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Dust and smoke gradually clear, Akutagawa is left with only a desolate, silent ruin. The ability binding him has now vanished, even the enemy, Gap, is nowhere to be seen.
The fight is over. Akutagawa raises his hand to suppress the persistent cough, striding around the battlefield that had exhausted him. Indeed, there is nothing left to worry about, he is able to leave before any troublesome meddlers would come.
While clearing the blocked exit by Rashoumon, Akutagawa inadvertently spots a severed arm, peeking out from under a large section of wall. He immediately recognizes it is Nakajima Atsushi's arm, as he was the only one who had fought alongside Akutagawa against the enemy.
Akutagawa's dark, brooding eyes silently stare at it. This is a rare opportunity to neatly finish off his unfortunate prey, but killing a human who is no longer able to resist is nothing like weakness and cowardice. After all, he had tortured Atsushi enough today, even though it was not enough to satisfy his desire to bathe in the blood of that arrogant tiger.
He initially intends to ignore Atsushi, as with the tiger ability, Atsushi could easily survive until the Detective Agency brought him in. However, something else crosses Akutagawa's mind: he wonders what the limits of Atsushi's ability is, whether it could protect him from suffocation or internal organ damage. And just before the most insane thought of his life: "Rescue Weretiger"—come to his mind, he unconsciously stand in front of the rubble burying Atsushi, Rashomon, the weapon had been stained with countless enemy bloodstains, appear, lifting each heavy brick and stone, revealing Atsushi's motionless body lying face up in a pool of scarlet. Atsushi's face still clearly shows signs of pain and exhaustion.
Akutagawa places one hand under Atsushi's shoulder, and with the other under the boy's leg, he easily lifts Atsushi's thighs. Although Akutagawa is struggling with lung disease, his arms are surprisingly strong, allowing him to hold Atsushi without any trouble. As Akutagawa carries the boy to a sheltered corner, he preliminary checks on Atsushi's condition.
Worse than he had expected, even a child could easily understand at the moment witnessing Atsushi's condition, his body is entirely covered in blood, especially his neck where Akutagawa had "rooted" his Rashoumon blade. Looking at his own “handiwork”, Akutagawa smirked cruelly, thinking that Atsushi's exhaustion is due to the wounds inflicted by the one in front of him, who now is currently holding the upper hand.
In other words, as the one still standing, Akutagawa could do anything to the weaker. If he couldn't kill Atsushi today, then he might as well toy with the tiger.
Akutagawa leans down, his pale lips touch Atsushi's blood-soaked neck, feeling the warmth and the faint breath of the boy, he kisses and caresses, greedily savoring the pungent yet sweet taste of each drop of blood against the pale skin.
"A...ah....it hurts...stop, please…!" Atsushi’s wounds hadn't fully healed when he is subjected to further torture. Even unconscious, Atsushi groaned in pain and resentment, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes, his body instinctively moving in an attempt to resist the cruel man. But this struggle is useless and even excites Akutagawa’s ferocity. He easily subdued the boy beneath him by binding Atsushi's slender wrists with his strong, visibly prominent vein arms.
“Behave, good boy. Don't move.” Akutagawa pretends to be gentle while he is actually threatening Atsushi.
Akutagawa had ravaged almost everything, from Atsushi's arteries to his blood vessels, everything was torn to shreds. Only a poor amount of Atsushi’s pain is healed. Yet, this psycho seemed dissatisfied, continuing to devour Atsushi instead of finishing him off completely. Akutagawa is nothing like a savage beast, enjoying the thrill of devouring and watching his dying prey struggle in despair.
The sight of Atsushi, a boy always trying to appear strong, stubborn, and arrogant, now begging Akutagawa to stop like a broken porcelain doll, helplessly enduring humiliation and toyed with by the one he extremely feared and hated, is priceless.
Akutagawa’s hand moves to Atsushi’s chest, unbuttoning the tattered white shirt stained with dust and blood, revealing a perfect body with round and soft breasts, a slender waist, and fair skin. But what surprises him is the scar on Atsushi's left side of waist; its past might not be pleasant either. Akutagawa frowned, feeling a little sympathetic, he gently presses hand against the boy's plump chest, feeling the faint heartbeat, then moves to the soft belly undulating due to soft breath. Done satisfying himself, Akutagawa kisses Atsushi's body, leaving it adorned with streaks of blood in the shape of his lips. Rarely receiving such tenderness, Atsushi's pained expression softens somewhat, later accompanied by a growing blush, his body trembles slightly. Instead of groans of pain as if Atsushi is about to cry, his mouth begins to emit soft, gentle sounds like a kitten being petted by its owner.
Akutagawa doesn't know when he became so obsessed with Atsushi's innocent voice and face. Outwardly, he constantly insults, and attacks the tiger, but inwardly, he secretly admires how adorable and fragile Atsushi is. Even though Atsushi always shows disgust towards him, with enough patience, he could surely shatter that stubborn mask.
Fortunately, today Akutagawa has the chance to hear those small lips "obediently" humming those sweet, soothing sounds. However, Akutagawa still feels a little wistful, or rather, extremely wistful, as it would have been much better if Atsushi had been conscious. Then he could watch Atsushi's broken heart and his desperate pleas for Akutagawa to let him go, such a far more valuable than the cost of 7 billion yen that Fritzgerald had offered to hire him to kidnap Atsushi.
Akutagawa stops caressing Atsushi's body, looks up at his face, admires the delicate features of the two-year-younger boy who is now in a deep sleep.
"...How beautiful..."
Although Atsushi's innocent face and snow-white hair are stained with dirt and blood, it doesn't make him plain; instead, highlighting Atsushi's pure beauty, to be nothing like a snow-covered forest under the setting sun. Akutagawa unconsciously embraces him as if he desires this gorgeous boy to belong to him. Suddenly, a series of overlapping memories and fantasies about Atsushi flashes through his mind, sometimes it is Atsushi's innocent smile, sometimes it is his expressions of anguish and resentment.
Akutagawa's crazed eyes became increasingly indescribable, revealing no discernible emotion or thought. He now doesn't know what he truly wants from the boy. Ultimately, he craves Atsushi's fearful submission, tormented by fear, or the blissful smile of being pampered?
From afar, hurried footsteps and calls of "Atsushi!" from the Detective Agency jolts Akutagawa from his reverie. The arrival of these intruders make Akutagawa realize this is about to end. Even so, he wants it to end in the most unforgettable way. He kisses Atsushi's lips, his tongue entwining with Atsushi's small one, swirling around Atsushi's mouth, forcing him to taste the metallic tang of his own blood mixed with the enemy's saliva. Atsushi struggles, gasping for breath, even his cries of protest stifle in his throat. Unable to adapt to his brutality, saliva wells up in the corners of his mouth. In Akutagawa's eyes, Atsushi at that moment is both alluring and utterly pathetic.
Realizing the person beneath him is slowly losing breath and strength, he reluctantly pulls away from Atsushi's soft lips, leaving a silver thread covered in blood connecting the lips of those who don't belong together.
Before leaving, he gave a bitter smile, whispering his final words close to Atsushi's ear: "When we meet again, I won't let you escape as easily as I let you do today, Weretiger." His voice is deep, low, and emotionless, like a devil's warning to an angel.
Akutagawa is a mad dog, and mad dogs have two common traits:
1. Once they possess something, they guard it fiercely; if anyone else touches it, they relentlessly pursue and bite until they get it back.
2. If they crave something, they will stop at nothing to force "that thing" to become their own.
And as mentioned, being a mad dog, all their desires are utterly insane.
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The next day, Atsushi, following Dr. Yosano's instructions, goes to her clinic after work for a health check, but in reality, it is a private meeting where she tells shocking news to Atsushi.
She recounts that when Atsushi was found, his body had strange marks, shirt unbuttoned, and he was covered in unknown hickeys, leaving him stunned and horrified, unable to believe he had been groped while unconscious. Yosano then asks if Atsushi knows or guessed any clues, and of course, he stammers, "No," so she sighs and warns him to be more cautious next time.
Actually, Atsushi's intuition already leads him to a hypothesis that is both illogical and plausible, but precisely as that is the only correct answer, he felt even more terrified, knowing that besides him and Gap, only one person could possibly be the culprit.
Observing Atsushi trembling and his face pale, Dazai seems to be contemplating something, his expression becoming extremely serious.
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"That wouldn't be a good idea at all. It would only drive him further away from you." From the dark alley, Dazai calmly chát with his former subordinate returning from a mission.
"...Dazai." Akutagawa isn't surprised; he knows this would happen from the start as he deliberately left those obvious traces.
"You did that both to confess Atsushi and 'ask' me, huh?" Dazai chuckles. "I understood by the way but still didn't expect it, you know. No wonder you're the mad dog of the Port Mafia."
"...You have no right to judge me," he interrupts. "As you're the one who trained this mad dog."
"Easy. I'm not here to feel nostalgic."
Hearing this, Akutagawa is silent again. "Then... what is your advice?" he asks.
"It's up to how strong your feelings for Atsushi are, but since you've never loved anyone before, it's understandable that you're in a deadlock." Dazai continues "First, let me ask you a question: what do you obsess about Atsushi?"
Akutagawa again mute, low his eyes. He remembers Atsushi's gentle smile, rosy cheeks, and even angry expressions. A moment of hesitation later, he mumbles, "Everything."
Dazai's eyes wide. He clutches his stomach and bursts out laughing: "Ahaha! Now I finally see you as a boy! I never imagined you'd fall so deeply in love with someone, especially someone you swore to kill at all costs!"
"Shut up." Though curt, Akutagawa doesn't feel particularly ashamed of his words. After all, even the tiger's flaws aren't something to hate.
"I worried that you only lusted after his body at first, but since you answered like that, it proves you're not that bad after all."
"What do you mean?"
"You still have a chance, because our innocent boy isn't in love with anyone yet." Observing Akutagawa's slightly shifting eyes, Dazai continues, "But if you continue to act savage towards a boy who used to have an abusive past like Atsushi, you'll never have 'everything' that you love."
Akutagawa listens intently, as if wanting to engrave every word into his heart. He had never been this nervous.
"In short, instead of treating Atsushi like a mad dog, why don't you try to treat him like a guard dog. Atsushi is sincere, he's been abused since childhood, so if you are patient and care properly, who knows, Atsushi's heart might open up and be moved by you soon."
"...You really think a psycho could do that?"
"You're genuinely in love with 'everything' about Atsushi, aren't you? That's enough to make you determined. It's a struggle of course, but surely you're not so incompetent to do it, right?"
"Hmph, thanks for the advice." He clicks his tongue, glaring at Dazai. "So, you've manipulated and exploited women in that way?"
“Well well, you're much more perceptive than before, but I've never actually done anything to anyone like you." Dazai's tone is no longer sarcastic but sharper, like a warning: "Anyway, Atsushi's current state is partly my fault, so I'll temporarily let it go." However, as his senior, and as long as you're not anything to him, I don't want this to happen a second time. I'm speaking on behalf of the Detective Agency to protect our teenage member, so you know the consequences if you dare repeat this, Akutagawa."
"There won't be a next time, my apologies." Akutagawa bows his head, attitude sincere.
"You'd better save those words for your 'loved one'. Well, I've said everything necessary, see ya!" Dazai says, be cheerful again and disappears into the alley, leaving Akutagawa alone to ponder.
"A guard dog...?" He glances at a random girl walking with a black dog that looks majestic and exuded the aura of a bodyguard. She seems happy and secure with it, perhaps knowing the dog would always protect and cherish her.
He wonders if he acts like that dog, will Atsushi show the same expression as her?