All, without ears, eyes, nose, or tongue.

A total of ten organs missing from the body.

Much better than the residual memories he read on the mask…

Kusuo, objectively thinking: [“Oh my, what a resilient life.” “This person can’t use airplanes or trains, right? A human body scanner would scare people when it scans him.”]

Focusing on observing a person inevitably made Kusuo lag behind in noticing the people around Hyakki.

That person is Dazai?

In the Chinese textbook, the representative work is the literary writer of “No Longer Human”?

Kusuo’s cold gaze shifted as he realized his X-ray vision had become ineffective!

[“I can’t see through him?”]

In front of him, among all the human skeletal structures, Dazai was different.

He had hair, skin, and clothes!

—He’s a human!

Despite how strange “he’s a human” sounds as an assessment, Kusuo had grown accustomed to a life where beauty or ugliness didn’t matter, where everyone basically looked the same after a few seconds of observation. Superpowers brought him not happiness, but extremely unfortunate disasters; he couldn’t enjoy a normal life surrounded by numerous superpowers. At one point, he had hoped that Kurumi would invent black technology to eliminate superpowers sooner, so that he could become a normal person.

However, encountering someone who could “resist” superpowers made the all-powerful psychic wary.

[“Unable to see through, it may also mean unable to read minds up close, or alter memories. My existence would be exposed in front of such a person, and he doesn’t seem like a friendly type no matter how you look at it.”]

Kusuo longed for an ordinary and low-key life, definitely not one where his powers were known to others.

What kind of person was literary figure Dazai?

Sorry, no matter how you look at it, he had nothing to do with being a good person.

Passing through a remote and deserted place, Kusuo’s body began to “translucent,” like a ghost. As long as there was no physical contact, no one would notice his presence.

[“…”]

[“… What a big sun.”]

Originally intending to search for supernatural beings as usual, Hyakki’s soul was almost melted by the “sun” in broad daylight.

He was still accustomed to darkness.

Exposing him to such intense light left him a bit at a loss, his mind blanketed by the brightness. Several meters away, he couldn’t distinguish between human and beast, let alone find supernatural beings with different life flames.

“Hyakki, aren’t you going forward anymore?”

Dazai had gathered some supernatural rumors from Yokohama, heading towards the appropriate “demon-slaying” location.

Nervous, Hyakki looked around anxiously, clutching “Dororo’s” hand to turn back. Like a human with severe myopia, he suddenly lost his keen observation, stumbling over a small pit on the ground. Before he could fall, Dazai grabbed his hand in time, preventing this unnecessary mishap.

Dazai furrowed his brow, contemplating as he stared at the small pit on the ground that was usually visible.

“Hyakki, can’t you see clearly?”

Was it his body deteriorating…?

“Could it be… the deity you mentioned blocking your vision?”

Dazai suddenly looked back at their path, a straight road with no walls, no passersby. But why would Hyakki’s inner eye suddenly fail for no reason?

Was the legendary deity tracking them?!

Kusuo, who was invisibly tracking them, felt a shiver as they “stared” at him.

[“Am I the sun in his eyes?”]

Toritake Reita, who inexplicably came to him for a teacher, once told about a blind person in the eyes and ears, who was very strong, and

【The deity has departed.】

He felt a bit disappointed. Could it be that the deities in the world of “Dororo” couldn’t intervene in his affairs? Over the years, the only bodhisattva who had helped him even sacrificed the statue that his followers worshipped.

“Hyakki…” Dazai couldn’t understand his fondness for deities.

Dazai withdrew from their contact, standing in front of Hyakki, who had regained his “sight.” His ashen life flame was murky and hazy, the glaring red spots on it softened under the previous “sunlight.”

“I’m here. Can you see clearly now?”

Hyakki naturally could see the other, even with the “sun” present, unable to ignore the person holding his hand.

Seeing clearly in his mind’s eye, he suddenly smiled.

“Dororo.”

“Hm?”

“Dororo!”

“You’re quite clingy, Hyakki. Let’s go back and check first.”

“I like… Dororo…”

“I know.”

Dazai, bombarded by the repeated phrase from the Dororo enthusiast, felt like he was seeing a bold, solitary arrow. Suppressing a smile, he watched Hyakki resume walking normally and casually said, “I like Hyakki too.” Since you can’t hear anyway… it wouldn’t hurt to occasionally speak a heartfelt truth.

Hyakki liked Dororo so much, liked her company, liked that even if she wasn’t recognized by him, she was watching him from behind, and especially liked that she kept his soul from falling into further darkness on the edge of gray.

He held onto her tightly, just as she held onto him.

【I can’t hear you, can’t see you, but being watched over by kind deities…】

【We must be happy, right?】

Over the next few days, Hyakki encountered the “blindness” situation several times. It seemed the deity had taken a liking to secretly observing him, even specifically choosing moments when Dororo was away. However, Dororo typically reacted quickly, as if she had eyes on him, able to appear at a moment’s notice.

Was it a guerrilla warfare between one man and one deity?

Forgive him for speculating about a local deity; this deity was just too good at hiding.

Hyakki chose to let the deity observe him, his soul calm and fearless. He was the protagonist of the world of “Dororo,” destined to help conquer demons. However, Dazai had enough. He installed dozens of cameras in the clinic, covering Hyakki’s every move. “I refuse to believe we can’t catch this peeping tom!”

Dazai firmly believed there were no real deities. Even if there were, they were no more than little dwarfs.

These so-called deities, not helping humanity but spying on Hyakki’s every move? If his “No Longer Human” could restrain Arahabaki, couldn’t it also restrain “deities”?

Kurumi: […]

—So annoying, this literary master.

—So annoying, this “esper” who claims to be a deity.

Kurumi and Dazai hadn’t met yet, but due to Hyakki’s catalyst, their mutual liking was extremely low.

If Dazai’s affinity towards ordinary people started at a base of -10, then his affinity towards deities started at a rock bottom of -50.