During his stay at the hotel, Hyakki lived on the edge.

Assassins targeting Dazai would occasionally appear, and at first, Hyakki refrained from lethal actions, merely driving them away. However, as the attempts persisted, he grew resolute, only to be stopped by Dazai just in time; otherwise, Hyakki would have become the first to be died.

This illustrates Hyakki’s adherence to his human principles, although lacking a strong sense of justice. Those who uphold justice struggle to survive in chaotic times and would never join the Time Travel Bureau, opting for the world of “Dororo,” persisting in surviving as Hyakki.

He exhausts himself to stay alive, and now, his goal has shifted slightly: to live alongside Dororo, he must become stronger to protect her.

Watching the assassins flee in panic, Dazai tightly grips Hyakki’s wrist, softly whispering, “Hyakki, don’t soil your hands with this kind of trash…” Even though Dazai walks on the dark edge and harbors a curiosity for the thrill of killing, he, as he said, doesn’t want Hyakki to be tainted with blood because of him.

A puppet should stay in a clean place, dressed beautifully, and live under the sunlight.

Whatever is missing, he will find a way to complete it.

Dazai, standing in the shadows, pulls Hyakki into an alley. Once Hyakki’s arm is back on, he regains his pathetic appearance of a beautiful youth. His mask gives off a pure and ethereal feeling, devoid of any darkness despite being in the shadows. Yet, Hyakki still avoids crowded places; whenever they approach the street, he pulls Dazai toward the deserted areas.

Moreover, back at the hotel, Hyakki struggles to rest peacefully, maintaining a clear sense of vigilance, fearing enemies might break in or attack through the windows.

Continuing like this for an extended period easily leads to exhaustion.

Seeing Dazai munching on canned crab meat as a snack, Hyakki realizes that they can’t stay at the hotel any longer.

“Perfect timing… We’ve almost spent all the money Mr. Mori gave us.”

The leader of the harbor’s underworld is a poor man.

Dr. Mori lacks manpower, resources, and trustworthy subordinates. In short, there are various shortages, keeping him busy to the point of exhaustion for the organization he inherited. He hopes the two little devils who are out playing will soon realize the benefits of joining the harbor’s mafia.

—Here may be dirty, but all kinds of killings are permitted. Whether its goodwill or malice, the darkness accommodates those who cannot survive in the world of light.

“Stay calm! Falling down might seem fun, but you’ll end up in a terrible mess!”

Inside the headquarters of the harbor’s mafia, in the nerve-racking elevator, Dazai is practically carrying Hyakki, almost bursting through the walls, using both his hands and feet, fearing the opponent might thrust a sword through the elevator, causing both of them to die in the elevator shaft.

In the cramped space lacking security, Hyakki’s senses are confined to the extreme. The cold metal emits a green glow, like a cage trapping him inside. He cannot break through to survey the outside world’s safety. The vague sense of weightlessness causes him great confusion.

[Where am I?]

【What should I do?】

【Dororo, why did you bring me back to the bandit’s den again!】

Finally reaching the top floor, with a “ding,” Dazai painstakingly pulls Hyakki out.

In the office of the current leader of the harbor’s mafia, the leader strikes a pose, crossing his hands under his chin. He appears to be a handsome middle-aged man, trying hard to conceal the fatigue from sleepless nights but still maintaining a shrewd demeanor.

“Dazai, welcome back.”

“Dr. Mori, you seem to have heavy dark circles under your eyes. Haven’t slept for a few days?”

“…Ahem.”

Little did Mori know how little face he was giving, reluctantly hearing Alice’s laughter.

With a gesture, Mori instructs the members of the mafia lurking in the shadows to withdraw. With Dazai in front and Hyakki behind, if these two little devils were so easy to deal with, they would have been taken care of long ago.

Moreover, Mori even considers whether his martial arts training in the military has deteriorated.

Detaining Dazai is not a problem.

Then, using Dazai to coerce Hyakki into calming down should be enough.

Maintaining a genial smile, Mori’s smooth talk sends shivers down Dazai’s spine. Dazai waves his hand, his nose wrinkling, displaying a reluctant expression as if he didn’t actually want to come to the harbor’s mafia.

“I went to the Armed Detective Agency.”

“Oh?”

The least desired news of the day comes from the other side’s mouth.

Mori waits for the turning point, unsurprised, believing Dazai wouldn’t disappoint him.

“As Dr. Mori predicted,” Dazai’s lively expression fades as he says indifferently, “Dr. Yosano from the Armed Detective Agency is an excellent doctor, but she couldn’t treat Hyakki. So, I came to you, hoping that what you said to me before still holds.”

Mori doesn’t believe Dazai will easily give in. He points his index finger towards Hyakki, saying, “It seems your companion Hyakki has a different opinion.”

Dazai’s mouth twitches as he realizes Hyakki is undermining him.

Things are getting serious!

As the number of people Dr. Mori has had killed since coming into power increases, Hyakki’s rejection of him escalates rapidly. It manifests in his increasingly cold-blooded intent, making Mori’s hairs stand on end.

“Dr. Mori, you’ve been up to no good lately,” Dazai says firmly.

“Sigh.” Dr. Mori wears a melancholic expression as if he doesn’t want to be in this situation, “So many people want to kill me, and I don’t have a Hyakki to protect me. For self-preservation, I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands.”

As soon as he finishes speaking, Alice pouts.

Dr. Mori hastily adds, “Alice protects me! She’s not much worse than Hyakki!”

Ignoring this bad man, Alice bounces over to Hyakki, her princess shoes with ribbons tied on them wanting to step into Hyakki’s safe zone, only to be halted by the tip of a sword the next moment.

She asks in confusion, “Hyakki, am I a bad person in your eyes too?”

In fact, she’s blushing.

The firelight formed by her extraordinary ability connects her to Dr. Mori, making her indistinguishable from him in Hyakki’s eyes.

She is Dr. Mori’s extended limbs, the weapon wielded by Dr. Mori!

One could say—she is Dr. Mori.

Unexpectedly seen through by a blind person, Alice sweetly smiles, “Hyakki, Taro doesn’t dislike you. Can’t you stop hating him so much? The person you’re protecting is not any less scheming than Taro…” She couldn’t finish her sentence as she suddenly screamed and jumped back under the unexpectedly thrust sword tip, only to see Dazai casually pushing Hyakki’s arm.

“You villain! You want to kill me!” Alice accuses from behind Mori’s seat.

Dazai casually responds, “Miss Alice, I’ve told you more than once not to get close to Hyakki. Shouldn’t you blame yourself for not listening to me?”