After marrying Kunikida

Dazai Osamu and Akiba Sakura, there should be no connection between the two.

One joined the Mafia at the age of 18 or [-], and left at the age of [-]. After two years of underground cleansing, he joined the Armed Detective Agency.The other is an ordinary girl who lives in an ordinary world without any supernatural powers except her mother, and goes to and from school as usual.

Two people should not have any intersection.

"Well, what does Kunikida-kun think of our relationship?"

Staring at his partner sitting on the chair, Kunikida Doppo rarely spoke, and turned around after staring at him for a long time: "She said she didn't know."

Because she doesn't know, so you don't want to know either?

Stopping the movement of turning the key in his hand, Osamu Dazai looked sideways at the colleagues at the conference table who were discussing some recent cases and some organizations seemed to be preparing to enter Yokohama again, and held the key in his hand.

In fact, this should be good.

With a chuckle, Osamu Dazai looked back at Kunikida Doppo who was about to go out and shouted casually. Seeing his doubts when he turned his head, the black-haired young man hung on the chair with a smile and waved to him: "Kunikida-kun, I have nothing to do with Akiba Sakura, you can think that I am lying to you, but I will not lie in this regard. Also, be careful on the way home, and be careful not to meet people you cannot meet."

For the former, he took it as Osamu Dazai telling the truth, as for the latter?Person whom we cannot meet?I always feel that this guy is uneasy and kind.

He nodded to show that he understood that Kunikida Doppo could already smell the burning hemp branches when he went out.This special scent that only comes once a year lingers throughout the city, making Kunikida Doppo stop when he is about to step out of the Armed Detective Agency.

Wait, today is Obon Festival, so I can't meet people...

"Hello? Mr. Dubu called here specially, what's the matter?"

Holding the hemp branch and the bouquet to connect to the phone, Qiu Yeying was stunned when she heard the obviously obscured voice: "Could it be that something happened?"

"That, Sakura."

"Ok?"

"Where are you?"

"I just finished shopping in the shopping street. Now, it's near the flower shop."

Glancing at the location of the shopping street, Akiba Sakura changed her hand and put the phone next to her ear to report the address: "Is there any problem?"

"No, no, wait for me where I am."

Some hung up the phone in a daze, held the slightly long hemp branch and sniffed its unique smell, and did not wait long before seeing Kunikida Doppo who came in a little haste.

"Mr. Dubu, what happened all of a sudden?"

"Not counting."

Looking at the things in Akiba Sakura's arms, Kunikida Doppo took the things in her hand very smoothly: "I've been a little busy these two days, I forgot that today is the day to greet the soul."

"Yes, but it's okay, I can take everything back with me."

Although looking at Kunikida Doppo's nervous appearance, it felt like this should be an excuse, but Akiba Sakura accepted it readily: "If possible, can you order mochi with me when you get home?"

"Well, the eggplant and cucumber carts are ready?"

"It's done, it's done before going out."

As the first day of the Obon Festival, the Day of the Soul, people greet the dead who may return home.The cucumber carriage can bring them back quickly, while the eggplant ox cart can bring them back slowly.The aroma of hemp branches lit in the streets and alleys is to welcome them back to their homes.

Breaking the hemp branches bought in the store into small pieces to form a bonfire and putting them on the small iron plate that Kunikida Doppo found from home, Akiba Sakura watched him and herself squat down and light the burning things with a lighter , and at the same time quietly put his chin on his knee: "I think Mr. Dubu has no one to greet him, right?"

"No, I have."

"Yes, I have."

Without asking who the other party was, Akiba Sakura knew very well that the people who "greet" on this day were all deceased, Kunikida Doppo didn't want to say it was normal: "Then you don't have to go back to your hometown for a few days?"

"No, I've been a little busy recently. Detective agencies are different from other companies. We have many things piled up on top of each other, and we don't have time when we're busy."

Knowing the particularity of the Armed Detective Agency in the gray area, Akiba Sakura nodded slightly, sniffing the suddenly intensified aroma and looking at the white smoke that seemed to go straight up to the sky, and said: "I always feel that if Mr. Doppo is with me this year , Mom should come back sooner."

"..."

"Oh, I see. Is Mr. Dubu afraid of ghosts?"

Hearing the girl's smiling voice, Kunikida Doppo pushed his glasses calmly: "No, I'm not afraid of these things."

"Well, then don't be afraid."

Apparently, Akiba Sakura didn't believe it. Seeing the beige hemp branches being burned to ashes by the flames, she looked up at the sky that had been dyed golden yellow by the setting sun, and slowly tilted her head: "It's so fast!" Ah, it doesn't seem to burn out so quickly before."

"I'll clean up."

"Mr. Dubu wait a moment, the iron plate will be very hot now."

Shaking his head at Kunikida Doppo who was about to reach out, the flaxen-haired girl slowly stood up and moved her feet a little, feeling that the sky was getting darker every moment: "Actually, I think this is just for It's just following the tradition, and it's impossible for my mother to come back, it's just to give me such a sense of peace of mind."

"Is it traditional?"

"Yeah, after all, when my mother was still there, it was rarely the same as other houses, but the hemp sticks would still be burned. I really started to do these things, but after my mother left, everything made me serious."

After putting her hand on the pile of ashes to feel the temperature, Akiba Sakura tentatively touched the small iron plate, and withdrew her hand as if she had been scalded: "It's still hot, Mr. Dubu, wait a minute, um , you can also talk to me."

The surrounding area of ​​Kuniki Tianzhai is almost all residential areas, and occasionally they can see family members who go out with burning hemp branches. Everyone is calm and sad, but they are not particularly painful.

Little by little, the aroma enveloped the entire city more intensely than before, and the faint bell sounded from nowhere at this time made the atmosphere even more silent.After waiting for about 5 minutes, Kunikida Doppo bent down to pick up an iron plate with an acceptable temperature, and threw the burnt ashes into a non-recyclable trash can.

"Tonight's dinner may be a little late, Mr. Dubu, is it okay to eat fried chicken nuggets?"

"Okay, I'm sorry."

The girl had already put the prepared cucumber car mat and cloth on the door of the corridor, tied on a scarf and poured oil into the frying pan like a ton, as if the sadness just now was just an illusion.Kunikida Doppo stared at the cucumber elf horse placed in the corridor, thinking of Dazai Osamu's provocative "be careful of meeting people you shouldn't meet on the road", it was a little funny besides the sense of powerlessness.

Well, this kind of time is indeed a bit sad for someone like him who cares more about ghosts and strange news, but maybe only at this time, many people hope that ghosts and ghosts really exist.

The sound and aroma of the hot oil colliding with the food in the kitchen gradually came out. Kunikida Doppo leaned on the corridor as if he was doing nothing. Occasionally he saw a wisp of white smoke rising and he would stiffen a little. Then he looked at the corridor Get on the cucumber carriage and let go of your tense thoughts.

"Mr. Dubu, the meal is ready."

The golden fried chicken nuggets are placed in the center, and other side dishes and fluffy white rice make the table look very rich.Akiba Sakura glanced at the blond young man who didn't talk much after returning home, and thoughtfully poured him a cup of tea after the meal, placed it by the corridor and sat beside him: "Mr. Dubu has been working hard recently. "

"Ah."

I don't know why, it seems that with the arrival of summer, he and Akiba Sakura are getting more and more used to not just sitting at the dining table chatting, and the chatting place between the two is more casually shifted to the courtyard. Along the hallway—

"Don't stick to the air-conditioned room?"

"Mr. Dubu, you don't like it."

Hearing Akiba Sakura's teasing and intentionally aggrieved voice, Kunikida Doppo pushed his glasses and said nothing, with a smile on his face: "You don't have to listen to me."

"Oh~ so Mr. Dubu, you are afraid of ghosts."

"..."

I don't know why he suddenly shifted to this direction again, Kunikida Doppo almost spit out a mouthful of tea, looked sideways at the giggling girl as if he wanted to speak to prove something, but there was a hint of guilt in his tone: "Not at all."

"Then why do you turn on the lights first with a lot of fanfare every time you come home late?"

"It's to remind you that I'm back."

As if he had prepared this excuse long ago, Kunikida Doppo was stunned when he said this, and he didn't know whether he should continue to say "because you will definitely be waiting for me at home", or just leave it at that end.

Many times when he comes home late, he no longer intentionally turns on all the lights, because someone is always waiting for him to come back.

Akiba Sakura stared at Kunikida Doppo who suddenly shut up and smiled, then turned her head slowly as if admiring the scenery of the courtyard: "Since Mr. Doppo is not afraid of ghosts..."

"Ah."

"Well, Mr. Doppo must come to our Kaihara Festival in September this year. Every year, the Rikkai University's school festival is semi-open to the public. I solemnly invite Mr. Doppo to visit our class—well, although the theme has not yet been announced. Definitely, but I'll vote for our class to be a haunted house."

Seeing Kunikida Doppo's stiff face, Akiba Sakura almost didn't laugh. In their class, Yagyu Hiroshi was so afraid of ghosts that he could pass out standing up. Could he still use a haunted house?That is of course impossible.

You must know that there is a gentleman in their A group with a dark inside. Hiroshi Yagyu will definitely trip up anyone who mentions that it has something to do with the word "ghost".But Kunikida Doppo doesn't know, it's fun to scare him.

Blinking her eyes towards Kunikida Doppo's direction, Akiba Sakura slowly leaned towards Kunikida Doppo's direction, stared at his eyes and tilted her head: "Aren't you really afraid?"

"..."

"Don't lie to me."

The girl smiled as if she was playing a prank, with a hint of innocence and trust at the same time.The distance that was too close and accompanied by a scent that would never have normally enveloped him little by little, making Kunikida Doppo subconsciously clenched his hands. I don't know if it was because of nervousness, or simply to stop his inner desire to hug her. idea.

"I believe everything Mr. Dubu says."

She got closer to herself, the smile in her eyes was as important as the sincerity.Perhaps because of the distance, perhaps because of the temperature, or more likely because of his thoughts, Kunikida Doppo could feel his face burning up.

"Because you are Mr. Dubu, no matter what you say, I will believe it."