Chapter 73

“I have confirmed the disappearance of the singularity and the fog,” came Aoki’s trembling voice from the Special Division’s operations room. After a brief moment of silence, the room erupted in cheers and laughter. Even Ango instinctively sighed in relief as his body went limp, and he dropped into his chair. The operator’s similarly relieved voice assured everyone that the Order of the Clock Tower confirmed they had aborted the mission. Around the same time that day… In a room filled with stately, traditional furniture was a woman perched on a couch decorated with intricate embroideries. “How unfortunate,” she muttered after hearing the news in Yokohama, then elegantly picked up her porcelain teacup. “The smell of a burning nation goes so well with tea.” Her whispery voice was calm and collected. She lowered her somewhat distant gaze upon the surface of her amber-colored tea. The morning sun slowly rose over the crystal-clear skies of Yokohama. People were returning to the ruins of the downtown high-rise district, the highways littered with countless cars, and the abandoned fast-food joints. A small-framed man wearing a black overcoat wandered the remains of Skull Fortress in search of something. It was Akutagawa. A voice suddenly called out to him from the shadows of the rubble. “The hell are you doin’ here?” Akutagawa turned his gaze in the direction of the crude voice to find Chuuya slumped over on the ground. He’d clearly been through a lot since Akutagawa last saw him, and his trademark hat was nowhere to be found. It must have fallen off somewhere nearby. “Dazai’s all right. Still an idiot, but all right,” Chuuya lethargically uttered as if he could read Akutagawa’s mind. “…” Akutagawa abruptly straightened his back and bowed. But as he quickly started to walk away, Chuuya added “Hey” and stopped him. “Gimme a hand, will ya?” he asked, flashing a toothy grin. The abnormalities caused by Shibusawa’s fog gradually dissipated as the sun of a new day rose. Ranpo Edogawa leisurely strolled through the Armed Detective Agency. “I don’t have a skill, and I’m back now, so I guess everything worked out.” The agency office was a mess. Chairs and documents were scattered about the rooms. Perhaps the only things still in one piece were the safe and its contents. Ranpo snacked on a few sweets that were inside the safe while looking out the blinds at the sun. “Atsushi’s really starting to get things done. Don’t you agree, Dazai?” Snap. A snack cracked in half between his teeth. The man who would reply to Ranpo’s question was already on his way to meet up with Atsushi and Kyouka. It’s finally over, Atsushi thought while he and Kyouka gazed at the mountain of debris once known as Skull Fortress. The darkness of the night had made it hard to tell, but the morning sun showed it clearly: The city was in a rather dreary state. Of course, it made sense, given what had happened. Nevertheless, Atsushi was inwardly relieved that the battle ended before things got even worse. He was relieved that he was able to protect someone important to him, at the very least. All of a sudden, Atsushi heard footsteps approaching from behind. He and Kyouka immediately looked back to find Dazai wearing his sand-colored overcoat. Atsushi quietly stared at him. It felt like it’d been ages since they last met. “Atsushi,” began Dazai with a calm expression. “About what happened, I—” “You were trying to protect the city, right?” Atsushi broke into a smile before Dazai could even finish his sentence. He naturally felt a warmth in his heart. Dazai’s surprised expression turned pensive. “Do I really look like the kind of person who would risk his life to save others?” Atsushi blinked at him quizzically because, to him, it was obvious. There was no doubting Dazai was a good person. He had no idea what Dazai even meant with his question. So Atsushi simply nodded and replied in earnest, “Well…yes.” Dazai’s eyes bulged slightly. Before long, he smiled in amazement. His grin was bitter, yet sweet. “Whatever you say,” he muttered, then ambled past Atsushi and Kyouka. He gazed into the distance. “…I really hope he was able to fill his boredom and loneliness with something in the end.” “Are you sure this is what you wanted?” Kyouka asked Atsushi with a worried gaze. Atsushi looked down at the ground. He knew what she meant. That was why he had to pick his next words carefully. “…I could probably seal away this memory just like how I’d forgotten I’d killed him before. But…” He paused, then lifted his head. “…I’m okay with this.” His unshakable will glowed in his eyes as he put his honest thoughts into words. “At the very least, right now I’m proud we were able to protect this city together. Because being able to live side by side with you and everyone else…is something just a bit more wonderful.” “…” Relieved, Kyouka relaxed her worried expression into a smile. Dazai, who was watching them over his shoulder, gently smirked. It seemed like he was reminiscing about the days long gone while taking delight in Atsushi for who he was. As if their smiles were contagious, Atsushi’s lips curled upward as well. Out of nowhere, a familiar voice yelled in the distance, “Dazai, you idiot! You’re still alive?!” It was Kunikida. When the three of them looked back, the rest of the Armed Detective Agency members were walking their way. Tanizaki’s head was hung low in exhaustion; Kunikida was waving his hand; Kenji seemed as cheerful as ever; Yosano had her head held high; and Fukuzawa was taking calm, quiet steps forward. Their smiling faces looked even more radiant amid the bright scenery of Yokohama. “Everyone’s okay,” observed Atsushi in relief. “Of course they are,” replied Dazai. “We’re the Armed Detective Agency, after all.” He shot Atsushi a placid smile. “Right?” Atsushi grinned from ear to ear and nodded. “Right!”