There were two new freeloaders in the clinic.

“Doctor! Dr. Mori!”

Just after finishing his cup of instant noodles in the morning, Dr. Mori heard urgent knocking on the door, proving that even during off-hours, someone expected the doctor to be available 24/7.

He hurriedly tidied up the desk and went to open the door. Ten minutes later, he advised the visibly nervous patient not to wet the wound and assured them it would heal in a few days. Behind the two patients stood Dazai, apparently studying a book, and Hyakki, sitting expressionlessly on a chair emanating a murderous aura.

The burly man, upon hearing the advice, immediately wanted to flee, but after hesitating for a moment, he paid the consultation fee.

“Is this… enough?”

“It’s sufficient.”

Dr. Mori watched the patient leave, counting the money before turning to Hyakki, who was expressionless. He praised, “Hyakki, that’s how I should address you, right? Your aura is quite impressive. Keep up the good work.”

Dazai chuckled. Whenever Hyakki attempted to stand up, he would grab the other’s left hand. Sensing his hand being restrained, Hyakki would sit back down, only for Dazai to release him again.

Back and forth it went.

The two seemed to be waiting for the other to lose patience.

In Japan, it used to be popular for names to end with the suffix “maru.” Baikimaru was the nickname given to him by his foster father, Jukai, while his real name was “Hyakki,” as mentioned by Dr. Mori. Such a name detached from modernity didn’t escape the keen speculation of the two. They both believed that the person who raised Hyakki was a master prosthetist, capable of creating extremely detailed prosthetics that perfectly fit the human body, a task not accomplished overnight.

Dr. Moritapped his chin with the pen cap and said, “I still can’t quite understand. It’s one thing for the prosthetics for the arms to function normally, but why can the prosthetics for the legs and spine support Hyakki’s formidable combat skills? It’s not scientifically feasible; the prosthetics don’t have any circuits or nerve connections inside…”

He expected Dazai to respond, but upon closer inspection, he found him deeply engrossed in reading.

“Dzai? What are you reading?”

“A book.”

Dazai held up the forbidden book in his hand, showing the title to Dr. Mori: “The Complete Suicide Manual.”

Dr. Mori: “…”

Dr. Morisighed and rubbed his forehead. “Aren’t you curious about Hyakki’s body structure?”

“Leave medical matters to the professionals, I’m not well-versed in these things.” Dazai shrugged off the responsibility and waved the hand holding the book in front of Hyakki. Sensing something, Hyakki grabbed his hand and began to explore the book, no longer puzzled.

Dazai explained, “Dr. Mori, my ability is to nullify other abilities, so his ability to move freely is definitely not due to supernatural powers.”

This was indeed a miraculous puppet.

Dr. Dr. Mori pondered, “If we had better equipment, perhaps we could examine the energy fluctuations on his body.”

“Sure, do your best,” Dazai replied with little enthusiasm.

“Dzai, when will you have time to go to the Port Mafia? Considering Hyakki’s hostility towards me, I’m worried he might attack others on his own,” Dr. Mori raised the crucial issue of cooperation.

“You don’t need to worry about Hyakki, I’ll find a way to handle it,” Dazai, once determined, wouldn’t indulge Hyakki as before. “As for the timing, how about tomorrow morning?”

Dr. Mori smirked, “So soon?”

Dazai hinted, “I’m afraid if I stay, your clinic might close down tomorrow.”

The rage of the King of sheep Nakahara Zhong was waiting to be unleashed, and even if the opponent was foolish, after a day, they would still discover who had caused them trouble.

Dr. Mori remarked, “Are you referring to the King of sheep? That gravity-manipulating user is quite pitiful, stabbed in the back by his own people. After the Sheep Organization split, some of them joined the armed organization GSS, leaving behind unarmed children who need his care. I heard all of this happened swiftly after Dzai joined the Sheep Organization.”

Dazai refused to admit it, “That’s clearly due to the incompetent management of that short-tempered dwarf. He can’t even handle his own organization; how can he blame a temporary resident like me?”

Perhaps, besides the infuriated Nakahara, no one could have guessed that the person who incited conflict, sparked GSS’s interest in the Sheep, and ultimately led to the disintegration of the Sheep Organization was a boy not yet fourteen years old.

Darkness indeed breeds darkness.

He doesn’t kill anyone, nor does he harbor any malicious intent, he just wants to disgust Nakahara to death.

Even so, in Hyakki’s eyes, Dazai’s soul remains untainted by sin, pure and clean. Dazai, who doesn’t care about good or evil but only hopes to see the brilliance of human nature, still retains the purity of a child. He has yet to truly cross the line between black and white.

Dr. Moriobserved everything calmly, “I won’t mention your private matters for now. The people who saw us in the clinic won’t reveal what they saw between you and Hyakki.”

Dazai was slightly surprised, “What did you do to him?”

He couldn’t afford to reveal his connection with Dr. Mori before officially entering the Port Mafia.

Dr. Mori simply smiled without saying a word.

Dazai didn’t press further, his mind swirling with various possibilities, all dissipating when Hyakki attempted to stand up again.

Dazai restrained him, noticing Hyakki’s inexplicable agitation.

Dr. Mori broke the truth with a single sentence, “Dzai, you can’t mistreat him like this. He might… need to use the restroom.”

Dazai froze.

“Hyakki, I won’t go far, but I need to take care of my bodily needs!”

Hyakki felt helpless. Just a few meters away was the epitome of evil, and beside him, “Dororo” not only prevented him from engaging with the other party but also made him stay here and eat.

Although he had a strong endurance and lacked pain and tactile nerves, it didn’t mean he didn’t have to eat, drink, and relieve himself like normal people. On the contrary, he had been troubled by human physiological issues. For example, when he was young, Jukai had practically raised him amidst filth, causing his self-esteem to shatter early on. Yet, the patched-up Hyakki could face the harshness of life calmly.

When his hand was released, Hyakki didn’t immediately leave, unwilling to leave “her” behind.

It was too dangerous here.

After Dr. Mori pointed to the location of the restroom, Dazai pushed Hyakki towards it, sparing them the need to venture outside to find a secluded corner. Hyakki refused to relieve himself under Dazai’s watchful eye. Dazai rolled his eyes, “I’ve already seen every inch of you.”

Taking a few steps away, Dazai went to the mirror to adjust his bandages, aiming to look perfect when they left.

Hyakki quickly finished and returned, standing behind him like a silent specter.

Dazai stood on his tiptoes, a bit dissatisfied; he should be a bit shorter than Hyakki, but those legs of his were too long! If possible, he would definitely order a shorter pair!

“Hyakki,” thinking about their upcoming plan, Dazai smiled genuinely at him, “We’re about to enter the lion’s den. Any mistake you make could lead to my demise in the Port Mafia. Isn’t that exciting? I’m really looking forward to seeing your every move.”

His voice lowered, lacking the intimidation of an adult.

“Don’t disappoint me…”

“Hyakki?”

Following the habits from his past life, Hyakki didn’t like lingering near the restroom for too long. Calculating the time they had spent together, he nudged “Dororo” forward.

Dazai, filled with mischief, raised an eyebrow, “???”

“I’ll keep watch. You go relieve yourself. Don’t get constipated.”

Pushed against a wall, Dazai’s face twisted in confusion. He turned to look at Hyakki, who was intentionally facing away from him, preferring not to decipher what Hyakki meant.

Well, his puppet had a bit too much protectiveness towards him.

Morning.

Under the clear, sunny sky, Dazai happily dragged Hyakki to the sea.

There were two splashes heard in the waters of Yokohama Port.

During this moment, Hyakki’s survival instinct surged, and he attempted to save himself, his hands paddling in the water. Dazai tightly embraced the struggling Hyakki, resting his head against the nape of his neck, his face displaying a hazy fascination with death and the excitement of committing suicide together.

“Don’t try to escape. Be obedient and die with me.”

Beneath Dazai’s morbid amusement, other voices rooted deeper in the depths of his mind…

“Give up.”

“You haven’t even seen this world with your own eyes, why do you like it?”

“After death, perhaps you’ll go to heaven?”

“While I…”

“Visiting hell might not be so bad.”

Unlike him, Hyakki didn’t give up hope for survival, continuously attempting to bring them to the surface. In his perception, he and “Dororo” had fallen into the water, and “Dororo,” frightened to the extreme, clung onto his body, hindering his ability to swim smoothly.

No!

He couldn’t go on like this!

He was Hyakki, the one destined to slay twelve demons! How could he fail at this step!

The flame of Hyakki’s life leaped and burned, the remnants of demon power intertwined with another innate and inexplicable power, erupting around him in an indescribable surge of strength.

“No one can kill the destined demon-slayer, Hyakki.”

The deeply hidden setting of “Dororo’s” world manifested for the first time in Hyakki.

Dazai watched as a large school of fish swarmed around them, accompanied by the sound of ship horns and the cries of the crowd. It seemed that all the creatures of the sea were coming to the aid of Hyakki!

The eagerness beneath his feet made Dazai realize that his plan had fallen through.

But the plan hadn’t failed.

Dazai quietly released a few bubbles, sensing the vigorous vitality within Hyakki’s maimed body. For a moment, he felt that Dr. Mori was not wrong—this was indeed the miracle of life flourishing to the fullest.

The two of them were rescued by the lower-level members of the harbor’s black market, lifted from the water.

Thus, Dazai and Hyakki entered a place bathed in crimson light.

“Bandits everywhere?!”

Stimulated by the experience of being enclosed, Hyakki felt as though he had fallen into a den of thieves. Before he could erupt in rage, his body was seized, his hands cuffed tightly, subjected to severe restraint.

Dazai wasn’t faring much better, but his frail appearance and young age gave the impression to the members of the harbor’s black market that he was someone protected by Hyakki. He weakly spoke, “We were being chased by the ‘Shepherd of the Flock,’ Lord Amano. With nowhere else to turn, we had no choice but to seek help from the harbor’s black market…”

Who said an immortal could only jump once? Twice back and forth is just right!

As Lord Amano, who had come in pursuit along the chase, arrived, he had a myriad of curses ready to hurl at them.

In this way, he successfully infiltrated the port mafia with Hyakki, and Dazai also managed to meet the elderly leader of the port mafia. With a silent agreement with Dr. Mori, they stayed at the headquarters of the port mafia.

Hyakki looked at “Dororo” surrounded by flames of sin with extreme sadness.

“I’m too weak… I couldn’t protect her.”

“Don’t be upset.”

In the monitored room, Dazai comforted Hyakki, who was silent but resisting internally. Only those who could hear would definitely want to kill him, “I should be the one who’s truly upset. I survived under your protection, not being able to fulfill my wish of abandoning you, a mere puppet, and dying alone.”

The high-ranking members of the port mafia, who were monitoring him, were astonished.

“Does this person have suicidal tendencies?”

Subsequently, Dazai’s mental health issues were reported, and with the port mafia’s capabilities, they quickly discovered Dazai’s multiple suicide attempts within the Yokohama area.

The leader of the port mafia couldn’t help but be interested in Dazai after hearing about the unusual occurrences multiple times.

“Is this brat… trying to defect?” The elderly man on the bed, coughing, grabbed the edge of the bed and tried to sit up, “Rescued by the port mafia during a suicide attempt, he truly doesn’t want to live, but wants to let someone else live, huh… I want to meet that disabled youth.”

Dr. Mori advised, “He can’t speak.”

The murky eyes of the elderly man turned towards him, asking, “Mute?”

As a doctor, Dr. Mori had also seen Dazai and Hyakki, and he said with ample evidence, “Yes, he has no eyes, no nose, no tongue, no ears, and even no hands and feet.”

The violently tempered old man suddenly became erratic, stunned by these words.

“I don’t believe…”

“Boss, you might consider sending a subordinate to investigate.”

Dr. Mori sincerely suggested, not wanting to scare the leader of the port mafia.

That wasn’t just a pretty doll, but…

A demonic doll.

At the headquarters of the port mafia, the cadre responsible for interrogation, Ozaki Momiji, was ordered to investigate. Knocking on the door, she entered the room and saw Dazai sleeping soundly and Hyakki sitting motionless by the bed, so calm and silent that they seemed devoid of any signs of life.

Hyakki’s arm moved slightly, and a hand from under the covers promptly caught him, playfully saying, “Hyakki, don’t be rough with such a handsome lady.”

Ozaki Momiji smiled ambiguously.

Beautiful lady?

She was only three or five years older than these two!

Dazai successfully woke up, rubbed his eyes, and sat up. “May I ask why a member of the port mafia is here to see us? Has your leader agreed to cancel the pursuit against us?”

Ozaki Momiji said, “My intention is to examine another person on behalf of the Boss.”

Dazai blinked, “Will you take responsibility after the examination?”

Ozaki Momiji smiled faintly, “I won’t.”

Hyakki, accidentally, tried to pull his hand away but ended up detaching his arm, revealing the shiny blade. This instantly alerted Ozaki Momiji.

Dazai casually pulled off Hyakki’s mask to show Ozaki Momiji.

After seeing the various mutilations on the boy’s body, Ozaki Momiji remained calm on the surface, but the shock in her heart was evident. Nevertheless, she had to complete the final task assigned by the leader.

“Remove his mask. I need to inspect his face.”

“He’s prone to nightmares.”

“…!”

Dazai held Hyakki firmly from behind, removing the mask without looking at Hyakki’s face himself. Instead, he smiled at the handsome female cadre.

That’s humanity for you; capable of compassion, easily shocked, and often misled by appearances.

Hyakki didn’t need anyone’s sympathy.

“So close…”

Hyakki noticed that Dororo’s life flame was about to overlap with his own. In the eyes of a normal person, it would probably look like Dororo was actively embracing him.

Didn’t he want him to fight?

The chilling murderous intent on the black-haired boy gradually dissipated, partly due to the fact that Ozaki Momiji emitted less red light compared to Dr. Mori, and partly because she didn’t let her ability, “Golden Yasha,” manifest, speaking with mixed emotions.

“He trusts you a lot.”

Dazai remained outwardly normal, thinking it’s obvious since he’s the one taking care of him.

With a displeased grunt, Ozaki Momiji coldly added before leaving the room, “Kid, don’t betray that trust. You can’t afford the consequences.”

What could make a person who is blind, deaf, and mute give such trust equivalent to their life?

— You live in his heart.

Such an enviable companionship.