crack
Donator
That's not him.
What a tiny ass picture of him (Chikage). But imagined that he looks like Hazama. xD
Durarara!!
- Thread starter crack
- Start date
crack
Donator
Holy shit, Durarara!! gets more and more epic with each chapter:
(CONTINUED FROM PART I)
“……So you just put him to sleep as usual?”
Tom sipped at his coffee and said. Shizuo sucked up his vanilla milk shake as he said:
“Yeah, that’s right. Afterwards I took him to a doctor I knew.”
“It’s rare that you would take someone to the doctor, Shizuo.”
“I’d be in trouble if he died. And I don’t hate that type of guy. Had it been that flea Izaya I would have given him the final blow right then and there.”
“I think a first blow from you kind of works as a last as well, though.”
Tom laughed hollowly. Shizuo, however, gave a surprising reply.
“Four.”
“Huh?”
“It took four punches from me for him to fall.”
“……You kidding?”
Tom’s eyes popped to the size of saucers as the sugar pack he had been twirling between his fingers fell.
“Yeah. When I was about to punch him a fifth time he said ‘Ah, and I have girls willing to tend to me when I’m in the hospital bed. Are you jealous now?’……Something like that. His tooth broke so I wasn’t able to hear very well. After that he just fell to the ground with a thud.”
“……I heard he was pretty tough, but I never thought……”
“There are actually quite a few guys out there who are like that. That foreigner* I got into a fight with a while ago took me quite some time as well.”
* Probably Baccano’s Nile.
“Well, I guess the world is a big place and has all sorts of people to offer……but still, he’s something for being able to walk on his feet like that when he’s only just been beaten up by you last night. I was wondering how his face got injured, but I guess I see why now……”
“But to be quite frank, I am jealous of him for having women who would take care of him.”
“Yeah…speaking of which, you are lacking a girlfriend. I know we’re at work and all, but aren’t you tired of eating with a guy day after day? You could probably use an oasis of the heart as well, ever thought about that?”
Tom had raised a pretty sharp question. Anyone who knew Shizuo enough to be smart would have avoided asking such questions out of fear, but Tom, who had known him for a relatively long time, knew that it actually fell within the safe zone, if only barely.
He was right. Shizuo did not look displeased; instead, he nodded with an “Mmm,” and began to say things that sounded like a complaint.
“Not that I haven’t heard people say ‘I love you’ to me…but I don’t even know if they counted as women or not.”
“Hmm? Have you been going to gay bars or transsexual clubs?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…I mean, they hardly counted as humans to begin with……more like sharp objects……”
“Sorry, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Tom looked puzzled while Shizuo simply continued with the story of his adolescence.
“Actually, no women have ever been willing to get close to me. I know that’s partly my personality’s fault, but there’s no one close to me save that fucking flea and the weird guy in glasses. The flea was always sweet-talking some woman into following him somewhere, and the glasses guy creeped women out as well since he had that twisted personality.”
“Are you talking about Izaya and……um, the doctor you mentioned?”
“Yeah. The doctor’s an irritating fly who just can't stop talking nonsense into your ear, but you eventually get used to it. He's kind of a bad acquaintance that stuck. I don't even wanna mention that fucking flea. He can't die in a fire soon enough for me. Anyway that's why I've never had a girlfriend."
"Don't mind that too much. You'll find a cute girlfriend sooner or later. You've got a face like your top idol brother's after all."
Tom tried to cheer Shizuo up with a smile on his face. Shizuo, on the other hand, tilted his head in a "Do I really?" sort of way.
It was a day like any other for them - for Shizuo especially.
The Rokujou Chikage incident was nothing more than a speck of spice in their otherwise uneventful lives.
- Or at least should have been.
It was only rarely that people like Chikage would come looking for Shizuo.
That was why Shizuo was unable to realize that his life was changing quietly and in places he couldn't see.
"So lunch was at Lotteria…how about supper at McDonald's for the sake of balance……Hmm?"
Tom stopped mid-sentence and raised his voice in a strange way. Shizuo raised his head with question marks written all over his face and asked:
"What's up?"
"Turn around and look."
"Hmm?"
Shizuo was sitting with his back to 60-Story Street. The restaurant had transparent glass walls, so Tom was able to see clearly everything that was going on outside.
Right now Tom's gaze was fixed on something on the street behind Shizuo's shoulder.
"What's going on……?"
Shizuo trailed off instantly the moment he turned to look.
Sucked to the glass.
That was probably the best way to describe it.
A little girl stood outside Lotteria's glass wall.
The tiny girl, with her hands and forehead practically sucked to the glass, was staring at Shizuo.
"………"
For a moment he thought it was a girl he knew, maybe Kururi or Mairu.
Shizuo couldn't think of any other little girl in Ikebukuro who would press herself to the glass staring at him.
But the little girl had a face he didn't know.
Moreover, she was way younger than Mairu or Kururi to begin with.
The little girl was dressed like an elementary school kid. One would guess that she was barely even ten.
"…………?"
The girl kept staring at Shizuo - and then, after casting a glance at a piece of paper she had in her hand, raised her eyes to look into Shizuo's once again -
All of a sudden, her face broke into a bright smile like a blossoming flower.
It was not a smile meant to reassure or conceal embarrassment. Rather, it was an innocent smile seen on kids' faces only when they got their hands on a longed-for toy.
After that, the little girl began to run in a circle with loud footsteps like some sort of wound-up toy, her eyes never leaving Shizuo.
"……Um, is she a relative of yours, Shizuo?"
"……No, I don't think I know her."
"But it doesn't look like she's staring at you because she finds your clothes funny."
"Nope. It's strange indeed. I'll go out and have a look."
Shizuo felt puzzled and got up to make for the door and ask the mysterious little girl what she was after.
"Oi oi, you really think it's a good idea? What if she goes 'Dad!' or 'Sweetheart!'? What will you do?"
"That's impossible. We're not living inside Yumasaki's head."
Shizuo gathered the tray quickly and walked outside.
The little girl stared at him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Parents often fondly compared their kids to dolls; but in the case of this little girl, there was no other way to better describe her loveliness.
Her shoulder-length raven hair swayed gently in the wind, and her cute long bangs took turns concealing her left or right eye from view.
The weather in May was already fairly warm, but the girl had two layers firmly on. Her clothes looked like something European kids would wear, and the golden buttons on them were quite eye-catching. They looked like they were meticulously tailored to accentuate the girl's tiny frame.
However, the way her eyes were concealed behind her bangs made her smile look somewhat gloomy.
The girl kept her gaze on Shizuo as she began to run towards him without hesitating.
Ran.
Ran.
Ran, and ran.
Ran and ran and ran.
Tak tak tak tak tak tak
Tak tak ------------------
- Shizuo had a sudden uncanny feeling.
An unspeakable chill went down his spine -
He couldn't help but notice the way this kid was smiling.
- It was innocent alright.
- But there was also something that reminded one of a kid stomping on ants for fun……
Shizuo's premonition was proven true when the little girl opened her mouth to say her first word.
"Die!"
And then, the little girl -
- without hesitation, pressed the stun gun she had been holding in her hand against Shizuo's abdomen.
The next second, intense currents sent loud explosive sparks flying into the air -
And Heiwajima Shizuo's laid-back routine was officially put to an end.
Night of the previous day (May 2nd), CHATROOM
Setton-san has just joined the chat.
Setton
Good evening!
Setton
Hmm, looks like nobody's online
Setton
I'll just wait
Setton
Ah, my partner's calling, brb
Tanaka Taro-san has just joined the chat.
Tanaka Taro
Good evening
Tanaka Taro
Looks like only Setton-san’s online?
Tanaka Taro
Hmm, no response
Tanaka Taro
Maybe Setton-san's busy. Sorry about that
Tanaka Taro
I'll just wait here.
Kyo-san has just joined the chat.
Mai-san has just joined the chat.
Kyo
We are awfully sorry to disturb you in your silent quest of waiting for others to appear, Taro-san who just said you would be waiting after you acknowledged the other party's presence, and Setton-san, who does not seem to notice that the ones you've been waiting for have arrived because you are away. Is this a prelude to some sort of romance? Though I have no idea what gender you are. Taro-san uses a masculine handle, but I cannot rule out the possibility that you're really a woman. As for Setton-san's handle
Mai
?
Kyo
Sorry. I just hit the word limit. As for Setton-san's handle, it's even less indicative of the gender of the person behind it. Speaking of which, Setton is a weird handle to use to begin with indeed. What's the story behind that name? I googled it, but all I got was some kind of Korean fashion. Is that where you got the idea of that name? Or did you get it from the movie producer Maxwell Setton?
Mai
It's a mystery.
Setton
Back. Good evening
Setton
The weird ones are here.
Setton
Ah, actually no. My handle is just a twist of my real name
Kyo
Now that is surprising. I can't believe the story behind it is so simple! Please pardon me if that "simple" sounds offending to you. I apologize with all my heart, but it is really up to you whether to forgive me or not. But again, this might turn out to be an ideal chance to get to know the real Setton-san! What kind of twist is it? Seto Sanpei......Setouchi Anna......what could the real name be? Wow, Setton-san just got even enigmatic if that's possible.
Mai
Serada Jirou Saburou Tonpei?
Setton
Just what kind of name is Tonpei......?
Mai
- Content filtered for containing inappropriate words or phrases -
Mai
What?
Setton
Hmm, I've never noticed we had that kind of filter.
Setton
......And what were you trying to suggest as my real name?
Mai
- Content filtered for containing inappropriate words or phrases -
Mai
Ah, I see, so you can't type that word here...
Mai
That hurts!
Setton
?
Mai
I was pinched.
Kyo
I am so sorry. Presently we are sitting at computers right next to each other's and both taking part in this chat. But as I just saw Mai typing something way obscene into the dialogue box I punished her in reality in order to stop her from polluting the chatroom. Please rest assured.
Setton
I see you two really hit it off.
Bakyura-san has just joined the chat.
Bakyura
Cheers
Kyo
Look, it's Mr. Playboy who likes his whistle blown.
Mai
Good evening.
Bakyura
What, why is my whistle still being talked about!?
Setton
Evening!
Saika-san has just joined the chat.
Bakyura
Oh, just one minute after me
Setton
It's synchronicity.
Saika
Good evening.
Bakyura
Did Taro-san go to bed already
Bakyura
It's like 10 p.m.
Bakyura
Just how healthy a lifestyle does he feel like he must stick to
Tanaka Taro
Wow, people got online when I was answering calls and going to the bathroom...
Tanaka Taro
Good evening, everyone.
Bakyura
Ah here you are
Setton
Synchronicity again.
Bakyura
Sin-Clone-y-City sounds like some kind of final revelation scene in a game.
Tanaka Taro
I really can't say I'm interested in replying to that.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Mikado
[Private mode] Bakyura
I need to talk to you
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Eh?
Setton
The Clone-y-City part is just...
Saika
What does that mean?
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
You're Masaomi, right?
[Private mode] Bakyura
...I don't think who I am even matters right now
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
But these two months you've been pretending you don't even know me in this chatroom......
Kyo
I really have no idea what kind of thinking pattern made Bakyura-san say what he just said......humans really have inscrutable hearts. Maybe that is because so many shades of insanity are synchronized in our hearts. I only hope that mix of insanity is not a potential threat to this world and our fellow humans.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Sorry, I said I wasn't interested in replying to you because that seemed like what everyone else would say...
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Ahhh, I really don't know what to say. I never expected to talk to you with the clear knowledge that you're Masaomi in a place like this......but are you really so annoyed that I said that? I thought Masaomi wouldn't mind being told that...but actually, Sin-Clone-y-City was pretty funny.
[Private mode] Bakyura
No, that's not what I need to talk to you about
[Private mode] Bakyura
Ahh, hang on a moment
Mai
Scary.
Setton
You were a little too mean, Kyo-san.
Setton
See? Looks like Bakyura-san doesn't want to talk anymore.
Bakyura
Ah, sorry
Bakyura
I was just eating
Bakyura
I'll still be around but I probably won't reply to anything
Setton
Bon appetite!
[Private mode] Bakyura
Good, now I can concentrate
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Thanks for getting all serious. By the way, I'm glad you're no longer hitting enter after every punctuation mark...
[Private mode] Bakyura
Anyway. There's a reason that I'm not talking to Tanaka Taro today, but directly to you, Mikado. In fact, I was waiting for you to come online.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
You could have just called me. I haven't changed my number.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Can't. Hearing your voice would probably have swung my heart the unwanted way.
Kyo
So is everybody going somewhere for the break starting tomorrow? We two are more indoorsy types than we might look so we're probably just going to cultivate our love at home.
Setton
Your love? Are Kyo-san and Mai-san a couple?
Mai
It's a secret.
Saika
I will stay at home.
[Private mode] Bakyura
I was talking to Kyo-san and others
[Private mode] Bakyura
Are you going somewhere for Golden Week?
Setton
My partner and I are probably going to play video games together.
Kyo
Wow, Setton-san has a way of cultivating love too.
Mai
Together.
Setton
Ah, nah, if you have to call it love......well, I guess there's really no other way to refer to it. lol
Saika
Love?
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Ah, I'm not going anywhere! So if you want to meet we can definitely meet!
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Your parents don't really care what you do, so I'm guessing they don't mind your dropping out of school either. But everyone at school is worried about you. Satou-sensei was asking about you too.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
And Anri really wants to see you again.
[Private mode] Bakyura
......That's not really what I want to talk about. Sorry.
Kyo
Anyway. If we do go out we'll just be wandering around Ikebukuro. Mai and I will probably go shopping at P Parco and see a movie at Sunshine Street and that'll be it.
Mai
I wanna see a movie.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Mikado, are you going anywhere for the break?
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Eh? Not really, I have class representative stuff so I'll be at school tomorrow.
[Private mode] Bakyura
I see......Mikado. This is my best advice for you.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Don't go roaming around alone at night, at least not during the break.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Even if you have to, try not to hang out with anyone else in Dollars.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Eh?
Setton
Ahh. But sometimes I would think it would be nice to walk in the woods in my hometown with my partner.
Kyo
Really! Why not visit your hometown then? You don't get breaks every other day.
Setton
No...my hometown's kind of too far away for that.
[Private mode] Bakyura
It's best if you just try to be a high school student with nothing to do with Dollars for a while.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
What exactly is happening?
Setton
Is Taro-san going somewhere?
[Private mode] Bakyura
I don't have the clearest idea either, so I'm probably not the best person to brief you
[Private mode] Bakyura
It's just...a hunch, yeah, something close to a hunch
[Private mode] Bakyura
Something just smells dangerous
[Private mode] Bakyura
Dollars is in danger. I have this feeling that Dollars is in danger.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Dollars is?
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Not really sure why, but I see what you're trying to say. I'll be careful
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
I trust Masaomi's hunches for this kind of thing since they've never been wrong.
Setton
Hmm, no response. Might be away.
Setton
Ah, excuse me. Looks like there's a guest in my place so I'll leave early today.
Kyo
Alas, we're already saying goodbye for this evening. That makes me melancholic, but I'll just savor the delicious sorrow while blaming everything on fate. I'm probably the only one who does enjoy things like that. Goodbye Setton-san, have a nice break.
Mai
Setton-san, Bye-bee.
Bakyura
Rest well!
Saika
Thank you.
Setton
Saika-san, it's not like there's anything you should thank me for. lol
Setton
Anyway. Rest well, everyone.
Setton
Good night -
Setton-san has just left the chat.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Thank you, Mikado.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Take care of yourself.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Thanks. You too, Masaomi. I really mean it. Thank you for everything.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Don't talk like that, it makes us feel like strangers.
Bakyura
Ah, I actually have something to attend to as well so I'll be logging off for the day.
Bakyura
(>_<) ノシ
Bakyura-san has just left the chat.
Kyo
Good night. Hope you have sweet dreams of Sinful Clone-y Cities.
Tanaka Taro
Good night.
Tanaka Taro
Ehh? Setton-san left, too?
Tanaka Taro
Argh, I didn't know I was ignoring Setton-san......
Tanaka Taro
I'm really sorry.
Saika
I don't think Setton-san would mind.
Kyo
Aww, you seem to be missing out on each other a lot. At the beginning of this chat Tanaka Taro-san was ignored by Setton-san who happened to be away. Now Taro-san ignored Setton-san back......this online phenomena of missing out on each other is definitely trying to teach us something!
Mai
I think it's love!
Kyo
You need to stop responding with just your spinal reflexes.
Saika
Love...?
Tanaka Taro
......Um, I'm sorry?
Tanaka Taro
Speaking of which, Kanra-san hasn't been here today.
Kyo
That one is a smart bastard and always busy. Though I wouldn't mind at all if that one wasted more time in places like this chatroom and didn't wreak as much havoc.
Mai
That one's rotten to the bone.
Saika
Kanra-san doesn't seem like a bad person.
Tanaka Taro
Has Saika-san ever met Kanra-san in reality?
Saika
No, only in this chatroom. I'm sorry.
Tanaka Taro
Well, I won't call that one a bad person, but it's true that Kanra-san is a little strange...
Kyo
Alas, alas. Yet another human being taken in by Kanra-san's sweet words......
.
.
.
.
.
END OF CHAPTER I
“……So you just put him to sleep as usual?”
Tom sipped at his coffee and said. Shizuo sucked up his vanilla milk shake as he said:
“Yeah, that’s right. Afterwards I took him to a doctor I knew.”
“It’s rare that you would take someone to the doctor, Shizuo.”
“I’d be in trouble if he died. And I don’t hate that type of guy. Had it been that flea Izaya I would have given him the final blow right then and there.”
“I think a first blow from you kind of works as a last as well, though.”
Tom laughed hollowly. Shizuo, however, gave a surprising reply.
“Four.”
“Huh?”
“It took four punches from me for him to fall.”
“……You kidding?”
Tom’s eyes popped to the size of saucers as the sugar pack he had been twirling between his fingers fell.
“Yeah. When I was about to punch him a fifth time he said ‘Ah, and I have girls willing to tend to me when I’m in the hospital bed. Are you jealous now?’……Something like that. His tooth broke so I wasn’t able to hear very well. After that he just fell to the ground with a thud.”
“……I heard he was pretty tough, but I never thought……”
“There are actually quite a few guys out there who are like that. That foreigner* I got into a fight with a while ago took me quite some time as well.”
* Probably Baccano’s Nile.
“Well, I guess the world is a big place and has all sorts of people to offer……but still, he’s something for being able to walk on his feet like that when he’s only just been beaten up by you last night. I was wondering how his face got injured, but I guess I see why now……”
“But to be quite frank, I am jealous of him for having women who would take care of him.”
“Yeah…speaking of which, you are lacking a girlfriend. I know we’re at work and all, but aren’t you tired of eating with a guy day after day? You could probably use an oasis of the heart as well, ever thought about that?”
Tom had raised a pretty sharp question. Anyone who knew Shizuo enough to be smart would have avoided asking such questions out of fear, but Tom, who had known him for a relatively long time, knew that it actually fell within the safe zone, if only barely.
He was right. Shizuo did not look displeased; instead, he nodded with an “Mmm,” and began to say things that sounded like a complaint.
“Not that I haven’t heard people say ‘I love you’ to me…but I don’t even know if they counted as women or not.”
“Hmm? Have you been going to gay bars or transsexual clubs?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…I mean, they hardly counted as humans to begin with……more like sharp objects……”
“Sorry, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Tom looked puzzled while Shizuo simply continued with the story of his adolescence.
“Actually, no women have ever been willing to get close to me. I know that’s partly my personality’s fault, but there’s no one close to me save that fucking flea and the weird guy in glasses. The flea was always sweet-talking some woman into following him somewhere, and the glasses guy creeped women out as well since he had that twisted personality.”
“Are you talking about Izaya and……um, the doctor you mentioned?”
“Yeah. The doctor’s an irritating fly who just can't stop talking nonsense into your ear, but you eventually get used to it. He's kind of a bad acquaintance that stuck. I don't even wanna mention that fucking flea. He can't die in a fire soon enough for me. Anyway that's why I've never had a girlfriend."
"Don't mind that too much. You'll find a cute girlfriend sooner or later. You've got a face like your top idol brother's after all."
Tom tried to cheer Shizuo up with a smile on his face. Shizuo, on the other hand, tilted his head in a "Do I really?" sort of way.
It was a day like any other for them - for Shizuo especially.
The Rokujou Chikage incident was nothing more than a speck of spice in their otherwise uneventful lives.
- Or at least should have been.
It was only rarely that people like Chikage would come looking for Shizuo.
That was why Shizuo was unable to realize that his life was changing quietly and in places he couldn't see.
"So lunch was at Lotteria…how about supper at McDonald's for the sake of balance……Hmm?"
Tom stopped mid-sentence and raised his voice in a strange way. Shizuo raised his head with question marks written all over his face and asked:
"What's up?"
"Turn around and look."
"Hmm?"
Shizuo was sitting with his back to 60-Story Street. The restaurant had transparent glass walls, so Tom was able to see clearly everything that was going on outside.
Right now Tom's gaze was fixed on something on the street behind Shizuo's shoulder.
"What's going on……?"
Shizuo trailed off instantly the moment he turned to look.
Sucked to the glass.
That was probably the best way to describe it.
A little girl stood outside Lotteria's glass wall.
The tiny girl, with her hands and forehead practically sucked to the glass, was staring at Shizuo.
"………"
For a moment he thought it was a girl he knew, maybe Kururi or Mairu.
Shizuo couldn't think of any other little girl in Ikebukuro who would press herself to the glass staring at him.
But the little girl had a face he didn't know.
Moreover, she was way younger than Mairu or Kururi to begin with.
The little girl was dressed like an elementary school kid. One would guess that she was barely even ten.
"…………?"
The girl kept staring at Shizuo - and then, after casting a glance at a piece of paper she had in her hand, raised her eyes to look into Shizuo's once again -
All of a sudden, her face broke into a bright smile like a blossoming flower.
It was not a smile meant to reassure or conceal embarrassment. Rather, it was an innocent smile seen on kids' faces only when they got their hands on a longed-for toy.
After that, the little girl began to run in a circle with loud footsteps like some sort of wound-up toy, her eyes never leaving Shizuo.
"……Um, is she a relative of yours, Shizuo?"
"……No, I don't think I know her."
"But it doesn't look like she's staring at you because she finds your clothes funny."
"Nope. It's strange indeed. I'll go out and have a look."
Shizuo felt puzzled and got up to make for the door and ask the mysterious little girl what she was after.
"Oi oi, you really think it's a good idea? What if she goes 'Dad!' or 'Sweetheart!'? What will you do?"
"That's impossible. We're not living inside Yumasaki's head."
Shizuo gathered the tray quickly and walked outside.
The little girl stared at him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Parents often fondly compared their kids to dolls; but in the case of this little girl, there was no other way to better describe her loveliness.
Her shoulder-length raven hair swayed gently in the wind, and her cute long bangs took turns concealing her left or right eye from view.
The weather in May was already fairly warm, but the girl had two layers firmly on. Her clothes looked like something European kids would wear, and the golden buttons on them were quite eye-catching. They looked like they were meticulously tailored to accentuate the girl's tiny frame.
However, the way her eyes were concealed behind her bangs made her smile look somewhat gloomy.
The girl kept her gaze on Shizuo as she began to run towards him without hesitating.
Ran.
Ran.
Ran, and ran.
Ran and ran and ran.
Tak tak tak tak tak tak
Tak tak ------------------
- Shizuo had a sudden uncanny feeling.
An unspeakable chill went down his spine -
He couldn't help but notice the way this kid was smiling.
- It was innocent alright.
- But there was also something that reminded one of a kid stomping on ants for fun……
Shizuo's premonition was proven true when the little girl opened her mouth to say her first word.
"Die!"
And then, the little girl -
- without hesitation, pressed the stun gun she had been holding in her hand against Shizuo's abdomen.
The next second, intense currents sent loud explosive sparks flying into the air -
And Heiwajima Shizuo's laid-back routine was officially put to an end.
Night of the previous day (May 2nd), CHATROOM
Setton-san has just joined the chat.
Setton
Good evening!
Setton
Hmm, looks like nobody's online
Setton
I'll just wait
Setton
Ah, my partner's calling, brb
Tanaka Taro-san has just joined the chat.
Tanaka Taro
Good evening
Tanaka Taro
Looks like only Setton-san’s online?
Tanaka Taro
Hmm, no response
Tanaka Taro
Maybe Setton-san's busy. Sorry about that
Tanaka Taro
I'll just wait here.
Kyo-san has just joined the chat.
Mai-san has just joined the chat.
Kyo
We are awfully sorry to disturb you in your silent quest of waiting for others to appear, Taro-san who just said you would be waiting after you acknowledged the other party's presence, and Setton-san, who does not seem to notice that the ones you've been waiting for have arrived because you are away. Is this a prelude to some sort of romance? Though I have no idea what gender you are. Taro-san uses a masculine handle, but I cannot rule out the possibility that you're really a woman. As for Setton-san's handle
Mai
?
Kyo
Sorry. I just hit the word limit. As for Setton-san's handle, it's even less indicative of the gender of the person behind it. Speaking of which, Setton is a weird handle to use to begin with indeed. What's the story behind that name? I googled it, but all I got was some kind of Korean fashion. Is that where you got the idea of that name? Or did you get it from the movie producer Maxwell Setton?
Mai
It's a mystery.
Setton
Back. Good evening
Setton
The weird ones are here.
Setton
Ah, actually no. My handle is just a twist of my real name
Kyo
Now that is surprising. I can't believe the story behind it is so simple! Please pardon me if that "simple" sounds offending to you. I apologize with all my heart, but it is really up to you whether to forgive me or not. But again, this might turn out to be an ideal chance to get to know the real Setton-san! What kind of twist is it? Seto Sanpei......Setouchi Anna......what could the real name be? Wow, Setton-san just got even enigmatic if that's possible.
Mai
Serada Jirou Saburou Tonpei?
Setton
Just what kind of name is Tonpei......?
Mai
- Content filtered for containing inappropriate words or phrases -
Mai
What?
Setton
Hmm, I've never noticed we had that kind of filter.
Setton
......And what were you trying to suggest as my real name?
Mai
- Content filtered for containing inappropriate words or phrases -
Mai
Ah, I see, so you can't type that word here...
Mai
That hurts!
Setton
?
Mai
I was pinched.
Kyo
I am so sorry. Presently we are sitting at computers right next to each other's and both taking part in this chat. But as I just saw Mai typing something way obscene into the dialogue box I punished her in reality in order to stop her from polluting the chatroom. Please rest assured.
Setton
I see you two really hit it off.
Bakyura-san has just joined the chat.
Bakyura
Cheers
Kyo
Look, it's Mr. Playboy who likes his whistle blown.
Mai
Good evening.
Bakyura
What, why is my whistle still being talked about!?
Setton
Evening!
Saika-san has just joined the chat.
Bakyura
Oh, just one minute after me
Setton
It's synchronicity.
Saika
Good evening.
Bakyura
Did Taro-san go to bed already
Bakyura
It's like 10 p.m.
Bakyura
Just how healthy a lifestyle does he feel like he must stick to
Tanaka Taro
Wow, people got online when I was answering calls and going to the bathroom...
Tanaka Taro
Good evening, everyone.
Bakyura
Ah here you are
Setton
Synchronicity again.
Bakyura
Sin-Clone-y-City sounds like some kind of final revelation scene in a game.
Tanaka Taro
I really can't say I'm interested in replying to that.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Mikado
[Private mode] Bakyura
I need to talk to you
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Eh?
Setton
The Clone-y-City part is just...
Saika
What does that mean?
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
You're Masaomi, right?
[Private mode] Bakyura
...I don't think who I am even matters right now
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
But these two months you've been pretending you don't even know me in this chatroom......
Kyo
I really have no idea what kind of thinking pattern made Bakyura-san say what he just said......humans really have inscrutable hearts. Maybe that is because so many shades of insanity are synchronized in our hearts. I only hope that mix of insanity is not a potential threat to this world and our fellow humans.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Sorry, I said I wasn't interested in replying to you because that seemed like what everyone else would say...
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Ahhh, I really don't know what to say. I never expected to talk to you with the clear knowledge that you're Masaomi in a place like this......but are you really so annoyed that I said that? I thought Masaomi wouldn't mind being told that...but actually, Sin-Clone-y-City was pretty funny.
[Private mode] Bakyura
No, that's not what I need to talk to you about
[Private mode] Bakyura
Ahh, hang on a moment
Mai
Scary.
Setton
You were a little too mean, Kyo-san.
Setton
See? Looks like Bakyura-san doesn't want to talk anymore.
Bakyura
Ah, sorry
Bakyura
I was just eating
Bakyura
I'll still be around but I probably won't reply to anything
Setton
Bon appetite!
[Private mode] Bakyura
Good, now I can concentrate
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Thanks for getting all serious. By the way, I'm glad you're no longer hitting enter after every punctuation mark...
[Private mode] Bakyura
Anyway. There's a reason that I'm not talking to Tanaka Taro today, but directly to you, Mikado. In fact, I was waiting for you to come online.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
You could have just called me. I haven't changed my number.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Can't. Hearing your voice would probably have swung my heart the unwanted way.
Kyo
So is everybody going somewhere for the break starting tomorrow? We two are more indoorsy types than we might look so we're probably just going to cultivate our love at home.
Setton
Your love? Are Kyo-san and Mai-san a couple?
Mai
It's a secret.
Saika
I will stay at home.
[Private mode] Bakyura
I was talking to Kyo-san and others
[Private mode] Bakyura
Are you going somewhere for Golden Week?
Setton
My partner and I are probably going to play video games together.
Kyo
Wow, Setton-san has a way of cultivating love too.
Mai
Together.
Setton
Ah, nah, if you have to call it love......well, I guess there's really no other way to refer to it. lol
Saika
Love?
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Ah, I'm not going anywhere! So if you want to meet we can definitely meet!
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Your parents don't really care what you do, so I'm guessing they don't mind your dropping out of school either. But everyone at school is worried about you. Satou-sensei was asking about you too.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
And Anri really wants to see you again.
[Private mode] Bakyura
......That's not really what I want to talk about. Sorry.
Kyo
Anyway. If we do go out we'll just be wandering around Ikebukuro. Mai and I will probably go shopping at P Parco and see a movie at Sunshine Street and that'll be it.
Mai
I wanna see a movie.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Mikado, are you going anywhere for the break?
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Eh? Not really, I have class representative stuff so I'll be at school tomorrow.
[Private mode] Bakyura
I see......Mikado. This is my best advice for you.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Don't go roaming around alone at night, at least not during the break.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Even if you have to, try not to hang out with anyone else in Dollars.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Eh?
Setton
Ahh. But sometimes I would think it would be nice to walk in the woods in my hometown with my partner.
Kyo
Really! Why not visit your hometown then? You don't get breaks every other day.
Setton
No...my hometown's kind of too far away for that.
[Private mode] Bakyura
It's best if you just try to be a high school student with nothing to do with Dollars for a while.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
What exactly is happening?
Setton
Is Taro-san going somewhere?
[Private mode] Bakyura
I don't have the clearest idea either, so I'm probably not the best person to brief you
[Private mode] Bakyura
It's just...a hunch, yeah, something close to a hunch
[Private mode] Bakyura
Something just smells dangerous
[Private mode] Bakyura
Dollars is in danger. I have this feeling that Dollars is in danger.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Dollars is?
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Not really sure why, but I see what you're trying to say. I'll be careful
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
I trust Masaomi's hunches for this kind of thing since they've never been wrong.
Setton
Hmm, no response. Might be away.
Setton
Ah, excuse me. Looks like there's a guest in my place so I'll leave early today.
Kyo
Alas, we're already saying goodbye for this evening. That makes me melancholic, but I'll just savor the delicious sorrow while blaming everything on fate. I'm probably the only one who does enjoy things like that. Goodbye Setton-san, have a nice break.
Mai
Setton-san, Bye-bee.
Bakyura
Rest well!
Saika
Thank you.
Setton
Saika-san, it's not like there's anything you should thank me for. lol
Setton
Anyway. Rest well, everyone.
Setton
Good night -
Setton-san has just left the chat.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Thank you, Mikado.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Take care of yourself.
[Private mode] Tanaka Taro
Thanks. You too, Masaomi. I really mean it. Thank you for everything.
[Private mode] Bakyura
Don't talk like that, it makes us feel like strangers.
Bakyura
Ah, I actually have something to attend to as well so I'll be logging off for the day.
Bakyura
(>_<) ノシ
Bakyura-san has just left the chat.
Kyo
Good night. Hope you have sweet dreams of Sinful Clone-y Cities.
Tanaka Taro
Good night.
Tanaka Taro
Ehh? Setton-san left, too?
Tanaka Taro
Argh, I didn't know I was ignoring Setton-san......
Tanaka Taro
I'm really sorry.
Saika
I don't think Setton-san would mind.
Kyo
Aww, you seem to be missing out on each other a lot. At the beginning of this chat Tanaka Taro-san was ignored by Setton-san who happened to be away. Now Taro-san ignored Setton-san back......this online phenomena of missing out on each other is definitely trying to teach us something!
Mai
I think it's love!
Kyo
You need to stop responding with just your spinal reflexes.
Saika
Love...?
Tanaka Taro
......Um, I'm sorry?
Tanaka Taro
Speaking of which, Kanra-san hasn't been here today.
Kyo
That one is a smart bastard and always busy. Though I wouldn't mind at all if that one wasted more time in places like this chatroom and didn't wreak as much havoc.
Mai
That one's rotten to the bone.
Saika
Kanra-san doesn't seem like a bad person.
Tanaka Taro
Has Saika-san ever met Kanra-san in reality?
Saika
No, only in this chatroom. I'm sorry.
Tanaka Taro
Well, I won't call that one a bad person, but it's true that Kanra-san is a little strange...
Kyo
Alas, alas. Yet another human being taken in by Kanra-san's sweet words......
.
.
.
.
.
END OF CHAPTER I
Chikage is badass for being able to withstand Shizuo's punches. And I LOVE AKANE, she sounds awesome - also, did anyone else lol at this?
"but there’s no one close to me save that fucking flea and the weird guy in glasses."
and
“Not that I haven’t heard people say ‘I love you’ to me…but I don’t even know if they counted as women or not.”
“Hmm? Have you been going to gay bars or transsexual clubs?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…I mean, they hardly counted as humans to begin with……more like sharp objects……”
"but there’s no one close to me save that fucking flea and the weird guy in glasses."
and
“Not that I haven’t heard people say ‘I love you’ to me…but I don’t even know if they counted as women or not.”
“Hmm? Have you been going to gay bars or transsexual clubs?”
“No, that’s not what I meant…I mean, they hardly counted as humans to begin with……more like sharp objects……”
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
I really love Akane ever since I saw a crack vid of her and Shizuo together...
DONT JUDGE ME
DONT JUDGE ME
Rumpelstiltskin
Banned
- AKA
- L, Castiel, Scotty Mc Dickerson
That was awesome lol.
Im guessing the whole sharp objects bit is about when he was attacked by all the "babies" who loved him because he was deeemed the strongest then huh?
Im guessing the whole sharp objects bit is about when he was attacked by all the "babies" who loved him because he was deeemed the strongest then huh?
crack
Donator
TO BE HONEST, I shipped them ever since anni-fiesta said there was a possibility that they were canon. That and the fanart.
Not sure what you mean by 'babies,' but I'm pretty sure by sharp objects he means Saika (the sword), who's in love with Shizuo because of his strength. Hence why Anri feels so uneasy when she's around him.
Rumpelstiltskin
Banned
- AKA
- L, Castiel, Scotty Mc Dickerson
By babies i meant the fact that everyone stabbed with Saika refers to anri as mother lol.
Sorry should have clarified a bit more.
Sorry should have clarified a bit more.
Alessa Gillespie
a letter to my future self
- AKA
- Sansa Stark, Sweet Bro, Feferi, tentacleTherapist, Nin, Aki, Catwoman, Shinjiro Aragaki, Terezi, Princess Bubblegum
LOLICON LOLICONTO BE HONEST, I shipped them ever since anni-fiesta said there was a possibility that they were canon. That and the fanart.
Super Mario
IT'S A ME!
- AKA
- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
I like Chikage now. SEASON 2 GET MADE PLEASE.
Nice hat + being able to withstand Shizuo = BADASS MOTHERFUCKER
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
OH IN THAT CASE WATCH THIS
It will MAKE you ship it if you don't.
crack
Donator
Shinra's profile:
NAME: Kishitani Shinra
HEIGHT: 178cm
WEIGHT: 60kg
BLOOD TYPE: AB
BIRTHDAY: April 2nd
HOBBIES: Dissecting, games, Celty
THINGS HE LIKES: Everything about Celty, proverbs/idioms
THINGS HE DISLIKES: Abstinence
FOODS HE LIKES: Three-five-eight marinaded sandfish, Celty's cooking
FOODS HE DISLIKES: Fat in meat
FAVORITE PROVERB: "Neither doctors nor the Kusatsu Hot Springs* can cure the illness called love." and every positive proverb about love.
* Kusatsu Hot Springs (草津温泉
is a hot spring resort located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, northwest of Tokyo. The springs became one of the best known of such locations after the water there was recommended for its health benefits by Erwin von Baelz, a German doctor.
HEIGHT: 178cm
WEIGHT: 60kg
BLOOD TYPE: AB
BIRTHDAY: April 2nd
HOBBIES: Dissecting, games, Celty
THINGS HE LIKES: Everything about Celty, proverbs/idioms
THINGS HE DISLIKES: Abstinence
FOODS HE LIKES: Three-five-eight marinaded sandfish, Celty's cooking
FOODS HE DISLIKES: Fat in meat
FAVORITE PROVERB: "Neither doctors nor the Kusatsu Hot Springs* can cure the illness called love." and every positive proverb about love.
* Kusatsu Hot Springs (草津温泉
is a hot spring resort located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, northwest of Tokyo. The springs became one of the best known of such locations after the water there was recommended for its health benefits by Erwin von Baelz, a German doctor.INTERLUDE OR PROLOGUE A:
ROKUJOU CHIKAGE
Night of May 3rd, Itabashi, Tokyo
There was an overpass over National Highway 254, commonly referred to as "Kawagoe Highway".
On that overpass now stood a young man with a medical mask over his one eye, surrounded by a throng of girls and watching the flow of vehicle headlights under the overpass.
"Ne Rocchi, are you not in pain any more?"
"I'm in horrible pain. But as long as I'm with you all I'm fine. The breath of cute girls in my ear is the best analgesic."
Chikage rubbed at his Band Aid with one hand as he said this. One of the girls opened her mouth to say in a serious tone:
"Rocchi."
"What's up?"
"You're sick."
"Wha - ......"
Chikage's head dropped forwards in a dramatic fashion as if her words had been a fatal blow. But in fact he was not disheartened in the slightest as he turned towards the girls and said:
"I need to thank you for showing me around Ikebukuro's streets today, though. It gave me quite some ideas."
"Drop that pretense, Rocchi. We know you've hardly even stepped out of Saitama."
"But you scared me to death with all those injuries when we saw you."
"Yeah. Don't fight if you don't know how to fight, Rocchi."
Chikage smiled hollowly at the chattering throng of girls and said:
"I'm good at it."
"So did you win?"
"......No, I lost."
"I knew it~"
The girls sighed. Chikage sighed back.
"My opponent was too strong. But hell if that's not the fight I enjoyed the most in years. And he was a nicer guy than I'd expected, too."
Chikage said with a gloomy expression on his face. The girls began to shoot back.
"No idea what you're talking about." "Why was he in a fight with you if he was so nice?"
"Guys never grow up......" "Especially Rocchi......."
"The only grown-up part about him is the lower body......" "That's sick." "What kind of guy asks eight girls out on a date at the same time?" "Huh, I thought he actually asked ten more?" "Most of them got mad and went home." "That's just the worst." "Why are we dating such a playboy?" "Because that's one of our sick hobbies?"
Chikage narrowed his eyes and tilted his head sideways as the girls continued to make biting remarks about him.
"You look like you really enjoy talking about me. I'm at least a better guy than that aristocrat with 30+ maid slash lovers they talked about on TV a while back, don't you think?"
"Eh? But didn't you say you were jealous of him?"
"......We'll talk about that later. Anyway, take care on your way home today. Don't walk alone until you're in the Station."
The girls smiled in resignation as Chikage made an obvious attempt to change the topic.
"OK, OK, Rocchi. You sure worry a lot about us."
"See you later."
The girls said their goodbyes and walked off the overpass.
Chikage watched them leave with a smile on his face and kept staring at the night view of the highway.
He kept silent for a while in the nightly breeze -
Then said abruptly in a voice that blended into the noise of the traffic.
"But really, I've never been defeated like that before. Not to mention he even had to take me to the doctor. A weird doctor at that, too."
"We never thought you would make such a careless mistake."
A voice sounded from behind the young man's back.
It was no longer the voice of a young girl; instead, it was the brusque voice of a grown man.
Chikage did not turn. He kept his gaze fixed on the traffic and said:
"Ahhh……that guy's not human. To be honest with you, I don't even want a rematch with him."
"Is he so hard to deal with?"
"But then, I shouldn't have picked on him in the first place since we were actually the ones at fault. I went looking for him because I wanted to."
"That's OK. Heiwajima Shizuo is not whom we're after, anyway."
"That's right."
Chikage chuckled and said to the men around him:
"Yeah, Heiwajima Shizuo is just a side dish. Our main course is the opponent tonight."
Chikage raised his head and turned his gaze away from the highway to focus on the men around him.
A lot of those faces he was already familiar with.
Eyes.
Eyes sharp like wolves' were focused on Rokujou Chikage.
But the animosity in them was not directed at Chikage.
Scores of men in leather jackets, or "tokko-fuku"-s.
They looked like they were not fully adults yet, but their intimidating demeanor seemed to make even the air around them go denser.
Not all of them were standing on the overpass, of course. Apart from a selected few, most of the men stood on the sidewalk under the overpass.
Rokujou Chikage scrutinized one by one the men who stood in silence -
- And slowly opened his mouth to say:
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We have no mercy for those who showed us none…….if they choose to play dirty, then we'll just play even dirtier! The fools among us who went to Ikebukuro to wreak havoc without my permission have been sent to hospital……don't let yourselves become fools like them!"
"They got another three of us yesterday. Did a clean job at that, too."
"……Che! Fools running around without my permission again? Oi!"
Chikage ground his teeth as he heard his subordinates say. Then - he laughed.
"We're not a herd of meek lost sheep……there's no need for us to bother declaring outright war on those filth before we tackle them."
Rokujou Chikage - the man with the mark of the Saitama bousouzoku gang "Toramaru" on him - proceeded to focus his gaze on the men around him, all filled to the brim with killing intent. His voice was calm, but the waves of emotion underneath were clearly being channeled:
"They might have considered it revenge, but what they did was more than what I can put up with……they came to Saitama, attacked our members and even ambushed people who had nothing to do with us. ……Had they avoided involving anyone who was not one of us, I would have put up with it. But now the story is different."
A man who looked like the Vice Captain of the team swallowed and said:
"I don't know how they think about us……but I think Dollars would be a pretty tough opponent."
"I don't care what they are."
Chikage didn't seem to share the Vice Captain's concern.
These delinquents looked completely different than when they wreaked havoc around Ikebukuro - they were now disciplined and had a leader.
"We're gonna show those so-called 'Dollars' who think they're something just who we are!"
All of the men listened to Chikage in silence.
In their hearts, however, a fire had started and illuminated one single goal -
Revenge!
An unknown gang had ruined the peace of their hometown.
What was more, they had lost face.
Their friends, family and other innocent individuals had been involved.
Rokujou Chikage used his most inciting voice to make these angry young men release the full power of their wrath.
"We'll show those Dollars……WHO ARE THE ONES THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE MESSED WITH!"
"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - !!!!!!!"
A deafening roar shook the nightly sky over Ikebukuro -
Soon after, the men disappeared into the dark.
Chikage remained on the overpass and watched them leave.
His smile now was evil and cruel, completely different from the one he wore while fighting Shizuo.
"Ah, right. I don't think you guys need reminding, but…"
Chikage added for the last time:
" - If anyone has the guts to even touch a female member of Dollars……I will kill him with my own hands."
END OF INTERLUDE OR PROLOGUE A
ROKUJOU CHIKAGE
Night of May 3rd, Itabashi, Tokyo
There was an overpass over National Highway 254, commonly referred to as "Kawagoe Highway".
On that overpass now stood a young man with a medical mask over his one eye, surrounded by a throng of girls and watching the flow of vehicle headlights under the overpass.
"Ne Rocchi, are you not in pain any more?"
"I'm in horrible pain. But as long as I'm with you all I'm fine. The breath of cute girls in my ear is the best analgesic."
Chikage rubbed at his Band Aid with one hand as he said this. One of the girls opened her mouth to say in a serious tone:
"Rocchi."
"What's up?"
"You're sick."
"Wha - ......"
Chikage's head dropped forwards in a dramatic fashion as if her words had been a fatal blow. But in fact he was not disheartened in the slightest as he turned towards the girls and said:
"I need to thank you for showing me around Ikebukuro's streets today, though. It gave me quite some ideas."
"Drop that pretense, Rocchi. We know you've hardly even stepped out of Saitama."
"But you scared me to death with all those injuries when we saw you."
"Yeah. Don't fight if you don't know how to fight, Rocchi."
Chikage smiled hollowly at the chattering throng of girls and said:
"I'm good at it."
"So did you win?"
"......No, I lost."
"I knew it~"
The girls sighed. Chikage sighed back.
"My opponent was too strong. But hell if that's not the fight I enjoyed the most in years. And he was a nicer guy than I'd expected, too."
Chikage said with a gloomy expression on his face. The girls began to shoot back.
"No idea what you're talking about." "Why was he in a fight with you if he was so nice?"
"Guys never grow up......" "Especially Rocchi......."
"The only grown-up part about him is the lower body......" "That's sick." "What kind of guy asks eight girls out on a date at the same time?" "Huh, I thought he actually asked ten more?" "Most of them got mad and went home." "That's just the worst." "Why are we dating such a playboy?" "Because that's one of our sick hobbies?"
Chikage narrowed his eyes and tilted his head sideways as the girls continued to make biting remarks about him.
"You look like you really enjoy talking about me. I'm at least a better guy than that aristocrat with 30+ maid slash lovers they talked about on TV a while back, don't you think?"
"Eh? But didn't you say you were jealous of him?"
"......We'll talk about that later. Anyway, take care on your way home today. Don't walk alone until you're in the Station."
The girls smiled in resignation as Chikage made an obvious attempt to change the topic.
"OK, OK, Rocchi. You sure worry a lot about us."
"See you later."
The girls said their goodbyes and walked off the overpass.
Chikage watched them leave with a smile on his face and kept staring at the night view of the highway.
He kept silent for a while in the nightly breeze -
Then said abruptly in a voice that blended into the noise of the traffic.
"But really, I've never been defeated like that before. Not to mention he even had to take me to the doctor. A weird doctor at that, too."
"We never thought you would make such a careless mistake."
A voice sounded from behind the young man's back.
It was no longer the voice of a young girl; instead, it was the brusque voice of a grown man.
Chikage did not turn. He kept his gaze fixed on the traffic and said:
"Ahhh……that guy's not human. To be honest with you, I don't even want a rematch with him."
"Is he so hard to deal with?"
"But then, I shouldn't have picked on him in the first place since we were actually the ones at fault. I went looking for him because I wanted to."
"That's OK. Heiwajima Shizuo is not whom we're after, anyway."
"That's right."
Chikage chuckled and said to the men around him:
"Yeah, Heiwajima Shizuo is just a side dish. Our main course is the opponent tonight."
Chikage raised his head and turned his gaze away from the highway to focus on the men around him.
A lot of those faces he was already familiar with.
Eyes.
Eyes sharp like wolves' were focused on Rokujou Chikage.
But the animosity in them was not directed at Chikage.
Scores of men in leather jackets, or "tokko-fuku"-s.
They looked like they were not fully adults yet, but their intimidating demeanor seemed to make even the air around them go denser.
Not all of them were standing on the overpass, of course. Apart from a selected few, most of the men stood on the sidewalk under the overpass.
Rokujou Chikage scrutinized one by one the men who stood in silence -
- And slowly opened his mouth to say:
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We have no mercy for those who showed us none…….if they choose to play dirty, then we'll just play even dirtier! The fools among us who went to Ikebukuro to wreak havoc without my permission have been sent to hospital……don't let yourselves become fools like them!"
"They got another three of us yesterday. Did a clean job at that, too."
"……Che! Fools running around without my permission again? Oi!"
Chikage ground his teeth as he heard his subordinates say. Then - he laughed.
"We're not a herd of meek lost sheep……there's no need for us to bother declaring outright war on those filth before we tackle them."
Rokujou Chikage - the man with the mark of the Saitama bousouzoku gang "Toramaru" on him - proceeded to focus his gaze on the men around him, all filled to the brim with killing intent. His voice was calm, but the waves of emotion underneath were clearly being channeled:
"They might have considered it revenge, but what they did was more than what I can put up with……they came to Saitama, attacked our members and even ambushed people who had nothing to do with us. ……Had they avoided involving anyone who was not one of us, I would have put up with it. But now the story is different."
A man who looked like the Vice Captain of the team swallowed and said:
"I don't know how they think about us……but I think Dollars would be a pretty tough opponent."
"I don't care what they are."
Chikage didn't seem to share the Vice Captain's concern.
These delinquents looked completely different than when they wreaked havoc around Ikebukuro - they were now disciplined and had a leader.
"We're gonna show those so-called 'Dollars' who think they're something just who we are!"
All of the men listened to Chikage in silence.
In their hearts, however, a fire had started and illuminated one single goal -
Revenge!
An unknown gang had ruined the peace of their hometown.
What was more, they had lost face.
Their friends, family and other innocent individuals had been involved.
Rokujou Chikage used his most inciting voice to make these angry young men release the full power of their wrath.
"We'll show those Dollars……WHO ARE THE ONES THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE MESSED WITH!"
"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - !!!!!!!"
A deafening roar shook the nightly sky over Ikebukuro -
Soon after, the men disappeared into the dark.
Chikage remained on the overpass and watched them leave.
His smile now was evil and cruel, completely different from the one he wore while fighting Shizuo.
"Ah, right. I don't think you guys need reminding, but…"
Chikage added for the last time:
" - If anyone has the guts to even touch a female member of Dollars……I will kill him with my own hands."
END OF INTERLUDE OR PROLOGUE A
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
LOL
Alessa Gillespie
a letter to my future self
- AKA
- Sansa Stark, Sweet Bro, Feferi, tentacleTherapist, Nin, Aki, Catwoman, Shinjiro Aragaki, Terezi, Princess Bubblegum
Celty is a hobby? I would have considered her a full-time occupation.
crack
Donator
I find it scary that Shinra finds dissecting fun : C
And:
And:
LOVEY-DOVEY PRATTLES OF AN UNDERGROUND DOCTOR, II
Yah, Celty. Sorry to have kept you waiting.
I got caught up in things.
It looks like you're chatting. Is it OK for me to interrupt? That's the chatroom Celty likes to go to every day, right? That Saika kid with the glasses is in that chatroom as well, isn't she?
Alas. Out of nowhere Shizuo brought a boy covered in blood to our place.
Looks like they were in a fight.
Still, it's been forever since he bothered to bring anyone he had injured to my place.
Since high school, to be exact. That was back when I knew little more than how to do first aid and apply bandages. You were working, I think?
I didn't talk to you all that much about what was happening in high school. It was mostly just fighting, though.
Because Shizuo and Izaya have been fighting like cat and dog from the moment they set eyes on each other.
Though it's probably more accurate to say vampire and werewolf.
Speaking of which, have you seen real vampires or werewolves, Celty?
Eh? Really?
So there are many kinds of vampires and werewolves out there.
But you haven't seen any vampires after you came to Japan? I figured so.
Still, Celty, you're probably the most extraordinary thing in Japan yourself.
……But you're scared of Little Gray Men?
What, Celty? Celty?
Don't tell me you're still convinced that the Little Gray Men were the reason the dinosaurs went extinct?
…………
No, no, Celty. The photon belt is not an enormous living thing. [The photon belt might eat us all up]? I've never even heard that sentence before.
…………
No no no! How on earth would people come from the 4th dimension that easily?
Think about it! You know how hard Yumasaki-kun tries to go to the 2D world? Yet he hasn't succeeded. Therefore 4D people will never be able to come to our 3D world either. Everything's fine! ……You're scared of tesseracts from the 4th dimension? Have you been reading Dokyouboshi*? Don't confuse manga with the reality!
* Dokyouboshi: a 2000 manga by Yamada Yoshihiro. The astronauts battle a tesseract (4D hypercube with three-dimensional shadow), which destroys the first spaceship humans have been able to send to Mars.
I just don't get it. Celty, you're not afraid of ghosts or fairies, but aliens freak you out like nothing else. But then, I think there was this TV special where there were so few people who believed in ghosts but not Venusians that they couldn't even set up debate teams with equal numbers of participants.
……Yes? What did that TV special make you think of?
……
Calm down. Prophecies are nothing to be scared of!
Look, nothing happened in 1999, right? So 2012 is going to be fine too!
Speaking of which, Celty, you did say in June 1999 that you were wondering if your lost head was the root of all evil on earth.
Eh? The calendar of the Mayans ends in the year 2012?
Hang on, when do you want the Mayans' calendar to end then?
3000 years later? Or half a billion years?
How much work do you want to make the Mayans do? Do you even know how hard it is for the Mayans to make just one year of their calendar? Ah, I don't know either, of course.
Look, the calendar on my notebook ends in the year 2009, too.
……Celty, don't tell me you're scared of the year 2009.
Ever thought of the possibility that the world would end before 2012 in a nuclear war or a meteor impact?
Had the prophecy been made around 1800, people would just rejoice and go "Lucky! The world won't end till 2012, so not in my lifetime!", wouldn't they? Though most people would probably ignore it.
That's what I'm saying. What those so-called "prophets" are good at doing is in fact just exaggerating rumors to frighten people. Though I'm not saying there are no real prophets among them.
For instance……consider Izaya.
He's sort of like a prophet, isn't he?
Isn't he always saying mysterious things as if he could read your mind?
He'll appear like a ghost every time something happens, and act as if everything's happening in the exact way he has expected - but he is actually as clueless as everyone else beforehand. Everything is obvious with the benefit of hindsight.
Just like those self-proclaimed prophets, all he does is talk about things that have already happened as if he had expected them long in advance. What's unusual about Orihara Izaya is that he can make such talks very convincing.
If you analyze his talks with a cool head, they probably won't be enough to take you in…….but he'll always make sure to arrive on the scene at the best time and say the worst possible thing into your ear, so that you can't help but be unnerved.
If Izaya were to debut as a prophet on television, he'd get pretty high ratings.
Of course, when his following has reached a certain size, he would probably get tired of it, toss out a big prophecy such as "Japan is going to be submerged" and simply disappear into the commotion it would cause.
He was already good at coaxing and cajoling back when we were still in school.
Rather than "tricking" or "deceiving", I'd rather say he's good at coaxing. So good that it's almost a waste.
Really, my high school days were ruined thanks to those two. Shizuo was violent and Izaya was shady as hell, so no girls were willing to approach us. Not that I wanted any other girl when I was already living with Celty, of course.
Anyway, the point is, never believe a word Izaya says. Unlike those self-proclaimed prophets, there's not even an once of good will in his words. But then, his lies aren't any more palatable even if he says them with good will.
Eh? What if I am the real prophet who can foresee the end of the world?
……I had intended that entire speech to convey the idea "Rather than worry about prophecies you should be afraid of that Izaya in your reality". Is that message being completely ignored?
That makes me kind of sad. Though that's one of the many things that make you adorable, Celty.
If I had the ability to foresee the future, and if the end of the world could be prevented if mankind tried, I would go out and earn about ten billion yen in gambling, then invest in stocks and earn such a fortune that the world would be convinced that I really had the ability to see the future - and then I would be able to make them do something to prevent the world from ending. If the world would end in three days I'd simply give up hold Celty tightly in my arms instead!
……This is strange, Celty. You're supposed to be deeply touched by my words and flying into my arms right now.
But then, if there really are prophets who can foresee the future, it'll be equivalent to having a time machine, won't it? Because what they do is effectively channeling information from the future to the present.
…………
Celty, don't tell me you're scared because you're thinking about A.I. disasters - pretty please?
My, my. Celty, you're such a strong girl but you're always in such a panic whenever aliens are mentioned. That's just too cute.
…………
…………Eh? Why are you not pinching me in the cheek or stabbing me with your shadow or something?
Look, I'm not a masochist. But I do worry about you when you don't go a little violent on me like you always do……
"I calmed down. Thank you."……?
Sounds like you really were scared.
Come here, cry all you want in my arms. After that we'll go to bed so I can comfort you with pillow talk ah that hurts that hurts, I see you're back to normal at last ahhhhh that hurts!!! That really hurts……
My, that really hurt a lot. But I can't be happier to see that you're back to normal.
Ah, by the way, I'm not a skeptic when it comes to psychic phenomena. I actually believe in them.
Because I have you, Celty, you're a living miracle in front of my eyes.
I said you were "extraordinary". I'd like to correct that.
You're not a fairy, not a demon, much less a ghost.
You're a miracle of love!
I don't care whether you're a fairy, a devil or even an angel.
They say you can "Smell fruit at the first blossom", but to me, the better proverb for you is "Smell honey at the first rays of sunshine through the canopy". You've been attractive to me ever since the first day we met! I didn't know it would become requited, of course!
…………Hmm?
Ahhh, this is just horrible timing!
Sorry, Celty. Looks like the kid Shizuo brought here has just waken up.
I have to explain to him what happened lest there be an uproar.
Huhhh……sorry to have kept you waiting.
He's already walking on his feet, so I let him leave. He should get his skull examined more carefully since it was Shizuo who beat him up, so I introduced him to another underground doctor with the proper instrument.
It's just so inconvenient when you don't have the instruments for examination. Good thing that I got to know that doctor from Father's colleagues last month.
Speaking of which, I understand that I do charge him on the cheap side, but Shizuo totally relies too much on my services.
Is he mistaking my love nest with Celty for some kind of Red Cross tent?
My, my. Isn't it just rude of him to compare normal doctors to underground doctors like me?
Speaking of which, do you recall ever having been in a war, Celty?
…………
Even if you do they're extremely vague? That's what I figured.
Those memories are probably with the head? ……No, Celty. Don't tell me you're thinking about looking for the head again.
Though it's unlikely that we'll be in a war any time soon if we keep living in this city.
People say that we Japanese are too used to peace. I'm grateful, though, since that's why I can spend such quiet days with Celty.
Still, I have no idea how long the peace will last. That's why we should work on cultivating our love right now!
Why not just continue where we left off that hurts that hurts that hurts that hurts, that hurts! Really! Why are you performing a double armlock on me with your shadowwwwwwwwww gehhhh! Gehhhhhhh……!
END
Yah, Celty. Sorry to have kept you waiting.
I got caught up in things.
It looks like you're chatting. Is it OK for me to interrupt? That's the chatroom Celty likes to go to every day, right? That Saika kid with the glasses is in that chatroom as well, isn't she?
Alas. Out of nowhere Shizuo brought a boy covered in blood to our place.
Looks like they were in a fight.
Still, it's been forever since he bothered to bring anyone he had injured to my place.
Since high school, to be exact. That was back when I knew little more than how to do first aid and apply bandages. You were working, I think?
I didn't talk to you all that much about what was happening in high school. It was mostly just fighting, though.
Because Shizuo and Izaya have been fighting like cat and dog from the moment they set eyes on each other.
Though it's probably more accurate to say vampire and werewolf.
Speaking of which, have you seen real vampires or werewolves, Celty?
Eh? Really?
So there are many kinds of vampires and werewolves out there.
But you haven't seen any vampires after you came to Japan? I figured so.
Still, Celty, you're probably the most extraordinary thing in Japan yourself.
……But you're scared of Little Gray Men?
What, Celty? Celty?
Don't tell me you're still convinced that the Little Gray Men were the reason the dinosaurs went extinct?
…………
No, no, Celty. The photon belt is not an enormous living thing. [The photon belt might eat us all up]? I've never even heard that sentence before.
…………
No no no! How on earth would people come from the 4th dimension that easily?
Think about it! You know how hard Yumasaki-kun tries to go to the 2D world? Yet he hasn't succeeded. Therefore 4D people will never be able to come to our 3D world either. Everything's fine! ……You're scared of tesseracts from the 4th dimension? Have you been reading Dokyouboshi*? Don't confuse manga with the reality!
* Dokyouboshi: a 2000 manga by Yamada Yoshihiro. The astronauts battle a tesseract (4D hypercube with three-dimensional shadow), which destroys the first spaceship humans have been able to send to Mars.
I just don't get it. Celty, you're not afraid of ghosts or fairies, but aliens freak you out like nothing else. But then, I think there was this TV special where there were so few people who believed in ghosts but not Venusians that they couldn't even set up debate teams with equal numbers of participants.
……Yes? What did that TV special make you think of?
……
Calm down. Prophecies are nothing to be scared of!
Look, nothing happened in 1999, right? So 2012 is going to be fine too!
Speaking of which, Celty, you did say in June 1999 that you were wondering if your lost head was the root of all evil on earth.
Eh? The calendar of the Mayans ends in the year 2012?
Hang on, when do you want the Mayans' calendar to end then?
3000 years later? Or half a billion years?
How much work do you want to make the Mayans do? Do you even know how hard it is for the Mayans to make just one year of their calendar? Ah, I don't know either, of course.
Look, the calendar on my notebook ends in the year 2009, too.
……Celty, don't tell me you're scared of the year 2009.
Ever thought of the possibility that the world would end before 2012 in a nuclear war or a meteor impact?
Had the prophecy been made around 1800, people would just rejoice and go "Lucky! The world won't end till 2012, so not in my lifetime!", wouldn't they? Though most people would probably ignore it.
That's what I'm saying. What those so-called "prophets" are good at doing is in fact just exaggerating rumors to frighten people. Though I'm not saying there are no real prophets among them.
For instance……consider Izaya.
He's sort of like a prophet, isn't he?
Isn't he always saying mysterious things as if he could read your mind?
He'll appear like a ghost every time something happens, and act as if everything's happening in the exact way he has expected - but he is actually as clueless as everyone else beforehand. Everything is obvious with the benefit of hindsight.
Just like those self-proclaimed prophets, all he does is talk about things that have already happened as if he had expected them long in advance. What's unusual about Orihara Izaya is that he can make such talks very convincing.
If you analyze his talks with a cool head, they probably won't be enough to take you in…….but he'll always make sure to arrive on the scene at the best time and say the worst possible thing into your ear, so that you can't help but be unnerved.
If Izaya were to debut as a prophet on television, he'd get pretty high ratings.
Of course, when his following has reached a certain size, he would probably get tired of it, toss out a big prophecy such as "Japan is going to be submerged" and simply disappear into the commotion it would cause.
He was already good at coaxing and cajoling back when we were still in school.
Rather than "tricking" or "deceiving", I'd rather say he's good at coaxing. So good that it's almost a waste.
Really, my high school days were ruined thanks to those two. Shizuo was violent and Izaya was shady as hell, so no girls were willing to approach us. Not that I wanted any other girl when I was already living with Celty, of course.
Anyway, the point is, never believe a word Izaya says. Unlike those self-proclaimed prophets, there's not even an once of good will in his words. But then, his lies aren't any more palatable even if he says them with good will.
Eh? What if I am the real prophet who can foresee the end of the world?
……I had intended that entire speech to convey the idea "Rather than worry about prophecies you should be afraid of that Izaya in your reality". Is that message being completely ignored?
That makes me kind of sad. Though that's one of the many things that make you adorable, Celty.
If I had the ability to foresee the future, and if the end of the world could be prevented if mankind tried, I would go out and earn about ten billion yen in gambling, then invest in stocks and earn such a fortune that the world would be convinced that I really had the ability to see the future - and then I would be able to make them do something to prevent the world from ending. If the world would end in three days I'd simply give up hold Celty tightly in my arms instead!
……This is strange, Celty. You're supposed to be deeply touched by my words and flying into my arms right now.
But then, if there really are prophets who can foresee the future, it'll be equivalent to having a time machine, won't it? Because what they do is effectively channeling information from the future to the present.
…………
Celty, don't tell me you're scared because you're thinking about A.I. disasters - pretty please?
My, my. Celty, you're such a strong girl but you're always in such a panic whenever aliens are mentioned. That's just too cute.
…………
…………Eh? Why are you not pinching me in the cheek or stabbing me with your shadow or something?
Look, I'm not a masochist. But I do worry about you when you don't go a little violent on me like you always do……
"I calmed down. Thank you."……?
Sounds like you really were scared.
Come here, cry all you want in my arms. After that we'll go to bed so I can comfort you with pillow talk ah that hurts that hurts, I see you're back to normal at last ahhhhh that hurts!!! That really hurts……
My, that really hurt a lot. But I can't be happier to see that you're back to normal.
Ah, by the way, I'm not a skeptic when it comes to psychic phenomena. I actually believe in them.
Because I have you, Celty, you're a living miracle in front of my eyes.
I said you were "extraordinary". I'd like to correct that.
You're not a fairy, not a demon, much less a ghost.
You're a miracle of love!
I don't care whether you're a fairy, a devil or even an angel.
They say you can "Smell fruit at the first blossom", but to me, the better proverb for you is "Smell honey at the first rays of sunshine through the canopy". You've been attractive to me ever since the first day we met! I didn't know it would become requited, of course!
…………Hmm?
Ahhh, this is just horrible timing!
Sorry, Celty. Looks like the kid Shizuo brought here has just waken up.
I have to explain to him what happened lest there be an uproar.
Huhhh……sorry to have kept you waiting.
He's already walking on his feet, so I let him leave. He should get his skull examined more carefully since it was Shizuo who beat him up, so I introduced him to another underground doctor with the proper instrument.
It's just so inconvenient when you don't have the instruments for examination. Good thing that I got to know that doctor from Father's colleagues last month.
Speaking of which, I understand that I do charge him on the cheap side, but Shizuo totally relies too much on my services.
Is he mistaking my love nest with Celty for some kind of Red Cross tent?
My, my. Isn't it just rude of him to compare normal doctors to underground doctors like me?
Speaking of which, do you recall ever having been in a war, Celty?
…………
Even if you do they're extremely vague? That's what I figured.
Those memories are probably with the head? ……No, Celty. Don't tell me you're thinking about looking for the head again.
Though it's unlikely that we'll be in a war any time soon if we keep living in this city.
People say that we Japanese are too used to peace. I'm grateful, though, since that's why I can spend such quiet days with Celty.
Still, I have no idea how long the peace will last. That's why we should work on cultivating our love right now!
Why not just continue where we left off that hurts that hurts that hurts that hurts, that hurts! Really! Why are you performing a double armlock on me with your shadowwwwwwwwww gehhhh! Gehhhhhhh……!
END
crack
Donator
Some big updates:
AND THE VOICE ACTORS (at least for some) FOR THE ENGLISH DUB GOT RELEASED:
Mikado: Darrel Guilbeau
Celty: Kari Wahlgren
Shizuo: Crispin Freeman
Note: Aniplex added that it will not be using the Baccano! English voice actors for the same characters in Durarara!!
Source: link I and link II.
I'm not entirely too sure what I feel about Mikado's voice actor and Celty's voice actor... I mean, hell, can Wahlgren even pull an Irish accent? I seriously hope they feature her with an accent, considering where she comes from. And Guilbeau was horrible as Satoshi, I don't even... And I suppose I'm okay with Freeman - hopefully he does Shizuo's voice justice, but his voice is 'manly' enough for the role. The rest of the voice actors should be released soon enough.
CHAPTER 2
THE ADULTS, THEY ARE RESTLESS
May 3rd, somewhere in Ikebukuro
At the same time the mysterious little girl was trying to electrocute Heiwajima Shizuo -
Celty Sturluson was dealing with her own share of non-daily life.
Though for her, it was part of the job.
- Idiots who are way too used to peace, huh.
Celty sat on the comfortable sofa and considered the phrase she had heard from her underground doctor roommate the night before.
- The phrase was hard to associate with either underground doctors or underground couriers, though. The room she was in looked like a clean, beautiful office.
But there was a strange kind of minimalism in the way the room was furnished; even the number of desks was at an absolute minimum.
She was aware that the simplicity served a purpose: to enable the occupants to desert the office or change its outward appearance as quickly as possible.
She also knew that such needs would come up when the cops began to look for things here.
"We're really sorry for making you come all the way here. Ah, do you need a hand towel or anything?"
[No, but thank you.]
Celty typed onto her PDA as she concentrated her sensors on the man sitting opposite her.
The man's name was Shiki. He looked like he was around 30.
He often brings the underground doctor Shinra jobs to do, and Celty had worked as a courier for him on many occasions.
To the outside world he was the representative of a gallery - but in fact, he occupied an executive position in a large organization. Simply put, he was one of the executives in the yakuza organization "Medei Group Awakusu-kai".
In short, the office was the shell of their sham company. It called itself a gallery, but there was not a single painting in the reception room.
"I do think that I should put at least one or two paintings on the wall even if just for the show. But I haven't been able to find paintings that appeal to my aesthetics."
He might have said the same thing before, but Celty couldn't bring herself to care.
Instead she couldn't help but notice the way the new "employees" stared at her in alarm every time more of them stepped into the office.
[……Um, I feel like everyone's a little tense.]
"Hmm? Ahh, I'm sorry about that. A couple of days ago we had someone dressed like you come over uninvited to the financial branch of our corporation and protest a little bit too violently."
Celty was dressed in a black rider suit and a full-face helmet.
She couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed as she understood what he had meant, and began to type anew.
[Would you like me to change into something else and come back later?]
- It's kind of an advantage that they don't have to see my displeased face at times like these.
"You don't have to be so displeased."
- Is he an esper!?
[Can you read people's hearts?]
"You can too if you read carefully into a person's body language. It's kind of a prerequisite for our occupation to be able to read the opponent's heart even when his or her face is concealed. Ah, by the way, if you do wish to change or take off your helmet, just feel free to."
- ……
[Is it really OK? If I take off my helmet, I mean……]
"Yeah. That's what you usually would do when indoors, isn't it?."
[Um……I believe you're aware what kind of creature I am? Is it really OK?]
"I won't mind."
Shiki replied in a collected voice. Celty hesitated for a moment, but took off the helmet from her neck anyway.
The next second - quite a few of the men in the room froze. A younger "employee" who happened to be passing by shuddered and yelped.
"Uwah!? M - ……Monster……"
In the blink of an eye, Shiki sprung up from the sofa and grabbed the young man's collar.
Without even listening to what the other man had to say, he banged his face ruthlessly onto the sharp corner of a cabinet nearby.
"Gahhhhh……"
The young man groaned as blood immediately began to trickle down the corner of his mouth.
Shiki grabbed him up by the collar and banged his own forehead into the man's temple as he said with a face devoid of expression:
"Yelping at the sight of a guest's face? What kind of manners is that?"
"Argh…….uwah……."
"What did I just say? I said it was only natural for people to take off their hats and helmets when indoors, didn't I?"
[Um, I……]
Celty could only type onto her PDA in haste not knowing what was going on. It was a waste of time, however, since Shiki was not looking at her PDA at all.
"I did, right? Then why did you, my subordinate, yelp like that when you saw the guest without the helmet?"
"……I……am really sorry……"
Shiki smiled slightly and said in a cold voice as he heard his subordinate moan and try to apologize.
"Aren't you apologizing to the wrong person? Why are you apologizing to me?"
Just as Shiki was about to deliver a further blow - "shadows" coiled themselves around his arm.
They were real, actual "shadows".
The shadows with mass appeared out of thin air in the 3D world and held Shiki back as if they were real tentacles.
"…………."
Shiki turned silently towards the PDA that appeared before him with new words typed onto it.
[Um, I don't mind.]
The PDA with this line typed in a huge font was held up for him to see by another string of shadow different from the one holding Shiki back.
Other "employees" who had been paying attention to what was happening in the room stood dumbstruck with eyes the size of saucers as they saw shadows extending themselves from Celty's hands. But no one dared issue a sound after what Shiki had done to the younger employee.
Shiki sank back slowly into his chair and smiled as if nothing had happened as he said:
"I see. I'm really sorry that you had to see us make such an embarrassing scene."
[I don't mind, really.]
- ……These people are scary.
- In a different way from the White Motorbike.
"I apologize. I thought I said it was OK for you to take off your helmet. But the employees here simply did not seem to understand what I had meant."
Celty felt a chill running down her spine as Shiki kept his head very low in apology.
- Speaking of which……I think that was the first time I ever took off my helmet in front of this person.
The man named Shiki had never with his own eyes seen Celty take off her helmet before.
But there was not the slightest sign of change in his expression. Even the pace of his breathing remained unperturbed.
Celty couldn't help but wonder.
- ……It's a kind of pressure in itself when my abnormality is being completely ignored like this……
For Celty, the normal reactions she expected from humans were the likes of that yelp from the young man, who was now asking for her forgiveness while trying desperately to cover his nose.
Even if you ignored the black shadows extending from her palms -
She had nothing above the neck once the helmet was removed.
♂♀
Celty Sturluson was not human.
She was a dullahan, a Scottish or Irish fairy that knocked on the doors of the dying and warned them of their impending death.
She carried her severed head at her side and rode a carriage pulled by a Coiste-bodhar - a headless horse - to the homes of the dying. If they were thoughtless enough to open the door, she would splash upon them a bucketful of blood - and was therefore regarded as a messenger of doom like banshees in European folklore.
Some believed that dullahans were the form Nordic Valkyries took when they fell onto the Earth. Celty herself had no idea whether it was true or not, however.
Perhaps she did know.
But she certainly did not remember.
She lost the memories as to what she was when her head was stolen in her homeland. That was the reason she followed the scent of its presence all the way to Ikebukuro.
Her headless horse was transformed into a motorbike and her armor into a rider suit; for decades she wandered the streets in this city.
But she ended up getting neither her head nor her memories back.
She already knew who had stolen her head.
She also knew who had been trying to keep her from finding it.
But still, she ended up having no idea where her head was.
For Celty, life was good as it was.
She had someone who loved her, and people who accepted her for what she was.
If what she was feeling was indeed happiness, then she was ready to carry on with her life the way she was.
Having made up her mind, the headless woman decided to show her resolve to the world through her actions rather than her nonexistent face.
- Such was the being named Celty Sturluson.
♂♀
And so, to earn her living, the headless fairy started working as a lowly courier, taking orders from both the normal world and the underworld -
And the job she was about to take this time definitely fell on the side of the latter.
"I'm really sorry. He worked as a debt collector in our financial branch. Turned out all he was good at was talking. His success rate was so low that they had to demote him to work under me."
[A debt collector…sounds like what Shizuo does for a living.]
Celty had already typed out the sentence when she realized that it was not the best idea and stiffened.
There was no way Shizuo would be willing to accept a job from the yakuza. What if Shiki and his men did try to rope Shizuo into it? Celty was feeling uneasy.
But Shiki's reaction was so far from dramatic that it surprised her.
"Shizuo……ahh, you mean him."
Shiki seemed to be familiar with the name Heiwajima Shizuo. He averted his gaze and said:
"He's working as a debt collector for dating hotlines, isn't he? They shouldn't have anything to do whatsoever with companies like ours. Though there was this fool who took money from us and thought he could get away without paying his bills for the dating hotline. He was beaten up pretty badly*."
* The guy is Nasujima Takashi from Vol.2 of Durarara!!.
[I see.]
"……Are you under the impression that we would hire someone like him as a debt collector? Someone whose name is high on the cops' blacklist and doesn't even know how to control himself?"
[No.]
She was convinced immediately.
Now that she thought about it, she couldn't help but wonder how Shizuo's boss - the guy with the dreadlocks - had been able keep a rein on him whenever it was needed and prevented him from causing such a commotion that the cops would take notice……that guy could turn out to be a more formidable character than she had imagined.
"Enough about him. Let's talk about the job."
Shiki said in a composed voice as he produced a photo from his chest pocket.
"This is not a routine transporting job……it's something more special, like the retrieval of those instruments we have entrusted with you before."
[I see.]
Celty was reminded instantly of the task she was entrusted with a year ago.
He had asked her to retrieve the pistols from a bunch of thieves before the police could catch them.
Celty had been reluctant to take the job. But she was aware that the thieves might use the pistols to shoot non-yakuza people. What was more, she had owed Awakusu-kai a big favor since she first came to Japan. She had no choice but to accept it.
- I was going to hand the pistols in to the police and pretend that I failed to retrieve them, but this man was quick to come and find me……
Celty knew that Shiki was a keen man and not to be messed with. Therefore she would have to be very careful if she chose to accept this job. Her own problems aside, she couldn't risk involving Shinra or other people in Ikebukuro - such as her friends Mikado, Anri, Shizuo and Kadota, not to even mention other ordinary citizens - in further trouble. She had to come up with a perfect answer whether she chose to accept or turn down the offer.
Celty proceeded to take the photo from Shiki carefully.
Her vision, which did not rely on the existence of eyeballs, told her that it was the photo of a middle-aged man.
He looked like he was about 45-50; his smile was bright and kind, making him look like an old gentleman.
Complete with a pair of reading glasses on his nose and a formal suit, he would have passed for a manager of a company or a chairman of a private school board.
- Who is he?
- Don't tell me my job is to kill this man?
[Um, who is this person?]
Celty was about to type [You're not asking me to kill this man, are you?] but thought the better of it since this man might very well be a former high executive of the group or something. She decided that it was more appropriate to ask first.
"Yadogiri Jinnai, the manager of Yadogiri Shining Corporation……I assume that you've at least heard of him?"
- Ahhh!
- That Hijiribe Ruri's - !
[Yes.]
The name of a top idol came to Celty's mind.
Hijiribe Ruri.
She was a young actress who had made a lot of headlines recently because of her affair with the male idol Hanejima Yuuhei. Her acting skills had earned her critical acclaim. Celty and Shinra were both her loyal fans who paid attention to her recent activities.
Shortly after the media found out about their affair, Hijiribe got in trouble.
All artists under Yadogiri Shining Corporation were effectively without an agency after their manager Yadogiri Jinnai disappeared mysteriously.
On the same day she lost her agency, however, Jack Lantern Japan - the agency Hanejima Yuuhei belonged to - announced that they welcomed her.
Some rumors claimed that her boyfriend Hanejima Yuuhei had talked the manager into making this decision, but such rumors had already faded from the public memory one month from the ensuing publicity storm around the disappearance of Manager Yadogiri.
[So, what exactly happened with this former talent agency manager?]
Drumming the desk with his fingers after he saw Celty ask, Shiki said:
"He was sort of our business partner……but we disagreed in places."
[I see.]
"Of course, we're already utilizing every information network we have to look for him, but to be honest with you, we have to borrow even the cat's hands for this*. You don't have to spend all your time focused on this task, but you do get in contact with different people when you're working as a courier. Let us know if you hear anything….."
* Borrow the cat's hands: a Japanese idiom used to describe a short-staffed situation.
[I don't know if I'd be of any help, but I'll do what I can.]
- Speaking of which, though, did he ask me to come here just to give me this job?
- Plus that Yadogiri guy would probably end up fertilizing the soil somewhere deep in the mountains or feeding the fish somewhere deep in the sea if I found him and told Awakusu-kai about it. I'm not sure, though.
Shiki smiled bitterly as he sensed Celty's reluctance and said:
"All you need to do is to pay a little bit of attention to what people say. There's no need to overwork yourself for this."
- He read my mind again.
Celty was forced to keep up vigilance for the man in front of her as she waited for the man's next words.
Judging by the way he was talking about this task, there were probably more to come.
"And……we have something else to ask of you."
"It's kind of different from what you usually do as a courier as well……"
♂♀
The evening of May 3rd
An upscale apartment building on the side of Kawagoe Highway
- Ahh, Celty is still not back.
This is the upscale living quarters shared by a headless fairy and a human.
At the center of the 150-square-meter luxury apartment with five rooms plus a living room/kitchen/dining room area, Kishitani Shinra was rolling around on the carpet, eagerly awaiting the return of his beloved female.
He was still wearing his white long coat, seemingly oblivious to the hygiene problem. It made him look like a complete freak, but judging from the fact that he had another white coat wrapped in nylon hanging in a corner of the room, he at least tried to keep his working and personal clothing separate.
Of course, it was abnormal enough that he wore his white coat even when not working.
Shinra was an underground doctor. Most of his patients had good reasons to avoid going to the hospital. But since he did not own examination instruments like X-ray machines, he did not have too many patients.
However, he was at least completely independent, which earned him quite a few VIP patrons.
His professional skills and knowledge along with his credentials would have been enough to land him a decent position in a large hospital, but he didn't look like he wanted anything more than to remain a completely useless man and spend his aimless days with Celty.
- A job from Shiki-san.
- But Celty's not too fond of the idea of working for "them" recently.
- She didn't really mind back when she had no real feelings for humans.
- But Shiki-san has probably already taken that into consideration.
Shinra did not believe in the goodness of Shiki's heart.
On the contrary, he had known since long ago that Shiki was submerged from head to toe in the underworld.
For the exact reason that he was an experienced player in that field, though, Shiki would know better than to give an "overly underworldly" task to Celty, an unaffiliated neutral being.
Rational management.
Shiki would trust such tasks with people "safer" than Celty. Shinra was spared his anxiety knowing that Shiki was not one to be deterred by other people's sensibilities.
Of course, it would still be better if they could avoid anything to do with the likes of him. But Celty did not have that much of a choice when it comes to work since she was not human.
- Ahh~but even if we won a third of a billion in lottery, Celty would probably still continue with her job for the sake of fulfillment.
- ……If we had a kid, would she become a housewife for the kid?
- ……I should probably check if Celty can actually have a baby with me, though.
- Or we can adopt one……on the paper he or she can be Father and Mother's adopted child.
- ……Eh, why am I picturing me as the househusband and Celty as the working wife?
- Celty as a housewife……
- Shadow……apron.
- Eh!? Naked apron!?
Shinra savored his imagination and rolled around on the carpet with more gusto than before.
He looked nothing less than a complete freak, but there was no one to point that out since his roommate was absent.
30 minutes later, the doorbell rang.
"Ah, is she back?"
Shinra sprung from the floor in joy at the thought of Celty coming home.
The doorbell rang a few times more. Shinra walked towards and door and muttered to himself:
"Why is she ringing the doorbell? Has she forgotten the key?"
He didn't even consider the most plausible explanation - that the one ringing the doorbell was not Celty - since he had only her on his mind right now.
He realized this the moment he opened the door - it was already too late, of course.
The one standing outside the door in a bartender suit was Shizuo, whom he had just seen the night before.
Shinra half-closed the door again and muttered to himself with a sigh:
"……I should seriously consider moving to the kind of building where you can't enter without a key to an apartment inside. Seriously……"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I see you kind of want me to beat you up."
Shinra shook his hands with a bitter laugh after he heard Shizuo.
"Don't. I can't rule out the possibility that a punch from you will kill me."
"Can I come in?"
Shinra answered in resignation as his old acquaintance asked while scratching his own face.
"Yeah, please. But what's up this time exactly? The guy you brought here was able to walk so I let him leave."
"Yeah, I know. I sort of saw him on the street just now."
"He's something. Even his cervical spine was still in its place despite having to suffer so many blows from you."
Shinra was about to open the door wide and let Shizuo in when -
"……Eh?"
There were other people than Shizuo standing outside his door.
"Eh? Um, you are……Shizuo's boss……"
"Ahh, I don't think I've introduced you. This is Tom-sempai."
"Yeah, I know. But still……"
Shinra's gaze had already left the man with the dreadlocks for somewhere else -
Namely, the girl holding firmly onto Shizuo's belt who looked like she was still in elementary school.
"Who's……this little girl?"
♂♀
Same time, at Raira Academy
A long holiday was a long holiday whether you went to a public or private school.
The private Raira Academy - a famous high school situated close to the Ikebukuro Station - was no exception. It was the first day of Golden Week.
The school was nevertheless swarming with students.
Members of the sports clubs chanted on the playground. Music and art clubs were getting ready for the grand contest at the end of June.
Ryuugamine Mikado was among the many students who went back to school on the first day of the break.
He was not in any extracurricular clubs. But he had to attend a meeting on the coming field trip since he was the class representative.
It was supposed to be held the previous day after school, but they were already behind the schedule and the meeting ended up having to be held on the first day of the break.
The school wasn't about to let them, but eventually succumbed after the students suggested that they use the break to continue with the meeting and consult the absentees individually after the break before reaching a final decision.
"Ahh. Finally, it's over."
He had not expected a simple discussion on the field trip plans for his class to escalate into a fierce debate.
A small voice addressed him from behind as Mikado thought to himself.
"Good work today, Mikado-kun."
"Ah, Sonohara-san. That was tiring, wasn't it?"
The girl standing behind Mikado was the other class representative, Sonohara Anri.
Though Mikado had got to know her on the first day of school - before they became class representatives.
Mikado had a crush on Anri. He never talked about it, but everyone in the school seemed to already know. Anri was on pretty good terms with Mikado, and the two were usually regarded as a couple.
- Except that neither Mikado nor Anri was aware of it.
From their point of view, they were nothing more than good friends.
Mikado wanted to confess to Anri, but he felt like he had to wait until a certain problem is resolved.
The face of his best friend who had dropped out of school recently came to his mind.
Kida Masaomi.
He was Mikado's childhood pal back in their hometown. Anri joined them later, and their high school days had been happy and fulfilling.
But in fact - all three of them kept their respective secrets.
Ryuugamine Mikado was the founder of the Color Gang "Dollars".
Kida Masaomi was the founder and leader of its enemy, the "Yellow Turbans".
Sonohara Anri hosted in her body a "creature" that was abnormal like Celty Sturluson.
They began to find out about each other's secrets after a certain incident -
And Kida Masaomi ended up disappearing altogether from their lives.
Yet Mikado and Anri did not believe that it was the final farewell.
They believed that he would come back. That was why they did not dig deeper into each other's secret identity.
They had made up their minds.
Therefore they had been neither closer than before nor further apart; they maintained the delicate balance in their uneventful routine.
Until - something happened yesterday that threatened to break the balance.
Masaomi - who was "Bakyura" in the chartroom - talked to Mikado, who was "Tanaka Taro". He was talking not to Tanaka Taro, however, but directly to Ryuugamine Mikado.
- But should I really tell Sonohara-san about this?
The talk was sort of intense, and hardly suggested that Masaomi would be returning any time soon.
Dollars was in danger.
Mikado immediately began to look for news that could be relevant to this statement, but found none on the Dollars cell-phone chartroom and the message board.
But then, Masaomi had always been far keener and way better informed than he was as far as such matters were concerned.
He would just worry Anri unnecessarily if he told her about it without a second thought, wouldn't he?
Mikado was wondering what to do as he walked with Anri in the school building -
When a bright voice in the exact opposite mood Mikado was in reached his eardrums.
"Mikado-sempai~! And Sonohara-sempai! Good work today~!"
They turned around to find a boy standing there.
Kuronuma Aoba.
He had only just begun attending Raira last month, which made him Mikado and Anri's kouhai.
He had an even more childlike face than Mikado did, to the extent that he would have passed for a perfect elementary kid in the proper clothing. If he were to dress up as a girl, he would probably not be found out unless he uttered a sound.
He was a Dollars member, and one of the few who knew that Mikado was also a Dollars member. They had not been in touch since the incident that involved Mikado, Anri as well as Aoba last month.
"Yah, Aoba-kun……what's up? The first-years don't have a field trip, do you?"
Mikado had thought that Aoba had been avoiding him after all the trouble they got in. Aoba's face broke out, however, in as bright a smile as the one he wore a month ago.
His smile changed way too little for a boy who had barely escaped the claws of those raging bousouzoku -
But Ryuugamine Mikado did not notice what was weird about it.
"No, I came back for club activities. I'm in the art club."
"Oh, I see."
Did he come only to strike up a conversation with me?
Mikado thought and proceeded to look for routine topics in his head.
But before he could even speak, Aoba had voiced his intention outright.
"Mikado-sempai, are you free tomorrow?"
"Eh?"
"Um, we planned to have you show me around but that didn't work out because of what happened last month. That's why I thought we three can probably go out together during the break!"
"Ah, but…..tomorrow is……"
Mikado would have said yes instantly had it been any other day but today.
He couldn't help but be reminded of what Masaomi had told him the day before.
- Avoid hanging out with anyone in Dollars.
That was what he was told. He wasn't sure about the likes of Karisawa and Yumasaki, but what if it was Kuronuma Aoba?
Mikado was reminded of Masaomi's advice telling him to "be a high school student with nothing to do with Dollars". If he was not to talk about Dollars with Aoba, they would be just like any other sempai and kouhai in high school.
- But would it be safer if I stayed at home?
- If anything happens to Dollars, I'll dig up information at home and send messages to everyone so they'll be on their guard.
- That sounds good. I'll turn Aoba-kun down, and make it up by inviting him out after Masaomi's problem is solved. I was thinking about introducing Aoba-kun to Masaomi anyway.
Mikado made his decision and shook his head in apology:
"……Um, I'm sorry, but something may come up tomorrow so I can't - "
"Eh~that's too bad."
Aoba looked very disappointed as he heard Mikado's reply -
But his smile was back in place in no time. He turned to Anri, who had remained silent by Mikado's side, and asked:
"What about Sonohara-sempai, then?"
"Eh? I um, I don't have anything for tomorrow so….."
- Eh?
For a moment Mikado couldn't think of anything to say. The turn of events had caught him unawares.
"But, but I'm not good at showing people around places……"
"Ah, that's totally fine! I'll do some research beforehand myself as well!"
"But I'll just be your burden if you come with me."
- ……Eh? What!?
Had Anri and Mikado really been in a relationship -
Or rather, had Anri been more aware of what people were actually thinking, she would probably not have replied in that way.
She knew nothing about "normal" love between boys and girls. That was why she didn't have the slightest doubt about Aoba's motives - all she worried about was whether she would be able to fill the role as a tour guide.
"Don't talk like that! Anri-sempai, you're beautiful! I'll be happy just to be able to see you there!"
- Anri-sempai!?
- Since when has he moved from "Sonohara-sempai" to "Anri-sempai"!? Has she even agreed!?
- Cheating! This is cheating, Aoba-kun!
"Please don't make jokes about me."
"I was not joking. So what time tomorrow can you……"
Mikado could hold himself back no longer.
He was forced to open his mouth.
"Wait a moment! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I must have remembered wrong. I actually have nothing planned for tomorrow!"
"Eh? Really!?"
Mikado was confused as Aoba flashed his innocent smile at him again.
- Eh……is it just me or is he looking really happy?
- Was he just kidding about Sonohara-san?
"……But I can only do in the day. The nights are too crowded during Golden Week, and we might get into trouble."
"OK, no problem!"
And so, without the slightest idea what the younger boy was up to, Mikado added one unplanned-for item on his schedule for May 4th.
Or rather, was forced to add.
And he stepped into his own non-daily life.
He did not even know if it was pure fate or if someone was actually behind it.
Though he had probably already stepped into this world the moment he founded Dollars - but he was oblivious of that.
Ryuugamine Mikado's daily life was silently being put to an end.
(TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II)
THE ADULTS, THEY ARE RESTLESS
May 3rd, somewhere in Ikebukuro
At the same time the mysterious little girl was trying to electrocute Heiwajima Shizuo -
Celty Sturluson was dealing with her own share of non-daily life.
Though for her, it was part of the job.
- Idiots who are way too used to peace, huh.
Celty sat on the comfortable sofa and considered the phrase she had heard from her underground doctor roommate the night before.
- The phrase was hard to associate with either underground doctors or underground couriers, though. The room she was in looked like a clean, beautiful office.
But there was a strange kind of minimalism in the way the room was furnished; even the number of desks was at an absolute minimum.
She was aware that the simplicity served a purpose: to enable the occupants to desert the office or change its outward appearance as quickly as possible.
She also knew that such needs would come up when the cops began to look for things here.
"We're really sorry for making you come all the way here. Ah, do you need a hand towel or anything?"
[No, but thank you.]
Celty typed onto her PDA as she concentrated her sensors on the man sitting opposite her.
The man's name was Shiki. He looked like he was around 30.
He often brings the underground doctor Shinra jobs to do, and Celty had worked as a courier for him on many occasions.
To the outside world he was the representative of a gallery - but in fact, he occupied an executive position in a large organization. Simply put, he was one of the executives in the yakuza organization "Medei Group Awakusu-kai".
In short, the office was the shell of their sham company. It called itself a gallery, but there was not a single painting in the reception room.
"I do think that I should put at least one or two paintings on the wall even if just for the show. But I haven't been able to find paintings that appeal to my aesthetics."
He might have said the same thing before, but Celty couldn't bring herself to care.
Instead she couldn't help but notice the way the new "employees" stared at her in alarm every time more of them stepped into the office.
[……Um, I feel like everyone's a little tense.]
"Hmm? Ahh, I'm sorry about that. A couple of days ago we had someone dressed like you come over uninvited to the financial branch of our corporation and protest a little bit too violently."
Celty was dressed in a black rider suit and a full-face helmet.
She couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed as she understood what he had meant, and began to type anew.
[Would you like me to change into something else and come back later?]
- It's kind of an advantage that they don't have to see my displeased face at times like these.
"You don't have to be so displeased."
- Is he an esper!?
[Can you read people's hearts?]
"You can too if you read carefully into a person's body language. It's kind of a prerequisite for our occupation to be able to read the opponent's heart even when his or her face is concealed. Ah, by the way, if you do wish to change or take off your helmet, just feel free to."
- ……
[Is it really OK? If I take off my helmet, I mean……]
"Yeah. That's what you usually would do when indoors, isn't it?."
[Um……I believe you're aware what kind of creature I am? Is it really OK?]
"I won't mind."
Shiki replied in a collected voice. Celty hesitated for a moment, but took off the helmet from her neck anyway.
The next second - quite a few of the men in the room froze. A younger "employee" who happened to be passing by shuddered and yelped.
"Uwah!? M - ……Monster……"
In the blink of an eye, Shiki sprung up from the sofa and grabbed the young man's collar.
Without even listening to what the other man had to say, he banged his face ruthlessly onto the sharp corner of a cabinet nearby.
"Gahhhhh……"
The young man groaned as blood immediately began to trickle down the corner of his mouth.
Shiki grabbed him up by the collar and banged his own forehead into the man's temple as he said with a face devoid of expression:
"Yelping at the sight of a guest's face? What kind of manners is that?"
"Argh…….uwah……."
"What did I just say? I said it was only natural for people to take off their hats and helmets when indoors, didn't I?"
[Um, I……]
Celty could only type onto her PDA in haste not knowing what was going on. It was a waste of time, however, since Shiki was not looking at her PDA at all.
"I did, right? Then why did you, my subordinate, yelp like that when you saw the guest without the helmet?"
"……I……am really sorry……"
Shiki smiled slightly and said in a cold voice as he heard his subordinate moan and try to apologize.
"Aren't you apologizing to the wrong person? Why are you apologizing to me?"
Just as Shiki was about to deliver a further blow - "shadows" coiled themselves around his arm.
They were real, actual "shadows".
The shadows with mass appeared out of thin air in the 3D world and held Shiki back as if they were real tentacles.
"…………."
Shiki turned silently towards the PDA that appeared before him with new words typed onto it.
[Um, I don't mind.]
The PDA with this line typed in a huge font was held up for him to see by another string of shadow different from the one holding Shiki back.
Other "employees" who had been paying attention to what was happening in the room stood dumbstruck with eyes the size of saucers as they saw shadows extending themselves from Celty's hands. But no one dared issue a sound after what Shiki had done to the younger employee.
Shiki sank back slowly into his chair and smiled as if nothing had happened as he said:
"I see. I'm really sorry that you had to see us make such an embarrassing scene."
[I don't mind, really.]
- ……These people are scary.
- In a different way from the White Motorbike.
"I apologize. I thought I said it was OK for you to take off your helmet. But the employees here simply did not seem to understand what I had meant."
Celty felt a chill running down her spine as Shiki kept his head very low in apology.
- Speaking of which……I think that was the first time I ever took off my helmet in front of this person.
The man named Shiki had never with his own eyes seen Celty take off her helmet before.
But there was not the slightest sign of change in his expression. Even the pace of his breathing remained unperturbed.
Celty couldn't help but wonder.
- ……It's a kind of pressure in itself when my abnormality is being completely ignored like this……
For Celty, the normal reactions she expected from humans were the likes of that yelp from the young man, who was now asking for her forgiveness while trying desperately to cover his nose.
Even if you ignored the black shadows extending from her palms -
She had nothing above the neck once the helmet was removed.
♂♀
Celty Sturluson was not human.
She was a dullahan, a Scottish or Irish fairy that knocked on the doors of the dying and warned them of their impending death.
She carried her severed head at her side and rode a carriage pulled by a Coiste-bodhar - a headless horse - to the homes of the dying. If they were thoughtless enough to open the door, she would splash upon them a bucketful of blood - and was therefore regarded as a messenger of doom like banshees in European folklore.
Some believed that dullahans were the form Nordic Valkyries took when they fell onto the Earth. Celty herself had no idea whether it was true or not, however.
Perhaps she did know.
But she certainly did not remember.
She lost the memories as to what she was when her head was stolen in her homeland. That was the reason she followed the scent of its presence all the way to Ikebukuro.
Her headless horse was transformed into a motorbike and her armor into a rider suit; for decades she wandered the streets in this city.
But she ended up getting neither her head nor her memories back.
She already knew who had stolen her head.
She also knew who had been trying to keep her from finding it.
But still, she ended up having no idea where her head was.
For Celty, life was good as it was.
She had someone who loved her, and people who accepted her for what she was.
If what she was feeling was indeed happiness, then she was ready to carry on with her life the way she was.
Having made up her mind, the headless woman decided to show her resolve to the world through her actions rather than her nonexistent face.
- Such was the being named Celty Sturluson.
♂♀
And so, to earn her living, the headless fairy started working as a lowly courier, taking orders from both the normal world and the underworld -
And the job she was about to take this time definitely fell on the side of the latter.
"I'm really sorry. He worked as a debt collector in our financial branch. Turned out all he was good at was talking. His success rate was so low that they had to demote him to work under me."
[A debt collector…sounds like what Shizuo does for a living.]
Celty had already typed out the sentence when she realized that it was not the best idea and stiffened.
There was no way Shizuo would be willing to accept a job from the yakuza. What if Shiki and his men did try to rope Shizuo into it? Celty was feeling uneasy.
But Shiki's reaction was so far from dramatic that it surprised her.
"Shizuo……ahh, you mean him."
Shiki seemed to be familiar with the name Heiwajima Shizuo. He averted his gaze and said:
"He's working as a debt collector for dating hotlines, isn't he? They shouldn't have anything to do whatsoever with companies like ours. Though there was this fool who took money from us and thought he could get away without paying his bills for the dating hotline. He was beaten up pretty badly*."
* The guy is Nasujima Takashi from Vol.2 of Durarara!!.
[I see.]
"……Are you under the impression that we would hire someone like him as a debt collector? Someone whose name is high on the cops' blacklist and doesn't even know how to control himself?"
[No.]
She was convinced immediately.
Now that she thought about it, she couldn't help but wonder how Shizuo's boss - the guy with the dreadlocks - had been able keep a rein on him whenever it was needed and prevented him from causing such a commotion that the cops would take notice……that guy could turn out to be a more formidable character than she had imagined.
"Enough about him. Let's talk about the job."
Shiki said in a composed voice as he produced a photo from his chest pocket.
"This is not a routine transporting job……it's something more special, like the retrieval of those instruments we have entrusted with you before."
[I see.]
Celty was reminded instantly of the task she was entrusted with a year ago.
He had asked her to retrieve the pistols from a bunch of thieves before the police could catch them.
Celty had been reluctant to take the job. But she was aware that the thieves might use the pistols to shoot non-yakuza people. What was more, she had owed Awakusu-kai a big favor since she first came to Japan. She had no choice but to accept it.
- I was going to hand the pistols in to the police and pretend that I failed to retrieve them, but this man was quick to come and find me……
Celty knew that Shiki was a keen man and not to be messed with. Therefore she would have to be very careful if she chose to accept this job. Her own problems aside, she couldn't risk involving Shinra or other people in Ikebukuro - such as her friends Mikado, Anri, Shizuo and Kadota, not to even mention other ordinary citizens - in further trouble. She had to come up with a perfect answer whether she chose to accept or turn down the offer.
Celty proceeded to take the photo from Shiki carefully.
Her vision, which did not rely on the existence of eyeballs, told her that it was the photo of a middle-aged man.
He looked like he was about 45-50; his smile was bright and kind, making him look like an old gentleman.
Complete with a pair of reading glasses on his nose and a formal suit, he would have passed for a manager of a company or a chairman of a private school board.
- Who is he?
- Don't tell me my job is to kill this man?
[Um, who is this person?]
Celty was about to type [You're not asking me to kill this man, are you?] but thought the better of it since this man might very well be a former high executive of the group or something. She decided that it was more appropriate to ask first.
"Yadogiri Jinnai, the manager of Yadogiri Shining Corporation……I assume that you've at least heard of him?"
- Ahhh!
- That Hijiribe Ruri's - !
[Yes.]
The name of a top idol came to Celty's mind.
Hijiribe Ruri.
She was a young actress who had made a lot of headlines recently because of her affair with the male idol Hanejima Yuuhei. Her acting skills had earned her critical acclaim. Celty and Shinra were both her loyal fans who paid attention to her recent activities.
Shortly after the media found out about their affair, Hijiribe got in trouble.
All artists under Yadogiri Shining Corporation were effectively without an agency after their manager Yadogiri Jinnai disappeared mysteriously.
On the same day she lost her agency, however, Jack Lantern Japan - the agency Hanejima Yuuhei belonged to - announced that they welcomed her.
Some rumors claimed that her boyfriend Hanejima Yuuhei had talked the manager into making this decision, but such rumors had already faded from the public memory one month from the ensuing publicity storm around the disappearance of Manager Yadogiri.
[So, what exactly happened with this former talent agency manager?]
Drumming the desk with his fingers after he saw Celty ask, Shiki said:
"He was sort of our business partner……but we disagreed in places."
[I see.]
"Of course, we're already utilizing every information network we have to look for him, but to be honest with you, we have to borrow even the cat's hands for this*. You don't have to spend all your time focused on this task, but you do get in contact with different people when you're working as a courier. Let us know if you hear anything….."
* Borrow the cat's hands: a Japanese idiom used to describe a short-staffed situation.
[I don't know if I'd be of any help, but I'll do what I can.]
- Speaking of which, though, did he ask me to come here just to give me this job?
- Plus that Yadogiri guy would probably end up fertilizing the soil somewhere deep in the mountains or feeding the fish somewhere deep in the sea if I found him and told Awakusu-kai about it. I'm not sure, though.
Shiki smiled bitterly as he sensed Celty's reluctance and said:
"All you need to do is to pay a little bit of attention to what people say. There's no need to overwork yourself for this."
- He read my mind again.
Celty was forced to keep up vigilance for the man in front of her as she waited for the man's next words.
Judging by the way he was talking about this task, there were probably more to come.
"And……we have something else to ask of you."
"It's kind of different from what you usually do as a courier as well……"
♂♀
The evening of May 3rd
An upscale apartment building on the side of Kawagoe Highway
- Ahh, Celty is still not back.
This is the upscale living quarters shared by a headless fairy and a human.
At the center of the 150-square-meter luxury apartment with five rooms plus a living room/kitchen/dining room area, Kishitani Shinra was rolling around on the carpet, eagerly awaiting the return of his beloved female.
He was still wearing his white long coat, seemingly oblivious to the hygiene problem. It made him look like a complete freak, but judging from the fact that he had another white coat wrapped in nylon hanging in a corner of the room, he at least tried to keep his working and personal clothing separate.
Of course, it was abnormal enough that he wore his white coat even when not working.
Shinra was an underground doctor. Most of his patients had good reasons to avoid going to the hospital. But since he did not own examination instruments like X-ray machines, he did not have too many patients.
However, he was at least completely independent, which earned him quite a few VIP patrons.
His professional skills and knowledge along with his credentials would have been enough to land him a decent position in a large hospital, but he didn't look like he wanted anything more than to remain a completely useless man and spend his aimless days with Celty.
- A job from Shiki-san.
- But Celty's not too fond of the idea of working for "them" recently.
- She didn't really mind back when she had no real feelings for humans.
- But Shiki-san has probably already taken that into consideration.
Shinra did not believe in the goodness of Shiki's heart.
On the contrary, he had known since long ago that Shiki was submerged from head to toe in the underworld.
For the exact reason that he was an experienced player in that field, though, Shiki would know better than to give an "overly underworldly" task to Celty, an unaffiliated neutral being.
Rational management.
Shiki would trust such tasks with people "safer" than Celty. Shinra was spared his anxiety knowing that Shiki was not one to be deterred by other people's sensibilities.
Of course, it would still be better if they could avoid anything to do with the likes of him. But Celty did not have that much of a choice when it comes to work since she was not human.
- Ahh~but even if we won a third of a billion in lottery, Celty would probably still continue with her job for the sake of fulfillment.
- ……If we had a kid, would she become a housewife for the kid?
- ……I should probably check if Celty can actually have a baby with me, though.
- Or we can adopt one……on the paper he or she can be Father and Mother's adopted child.
- ……Eh, why am I picturing me as the househusband and Celty as the working wife?
- Celty as a housewife……
- Shadow……apron.
- Eh!? Naked apron!?
Shinra savored his imagination and rolled around on the carpet with more gusto than before.
He looked nothing less than a complete freak, but there was no one to point that out since his roommate was absent.
30 minutes later, the doorbell rang.
"Ah, is she back?"
Shinra sprung from the floor in joy at the thought of Celty coming home.
The doorbell rang a few times more. Shinra walked towards and door and muttered to himself:
"Why is she ringing the doorbell? Has she forgotten the key?"
He didn't even consider the most plausible explanation - that the one ringing the doorbell was not Celty - since he had only her on his mind right now.
He realized this the moment he opened the door - it was already too late, of course.
The one standing outside the door in a bartender suit was Shizuo, whom he had just seen the night before.
Shinra half-closed the door again and muttered to himself with a sigh:
"……I should seriously consider moving to the kind of building where you can't enter without a key to an apartment inside. Seriously……"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I see you kind of want me to beat you up."
Shinra shook his hands with a bitter laugh after he heard Shizuo.
"Don't. I can't rule out the possibility that a punch from you will kill me."
"Can I come in?"
Shinra answered in resignation as his old acquaintance asked while scratching his own face.
"Yeah, please. But what's up this time exactly? The guy you brought here was able to walk so I let him leave."
"Yeah, I know. I sort of saw him on the street just now."
"He's something. Even his cervical spine was still in its place despite having to suffer so many blows from you."
Shinra was about to open the door wide and let Shizuo in when -
"……Eh?"
There were other people than Shizuo standing outside his door.
"Eh? Um, you are……Shizuo's boss……"
"Ahh, I don't think I've introduced you. This is Tom-sempai."
"Yeah, I know. But still……"
Shinra's gaze had already left the man with the dreadlocks for somewhere else -
Namely, the girl holding firmly onto Shizuo's belt who looked like she was still in elementary school.
"Who's……this little girl?"
♂♀
Same time, at Raira Academy
A long holiday was a long holiday whether you went to a public or private school.
The private Raira Academy - a famous high school situated close to the Ikebukuro Station - was no exception. It was the first day of Golden Week.
The school was nevertheless swarming with students.
Members of the sports clubs chanted on the playground. Music and art clubs were getting ready for the grand contest at the end of June.
Ryuugamine Mikado was among the many students who went back to school on the first day of the break.
He was not in any extracurricular clubs. But he had to attend a meeting on the coming field trip since he was the class representative.
It was supposed to be held the previous day after school, but they were already behind the schedule and the meeting ended up having to be held on the first day of the break.
The school wasn't about to let them, but eventually succumbed after the students suggested that they use the break to continue with the meeting and consult the absentees individually after the break before reaching a final decision.
"Ahh. Finally, it's over."
He had not expected a simple discussion on the field trip plans for his class to escalate into a fierce debate.
A small voice addressed him from behind as Mikado thought to himself.
"Good work today, Mikado-kun."
"Ah, Sonohara-san. That was tiring, wasn't it?"
The girl standing behind Mikado was the other class representative, Sonohara Anri.
Though Mikado had got to know her on the first day of school - before they became class representatives.
Mikado had a crush on Anri. He never talked about it, but everyone in the school seemed to already know. Anri was on pretty good terms with Mikado, and the two were usually regarded as a couple.
- Except that neither Mikado nor Anri was aware of it.
From their point of view, they were nothing more than good friends.
Mikado wanted to confess to Anri, but he felt like he had to wait until a certain problem is resolved.
The face of his best friend who had dropped out of school recently came to his mind.
Kida Masaomi.
He was Mikado's childhood pal back in their hometown. Anri joined them later, and their high school days had been happy and fulfilling.
But in fact - all three of them kept their respective secrets.
Ryuugamine Mikado was the founder of the Color Gang "Dollars".
Kida Masaomi was the founder and leader of its enemy, the "Yellow Turbans".
Sonohara Anri hosted in her body a "creature" that was abnormal like Celty Sturluson.
They began to find out about each other's secrets after a certain incident -
And Kida Masaomi ended up disappearing altogether from their lives.
Yet Mikado and Anri did not believe that it was the final farewell.
They believed that he would come back. That was why they did not dig deeper into each other's secret identity.
They had made up their minds.
Therefore they had been neither closer than before nor further apart; they maintained the delicate balance in their uneventful routine.
Until - something happened yesterday that threatened to break the balance.
Masaomi - who was "Bakyura" in the chartroom - talked to Mikado, who was "Tanaka Taro". He was talking not to Tanaka Taro, however, but directly to Ryuugamine Mikado.
- But should I really tell Sonohara-san about this?
The talk was sort of intense, and hardly suggested that Masaomi would be returning any time soon.
Dollars was in danger.
Mikado immediately began to look for news that could be relevant to this statement, but found none on the Dollars cell-phone chartroom and the message board.
But then, Masaomi had always been far keener and way better informed than he was as far as such matters were concerned.
He would just worry Anri unnecessarily if he told her about it without a second thought, wouldn't he?
Mikado was wondering what to do as he walked with Anri in the school building -
When a bright voice in the exact opposite mood Mikado was in reached his eardrums.
"Mikado-sempai~! And Sonohara-sempai! Good work today~!"
They turned around to find a boy standing there.
Kuronuma Aoba.
He had only just begun attending Raira last month, which made him Mikado and Anri's kouhai.
He had an even more childlike face than Mikado did, to the extent that he would have passed for a perfect elementary kid in the proper clothing. If he were to dress up as a girl, he would probably not be found out unless he uttered a sound.
He was a Dollars member, and one of the few who knew that Mikado was also a Dollars member. They had not been in touch since the incident that involved Mikado, Anri as well as Aoba last month.
"Yah, Aoba-kun……what's up? The first-years don't have a field trip, do you?"
Mikado had thought that Aoba had been avoiding him after all the trouble they got in. Aoba's face broke out, however, in as bright a smile as the one he wore a month ago.
His smile changed way too little for a boy who had barely escaped the claws of those raging bousouzoku -
But Ryuugamine Mikado did not notice what was weird about it.
"No, I came back for club activities. I'm in the art club."
"Oh, I see."
Did he come only to strike up a conversation with me?
Mikado thought and proceeded to look for routine topics in his head.
But before he could even speak, Aoba had voiced his intention outright.
"Mikado-sempai, are you free tomorrow?"
"Eh?"
"Um, we planned to have you show me around but that didn't work out because of what happened last month. That's why I thought we three can probably go out together during the break!"
"Ah, but…..tomorrow is……"
Mikado would have said yes instantly had it been any other day but today.
He couldn't help but be reminded of what Masaomi had told him the day before.
- Avoid hanging out with anyone in Dollars.
That was what he was told. He wasn't sure about the likes of Karisawa and Yumasaki, but what if it was Kuronuma Aoba?
Mikado was reminded of Masaomi's advice telling him to "be a high school student with nothing to do with Dollars". If he was not to talk about Dollars with Aoba, they would be just like any other sempai and kouhai in high school.
- But would it be safer if I stayed at home?
- If anything happens to Dollars, I'll dig up information at home and send messages to everyone so they'll be on their guard.
- That sounds good. I'll turn Aoba-kun down, and make it up by inviting him out after Masaomi's problem is solved. I was thinking about introducing Aoba-kun to Masaomi anyway.
Mikado made his decision and shook his head in apology:
"……Um, I'm sorry, but something may come up tomorrow so I can't - "
"Eh~that's too bad."
Aoba looked very disappointed as he heard Mikado's reply -
But his smile was back in place in no time. He turned to Anri, who had remained silent by Mikado's side, and asked:
"What about Sonohara-sempai, then?"
"Eh? I um, I don't have anything for tomorrow so….."
- Eh?
For a moment Mikado couldn't think of anything to say. The turn of events had caught him unawares.
"But, but I'm not good at showing people around places……"
"Ah, that's totally fine! I'll do some research beforehand myself as well!"
"But I'll just be your burden if you come with me."
- ……Eh? What!?
Had Anri and Mikado really been in a relationship -
Or rather, had Anri been more aware of what people were actually thinking, she would probably not have replied in that way.
She knew nothing about "normal" love between boys and girls. That was why she didn't have the slightest doubt about Aoba's motives - all she worried about was whether she would be able to fill the role as a tour guide.
"Don't talk like that! Anri-sempai, you're beautiful! I'll be happy just to be able to see you there!"
- Anri-sempai!?
- Since when has he moved from "Sonohara-sempai" to "Anri-sempai"!? Has she even agreed!?
- Cheating! This is cheating, Aoba-kun!
"Please don't make jokes about me."
"I was not joking. So what time tomorrow can you……"
Mikado could hold himself back no longer.
He was forced to open his mouth.
"Wait a moment! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I must have remembered wrong. I actually have nothing planned for tomorrow!"
"Eh? Really!?"
Mikado was confused as Aoba flashed his innocent smile at him again.
- Eh……is it just me or is he looking really happy?
- Was he just kidding about Sonohara-san?
"……But I can only do in the day. The nights are too crowded during Golden Week, and we might get into trouble."
"OK, no problem!"
And so, without the slightest idea what the younger boy was up to, Mikado added one unplanned-for item on his schedule for May 4th.
Or rather, was forced to add.
And he stepped into his own non-daily life.
He did not even know if it was pure fate or if someone was actually behind it.
Though he had probably already stepped into this world the moment he founded Dollars - but he was oblivious of that.
Ryuugamine Mikado's daily life was silently being put to an end.
(TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II)
AND THE VOICE ACTORS (at least for some) FOR THE ENGLISH DUB GOT RELEASED:
Mikado: Darrel Guilbeau
Celty: Kari Wahlgren
Shizuo: Crispin Freeman
Note: Aniplex added that it will not be using the Baccano! English voice actors for the same characters in Durarara!!
Source: link I and link II.
I'm not entirely too sure what I feel about Mikado's voice actor and Celty's voice actor... I mean, hell, can Wahlgren even pull an Irish accent? I seriously hope they feature her with an accent, considering where she comes from. And Guilbeau was horrible as Satoshi, I don't even... And I suppose I'm okay with Freeman - hopefully he does Shizuo's voice justice, but his voice is 'manly' enough for the role. The rest of the voice actors should be released soon enough.
crack
Donator
Fuck y'all.
Some updates:
-There's an official character information book called Durarara no Subete that was recently released. Apparently it's full of delicious character info., and anni is going to translate that, so expect that soon. One of the things that came out of the book is that
-A recent quote of Narita (the creator of Durarara), in response to the most recent chapter ofSayonara Zetsubou Sensei; where it had two people arguing if it's Shizaya or Izuo, LOL: "I ship Harumi/Chiri myself, so I won't forbid people if they want to write or draw BL with my characters. It's just that what I intended to write was a shonen story with a headless moe beauty but it turned out that society simply doesn't see it as such."
Aaaand, to anyone who's interested in seeing all the connections between Narita's novels (Vamp!, Baccano!, Durarara!!, and Etsusa Bridge can be found here:
http://community.livejournal.com/durarara/389842.html#cutid1
It's pretty interesting. For example, Etsusa Bridge takes place fifteen years after Durarara. Shizuo is possibly a descendant of Claire Stanfield from Baccano. And etc.
ALSO, this was too cute not too share (WARNING: SHIZAYA):
Some updates:
-There's an official character information book called Durarara no Subete that was recently released. Apparently it's full of delicious character info., and anni is going to translate that, so expect that soon. One of the things that came out of the book is that
Izaya tried to murder Shinra in middle school.
-A recent quote of Narita (the creator of Durarara), in response to the most recent chapter ofSayonara Zetsubou Sensei; where it had two people arguing if it's Shizaya or Izuo, LOL: "I ship Harumi/Chiri myself, so I won't forbid people if they want to write or draw BL with my characters. It's just that what I intended to write was a shonen story with a headless moe beauty but it turned out that society simply doesn't see it as such."
Aaaand, to anyone who's interested in seeing all the connections between Narita's novels (Vamp!, Baccano!, Durarara!!, and Etsusa Bridge can be found here:
http://community.livejournal.com/durarara/389842.html#cutid1
It's pretty interesting. For example, Etsusa Bridge takes place fifteen years after Durarara. Shizuo is possibly a descendant of Claire Stanfield from Baccano. And etc.
ALSO, this was too cute not too share (WARNING: SHIZAYA):
Super Mario
IT'S A ME!
- AKA
- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
Oh Ronnie you magnificent bastard. Ronnie x Celty imo 
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
Shizaya/Izuo = canon ftw?
I think Crispin Freeman will be able to pull off a pretty good manly voice for Shizuo. If you look at all of the other characters he's played, and recognize some of the voices... x'D I think he will do well, but we'll have to see won't we? I too am unsure about Celty and Mikado. ;x All I have to say is that they'd better not fuck it up! XD
I think Crispin Freeman will be able to pull off a pretty good manly voice for Shizuo. If you look at all of the other characters he's played, and recognize some of the voices... x'D I think he will do well, but we'll have to see won't we? I too am unsure about Celty and Mikado. ;x All I have to say is that they'd better not fuck it up! XD
Super Mario
IT'S A ME!
- AKA
- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
I have faith in those two except the one for mikado because damn the actor looks too old and probably sounds too old for Mikado : /
crack
Donator
Next Entry
Durarara Vol.2 Saika scene snippet.
Sorry. I somehow felt like I had to do this...
It was not that the boy had never fallen for a woman before.
But since he was not able to control his power, he ended up giving her serious injuries despite having meant to save her.
That was not an isolated incident; the same thing happened over and over in an endless cycle.
Until - he had forgotten when that was - there was not a single soul left who was willing to get close to him.
Things had remained this way even after he had grown up. The solitary soul met Orihara Izaya, who approached him - but often only with the intention of using him. Of course, Izaya was male, so it could never have anything to do with affection or love to begin with.
At some point, the boy came to a realization.
It was not an epiphany - just something he gradually came to learn in the cycle that kept repeating itself -
All he wanted was to be loved by someone.
But he could not love anyone.
- Because he invariably ended up hurting the ones he loved once they got closer to him.
Even if it was never his intention, there was no doubt that it was the catastrophic result of the power he possessed.
The boy might still have been able to forgive himself had his power existed to protect something.
But he knew only too well how the world would call it.
"Violence".
A simple word. Of course, there were also people who drew the line between violence and justice according to the way the power was used. Their judgment on his power would have been unequivocal: it was nothing other than violence.
The boy could hold neither himself nor his "power" back. It was released with his anger whenever he felt emotionally disturbed.
Even his self-consciousness had faded far into the background -
Power, and only power, reached the destinations the boy himself was never able to foresee.
Time elapsed - until the grown man was told that he was "loved" for the very first time.
And then the grown man faced the being who "loved" him with the purest love ever -
And, without the least mercy, sent it flying into the air.
Celty Sturluson, death god slash rider who used to warn people of their impending deaths, the "Headess Rider" who caused commotions in the Ikebukuro streets -
Could only stand where she was in the middle of the park and goggle.
Not that she was overwhelmed by the sheer aura of intimidation from more than a hundred Slashers.
She was reminded of the Dollars gathering a year ago when she first took notice of the red-eyed army that was beginning to surround them.
Yet the situation ended up developing in the exact opposite direction.
With his bare hands, the man named Heiwajima Shizuo -
Fought on par with the hundred-odd Slashers and kept winning.
Heiwajima Shizuo's way of fighting was actually very simple.
Punch.
Kick.
Throw into the air with force.
That was it.
Punch punch punch punch.
Kick kick kick kick and kick.
He would throw one into the air while kicking another and turn around to deliver another punch.
Simple repetition. if this were made into a fighting game, his entire set of moves would have required no more than a button to perform.
Yet - the simpler it was, the greater the fear it evoked.
Shizuo only had to hit a Slasher's arm to make his opponent's wrist cackle unpleasantly and stop functioning. A low kick, usually meant only to deter the opponent, was sufficient to break his opponent's knee when Shizuo was the one delivering it.
If he threw people into the air, then away horizontally they would go - just like the way things were in manga.
His way of fighting was devoid of flair unlike the heroes in Hong Kong action films. But Celty - and the hundred-odd Slashers present at the scene - could not help but be mesmerized.
Strong.
That word alone would have sufficed to describe the way Shizuo was right now.
No, actually…she needed another two.
Scary.
And - "awesome".
- This man……this man -
- I knew he was strong……but this is still……!
Even if Celty tried - even if she attacked him with her shadow scythe, she did not feel like she could win against Shizuo the way he was now. Or rather, she would not even want to.
Martial artists often want to challenge stronger martial artists than themselves, and Celty felt like she was the same kind of person.
But she would never want to challenge Shizuo the way he was right now.
It was not only a matter of fear.
She was downright unable to use her scythe on anyone who truly moved her.
He was already more than a "demon".
Right now, Heiwajima Shizuo was strong enough to be called a god.
But there was no need for words to begin with.
His strength alone had surpassed all words added together and made his existence felt to the entire world.
Regarding Shizuo's strength, Shinra had once said to Celty:
(His muscle fibers wanted to grow thicker, but his anger would not grant them the time they needed.)
(And so, whether you choose to call it fate or a miracle, his cells embarked on a different path. His muscle fibers gave up trying to grow thicker and chose instead to remain as thin as they were but become more resilient. That's probably one of the reasons he is so thin but so exceedingly strong for his build.)
(Minimal self-repair. In order to become more resilient, even his joints and bones have changed their way of growing to adapt to Shizuo's lifestyle. His bones have become hard as steel, and his joints evolved to be more resilient than ever after countless rounds of dislocation and relocation. All within a single generation, in these few years of Heiwajima Shizuo's life!)
(This - has to be a miracle of sorts.)
Durarara Vol.2 Saika scene snippet.
Sorry. I somehow felt like I had to do this...
It was not that the boy had never fallen for a woman before.
But since he was not able to control his power, he ended up giving her serious injuries despite having meant to save her.
That was not an isolated incident; the same thing happened over and over in an endless cycle.
Until - he had forgotten when that was - there was not a single soul left who was willing to get close to him.
Things had remained this way even after he had grown up. The solitary soul met Orihara Izaya, who approached him - but often only with the intention of using him. Of course, Izaya was male, so it could never have anything to do with affection or love to begin with.
At some point, the boy came to a realization.
It was not an epiphany - just something he gradually came to learn in the cycle that kept repeating itself -
All he wanted was to be loved by someone.
But he could not love anyone.
- Because he invariably ended up hurting the ones he loved once they got closer to him.
Even if it was never his intention, there was no doubt that it was the catastrophic result of the power he possessed.
The boy might still have been able to forgive himself had his power existed to protect something.
But he knew only too well how the world would call it.
"Violence".
A simple word. Of course, there were also people who drew the line between violence and justice according to the way the power was used. Their judgment on his power would have been unequivocal: it was nothing other than violence.
The boy could hold neither himself nor his "power" back. It was released with his anger whenever he felt emotionally disturbed.
Even his self-consciousness had faded far into the background -
Power, and only power, reached the destinations the boy himself was never able to foresee.
Time elapsed - until the grown man was told that he was "loved" for the very first time.
And then the grown man faced the being who "loved" him with the purest love ever -
And, without the least mercy, sent it flying into the air.
Celty Sturluson, death god slash rider who used to warn people of their impending deaths, the "Headess Rider" who caused commotions in the Ikebukuro streets -
Could only stand where she was in the middle of the park and goggle.
Not that she was overwhelmed by the sheer aura of intimidation from more than a hundred Slashers.
She was reminded of the Dollars gathering a year ago when she first took notice of the red-eyed army that was beginning to surround them.
Yet the situation ended up developing in the exact opposite direction.
With his bare hands, the man named Heiwajima Shizuo -
Fought on par with the hundred-odd Slashers and kept winning.
Heiwajima Shizuo's way of fighting was actually very simple.
Punch.
Kick.
Throw into the air with force.
That was it.
Punch punch punch punch.
Kick kick kick kick and kick.
He would throw one into the air while kicking another and turn around to deliver another punch.
Simple repetition. if this were made into a fighting game, his entire set of moves would have required no more than a button to perform.
Yet - the simpler it was, the greater the fear it evoked.
Shizuo only had to hit a Slasher's arm to make his opponent's wrist cackle unpleasantly and stop functioning. A low kick, usually meant only to deter the opponent, was sufficient to break his opponent's knee when Shizuo was the one delivering it.
If he threw people into the air, then away horizontally they would go - just like the way things were in manga.
His way of fighting was devoid of flair unlike the heroes in Hong Kong action films. But Celty - and the hundred-odd Slashers present at the scene - could not help but be mesmerized.
Strong.
That word alone would have sufficed to describe the way Shizuo was right now.
No, actually…she needed another two.
Scary.
And - "awesome".
- This man……this man -
- I knew he was strong……but this is still……!
Even if Celty tried - even if she attacked him with her shadow scythe, she did not feel like she could win against Shizuo the way he was now. Or rather, she would not even want to.
Martial artists often want to challenge stronger martial artists than themselves, and Celty felt like she was the same kind of person.
But she would never want to challenge Shizuo the way he was right now.
It was not only a matter of fear.
She was downright unable to use her scythe on anyone who truly moved her.
He was already more than a "demon".
Right now, Heiwajima Shizuo was strong enough to be called a god.
But there was no need for words to begin with.
His strength alone had surpassed all words added together and made his existence felt to the entire world.
Regarding Shizuo's strength, Shinra had once said to Celty:
(His muscle fibers wanted to grow thicker, but his anger would not grant them the time they needed.)
(And so, whether you choose to call it fate or a miracle, his cells embarked on a different path. His muscle fibers gave up trying to grow thicker and chose instead to remain as thin as they were but become more resilient. That's probably one of the reasons he is so thin but so exceedingly strong for his build.)
(Minimal self-repair. In order to become more resilient, even his joints and bones have changed their way of growing to adapt to Shizuo's lifestyle. His bones have become hard as steel, and his joints evolved to be more resilient than ever after countless rounds of dislocation and relocation. All within a single generation, in these few years of Heiwajima Shizuo's life!)
(This - has to be a miracle of sorts.)
I feel so bad for Shizuo. And it's quite interesting to know he fell in love with females in the past... and that because he can't have anyone love him he hates everyone instead. Really interesting.
Celes Chere
Banned
- AKA
- Noctis
Aww, poor Shizzy. 
Izaya needs to give him a hug.
Super Mario
IT'S A ME!
- AKA
- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
Shizuo. The Determinator.
Rumpelstiltskin
Banned
- AKA
- L, Castiel, Scotty Mc Dickerson
I actually feel quite bad for him also, i always thought there would be a cameo of him telling Celty he was in love with her.
She seems to be the only person who he could be himself around without worrying about hurting. I know he has friends and everything but Celty seems to be the only character in the series that can share Shizuo's feelings of being an outcast and it always seemed like he acted differently towards her because of that.
She seems to be the only person who he could be himself around without worrying about hurting. I know he has friends and everything but Celty seems to be the only character in the series that can share Shizuo's feelings of being an outcast and it always seemed like he acted differently towards her because of that.