In the afternoon, Nakahara fulfilled his promise. He caught a lively Dazai and, ignoring Dazai’s struggles and shouts of “Shorty, what are you doing?”, forcibly dragged him over.

As they neared the clinic, Dazai stopped resisting and said, “Nakahara, let go. I’ll go see him.” Nakahara, not wanting to interfere any further, replied, “Hurry up. He’s worried sick.”

Letting go of Dazai’s collar, Nakahara felt like he had done a good deed for the day and walked away cheerfully.

However, he didn’t see what happened next.

Hyakki stood at the door, his lifeless face suddenly focusing intently in Dazai’s direction, his expression cold and unyielding. The air grew thick with an indescribable pressure.

A life flame burned in Hyakki’s mind’s eye, a gray flame tainted with red!

This person had committed evil, had killed.

“……”

Dazai, who had maintained a light-hearted demeanor in front of Nakahara, took a barely noticeable deep breath.

Noticing that Nakahara hadn’t gone far, he hesitated before slowly walking forward.

Hyakki……

Nakahara turned back to look at the “reunited” pair, a smile playing on his lips. At least Dazai had kept his promise and hadn’t abandoned Hyakki; otherwise, Nakahara wouldn’t have let it slide.

Finally, Dazai stopped three meters away from Hyakki, his neck pressed against the sharp edge of a samurai sword.

He stood there as if ready to accept his fate.

“Are you going to kill me?”

Dazai, anticipating this outcome, spoke in a tone of resignation.

**This person got too close…**

—

Hyakki didn’t intend to kill. His mind’s eye searched for Dororo’s life flame, repelled by the nearby evil flame. Especially since this person had come with the “gradual color demon god’s human host,” he had initially mistaken this person for Dororo due to their similar height.

Despite being of similar age to Dororo, this person had committed many heinous acts, making Hyakki reluctant to attack.

The world might not be kind, but humans must uphold their conscience.

Hyakki rejected this dangerous person’s approach.

“Get lost.”

“……”

Dazai observed him. Hyakki stood guard at the clinic door as if protecting his home.

Sadly, there was no one inside the clinic.

Who was Hyakki protecting?

A great wave of anger swept over Dazai. He clenched his fists, tearing away the thin layer of trust to reveal its fragility. Ozaki Kouyou had told him to cherish this trust, and he had, only to be met with Hyakki’s unfamiliar attitude. Didn’t he even slightly resemble the “Dororo” in his heart?

A phrase kept swirling in his mind, one that made him want to kill just by saying it.

**What do you take me for?!**

Dazai was no kind and innocent person. If Hyakki couldn’t see through him, why still like him?

Dazai pushed away the samurai sword, ignoring its sharp edge, and coldly declared, “Today, I will enter that clinic behind you. You can try to kill me.”

**You are not allowed inside!**

**This is Dororo’s home. Only with Dororo and his father’s permission you can enter!**

Hyakki felt his boundary being trampled on, radiating a beast-like killing intent.

Just as Hyakki was about to attack, a sharp, hair-raising cat yowl came from the rooftop. Dazai’s body tensed, his gaze shifting to the clinic’s eaves. A calico cat jumped down, flicking its long tail leisurely, as if it hadn’t made that terrifying noise. Soon, several stray cats, following their leader, emerged behind it.

These cats didn’t dare approach Hyakki and Dazai below, sitting in a row as if watching a human spectacle.

Dazai felt subtly overseen by the cats.

His extreme self-destructive emotions deflated, and he stopped. Looking again at Hyakki’s illusory appearance that he loved, he lost the desire to mutter to himself.

“You can wait forever if you want.”

**……**

Hyakki warily watched as this life flame no longer approached, seemingly giving up on intruding.

In Hyakki’s mind’s eye, the figure decisively walked away.

—

**”He left.”**

Hyakki reattached his arm at the elbow. After standing for a long time, he squatted down. It took him considerable effort to understand when Nakahara expressed, using every method known to the deaf and mute, that he would bring “Dororo.” Hyakki had been waiting at the door since morning, wanting Dororo to see him first.

His right foot was becoming difficult to support—probably muscle and nerve fatigue. But it didn’t matter; his physical strength was greater than that of ordinary people. He could wait it out. If food was scarce, he could go fishing, and if water was scarce, any river could quench his thirst. Surviving at the most basic level was not difficult for him.

A calico cat jumped down from the eaves, its tail held high. In the shadowy places where sunlight didn’t reach, its deep, bright round pupils contracted into vertical slits as it looked up at the two-legged humans.

**”Sigh, does this child not even recognize his friends anymore?”**

Natsume Soseki’s worst fear had come true—the boy had been led into darkness by Mori.

In a way, Hyakki was too pure. His world couldn’t tolerate any impurities; it was either black or white, good or bad. This binary view protected him but also kept those tainted by darkness away.

Natsume Soseki, in the form of the calico cat, circled him thoughtfully, trying to find a solution.

Other stray cats followed his example, gathering around Hyakki. Noticing the small, pure lives surrounding him, Hyakki’s face displayed a serene and beautiful expression, as if he were in a utopia, far removed from human schemes and struggles.

Hyakki’s world was small, containing only Jukai and “Dororo,” yet it was vast, having traversed realms and learned from many worlds. He had tirelessly honed himself from birth to fulfill his role.

**Dororo likes small animals, right?**

Hyakki reached out to pet the small animals around him, his closed heart opening for the two most important people.

**That person just now was so fierce. Is he really not afraid I might kill him?**

Subconsciously, Hyakki knew it wasn’t a girl—no girl in these chaotic times would face a weapon-wielding man and insist on entering a house.

**Dororo…**

**Where are you? Why can’t I see you?**

Days passed, and Hyakki found little food; the river had few and small fish. Growing, he could eat a lot. To save time, he usually ate a simple meal before returning. At night, when he couldn’t see passersby, he quietly waited at the clinic door.

During his search, Hyakki encountered a kind-hearted person with a pure soul.

He tried to express his plea for help.

“???”

Oda Sakunosuke couldn’t read the cold face, hesitating but trying to communicate with the boy. He had seen him fishing in the river and drinking river water despite Yokohama’s pollution. This could lead to illness.

“Do you have anything with you? I can help find someone.”

**I have a book.**

Under Oda’s kindness and patience, Hyakki nervously took out a treasured book from his pocket.

Oda Sakunosuke flipped through the “Complete Manual of Suicide,” judging it to be something left by someone close to the black-haired boy. The first page had a phone number to call if lost.

Oda Sakunosuke dialed the number.

“Hello, there’s a boy here who seems lost. He has your contact info. Could you…”

He was cut off by a cold response.

“Don’t know him.”

Two beeps, and the phone was hung up.

Oda Sakunosuke: “…”

Feeling guilty under the now slightly dirty Hyakki’s stare, Oda Sakunosuke dialed the number again, organizing his thoughts.

“Sorry, I misspoke earlier. There’s a boy near the river who is dying. Could you…”

“……”

A long silence followed.

Finally, a young voice on the other end spoke. “Sir, don’t meddle. He’s not only tough but has strong survival skills. It’s not your concern.”

Unwilling to listen, Oda Sakunosuke firmly replied, “You know him.”

The other party stayed silent.

Oda Sakunosuke added, “He seems to be looking for someone named Dororo…”

There was a loud bang, as if the phone had been smashed against a wall. Oda Sakunosuke’s eyelid twitched, but the call stayed connected, thanks to the phone’s durability.

Relieved, Oda Sakunosuke heard the voice say coolly, “My phone had a close encounter with the wall. Sorry for the wait.”

Then, the voice added—

“There is no such person. Dead. If you ask again, they’re buried.”

The phone was hung up!