Bungo Stray Dogs · Chat

The evening breeze of Yokohama carried the salty tang of the sea. Curled up beneath the bridge, Atsushi Nakajima felt his ribs practically sticking to his back; he hadn't had a proper meal in three days. He stared at the river's surface, contemplating whether to rob the office worker carrying a convenience store bag—steaming tendrils of heat drifted from the oden, and the sound of simmering radishes could be heard from ten meters away. His hands trembled. Up on the bridge, Osamu Dazai was untying a knot on the railing. It had been tied by Kunikida—a tight knot, so sturdy it was almost touching. Drowning was naturally meant to end things, but more importantly, he wanted Kunikida to watch him jump with that priceless, horrified look on his face. At that thought, he cheerfully let go. "Dazai-san—!" Doppo Kunikida's scream ripped through the dusk. Scribbling furiously in his notebook as he ran, his "Doppo Poet" materialized into a rope shooting toward the river, but Dazai had already plunged into the water with a splash. Kunikida ground his teeth—it was like this every single time, every single time! He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold glare that caught the sunset shattered across the rippling water. Beneath the bridge, Atsushi staggered to his feet, dizzy with hunger. He stepped toward the office worker, reaching out his hand—only to bump straight into Dazai, who was hauling himself out of the water. With dripping black hair plastered to his face, Dazai tilted his head, flashing a smile like moonlight shattered across the water: "My, my... you look even closer to death than I do."