[Wen Ye] Migration

Nakajima Atsushi moved a 1.5-meter-wide glass water tank out of the trunk, and there was a newly purchased small water pump in the water tank.The sun is very good, and there is a layer of golden scales floating on the beach, but it also makes people feel hot for no reason.This is undoubtedly a burden for Dun, who is moving the weight to the rear driver's seat.The moment I put down the water tank, my arm was so sore.It would have been nice if it had been placed here from the beginning——He sighed with this in mind.

Blue sky, white clouds, gentle sea breeze.The summer spent at the seaside last year flashed before his eyes again.Dun took one end of the pump into the sea, turned on the switch, and the machine started to run.The car is parked on the road near the beach, not far away.With the back door open, you could see the water rising up little by little.But it seems a bit slow - it's low power after all.

It is estimated that there are still a few minutes before the water is filled to half the height, but the protagonist who is supposed to appear has not yet appeared.Dun felt a little distressed, and at the same time, it was accompanied by a sunny melancholy in powder blue.

A month ago, he learned on the Internet that the returning mermaids would pass through this sea area today.If Ryunosuke still remembered, it was at the same place—and Atsushi believed that even if the other party merged into the mermaid group, he would be able to see him at a glance.

1.

Ryunosuke is the name of a mermaid.

Although we are already in the 21st century where mermaids and people on the ground live in harmony, the differences in living habits caused by different living environments will always bring estrangement.Policies on career openness and immigration introduced by the governments of the two worlds for the purpose of strengthening sea-land exchanges have not played a substantive role.Most mermaids still live in the sea, just as most terrestrial people still live on the ground.After all, one can only engage in a very small number of occupations in the other party's world, and one has to rely on cumbersome equipment for home and travel—unless one is determined to appreciate the scenery of another world, as far as normal people are concerned, it is probably not enough. I will accept it.

last winter.Before moving to the warmer south with the mermaid group, Ryunosuke told Nakajima Atsushi in his not-so-fluent Japanese that he would get a certificate to move to land.Obviously the words he used were extremely clumsy, but Atsushi was so moved by his words that he rushed forward to give Ryunosuke a farewell hug, but he slapped Ryunosuke with his fish tail and his right cheek was swollen for three days.

"But it's only been eight months. Your Japanese level is not good enough - this is still at the level of learning from me, who is a native Japanese, on and off for half a year..." Atsushi Nakajima, who seemed to have not learned enough lessons, added said a word.

——This time it’s the left cheek, which is very symmetrical.

Amidst Nakajima's extremely angry voice of "Akutagawa, I'm going to make you into grilled fish", Akutagawa Ryunosuke fled to the distance of the sea, and immediately disappeared.

When did Ryunosuke know himself?Atsushi Nakajima thought about it, it was last summer, right here, the big coconut tree whose shadow stretches into the sea is a landmark.

On an evening in late June, just by chance, the police officer Atsushi Nakajima, who spent his few days of vacation leisurely, found Ryunosuke stranded on the beach.He trotted and moved the mermaid whose tail had dried out into the water.Surrounded by water again, the mermaid gradually regained her consciousness.He opened his eyes.As the eyelids opened, what Nakajima saw were indeed black eyes.

"Hello!...Um...there is nothing uncomfortable on your body, right?"

Nakajima's voice trembled slightly with tension.Obviously, he spoke Japanese.

The mermaid, which seemed to have a human face in its twenties, tilted its head at him, frowning, showing a confused look.Only then did Dun suddenly realize the problem, "Don't understand?" He pointed to his ears and shook his head from side to side.

Do your actions express the meaning of "do not understand" or "deafness"?Atsushi Nakajima didn't know.But he saw that the mermaid, who was always watching his movements, nodded quickly, only once—and then gestured to say that he had overslept just now because he was lying on the coast in shallow water. Dry, unprepared and suddenly short of breath.Nakajima looked back at the place where he was half dead, the sand was as messy as if it had been played by a child.Thinking that this is because the mermaid struggled and hit the sand with its tail, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, wow, it hurts so much.

"Are you a mermaid living in this sea area?" This sentence was conveyed clearly after he changed gestures in three ways.

"Yes." The mermaid gestured only once.

Atsushi Nakajima pointed to the right, and the point of his fingertips led to the distance. "I live there. In the city."

"I'm just here for vacation. After this week, I'm going back to work." He gestured exhaustedly, but fortunately the mermaid understood.

"This is the first time I've seen a mermaid so close," Atsushi Nakajima continued gesturing, "You're very interesting. Do you always appear here?"

"Nothing to do with you."

- what attitude?I saved your life!Although it doesn't matter to say it directly, after all, the other party can't understand his language, but out of self-discipline and politeness, Atsushi Nakajima suppressed his anger and "said": "You are very interesting, I want to know you. By this time tomorrow I'll be here too, the day after tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow."

"I will bring a sketchbook, and if I draw what I want to say, I won't be as tired as I am now."

"I won't come." The mermaid shook her head, and put a cross on her chest with her hand, expressing a double rejection.

"But I will."

It's not an agreement or a request, anyone would be skeptical of a stranger's line - it's a gamble.

Ryunosuke came on the third day.

It rained while waiting.Atsushi Nakajima is grateful for the rain.He forgot to bring his umbrella and waited on the beach in the rain instead of standing under the coconut tree.Suddenly, a string of weak water splashes came from far away, and then, he was hit hard by a water blade thrown out by a fish tail.

The mermaid was right in front of his eyes, and his eyes seemed to be full of complicated anger.

"It's you." Atsushi Nakajima smiled.He was very happy, but his body seemed to be softened by the rain, and he couldn't relax.He hurriedly took out the things in the bag, "I brought a sketchbook here..."

...Ah, soaking wet.

When he looked up again, the mermaid had disappeared.

The mermaid that appeared and disappeared immediately—Nakajima could only stare at the blue-skinned sea covered with fish scales in the rain.I must be disgusted by him.

While pondering like this, the rain soon stopped.The willful rain that comes and goes at will may have wanted to help myself——I am the one who is incompetent.

The little raindrops that kept hitting Atsushi Nakajima stopped hammering, but the moist feeling of the skin became more and more vivid.Are you really disgusted by him?have no idea.The only thing that was certain was that his body was unbelievably weak—and he fell into a bad cold the next morning.Wait until the cold recovery is the last day of the holiday.He walked to the beach with some hope, where there was still no sign of the mermaid coming.

The sea was calm.

Atsushi Nakajima is convinced that he is indeed hated.

2.

Even so, Atsushi Nakajima came to the beach in the early evening of the following weekend.The urban area is very close to the coast, and it takes only 10 minutes by car.

My immediate goal is to buy a car.He has almost become the spokesperson of Chazuke, although he looks poor, but he is a well-known hidden local tyrant in the bureau.His style is subtle, euphemistic and profound.In the first half of last year, when the mermaid police officer Izumi Jinghua was assigned by her superiors to tour the city, Jinghua ate a total of [-] yen with Atsushi’s money, but Atsushi didn’t find it afterwards. Reimbursement by superiors - This matter was once used by colleagues in the bureau as a topic of conversation after dinner.

Atsushi Nakajima looked at the golden-red ocean in the setting sun.About ten meters away from the junction of the sea and the land, the mermaid's half body was exposed on the sea, surrounded by a circle of black clothes.I heard that even if the mermaid's clothes get wet, they won't get wet when exposed to the air. I don't know why.

In the left hand bag are a newly purchased sketchbook, two pencils and an eraser, and on the other side are 1 yen per box of fresh sashimi ([-]) and some dried fruits.He took off his sneakers and stacked them under the coconut tree, and walked into the sea.The water covered half the height of his calf.

The mermaid was in a daze, with a solemn expression on her face that a simple daze would not show.Was he always this morose?

Atsushi Nakajima patted the mermaid's shoulder, and a wall of water swept towards him.With the lessons learned from the past, it is not easy to hit another person with the same trick.Nakajima bent his upper body to the right and escaped smoothly.

"Meet you again, hello."

He drew a smiling face on the paper, and placed it in front of the mermaid, blocking his sight from looking into the distance.The mermaid moved the sketchbook away with one hand, but didn't move again.

"Are you alone today?"

The other party shook his head and pointed to the sea in the distance.Does that mean there are mermaids there too?Atsushi Nakajima thought.

"I brought something, do you want to eat?"

He opened the pocket in his right hand to show the mermaid, but got no response.

- This is embarrassing.

Humans and mermaids on the ground—one standing and the other sitting, gazing at the sea either voluntarily or involuntarily.The wine-red sky, the cloud pattern that is almost connected with the sun, the freighter, the birds, the waves, and the wind that is layered like waves.Far away—this is what the sea looks like; small—it refers to myself standing in the sea.

At this time, Dun opened the box containing the sashimi, grabbed a piece with his hand and threw it into the distance.A big fish jumped out of the sea, biting the ready-made food into its mouth.Second slice, third slice.The sea became noisy.He's even joined by strange merfolk when he throws the fifth piece, and he just tosses the food tirelessly like a catcher throwing a baseball.

After squandering [-] yen, the hand that waved again was caught.It was the mermaid who hadn't reacted until just now.

Atsushi Nakajima smiled, showing his white upper teeth, and handed out the bag to the mermaid.The mermaid took the plastic bag in his hand, took the half box of sashimi box in his hand, and started to eat silently.

That day, Atsushi Nakajima waited until the mermaid had finished eating the contents of the plastic bag before leaving the coast.

He may be a lonely person, otherwise he would not sit far away from his own kind in the sea and look into the distance.

Sitting in the compartment under the darkness of night, Atsushi Nakajima played a piano piece on a loop with headphones on.The seascape recedes from view, followed by the lights of the city.

Nakajima didn't ask him "whether you will come next week", because he knew that even if he asked, he would be blocked by the other party with "it has nothing to do with you".But when he finished a new week of work and went to the beach again and saw that familiar shadow, Atsushi Nakajima was still very happy.

"Hello!" came the greeting.

The mermaid turned her head in surprise.Atsushi Nakajima spoke a language he could understand.

"A person I met with... learned mermaid language," Atsushi Nakajima said in a non-standard grammar, "Now I can... just these two sentences."

He took out his sketchbook again: "Can you swim to the beach? I brought some food, fruits on the ground, and desserts."

The once-a-week meeting made the mermaid not as unreasonable as it was at the beginning—at least he was able to communicate with Nakajima on paper, and the conversation between the two began to incorporate Nakajima Atsushi's substandard foreign language.

For the sixth time, before Nakajima returned to the city, the mermaid opened her mouth and said something in non-standard Japanese:

"My name," he said, "in your terms, is Ryunosuke. Akutagawa Ryunosuke."

Atsushi turned around and replied with a smile, "I know, I know. My name is Atsushi Nakajima."

3.

In the eyes of colleagues, Atsushi Nakajima has a wonderful hoarding habit.

There are many animals in his home, only one of which is his own cat.His home was so close to the police station that he used his desk as a staging post.

Occasionally someone would see a cardboard box on his desk.Sometimes there are puppies in the box, sometimes cats - all small animals picked up from outside.

This time, it was hamsters sleeping in a group.

Standing next to Atsushi Nakajima's office, Junichiro Tanizaki put his arms around his chest and smiled wryly: "Atsushi, you brought a strange guy home again."

Atsushi Nakajima laughed awkwardly, but suddenly a familiar voice came from behind:

"Dun, did what I taught you come in handy?"

"Yes, Mr. Dazai. Thank you very much."

He turned his chair around, and in front of him was a black-haired man sitting on a walker.And Tanizaki who was still here just now has disappeared.If you think about it, when you meet your boss during working hours, normal people will choose to flee back to their seats immediately.

Osamu Dazai is one of the heads of the police force where Atsushi Nakajima is working. The difference is that this man who has been a police officer for two years is a mermaid.Moreover, it is the first batch of immigrants after the government opened the immigration policy on the seabed and land.

Just as humans need bulky oxygen tanks and anti-stress equipment to survive in the deep sea, mermaids who come to land also need walkers to support their walking.Their lungs can adapt to both water and non-water systems, and the only problems they need to deal with are walking on land and suffocation caused by dry fish tails.For that matter, it has to be said that the guy who invented the walker that made life on the ground possible for mermaids is nothing short of a genius.

Atsushi Nakajima respects Officer Dazai very much.

Leaving aside the excellent performance, it is not easy to just give up the marine environment that is more suitable for him and come to live on land. In comparison, his character that sometimes goes offline can only be said to be flawed.It is said that before he came to the police force, he had been one of the top executives of the radical organization in his family - known as the "Port Mafia" for a long time.Later, due to personal reasons, coupled with the fact that the relationship between the two worlds is becoming peaceful, the attitude has changed.

It was through Mr. Dazai that Atsushi Nakajima learned of the existence of "Akutagawa".It is indeed as he said, Akutagawa Ryunosuke is a guy who is not very friendly to people, and he is always alone.

Is it because of his aggressive personality?If I don't plan to interact with people and insist on rejecting people thousands of miles away, most strangers will not express their concerns unknowingly, right?

I may be just a stranger to you, but—although we haven't met at that time, you are not a stranger to me.

Atsushi Nakajima thought.

"Akutagawa," Nakajima Atsushi handed Akutagawa a purple fruit, "This is brought by a colleague in the bureau."

——I can already speak a little fluently.

Miyazawa Kenji was born in the countryside, and his family often sent fresh local products.The autumn wind has settled down.During the harvest season, the police station becomes a place similar to a wholesale market for gifts, vegetables and fruits.

"My family said that I would like to send some things to my colleagues. That's it. I still have so many at home. Don't be polite!"

After taking some just like that, and being stuffed with fruits and vegetables inexplicably, Tun felt the overwhelming enthusiasm from his colleagues.Originally, his impression of Miyazawa's family was only cattle, but now that he thinks about it, these may still come from bartering with fellow villagers.In any case, although he can barely cook, and the dishes he cooks are not unpalatable, he always has the feeling that a cook is not good enough for fresh vegetables made in China (which should have been sold at a high price).

It would be too wasteful for only one person to eat, even if you count the food for small animals, there is still too much left.Of course, I can't say this kind of words, let Akutagawa know that I am relying on him to solve the so-called "sweet troubles"...

Probably be beaten to death.

Akutagawa held the fruit and looked at it for a minute.

"...This, how to eat." He seemed completely at a loss.

Akutagawa should be able to speak a little Japanese, right?So was it too vague when telling him his name?It had been a few months since they first met, and Atsushi Nakajima had called Akutagawa by his name.Although the other party does not alienate himself, he always speaks in an attitude that ordinary people seem impatient—maybe this is his normal state.No salutation, no modifiers, straightforward predicate-object.But if you don't even know your name—wouldn't you be too miserable?

It is the first time that I feel worried because of the "a sense of inequity" in a strange direction, and why is that.

Atsushi Nakajima said nothing.He bears fruit from the opponent's hand, tearing off the skin from the bottom to reveal the white outer flesh. (2)

"The skin is very thin."

"If you want to peel it, your hands will be sticky and uncomfortable." Nakajima Atsushi said and handed the peeled figs, "This way you can eat them."

Akutagawa nodded, took the fruit, and threw it into his mouth.The moment he chewed it with puffed cheeks, his brows twitched, revealing a subtle expression.Is it not tasty?Dun felt terrified.

"How is it?... Doesn't match the taste?"

Akutagawa continued to chew as if he didn't hear his words, at first he just frowned, and now even the muscles around his eyes were squeezed towards the middle.

"Akutagawa...?"

"Delicious. Never had anything like it."

It's not that it tastes bad.Atsushi Nakajima's ever-hanging heart finally found a place to rest, and he quietly let out a breath.

"But speaking of which, Akutagawa, what do you usually eat?"

"Lots. Kelp, seaweed, shrimp, fish. Much more flavorful than ground stuff." (3)

——Of course, it would be strange if seafood didn't taste salty.

"We don't have any requirements for eating. The same is true for seasonings, because most of them will dissolve in water, and no one will use them. At most, we can add some insoluble things, such as shredded jellyfish skin - mixed into the meat, it will be chewed. There are levels. That's the best it can do."

Isn't this the life of an ascetic monk?Don was a little confused.Everything that is common and natural to oneself may be precious to others.For the first time, he felt immense gratitude that he had been born on earth.He has been on a boat and seen the glass-like sea surface lit by fireworks and the sky-like sea surface filled with stars; flow past.

The colors of the continents blended with the colors of the sea, beautiful and vivid like jewels about to drop—this was the world reflected in his eyes.

However, what can be reflected in Akutagawa's eyes?

Will it be too lonely?

Dun's gray hair from the sideburns fluttered forward.

Finally he said: "I will find a way - Akutagawa, next time, do you want to come to the ground?"

4.

"A spare walker? I have a lot at home, but what do you want this for?"

Osamu Dazai stopped typing on the keyboard and looked back at Atsushi.

How should this be explained now?Although I thought about telling Dazai about meeting and getting to know Akutagawa before, I still gave up in the end.If he knew about the existence of Akutagawa, Mr. Dazai might go to reminisce with him, but correspondingly, would Akutagawa want to see Mr. Dazai?Taking a step back, Atsushi Nakajima has never heard Akutagawa talk about his past.How he sees his past and present, and what Mr. Dazai means to him—at least, the troublesome situation that this behavior may cause alone makes Atsushi Nakajima hesitate between saying and not saying.This time, he still couldn't speak.

"A friend of mine," Dun explained, "recently his walker broke and he had nothing else at home. Ordered a new walker online and it was days away, and now he Can't go out. So..."

"Your friend just went ashore, right? Is it because of him that you want to learn mermaid language recently? If you don't use the walker properly, it is easy to break. Anyone who has experienced this kind of experience will prepare more at home. But..." He quipped Raised his index finger and tapped his chin, "It's really miserable. Even a mermaid will definitely suffer from backache after soaking in the bathtub for a few days."

"Then can I ask you to bring it tomorrow? Or..."

"Come to my house to get it. There are a lot of styles... It's better to say that I have become obsessed with collecting this in the past few years."

——Walkers shouldn’t be collected casually, right?It is said that they are very expensive... What a prodigal hobby.

Atsushi thanked Dazai.Tomorrow is Saturday, so after get off work, I go to Dazai's house to borrow a walker, and then hurry to the beach.In that case, Akutagawa might still be near the shore.Where are you going?Dunn has been thinking about it this week.The amusement park is very good, but I want him to see the scenery that can only be seen on the ground.In the end, I decided to go to the amusement park. If I have time, I will consider other places.

In order to celebrate Jinghua's official joining, a few months ago, a group of people went to the amusement park together as expected.Coastal cities are the faces of mermaids and mermaids. In recent years, various facilities have been modified to be mermaid-friendly.Now, even mermaids can enjoy the convenience of city life.

And Atsushi's deep impression on that action came from Dazai's inability to do nothing and not die.After tricking Kunikida for an unknown number of times, Dazai was forcibly arrested and used to jump off a building five or six times.After he came down, he seemed calm and composed—but bubbles kept coming out of his mouth.Jinghua explained that if the mermaid looks too dazed or excited, she will spit bubbles, and she can't help it.From this point of view alone, it is indeed a more honest race than the people on the ground. It's not uncommon to think that "it might be interesting if Akutagawa also sits on the jumping machine a few times", but Atsushi hopes that Akutagawa can actually see more things and be happy about it.

The next day, standing in Osamu Dazai's bedroom full of walkers, Atsushi had the illusion that "I am in a store that specializes in walkers".In the end he borrowed an almost all black one and told Dazai he would return it to him on Monday.

"It's okay if you're not in such a hurry, your friend is very inconvenient, right?"

"No, on Monday, the new walker will be delivered."

"That's good. -Speaking of which, he needs to use a walker to go out. Is he going to do something tomorrow?"

"I took him to see the city. He has only been here not long ago, and there are still many places he is not familiar with."

"I see. How did you know each other?"

"When I volunteered to clean up the seabed...he was a volunteer on the Mermaid side, and he got his immigration permit last month."

"Oh? There are very few mermaids who immigrated to the ground. If you know Dun Jun, please introduce me to them, right?"

"I'll tell Mr. Dazai later, he's pretty aggressive with strangers."

--is that so?At least as far as my own personal experience is concerned.Inexplicable guilt surrounds Atsushi: Mr. Dazai and Akutagawa know each other, and they are both mermaids.This lie sounds more out of touch than all the lies I have ever told.

"That's really a pity." Dazai thought about it, and then said, "By the way, if it's a friend, I would recommend a sentence: 'I'm very happy to be friends with you, and I hope the friendship will last forever.' In the mermaid, it is a friend to express friendship. .”

"'It's a pleasure to be your friend and I hope it lasts forever.' Like this?"

"Yes. The pronunciation is very standard, Dun Jun."

When he left Dazai's house with his walker, Atsushi looked back at Dazai.Dazai's black eyes seemed to be full of sincerity, he waved his hand and said, "I'll see you on Monday and wish you a smooth tomorrow."Mr. Dazai is such a good man, he thought from the bottom of his heart.

Sitting on the train heading to the coast, Atsushi Nakajima reads intently the latest issue of the car magazine.What kind of car to buy?A convertible would be better, right?He hates enclosed spaces, and if possible, he would like to be able to see the sky unobstructed by the roof and breathe the unfettered air when riding in a car.

He raised his head and looked out the window, the blue sea was approaching rapidly.

5.

The use of walkers is troublesome for mermaids who have just landed.Without the help of other people, it is too difficult to sit on the walker just relying on the arms that have been soaked in seawater for many years and cannot support the body.Akutagawa is no exception.He wanted to sit on the walker by himself, but after several failures, Dun finally moved up with his arms and waist, his gloomy face flushed red.

"Where are you going, tomorrow."

"I'll know when the time comes. Today you stay at my house first. I don't have any bedding for mermaids. I can only live in the bathtub for the time being."

"I'm not used to fresh water yet."

"Then, I'll buy more salt, Akutagawa, you can add it according to your own habit."

Atsushi Nakajima didn't know if Akutagawa was listening to him, he seemed to be just observing the walker he was sitting on.Buttons are densely arranged on the armrest, and the part closest to the armrest has an ejector box—this is actually a police style!Atsushi Nakajima was terrified when he realized this.It stands to reason that the police walker is not something for ordinary mermaids, but Mr. Dazai did not remind himself——

Oh!Dense cold sweat broke out from his head.

And at the moment when he was in a trance, Akutagawa suddenly pressed something on the handrail, rushed forward, and drove along the beach at a speed of about ten meters before coming to an emergency stop.Dun was taken aback, and ran over to hold his back in two or three steps.

Akutagawa's body is very thin, with a prominent spine, as if without fat.Won't he be cold in the sea?Or do you mean that everything you eat every day is used for the body's own heat production?

"This is amazing." Akutagawa said with a little surprise, "Are there mermaids in your police station?"

"Correct."

--wrong!In this way, wouldn't he be likely to ask himself whose problem it was?When he suddenly realized this in his heart, Dun's heart was churning violently again.But Akutagawa just replied "That's right" and continued to fiddle with the walker, with a look of indifference.

At the beginning of the journey, he was obviously not used to it, and "walked" staggeringly.Dun pressed his steps and walked along the side of the road according to Akutagawa's rhythm, in case Akutagawa accidentally rushed to the road again.After Akutagawa got used to it, the two boarded the train on the nearest platform.

On the train, Atsushi Nakajima looked at Akutagawa, and Akutagawa looked at the sun on the sea outside the window.The sun is being bitten by the sea, and red blood flows out, staining the lips of the sea.

Atsushi can cook, although it is not as delicious as Osamu Dazai's cooking, but at least it is still edible.

There are not many people in the police station who can cook. Regardless of Kyoka, who has not been ashore for a long time and cannot use kitchen utensils proficiently, Yosano Akiko, who is most enthusiastic about cooking, is a defender of dark cooking.At the same time, with a solid medical background, she is good at making nourishing food—correspondingly, her cooking is far beyond human endurance.

In the case of the collective defeat of the female camp, the cook Dazai, the average cook Tanizaki, and the untrained chef Nakajima are like a clear stream.Of course, they are those who often bring homemade bento to the police station so they can see their cooking skills.The rest of them either have full-time chefs at home or go out to eat more often, and they have no cooking skills. (4)

After returning home, he led Akutagawa to the living room and told him that he could watch TV for a while, then Atsushi went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door.There was one broccoli, two potatoes, one radish, a box of sliced ​​bamboo shoots, a small amount of meat and a bowl of leftover rice left in the refrigerator.

Leftover rice is an important raw material in his house - for making ochazuke.Of course, he felt that he couldn't use this kind of thing to entertain guests.After careful consideration, Dun decided to make a potato stew.

While peeling the potatoes, Akutagawa was watching the cat movie (5) that has become a hot topic recently, and Atsushi heard the familiar theme song.So fast, it's already eight o'clock in the evening.

Speaking of which, as a mermaid, you are not afraid of cats, so what is it that you worry about temporarily locking up the small animals that were roaming freely at home in your bedroom?In a moment of inattentiveness like this, Dun peeled a large piece of potato in his hand and put it in the trash can.

By the time the food was served on the table, only the lights of the city itself were left outside the window.The heat rising from the mouth of the pot covered Akutagawa's face. "I'm starting." He said, sticking his chopsticks into the pot.

That night, Atsushi Nakajima suffered from insomnia in the company of two cats, a dog, two hamsters and a guinea pig.

Does Akutagawa sleep well in the bathtub?It must be hard to keep curled up like that all night.The more I think about it, the more irritable I become, even touching the meat ball of Toramaru (6) doesn't help.

Toramaru's back was heaving in the darkness, and in a daze, Atsushi seemed to see the morning light coming through the window.His eyelids gradually closed while staring at the morning light of the moon, and it took nearly half an hour before he finally fell asleep completely.

The next morning, Dun, who thought he had woken up early, opened the bathroom door.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke was sitting upright in the bathtub.The walker next to the bathtub is stained with water, and it seems that he has tried to sit on the walker by himself but failed.Dun wanted to laugh but didn't dare to laugh, so he could only sigh in his heart, "Come on." Saying this, he helped Jie Chuan again.

"Akutagawa, you can basically move flexibly, right?"

Akutagawa quickly answered his question with a smooth movement of leaving the bathroom.

"Let's go," Akutagawa turned his head, "Where are we going now?"

"Amusement park, let's go together. Come, I will take you."

Dun smiled.

6.

It was a group photo.

While helping Dazai tidy up his office, a few photos fell out of an old book.Most of them are group photos.In the top photo, Dazai and an orange-haired young man are side by side in the center of the frame, with bandages wrapped around his face and a sullen expression.If it wasn't for his appearance being the same as the current Dazai, Atsushi couldn't believe it was him in the photo.And when he asked Dazai with the photo, Dazai admitted it without hesitation.

"Yes, it's me." He asked Don instead, "Do you know the 'Port Mafia'?"

"I heard that it was a radical organization against humans among the mermaids decades ago...Let me think about it....Didn't it be disbanded a year ago?"

"Yes, that's it." Dazai narrowed his eyes and smiled, "I used to be a cadre of that organization. The guy next to him is Chuya, 1.6 meters in length, a short-tempered short man. Besides..."

There was a subtle color in his eyes: "I took this photo 14 years ago."

"……Eh?"

Atsushi Nakajima was stunned.

"No, that's not right!!...Mr. Dazai is only in his twenties now, right? More than ten years ago...he was only in his teens at most, how could he be exactly the same as now..."

"Atsu-kun," Dazai Osamu interrupted Atsushi who was panicked by the facts beyond his knowledge, "He is obviously an earth person deep in Yokohama, but he doesn't know mermaids—"

"Two points. First, mermaids have a very long lifespan. It's not a problem at all to live to be five hundred years old."

"Second, I'm not in my 20s this year. I'm already 110 years old, although I'm still a young man among mermaids."

With the signing of the relevant regulations between the people on the ground and the mermaids and the implementation of the immigration policy, the group led by the opposition "Port Mafia" gradually withdrew from history when the dust settled.

"I was too young then..."

Six years ago, Dun was only 12 years old.At that time, he didn't care about major political affairs, and his memory seemed too vague.And Dazai had left the organization before that, and it was normal for him not to know that he had been a mafia cadre.

"However, I left the organization one step earlier, but I fell into confusion in advance. I was not driven by the sense of self-esteem that I am a mermaid and feel that I am nobler than the people on the ground. I can't rely on such self-righteous psychology to destroy it with peace of mind——I will I feel that I have suddenly lost the meaning of existence, and I don’t know where to go. Among mermaids, there are existences that can get along with humans, and there are existences that cannot accept the same status as humans. existence. But no matter who you are, you will hate civil violence and think that riots and disasters are brought about by these people—just like me, just like us.”

"During the period when I just left the organization, I couldn't integrate into the surroundings at all. No matter how good I was, I would only get the evaluation of 'mafia people'. However, all living things will change, as long as there is a heart, you can perceive .with sincerity,