章節 49: Chapter 77&78
Chapter 77: There's No One More Kind Than Me, a Spirit
The next day.
After Tokisaki Kurumi delivered the target to the Port Mafia, Ogai Mori immediately contacted the Syndicate.
The Port Mafia had a call with the Syndicate, confirming that Nakajima Atsushi was in their custody and ready for delivery.
Upon receiving this, the Syndicate immediately notified the cargo ship that had been docked at the Yokohama pier to prepare for departure.
After some paperwork and receiving permission to set sail, the Port Mafia handed over Nakajima Atsushi to the Syndicate's representative.
Once the target had been delivered and verified, the Syndicate's leader promptly handed over half of the agreed reward 3.5 billion USD to Ogai Mori. The other half would be given once the Syndicate received Nakajima Atsushi in person.
However, in Tokisaki Kurumi's eyes, the transaction between the two organizations had already concluded. Because Ogai Mori would never receive the remaining 3.5 billion.
At this very moment, aboard the ocean liner bound for North America, Nakajima Atsushi, who should have been tied up, was free to move about. Though the space was small and stifling, it was still a vast improvement over being bound.
"Kurumi, you'll keep your word, won't you?" Nakajima Atsushi, his anxiety growing, watched Kurumi, who was casually sitting on a crate and filing her nails with a nail file, through the sunlight streaming through the window.
Although he had made a deal with Edogawa Ranpo, in Atsushi's heart, Kurumi represented chaotic evil, and it wouldn't be surprising if she broke her word at any moment. Moreover, she held all the power now, and if she decided to go back on her word, no one could stop her.
Kurumi glanced at him briefly before returning her attention to her nails. "Mr. Nakajima, you may think I'm deceitful, but please don't think that I lack credibility, alright?"
"Have you informed the Armed Detective Agency?" Atsushi asked, his worry still evident.
"Of course," Kurumi replied nonchalantly.
"But you've been here all this time! You haven't even made a phone call!"
"Ah, did you forget I have clones?" Kurumi smiled lightly.
"Oh... Oh," Atsushi awkwardly lowered his head. After spending a night in the Port Mafia's dungeon and being dragged onto the ship this morning, the constant motion had left him mentally exhausted. Despite Kurumi's reassurance, his anxiety didn't diminish.
Time seemed to stretch on as the minutes passed in the confined, isolated space, and each second felt like an eternity. No clock, no sense of time, and no phone, left Atsushi feeling more anxious. He paced around the small room, occasionally muttering to himself, and at other times he sat hunched on the ground, his face pale.
Since leaving the Armed Detective Agency, he had lost his sense of security. Although he trusted that his friends would come to rescue him, what if they got lost? What if they didn't catch up? What if someone stopped them? If that happened, what awaited him once the ship reached North America?
Shaking at the thought, Atsushi trembled uncontrollably. "It's like being abandoned... like a stray dog."
Kurumi sighed, tossing the nail file into the shadows and resting her cheek on her hand, smiling faintly. "But I'm a cat person, you know? If you want to play the pity card to gain my sympathy, that's not going to work."
"I wasn't trying to do that…" Atsushi muttered, glaring at Kurumi. "Besides, I don't think you'd be kind enough to feel any sympathy."
"Such a big misunderstanding. I didn't expect Mr. Nakajima to hold such a grudge against me after so little contact," Kurumi said, clasping her hands in front of her chest as if praying, her eyes wide and innocent. "In truth, I'm the type of person who treats injured cats on the roadside, you know."
"Mm… You think I believe that?" Atsushi shot her a look of disbelief.
"I'm truly kind, you know? There's no one kinder than me in the whole world of abilities."
"Kind people don't usually boast about their kindness!" Atsushi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If he hadn't been captured by her, he might have believed her sweet, innocent facade. But with what he had heard from Ranpo and others, Kurumi's reputation in his eyes was far from that of someone benevolent. In fact, she was far more terrifying than anyone like Akutagawa Ryūnosuke.
But as he gazed at the innocent expression on her face, Atsushi's eyes widened slightly. In his mind, the faces of the chuunibyou girl, Bandage Three, and Kurumi began to overlap.
Ranpo had been right.
Bandage Three was simply a past version of Kurumi.
"Relax a little," Kurumi said, her expression turning back to its usual aloofness. "I wouldn't want the Armed Detective Agency to find you in a state of mental collapse. My reputation would suffer."
Atsushi, his curiosity piqued and his anxiety momentarily forgotten, decided to ask. "That girl... the one you chased before, she's one of your clones, right?"
"So, you've figured it out," Kurumi replied with a shrug. "Well, I suppose if you couldn't deduce that, the Armed Detective Agency would be pretty lackluster."
"She's your past self, isn't she?"
Kurumi let out a soft laugh. "Although I don't really want to admit it."
"Then why did you want her to stay in our Agency?" Atsushi asked, confused, and asked a question even Ranpo couldn't answer.
"Because she's one of my pawns. She was sent to your Agency to act as an inside agent to bring you down," Kurumi said, her tone casual.
"No, that's not it," Atsushi shook his head. "Ranpo said that with your strength, you didn't need to send clones to infiltrate the Armed Detective Agency. You could crush us all with just your power. I thought Ranpo was exaggerating, but after seeing those twenty clones yesterday, we all agreed that he wasn't wrong."
His curiosity grew even further, and the unease he had felt earlier was now replaced with a desire to understand. "Kurumi, could you tell me the reason?"
Chapter 78: Is Nightmare a Good Person...?
Nakajima Atsushi's heart was pounding furiously, and he nervously swallowed the excess saliva that his anxiety had caused.
He appeared calm on the outside, but inside, he was far from at ease. Despite appearing as though he was simply filling the silence, the question he had just asked had been carefully considered.
The Armed Detective Agency had been struggling with the lack of information on Dream. Now, with the opportunity to speak alone with Tokisaki Kurumi, he knew he had to seize it. If he let this moment pass, it would be a waste of a golden opportunity.
Though he had only been a member of the Agency for a couple of months, and at his core still a timid, introverted orphan, Atsushi could not afford to disappoint his seniors, especially Dazai, who had recommended him to the Agency. He couldn't let the time and energy the Agency had invested in him be for nothing. Even though his legs trembled and his stomach churned in fear, he had to act.
"Based on Mr. Ranpo and Mr. Dazai's deductions, our 'coincidental encounter' with you while you were chasing that girl wasn't really a coincidence, was it? You must have intentionally allowed us to save her. You wanted us to take her in."
"That's correct. My goal was to have her infiltrate the Armed Detective Agency."
Atsushi nodded, confirming his suspicion.
"But what benefit do you gain from doing that? You already have a legion of clones, the power to easily crush the Agency. Why go through the trouble of this? Why not just wipe us out?"
"..."
Atsushi's eyes widened as he spoke, his voice gaining confidence as he continued, mimicking the reasoning skills of his more experienced colleagues.
"So, Miss Nightmare, the reason you wanted us to take in that girl was not to have her work as an agent to destroy the Agency from within, right?"
Kurumi remained silent for a moment. Atsushi could sense that his deduction was making an impact. His excitement grew as he felt like he was getting closer to the truth.
"Ah, I see... You didn't want us to kill her. You knew the Agency doesn't kill people at least, not unless absolutely necessary. Even bad people are spared. But, that girl is your clone, right? So, instead of going through the trouble of having us eliminate her, which would be a hassle, you probably wanted to protect her."
Atsushi stopped mid sentence, realizing the absurdity of his own words. His mind spun with confusion.
"Protect her?" He chuckled at the idea.
"That's crazy. Dream, you're one of the most dangerous people in the Port Mafia. On the first day of your arrival, you were on equal footing with Akutagawa, one of the most powerful members of the Port Mafia. The idea of you protecting anyone, let alone your clone... it's impossible."
Kurumi's expression remained unchanged, her calm demeanor contrasting sharply with Atsushi's inner turmoil. He had to push forward, despite the growing doubt in his mind. He thought back to Bandage Three what Ranpo had said about her, and everything his mentors had taught him.
"Your clone betrayed you because of differing ideals. You're probably using the pretext of executing her to send her here, to the Agency, where we can keep an eye on her. You're protecting her, aren't you?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt as though he had reached the edge of something important. But then, a shadow crossed his mind, and doubt crept in. Could it really be that simple? Was that really her intention?
Kurumi, seemingly unfazed, gave a soft smile, her eyes narrowing slightly as she regarded him. "I see you've figured out my secondary plan. Well done. But, of course, you're right there's no reason to keep her alive if I truly wanted her dead. I could have just gotten rid of her myself. However, you're also correct in thinking that I'm no fool. I know that you guys won't kill her. The Agency is a place for protection, not extermination. Even a dangerous person like her, whom I created, would be under your care now. I don't expect you to kill her. I don't want you to. In fact, I want her to live."
Atsushi's mind raced, trying to reconcile the truth he had just uncovered. Kurumi's smile was strange, no longer the sinister grin of an enemy but rather something closer to... kindness?
He had assumed she was pure evil, an unstoppable force of destruction, but now… could it be? Was she, in some strange way, trying to protect this girl?
But no, it was absurd! She was Dream, one of the darkest figures in the Port Mafia. How could she possibly be a "good" person? His instincts told him it was impossible. Yet, there was something about her something unsettlingly genuine in the way she spoke about Bandage Three. Could it be true?
Suddenly, Kurumi's face shifted again, her pleasant smile turning into something far more dangerous. Her voice was still soft, but it carried an unmistakable threat.
"Enough, Detective."
Atsushi froze, feeling his throat tighten, the air around him thickening as shadows seemed to deepen and stretch. The ship's dim light seemed to vanish, replaced by an overwhelming darkness.
"You're too smart for your own good, Atsushi," she whispered, leaning in close. "But sometimes, being too clever can get you into trouble. Keep asking questions like that, and you might just find out more than you're ready for."
Atsushi gulped, his entire body tensing as he realized the danger of the situation. The air crackled with tension, and he could feel the weight of her presence closing in on him. Her smile had transformed into something far colder and more lethal.
"Will you find the truth? Maybe. But remember, truth isn't always what you expect it to be."
With that, Kurumi's gaze hardened, and the shadows around her seemed to pulse with a dark, ominous energy. Atsushi's mind reeled, but his instincts told him one thing for certain his questions were only beginning, and the answers he sought might be far more dangerous than he could ever imagine.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
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