in the construction zone was pierced from all directions and the sound of flesh exploding ricocheted in Vorona's ears.
"Arrrrrrrgh!"
As she turned around, she saw blood squirting from Slon's knees as his massive body swayed and fell onto the ground, unable to support his own weight.
"Slon!"
Vorona yelled. The next thing she did was to pull a pistol out of her waist pouch and aim it at the man in the gaudy suit next to her.
She was going to use him as a hostage, but -
"I'm so happy."
Before Vorona even realized it, the man who called himself Akabayashi had grabbed her arm.
- !?
"That I get to dance with a girl as beautiful as you, Miss."
- The trigger…why can't I pull it…!?
Numbness spread like an electric shock from the spot where the man grabbed her arm, and the freedom of movement for her hand was completely gone.
Akabayashi kept her arm firmly gripped in his hand as he stood up slowly -
Vorona's eyes lost track of what the man did after that.
Before she realized it, Akabayashi and everything else began to revolve around her at a high speed.
Only after her back had touched the ground did Vorona realize that Akabayashi and the rest of the world had not been revolving around her; it was herself who had been turned round and round.
There was no pain.
Akabayashi had slowed down at the last second and with a pull of his arm carefully "lowered" Vorona to the ground.
In-between Slon's groans, Akabayashi confiscated Vorona's guns and knives and threw them somewhere behind him. Still grinning, he began to talk to the two Russians:
"Well, well…tell me honestly, did you think we would be 'piece o' cake'? Unlike where you come from, we're just a little organization in Japan, a country spoiled in peace. So we should be nothing to fear for you - did you look down on us like that?"
Akabayashi was gently pressing Vorona to the ground with one arm and one knee only.
Vorona was shocked to discover that even though she did not feel not a trace of pain, she still could not move an inch.
"You've killed many people and fought even troops and mercenaries…for you, we Awakusu-kai should be kid's play…was that what you were thinking? Well, well. I'm not going to say no to that dream. You're still young after all, Miss."
"…"
"But if you continue to push your luck like this in your young little head, you will suffer…just keep that in mind. Also, if two old men like us can take you down so effortlessly, you shouldn't think of taking on Heiwajima Shizuo in a million years. Nah, I don't enjoy ruining a girl's fantasy, either. But if you try to pick a fight with Shizuo, well, you could die, you see?"
After he finished these words, Akabayashi called out to someone in the shadows behind Aozaki.
"Plus, I'll have bad dreams if our new trade partner's daughter loses her life in our territory, you know."
As soon as they heard Akabayashi, several new faces emerged from the shadow behind the poles.
These were faces not unfamiliar to Vorona and Slon.
"…Wha…"
"Igor…!"
Slon pressed his own legs and groaned as he yelled the man's name.
The figure that appeared with bandages over his face was indeed Igor, an experienced fighter from the weapon company they used to work for.
"Long time no see, both of you."
Igor spoke in Japanese presumably to show respect to Aozaki and Akabayashi.
"Really, you have been rather selfish in what you've done. Thanks to you, we suffered a great loss."
"…?"
Vorona looked confused by the situation. Akabayashi, on the other hand, began to explain in an even voice.
"Well, to tell you the truth, we should really have taken you to a mountain or an underground parking lot somewhere and finished you off. But Igor-san here came to our organization and spoke with us about a lot of things. Your father and Mr. Manager of your weapon business proposed a solution to us. We're going to enjoy priority treatment when we buy from them, and in exchange for that we will pretend that we never saw what Miss did in this city…"
"Wha…"
"Well, for us it's a sweet deal since we get to buy all these nice weapons at a delicious price when all we have to do is to let a girl off the hook. But the big guy over there, alas, they abandoned you. Had they asked us to let you off the hook as well, we would probably have to ask them to provide free weapons forever in return…"
"…I refuse! If you are going to execute then I ask to share the fate! If I affirm the sympathy I would be negating my existence!"
"Hahaha, I have no idea what you're talking about. Good night."
Said Akabayashi as he pushed the tip of the painless injection needle into the girl's neck.
Slon, on the other hand, was kicked in the face by Aozaki and forcibly put into unconsciousness.
"OK, we're going to do whatever we please with this guy."
As soon as they had made sure that both of the Russians had fallen silent, Aozaki lifted Slon and disappeared into the darkness outside the construction zone.
Akabayashi, meanwhile, was sighing as the grin disappeared from his face.
"I knew it. I just never can enjoy making a girl sad."
"…Sorry about that, Akabayashi, man."
The one who had appeared out of nowhere beside him and muttered these words was Russian Sushi's Chief Chef.
Next to him stood Igor and Simon, who was wearing casual clothes for once.
"…We'll talk some sense into her later, so don't worry about it."
"Thanks, I'll trust her with you, then. I'm a good-for-nothing myself, but I'm going to have bad dreams if such a beautiful girl kills herself because of what I said."
"Oh - Akabayashi, when having bad dreams, you just eat sharks. We'll prepare shark fin sushi and caviar sushi next time, you eat till you can't eat any more at seasonal price, lots of happiness and lots of dreams, get him another bowl of shark fin soup - "
"Well, I'll try to drop by when the girl is sleeping."
Akabayashi grinned again and left the place slowly while tapping his own shoulder with his cane.
Once they could no longer feel Aozaki's subordinates around them, Denis, Igor and Simon were the only ones left, a sleeping Vorona next to them.
"Let's go home, then. Simon, carry Miss on your shoulder."
Simon put Vorona on his shoulder like Denis said. Igor entered Vorona and Slon's truck to take care of things that needed to be taken care of.
The Chief Chef looked at Vorona's sleeping face and muttered to himself in Russian:
"…I was right, Igor. Miss Vorona is still Miss Vorona. Kids are kids because they're still malleable…they can be anything. They can freely become anything they want.
…That's why kids are scary."
♂♀
Same time, an abandoned factory in Tokyo
The abandoned factory turned even eerier as the night drew close.
For some reason its electricity supply still worked. Naked bulbs only barely illuminated the rusty insides of the factory.
"...What's the matter, Mikado-sempai? Do you have something to tell me in a place like this?"
Kuronuma Aoba spoke to Ryuugamine Mikado, who stood there in his day clothes.
He was twirling a ballpoint pen in his right hand, tapping the steel drum next to him with it every now and then.
Aoba was still surrounded like he was during the day by Blue Square members - and, whether out of coincidence or not, in the same formation they had stood before.
Only this time, it was Mikado who had asked to meet them here.
"Ah, ...I'm really sorry that I called you guys out when you've already had so much stuff for the day."
"Don't mind that, it was my bad to drag Sempai here at an inappropriate time in the first place."
Aoba smiled harmlessly. Mikado also replied with the same smile he had always been seen wearing at school.
This surprised Aoba.
- ?
- He can't possibly be planning to have that Black Motorbike ambush us, can he…?
Taking the appropriate precautions, Aoba continued to speak with contrived calm.
“So, may I ask what is it that Sempai wants to talk to me about?"
"Yeah...I um, thought about things in my own way..."
Sadness permeated Mikado's expression as he tapped the steel drum with the end of his ballpoint pen.
"You were right, the direction Dollars is heading right now is just...wrong. It's definitely not the Dollars I was hoping for. Though there are still idealists among us like Kadota-san and his gang...but the overwhelming majority of the people simply aren't like that."
"My thoughts exactly."
"But it's not like Dollars had any rules to begin with, and making any rules now would just make Dollars not Dollars anymore. ...In a world without rules...the only thing you can rely on to have your dreams realized is power."
Mikado nodded quietly as if to himself, and tapped the steel drum to make it resonate again.
"...And Shizuo-san just quit Dollars today."
"Oh...did he really?"
Aoba was genuinely surprised upon hearing about Shizuo.
Mikado nodded again in silence.
"I..., I'm thinking that if you guys are willing to lend me your power, and use me for your own purposes at the same time...then that is a deal I can accept."
"Really?"
Aoba's harmless smile widened.
- Everything's going according to the plan.
He suppressed an evil smirk in his heart.
- You're way too naïve, Mikado-sempai.
- This is going way more smoothly than I thought it would.
He hadn't expected everything to happen the way it did today.
All he did was to pit Dollars against the bousouzoku gangs hoping it would shove the reality in Mikado's face. Yet the result turned out simply delicious -
- Well, Orihara Izaya probably also did something behind the scenes.
Though he could sense his enemy's presence in this whole affair, Aoba decided to content himself with the fact that he had been able to make Mikado comply with his plan.
- Up until this point things should have gone according to both Izaya's plan and mine.
- To go from here it's just a matter of which side's going to gain the upper hand.
Aoba contemplated this as he quickly reviewed today's happenings in his mind.
- I've located what might be the Black Motorbike's quarters. I'll visit that apartment tomorrow.
- And...I'm getting a little interested in Anri-sempai as well.
- Izaya's probably already got all the information he needs on it. ...But it's unlikely that the Black Motorbike is one of his pawns. If I can make the best out of it...
Aoba juggled all these thoughts in his mind while his expression remained the same docile kouhai-face he always wore when talking to Mikado.
Mikado spoke slowly to Aoba.
"So would you mind coming over here for a moment? I'd like you to sign an agreement."
"An agreement?"
"Yes. An agreement is necessary if we're going to make this deal fair, isn't it?"
- ....
- Well, you can't really say it's unexpected of Mikado-sempai.
- If he's planning to do something with my signature, I'll take the needed precautions.
No one really signs agreements for deals like this, but it was Mikado that they were trying to deal with, and he was simply not used to everything underworldly.
Aoba thought to himself as he walked towards Mikado.
"So what would you like me to write?"
”Ah right, about this agreement..."
Mikado pointed towards a sheet of paper that lay on the top of the steel drum.
What could he possibly have written there?
Did he set up any elaborate traps between the lines, him, the founder of Dollars? Or did he simply write down straightforward conditions of sealing the deal?
Just as he reached for the paper while thinking of what might be written on there, Aoba started.
- A blank sheet?!
The next second - searing pain was coming from the back of his outstretched hand that was hovering above the sheet of paper.
"...! …Argh…"
The pain came from the boneless part between his thumb and index finger, which had just been pierced through.
Still too shocked to realize what had just happened, Aoba looked down at his own hand.
And -
Blood was gushing out from the hole left a second ago by Mikado's ballpoint pen which had been jabbed without hesitation into his hand, leaving winding scarlet patterns on the sheet of paper.
Aoba couldn't help but look up at Mikado -
And froze instantly at what he saw.
It was not that he had suddenly put on make-up or anything. Nor did the features on his face change.
Yet for a splitting second Aoba seriously began to think that the person he was looking at couldn't possibly be Mikado.
That was just how relentlessly cold the boy's eyes were, looking as if he held contempt for everything he saw in this world -
"O-Oi, Aoba!?"
"The hell you're doing!?"
Turning to face his restless fellow Blue Square members, Aoba made a gesture of "you guys wait there" with his uninjured hand.
"...Mikado...sempai... What is this...?"
"No matter what you did...you involved Sonohara-san in this whole thing. ...This is my reaction to that fact. It's also my first order to you."
"..."
"Stomach the full wrath of my anger."
Aoba tried desperately to put up with the pain as he spoke to a cold-all-around Mikado.
"...That was an impressive line, sempai."
"...If you don't want to comply, just stab my hand or throat in return with that ballpoint pen. ...Or report me to the school, or the police."
"..."
"After what I've just done to you, you have a right to."
Sadness diluted the iciness in his expression.
Aoba, looking at Mikado, chose to smile instead -
"...No, it's alright. This will serve just fine as...our agreement, written in my blood."
Aoba raised the bloodstained piece of paper high up in the air as he announced with a fearless smile.
"From now on, Mikado-sempai...will be our leader. ...Sempai, feel free to use us Blue Square as part of your Dollars for whatever you please."
"...OK."
Aoba, still struggling to not let the pain show on his face, turned to make sure that Mikado had nodded -
And felt himself freeze.
The air of coldness that had emanated from the boy right in front of him was gone within a mere three seconds. He was already smiling the same smile he wore everyday to school.
"That's just awesome...I mean, I'm really glad you just agreed to do that! I'm so, so sorry about your hand. Ah, I actually brought disinfectant and bandages. I'll apply those for you, so here, just elevate your hand above your heart!"
Mikado prepared the bandages so expertly that one might take him for a class health representative at school.
He was back to being the Mikado Aoba had always known - actually, even more Mikado-ish than the Mikado he had always known -
Yet Aoba was seized by an eerie feeling close to what you'd call fear.
The Blue Square members must have shared the feeling to some degree, seeing as how they had given up on their usual banter and instead watched Aoba and Mikado go about their business in silence.
Aoba, feeling his back virtually drenched in cold sweat, whispered in his heart.
- Orihara Izaya, have you realized this?
- I and you...we've probably both underestimated Mikado-sempai.
- Even with what you and I already know about him...it could turn out that sempai...
- Had far from shown us his true character.
- Have you realized this...Orihara Izaya...?
♂♀
Awakusu-kai's office
"Orihara Izaya…"
Shiki muttered the name to himself as he looked at the number on his cell phone.
Afterwards on his own he had tried and failed several times to contact Orihara Izaya, the information broker.
Originally, information brokers referred to the touts, hoodlums and clerks at pachinko stores who collected information in certain places and made some pocket money with it. Professional information brokers who made this business their main source of income were few.
Orihara Izaya was one of them. He collected information from the numerous "sources" he had in this city and used those to dig up even more information in a larger area.
Awakusu-kai had made use of his services from time to time. But for some reason he simply could not be reached today.
- Speaking of which, why did Heiwajima Shizuo go to that office in the first place…?
- It seems Miss Akane has not told Mikiya-san about the details, either...
- If Heiwajima Shizuo was pinned for something he didn't do, the one who would have something to gain from it would be…Orihara Izaya, his long-time enemy.
- It wouldn't surprise me if Izaya knows how to get hold of those Russians.
Though they remained unconfirmed as of present, Shiki had begun to have doubts about Orihara Izaya.
- Well, I don't really have to do anything about him right now.
- Anyway…he's still a kid. I've met and talked with him a couple of times, but he's without doubt still a kid.
- When kids get carried away, you never know how far they're going to push their luck.
Sighing, Shiki walked out of the room. Closing its door, he muttered some more dangerous words:
"If he gets us in trouble…then we'll just have to finish him off."
♂♀
Somewhere in Japan, a crowded street near the train station
"...Yeah, it's going to be alright."
[-----------------------]
"Even if those at Awakusu-kai realize that they should be after me, I won't be in Ikebukuro anymore anyway."
[-----------------------]
"…Yes. …Yes. I understand. Goodbye then, and thanks for your continued patronage."
[-----------------------]
"Ah, no, no…I'm just convinced that Asuki Group is more fit for ruling over Ikebukuro."
After hanging up, Izaya kept walking in the nightly street.
A regional metropolis in Northeastern Japan.
From Ikebukuro he had traveled all the way here, taking only his cell phone and wallet with him.
Blending himself into the swarming crowds looking for night bars and clubs, Izaya began to contemplate the whole matter quietly to himself.
His expression was a dilute mixture of irritation and glee.
- Everything was brought to a close in just...one day, huh.
- Mikado-kun looks like he would accept Blue Square's offer, which is a good thing.
- "Let's use each other for our own purposes", is probably what he would say.
- Well, from now on it's just a question of which side is going to have more pawns at disposal between him and Blue Square.
Izaya, still unaware of the "change" in Ryuugamine Mikado, turned his thoughts elsewhere.
- The only person who didn't behave as I expected is still Shizu-chan.
- Why...didn't he attack back? Why didn't he beat up the Awakusu-kai people when they cornered him? Why not chase them away?
- Didn't he throw a vending machine at a police car when they tried to arrest him back then?
- Don't tell me he actually learned from that experience? Impossible!
- ...Anyhow, he sure does make me mad.
- I never thought Shizu-chan was capable of maturing as a person.
- At any rate, it's about time to arrange for the next move...
As Izaya's thoughts became focused, his cell phone began to ring.
Shiki from Awakusu-kai again?
Thought Izaya as he looked at the phone - but the number displayed on the screen was one that rang no bell whatsoever.
"..."
Though he had a feeling that it wasn't the best idea, Izaya answered the phone.
A voice he had never known in his life came from the other end of the receiver.
"Ahh, hello hello! Orihara Izaya-san, I presume?"
It was an apparently well-mannered voice of a middle-aged man.
Though taken aback, Izaya replied anyway.
"...Yes, that's me."
"Ahh, I'm honored. Actually, I happen to have some humble opinions on you that I would like to pass on!"
"Opinions?"
"Well well, I was really upset. You blew up my plan by involving that monster Heiwajima Shizuo in this whole business with Awakusu-kai. Seriously, if Awakusu Akane had never known Heiwajima Shizuo in her life, I should have been able to carry out my plan much more smoothly. Your 'pique' against Heiwajima resulted in some monstrous loss on my part."
"...Who are you?"
"Ahh, I am so sorry about that! I never meant to make it sound like I was calling just to criticize you! It's not really anything that you need to know my name for, but, now that you mention it, if you'd allow me to get closer to you in person and pass on my humble opinion...or, if you'd pardon me for being so impudent, allow me to ask you for one more thing..."
"No, just tell me your name already."
Izaya pressed on as he continued to walk with the crowds.
But the person on the other end of the receiver seemed to have no intention to reveal his name -
"Actually, it's not so much a humble opinion...as it is a humble piece of advice…you're a little too good-looking for your own good."
"Huh? ...Was that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Ah, what I was trying to say was, it is really easy to notice you in a crowd. Your refined sense of fashion helps as well - it just kind of makes you stand out compared to everyone else. And I meant it as a compliment. Pardon me, I'm mostly saying this because I used to scout talents for a living, my eyes were especially trained for these attributes in a person. Therefore, since it is you we're talking about, I don't think trying to conceal yourself by blending into the crowd is a good idea."
"..."
Something was wrong. Izaya felt a weird alarm sounding through his brain.
"And now, about the thing I'm going to ask you for..."
The man on the other end of the phone paused for a second -
" "It doesn't have to be long, but would you be so kind as to fall asleep for me for a while? In the hospital?" "
That sentence was heard at the same time by both his left and right ears.
The next thing Izaya knew, something was being driven into his body.
"Really - you've been sniffing around for my information, right? Using that teenage couple? I get easily embarrassed, so would you please stop that?"
The voice was heard next to both his left and right ear for only a nanosecond - now it was coming from only the cell phone like before.
"Honestly, you need to stop that. A kid needs to learn to play only in his little garden...in Ikebukuro. Because If he runs outside, you never know when he might get hurt!"
Izaya stopped in his tracks slowly at this sentence.
"Anyhow, I didn't twist the knife, so I don't expect your life to be in danger."
As Izaya looked down, his gaze met blotches of red.
"If you ever go over the edge again, this should serve as a first warning."
The moment he realized that it was the blood gushing from his side, Izaya muttered quietly.
"Screw it...I underestimated him."
Having said that with a faint smile on his face, Izaya collapsed to the ground.
Passers-by were screaming at the sight of blood that had dripped onto the pavement behind him.
As he was losing his consciousness - Izaya heard the male voice coming from the cell phone.
"Ah, I forgot. Though I'd expect you to know that already at this point...my name is Yodogiri Jinnai. I hope we continue to learn from each other from now on..."
The call ended there. Now all Izaya heard was the many muffled voices of the passers-by.
- This is...really bad.
- Gotta...contact Namie somehow...
Izaya tried to grab the phone - but felt that he split the wound back open. Izaya fell unconscious to the ground - on a street far, far away from Ikebukuro - and ended up being sent to a hospital.
Neither could he have known that his name was to going to be on air nationwide the very next day -
♂♀
An apartment building on Kawagoe Highway
[Speaking of which, does the name Yodogiri Jinnai have anything to do with Awakusu-kai?]
"Hm? The missing manager of that entertainment company? …Well, kind of, but not really…why do you ask?"
[Because Shiki-san told me to contact him if I ever see that man.]
"Shiki-san knows a lot of people. Ah, could it be because of Hijiribe Ruri-chan?"
The underground doctor and the Headless Rider chatted pointlessly as they watched King Television's midnight film, "Vampire Ninja Carmilla Saizou".
For the world, this duo was probably the most out of ordinary. Yet they were enjoying such extremely ordinary lives on the living room couch.
Shiki had contacted them earlier saying "The matter is settled. Thank you for being Miss's bodyguard."
Since she had helped to save Akane from the kidnappers, Celty was paid a bigger sum than they had originally agreed upon. She was enjoying the evening with Shinra in a good mood.
- Looks like Mikado-kun's injuries aren't serious. Anri-chan is alright as well. Good, good.
- A lot of things happened, but all's well that ends well.
- From what Shiki-san told me, it seems like they've caught the kidnappers as well. I can now go out in the streets in peace.
- …Ah, right.
As the film came to an end, so did their chat. Celty, however, raised a new topic.
[Hey, Shinra.]
"What is it?"
[Um…thank you.]
Shinra looked surprised. Celty began to type somewhat embarrassedly.
[When someone threw that flashbang in the day…you tried to protect me from the explosion, didn't you?]
"…I don't remember."
[It's nothing to be embarrassed about.]
Celty did not let on how embarrassed she was feeling as she suggested to Shinra:
[Should we go on a trip somewhere tomorrow?]
"Eh?"
[I turned Shooter into a chariot today…it's been so long since I've done that. I think Shinra and I will have no problem fitting into a carriage. So how would you like the idea of a carriage drive on the side of a lake where no one else's around? Though 'a carriage drive' does sound kind of weird...]
"Celty…!"
Celty pushed Shinra away as he made a move to embrace her with teary eyes. She proceeded to make the trip conditional upon something.
[But you have to wear something other than that white coat when we go on the trip. This is an occasion.]
"Eh! Why…?! I told you my white coat serves as the counterpart to Celty's - …"
Celty covered Shinra's mouth with shadow before he could say more and typed more words onto the PDA.
[In exchange, I will make a concession as well.]
Celty kept typing with slight hesitation.
[Like what you wrote in the diary, Shinra…I will put on whatever clothes you want me to.]
Shinra's euphoria was so overwhelming that night that he almost fell off the balcony - but that would be another story.
♂♀
Just as Celty, an "alien" being, was planning a romantic getaway from her daily life -
The human boy bid goodbye to his daily life in a completely different way.
After Aoba's lot had left, Mikado looked up at the night sky and muttered to himself:
"There's…no way back now."
Mikado felt heat from inside his body as he let his thoughts flow in the abandoned factory.
- But surprisingly, I do not feel regret.
- I will get it back…the Dollars on that night…a year ago.
- The real Dollars…
- Using my power, I will restore Dollars to what it should be.
- That way I'll be able to…face Sonohara-san and Masaomi without feeling ashamed of myself.
But the boy had realized it.
He knew he was only using that as an excuse.
It had nothing to do with Masaomi or Anri. He had stabbed his kouhai's hand for his very own ego hidden deep inside his chest.
Now that he thought about it with a cool head, it made him feel nauseated.
- I'm sorry, Masaomi.
- Avoid doing anything as a Dollars member…I can't listen to that advice of yours any more.
It was a piece of advice that had limited Mikado's range of actions today.
Not realizing that it had actually come from Izaya, who had been posing as his friend - Mikado kept apologizing to Masaomi in his heart.
Repeatedly, he asked for his missing friend's forgiveness. But there were things Mikado did not know.
He did not know what the name Blue Square stood for.
All he knew was that Masaomi's gang had once been in a war with Blue Square.
Even though he was now this organization's new leader, he still did not have a clue what this gang had done to Masaomi and his lover in the past -
Just like he hoped, Ryuugamine Mikado was falling towards the bottom of Hell.
Like an insect, like a beast.
Not even knowing where he was headed.
Right now, the boy's youth was - silently beginning to stir from its stupor.
"He's so late..."
CAST
Celty Sturluson
Kishitani Shinra
Ryuugamine Mikado
Sonohara Anri
Kida Masaomi
Orihara Izaya
Heiwajima Shizuo
Awakusu Akane
Rokujou Chikage
Kuronuma Aoba
Orihara Kururi
Orihara Mairu
Yumasaki Walker
Karisawa Erika
Kadota Kyohei
Shiki
Aozaki
Akabayashi
Awakusu Mikiya
Vorona
Slon
Simon Brezhnev
Yagiri Namie
(END OF VOLUME 6)
***
Phew, I finished it!
Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!
The next project coming up will be Duramp!.