บท 45: Chapter 69&70
Chapter 69: Ranpo's Deduction
With Edogawa Ranpo's deduction revealed, everything finally made sense.
Whether it was Dazai, who was just one step away from the truth, or Atsushi, who had been clueless from the beginning, all now understood the true identity of Bandaged Girl and the root cause of her being hunted by Nightmare.
Bandaged Girl, created as a double by Nightmare using the Eighth Bullet, had somehow turned against her original self.
Realizing this, Nightmare immediately began pursuing her to prevent any further trouble. The rest was well-known history.
"But why did Atsushi and I encounter her and Nightmare at such a convenient time?" Dazai, trained in a world of hidden agendas within the Port Mafia, detected a peculiar hint of conspiracy. "In hindsight, that fight between Nightmare and her seemed almost like an elaborate show staged specifically for Atsushi and me, which explains why rescuing her was so unexpectedly easy."
"Nightmare intentionally let us rescue Tokisaki?" Kunikida's face tightened, clearly troubled. "Could it be to infiltrate our agency and destroy it from within?"
"Pfft! Haha! Come on, Kunikida, do you really think a monster like that would need to pull any tricks to take down our agency?" Ranpo chuckled dismissively. "Her stealth ability alone is practically unbeatable. If Nightmare was serious about taking us out, it would be as simple as flipping a switch."
"So, Ranpo, are you saying that if the agency ever does clash with Nightmare, we stand no chance?" Fukuzawa inquired solemnly.
"If it ever comes to that, I'd suggest a full evacuation from Yokohama and handing this matter over to the government."
"What if the government can't intervene?"
"Then we throw a party!"
"A party? Why?"
"Well, if even the government can't help, we might as well eat well before we die, right?"
"Ranpo," Fukuzawa frowned, "this is serious."
"Director, I'm not joking," Ranpo replied, his light-hearted tone replaced by an intense gaze. His bright green eyes conveyed the gravity of his words. "With powers like hers rewinding, speeding up, stopping time, summoning doubles, seeing the future our agency stands no chance against an ability that threatens national security."
"Twelve abilities? But the report only mentioned ten," Atsushi interjected, noticing a discrepancy.
"Her abilities are named First Bullet to Tenth Bullet. A clock has twelve numbers, so it's reasonable to assume there are two more powers left unaccounted for."
"So that girl, Tokisaki, deliberately concealed two of her powers…"
"Ha, maybe she's sparing us mere mortals from the mind bending possibilities of time travel to the past or future," Ranpo quipped.
"After all, if she truly had those powers, she would be a genuine transcendent entity. And we wouldn't stand a chance against her."
The concept of transcendents was known only to a select few within the world of ability users.
While ability users could wield extraordinary powers, they were still, in some form, bound by human limits.
Transcendents, however, represented those who had reached the absolute peak of ability users, their power extending beyond human comprehension.
Every superpower nation boasted its own transcendent. In fact, a nation's status as a superpower often depended on whether they had a transcendent to defend it.
These figures were treated as treasures, not only because they bolstered their countries' international standings but also for their strategic importance, surpassing even nuclear deterrence.
Japan, however, lacked a transcendent. Even figures like Chuuya Nakahara, considered Japan's strongest on the surface, did not qualify as one.
If the intel from the Special Ability Department was correct, Nightmare was already verging on transcendent status.
If Ranpo's deduction was accurate, and she possessed the ability to traverse time, then she was undeniably a transcendent, an unstoppable force that Japan, even with all its resources, could not oppose.
"So, if Nightmare is this powerful, why couldn't she kill her own double?" Kunikida wondered aloud.
"It wasn't that she couldn't; you all just happened to interrupt her at a crucial moment."
"But if Nightmare has the power to wipe out our entire agency, wouldn't it be easy for her to kill Tokisaki when I, Atsushi, Dazai, and Tanizaki intervened?"
"Yes, it would be very easy."
"Then why didn't she?"
"Because she wanted that girl to end up in our agency."
"Wait, Ranpo," Atsushi said, thoroughly confused. "You're saying that the girl we took in is Nightmare's double, and that her earlier fight was staged to make sure we rescued her? But what purpose does it serve to have her in our agency? If Nightmare doesn't need a mole to beat us, why did she have her infiltrate the agency?"
"Aaaagh, come on! I've explained it enough! Dazai, you've figured it out by now, haven't you? Please explain it for me."
Despite being asked, Dazai showed no irritation. Even though they were all agency members, Edogawa Ranpo's status was untouchable.
The Armed Detective Agency could go on without Director Fukuzawa, without him, or even without Yosano's medical expertise but not without Edogawa Ranpo.
Why? Because, at its core, the agency was established for one reason: to harness Edogawa Ranpo's abilities.
"Based on Ranpo's deduction, we know one major thing: Nightmare does not intend to destroy the agency not, at least, through force. The girl we took in did betray Nightmare, but she was also deliberately placed here. As for why, that remains a mystery for now. Meanwhile, the girl claiming to be Tokisaki in yesterday's encounter is another double who supposedly betrayed Nightmare."
Dazai distilled Ranpo's reasoning, yet Ranpo looked at him curiously, amused.
"I never said the doubles were absolutely traitors. Given Nightmare's power to absorb time, we can't know how long she's actually existed. There's a chance these doubles could be deceiving us. Why are you so sure they're genuine traitors?"
"The ability of the Eighth Bullet can supposedly summon doubles from any timeline, so these two doubles might originate from a distant time when Nightmare was still kind-hearted and completely different from her current self."
"But this report could be fake, couldn't it?" Ranpo pressed.
"It could."
"Then why do you believe they're from a distant timeline?"
Dazai fell silent, his expression tense as he smiled wryly and let out a soft chuckle.
"Because for the past few days, I've been letting that girl stay in my room. None of you can imagine how exhausting it is to spend time with her."
Recalling the last few days' strain of dealing with Bandaged Girl, Dazai's voice carried an unmistakable weariness.
"If all that were an act, then there's no truth left in this world."
Chapter 70: Bandage Girl: Bring It On, Let's Hurt Each Other!
Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned peculiar. No wonder Dazai had been asking if anyone would switch rooms with him for the past two days even pleading with his junior, Atsushi Nakajima. It turned out he was worn down by Bandage Girl.
Since they'd taken her in, the Armed Detective Agency couldn't let her sleep in the office.
Despite being a guest they'd saved, the agency lacked any extra rooms after Atsushi joined, so Bandage Girl had to share with someone.
Initially, Dazai tried arranging for her to room with Akiko Yosano, both being women, but Bandage Girl flatly refused.
She even declared she'd rather be captured by Nightmare than room with Akiko.
With no other female members, the only choice left was a male companion.
Originally, she was supposed to share with Doppo Kunikida, but Dazai volunteered, hoping to gather intel.
Ironically, Dazai ended up with frayed nerves and no useful information.
Dazai, who often stressed others, was now the one feeling stressed. "I admit to some teenage goth antics in my past hence the bandages but her eccentricity far surpasses mine."
Dazai asked mournfully, "Have you ever seen Yokohama at four in the morning?"
"Of course," Kunikida replied casually. "Overnight casework is hardly rare."
"That's not the point. After an exhausting day, when you finally get to rest, you wake up suddenly in the sky, thousands of meters high!" Dazai sighed deeply. "And she's princess-carrying you, where one slip could turn you into ground meat..."
Everyone imagined the scene and looked at Dazai with sympathy. The shock of waking up midair with a girl holding him tightly. It was a miracle Dazai hadn't retaliated.
"There's so much more I'd rather not even mention," Dazai said, rubbing his temples with a pained expression. "She's a total night owl. She does nothing during the day, but at night, she's like she's on a caffeine high, wandering all over Yokohama, dragging me along. Thanks to her, I haven't slept properly in days."
"That explains why Dazai has been oddly normal, without a single attempt at his usual stunts," Atsushi thought, amused. "Maybe her presence actually benefits the agency?"
"So, will anyone switch rooms with me?" Dazai asked, looking at his teammates hopefully.
But everyone avoided his gaze, tactfully looking away.
Dazai groaned, "This is so unfair! Why am I the only one suffering?"
"You were the one who volunteered for this. Just keep at it," Kunikida said calmly.
"Sorry, Dazai-san, but I'd feel uncomfortable sharing a room with a girl," Atsushi added sheepishly.
"I'm the agency's brain. What if something happened to me?" Ranpo said, dodging responsibility.
"Meh, I don't mind, but you'll have to convince her to bunk with me," Akiko shrugged nonchalantly.
"You guys..."
"Back to business," Fukuzawa's deep voice cut in, stopping the playful exchange. "I trust Dazai's instincts, but given the Nightmare connection, we can't afford any carelessness."
He paused thoughtfully before looking at Dazai. "I haven't met her yet. Now that we know her link to Nightmare, I'd like to see her myself."
"That's risky, Chief," Kunikida cautioned.
"Dazai's lived with her for days and is still unharmed," Fukuzawa replied dismissively. "And I'm not just a desk bound manager I can fight. If a mere double can threaten me, I might as well retire."
Seeing Fukuzawa's resolve, Kunikida reluctantly agreed. Though he was aware of Fukuzawa's formidable fighting skills, his caution was triggered by the recent startling revelations about Nightmare.
As a top fighter in the agency, Kunikida knew he could be valuable in a crisis, though he respected Fukuzawa's decision to go with Dazai alone.
"Let's go, Dazai. No time to waste," Fukuzawa commanded, retrieving his katana from his side. He propped the hilt against the table, signaling that he wouldn't need it.
"With sincerity, let's meet this double of Nightmare."
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