Tragic and pitiful, Dazai Osamu infiltrated the Sheep Organization. His sweet words and handsome face, even wrapped in bandages, immediately won the acceptance of the girls in the organization, who were enduring the company of those straight-laced male companions.

Except for Yuxing, with her pink hair, who favored Zenya more. Seeing Zenya sitting next to her with a troubled expression, worrying about the Port Mafia, she didn’t feel much goodwill towards Dazai Osamu, who came seeking refuge. She muttered to herself, “Such a weakling, isn’t Zenya much more handsome?” She didn’t join the camp of comforting Dazai Osamu, instead walking over to Zenya and whispering, “Zenya, this person’s background is unclear.”

Zenya was well aware that Dazai Osamu was a ticking time bomb. But his inherent strength and protective instincts prevented him from driving this person away. And the phrase “unclear background” from his companion struck a nerve with him.

Because he, too, was a person of unclear origins.

If the Sheep Organization could accept him, why couldn’t he accept others after becoming their leader?

After taking a sip of his drink, Zenya sighed, “I’ll investigate during the day. If he’s truly being pursued by the Port Mafia and has no other options but to join us, I don’t intend to refuse him. Let’s observe him for a while longer.”

Yuxing  was a bit afraid of the Port Mafia. “Could he bring trouble upon us?”

Zenya replied firmly, “With me here, I’ll protect everyone. The Sheep Organization was established by youths to protect themselves. I can’t just turn a blind eye to any minor who seeks our help.”

His resolute attitude!

Such Zenya usually brought peace of mind to his companions. But now, it left Yuxing  conflicted. She stole a glance at Dazai Osamu sitting among several girls, his frail appearance showing a pleading helplessness.

Yuxing  blushed and turned her head away, fingers twirling a strand of pink hair in front of her chest, thinking to herself: He really is good-looking.

Her subtle gesture didn’t escape Zenya’s gaze, and it immediately gave him a headache.

“Arrange a resting place for him!” he ordered.

As the leader, he couldn’t afford to procrastinate any longer. It was late, and everyone should be going to bed instead of crowding around a prospective member of the Sheep Organization, asking questions left and right.

When White Shirase remained silent, Yuxing, in charge of logistics, spoke up, “But we don’t have any vacant rooms.”

Zenya fell silent, considering his own room with its frightening contents. It wouldn’t be appropriate to let Dazai Osamu stay there. “For safety’s sake, he can’t share a room with anyone else, and my room isn’t suitable either. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll clear out the small storage room where we usually keep miscellaneous items and put together a makeshift bed for him to spend the night.”

They would figure out the rest in the morning.

Under the Sheep King’s direct gravitational manipulation, the small room was cleared out, and Dazai Osamu brushed away the dust in the air before peeking inside to see the dim environment and the bed made of wooden planks.

Seeing no objections from him, Zeny asaid, “There are blankets and pillows. You can go in.”

Dazai Osamu chuckled, “It’s already much better than where I’ve been staying.”

He wasn’t lying. Recently, he had been sleeping on the floor in the warehouse, stacking a few boxes to make a bed. Next to him was an imperfectly heated mannequin, yet he still found his life quite enjoyable and far from boring.

With the Port Mafia on his tail and the mysterious Hyakki lurking around, Dazai Osamu thought it was all rather exciting.

Provided that—Hyakki hadn’t lost a leg.

“Hey,” Zenya, seeking to deepen his understanding of Dazai Osamu’s life, paused just as he was about to leave the room. The intimidating Sheep King directed his question to the prospective member, “How do you know about the Sheep?”

Seated in the dim and cramped room, Dazai Osamu replied obediently, “I heard about it.”

That strange feeling again…

Zenya felt his hair stand on end, awkwardly reaching into his pocket for some chocolate, which he then placed on Dazai Osamu’s bed.

“If you get hungry, have some. I won’t be able to prepare food for you tonight.”

“Thank you,” Dazai Osamu responded.

Watching him leave, Dazai Osamu picked up the chocolate from the closed door and coldly remarked in the darkness, “So obvious in their suspicion towards me. Are they intuitive watch dogs?”

Unfortunately, this person’s vigilance was only at this level.

“Too naive.”

Not only were there pitiful souls like you of the same age, but there were also people waiting to settle scores with you.

After lying on the bed for a while, Dazai Osamu confirmed that no one was passing by outside. He then turned over, got up, and quietly pushed open the unlocked door, stealthily passing by several rooms of Sheep members until he heard White Shirase’s complaints to his companions, “So what if I killed someone? He found out and wants to dig deeper. Does that mean he hasn’t killed anyone? I’m also doing it to survive. Without money, who will support the expenses of the Sheep Organization?”

*Bam!*

“Damn you, Zenya! It was me and the others who picked you up back then. Without us, who would have taken you in? And now he wants to kick me out of the Sheep during Yokohama’s most chaotic times!”

Inside the room, the insults continued unabated, accompanied by the sound of a bottle smashing on the floor.

Outside the door, Dazai Osamu chuckled upon hearing this, a cold gaze of someone eyeing their prey gleaming in his eyes.

Of course, someone like Shirase White wasn’t worth being his prey, but using Shirase White as bait was enough to lure in the Sheep King, who cared about his comrades.

Hyakki.

See, the villains in this world aren’t changed with just one beating.

By the way… remember to eat!

Three days later, Hyakki had managed to loosen the ropes and was sitting on a soft blanket and cushion, expressionlessly eating bread. However, he still couldn’t leave the safe zone because his other leg had been hidden by Dororo, who seemed very concerned about his safety and had no intention of letting him roam freely in the near future.

Hyakki, now unable to walk due to his missing legs, didn’t mind much.

He had once made a decision when he was on the brink of despair.

“I must survive!”

To survive, he could endure temporary loss of everything.

Fortunately, he encountered Jukai, the man who saved him, and also met Dororo, who was willing to accompany him and seek solutions whenever he lost a limb.

Hyakki finished the bread he had found, still determined to search for his missing left leg in the warehouse.

“What happened to my leg…”

“Dororo, it’s dangerous for you to go out alone. You can’t defeat the demons.”

“Where could it be hidden? It couldn’t have been hidden far away.”

Once again, he realized that Dororo not only had a childish side but also had a knack for hiding things.

The Three-eyed Cat outside the warehouse looked inside, feeling dumbfounded, almost pulling out its own whiskers. What in the world was going on here…

What on earth was happening here? How was this any different from torturing Hyakki?

However, the Three-eyed Cat refrained from disturbing Hyakki. It understood better than anyone else that this was his life. The meeting between the boy, who had lost so much of his body, and another boy was fate, but it was also a fragile bond that had yet to stabilize. Any external disturbance could destroy the hard-earned trust and affection between them.

It could seek help.

It could observe discreetly.

But it couldn’t help Hyakki overcome the obstacles in his life or act as someone else’s hands and feet.

As Hyakki attempted to “walk” out of the warehouse to find his left leg, the Three-eyed Cat immediately regretted its decision, pouncing forward and biting onto Hyakki’s clothes just in time to stop him.

“Meow!” Going out like this would scare passersby.

Feeling the Three-eyed Cat’s obstruction, Hyakki hesitated, realizing his frightening appearance.

His legs were crucial, but… Dororo would worry.

In his research on Baidu, it was clearly stated that Dororo admired Hyakki. Hyakki felt conflicted. If he stubbornly left the safety zone Dororo had found for him, would Dororo be angry? Since he was young, he had understood one thing from the news: much of the fondness for disabled people stemmed from sympathy.

Hyakki possessed delicate features, and his disabled hands somehow emphasized his extraordinary nature rather than making his movements seem strained. The vague impression of his character made Hyakki hesitate.

He didn’t want people’s sympathy. How could he ever change if things continued like this?

After a brief silence, the Three-eyed Cat noticed that Hyakki had no intention of leaving. Its eyes rolled as it discreetly released its grip on his clothes, pretending to groom itself, while its brown eyes continued to observe Hyakki’s every move.

This child was just too worrying.

Hyakki no longer supported his body with his hands. Sitting on the ground under the thin, warm sunlight, he stroked the cat clumsily with his prosthetic hand.

The Three-eyed Cat didn’t flinch, allowing his cold, stiff touch to run through its fur.

It had an epiphany: he was thanking it.

Hyakki was grateful for this little life that had kept him company, not letting Dororo’s efforts go to waste. He was trying to learn to trust another person more deeply, believing that under the push of fate, Dororo, the protagonist of “Dororo” with her as the namesake, wouldn’t be in mortal danger.

“Though it’s a bit reluctant, the truth is, I can only wait for her to return.”

The black-haired youth picked up the Three-eyed Cat and held it in front of him.

An intense gaze was exchanged between the two.

Then, the black-haired youth stared at this small flame of life and felt that it had its own fascinating journey ahead.

“It’s really good. Not everything in this world is a disaster.”

And the Three-eyed Cat thought—

“Can he see me?”

For a moment, Natsume Soseki, who always acted cute and loved to eat fish snacks, felt a slight stiffness and a shortness of breath. The Three-eyed Cat, which had gained weight over the years instead of losing it, trembled in mid-air with its obese body.

Fortunately, Hyakki only glanced at it for a moment before letting it go and pulling out some food from his sleeve to feed it.

The Three-eyed Cat graciously took a bite.

Then, it struggled to swallow and muttered, “Meow… That brat always buys the worst and most peculiar flavors for Hyakki. It’s unfair! Always bullying someone who has no sense of taste!”

Hyakki couldn’t discern what kind of creature it was, so he treated it as if it were a cloud, nourishing it for once.

And then…

He returned to the warehouse, closing the door, satisfied that he had pleased the Three-eyed Cat. The cat didn’t follow him inside, instead jumping onto the roof of the warehouse to bask in the sun, fearing that its traces might be discovered by Dazai again.

Through the silent efforts of the Three-eyed Cat, Dazai was able to see Hyakki upon his return.

Hyakki’s quiet waiting was the best gift for Dazai.

“If you leave again, I won’t go looking for you a second time,” Dazai said ruthlessly, setting down the package he was holding and removing the cover. Inside was Hyakki’s right leg, the one he had lost in the streets of Leibo. There were no scars on the leg, the muscles were real, intact just like when it was first lost.

Putting aside his previous indifference, Dazai also found Hyakki’s left leg that he had hidden, saying with a sinister smile, “Let me help you put it on.”

To help, he had to hold Hyakki and lift him up.

As Dazai touched the few remaining human parts on Hyakki’s body, he inexplicably felt like both he and Hyakki had been abandoned by the world. Was his current behavior what people called seeking warmth in numbers?

What a joke. Who could warm whom between him and Hyakki?

Dazai, who had effortlessly dismantled the Sheep Organization, beamed at Hyakki. “I’ve worked hard for three days, almost being chased by that little dwarf. You should reward me.”

He pointed at Hyakki’s nose, which stood tall and hard like a small mountain peak.

“Just don’t lose this face,” Dazai continued. “If you lose it, I’ll pretend not to know you. You won’t see me again, and I won’t hug someone disfigured. Don’t torture my good eyesight anymore…”

Dazai had to admit that every small detail was crystal clear. As he analyzed human nature, he couldn’t help but acknowledge that he followed Hyakki out of curiosity, and later, he was observing how Hyakki would survive. He didn’t want to be the one facing that face; he preferred to admire Hyakki’s false appearance as a spectator.

After all, as long as a puppet looked good, there would be someone who liked it.

Dazai fitted the prosthetic leg onto Hyakki, his hand resting on the fair skin without a trace of sentiment. Instead, he prodded the strap around Hyakki’s waist with interest, asking, “Does it itch, Hyakki?”

Hyakki sensed the situation around his waist and thought, “It doesn’t itch. The demons even devoured my sense of touch.

Their brain waves miraculously synced.

Dazai subtly remarked, “Perhaps finding a psychic with abilities related to sensation might help. I wonder if it would work for you.”

However, the more immediate priority was still finding a doctor, which would be more useful.

“Let’s go,” he said casually, a phrase he had found himself repeating more often since meeting Hyakki.

There was a glimmer in his eyes, as if he had thoroughly enjoyed himself over the past few days.

“I’ll take you to find a doctor.”

Could pulling someone out of darkness lead to a different outcome?

Or perhaps…

Would he gain someone who would trust him wholeheartedly?