Four years ago...

Back when the darkness of night was a far bluer hue than now...

I walked down the alley that was home to the bar I frequently went to. "Jeez... I still can't see why you can drink that stuff and not cringe..." Haruka sighed, petting the cat that was on the counter of the bar. I walked down the stairs, hanging my jacket on the coat hanger. "Hey, Odasaku." Dazai said, flicking the glass that had his drink in it. "You have to hear this! There was a shootout today." Dazai told him. "Oh?" I said. "I was trading shots in a warehouse block with an energetic crew armed with a machine gun equipped truck!" Dazai said happily. "That's quite the weapon." I replied. "And what's with your new injuries? Is that from this shootout?" I asked. "Pffffffft..." Haruka was trying not to laugh. "I had to go pee in the midst of it, then I tripped on a ditch because I was in such a hurry." Dazai said, while Haruka laughed her ass off, probably remembering what had happened. "I see." I said. "When you rush, it's hard to avoid that." I said. "Haha... Hah..." Haruka finally managed to stop laughing. "Yes, it is." Dazai replied.

His name is Dazai Osamu. An executive in the Port Mafia, a criminal organization.

"Hey, Dazai?" Haruka asked. "Yes?" He replied. "Why didn't you go to the bathroom before we went on a mission?" She asked again. "Good question..." Dazai said.

And the girl with Dazai is Haruka. She's been by Dazai's side since she arrived in the Porter industry. I rarely ever see her alone.

"By the way, as for the other guys, they ran away crying after Haru and I set a little trap and roughed them up a little." Dazai said. "They're a pretty sorry bunch, to be honest." Haruka said. "Thanks to them, yet again I couldn't manage to die." Dazai frowned.

There's a saying among the Port Mafia...

The biggest misfortune for Dazai's enemies is that they are his enemies. The same goes for Haruka.

His list of deeds writ in darkness and blood is enough to make even those in the Mafia tremble.

He was practically born to be one of them.

Haruka, however, is probably just as feared as Dazai, due to her ability, which has remained a mystery for as long as she's been with the Mafia.

"Oh, man! I wonder if there is a simple, reliable way to commit suicide somewhere." Dazai stretched. "Ugh..." Haruka rolled her eyes at Dazai. "I doubt it." I said. "Odasaku?" Dazai asked. "Man fears death and yet, at the same time, man is drawn to death. Death is endlessly consumed by men in cities and literature. It is a single event in ones life that can never be reversed. That is what I desire." Dazai said, as someone walked into the bar. "So on that note, barkeep, can I have a cup of detergent--", "You've asked that question too many times to count!" Haruka interrupted him. "I don't remember though." Dazai said. "Y'Know, sometimes you can be really aggravating..." I pouted. "I know!" Dazai smiled. "I guess there's nothing you can do about that." I said. "Odasaku, you should've called him out." We all turned to the stairs, and saw Ango. "It's because you never do that Dazai goes off the rails." He said. "Do what Haruka does, call him out with the force of a hammer hitting the back of his head." He sighed. "Yo!" Haruka waved. "I'm driving today, so tomato juice, please." Ango asked the barkeep, sitting down next to Dazai. "It's been a while." Dazai said. "Are you on your way back from a job?" He asked. "It was a bad day. It took way too much time to buy smuggled items." Ango sighed. "After haggling until eight, all I have to show for my efforts is this antique watch." Ango said, opening his bag.

His name is Sakaguchi Ango. He is one of the Port Mafia's intelligence officers.

Almost all critical and classified information passes through Ango when communicating with outsiders.

His head's full of info about the Port Mafia that's more valuable than gold.

There must be as many enemy organizations as there are in the sky who wish to torture him for information.

It's a job that requires considerable grit.

"So Ango fuzzed his job, too." Dazai said. "'Fuzzed'?" Ango asked. "Yeah, we're fuzz buddies." Dazai said. "Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we became drinking buddies. But I've never heard you complain about work, Odasaku." Dazai said. "It'd only bore you to hear my stories as the lowest ranking member of the organization." I said. "There you go being secretive again..." Dazai and Haruka said at the same time. "What'd you do this time?" Dazai asked. "I punished a kid stealing from a store in a shopping district that supplies us money, I mediated a tense face off between the lover and wife of one of our shell company executives. Lastly, I disposed of a dud that was found behind one of the Mafia offices." I said. "Ooooooh!" Haruka and Dazai looked at me in awe for some reason. "Hey, Odasaku! Lets switch jobs! I wanna dispose of duds too!" Dazai said. "ME TOO!" Haruka said. "You two wouldn't be able to handle it." Ango said. "Yeah, you'd get blown up." Odasaku said. "Blown up?" Dazai asked. "Okay, even though I like flames, count me out." Haruka frowned. "Hey did you hear that, Ango?" Dazai said excitedly. "He said blown up! I'd get blown up! How far will I get blown away?!" Dazai asked.

The kind of jobs that come my way as the lowest-ranking member are all crap jobs no one wants to deal with. Basically, I'm the organization's handyman.

"By the way, are the three of you here today for a meeting?" Ango asked. "Dazai and Haruka just happened to be here when I walked in." Odasaku said. "I just had a feeling I'd run into you two if we came here tonight." Dazai said. "Did you need something from us?" Ango asked. "Nothing really. I just thought tonight might become the usual night if we did come. That's all." Dazai said, raising his glass. "Ooh!" Haruka raised her glass of fruit juice. "What are we toasting?" Ango asked. "Anything's fine." Dazai said. "I don't really need a reason." Dazai said. "To the stray dogs." I said, raising my glass. "To the stray dogs." We toasted. "Kitty!" Haruka said, petting the cat on the counter. "Hey, Ango, do you have a camera in your bag by any chance?" Dazai asked. "Yeah, though it's for work." Ango replied. "Let's take a photo to remember." Dazai said. "To remember?" Ango asked. "Remember what?" I asked. "That the four of us were gathered here today." Dazai said. "But the four of us are always drinking here." I said. "As the executive wishes." Ango smiled, taking out his camera. "Which one?" Haruka laughed. "Either." Dazai shrugged. "Alright, make sure you take a good photo of me. Tanking it from this angle makes me look more manly." Dazai said. "Me next!" Haruka said, smiling, as I got my picture taken. "I don't need my photo taken..." Ango sighed, as Dazai took Ango's picture. "Why do you want photos all of a sudden?" I asked. "I just feel like if we don't do it now, there'll be nothing left to show that we hung out like this." Dazai said. "Odasaku, the camera." Dazai said, as we got a group picture taken.

And it turned out just as he had said.

That day became the last time that we could record the invisible something we shared between us in a photograph.

Because one of us died soon after.

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GG Mimic, GG.

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