Bungo Stray Dogs - Volume SS - Chapter 1.1

Looking the Gift Tiger in the Mouth - 1

The train passed over the bridge and slowly began to blend in with the skyscrapers on the other side of the river. Atsushi half-consciously listened to the noise in the background.

“Kicked out of the orphanage, no food, no shelter, and not even a single yen to my name, which probably goes without saying…and now I’m lying facedown in the dirt.”

But no one was there to listen to his story, for Atsushi was the only person at the riverbank. Once the train in the background faded into the distance, all that was left were the evening glow and utter silence. Atsushi clenched his teeth and punched the ground.

“Still…!”

His arms shaking, he slowly began pushing himself up with every last bit of energy he had.

“I’m out of options—if I want to live, I’m gonna need to steal!”

He fixed the sky with a glare, his voice hardened with determination.

However…

“Get out!”

He suddenly heard voices in his head, and his expression tensed.

“You are not welcome here!”

They were the voices of adults, looking down at Atsushi and yelling at him.

“Shut up…!” he demanded, but the voices continued to play on repeat in his mind with no end in sight. He staggered to his feet, then firmly stood in place.

“Shut up… Shut up… Shut…uuuup!!”

Atsushi clenched his fists so tightly that they began to hurt. His voice echoed down the river, slowly fading until only silence remained once again. His stomach was empty to the point that he started to feel nauseated.

“…I’m not gonna die. I’m going to live…no matter what it takes!”

He clenched his fist with a grim expression.

“All right…,” he muttered. “I’m gonna rob the next person I see of everything they’ve got!”

He didn’t have a choice. Atsushi lowered his gaze, sharpening his senses as he waited for someone to get close enough. A cold breeze brushed against his skin. The river splashed; maybe a fish had leaped into the air.

…Someone’s coming!

Hearing the faint sound of a vehicle approaching, Atsushi immediately turned around.

Whoa—!

It was a motorcycle.

Vrooom! The large motorcycle roared as it blasted down the street. It passed him in the blink of an eye. Even the echoes were soon nothing but a fading memory.

Atsushi, who had been watching in a daze with his mouth agape, suddenly came to his senses.

“…Ugh! You’ve gotta be kidding me!” He looked down at the ground in frustration. “There’s no way I’d be able to catch up with that on an empty stomach!”

Even a little food in my stomach wouldn’t help me catch up with a motorcycle.

I’m just having a little bad luck. Yeah, that’s all this is. Only an idiot would expect everything to go well on the first try.

“…Next one!”

Atsushi lowered his gaze once more and waited with bated breath for the next target to appear.

He could hear a voice in the distance. It was most likely someone selling grilled sweet potatoes, but it sounded like it was really far away. Plus, what he needed right now wasn’t a grilled sweet potato. If only someone would walk by…

That was when he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the pathway that edged the riverbank. Finally.

Now’s my chance!!

Firing himself up, Atsushi spun around, but right as he was about to courageously take his first step forward…

“One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!”

…he heard the spirited yelling of the military police in the middle of a training drill.

“Urk…!”

Atsushi froze in place with his fists still clenched, ready to attack.

The military police specialized in fighting the most violent criminals. These trainees were heavily armed, so they could easily stop a bank robbery or a carjacking, at the very least. Perhaps they were training to get themselves used to actual combat.

To make matters worse, it wasn’t only one or two people. There were multiple soldiers—dozens, even. The lines of marching military police seemed almost endless.

So then…

No, there’s no point…

Atsushi took a few steps back. The crease in his brow deepened.

“…I doubt any of them would be carrying a wallet during training!”

The only things the soldiers were probably carrying were a baton and a gun. Neither of those would satisfy what Atsushi’s stomach was craving right now, and he didn’t have the money for a dentist if he ended up sinking his teeth into those inedible items.

“Next person I see, though… I’m gonna do it…”

He once again clenched his fists tightly.

Yes, bad luck. That was what this was. Just a little bad luck. It wasn’t like the military police always trained around here.

After pulling himself together, Atsushi lay in wait once more for his next target. He strained his ears so that not even the faintest of footsteps would go unnoticed.

Someone was coming.

Atsushi’s fingers began to tremble from nerves. Somebody was nearby, no doubt about it.

“You’re mine!!”

He swiftly turned around in the direction of the river.

“…Uh…”

And his eyes automatically locked on the first thing he saw.

…A-are those…legs?

But no matter how long he stared, he couldn’t deny what he was seeing. It was a pair of legs—spread out wide and bent at the knees—floating in the sparkling river under the evening sun. Atsushi cautiously stepped back, his cheek now twitching.

Blub-blub, blub-blub, blub-blub…!

Muffled sounds were coming from the depths of the river. To make matters worse, the disembodied legs started spinning and slowly floating toward Atsushi.

Some nearby crows began pecking at them as if to say, “Can we eat these?” before angrily cawing at how awful the legs must have tasted.

Atsushi anxiously followed the disembodied legs with his eyes. Whoever they belonged to must have been quite a curious individual, seeing as their upper body remained completely submerged while their lower body protruded from the water.

A brand-new way to catch fish…? No, that wasn’t it. Perhaps this person was in the middle of a swimming routine? But that didn’t appear to be the case, either. Maybe hunger was simply causing Atsushi to see things… That would have been preferable, but the mysterious legs gradually getting closer were most certainly real.

The legs were still twitching, which meant that their owner could very well be alive, albeit barely. Bubbles were making their way to the water’s surface as well; that was somewhat of a relief. But…that would mean that this person…was Atsushi’s next target.

“Nooope!” He frantically shook his head. “This guy doesn’t count…”

There was something extremely off-putting about robbing this person.

“Please don’t make me do it! I—I don’t wanna do it…!”

He was about to collapse from hunger. He didn’t have the energy to worry about anyone else. So…what if I just pretend like I didn’t see anything?

Atsushi closed his eyes and clenched his fists once more. The legs were still making their slow approach downstream. The bubbles surrounding them gradually decreased, and the legs seemed to be sinking as well. At this rate, whoever this was really was going to—

“Rahhh!!”

Atsushi shouted as if to rid himself of any doubt and began running toward the river. He dived straight into the water as it glittered in the evening sun. A loud splash followed.

Nobody would have blamed him or have even known if he’d pretended not to see those legs. He knew that, and yet—

“Pant… Pant… Pant…”

After dumping the person onto dry land, Atsushi dropped to the ground, gasping for air and struggling to catch his breath. The whole point was to rob someone out of desperation, but he ended up using the last bit of what little energy he had left to save someone. He was going to pass out for certain now.

Atsushi wiped the droplets of water running down his chin with the back of his hand and then glanced at the person lying on the ground at his side. He seemed to be a man in his early twenties, wearing a white open-collared shirt under a sand-colored coat and bandages wrapped around his hands and neck. Atsushi slowly leaned forward to see if he was all right when suddenly the stranger opened his eyes and slowly sat up.

“Whoa…!!” Atsushi yelped, his face tensing. He got ready to flee.

This man—who was going to give Atsushi a heart attack for more than one reason—simply stared idly into space as if he didn’t even understand the situation that he was in. The wet hair stuck to his forehead and cheeks was unruly, but his face was rather handsome.

“You were underwater for a while there… Are you okay?” Atsushi timidly asked.

“I’m alive…,” the nameless man muttered in a daze. “Tch.” He suddenly scowled.

Atsushi jerked back and stared at the man in disbelief.

What the…?! Did he just click his tongue?!

“Once again, I am denied the sweet release of death. Was it you? Did you do this to me?”

The man sluggishly got to his feet, drenching the ground with the water dripping from his coat and hair.

“I was just trying to help you…” Atsushi pouted when it suddenly hit him midsentence. “Wait, what?! ‘Sweet release’?!” he shouted in astonishment.

The stranger swiftly turned around. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

Of course, Atsushi knew exactly what the man had meant.

“I don’t want to be alive anymore,” the man said outright, stuffing his hands in his coat pockets.

“Y-you what?!”

Atsushi’s voice cracked. He understood that normal people wouldn’t be floating in a river with their heads underwater and legs in the air, but…

“I was trying to kill myself!” the man boldly announced. “But you ruined everything…” He frowned.

“Huh…?” Atsushi said in bewilderment, his eyebrow twitching.

Why’s he mad at me?

Why am I getting scolded for saving someone’s life…?

“Still,” the man began, “it is my belief that suicide should be clean, pure—not a bother or burden to anyone. The mistake I made here was imposing on you. There must be some way I can make it up to you…”

He sank deep into thought.

Atsushi staggered to his feet.

I saved him. I did my part. Now I need to find something to eat.

But his legs were wobbling. He no longer had the strength to stay upright.

That was when his stomach let out a deafening GROOOOOOWL!!

I-it’s over…for me…

“Hmm?” The man curiously looked over at Atsushi, who was struggling to stand. “Are you hungry, kid?”

“I actually…haven’t eaten…in days…,” Atsushi confessed in almost a whisper while he clutched his stomach.

GROOOOOOOOOWL!!!

An even louder roar caused Atsushi to almost fall over backward. Was that my stomach? he wondered, but it didn’t sound like it was coming from him. Since there were only two people here, that meant just one thing: It was this stranger’s stomach that was rumbling.

“What a coincidence,” the man said. “I’m hungry, too.”

But he expressed no signs of embarrassment. If anything, he seemed proud.

“Then…!”

Atsushi’s face lit up. If they were both hungry, then the solution was obvious. They needed to go somewhere with amazing food. That was the only reasonable thing to do.

“I appear to have lost my wallet in the river, though.”

The man turned his coat pockets inside out, revealing only some water and a small frog that must have hopped inside when he was floating down the river.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…!”

Atsushi’s head sank in disappointment. Now there were two hungry people without a single yen between them.

Why isn’t anything going my way today?

But right when he lifelessly let out a sigh…

“There you are, you stupid oaf!”

An angry voice suddenly echoed up from the riverbank, causing Atsushi and the nameless man to shift their gazes in that direction.

Standing on the other side of the river was an aggravated-looking man with his arms crossed. He wore a serious expression behind his glasses and a clean, well-ironed vest over a black collared shirt paired with a red ribbon tie. His long hair was in a low ponytail.

Atsushi didn’t know this man…which could only mean one thing: He must be an acquaintance of the eccentric stranger.

“Oh, Kunikida! About time you got here!”

The stranger waved and offered a friendly smile.

“‘About time’?! It’s about time you stopped wasting my time, you suicidal maniac!” the man called Kunikida yelled back with a furious crease in his brow. Despite how obviously upset he was, the target of his anger didn’t seem to have a care in the world. “Does ruining my plans bring you some sort of twisted pleasure?!”

“Oh, hey!” said target suddenly exclaimed.

He cheerfully shifted his gaze toward Atsushi, completely ignoring the anguished shouting coming from the other side of the river.

“I just had a good idea. That guy over there’s my coworker, so we could have him take us out to dinner!”

“Listen to me when I’m talking to you, for crying out loud!!”

Kunikida immediately hurled another shout across the river, his scowl twisting in even more disgust. He crossed his arms and started tapping his foot. Perhaps he was in a hurry to be somewhere.

Atsushi began worrying, and he meekly looked back at the man to his side.

“What’s your name?” the man asked.

Atsushi jerked in surprise at the sudden question.

“Atsushi…Nakajima…,” he timidly answered.

The man’s gaze relaxed ever so slightly under the evening sun’s warm glow.

“Then follow me, Atsushi!” he instructed gleefully. “By the way, what are you in the mood for?”

“…”

What do I want…to eat…?

Atsushi lowered his gaze where he was met with his own helpless shadow on the ground.

“Well…if it wouldn’t be too much trouble…,” he mumbled as he stared at his shadow.

“Come on, spit it out. Anything you want.”

“I would really like…some tea over rice right now.”

Embarrassment faintly dyed his cheeks crimson. It was the only thing he could come up with, after all.

“Hmm?”

The man stared wide-eyed for a few moments until…

“Pfft… Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

…he burst into laughter, and his face glowed with a friendly warmth, although Atsushi had no idea what was so funny.

“This kid’s on the verge of starving to death, and all he wants is tea over rice? Very well. Kunikida can treat you to at least thirty bowls of the stuff!” the man said cheerfully. He seemed to be implying that Atsushi was in good hands now.

The man’s colleague immediately chimed in, clearly irritated: “Stop being so generous with my money, Dazai!”

“…‘Dazai’?” said Atsushi.

“Yep, that’s my name.”

The man looked down at Atsushi with both hands in his pockets. Before Atsushi had even realized it, the breeze had picked up; the stranger’s sand-colored coattail was now fluttering in the wind.

“I’m Dazai.”

He squinted slightly under the darkening crimson sky.

When he turned around, his lips were curled into a vaguely mysterious smile.

“Osamu Dazai.”