Seven days later.

A parcel arrived from England at the clinic.

This not only proved Kusou’s intelligence, but also caused Mori to feel uneasy: How could a mere scientist know where the leader of the Yokohama Port Mafia lives?

Dazai read through the instructions in the package and handed the artificial spine to Mori for inspection.

It must be noted—this artificial spine looked subtly strange.

Extensible… and flexible???

Hyakki’s body shrank on the sofa, hair loose, no longer tied in a ponytail. These days, he hadn’t been able to kill any demons, with “Dororo” keeping him indoors. Dazai tossed the instructions on the table and hurried over to find Hyakki.

“Hyakki, don’t sulk. Your skin might wrinkle as you grow older.”

Listen to that devilish talk.

Alice passed by, took the instructions, and teasingly made a face at Dazai.

【Dazai’s daughter.】

Dazai glanced over, sending chills down Alice’s spine. “Alice, why don’t you come spar with Hyakki? I see he’s been cooped up alone in the clinic.”

Alice dashed away quickly. Who wants to battle Hyakki anyway!

With Mr. Mori’s human-shaped supernatural abilities out of the way, Dazai quickly switched to a charming expression.

“Hyakki~.”

Dazai found a milk candy and stuffed it into Hyakki’s mouth.

“Eat up, it’ll help you grow.”

Considering both their physical conditions, Dazai decided to temporarily remove junk food like instant noodles from their diet plan. Figuring out how to feed Hyakki, who was accustomed to eating just enough to satisfy, to full satisfaction every day became quite a challenge.

Hyakki chewed on the tasteless candy, his expression poker-faced, hair covering his cheeks.

【Demon!】

Even if Dororo is adorable, you can’t shelter demons.

“I’ll give you the chance to kill him.”

As Dazai disparaged Bai Lan’s speed in providing props for the script, he simultaneously increased his favorable impression.

+1, +1, +1… His affection was steadily rising.

【Dororo… I’ve eaten too much. If I don’t exercise, I’ll get fat.】

Hyakki was a bit afraid but still opened his mouth to accept the lovingly offered food from “Dororo”. The common knowledge that eating too much leads to weight gain wasn’t lost despite crossing dimensions.

Paper people don’t gain weight?

Joke. Haven’t you seen overweight characters in anime?

“The spine has a makeshift replacement,” Dazai remarked, inspecting Hyakki’s damaged body with appreciation and determination to complete the task. “Right now, you’re missing eyes, nose, tongue, skin, left ear, right ear, left hand, right hand, left leg… Oh, and Mr. Mori mentioned something about tactile nerves.”

Counting them up, Dazai whispered excitedly, “Ten. Ten times to level up, maybe even Blanca.”

The seemingly unattainable healing goal was suddenly within reach.

【What is Dororo saying to me?】

Hyakki most wanted to hear Dororo’s voice, and second, to see Dororo’s face. He instinctively leaned closer to the warmth of life, until the flames on the edge of his body curled up, as if they were a warm burn on him.

【Huh…】

【Did Dororo just kiss my face?】

Dazai: “!!!”

Unaware that Hyakki had approached him, Dazai’s mouth touched his mask when he spoke.

When they separated, a faintly moist lip print remained on the mask’s cheek.

Dazai blinked and said, “That’s too much. Hyakki always takes advantage of me. Such a first kiss should be saved for a pretty lady; kissing my mask makes me seem like a pervert.”

He stretched lazily and lay on Hyakki’s legs, lazily watching TV.

“But… Hyakki is very handsome. I’ll consider it a loss this time.”

“From now on, I’m the only one who kisses you, not the other way around.”

Innocent childhood sweethearts?

Childhood friends?

None of these apply to them. They didn’t have a normal childhood, and the lingering innocence of their youth made them cuddle up together.

— I don’t know how long I’ll like you. Get well soon, Hyakki.

— Dororo, my leg feels numb.

Bai Lan, responsible for exchanging information and collecting the ten-year rocket launcher, appeared on the eighth day.

Bai Lan traveled across countries several times, appearing at the agreed-upon location exhaustedly. He dropped his backpack and took out a box of pink shells from inside. “I used parallel time-space technology. It wasn’t easy to buy the ten-year rocket launcher, and I’ve also modified its crossing rules. It’s not as simple as you think!”

Dazai: “Oh.”

Hyakki quietly reached for his sword, his intent clear — he wanted to strike as soon as he saw the demon.

“Hyakki, I’m a good guy!” Bai Lan winked at Dazai. Dazai’s affection for Bai Lan, who was hypocritical and fond of lying, was mediocre. While Blanca was undeniably brilliant in scientific research, Dazai didn’t have a strong intuitive sense of just how smart he was; he was more like an ordinary clever person who had read spoilers.

Yes, this description isn’t surprising at all.

Without his abilities in parallel time-space, Bai Lan would just be a slightly exceptional young man, at most smoothly inheriting the Jessop family name. Dreaming of overthrowing the Penggerei family after growing up was pure fantasy.

In life, there are no ifs and buts.

Bai Lan, who knew Dazai, held the script of parallel time and space, qualifying him to join the conspiracy.

“Dororo, look over here,” Dazai said, handing another candy to Hyakki, hinting for him to calm down.

Hyakki: “…”

The feeling of being fed was becoming more and more apparent to him.

“Dazai… why did we choose this place to talk?” Bai Lan’s mouth twitched. “I feel like we could accidentally fall off here.”

The three sat on the edge of a cliff in the suburbs of Yokohama, facing the sea, testing the waters in a dangerous area.

Dazai swung his legs in the high altitude, sitting with Hyakki.

“If we fall, that’s it!”

“…”

Bai Lan was stunned for a moment, unusually agreeing, “Dazai is a very interesting person. Sometimes I think about how I’d like to die — falling off a cliff, buried in the sea, it’s a romantic idea.”

Especially… with Hyakki, who desires to live alongside him.

Even death became a romantic pursuit of survival.

Dazai had never asked his parallel selves, but Bai Lan blurted out, “Just like the Dazai in the parallel world, irretrievably fond of Hyakki.”

Dazai’s thoughts stalled, asking, “Are there other Hyakkis in other worlds?”

“There is only one world, like the reflection of our world on a lake’s surface. Time flows slightly faster there, so I’ve seen another you from that world seeking my treatment for Hyakki.”

Bai Lan replied, with a mischievous gleam in his eye. He was always interested in Dazai, who couldn’t find the meaning of life. In the parallel time and space, “himself” had tried to lure…