Chapter Text
Credits
Durarara characters and Izaya novels belong to Narita Ryohgo
Translation belongs to kaede726
Izaya belongs to trashcan (I am perfectly okay to keep him though. Behind the bars. Under my basement. I don't have basement? I will create one for him)
“Kazane-chan!! The hotpot party is about to start!!”
“Coming!!”
After closed her smartphone and ended her phone conversation with her acquintance*, a long-haired woman moved her legs toward that cheerful voice with the same cheerful attitude. Her name is Kinomiya Kazane, and she was in the Kishitani household to attend a hotpot party which was held every Christmas. When she entered the main room, her brother, Shinra, waved at her. In the center of the room, a tasty-looking, boiled hotpot became the star of the party. Shinra and his headless fiancee, Celty, opened the party with a big cheers. And soon, the atmosphere in the room turned cheerful. Shizuo-san had friendly conversation with Kadota’s crew, the Raira group which consist of Mikado-kun, Masaomi-kun, Saki-chan (honorary member), Anri-chan, Mairu-chan, Kururi-chan, Aoba-kun, Kuon-kun, and Yahiro-kun had a heated discussion. Their discussion was probably about Aoba-kun and Kururi-chan’s relationship, looking from their blushing face, and the teasing face from other kids. His brother Shinra and his fiancee Celty-san had a serious conversation with Shingen-san and Emilia-san (and herself included) about their upcoming wedding. While looked at the lively atmosphere of the room, Kazane recalled her phone conversation with his brother’s friend a while ago.
‘Aah.. if only Izaya-san had came to this party, this party would have become merrier’Kazane mused.
Kinomiya Kazane is an optimistic person.
*Ping!*
‘Ah, a message from Tsukumoya-san,’ she quietly opened her smartphone.
‘Congrats, Kazane-chan! You succesfully annoyed my beloved playmate! I know that’s not your intention, but your action and his reaction amused me nonetheless. So I will give you a little gift. Enjoy it with as many person as possible!”
‘Enjoy it with as many person as possible? Did he give me snacks or something?'
*ding dong*
The sudden doorbell distracted Kazane from the message. Shizuo rose from his seat.
“Let me open it. Perhaps Kasuka and Ruri are finally arrived.”
“RURI-CHAN IS HERE??!!” Togusa was about to hypervilanting. Kadota smacked him in the head.
Unfortunately for the Fortissomo of Ikebukuro and van driver guy, someone behind the door was not his brother nor his brother’s girlfriend, but a timid delivery man. With trembling hands, he handed a package to Shizuo.
“Th-This package is fo-for Kino-Kinomiya-sama. Is-is she here?”
“Yeah, she is here. I will give it to her.”
“Ye-yes!! Th-Thank you!!”the devilery man hurriedly ran away.
“Yo Kazane-chan. There’s a package for you, from Tsuku-Tsukumoya-san?”
Some people who acknowledge that name, like Shinra, Shingen, Mikado and Walker raised their head.
“Tsukumoya-san?”
“You know him, Mikado?”ask Masaomi.
“Yeah, I once used his service for information about people who was misusing Dollars' name, when I tried to 'clean up' the Dollars”
“So he is a good person?” ask Anri.
“Honestly, I don’t know. He is an introvert person. I don’t even know his face”
“Shingen, you know that person?”Emilia asked his husband.
“Kinda, I once chatted with him on twitter. He is a weird person.”
If Celty had her head, she would have a shocked expression. Kishitani Shingen, the Kishitani Shingen who was a super eccentric scientist and wore his mask 24/7, called other people weird.
[I think I’ve ever heard his name somewhere, but I don’t remember anything else.]
Other people who knew Tsukumoya as an acquintance of Izaya, like Shinra, Saki, Mairu, Kururi, and Aoba wisely kept their mouth shut.
“Kuon, you know him?”Yahiro whispered.
“I’ve heard that he is an informant who is better than Izaya, and sometimes Izaya required his services.”
“Then why did you want to become like Izaya instead of this Tsukumoya?”
“Because my Nee-chan fell for Izaya, not Tsukumoya.”
“Ah..”
When other people on that room became either tense or curious, only Walker beamed.
“Oh my Asuna, that’s from the real Tsukumoya Shinichi!”
“Yumacchi, who is that Shinichi?”
“He is a famous professional writer! He already published many novels! You guys perhaps know Ikebukuro Strike Back series?”
“No idea”, said Shizuo.
“Well, the point is he’s an amazing writer! And the mysterious one, too! Kinomiya-san, how did you know him?”
“I...kinda...know him for my job. You know, I am a journalist.”
“Wait, you said that he published many novels? Because from the size and the texture, I think the content of this package is a book, perhaps a novel.”
Quickly Walker snatched the package from Shizuo’s hand.
“Then perhaps it’s his new novel!”said Walker. His hands started to tear the paper wrappers.
“Hoi, Yumasaki, stop it! That Kinomiya-san’s!”Togusa moved toward Walker, but suddenly-
“UWAAAAHHH!!!”
-Walker threw the package and jumped 3 meter back. The torn part of the package faced the floor, hidden from everyone.
“What’s wrong?”said Masaomi while walked toward the package.
“DON’T TOUCH THAT!”
Masaomi flinched back, startled because of Walker’s outburst. Shizuo moved toward the package.
“What? Is this package contains some dangerous thing? Then it will be safer if I open it first.”
“NO! Shizuo-san, you are absolutely should not open that package! You will lose your control over your body!”
“AAAHHH???!! WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??!!”Shizuo started to get angry. Kadota calmly took the package and opened it with one strong tear.
“Dotachin, watch out!”
“Aah.. so this is why.. but indeed in here his face look so menacing.”Kadota muttered. Then still with a calm gesture, he flipped the book and showed it to other people.
“The contents of this package is only this. You don’t have to be so afraid.”
On that second, every one in that room saw a cover of a book
And suddenly the hotpot bowl was forgotten, the new book became new star of the party.
“I can’t help it! I thought he was died!”
“He can’t be dead, I’ve told you someone came to me to interviewed about him a while ago!”
“Ah, he came to me too!”
[And YOU DIDN’T TELL ME??]
“I’m sorry Celty, but I thought you didn’t want to hear about him again..”
“Grrr... Growl.. That fucking flea..”
“Calm yourself, Shizu-chan..”
“THAT NICKNAME IS SO NOT HELPING!!”
“Ah, I heard Namie-san talked with him on a phone not so long ago, so he is indeed still alive. It’s kinda amazing for a normal human like him to survived at all, considering the destruction of that building... And Namie-san also said she tried to poison him many times, but always failed.”
“Perhaps he is not a normal human. Shingen, should we do experiment on him?”
“Mikado-senpai, is that really Orihara Izaya? Or a potrait of a demon?”
“I think this is really Izaya-san, Aoba-kun.”
“Shit.”
“So that bastard Izaya is still alive.”
“Izaya-san is amazingly durable, like a cockroach.”
“Saki, you indeed praised Izaya, but you also called Izaya a cockroach. As your boyfriend I am so proud of you.”
“So Iza-nii is still alive but he didn’t give us any words or notice! He is despicable!”
“Nii.. the worst...(Izaya-niisan is the worst brother ever).”
“So this person is Izaya.... Kuon, are you okay?”
“....I am okay.”
‘So he is still alive! And he easily left my sister and make my sister feel miserable!! That jerk!!’
“Is it only me but Izaya’s eyes kinda gleaming red? Like Saika’s possessed? Or it’s only trick of light?”
“No.. it can’t be.. He must not hold or be posessed by Saika. As a Saika holder I can’t allow it...”
“Tch don’t worry, it’s his natural eye color. In daylight his eyes is reddish brown, but sometimes in the dark his eyes can become gleaming red.”
“You certainly know about that alot, right Shizu-chan?”
“I’ve told you don’t call me that! And how could I not know, I keep my eyes on him day and night!”
“AHHHH, MY SHIP IS NOT YET SINKING, SHIZU-CHAN AND IZAYAN ARE INDEE-umphpwahumph!”
“Please forget everything that Erika said, Shizuo-san!”
“Guys, calm down, now the question is why Tsukumoya-san has a book with Izaya as the cover and why he gave it to Kinomiya-san. Kinomiya-san, please tell us- Kinomiya-san?”
Hearing Kadota’s question, Kinomiya Kazane who on that time used their chaos to leave the room, stopped herself from reaching door handle.
“Ah.. ahahahaha...”
[Kazane-chan, as your sister in-law I demand you explanation! What is the meaning of all this!]
“Ahahaha... you see.. actually... a couple of days ago, I requested Tsukumoya-san’s service.”
[What did you request?]
“.....Izaya-san’s current phone number. Ahh it’s supposed to be my secret!”
“And why did you want to have Izaya’s phone number?”
“Because Nii-san, you said you will invite all your friends to this party so I thought... I thought Izaya-san must be invited too!”
“Well, we have a good reason to not invite him, because as you can see, some of my friends hate him.”
“You mean ALL of your friends.”
“Be quiet for a moment, Masaomi.”Saki elbowed him.
“Neee.. Kinomiya-san, you said you have Iza-nii’s number right?”
“Yes, I have it on my smart-“Mairu snatched Kazane’s phone and quickly dialed the newest number in Kazane’s phone log.
Sorry the number you have dialled is not in service
“Damn, this number is already inactive.”
“Nii... fast... hide (Nii-san is always fast to hide his track).”
“So what did he said when you invited him?”
“He said he was rather far from Tokyo. Also, he said his body is not in the best condition right now, so he won’t be able to rush back to Ikebukuro.”
“What’s wrong with his body?”
“Togusa-san, didn’t you notice from that photo? Izaya’s in wheelchair.”said Kishitani Shingen.
“A really fancy and expensive wheelchair, I must say. It’s price is more than 3 million yen.”Kishitani Emilia said with jealousy in her voice. But not many person heard her word, because the book was once again surrounded by majority of people in that room.
“Shingen-san is right! Look, this is the wheels!”
“I thought it’s some kind of shiny chair or something!”
“So that means his legs are crippled?”
“But look, he can cross his legs!”
“Knowing that bastard, I think he forcefully crossed his legs to make himself look cool.”
“So he’s really can’t walk again, huh..”
“Can’t run either..”
“No wonder Iza-nii didn’t want to come to Ikebukuro..”
“Nii.. reckless.. not stupid..(Nii-san is sometimes reckless, but he is definitely not stupid).”
“No, he is stupid... If only he had quickly came to me after that fight, maybe I could do something to his legs..”
Shizuo put one of his cigarette on his mouth, inhales it deeply.
‘Izaya is now crippled. So he can’t do parkour like before. Flea who can’t hop around. Heh..’
Shizuo tried to laugh at his own joke, but he just felt heaviness on his chest. He remembered Izaya who skillfully dodged his punch and sliced him on the first time they met. Izaya who jumped around to avoid vending machine which hurled on him. Izaya who could run so fast that even with his abnormal stamina and his sensivity of (Izaya’s) smell he always failed to catch him. Izaya who looked at him on top of a building, those gleaming red eyes challenged him to climb higher and capture his annoying smirk. Izaya who...
... whom he think he never had to restrain himself to fight him.
‘No, he deserved it. He ASKED for it. It was supposed to be our death match. He tried to suffocate me too. But still, even though he’s alive, our chase is now meant to end, huh....
.....I desire a peaceful life. I WILL NOT miss it.’
Shizuo inhaled his smoked deeply with all of his breath, tried to ease the growing heaviness in his chest.
“But that didn’t explain why Tsukumoya-san gave you that book.”Shinra said sternly.
“Tsukumoya-san said that even thought I didn’t mean it, I succesfully annoyed Izaya-san, and Tsukumoya-san said that he was amused because of Izaya-san’s reaction. So he gave me that book. But actually, I don’t know how I made Izaya-san anoyed. Perhaps, because I said that sentence...”
[What sentence?]
“I said ‘How about if Shizuo-san comes to pick you up? Then you might get here faster that way.’”
‘COUGH!COUGH!’Shizuo desperately coughed the smoke out of his lungs.
“PICK HIM-COUGH! WHAT THE-COUGH!”
“I thought that was a great idea Kazane-chan!!”Erika exclaimed brightly.
“Just imagine, Shizu-chan come to Izaya’s hideout, carry him out from his wheelchair, and then said gently‘Let’s go back to our city together’ AHHHH!! AND THEN THEY HAVE A HOT MAKE UP SE-umphpwahumph!!”
Walker and Togusa desperately tried to cover Erika’s mouth, and other people on the room shuddered badly.
Shizuo had a sudden urge to bash his head into the wall.
Or Karisawa’s head.
“Ehm.. so, because we got this book, why don’t we try to read it?”Kadota suggested.
“But, we still have the hotpot..”said Anri, only to find..
“OUR HOTPOT SOUP IS COMPLETELY EVAPORATED!!”
“The tofus, mushrooms, and vegetables are all become mushy..”Mikado said sadly.
“We are too busy to look at that book, no one remember to turn off the hotpot stove..”Aoba mutter, dejected.
“So, reading time?”asked Kadota.
“Alright, as the owner of this book, I will read it first. Lets start...”
A Sunset with Orihara Izaya
“Why does the title sounds like a title for romance novel?”asked Walker
“Maybe Izaya-san found a lover out there?”Togusa guessed.
“Yeah, Izaya found his lovers. And his lovers is..”said Kadota.
A minute of silence.
“Humans.”answered all of them plainly, minus Yahiro and Kazane.
Introduction
An informant showing up in a town far from Tokyo.
All he does is facilitate the flow of information, and nudge people on the back —
“Of course that’s all he did. It’s more than enough for him to make a town got destroyed.”Kida muttered darkly.
“Don’t jinx it.”chided Anri.
“Seriously, human observation is pretty tough.”
[Then just stop doing it, honestly. No one forced you to do it anyway.]
Shizuo snorted.
“Since when that flea willing to do something that he is forced to?”
He is an informant. That is what this man calls himself. Whether or not the title is appropriate, one thing is certain: he has the power to obtain a great volume of information.
“Indeed, until this time, I sometimes wonder how the hell he got all that information from.”Togusa said.
Mikado, Aoba, and Kuon looked at each other, then smile playfully.
It’s not something that normal people can easily understand,though.
He is not an ally of justice; neither is he an abettor of villainy. It is not that he has no identity. It is simply equal treatment . He is, simply, being unwaveringly honest to his own desires.
“That’s true. Just like what I said to Mamiya-san.”Shinra said proudly.
[Who is Mamiya-san?]
“Someone who want to commit suicide, but got tricked by Izaya. You know, his usual shenigan, harassed her about what a fool she was, drugged her then stuffed her in trunks. Because of that Mamiya-san hated Izaya with all of her heart.”
[I should not be surpised. What a jerk.]
“But ironically, her hatred prevented her to commit suicide, because she didn’t want to die before watching Izaya’s suffering. So basically, the reason why Mamiya-san is still alive until now is because of Izaya.”
[So, he unintentionally save a person by become a jerk?]
Kuon chuckled darkly.
“Oh, you have no idea how many person stay alive because of that jerk’s attitude, and how many person live with their immense hatred to Izaya as their only lifeline.”
Other people who heard that shifted on their seat uncomfortably. Yahiro put his hand on Kuon’s shoulder, tried to comfort him.
‘Human’. Earnestly, he loves every one of the assortment this word encapsulates.
He merely loves. Even if it causes the object of his love to break. Because this informant can love even broken humans equally —
Kida gritted his teeth, remembered Saki’s incident. Saki pat his knees gently.
Kazane continued her reading
Next : Prologue 1