Durarara!!
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Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
I WILL WATCH IT WITH YOU. 
I also hate Izaya's english voice. Mostly because I keep hearing Nero. <XD And it just doesn't fit imo.
I also hate Izaya's english voice. Mostly because I keep hearing Nero. <XD And it just doesn't fit imo.
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Yes, the DVD's do come subtitled. I gave it a try and watched a couple of episodes (well, I've actually watched most of the episodes that come in DVD 1 in that case), and because the subtitles don't match the English dub, it's sort of weird... like, if I'm listening to the English dub I don't put on subtitles because it's completely different from what they're saying. BUT I can't see any translations for Celty's phone when she communicates with others, and I can't read any subtitles going on with the chat either. That was pretty damn stupid.
Otherwise, having gotten 'used' to the voices, I can't say it's completely awful. I mean, there are still moments when I can't help but cringe at what they might say and they've made Mikado and Kida sound really REALLY immature with their dialogue. But watch it for a while the voices grow on you. I'm actually okay with Izaya's English voice.
BUT I still want someone to watch it with me (YES WATCH IT WITH ME TIFF). Because it's so easy to make fun of. : (
Other updates:
Celty singing. adorable
And because the Shizuo fangirl inside me won't die, here's a link to newest chapter anni translated: here.
for you lazy bastards, here's an excerpt:
Otherwise, having gotten 'used' to the voices, I can't say it's completely awful. I mean, there are still moments when I can't help but cringe at what they might say and they've made Mikado and Kida sound really REALLY immature with their dialogue. But watch it for a while the voices grow on you. I'm actually okay with Izaya's English voice.
BUT I still want someone to watch it with me (YES WATCH IT WITH ME TIFF). Because it's so easy to make fun of. : (
Other updates:
Celty singing. adorable
And because the Shizuo fangirl inside me won't die, here's a link to newest chapter anni translated: here.
for you lazy bastards, here's an excerpt:
She saw Akane, who had just been untied, grasp onto Shizuo with her shoulders trembling and her eyes looking scared.
- Good…everything's alright now.
Celty felt relieved upon seeing them safe and sound.
But Akane muttered something strange.
"Why…?"
Shizuo tilted his head as he heard Akane's voice and looked back at Akane.
"Why…I…I am trying to kill you, Shizuo onii-chan, why did you save me…?"
"…Did I hear the present continuous tense?"
- Huh?
Shizuo laughed bitterly. Akane looked at him, eyes full of question.
"Because…because…"
"Well, whatever. I don't care…are you hurt?"
"No."
"That's great."
Akane nodded. Instead of the forced smile he had shown her this morning, Shizuo smiled a very Shizuo-ish, powerfully reassuring smile this time and stroked the girl's head.
"If you did get hurt, then killing me would be last thing you should think of doing."
Akane felt confused for a moment as she saw Shizuo smile - but finally she smiled back slightly and nodded with a small "…Yes."
- …
- What happened between these two?
- Eh, um, eh, …seriously, what?
- Speaking of which, Shiki-san and Akane-chan had a conversation that kind of sounded like this before we came here…
Celty did not know the details of what happened between the two. That was why the conversation sounded inexplicably weird to her -
However, satisfied to see the two smiling at each other, she simply sent a text message to Shiki's cell phone.
- Good…everything's alright now.
Celty felt relieved upon seeing them safe and sound.
But Akane muttered something strange.
"Why…?"
Shizuo tilted his head as he heard Akane's voice and looked back at Akane.
"Why…I…I am trying to kill you, Shizuo onii-chan, why did you save me…?"
"…Did I hear the present continuous tense?"
- Huh?
Shizuo laughed bitterly. Akane looked at him, eyes full of question.
"Because…because…"
"Well, whatever. I don't care…are you hurt?"
"No."
"That's great."
Akane nodded. Instead of the forced smile he had shown her this morning, Shizuo smiled a very Shizuo-ish, powerfully reassuring smile this time and stroked the girl's head.
"If you did get hurt, then killing me would be last thing you should think of doing."
Akane felt confused for a moment as she saw Shizuo smile - but finally she smiled back slightly and nodded with a small "…Yes."
- …
- What happened between these two?
- Eh, um, eh, …seriously, what?
- Speaking of which, Shiki-san and Akane-chan had a conversation that kind of sounded like this before we came here…
Celty did not know the details of what happened between the two. That was why the conversation sounded inexplicably weird to her -
However, satisfied to see the two smiling at each other, she simply sent a text message to Shiki's cell phone.
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
Lol, I totally forgot that he was Kiba too! FUUUUU. That reminds me of something I need to post in another thread..
Roger
He/him
- AKA
- Minato
http://anni-fiesta.livejournal.com/53046.html#cutid1
I think novel 6 is all done now. Next is novel 7, which is entirely about Izaya and that his assistant, her bother and his girlfriend (I dun remember their names).
I think novel 6 is all done now. Next is novel 7, which is entirely about Izaya and that his assistant, her bother and his girlfriend (I dun remember their names).
Roger
He/him
- AKA
- Minato
Alright lookig forward to it, thak to all the trailers beng restricted outside the US I'm wholly unspoiled as to what the English dub sounds like.
http://anni-fiesta.livejournal.com/53293.html#cutid1
Here's the true end of Novel 6, containing Vorona getting pwned once again, Izaya getting stabbed and Mikado alignment shifting from Chaotic Good to Lawful Evil.
http://anni-fiesta.livejournal.com/53293.html#cutid1
Here's the true end of Novel 6, containing Vorona getting pwned once again, Izaya getting stabbed and Mikado alignment shifting from Chaotic Good to Lawful Evil.
Last edited:
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
He was always that way, imo.
Super Mario
IT'S A ME!
- AKA
- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
Rokujou Chikage > ALL
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Donator
BIG UPDATE TIME:
-ALL the Durarara!! 09 Novel Illustration Scans:
FANSERVICE
OMG SHIZUO/VORONA EFAOKWEFAWOFJ AWEO GAWIFJAOWEFAWOFHAWOFJAOWEFOAWEJFOAWEJFOAWKFEOAJWEOF
I'm guessing this is the part where they get into Izaya and Shinra at middle school?
WHO IS THIS HOT
OMG THIS IS HOT TOO
THE RETURN OF KIDA
aww, i don't even like izaya/namie that much but this is so cute
-Durarara!! 06 Novel release by anni-fiesta: link
-Animage Magazine Scans:
-ALL the Durarara!! 09 Novel Illustration Scans:
FANSERVICE
OMG SHIZUO/VORONA EFAOKWEFAWOFJ AWEO GAWIFJAOWEFAWOFHAWOFJAOWEFOAWEJFOAWEJFOAWKFEOAJWEOF
I'm guessing this is the part where they get into Izaya and Shinra at middle school?
WHO IS THIS HOT
OMG THIS IS HOT TOO
THE RETURN OF KIDA
aww, i don't even like izaya/namie that much but this is so cute
-Durarara!! 06 Novel release by anni-fiesta: link
-Animage Magazine Scans:
Super Mario
IT'S A ME!
- AKA
- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
God damn you OVA, don't make a forced ending like Baccano now god damn you. I want my season 2 , bitch. I want mah vorona. ='/
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
LOL IZAYA WITH THE SACK.... KILL HER, KILL HER!
I love that Kida picture. *A*
I love that Kida picture. *A*
Super Mario
IT'S A ME!
- AKA
- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
I wish Kururi had more screen time. Because damn. ALSO CHIKAGE.
crack
Donator
you're welcome! i'm glad you guys enjoy it. and yes, those images are very much official.
some more updates you guys might not care about, but if you want to know about *~IZAYA'S HISTORY~*, maybe you should check it out:
DURARARA!!x9 -
Mairu: "Ne ne, Kuru-nee! How do you like bikini I got you? Uwah, you look great in it! I love you!"
Kururi: "Slight (I'm a little)…shame (embarrassed)…"
Classmate
- I apologize for taking up your time, Nakura-san.
"Um, let me see. You said your name was Kujiragi-san? Can I ask why I'm getting a call from an insurance company?"
- Sorry if this sounds intrusive, but would you happen to know this person called Orihara Izaya?
"Orihara Izaya? Ah, yes. I went to the university with him, and there's no way you can forget someone with such a weird name anyway. So what is it? Did he finally do something? Like insurance fraud? Don't tell me he's been using my name again? I'm telling you this now just in case, but I have nothing to do with anything. I haven't even seen him recently."
- What did you mean by "finally"?
"Ah, Ms. Insurer, you haven't met the guy in person, have you? Well, you'll know what I was talking about when you meet him. You'll know he's not normal as soon as you see him. …Actually, maybe he will pretend to be normal in front of women. He's got quite a lot of women who kind of worship him or something."
- Did you just say that he was using your name "again"?
"Yeah…how should I put this? I sold him my name."
- Sold him your name…?
"Well, when I met him he told me that he was trying to buy something secretly online, so he wanted to use my name and shipping address. I said no at first, of course. But he offered me a pretty decent amount of money and all that. So I thought, 'Why not, it's not like I'm giving him my credit card number or anything.'"
- Could you give us more detail?
"Several packages were sent to me. Orihara would always tell me beforehand when to expect them, and they never went to the wrong person since I lived alone. Ah, but I was curious about their contents. So one day I pretended that I mistook one package for my own and opened it."
- What did you find inside?
"Ordinary books. They did look a little erotic to me, but I think they're just studies of folklore. He didn't get angry at me for opening the package anyway."
- Was he a normal student?
"Normal? I seldom saw him attending classes at Raira University. Well, everyone skipped classes there, so I guess you can call it normal, yeah… Sometimes I saw him talking to this strange guy in a white coat and glasses on the campus. I thought he was in our medical school or something, but he didn't look like it…ah, right, right. Orihara once made this unfunny joke about him that went like 'He's an underground doctor. You can go to him if you ever get shot or something and don't want the cops to get involved.' "
- …
"Oh, I'm sorry. We should be talking about Orihara, right? Well, like I said, he's kind of not normal, so I did keep my distance from him. I already told you this, but apart from the women who were taken in, I think he had no 'friend' friend…except that guy in the white coat. Well, he took that guy to the campus even though that guy was not a student, so they had to be friends, right?"
- So he was pretty much isolated.
"Well, I heard that back in high school he got into a lot of trouble with this super dangerous thug called Heiwajima. But when I tried talking to that guy he turned out not so bad after all. I'll say this again: Orihara's just not normal."
- And you just lent your name and address to someone you kept your distance from like that…?
"It does sound unnatural when you put it like this…but hey, it's not like I was the only one."
- You were not the only one?
"Nah. That guy, he borrowed several people's names at the university. Most of them were women, but there were several men as well. And you know, I was short on money and all…"
- Is there anything else you know about him? Personal history, et cetera?
"I - told - you - I was not the person to ask for that kind of information! If the people at my company ever finds out that I lent my name to someone like that, everyone's going to look at me weird and all!"
- Sorry for being intrusive. There are rumors saying that you were close with him when he was going to the university.
"Who told you something like that…? Good God, this is getting on my nerves. I don't know nothing about Orihara……"
- Is something wrong?
"Nothing…it's just that now I think about it, I really don't know anything about that guy."
- Would you happen to know if there's anyone who knows him better?
"Well, it's not like that…I doubt there was anyone at that university who knew about his past and everything. Those women were pretty much simply taken in, and that was all…if there's anyone who knows his personal history, it would probably be just that white coat guy."
- What is his name?
"I have no idea. Speaking of which, now that I think about it, did I do something terribly stupid…? It scares me. Oh yeah, it does, I feel this chill on my back…did I dig my own grave when I let him use my name…?"
- It's fine. As far as I know your name has not been used for anything.
"That's a relief…by the way, why are you investigating about him, really? Did that guy do something?"
- Unfortunately I can't tell you the details because it's a company secret, but his name was on our list of insurance beneficiaries.
"…Ah, I see. So you are suspecting fraud. …Well, I can totally see him doing something like that, it's true…he's good at taking advantage of people's weaknesses…ah, right, that reminds me. He did say that his hobby was human observation or something."
- Human observation?
"Yeah, sounds totally juvenile, doesn't it? Imagine a college student telling you that his hobby is 'human observation'…but it was kind of different from, say, condescending…you know how when people who like cats see a cat, they just go on and on about how cute it is, regardless of whether the cat is angry, sulky, or simply asleep?"
- Are you saying that he sees humans as cats? But wouldn't that be condescending in itself?
"Well, it's not really like that…I'm only saying this because we're using the humans = cats metaphor and all, but…"
- ?
"If it's that guy, even if the cat is run over by a car, dying of a disease, or getting its throat torn open from fighting other cats…
…he'll probably still say: 'So cute.' "
some more updates you guys might not care about, but if you want to know about *~IZAYA'S HISTORY~*, maybe you should check it out:
DURARARA!!x9 -
PROLOGUE Classmate
CHAPTER 1 The Information Broker
CHAPTER 2 Iza-Nii
CHAPTER 3 The Flea
CHAPTER 4 The Vice President of the Club
CHAPTER 5 Orihara Izaya
EPILOGUE & NEXT PROLOGUE Me
A lj user pointed out that the chapters probably relate with a character. So chapter one would be Shiki, chapter two would be Mairu and Kururi, three would be Shizuo, four would be Shinra, five would possibly(?) be Namie, and the epilogue would be Izaya himself.
CHAPTER 1 The Information Broker
CHAPTER 2 Iza-Nii
CHAPTER 3 The Flea
CHAPTER 4 The Vice President of the Club
CHAPTER 5 Orihara Izaya
EPILOGUE & NEXT PROLOGUE Me
A lj user pointed out that the chapters probably relate with a character. So chapter one would be Shiki, chapter two would be Mairu and Kururi, three would be Shizuo, four would be Shinra, five would possibly(?) be Namie, and the epilogue would be Izaya himself.
--------------- Tsukumoya Shinichi's Account
Is Orihara Izaya lonely or not?
I have been asked that question.
This is just my personal opinion. I think he feels lonely, but at the same time satisfied.
His love has been, is, and always will be unilateral. It is not that he has never been loved; however, he always denies such love access to him. As long as he loves others, he feels connected to them and satisfied.
When he wants to use you, he does allow you to get close to him. But there will still be a thick wall between you and his heart.
Sounds pretentious, doesn't it? But those were his very own smug words in my chatroom that day. Talk to him if you want to complain. Though I don't think he even blushed when he said those words. Well.
This unblushing attitude, I think, is exactly what keeps him in the advantageous position, whatever the situation. Even so, he still keeps saying things like "Because I love all the humans in this world, all the humans in this world should love me back." Well, whether it's a lie or not, it does sound like something he would say.
But if you were to ask me, "Does Orihara Izaya love himself, then?" - I would have no answer for you but silence.
That's something only Izaya himself knows. Whatever he chooses to tell you, there is nothing you can do about it.
Because even if people try to persuade him to change himself, he would probably never let their words sink into his heart.
That was my opinion.
Sorry. To be frank with you, I feel embarrassed.
Is Orihara Izaya lonely or not?
I have been asked that question.
This is just my personal opinion. I think he feels lonely, but at the same time satisfied.
His love has been, is, and always will be unilateral. It is not that he has never been loved; however, he always denies such love access to him. As long as he loves others, he feels connected to them and satisfied.
When he wants to use you, he does allow you to get close to him. But there will still be a thick wall between you and his heart.
Sounds pretentious, doesn't it? But those were his very own smug words in my chatroom that day. Talk to him if you want to complain. Though I don't think he even blushed when he said those words. Well.
This unblushing attitude, I think, is exactly what keeps him in the advantageous position, whatever the situation. Even so, he still keeps saying things like "Because I love all the humans in this world, all the humans in this world should love me back." Well, whether it's a lie or not, it does sound like something he would say.
But if you were to ask me, "Does Orihara Izaya love himself, then?" - I would have no answer for you but silence.
That's something only Izaya himself knows. Whatever he chooses to tell you, there is nothing you can do about it.
Because even if people try to persuade him to change himself, he would probably never let their words sink into his heart.
That was my opinion.
Sorry. To be frank with you, I feel embarrassed.
Mairu: "Ne ne, Kuru-nee! How do you like bikini I got you? Uwah, you look great in it! I love you!"
Kururi: "Slight (I'm a little)…shame (embarrassed)…"
Classmate
- I apologize for taking up your time, Nakura-san.
"Um, let me see. You said your name was Kujiragi-san? Can I ask why I'm getting a call from an insurance company?"
- Sorry if this sounds intrusive, but would you happen to know this person called Orihara Izaya?
"Orihara Izaya? Ah, yes. I went to the university with him, and there's no way you can forget someone with such a weird name anyway. So what is it? Did he finally do something? Like insurance fraud? Don't tell me he's been using my name again? I'm telling you this now just in case, but I have nothing to do with anything. I haven't even seen him recently."
- What did you mean by "finally"?
"Ah, Ms. Insurer, you haven't met the guy in person, have you? Well, you'll know what I was talking about when you meet him. You'll know he's not normal as soon as you see him. …Actually, maybe he will pretend to be normal in front of women. He's got quite a lot of women who kind of worship him or something."
- Did you just say that he was using your name "again"?
"Yeah…how should I put this? I sold him my name."
- Sold him your name…?
"Well, when I met him he told me that he was trying to buy something secretly online, so he wanted to use my name and shipping address. I said no at first, of course. But he offered me a pretty decent amount of money and all that. So I thought, 'Why not, it's not like I'm giving him my credit card number or anything.'"
- Could you give us more detail?
"Several packages were sent to me. Orihara would always tell me beforehand when to expect them, and they never went to the wrong person since I lived alone. Ah, but I was curious about their contents. So one day I pretended that I mistook one package for my own and opened it."
- What did you find inside?
"Ordinary books. They did look a little erotic to me, but I think they're just studies of folklore. He didn't get angry at me for opening the package anyway."
- Was he a normal student?
"Normal? I seldom saw him attending classes at Raira University. Well, everyone skipped classes there, so I guess you can call it normal, yeah… Sometimes I saw him talking to this strange guy in a white coat and glasses on the campus. I thought he was in our medical school or something, but he didn't look like it…ah, right, right. Orihara once made this unfunny joke about him that went like 'He's an underground doctor. You can go to him if you ever get shot or something and don't want the cops to get involved.' "
- …
"Oh, I'm sorry. We should be talking about Orihara, right? Well, like I said, he's kind of not normal, so I did keep my distance from him. I already told you this, but apart from the women who were taken in, I think he had no 'friend' friend…except that guy in the white coat. Well, he took that guy to the campus even though that guy was not a student, so they had to be friends, right?"
- So he was pretty much isolated.
"Well, I heard that back in high school he got into a lot of trouble with this super dangerous thug called Heiwajima. But when I tried talking to that guy he turned out not so bad after all. I'll say this again: Orihara's just not normal."
- And you just lent your name and address to someone you kept your distance from like that…?
"It does sound unnatural when you put it like this…but hey, it's not like I was the only one."
- You were not the only one?
"Nah. That guy, he borrowed several people's names at the university. Most of them were women, but there were several men as well. And you know, I was short on money and all…"
- Is there anything else you know about him? Personal history, et cetera?
"I - told - you - I was not the person to ask for that kind of information! If the people at my company ever finds out that I lent my name to someone like that, everyone's going to look at me weird and all!"
- Sorry for being intrusive. There are rumors saying that you were close with him when he was going to the university.
"Who told you something like that…? Good God, this is getting on my nerves. I don't know nothing about Orihara……"
- Is something wrong?
"Nothing…it's just that now I think about it, I really don't know anything about that guy."
- Would you happen to know if there's anyone who knows him better?
"Well, it's not like that…I doubt there was anyone at that university who knew about his past and everything. Those women were pretty much simply taken in, and that was all…if there's anyone who knows his personal history, it would probably be just that white coat guy."
- What is his name?
"I have no idea. Speaking of which, now that I think about it, did I do something terribly stupid…? It scares me. Oh yeah, it does, I feel this chill on my back…did I dig my own grave when I let him use my name…?"
- It's fine. As far as I know your name has not been used for anything.
"That's a relief…by the way, why are you investigating about him, really? Did that guy do something?"
- Unfortunately I can't tell you the details because it's a company secret, but his name was on our list of insurance beneficiaries.
"…Ah, I see. So you are suspecting fraud. …Well, I can totally see him doing something like that, it's true…he's good at taking advantage of people's weaknesses…ah, right, that reminds me. He did say that his hobby was human observation or something."
- Human observation?
"Yeah, sounds totally juvenile, doesn't it? Imagine a college student telling you that his hobby is 'human observation'…but it was kind of different from, say, condescending…you know how when people who like cats see a cat, they just go on and on about how cute it is, regardless of whether the cat is angry, sulky, or simply asleep?"
- Are you saying that he sees humans as cats? But wouldn't that be condescending in itself?
"Well, it's not really like that…I'm only saying this because we're using the humans = cats metaphor and all, but…"
- ?
"If it's that guy, even if the cat is run over by a car, dying of a disease, or getting its throat torn open from fighting other cats…
…he'll probably still say: 'So cute.' "
At first sight this place looked like a bar that had yet to open for the day.
On its shelves, however, there were no alcohol bottles as there should be. The wallpaper was tearing off in places and the place did not look like it was still functioning.
"Or would you prefer me to call you by your full name, Orihara Izaya?"
A young woman's voice was heard in this dark, dysfunctional bar.
The woman was dressed like a clerk for a designer boutique and probably in the middle of her twenties. She was wearing light makeup. Her hair was short and slightly curled.
Her tone sounded somewhat too young for her looks. No reply was heard in the dark bar, however.
Around her there were several figures sitting on the bar's rusty chairs.
Most of them were women, but there were several tough-looking men as well. Had the lighting in the bar been better, they would have looked like nightclub hostesses and waiters with their bodyguards.
But at the center of the bar sat a figure that indicated the exact opposite.
It was a man in black sitting on a stylish steel frame chair.
For this man, however, the quality of the lighting in the bar did not even matter.
His head and neck were completely concealed under a linen bag that looked like the kind used for transporting coffee beans. It was impossible to tell what his face - and, in fact, even his hairstyle - looked like.
He was definitely breathing, but he did not utter a word in reply to the woman.
The man's hands were tied together on his back. Since he could not see, it seemed quite impossible for him to make any reckless move.
"Aha, I see. You can't say anything. I should have known. They beat you up pretty good before they brought you here, didn't they? Ah, don't tell me you guys broke every single one of his teeth already?"
The short-haired woman turned in her chair, which looked the same as the man's, and asked the figures behind her back.
One of the women sitting behind her replied in an apathetic voice:
"No, we didn't break him. He's at least good-looking. It would have been such a waste."
"I see. Well done. That way I can have more fun with him."
Her voice sounded like a teenage girl's. But in the dim light it was hard to tell her exact age.
No one told the man under the linen bag a word about who and what they were. The short-haired woman continued to act as if she were the master of the place.
"So, Mr. Information Broker, do you know why you're looking the way you're looking right now?"
She asked the man under the linen bag again. There was still no reply, however.
The slightly rough sound of breathing was heard from behind the linen, but it was difficult to tell whether the man was conscious or not.
"I'll give you a hint. My nickname is…Earthworm. Do you get it now?"
Earthworm. It sounded more like an insult than a nickname. As soon as the man heard it, he slowly began to raise his linen-covered head.
"Aha! He heard me, he heard me! What's that, he looks like a doll! How funny!"
Earthworm chuckled mockingly. Pressing the tip of her index finger to the forehead of the man under the linen bag, she said in a tone that sounded like an eccentric high school girl talking to her male kouhai.
"I'll teach you something nice, Orihara Izaya-san."
"…"
The woman continued as the information broker remained silent.
"I don't know if it's because you're an information broker or anything, but boy, aren't you a little too conspicuous for your own good?"
"…"
"We heard that someone was curious enough about us to be looking for our information, so we did a bit of our own research. And guess what we found? Boy, aren't you just interesting? Almost as interesting as playing old maid with 52 old maid cards, you know."
Earthworm's simile was hard to understand. The man under the linen bag, however, made no sound other than breathing.
"Aren't information brokers supposed to be, you know, like nightclub hostesses, cops, lackeys working under really dangerous people or pimps…? They sell what they know to other people and make some pocket money from it, right?"
"…"
"But not only did you make it your main occupation - you even call yourself an 'information broker', and you're famous as well! Isn't that just pure blasphemy for an information broker? See, if the bosses of those cops and lackeys knew that they were in fact information brokers, wouldn't that be the end of them? They'd get arrested, or their fingertips would get cut off. Ah, or they'd simply be fed to the fish in Tokyo Bay, am I right?"
The woman kept on giggling as she said these dangerous words.
She sounded as if she were telling a fairy tale to a child.
"The 'nice' thing I'm going to teach you is that…conspicuous people like you are the least suited for a life as an information broker. Do you feel like you just got wiser?"
"…"
"Hey, are you listening? It's not so much a hint as it is the answer…but those scary old men at Awakusu-kai asked you to look for any information on us you could find, right?"
Earthworm kept her fingertip pressed against the non-responsive man's forehead and began to trace circles with it. The man was probably exhausted seeing as how he simply let his head be moved around in accordance with the prodding of her finger.
"But then, even though I taught you such 'nice' things you probably won't have a chance to use the knowledge."
"…"
"Because it's not like you're ever going back to that job again, is it?"
The woman in her twenties said these ruthless words with the expression of an innocent girl.
Who were those people, and what were they?
What exactly was happening inside this dysfunctional bar?
We'll be going back several days in time to the hour when the information broker named Orihara Izaya received a request from Awakusu-kai.
On its shelves, however, there were no alcohol bottles as there should be. The wallpaper was tearing off in places and the place did not look like it was still functioning.
"Or would you prefer me to call you by your full name, Orihara Izaya?"
A young woman's voice was heard in this dark, dysfunctional bar.
The woman was dressed like a clerk for a designer boutique and probably in the middle of her twenties. She was wearing light makeup. Her hair was short and slightly curled.
Her tone sounded somewhat too young for her looks. No reply was heard in the dark bar, however.
Around her there were several figures sitting on the bar's rusty chairs.
Most of them were women, but there were several tough-looking men as well. Had the lighting in the bar been better, they would have looked like nightclub hostesses and waiters with their bodyguards.
But at the center of the bar sat a figure that indicated the exact opposite.
It was a man in black sitting on a stylish steel frame chair.
For this man, however, the quality of the lighting in the bar did not even matter.
His head and neck were completely concealed under a linen bag that looked like the kind used for transporting coffee beans. It was impossible to tell what his face - and, in fact, even his hairstyle - looked like.
He was definitely breathing, but he did not utter a word in reply to the woman.
The man's hands were tied together on his back. Since he could not see, it seemed quite impossible for him to make any reckless move.
"Aha, I see. You can't say anything. I should have known. They beat you up pretty good before they brought you here, didn't they? Ah, don't tell me you guys broke every single one of his teeth already?"
The short-haired woman turned in her chair, which looked the same as the man's, and asked the figures behind her back.
One of the women sitting behind her replied in an apathetic voice:
"No, we didn't break him. He's at least good-looking. It would have been such a waste."
"I see. Well done. That way I can have more fun with him."
Her voice sounded like a teenage girl's. But in the dim light it was hard to tell her exact age.
No one told the man under the linen bag a word about who and what they were. The short-haired woman continued to act as if she were the master of the place.
"So, Mr. Information Broker, do you know why you're looking the way you're looking right now?"
She asked the man under the linen bag again. There was still no reply, however.
The slightly rough sound of breathing was heard from behind the linen, but it was difficult to tell whether the man was conscious or not.
"I'll give you a hint. My nickname is…Earthworm. Do you get it now?"
Earthworm. It sounded more like an insult than a nickname. As soon as the man heard it, he slowly began to raise his linen-covered head.
"Aha! He heard me, he heard me! What's that, he looks like a doll! How funny!"
Earthworm chuckled mockingly. Pressing the tip of her index finger to the forehead of the man under the linen bag, she said in a tone that sounded like an eccentric high school girl talking to her male kouhai.
"I'll teach you something nice, Orihara Izaya-san."
"…"
The woman continued as the information broker remained silent.
"I don't know if it's because you're an information broker or anything, but boy, aren't you a little too conspicuous for your own good?"
"…"
"We heard that someone was curious enough about us to be looking for our information, so we did a bit of our own research. And guess what we found? Boy, aren't you just interesting? Almost as interesting as playing old maid with 52 old maid cards, you know."
Earthworm's simile was hard to understand. The man under the linen bag, however, made no sound other than breathing.
"Aren't information brokers supposed to be, you know, like nightclub hostesses, cops, lackeys working under really dangerous people or pimps…? They sell what they know to other people and make some pocket money from it, right?"
"…"
"But not only did you make it your main occupation - you even call yourself an 'information broker', and you're famous as well! Isn't that just pure blasphemy for an information broker? See, if the bosses of those cops and lackeys knew that they were in fact information brokers, wouldn't that be the end of them? They'd get arrested, or their fingertips would get cut off. Ah, or they'd simply be fed to the fish in Tokyo Bay, am I right?"
The woman kept on giggling as she said these dangerous words.
She sounded as if she were telling a fairy tale to a child.
"The 'nice' thing I'm going to teach you is that…conspicuous people like you are the least suited for a life as an information broker. Do you feel like you just got wiser?"
"…"
"Hey, are you listening? It's not so much a hint as it is the answer…but those scary old men at Awakusu-kai asked you to look for any information on us you could find, right?"
Earthworm kept her fingertip pressed against the non-responsive man's forehead and began to trace circles with it. The man was probably exhausted seeing as how he simply let his head be moved around in accordance with the prodding of her finger.
"But then, even though I taught you such 'nice' things you probably won't have a chance to use the knowledge."
"…"
"Because it's not like you're ever going back to that job again, is it?"
The woman in her twenties said these ruthless words with the expression of an innocent girl.
Who were those people, and what were they?
What exactly was happening inside this dysfunctional bar?
We'll be going back several days in time to the hour when the information broker named Orihara Izaya received a request from Awakusu-kai.
My first reaction to the last line in the prologue? CREEPY. I mean, who the hell finds a cat getting getting it's throat slashed cute? And it's REALLY interesting that Nakura is a guy Izaya went to school with, considering how he used the name throughout the anime and all. Maybe the name Kanra belongs to a girl as well? So much for that being fem!Izaya's name /AHEM SAMI
AND WOW LOOK AT IZAYA SHUTTING THE HELL UP FOR ONCE WITH THAT EARTHWORM LADY. wonder what trouble he got into himself this time. either way, it's pretty interesting so far!
AND WOW LOOK AT IZAYA SHUTTING THE HELL UP FOR ONCE WITH THAT EARTHWORM LADY. wonder what trouble he got into himself this time. either way, it's pretty interesting so far!
Super Mario
IT'S A ME!
- AKA
- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
Does this volume supposedly develops celty also? or just izaya?
crack
Donator
You're welcome. :3 and i hope you don't feel lonely : (
Probably, but I'm pretty sure this volume focuses on Izaya and his past, which would include Shinra and several of the other characters.
Frostwave
lil' rice krispies
- AKA
- Elizabeth, Selda
Nah, not really.
Definitely not more than what's common for people. I just meant I've been bookmarking a lot of Drrr stuff, those LN translations in particular. But I haven't gotten around to really reading most of it yet coz I'm lazy about it. So it was nice to read something about Izaya that gave a little more insight into him than what I got from the anime. =)
crack
Donator
YOU'RE IN LUCK FROSTY! And ugh, I should be sleeping, but I'm drowning in the awesomeness of this volume. Here are two snippets about Izaya and Shinra's middle school years. IT'S AMAZING
Credit goes to nomimushi
12 years ago; Raijin middle school; 1st year, class 3
"Hey you, want to join the biology club? Or rather, make one?"
"Sorry, but I'm not interested."
To the bespectacled boy's question, the other boy answered bluntly.
That was the first conversation Kishitani Shinra and Orihara Izaya ever had.
This was in the classroom after the entrance ceremony, and after everyone had introduced themselves.
After they'd been dismissed, friends from the same elementary schools spoke to each other, and in the atmosphere mixed with hope and worry about their new school lives, only these two were surrounded by a somehow strange air.
There were students from Raijin elementary, but none of them spoke to Izaya.
Izaya didn't feel particularly lonely, and even thought this should be the case.
It was true that he was an especially good student.
However, it can't be said that one is a model student just by being especially good at their studies.
He appeared gentle, and had some popularity with girls - but he went through school life in a withdrawn state, one step away from everything.
Later, an elementary schoolmate from the same level would laugh and say of him,"He was like an alien. He was a good guy, anyway." In reality, there were a lot of people who had similar impressions of him, who would say "He was a good guy, anyway" but it could have been that they thought it was expected of a top student. *
He wasn't hated by the boys and girls, but he wasn't particularly liked either.
During afternoon breaks and such, other students would talk in the classroom, or play in the courtyard, but since Izaya would always be in the library, he gave people the impression that he was a loner.
On class outings, when they split classes, he'd always be "the leftover one", but even so - when that happened, all the other classes would say,"Eh, is Izaya alone!? Come to my class!" "No, come here!" and it would be decided with rock-paper-scissors. This curious presence, was Orihara Izaya in his elementary school days.
And, Izaya himself enjoyed being a step away from his surroundings.
He knew he was a top student.
However, he didn't think the people around him were idiots, and didn't look down on them.
He liked the place for group activities that was known as school.
His classmates around him laughed with each other, fought with each other, bullied each other, and cried from the bullying - he liked to watch all this happen.
But if he were to get too far into it, he wouldn't be able to see as much.
If, in a cinema, there were two choices of seats - a seat at the back where, besides the whole of the movie, one could also appreciate the audience's reactions, and another seat right at the front where it'd be hard to see but easy to become completely absorbed in the images, the elementary school student Izaya was the type who would, with all certainty, choose the former.
As such, being singled out in such circumstances was something he actually wanted, and was enjoying watching his classmates form groups, but -
The person who interfered with his enjoyment, was a bespectacled boy with an innocent smile.
The boy, who, during self-introductions, called himself Kishitani Shinra.
"Dad got tired of Mum and divorced, and I'm now living with my dad, three people in all." He spoke in a breezy manner about his heavy family situation, and this was the impression he left behind.
Thinking about this, Izaya tried to return to observing the class, but -
"It's alright if you aren't interested. Let's make a biology club."
"......"
Izaya thought the boy with glasses, talking to him without giving up, was a little annoying.
Then, he realized he rarely thought that way of other people, so he became interested in the boy called Kishitani Shinra instead.
"You're Kishitani-kun, right?"
"Shinra's fine. ......erm, sorry, what was your name again?"
"......it's Orihara Izaya."
"Ah, right! Orihara-kun! I'll call you Orihara-kun, but you can call me Shinra."
At Shinra, who was speaking willfully in a strange direction, Izaya, amazed, replied.
"Why would you ask someone whose name you don't even know to set up a biology club?"
"Because the teacher said so just now. In this school, you can set up a club as long as you have at least two people."
"No, I mean, why me?"
It was probably because he was alone in class.
But that was something that was better not said directly.
Interested in what sort of reply he'd get, he asked the question in order to hear a forced reply, but-
What he got back, was something he didn't imagine.
"You like to watch living things, don't you? Just the type for biology."
"Ha?"
He didn't remember saying that in his self-introduction.
He thought for a moment that he'd been mistaken for someone else, but it seemed there wasn't any student who'd said something like "I like biology".
Seeing Izaya frown, Shinra asked instead.
"Huh? You said it during your self-introduction, right?"
"What?"
"Come on, it was "I like to watch people with different jobs.""
"......"
He liked to watch people.
He knew he liked to observe people, but if he were to say "my hobby is observing people" in his self-introduction, he wouldn't be thought of in a good manner, so he tried to say it in a way that seemed like a hobby yet wasn't a hobby, but he didn't think he'd there would be someone who'd say "join the biology club" to him.
"How is that related to the biology club?"
"Humans are biological!"
"......"
In the boy who simply declared "humans are biological", Izaya became interested again. It was true that "humans are one of the kinds of living things on Earth" was something he heard often those days, and there were probably other students who liked that phrase.
But, if someone were to mention that in relation to biological observation, then clearly something was wrong with him.
Slightly lost, Izaya shook his head at the boy.
"I'm sorry, but I'm really not interested in the biology club."
"I see, then I don't have a choice."
He gave up so simply that Izaya was caught off-guard.
"I'll ask you again tomorrow. It seems like there isn't a time limit for applying to form a club, anyway."
"Hold it. Don't you think I'm going to give you the same answer again?"
He stopped Shinra to ask, not just for the sake of exposing the joke.
Besides the curiosity, there was a kind of "strangeness".
He wanted to confirm what it was, but - at this point, Izaya still couldn't understand what that strangeness was.
"How about the day after?"
"Won't it be the same?"
"Please. You can be the president."
"Why are you giving me such a troublesome position?"
Izaya continued to retort calmly. It was the result of saying unimaginable things to a person one's only just met, but Izaya rarely had this sort of conversation with anyone.
"Anyway, can't you just ask someone else? Like a friend from elementary school."
At this, Shinra answered, looking surprised.
"Do I look like someone who has friends?"
"......sorry. You don't."
"Too bad! There's actually one!"
"Hmmm. Should I hit you?"
Ignoring the words Izaya said with narrowed eyes, he spoke quietly.
"Nah, but, that friend's in another school. So I don't have any friends in this school."
"You don't seem like you can make any more here. My condolences. Or should I say, serves you right?"
Izaya was a little surprised at himself saying these words.
That his stance of "not being attached nor separated from other people" that he had carried all through elementary school would be so simply destroyed, was something he hadn't expected.
He wondered if students from other elementary schools were like this, or if this boy, Kishitani Shinra was special, so he asked.
"Well, but, isn't there at least one other person who likes biology?"
"Hmmm. But there was a reason I asked you, that is, if I were to find someone who really likes biology, and wants to do things, it'd be a problem for me. I'd like to do the least work possible, something like keeping sea monkeys."
"? What. Is it not because you like biology?"
This school didn't require club activities. If they didn't have any drive, the students could simply make it a going-home-club, but why did he want to make a club at all?
The question came up in Izaya's mind, but before he could ask, the answer came from Shinra's mouth.
"No, actually, I don't really want to do club activities...... . Someone I like said "I've been thinking of this since you were in elementary school, but you have too few friends. How about doing club activities?"...... . It's still one-sided love, but I don't want to be disliked, so......"
".......over the fact that it's one-sided, I didn't think there'd be a person who'd care so much about you."
"You're speaking really frankly to someone you've just met. On top of that, there's something in "a person who'd care so much about you" that I'd like to correct, but, that's fine. Anyway, I thought you'd not particularly feel like doing anything even if you joined the club. Come on, can't we find tsuchinokos together?"
"That isn't a biology club activity, is it?"
In that manner, Izaya declined on the day of the entrance ceremony, but-
He had become interested in the strangeness of the human called Kishitani Shinra, and from the next day onwards, focused on "observing" him.
In addition, he made contact with people from Shinra's elementary school in a natural manner, and investigated him.
"Heeeh, that elementary school......isn't it the same as Kishitani-kun's?"
"Yeah, that's right. Ah, Orihara-kun, are you in the same class as Kishitani?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't he weird? I don't know what he's thinking at all."
It was an answer that he'd expected, but he continued to talk anyway.
"I don't want to say it since it sounds like I'm talking bad about him, but he doesn't seem to have many friends."
"Or rather, he doesn't have-......ah, there was Shizu-chan."
"Shizu-chan?"
A girl's name, probably. This was perhaps the "person who cares about Shinra" he was talking about yesterday. So Izaya thought.
However, that this was not the case, was something that the boy's next words told him.
"There was this scary guy called Shizuo...... . He's super good at fighting, gets mad quickly, but even though everyone tries not to go near him, only Kishitani can go near him and say things like "Let me dissect you!", you know? I don't get it."
"I see."
"Although, that scary guy did talk to Shinra properly...... . But he's really scary, you know? He threw the teacher's desk!"
-- Threw?
-- Ah, he's probably exaggerating the idea that he overturned the desk.
"I see, thanks. It'd be good if they caught such a dangerous guy soon."
Izaya thanked him lightly, and left the corridor.
He would never have dreamed that he would eventually engage in battles with that "dangerous guy" in the future.
After that, he continued living the same life he had in elementary school, while keeping an eye on the human called Kishitani Shinra, but -
One day, he suddenly understood.
Nothing told him so.
As if he had remembered something forgotten, it flashed by in his mind.
The fact that Kishitani Shinra was his opposite.
He didn't look at almost everyone else.
To bring it to the extreme, Kishitani Shinra did not have any interest in humans.
Just as he liked to watch humans -
Shinra had no interest in them.
-- If so, what is it?
-- What does he live to see?
He, who had been watching people, first noticed that "strangeness".
When he noticed it, a new question formed in his mind -
At the point, one month after the entrance ceremony, he said this to Shinra.
"About the biology club - if I can be vice-president, I'll do it, okay?"
He wanted to know why Kishitani Shinra didn't have any interest in humans.
As he hid that twisted passion in his heart -
The first biology club of Raijin middle school was born.
---
12 years ago; the last day of the summer holidays; Raijin Middle School; Biology room
"So, I think betting on baseball is bad, you know?"
"You're still saying that? I'm amazed."
How long has this conversation already continued?
Izaya, feeling a little bored of it, glared at the club president.
There was a reason he became the vice-president of the biology club and bought out the responsibility for taking care of the plants for the summer.
It was for the sake of turning the biology room, which he stayed in for fixed periods of time, into a place to gamble on baseball.
Ordinary students who claimed to want to see the carnivorous plants came to the biology room; however, most of them didn't come for the plants but rather to see Izaya, who was their bookie for baseball betting.
On top of the excuse that they wanted to appreciate the plants, the teachers didn't find out, so work was proceeding well, until - on the last day of the summer holidays, that is, today, Kishitani Shinra, who happened to be the biology club president, happened to see what was going on.
Then, he went on, stubbornly trying to persuade Izaya to stop.
It can't be said that the president - Kishitani Shinra, had a sense of justice.
Izaya knew that too.
It was, if anything, for the sake of showing "the target of his one-sided love" that he was on the side of good.
Izaya, feeling some kind of irritation at this Shinra, continued to stubbornly refuse, but-
Shinra, at this Izaya, wasn't angry or sad, and only calmly continued to persuade him.
"Shinra, are you an idiot? It's just like you haven't got any freedom of thought, like a puppet who's only trying to show his family that he's good."
"If the strings are held by people I care about, I'm fine with being a puppet."
"It's useless talking to you."
Really irritated, Izaya fell silent after that exchange, but-
When the silence was broken, it wasn't by Izaya or Shinra - it was by a third person, a boy who quietly opened the door to the room.
"Izayaa......"
The boy whispered quietly. Shinra, smiling, raised his hand.
"Hey, isn't it Nakura-kun. Did you come to see the carnivorous plants?"
Ignoring his schoolmate's greeting, the boy with a mole under his eye (nakihokuro) moved closer to Izaya.
"......what's up? Betting's already closed for today, you know?"
Just from those words, it was obvious that Nakura was someone who frequently engaged in "baseball betting". Shinra's expression didn't change, but his gaze shifted between Izaya and Nakura.
"Hey......I'm begging you, lend me some money."
Nakura, with a somehow hollow gaze and quivering lips, walked towards Izaya.
"I don't lend money."
"Then, that, money that I've betted up until yesterday, return it to me...... . It's bad, like this, my dad'll find out I took money from his wallet......"
"That's your own fault, isn't it? I've never forced you to gamble even once."
At Izaya's cold smile, Nakura's lips quivered strongly for a moment, then-
He took out a knife from his pockets, holding them in his palms, which were quivering as well.
"Is that for real? Nakura-kun."
Izaya narrowed his eyes, searching, while Nakura, teeth chattering, spoke.
"Take it out, means take it out, give it, give......give it back!"
He probably didn't know what to say. In a state where he could only attempt to articulate something, he moved closer, knife in hand, towards Izaya-
"To tell the truth, I can't think of there being any point to return you the money. I know. There haven't been a lot of times you've stalked people who won money, haven't there? I get complaints, you know."
In the next moment after Izaya said this, Nakura rushed at him.
"Just...just give, give it back already......raah!"
"......what an idiot, really."
Izaya, panic rising in his eyes, reached for a chair nearby to counter the attack, but-
Between the completely panicked two, Shinra suddenly jumped in.
"Watsugubo"
He'd probably wanted to say something like "wait".
But, despite the sudden interruption, Nakura didn't stop at all.
The shock to his stomach, that produced the strange yell "watsugubo"-
As a side effect, blood spilled in the middle of the biology room.
Then, seeing that the knife he was holding was covered in blood, Nakura's face turned white.
"Ah......eh? N-, n-, n-, no, I, wanted to scare, Izaya, was all-"
Nakura, not wanting to know what he had done, lips quivering even more than before, shook his head violently.
"Not me, not, I'm not, not my fault, I, ah, ahhhhhhhhh!"
He threw the knife down and ran out of the biology room.
Izaya ran to the side of the fallen Shinra, shifting his gaze to Shinra's belly, which had taken the knife's attack.
It wasn't a wound so big as to cause his internal organs to spill out, but due to the blood seeping out, Shinra's clothes were stained with a growing patch of red.
"Wait, I'll get an ambulance-......"
When Izaya took out his cellphone - which was a rare object at the time - from his bag, Shinra grabbed his hand.
"Before that......get me......the rubber tape......in the toolbox."
"Eh?"
"......because......I should stop the bleeding......first."
"......okay."
Izaya passed the rubber tape to Shinra, who gave instructions as if he were used to them, even though he had been stabbed in the stomach.
As he used a special method to close up the wound expertly, Shinra smiled at Izaya.
"Haha, I guess I'm not cut out to be a hero."
"Isn't it better if you don't talk?"
At Izaya's words, Shinra, blushing a little, continued, mumbling.
"If I become a hero......I thought the person I like would praise-......ugh!"
"Oi oi......"
"I'm fine, it's not a wound that I'll die from so soon. It seems my organs are safe, and miraculously, it looks like it didn't even reach my peritoneum......ugh!"
Watching Shinra continue to talk with his face blue, the feeling that leapt into Izaya's heart was-
Envy.
He held the pride that he was someone who observed humans, imagining himself as a human one step above his surroundings.
However, different from himself, Shinra was, in the sense of the phrase, existing in a different dimension.
If not out of a sense of justice, nor instinct, but "for the sake of being approved of by someone", was it so easy to stand in front of knife so readily? It can be said that love is blind, but in Shinra's case, it was obvious that he was not running on the same track as everyone else.
Including his own self, one could think of his standards as being completely different from humans'.
As Izaya was also worried at the time, he couldn't tidy his feelings well, but when he thought about it later, Izaya's analysis of Shinra was that "it's as if he's seeing people while being in another dimension himself".
Most of all, unlike Izaya, it wasn't because he liked humans.
However, even so, Izaya was envious.
Away from the humans around him, away from himself, in a completely different dimension, the boy from his level.
Looking at him - his hand, about to press the button on his phone to call an ambulance, stopped.
"......hey, Shinra."
In front of his schoolmate who was moaning in pain from the stab wound, Izaya asked in a small voice.
"Can you say......I stabbed you?"
"Owowowow......eh?"
"In exchange for that......for the rest of my life, I'll make that Nakura regret this."
"Hey you, want to join the biology club? Or rather, make one?"
"Sorry, but I'm not interested."
To the bespectacled boy's question, the other boy answered bluntly.
That was the first conversation Kishitani Shinra and Orihara Izaya ever had.
This was in the classroom after the entrance ceremony, and after everyone had introduced themselves.
After they'd been dismissed, friends from the same elementary schools spoke to each other, and in the atmosphere mixed with hope and worry about their new school lives, only these two were surrounded by a somehow strange air.
There were students from Raijin elementary, but none of them spoke to Izaya.
Izaya didn't feel particularly lonely, and even thought this should be the case.
It was true that he was an especially good student.
However, it can't be said that one is a model student just by being especially good at their studies.
He appeared gentle, and had some popularity with girls - but he went through school life in a withdrawn state, one step away from everything.
Later, an elementary schoolmate from the same level would laugh and say of him,"He was like an alien. He was a good guy, anyway." In reality, there were a lot of people who had similar impressions of him, who would say "He was a good guy, anyway" but it could have been that they thought it was expected of a top student. *
He wasn't hated by the boys and girls, but he wasn't particularly liked either.
During afternoon breaks and such, other students would talk in the classroom, or play in the courtyard, but since Izaya would always be in the library, he gave people the impression that he was a loner.
On class outings, when they split classes, he'd always be "the leftover one", but even so - when that happened, all the other classes would say,"Eh, is Izaya alone!? Come to my class!" "No, come here!" and it would be decided with rock-paper-scissors. This curious presence, was Orihara Izaya in his elementary school days.
And, Izaya himself enjoyed being a step away from his surroundings.
He knew he was a top student.
However, he didn't think the people around him were idiots, and didn't look down on them.
He liked the place for group activities that was known as school.
His classmates around him laughed with each other, fought with each other, bullied each other, and cried from the bullying - he liked to watch all this happen.
But if he were to get too far into it, he wouldn't be able to see as much.
If, in a cinema, there were two choices of seats - a seat at the back where, besides the whole of the movie, one could also appreciate the audience's reactions, and another seat right at the front where it'd be hard to see but easy to become completely absorbed in the images, the elementary school student Izaya was the type who would, with all certainty, choose the former.
As such, being singled out in such circumstances was something he actually wanted, and was enjoying watching his classmates form groups, but -
The person who interfered with his enjoyment, was a bespectacled boy with an innocent smile.
The boy, who, during self-introductions, called himself Kishitani Shinra.
"Dad got tired of Mum and divorced, and I'm now living with my dad, three people in all." He spoke in a breezy manner about his heavy family situation, and this was the impression he left behind.
Thinking about this, Izaya tried to return to observing the class, but -
"It's alright if you aren't interested. Let's make a biology club."
"......"
Izaya thought the boy with glasses, talking to him without giving up, was a little annoying.
Then, he realized he rarely thought that way of other people, so he became interested in the boy called Kishitani Shinra instead.
"You're Kishitani-kun, right?"
"Shinra's fine. ......erm, sorry, what was your name again?"
"......it's Orihara Izaya."
"Ah, right! Orihara-kun! I'll call you Orihara-kun, but you can call me Shinra."
At Shinra, who was speaking willfully in a strange direction, Izaya, amazed, replied.
"Why would you ask someone whose name you don't even know to set up a biology club?"
"Because the teacher said so just now. In this school, you can set up a club as long as you have at least two people."
"No, I mean, why me?"
It was probably because he was alone in class.
But that was something that was better not said directly.
Interested in what sort of reply he'd get, he asked the question in order to hear a forced reply, but-
What he got back, was something he didn't imagine.
"You like to watch living things, don't you? Just the type for biology."
"Ha?"
He didn't remember saying that in his self-introduction.
He thought for a moment that he'd been mistaken for someone else, but it seemed there wasn't any student who'd said something like "I like biology".
Seeing Izaya frown, Shinra asked instead.
"Huh? You said it during your self-introduction, right?"
"What?"
"Come on, it was "I like to watch people with different jobs.""
"......"
He liked to watch people.
He knew he liked to observe people, but if he were to say "my hobby is observing people" in his self-introduction, he wouldn't be thought of in a good manner, so he tried to say it in a way that seemed like a hobby yet wasn't a hobby, but he didn't think he'd there would be someone who'd say "join the biology club" to him.
"How is that related to the biology club?"
"Humans are biological!"
"......"
In the boy who simply declared "humans are biological", Izaya became interested again. It was true that "humans are one of the kinds of living things on Earth" was something he heard often those days, and there were probably other students who liked that phrase.
But, if someone were to mention that in relation to biological observation, then clearly something was wrong with him.
Slightly lost, Izaya shook his head at the boy.
"I'm sorry, but I'm really not interested in the biology club."
"I see, then I don't have a choice."
He gave up so simply that Izaya was caught off-guard.
"I'll ask you again tomorrow. It seems like there isn't a time limit for applying to form a club, anyway."
"Hold it. Don't you think I'm going to give you the same answer again?"
He stopped Shinra to ask, not just for the sake of exposing the joke.
Besides the curiosity, there was a kind of "strangeness".
He wanted to confirm what it was, but - at this point, Izaya still couldn't understand what that strangeness was.
"How about the day after?"
"Won't it be the same?"
"Please. You can be the president."
"Why are you giving me such a troublesome position?"
Izaya continued to retort calmly. It was the result of saying unimaginable things to a person one's only just met, but Izaya rarely had this sort of conversation with anyone.
"Anyway, can't you just ask someone else? Like a friend from elementary school."
At this, Shinra answered, looking surprised.
"Do I look like someone who has friends?"
"......sorry. You don't."
"Too bad! There's actually one!"
"Hmmm. Should I hit you?"
Ignoring the words Izaya said with narrowed eyes, he spoke quietly.
"Nah, but, that friend's in another school. So I don't have any friends in this school."
"You don't seem like you can make any more here. My condolences. Or should I say, serves you right?"
Izaya was a little surprised at himself saying these words.
That his stance of "not being attached nor separated from other people" that he had carried all through elementary school would be so simply destroyed, was something he hadn't expected.
He wondered if students from other elementary schools were like this, or if this boy, Kishitani Shinra was special, so he asked.
"Well, but, isn't there at least one other person who likes biology?"
"Hmmm. But there was a reason I asked you, that is, if I were to find someone who really likes biology, and wants to do things, it'd be a problem for me. I'd like to do the least work possible, something like keeping sea monkeys."
"? What. Is it not because you like biology?"
This school didn't require club activities. If they didn't have any drive, the students could simply make it a going-home-club, but why did he want to make a club at all?
The question came up in Izaya's mind, but before he could ask, the answer came from Shinra's mouth.
"No, actually, I don't really want to do club activities...... . Someone I like said "I've been thinking of this since you were in elementary school, but you have too few friends. How about doing club activities?"...... . It's still one-sided love, but I don't want to be disliked, so......"
".......over the fact that it's one-sided, I didn't think there'd be a person who'd care so much about you."
"You're speaking really frankly to someone you've just met. On top of that, there's something in "a person who'd care so much about you" that I'd like to correct, but, that's fine. Anyway, I thought you'd not particularly feel like doing anything even if you joined the club. Come on, can't we find tsuchinokos together?"
"That isn't a biology club activity, is it?"
In that manner, Izaya declined on the day of the entrance ceremony, but-
He had become interested in the strangeness of the human called Kishitani Shinra, and from the next day onwards, focused on "observing" him.
In addition, he made contact with people from Shinra's elementary school in a natural manner, and investigated him.
"Heeeh, that elementary school......isn't it the same as Kishitani-kun's?"
"Yeah, that's right. Ah, Orihara-kun, are you in the same class as Kishitani?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't he weird? I don't know what he's thinking at all."
It was an answer that he'd expected, but he continued to talk anyway.
"I don't want to say it since it sounds like I'm talking bad about him, but he doesn't seem to have many friends."
"Or rather, he doesn't have-......ah, there was Shizu-chan."
"Shizu-chan?"
A girl's name, probably. This was perhaps the "person who cares about Shinra" he was talking about yesterday. So Izaya thought.
However, that this was not the case, was something that the boy's next words told him.
"There was this scary guy called Shizuo...... . He's super good at fighting, gets mad quickly, but even though everyone tries not to go near him, only Kishitani can go near him and say things like "Let me dissect you!", you know? I don't get it."
"I see."
"Although, that scary guy did talk to Shinra properly...... . But he's really scary, you know? He threw the teacher's desk!"
-- Threw?
-- Ah, he's probably exaggerating the idea that he overturned the desk.
"I see, thanks. It'd be good if they caught such a dangerous guy soon."
Izaya thanked him lightly, and left the corridor.
He would never have dreamed that he would eventually engage in battles with that "dangerous guy" in the future.
After that, he continued living the same life he had in elementary school, while keeping an eye on the human called Kishitani Shinra, but -
One day, he suddenly understood.
Nothing told him so.
As if he had remembered something forgotten, it flashed by in his mind.
The fact that Kishitani Shinra was his opposite.
He didn't look at almost everyone else.
To bring it to the extreme, Kishitani Shinra did not have any interest in humans.
Just as he liked to watch humans -
Shinra had no interest in them.
-- If so, what is it?
-- What does he live to see?
He, who had been watching people, first noticed that "strangeness".
When he noticed it, a new question formed in his mind -
At the point, one month after the entrance ceremony, he said this to Shinra.
"About the biology club - if I can be vice-president, I'll do it, okay?"
He wanted to know why Kishitani Shinra didn't have any interest in humans.
As he hid that twisted passion in his heart -
The first biology club of Raijin middle school was born.
---
12 years ago; the last day of the summer holidays; Raijin Middle School; Biology room
"So, I think betting on baseball is bad, you know?"
"You're still saying that? I'm amazed."
How long has this conversation already continued?
Izaya, feeling a little bored of it, glared at the club president.
There was a reason he became the vice-president of the biology club and bought out the responsibility for taking care of the plants for the summer.
It was for the sake of turning the biology room, which he stayed in for fixed periods of time, into a place to gamble on baseball.
Ordinary students who claimed to want to see the carnivorous plants came to the biology room; however, most of them didn't come for the plants but rather to see Izaya, who was their bookie for baseball betting.
On top of the excuse that they wanted to appreciate the plants, the teachers didn't find out, so work was proceeding well, until - on the last day of the summer holidays, that is, today, Kishitani Shinra, who happened to be the biology club president, happened to see what was going on.
Then, he went on, stubbornly trying to persuade Izaya to stop.
It can't be said that the president - Kishitani Shinra, had a sense of justice.
Izaya knew that too.
It was, if anything, for the sake of showing "the target of his one-sided love" that he was on the side of good.
Izaya, feeling some kind of irritation at this Shinra, continued to stubbornly refuse, but-
Shinra, at this Izaya, wasn't angry or sad, and only calmly continued to persuade him.
"Shinra, are you an idiot? It's just like you haven't got any freedom of thought, like a puppet who's only trying to show his family that he's good."
"If the strings are held by people I care about, I'm fine with being a puppet."
"It's useless talking to you."
Really irritated, Izaya fell silent after that exchange, but-
When the silence was broken, it wasn't by Izaya or Shinra - it was by a third person, a boy who quietly opened the door to the room.
"Izayaa......"
The boy whispered quietly. Shinra, smiling, raised his hand.
"Hey, isn't it Nakura-kun. Did you come to see the carnivorous plants?"
Ignoring his schoolmate's greeting, the boy with a mole under his eye (nakihokuro) moved closer to Izaya.
"......what's up? Betting's already closed for today, you know?"
Just from those words, it was obvious that Nakura was someone who frequently engaged in "baseball betting". Shinra's expression didn't change, but his gaze shifted between Izaya and Nakura.
"Hey......I'm begging you, lend me some money."
Nakura, with a somehow hollow gaze and quivering lips, walked towards Izaya.
"I don't lend money."
"Then, that, money that I've betted up until yesterday, return it to me...... . It's bad, like this, my dad'll find out I took money from his wallet......"
"That's your own fault, isn't it? I've never forced you to gamble even once."
At Izaya's cold smile, Nakura's lips quivered strongly for a moment, then-
He took out a knife from his pockets, holding them in his palms, which were quivering as well.
"Is that for real? Nakura-kun."
Izaya narrowed his eyes, searching, while Nakura, teeth chattering, spoke.
"Take it out, means take it out, give it, give......give it back!"
He probably didn't know what to say. In a state where he could only attempt to articulate something, he moved closer, knife in hand, towards Izaya-
"To tell the truth, I can't think of there being any point to return you the money. I know. There haven't been a lot of times you've stalked people who won money, haven't there? I get complaints, you know."
In the next moment after Izaya said this, Nakura rushed at him.
"Just...just give, give it back already......raah!"
"......what an idiot, really."
Izaya, panic rising in his eyes, reached for a chair nearby to counter the attack, but-
Between the completely panicked two, Shinra suddenly jumped in.
"Watsugubo"
He'd probably wanted to say something like "wait".
But, despite the sudden interruption, Nakura didn't stop at all.
The shock to his stomach, that produced the strange yell "watsugubo"-
As a side effect, blood spilled in the middle of the biology room.
Then, seeing that the knife he was holding was covered in blood, Nakura's face turned white.
"Ah......eh? N-, n-, n-, no, I, wanted to scare, Izaya, was all-"
Nakura, not wanting to know what he had done, lips quivering even more than before, shook his head violently.
"Not me, not, I'm not, not my fault, I, ah, ahhhhhhhhh!"
He threw the knife down and ran out of the biology room.
Izaya ran to the side of the fallen Shinra, shifting his gaze to Shinra's belly, which had taken the knife's attack.
It wasn't a wound so big as to cause his internal organs to spill out, but due to the blood seeping out, Shinra's clothes were stained with a growing patch of red.
"Wait, I'll get an ambulance-......"
When Izaya took out his cellphone - which was a rare object at the time - from his bag, Shinra grabbed his hand.
"Before that......get me......the rubber tape......in the toolbox."
"Eh?"
"......because......I should stop the bleeding......first."
"......okay."
Izaya passed the rubber tape to Shinra, who gave instructions as if he were used to them, even though he had been stabbed in the stomach.
As he used a special method to close up the wound expertly, Shinra smiled at Izaya.
"Haha, I guess I'm not cut out to be a hero."
"Isn't it better if you don't talk?"
At Izaya's words, Shinra, blushing a little, continued, mumbling.
"If I become a hero......I thought the person I like would praise-......ugh!"
"Oi oi......"
"I'm fine, it's not a wound that I'll die from so soon. It seems my organs are safe, and miraculously, it looks like it didn't even reach my peritoneum......ugh!"
Watching Shinra continue to talk with his face blue, the feeling that leapt into Izaya's heart was-
Envy.
He held the pride that he was someone who observed humans, imagining himself as a human one step above his surroundings.
However, different from himself, Shinra was, in the sense of the phrase, existing in a different dimension.
If not out of a sense of justice, nor instinct, but "for the sake of being approved of by someone", was it so easy to stand in front of knife so readily? It can be said that love is blind, but in Shinra's case, it was obvious that he was not running on the same track as everyone else.
Including his own self, one could think of his standards as being completely different from humans'.
As Izaya was also worried at the time, he couldn't tidy his feelings well, but when he thought about it later, Izaya's analysis of Shinra was that "it's as if he's seeing people while being in another dimension himself".
Most of all, unlike Izaya, it wasn't because he liked humans.
However, even so, Izaya was envious.
Away from the humans around him, away from himself, in a completely different dimension, the boy from his level.
Looking at him - his hand, about to press the button on his phone to call an ambulance, stopped.
"......hey, Shinra."
In front of his schoolmate who was moaning in pain from the stab wound, Izaya asked in a small voice.
"Can you say......I stabbed you?"
"Owowowow......eh?"
"In exchange for that......for the rest of my life, I'll make that Nakura regret this."
WOW. Aside from the Izaya/Shinra undertones lol god i'm such a fangirl The fact that Izaya was envious of Shinra is a pretty shocking revelation. And this also comes to show how crazy Shinra is for Celty -- I mean, he'd be willing to get himself stabbed because he wants to look good for her? And in the end, when Izaya asks Shinra if he can tell the paramedics it was IZAYA who did it. Mind blowing. And lol at him hearing about Shizuo, unaware that the guy's observation of Shizuo was spot on. XD WHY IS THERE NO SECOND SEASON YET FUUUUUUUU
Credit goes to nomimushi
