Inside the car, the Shibusawa butler watched the white-haired boy with concern.
Ever since returning, the young master had been utterly listless. Weariness lingered in those crimson eyes, and this time, it was accompanied by a trace of melancholy. The Shibusawa butler had every reason to believe that arranging an appointment with a psychologist would soon become necessary.
Young Master Tatsuhiko, you came to Yokohama to relax, not to make yourself even more miserable!
"Take me to Suribachi City."
After the car pulled away, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko finally spoke. His voice was distant and absent-minded, carrying an ethereal emptiness, as though his thoughts were somewhere far away.
"Yes, Young Master."
Before coming to Yokohama, the butler had studied a map of the city and was familiar with the famous Suribachi Street. He turned the car toward the seaside district, the area that had once been the Yokohama Foreign Settlement.
As they drove, the butler glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror and asked, "Young Master Tatsuhiko, are you going to Suribachi Street to enjoy the scenery? That area is rather chaotic, so you'll need to be careful."
"I'm going to find someone."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko picked up the book resting beside him in the back seat and opened it to the page marked with a bookmark.
[Go and seek out more people who share your aspirations.]
[Even if you lose your memories, never forget this—people are born to pursue things more beautiful than what they already have. Whatever you choose to do, never squander your time. Youth is your greatest advantage.]
— Tears of the Muse.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's fingertips traced over those passages. The tension gradually left his body as he quietly immersed himself in the book.
He had already read it countless times.
The protagonist of the novel became a fashion designer, immersing himself in the world of fashion and beautiful things. He came into contact with countless models, yet he sought only to uncover and showcase their beauty, never tainting those encounters with base desire. Unknowingly, the protagonist drew Shibusawa Tatsuhiko in. His likes, his dislikes, the way he carried himself... it all felt like looking at another version of himself.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko murmured, "This is a novel written for me."
According to his investigation, the novel had not yet been published. The copy in his hands was the very first one.
Which meant that the author, writing under the pen name "Reader," was none other than Asou Akiya!
His battered spirit was finally soothed. There was someone who had nurtured the extraordinary Edogawa Ranpo into the person he had become, yet still found the time to guide him as well, steering him away from the path of self-destruction.
[You truly saw right through me.]
[Have you dissected my body and gazed directly into my soul?]
[Even I don't know what I truly am, yet you gave me this evaluation, saying that there is a hollow space within my heart that can only be filled by another person's love...]
"When we return to Tokyo, buy every novel published under the pen name 'Reader' for me," Shibusawa Tatsuhiko instructed his butler. "I want to read each and every one of his works."
Sensing that the oppressive gloom surrounding his young master had finally lifted, Butler Shibusawa replied, "Certainly."
Then he asked, "Will you be skipping lunch as well?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko had spent the entire morning rushing from place to place, solving a case before facing off against Edogawa Ranpo until the afternoon. Only then did he realize that he hadn't eaten all day. The frustration still lingering in his heart had robbed him of any appetite.
"No. I'll eat after I win."
Twenty minutes later, Suribachi City came into view—a vast, inverted crater that resembled an enormous funnel-shaped pit, like a gateway to hell turned upside down.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko did not allow his butler to accompany him. After carefully setting down the book he treasured, he took a slow, deep breath, regaining his confidence. However, the moment he stepped out of the car, the sight of Suribachi City made him frown, and a subtle change came over his expression.
"...The destructive power was actually this great?"
Seeing it with his own eyes was far more horrifying than anything the news broadcasts on television had ever shown.
Was all of this really caused by the explosion at the military base?
He vaguely remembered hearing that explanation before, but he wasn't particularly familiar with the events that had taken place four years ago.
After all, foreigners looked down on Japan as a provincial backwater, while Tokyonites regarded Yokohama the same way. It was a mutually reinforcing chain of contempt. Shibusawa Tatsuhiko himself had never planned on visiting Yokohama in the first place.
Composing himself, he entered Suribachi City alone in search of the "little brother" Ranpo-kun had mentioned.
Fortunately, Nakahara Chuuya wasn't difficult to find. He had earned something of a reputation within Suribachi City.
"Hey, Chuuya! Someone's looking for you!"
Hearing his companions call out, Nakahara Chuuya emerged from nearby with both hands tucked into his pockets and his chin slightly raised. His eyes had returned to their natural blue, and he had gradually shed the habit of constantly walking with his head lowered.
Living in Akiya's home had helped him correct many of his bad habits.
A boy ran up to Chuuya and lowered his voice.
"I think he knows your brother."
Chuuya looked puzzled.
"You mean he knows Ranpo?"
Then he probably isn't here to pick a fight.
With that thought in mind, Nakahara Chuuya met Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, who looked completely out of place in Suribachi City. His long white hair was meticulously groomed, soft and full, tied near one ear with a ribbon. He was a proud, aloof-looking boy whose cool demeanor set him apart from everyone around him.
For some reason, Chuuya suddenly seemed to hear the excited chatter of the neighborhood girls, mixed with Shirase's indignant protest:
"My hair's silver-white too! I could grow it that long if I wanted..."
[Huh? Shirase?]
[Take a good look at his standards first, then look at yourself in a mirror.]
Nakahara Chuuya couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
Having long since grown accustomed to Randou's refined elegance, he wasn't the least bit intimidated by wealthy young masters. He stepped forward and said,
"I'm Nakahara Chuuya. What do you want with me?"
"...You're him?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko stared at the orange-haired boy, who looked no older than ten, and felt a deep sense of humiliation.
Is Ranpo-kun looking down on me? Even if I'm not his equal, surely I haven't fallen so low that I'd have to compete against a child!
What could someone this young possibly do? Can he even use an ability?
After a single glance, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko turned to leave without the slightest hesitation, leaving Nakahara Chuuya completely bewildered.
"Hey! What did you want with me? At least explain yourself before you leave!"
The moment Ranpo was mentioned, Chuuya took the matter seriously. He worried that his older brother—though they weren't related by blood—might have gotten himself into trouble somewhere.
Chuuya reached out and grabbed Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's coat, wrinkling the expensive fabric.
He's strong.
That was Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's first impression.
His second was that he utterly detested people who were crude and ill-mannered. Especially someone from Suribachi City. Chuuya's clothes weren't nearly as stylish as Edogawa Ranpo's detective outfit, and the companions surrounding him all looked like street punks, greatly lowering Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's opinion of him.
"Let go."
"What did Ranpo send you to me for?"
Chuuya hesitated for a moment before releasing his grip. With an apologetic expression, he said,
"Sorry."
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko said coldly, "Ranpo-kun told me you're stronger than he is?"
"I definitely am!" Nakahara Chuuya answered without a moment's hesitation, assuming he was being asked about fighting ability. He immediately concluded that Ranpo had gotten himself into trouble and needed him to come over and beat someone up.
In truth... his guess wasn't far from reality.
The moment those words left Chuuya's mouth, the look in Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's eyes changed.
This kid is stronger than Ranpo-kun?
"Are you and Ranpo-kun family?"
"Uh... I guess you could say that. We live together."
"And what is your relationship with Asou Akiya?"
"Huh? You know Ranpo, and you know Akiya-san too? Well... it's not really something I should be telling an outsider. Just think of him as my dad..."
Chuuya answered vaguely, glancing sideways at his companions to make sure they hadn't overheard.
After all, he had been the one insisting that he didn't want to be adopted.
And now he was being raised by someone... ahem.
Step by step, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko probed into Asou Akiya's household, gathering bits and pieces of information from every direction. Even so, he still looked at Nakahara Chuuya with lingering skepticism.
But who was Shibusawa Tatsuhiko?
Once he decided something was worth doing, he never cared what society thought. As the idea crossed his mind, he decided to give the boy a thorough beating.
If I do that... Asou Akiya will get angry, won't he? He'll mind it, won't he?
After all, this is his child.
—You're the one who led me here, so don't blame me for picking on you.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's breathing quickened ever so slightly, a hint of excitement welling up inside him. Even though they had only met once, he was certain that Asou Akiya was a man who rarely let his emotions show. Casually, he gave his reason.
"Ranpo-kun told me to come find you. He said you're stronger than he is. If I can defeat you, he'll acknowledge my strength."
Chuuya let out a strangled noise.
"...What?"
His face darkened instantly.
"He used me as a wager?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko replied evenly, "Yes."
In the next instant, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko activated his ability, "Draconia", dragging Chuuya into the sea of mist!
Within the mist, there were no ordinary people.
Only the two of them, both ability users.
Chuuya: "???"
Where did everyone go?
Where'd everybody else disappear to?
The Arahabaki, whose true mental age was all of three and a half years old, felt a flicker of panic. He looked around in astonishment. It still looked like Suribachi City, so how had all of his companions suddenly vanished without a trace?
A smile slowly spread across Shibusawa Tatsuhiko's otherwise gloomy face, the corners of his lips curling upward.
"So... I can pull you in after all."
"Draconia" had taken effect.
His opponent's ability was clearly not on the level of "High-Dimensional Observer" or "Super Deduction."
Standing amidst the swirling mist, Chuuya felt a faint discomfort wash over his body. The already unruly power within him began to surge restlessly, as though it wanted to burst free.
But he quickly shook off the sensation.
Slipping both hands into his pockets, he looked at Shibusawa Tatsuhiko with open disdain.
"So this is your little trick, huh?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko froze.
The ability user standing before him showed no signs of having his ability separated from him.
Chuuya had never been part of the ability-user world, yet his personality was surprisingly well suited to the rules of the underworld.
"Fine, then. Hurry up and make your move. I'll beat you and head back out!"
"You..."
"Do you even know how to fight?"
Seeing Shibusawa Tatsuhiko hesitate again and again, Chuuya grew increasingly irritated. He was itching for a chance to vent his frustration.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko fell silent. His expression turned as cold as frost as he intensified the mist of Draconia. Dense white fog billowed between the two of them, as he tried once more to separate Chuuya from his ability.
Chuuya's temper worsened by the second, and the hostility in his eyes became ever more apparent.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"..."
After facing Chuuya in silence for several minutes, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko finally stopped. Realizing there was no point in continuing the futile effort, he looked expressionlessly at the unusually fierce young boy before him and asked,
"Are you really an ability user?"
Dark crimson light flared across Chuuya's body as his gravity manipulation ability manifested.
"Am I an ability user?"
"Why don't you find out with your face?!"
Boom!
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko was sent flying by the violent strike of the Arahabaki, crashing straight into one of Suribachi City's ramshackle houses. The loud roar of collapsing walls echoed from ahead, a vivid demonstration of just how poorly built the structures in the area were.
Seeing how effortlessly he had landed the blow, Chuuya scratched his head.
"...That was it?"
"You're that weak?"
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko felt his stomach churn violently. Fortunately, he hadn't eaten lunch—otherwise, he would have thrown up on the spot.
The white-haired boy trembled as he climbed out from the pile of broken planks and rubble, clutching his abdomen. He didn't even need to look to know that the skin there was already covered in bruises. His crimson eyes were filled with despair.
"...Impossible..."
"I can't even beat you...?"
"Then stop wasting time and let me out."
Now that Chuuya had realized just how unimpressive his opponent's strength was, his confidence immediately swelled.
So this is what Japanese ability users are like?
"What exactly is your ability?"
"Gravity manipulation!"
With a fierce stomp, Chuuya drove his foot into the ground.
Boom!
A massive crater instantly opened beneath his feet.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko stared at the crater, then looked back at the mist-filled space of his own Draconia, which possessed virtually no offensive power.
His ability held no priority over Chuuya's.
He couldn't separate Chuuya's ability from him.
Before long, the rims of his eyes began to redden.
Covering his face with one hand, he slowly crouched down.
"I lost."
The Shibusawa family praises me every single day, calling me a Qilin...
Even the government has been lying to me.
So... I'm not remarkable after all.
Just a frog at the bottom of a well...
...Sob...