Translator’s Note: Sorry for the delayed update, I was just too busy of many things. Hope you understand. And if you are reading, thank you so much (:

【Dororo…】

【Where is this place? There are so many white flames of life here.】

Hyakki lived in an era of turmoil and disaster, rarely encountering so many souls untouched by numbness and corruption.

People were generally underfed and poorly clothed. Just give them a little money, and they would unleash the suppressed demons within, becoming villains no less evil than monsters. In Hyakki’s impression of walking alone outside, the white flames of life would usually watch from afar, never approaching easily. Gentle and kind-hearted people were often seen as weak and timid.

So why were these people willing to gather around him and illuminate the darkness in his heart?

【Are they… trying to help me?】

The perceptive Hyakki bypassed logical thinking and grasped their goodwill.

Transported to the present, he was separated from the world of “Dororo” by a barrier of darkness, relying solely on the scarce knowledge in his mind. The only thing he could trust was the “Dororo” he held in his hand. He didn’t want to go home and see his foster father, but the inertia of the plot reminded him that to defeat the demons and reclaim his organs, he had to follow the fate set by the heavens.

Just a little longer, and he would go back.

After receiving something from fate, he would definitely go see his foster father and thank that man.

Hyakki sensed Dororo’s tight grip, but he himself felt calm, tracing the slender lines of the other’s fingers in his mind, returning the grasp, responding to the emotion of wanting to save him.

【I have never resented the world.】

【Please don’t be sad either. I will try to save myself, seize any glimmer of hope.】

A hint of surprise flickered in eyes.

Could Hyakki… understand the meaning behind why he brought him here?

Then, with everything settled, Dazai   smirked, withdrew his hand, and tapped Hyakki’s head.

“No more wild thoughts. The doctor will be here soon!”

The masked teenager’s gesture of comforting Dazai   did not escape the eyes of others. Even though behind the mask might lie extreme ugliness, the unwavering refusal to compromise in the face of suffering, the radiant humanity persevering in the darkness, shone through what seemed like a normal facade, evoking an indescribable emotional response.

It was as if even the heavens pitied him.

Reluctant to let him perish, they granted him the chance to live and the hope of treatment.

Every member of the Armed Detective Agency had been tested and shared a common belief. Naturally, they sympathized deeply with Hyakki’s plight and were willing to rescue him without discussing terms.

“Unconstrained by righteousness, unbound by sentiment, unashamed.”

This was the creed of the Armed Detectives!

As the members and interns appreciated the goodwill of the two clients, their concern reached a peak when Yosano Akiko quickly assessed the prosthetics, furrowing her brows. Striding over in high heels, they were yet unaware of the scene Fukuzawa Yukichi wanted them to witness.

Approaching Hyakki, Yosano Akiko scrutinized the patient closely. Then, she cast a glance at the somewhat insincere Dazai   and asked, “Are you his friend?”

Dazai   replied evasively, “More or less.”

Friend?

What was that… Did he and Hyakki meet the criteria for “friends”?

Yosano Akiko rolled her eyes. “Do you really have to be ‘more or less’ friends? You bringing him to me probably involved some digging around. News about the Armed Detective Agency doesn’t just leak out.”

Once the Angel of Death for the military, now the agency’s physician, Yosano Akiko’s tone softened as she addressed Hyakki.

“How did you end up like this?”

Hyakki glanced at “Dororo” and then at the newly appeared white flames ahead. The newly appeared flames felt soft, their edges burning into fluffy wisps. If “Dororo’s” flames were like pure white graffiti in the darkness, the flames of strangers were like fluffy white cotton.

【Recalling something from a past life…】

Hyakki, unable to answer anyone, faced strangers with a cold, doll-like demeanor.

In his own world…

Maintaining his usual aloofness, he might adopt the Gu Long style in the future.

“This young lady, he can’t hear,” Dazai   chuckled, answering for Hyakki. “His name is Hyakki, probably fourteen or fifteen years old. He’s missing several important organs and relies on prosthetics to walk. It would be better for you to personally assess the details; compared to us, you’re the expert.”

Admitting his own shortcomings before the doctor undoubtedly earned Yosano Akiko’s favor.

Yosano Akiko glanced at Edogawa Ranpo for confirmation. Edogawa Ranpo, pausing his cookie-eating with a crackling sound, chewed on the bear-shaped biscuit and said, “The president won’t show up in the office; all decision-making power is in your hands.”

He voluntarily turned his chair away from the others, his back facing them. “I’m fine like this.”

Dazai  : “…”

This scene seemed familiar, didn’t it? Wasn’t it something he had done himself?

With a sigh, Dazai   stepped back and also moved behind Hyakki. To prevent Hyakki from turning around with him, he didn’t let go of the left hand he was holding and instead rested his hand on Hyakki’s shoulder.

Minimizing the risk.

OK, this makes it easier for the doctor to examine him without causing any further stress.

“Doctor, we’re counting on you.”

After a series of procedures, Dazai   earnestly spoke to Yosano Akiko, whom he was meeting for the first time.

“Please, make sure to conduct the examination as calmly as Mr. Mori!”

“Examine him here?” Yosano Akiko seemed reluctant, but Edogawa Ranpo interjected, “Hmm, it was my suggestion. Let them have a look. This is something our Armed Detective Agency will inevitably face.” The renowned detective glanced at Dazai   from the corner of his eye, conveying unspoken implications.

—This is the price of treatment.

Dazai   agreed, “Don’t worry, Hyakki won’t care about your evaluation.”

Whether you like or dislike him, it’s meaningless to Hyakki. Only those who trust him can accompany him.

He curved his lips slightly. Even though he wasn’t sure how long he would be with Hyakki, finding something interesting in life was much better than numbly continuing the search.

“Hyakki, I want you to see this world that’s neither black nor white.”

“For me…”

“Go and experience it.”

In the open space of the Armed Detective Agency’s office, Yosano Akiko carefully removed Hyakki’s human-faced mask, unexpectedly confronting the face devoid of organs, stripped of skin. Her hands trembled, failing to grasp the edge of the mask, which slipped from her grip before Dazai   swiftly retrieved it.

“Be careful, Doctor,” his voice rang out, clear and jarring in the otherwise silent office.

Kunikida startled, the blood draining from his face, while Tanizaki, who had been dozing off, abruptly widened his eyes, wrapping himself tighter in the blanket, trembling from head to toe.

“Is… Is this Hyakki?!” Kunikida exclaimed, shocked.

Springing back from the director’s office, Haruno Kirako gasped, retreating in fear and pressing herself against the wall.

Yosano stood still, her fingers hesitantly touching the face of Hyakki, who had lost everything. Unlike the horror experienced by Haruno Kirako, Yosano was vividly reminded of memories from the battlefield.

A dark memory surfaced in her mind: the exhaustion and despair of soldiers, the bloodshed in war-torn lands, an endless cycle of violence… Just like this face devoid of skin, stripped of its beauty, revealing the cruelty within, stirring a profound sense of sorrow in her heart.

Why… Why do humans always hurt each other like this?

“He can see you,”  tone sounded light, almost detached, like the most indifferent narrator.

“Forget to mention one thing: his spine is also fake. Remember to remove it during treatment.”

He simply avoided looking at Hyakki’s face, avoided seeing his reflection in Yosano Akiko’s eyes, lowered his gaze, and felt the calmness of Hyakki as his mask was removed.

Is this doctor a good person?

Just as you believe in good people, believe in those who have never killed.

Yosano Akiko couldn’t believe it at all: “Unless it’s some kind of ability, he can’t possibly see me!”

Dazai   said, “The doctor might as well give it a try.”

With resolve, Yosano Akiko reached out to touch the face. At that moment, her hand was grabbed by Hyakki. Slowly, he let go of the stranger’s hand. His eyes, without the calmness of the eyes on the mask, lacked the upward tilt at the corners, and his face was not that of a beautiful young man.

He was the epitome of misfortune, the embodiment of ugliness, destined to lose everything from the moment he was born!

Hyakki had cried before.