Ten

In the eyes of Ranpo Edogawa, the beautiful and exquisite youth is essentially a monster—an unfathomable entity wrapped in layers of resentment and malice.

The threads of this malice, like drifting spider silk, entangle anyone who looks upon the entity, awakening and magnifying the darkness within their hearts until their humanity is devoured, leaving behind only madness. This ability transcends anything that could be classified as a mere supernatural power.

Atsushi had been ensnared the moment their eyes met. Had they not retreated quickly, he might have been driven to commit horrific acts. What truly intrigued Ranpo, however, was the person accompanying the youth—a young man who seemed completely unaffected by the monster’s influence.

Popping a lollipop into his mouth, Ranpo suddenly recalled where he had seen that man before: he worked in the building upstairs and had passed the detective agency office after work. Ranpo rested his chin on his hands, lost in thought. To his eyes, the man was profoundly ordinary—so mundane that, aside from being of mixed heritage, there was nothing worth noting. He was neither a gifted individual nor a member of a royal clan. It was truly bizarre; why would such an ordinary person be immune to that thing’s influence?

Yosano stepped out of Atsushi’s room, and the Tanizaki siblings immediately surrounded her. "Dr. Yosano, is Atsushi okay?" Naomi asked, looking anxiously toward the door behind her. Had Ranpo not insisted that Atsushi be left alone, the entire agency would have been waiting at the door.

"He’s fine. Dazai has neutralized his ability; he just needs to sleep it off to recover his spirits," Yosano said, her gaze flickering. These were words of comfort for the others. The abnormality in Atsushi had not entirely vanished; it was the first time Dazai’s "No Longer Human" had encountered such a situation.

"That’s a relief! Oh, by the way, Dr. Yosano, we have a client at the agency, and Ranpo-san and Kunikida-san are receiving them. Will you join them?" The Tanizaki siblings did not notice Yosano’s evasion. In their eyes, with Dazai and Yosano on the job, everything would be solved.

"Where is Dazai?" Yosano nodded and followed the siblings toward the reception area. Naomi shook her head while clinging to her brother’s arm. "I don’t know. Dazai-san said something to Ranpo-san in private after he returned, and then he left the agency." Dazai often wandered off, even during missions, but he never failed to turn things around in the end. Over time, everyone except Kunikida had stopped worrying about his disappearances.

In the reception area, Kunikida held his gun like he was facing an existential threat, guarding against the seemingly harmless youth sitting in the chair. Ranpo, wearing his glasses, peered through them with his emerald eyes, scrutinizing the boy.

"How is this possible!" Yosano exclaimed as she saw the youth—the same eerie boy they had encountered at the barbecue restaurant.

The youth was dressed differently now; his pajamas were soaked in mud and stained with blood. His left cheek was wrapped in white bandages, through which blood was faintly seeping. As the boy tilted his head, Yosano gasped. She saw deep knife wounds visible at the edge of the gauze. His left cheek had been slashed; one could tell from the severity of the wounds how vicious the attacker had been.

"Did I frighten you? It’s alright, these wounds will heal soon," the boy said, stroking the gauze. Suddenly, his expression twisted into a savage, grotesque mask. His healthy right eye became bloodshot and filled with crimson veins.

"It’s all that impostor’s fault! Damn him! Kill him! I want to tear him to pieces and burn him!" The delicate, fragile youth transformed into a raving, neurotic mess in an instant. His terrifying, bloodshot eye slowly turned toward Kunikida. The devil offered a smile, his voice sweet and filled with desperate pleading: "Please, help me kill him. He is just a fake. That wretch stole everything from me and wants to kill me too!"

"I beg you! Kill him, avenge me."

Kunikida Doppo immediately shut his eyes, his hand trembling as he gripped his gun. "Shut up! I will not kill anyone! Leave here at once!"

"Stop it. Kunikida is right. We won’t help you kill anyone, and besides, you can't control us," Ranpo shouted, cutting off the youth’s pleas. He stood up and shielded Kunikida behind him.

The youth, who had been crying and pleading a moment ago, instantly became expressionless, though tears still lingered at the corners of his eyes. His delicate face held an inhuman, chilling, and uncanny quality, like a doll crafted by hand. When his hollow eyes stared at you, it felt as if they were trying to suck out your soul.

Ranpo did not fear meeting his gaze. Although the effectiveness of "No Longer Human" was greatly reduced, it was still working—the process had simply shifted from an "instant nullification" to a "slow removal." As long as the boy did not maintain prolonged contact with them, the influence he exerted would slowly be erased.

Swallowing hard, Ranpo looked at the youth, who seemed to be deep in thought, and said slowly, "Besides, you wouldn't want people to see you like this, would you?"

As soon as he spoke, an eerie, cold, and twisted aura enveloped them. The youth on the sofa stared at them fixedly, his pupils turning white, his eyes filled with terrifying, bloodshot veins.

Yosano told Tanizaki to go back and watch over Atsushi, while she drew her cleaver, ready to react to any change.

Suddenly, the boy smiled innocently. His voice turned soft and cooing, like someone flirting, and his pupils returned to their normal human state. "How mean. I was just joking with you. I truly want to ask for your help; as a detective agency, you wouldn't refuse a request, would you?"

The suffocating pressure vanished. Ranpo breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the youth had chosen to retreat for the time being. He patted Kunikida on the shoulder and signaled Yosano to take him away. In the face of such a youth, one's mental state dictated the boy's ability to exert his eerie influence. Being too tense or on the verge of a breakdown could become his point of entry.

Yosano wanted to say something, but a look from Ranpo stopped her. Gritting her teeth, she decisively pulled Kunikida away from the reception room. All she could do now was trust Ranpo.

"My, you people are so boring. Acting like you're facing an army—it's hilarious."

The youth mocked them wantonly. His harsh, shrill laughter made Ranpo frown. He puffed out his cheeks and said, "What is your request? If it involves murder, we won't do it."

The youth looked at him with contempt. "I was killed by a very rude fellow. That wretch left me lying in a dump for days, and not only that, he actually found my boyfriend."

"That trash even wants to hurt my boyfriend! He should look at what kind of garbage he is! He isn't even fit to tie his shoes!" Cursing with disgust, the youth's eyes were filled with jealousy—jealousy and hatred for the "impostor" currently staying with Suo Akira. If that wretch saw the impostor at Akira's house, he would certainly try to kill him. He would be happy if the impostor were killed, but Suo Akira would surely protect the impostor! He couldn't bear the thought; the mere idea made him go mad with jealousy, wishing he could rush over and tear the impostor apart with his own hands.

But he couldn't...

The youth gloomily stroked his face. He was disfigured now and couldn't appear before Suo Akira in this state. No version of himself wanted to expose his wretched appearance to Akira.

"So, you want us to protect your boyfriend?" Ranpo was speechless. He couldn't fathom what was going on in the monster's head. The current chaos in Yokohama stemmed from this unknown entity, yet the creature was exposing himself to the various factions of the city just to protect his boyfriend? What kind of extreme, lovestruck brain was this?

***

For Dazai Osamu, finding where Suo Akira lived was simple, and he even obtained a file on Akira's entire life. Based on the records, Suo Akira was a purely ordinary person. His past life had been devoid of any anomalies; he had never even touched the underground organizations of Yokohama, let alone supernatural abilities. He was like those ordinary people living under government protection, knowing only what the authorities wanted them to know, his understanding of even the Great War of the gifted filtered through government propaganda. If nothing went wrong, he would never have crossed paths with the other world.

But the youth was different.

Dazai frowned as he looked at the sparse report. The boy, radiating a demonic charm, had appeared out of nowhere. His past was a blank slate; even the Special Ability Department had no leads. The boy, calling himself Tomie, had appeared out of thin air and been adopted by an elderly couple named Tsujita, who renamed him Tomie Tsujita.

Before adopting Tomie, the Tsujitas were a kind couple who had lost their own children to illness. In their old age, they adopted a girl, but she also died of an illness. From then on, every child they adopted met with some fatal accident—until the arrival of Tomie Tsujita. They had not only broken their habit of adopting only girls but had fallen in love with Tomie with a fanatical, obsessive devotion. They satisfied his every whim, even going so far as to empty their savings to buy him luxury goods.

But... Dazai took a deep breath and looked at another report. Yokohama had been in turmoil lately; several small organizations had begun attacking each other for unknown reasons, killing without rhyme or reason. And the cause of all this was also Tomie.

Comparing the two reports, Dazai quickly discovered the contradiction: the timelines overlapped. In other words, Tomie had appeared in two places at the same time, dressed differently, with different hairstyles. Was it an ability that could create clones?

Destroying the files, Dazai stretched. Without enough information, he couldn't reach any solid conclusions. It was better to go and see for himself.

***

At Suo Akira's house, Tomie was humming a tune while applying a facial mask. He now had a room in Akira's house and had nagged him into buying plenty of skincare products. Although he wouldn't stay here for long, he wouldn't neglect himself.

His slender, fair fingers smoothed the wrinkles of the mask. Tomie looked at the room's decor with disdain. It wasn't luxurious at all—no oil paintings, no silk, nothing. It was the worst room he had ever stayed in, and it didn't even have expensive clothes! Perhaps he should find a decent mansion and move in with Teacher Suo.

Tomie fiddled with the trinkets on the vanity. The idea of taking Suo Akira away crossed his mind, but he dismissed it instantly. Not to mention whether Akira would agree to leave, if he took Akira to live in a mansion, it would only give those "impostors" more reason to come looking for him. Well, as much as he cared about Teacher Suo, he wouldn't give up his luxurious lifestyle for his sake. The pursuit of luxury and the enjoyment of material pampering were etched into Tomie's genes.

His gaze shifted, and the relaxed expression on his face turned icy. He rose and walked slowly to the window. The second-floor window looked out onto the street, and from his vantage point, he could see several men with weapons lurking in a suspicious manner by the entrance. Unlike the middle-aged man who had been lurking at the door that previous night, these individuals were clearly connected to the dark underworld of Yokohama.

Suo Akira was just an ordinary person with no enemies, so the reason for these people's presence was clear.

Tomie removed his facial mask, his voice filled with gnashing, hateful disgust. "Damn impostors. Being stupid is one thing, but bringing trouble here?"

"They're all idiots! Brainless things!" Every Tomie shared the same memories, but each considered himself the "original" and the others as "impostors," so they rarely read each other's memories—except in special cases, like the existence of Suo Akira. After the first Tomie discovered Akira, the memory had been shared by all.

Adjusting his clothes, Tomie walked downstairs calmly and opened the door before they could knock. The slender, exquisitely beautiful youth stood before the burly men, looking incredibly vulnerable. But Tomie was never the vulnerable one; his delicate appearance was merely a disguise. Anyone who underestimated him would eventually be devoured and shredded by a vortex of malice.

Tomie raised his chin, his tone arrogant and haughty. "Is there something you want? I don't welcome uninvited guests."

The leader was stunned for a moment when he saw the youth. The men looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and wonder. They had been ordered to capture someone, but they hadn't expected the target to be such a seemingly harmless youth.

The leader's eyes flickered. He swallowed hard, abandoning the idea of dragging the boy away by force. Looking at the youth