Chapter Text
Life in the city lost its charm.
Crimes everywhere: death, kidnappings, fraud, scams, extortion, Yokohama had everything.
Dazai Osamu, for one, was tired of it all. When he was younger, it had a particular attractiveness, the morbid ways of life in the alleys, and all the underground deals concealed from the people. But even art lost its grace if you stared at it for too long.
In his youth, playing in the dark side of the city, he never did anything that could get him in trouble. Of course, that was because nothing could be traced back to him, he was too meticulous, always finding someone that could take the blame, or preferring to have someone do the things he wanted while making them believe it had been their idea, those kids of things.
Those were the great times when he was at his peak. His darkest self peaked at age sixteen, there was no denying that.
Then, a man showed up and told him he was an idiot for thinking life hidden in the shadows was all there was. Odasaku showed him hope and a worthy alternative to life. For the first time, light shone in his eyes.
There was so much more than what he could imagine, Odasaku promised, but he didn’t stay long enough to keep his word. As quickly as that man walked in his life, he disappeared, leaving him wondering if he should take a leap of faith. It wasn’t that hard, it was him after all, he could do anything if he set his mind to it.
He wasn’t scared, he was just alone. If he took that step, that single step, he’d be cutting all the ties that he had in the city. The man who guided him, that annoying redhead...
Thinking about it, he didn’t have much to lose, really. Yeah, he had fun with Chuuya, but they were incompatible, Osamu never found any reason in that pipsqueak’s life, especially his fashion sense. No one dressed like that at eighteen, it was ridiculous.
And so, his marvelous adventures started, and he realized Odasaku did nothing but lie to him. Yeah, the sense of accomplishment and the words of encouragement instead of curses to his grandmother—who he had never met—were great, but there had to be something else he could do with his life.
Odasaku had a fascination for books, so he became an editor at an up and coming editorial, with many promising authors, and a delightful list of employees, but it didn’t feel right. He lied in every single question in his resume to get that job, and it didn’t sit well that he fabricated such perfect lies for him to not like his anything in that company.
From the moment he quit, his ambitions found a new goal. He wanted to meet Odasaku again and ask him for his higher knowledge in life because Osamu was clearly lost and didn’t get it the first time. How irresponsible of him to drop that existential bomb on Osamu and promptly leave, wasn’t he at least curious about how he was doing?
It was ridiculous, he left everything he knew after Odasaku left a grain of curiosity that flourished inside Osamu. He was never well-liked, but his sudden disappearance after borrowing a lot of money from a lot of people made them despise him.
As he always said, the city was too dangerous for a humble citizen like him. There were too many nasty people lurking in the alleys, waiting for someone to face a dead end. Osamu wouldn’t be one of their victims.
The answer came to him one night. It came to him like an epiphany. What if, and that was in a very hypothetical situation, he left the city?
It was painfully obvious, the answer had been in front of him the entire time!
That very night he packed his things, secured all the money, and booked a ticket to the remotest village he could think of with a view to the ocean. He’d never find Odasaku in the city, the one thing the man wanted was to get out of the asphalt roads and write a book by the ocean, so that was precisely where he was going.
At the train station, there was a slight hindrance. Osamu recognized some faces strolling through the station. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his fun talks with Chuuya, but that was not the best time for him.
It was destiny that led him to that village. He couldn't wait for his train. Hastily, he stole the first ticket his eyes set upon and got into the train that would take him to the destination in the papers. It didn’t matter to where, but as long as it was not Yokohama, he wouldn’t complain too much.
Once in Yamazaki, or whatever its name was, Osamu found that people were kind to outsiders. The only real estate agent in the town immediately offered him a grand Gothic mansion with a massive empty surrounding area and a dark forest nearby at a price hard to ignore.
Many years before, a foreigner with a fascination for that type of architecture built that beautiful structure for his lover, but she never made it to the state. Years later, however, a blond man with an educated poise showed up to claim the land. Righteous and just, Kunikida Doppo received the love and respect of everyone in town, but his life met an abrupt end when he was mysteriously murdered in his home.
No one knew what really happened, and no one seemed to care enough to figure it out. To the town, Kunikida Doppo died because of the ghosts he ran away from when he moved into the manor.
Osamu couldn’t help but remember Odasaku when he thought of Kunikida Doppo. They were both foolishly kind men. At the same time, he couldn’t help but think of himself.
When Osamu was in the attic—which was so vast, he’d dare call it a third floor—he felt someone was staring at him. Osamu was not afraid of ghosts or death. He touched the light wallpaper, old and peeling off. “We’re quite similar, Kunikida-kun.”
The window opened, a strong gust of wind ruffling his hair, as if the house were refusing him. But it was just wind, and it wouldn’t harm him. Osamu shut the window close, locking it.
When he turned around, he heard the window unlock, and felt the cold wind in the back of his neck. Shivers ran down his spine, and he hurried to the ground floor, where the real estate agent, Haruno, waited for him to tour around the manor.
“I’ll take it,” he exclaimed from the stairs, unable to hold back the excitement.
Haruno almost couldn’t believe it and urged Osamu to follow her outside to get the papers. Once outside, he hurriedly got rid of all the paperwork, and he even used his real name, one that he had abandoned for years. Haruno thanked him a thousand times before getting to her car and excusing herself, thrilled to tell everyone the great news.
It was only him and his new house. It was simply fascinating. A Gothic beauty laid in front of Osamu, surrounded by thousands and thousands of square kilometers he had just signed under his name. It needed a little bit of work and modernizing, but it was his. Nothing had ever been his before, it was overwhelming. But at least, he wasn’t alone. Osamu waved at the shadow that stared at him from the master bedroom.
“Take care of me from now on, Kunikida-kun,” he said to himself, aware the ghost of the man couldn’t listen.
The curtains closed.