Durarara!!, Vol. 6

by Ryohgo Narita

  When Mikado put his arm against the pole in silence, Masaomi knew that he was crying.

  He sensed the same amount of sadness in his friend that he felt when he himself was leader of the Yellow Scarves.

  And that was why he couldn’t go to him. He knew that if he tried to speak to Mikado, to comfort him, it would only add more pressure.

  If there was anyone Mikado wanted to see least at that moment, it would be Masaomi or Anri Sonohara.

  Seeing himself in Mikado’s shoes, he wanted to rush to his friend, to say something that would make him feel better. It seemed that if anyone could do it, it would be him.

  But ultimately, he couldn’t show himself to Mikado.

  He had run out on his friend already. What could he possibly say that was meaningful now?

  If he said something careless, gave some false reassurance, it would hurt Mikado far worse than he already was now.

  …I’m not the place Mikado needs to return to now.

  It’s Sonohara. It’s Raira Academy.

  Masaomi had rushed back to the city for a singular purpose—and now he cast it aside and turned his back on Mikado.

  All I can do now is wait for him to recover…and then…talk to him…

  Shit, that’s not right. That’s not right.

  I was just want…to be with him and Anri…like old days…

  …Dammit. Why…why am I…?

  He recalled his own sadness from the past…

  And the next thing he knew, Masaomi was tearing up, too.

  That was the end of the scene.

  Ultimately, Masaomi was unable to reunite with his friends.

  Most likely, if he had shown himself just then, it would have hurt Mikado terribly. Perhaps it would have pushed their friendship even further apart.

  But considering what would happen later, even knowing it would hurt Mikado and destroy his presence of mind, maybe Masaomi should have said something after all.

  Masaomi himself would understand this later.

  But of course, later is not now.

  Chat room

  Saika has entered the chat.

  Saika: no one is here today

  Saika: it’s lonely

  Saika: sorry for saying weird things

  Saika: i’m sorry

  Saika has left the chat.

  The chat room is currently empty.

  The chat room is currently empty.

  .

  .

  .

  Epilogue and Next Prologue

  May 4, night, McDonald’s, Ikebukuro east gate location

  “And? What ended up happening?”

  Tom popped a chicken nugget slathered in mustard into his mouth. Shizuo tugged at the straw of his milk shake and tilted his head. “I don’t even know myself… I just got this call from Shinra saying, ‘I think the suspicion on your head is gone,’ and that it was fine now… I was walking around earlier and nothing happened, so…whatever.”

  “But why were the Awakusu-kai after you in the first place?”

  “I can’t tell you that.”

  “?”

  Tom gave him a quizzical look. Shizuo twirled his straw around to even out his shake and said, “Shinra settled things up with them, as I understand it, but only on the condition that I never tell anyone what I saw.”

  “Hmm. Well, I don’t wanna get any blowback, either. So I won’t ask for details.”

  “Thank you,” Shizuo said earnestly and nodded his head.

  Tom added, “Oh, and the boss says he’ll consider today paid leave for you.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, but he’s gonna give you twice as much work tomorrow to make up for it.”

  “Well, that’s fair, I guess…”

  Through some wordly wisdom of Tom’s, they transitioned straight out of that dangerous topic and onto the safe ground of tomorrow’s work.

  The name Awakusu-kai never entered the conversation after that, and ordinary life returned to Shizuo.

  Somewhere in Ikebukuro, Awakusu-kai office

  At one of the several Awakusu offices within the capital, in a room officially known as the “president’s office,” two men were having a very terse conversation.

  “…I’m glad the young lady came back safely, Director,” said Shiki.

  “…Indeed,” replied Mikiya Awakusu, his face a mask.

  Shiki did not betray any facial emotion, either, as he continued, “As you ordered, I’ve made it clear to all around that Shizuo Heiwajima was clean. Is this acceptable?”

  “Yes.”

  Right after Akane was grabbed from their hands, Shiki’s ringing ears had enough clarity to make out what Mikiya bellowed.

  “That son of a bitch backstabbed me!”

  As soon as he heard that, Shiki called his subordinates off the search for Shizuo Heiwajima.

  A notable build and notable gear. Even amid the smoke and confusion, anyone with enough vision to spot those two simple facts could put together a very good suspicion as to the other party’s identity—but only if you had met the guy before.

  Now that he was certain they were alone, Shiki pressed Mikiya for the truth.

  “Those three bodies. Were they ‘dogs’?”

  “…That’s right.”

  “Something tells me the cops wouldn’t put three separate spies in our group.”

  “Second one was Asuki-gumi. Last one was from a foreign syndicate… I’ve never been so insulted,” Mikiya admitted.

  Shiki nodded. He didn’t ask anything further. The information he’d gleaned in that short period of time was enough to form a hypothesis.

  It was Mikiya who had ordered the killing of those three men.

  He had hired the Russian hit man Slon to take out three of his own men, propped up some fake evidence framing the Asuki-gumi, and used that for leverage in the negotiations. That was probably the extent of it.

  But the introduction of the unstable variable that was Shizuo Heiwajima and the unlucky fact that one of the youngsters had spotted him at the scene had led to the unexpected outcome of a civilian suspect.

  A plan for leverage had suddenly flipped around and exposed a possible weakness to the Asuki-gumi. The Awakusu were forced to scramble to cover up the situation and had Shizuo Heiwajima chased down as a suspect.

  But once he had realized that not just Shiki, but also Akabayashi and Kazamoto were starting to catch on, Mikiya had started formulating his next plan.

  Shiki didn’t know how much the debt of gratitude for his daughter’s rescue played a part in Mikiya calling off the chase on Shizuo. But it was certain that this man was not one steeped in the nostalgic yakuza principles of honor, obligation, and compassion.

  Was his parental love for his daughter even real? Shiki wondered for a moment, then decided that it wasn’t his business and continued, “As for the cleanup…”

  “I have Akabayashi and Aozaki on the case.”

  “Two lieutenants? Directly? And those two, in specific?”

  “They’re old-school, hands-on guys. They wanted a chance for a face-to-face meeting with the other guys’ agent. But…I’ll admit, I was stunned when I heard their offer,” Mikiya Awakusu said, then paused and looked into the distant sky before continuing.

  “I guess…parents care about their children, no matter what country you’re in…”

  Totally unaware that such a conversation was going on in the Awakusu-kai office at that moment, Shizuo peacefully finished his vanilla shake and furrowed his brows.

  “That reminds me. Next time I see that woman in the riding suit, I’m gonna rip that pricey-looking helmet off and crumple it into a ball…” He growled to himself, giving in to a minor recollection of rage.

  Tom leaned slightly away from him and sighed. “I dunno, after you kicked a car at her, I doubt she’s ever gonna want to come across you again.”

  Somewhere in Tokyo, construction site

  Vorona and Slon had set up their base of operations at a construction
site that was put on hold due to the recession. They were discussing their upcoming plans.

  “…I am half-pleased, half-displeased.”

  “You can’t help it. Fortunately we’re still within the time limit for two jobs. We’ll have another chance to abduct Akane Awakusu…and at worst, we can just snipe that girl with the glasses,” Slon said blithely. Once night had fallen, Vorona was back to her expressionless ways.

  They sat on piles of construction materials, talking over a small light. There were empty meal boxes from a convenience store there, which they had eaten as they discussed various bloody and ominous topics.

  But such violent matters were everyday things for them.

  Vorona stuffed the garbage into a bag and opined, “I do say…this city is wonderful. My ego is the mind-set to finish work quickly and attempt hunting of Black Rider and Bartender.”

  Contrary to Tom’s expectations, she was practically humming with desire to attack Shizuo again. She recalled all the people and things she’d met over the last two days and trembled with pleasure, despite those feelings being hidden behind a mask.

  “The job you took was over this morning, Slon? Then, if we conclude our current work, I propose temporary hiatus. Please confirm.”

  “Confirm? What, I don’t get veto power here?” he laughed.

  “That’s true. You don’t have any veto power—not right now.”

  “!” “?”

  The gravelly male voice from the shadows of the construction site caught Vorona and Slon by surprise. They jumped to their feet and looked into the darkness.

  A large man slowly walked forward into view.

  “Who are you? Request you name self promptly.”

  “…That badge… The Awakusu-kai?” Slon murmured, recognizing the sigil of the Awakusu-kai on a pin on the man’s suit. But the man’s appearance, the ferocious, bestial atmosphere that surrounded him, identified him as more than just a rank-and-file soldier.

  The man spread his hands and said, “My name’s Aozaki. But I’m guessing…that you kidnappers know the reason I’m here.”

  “Aozaki…,” Slon muttered. “Aozaki the hard-liner lieutenant?”

  “I’m surprised you know the Japanese word for ‘hard-liner.’ Consider me impressed.” Aozaki smirked lazily. The man carried an air of danger about him, but a different type than Shizuo’s earlier in the day.

  Vorona quietly challenged him. “Are you a fool? A high officer of your organization appears solitary in midst of the likes of us?”

  “…But you’re not so good at Japanese, are ya, missy?” the large Awakusu officer chuckled. “The thing is, I ain’t that stupid—not like that idiot.”

  “Why, how cruel, Mr. Aozaki.”

  All the hair on Vorona’s body stood on end.

  “I merely heard that one of the young miss’s kidnappers was a mysterious foreign beauty and had to see for myself. I don’t think that makes me an ‘idiot.’”

  The lilting, lighthearted voice came from right next to Vorona.

  Her eyes shot sideways and found a man sitting beside her with an ostentatiously patterned suit and tinted glasses. That, combined with the flamboyant walking stick, made him look like he came straight out of a movie—but he was just sitting there, not doing anything else.

  “The name’s Akabayashi. I forgot my badge, but just like that gorilla-faced fellow over there, I’m a valued member of the Awakusu. It’s a pleasure.”

  It was as though he’d been sitting there right next to them, from even before the start of their meal. Of course, that couldn’t have been the case, but it was a sign of how abruptly he appeared—without being detected by either Vorona or Slon.

  She’d discarded the pistol wrapped up in the Black Rider’s shadow, but there was a new gun and knife at her waist. Slon was skilled in the art of killing with his bare hands, and if they got to the truck nearby, there were plenty of weapons there.

  So Vorona felt confident enough to wait and see what these men wanted—but with perfectly atrocious timing, Aozaki grinned and shook his head. “But unlike that idiot who showed up alone, I naturally brought plenty of men along with me.”

  Instantly, there was the sound of whipping air, and then flesh bursting.

  “Gaaaaahh!”

  There was blood gushing from both of Slon’s knees, and without the ability to support his own weight, his large body buckled to the ground.

  “Slon!” she shouted, pulling the handgun from her side and pointing it straight at the man in the ugly suit next to her. She was intending to take him hostage, but—

  “Well, what a delight.” The man named Akabayashi was somehow holding her arm.

  —?!

  “You mean I get the chance to dance with such a charming young lady?”

  I—I can’t pull…the trigger…!

  A numbing sensation like electricity shot through her arm where the man was holding her, robbing her wrist of movement. Akabayashi casually got to his feet, hand still on her arm—and she wasn’t able to witness what he did next.

  She couldn’t make out any details. It was only when her back landed on the floor that she realized it wasn’t Akabayashi and the world spinning, but her.

  There was no pain. Akabayashi used his arm to slow her rotation and “place” her body on the ground.

  With Slon’s groaning in the background, Akabayashi snatched the gun and knife away from Vorona, tossed them aside, and cackled at the two Russians. “Well, well… Be honest: Did you think this would be ‘easy’? You thought a mob in soft, peaceful Japan would be a pushover compared to what you’re used to back in the motherland?”

  He pinned Vorona down gently with just a single hand and knee. She was stunned to realize that despite the lack of any pain, she couldn’t move an inch.

  “You thought that compared to folks like you with plenty of kills—even some soldiers and mercenaries among them—the Awakusu-kai would be a walk in the park? Look, I won’t deny it. For as young as you are, I don’t even blame you for thinking it.”

  “…”

  “But the thing you need to learn is, when you’re young, you can get carried away…and pay a terrible price for it. Plus, if a couple of old badgers like us can handle you this easily, you’d have to be dreaming to think you could hunt down Shizuo Heiwajima. And I hate to be the one to shatter a young girl’s dreams, but you could easily get yourself killed picking a fight with him.”

  Then, Akabayashi turned to the darkness behind Aozaki and called out, “If the daughter of our new trading partner dies in our territory, that makes it a bit harder to sleep at night, eh?”

  Right on cue, a fresh face appeared from the gloom.

  This one was familiar to Vorona and Slon.

  “…Wha—?!”

  “Egor!” Slon gasped, holding his legs.

  There were bandages wrapped around the man’s face, but they still recognized the features of Egor, a high-ranking member of the arms-dealing business that was their old haunt.

  “It has been quite a while, you two,” Egor said in Japanese, perhaps out of consideration to the yakuza in their midst. “You’ve really gone on quite an adventure. And we are out quite a lot of money as a result.”

  “…?” Vorona was in a state of confusion; she didn’t know what was happening.

  Akabayashi explained, “The thing is, normally we’d be charged with takin’ you two out to the mountains or down to some basement, but this Egor fellow showed up at our office and had a little chat with us. Turns out your old man and the president of that arms trader suggested that they could offer us advantageous prices on their wares, in exchange for pretending that we never saw the young lady.”

  “Wha…?”

  “I mean, that’s a no-brainer of a deal for us: Just ignore one girl and get wholesale prices on weapons? But that big fellow there will have to go, I’m afraid. To let you both walk, they’d need to up their offer to a lifetime of free hardware.”

  “…I refuse! If you will murder
, I am shared! If you affirm this sympathy, my life is denied!”

  “Ha-ha-ha, no idea what the hell any of that means. Sleep tight,” said Akabayashi. He pressed a painless injector to the girl’s neck. Meanwhile, Slon was completely unconscious, thanks to a kick in the face by Aozaki.

  “We’re going to deal with this guy now.”

  Once they were certain the two were out, Aozaki picked up Slon and hauled him back into the darkness of the construction site. Akabayashi sighed, his lazy grin gone now.

  “It’s just not my style to make a girl sad.”

  “…Sorry about that, Mr. Akabayashi.”

  This voice came from yet another new figure who was now standing at Akabayashi’s side—the chef from Russia Sushi. Next to him were Egor and Simon, dressed in his own clothes for once.

  “…We’ll be responsible for helping her see sense. Let us handle it.”

  “Please do. I’m a bad guy, I know it, but I’d have trouble sleeping if this pretty young thing killed herself over this.”

  “Ohhh, Akabayashi, when you sleep bad, you eat shark. I make you shark fin sushi and caviar sushi, you get market price, sleep soundly happily, with bowl of shark fin soup,” Simon offered.

  “Maybe I’ll stop by while the girl’s still sleeping,” Akabayashi said, simpered again, then walked off, tapping his shoulders with his walking stick.

  Aozaki’s subordinates lurking around the periphery vanished as well, leaving only the group of Russians and the sleeping Vorona.

  “Shall we go, Simon? Carry the miss.”

  Simon picked up Vorona as he was ordered, and Egor headed into Vorona’s truck, probably to do some cleanup.

  The sushi chef watched the peaceful sleeping face of Vorona and mumbled in Russian, “Miss Vorona is still Vorona, Egor. See, kids still haven’t firmed up yet… They can still turn out any number of ways. Any way they want.”

  “…Which is what makes ’em so scary.”

  At that moment, somewhere in Tokyo, abandoned factory

  By night, the abandoned factory was even eerier.