Chapter 2
The next day was a rare sunny day. Oda Sakunosuke had taken the day off the previous day and had intentionally woken up early, thinking that since Uchiha Izuna had just finished removing his bandages, he might be able to help if there was anything he wasn't used to. However, as soon as he stepped out of his room, he found that Uchiha Izuna was already dressed and sitting neatly at the table.
Upon hearing the noise, Uchiha Izuna turned his head and gave a reserved smile to the newly risen Oda Sakunosuke. "Good morning, Oda-kun."
Oda Sakunosuke said, "Morning." He looked at the steaming breakfast on the table, feeling a bit surprised. "What's this?"
"I didn't have much to do this morning, so I made some food." Uchiha Izuna picked up his bowl.
The bandages were just taken off your eyes," Oda Sakunosuke said reproachfully. "You should be resting properly!
Uchiha Izuna gave a slight smile and did not argue, "Eat first."
The food looked quite exquisite and was mouthwatering just to look at. Oda Sakunosuke couldn't wait to pick up a bite and stuff it into his mouth, but the very next second, his expression turned strange.
"What's wrong?" Uchiha Izuna found it a bit strange.
It's nothing." Oda Sakunosuke regained his usual expression. "It's been a long time since anyone has cooked for me; I'm just feeling a bit sentimental.
"Then you should eat more, Oda-kun." Uchiha Izuna didn't think much of it.
"Mm." After tasting a few dishes, Oda Sakunosuke's composed expression nearly broke.
After finishing the meal, Oda Sakunosuke used the excuse that his eyes had just had their bandages removed and needed rest to press Uchiha Izuna into his chair, while he went to clean up the dishes himself.
As soon as he stepped out of Uchiha Izuna's line of sight, Oda Sakunosuke immediately found a cup in the kitchen and gulped down water. It was terrible; all those dishes were surprisingly sweet, he had almost gagged.
Considering the sunlight was still quite intense during the day, Uchiha Izuna would be hit by the harsh light the moment he removed the bandages from his eyes, Oda Sakunosuke decided to take him to watch television first, wait until the sun went down in the evening before taking him out for a walk.
"What would you like to watch, Izuna?" Oda Sakunosuke asked, looking toward Uchiha Izuna.
"Anything is fine." Uchiha Izuna stared fixedly at the vivid images on the television. Due to the use of the Mangekyou Sharingan, his eyes frequently experienced various problems, his vision would become increasingly blurred in the later stages; he had not seen an image this clearly for a long time.
Oda Sakunosuke finally chose a program with high ratings that people frequently discussed.
As the television played, Uchiha Izuna watched every frame on the screen with total concentration, not missing a single detail. His facial expression unconsciously betrayed his amazement, he watched motionlessly for a long time, until Oda Sakunosuke, worried about his eyes, turned off the television.
Uchiha Izuna was not angry; to him, everything in this world was novel, he began to observe other things with great interest.
Although Oda Sakunosuke felt his behavior was a bit strange, he simply assumed it was because his eyes had been covered for several weeks and he could finally see clearly again.
At dusk, Oda Sakunosuke kept his word and went for a stroll with Uchiha Izuna.
There weren't many people out at this hour, just small groups of two or three. Even though he had been unable to see for a period of time, his strength as a top-tier Ninja allowed Uchiha Izuna to move freely through this world. After observing for some time, Uchiha Izuna discovered that there weren't many capable people in this world; most people were just ordinary individuals.
Although his roommate was quite capable and occasionally carried a scent of blood, it didn't seem to be caused by combat; from what he had gathered, this different world was truly unexpectedly peaceful.
Uchiha Izuna pondered the matter silently, in the next second, his gaze froze.
The small river ahead looked crystal clear because the waste disposal was excellent, making everything on its surface clearly visible; because of this, he could see clearly that a person was drifting across the water.
Uchiha Izuna's footsteps came to a halt, not because he was making a fuss, but because in the Sengoku period, a person or two floating in a river was nothing special; corpses strewn everywhere and rivers running red with blood were common occurrences.
However, based on his understanding of this world, a person floating on the river should be a major event for others! Oda Sakunosuke followed Uchiha Izuna's gaze and, seeing the person floating on the river as well, his expression changed drastically. He immediately climbed over the railing and jumped into the river.
Uchiha Izuna silently watched Oda Sakunosuke swim rapidly to the middle of the river, grab the person floating on the surface, then turn back to swim to the shore.
Oda Sakunosuke pulled the drowning person up and immediately began performing CPR desperately, pressing on his chest.
The other person lay on the ground, spitting out a few mouthfuls of water and even several small fish.
“What a coincidence, Oda-kun,” the other person said lazily after opening his eyes, looking nothing like someone who had almost drowned, even gave a little wave of his hand.
"Dazai! You're being far too reckless!" Oda Sakunosuke frowned, looking completely disapproving. Dazai Osamu's love for experiencing various methods of suicide had previously been nothing more than a rumor to him, but seeing it with his own eyes now, he realized just how dangerous it truly was.
I just wanted to feel what jumping into a river is like," the person argued. "It's just my one hobby, besides, it's not like I'm actually hurt.
The person who had been rescued looked to be only in his teens, wearing a black trench coat. With such a smooth, fair face, it should have been an incredibly handsome look that turned many heads. However, since he had just emerged from the water, his clothes were clinging to his body, his sodden hair hung down pathetically, making anyone who saw him feel an uncontrollable sense of pity and affection.
It seemed to be an acquaintance; Uchiha Izuna watched the two of them exchange words with a smile.
"Hello there! This river water looks truly wonderful. Would you like to try jumping into it with me for a double suicide?" Dazai Osamu suddenly winked at Uchiha Izuna, extending the invitation.
Inviting someone to commit suicide by jumping into a river? The smile on Uchiha Izuna's face stiffened slightly; it was truly the first time he had ever heard such an invitation.
Oda Sakunosuke's eyes widened slightly, revealing a look of disbelief. No way, Dazai, are you actually inviting a man to commit suicide with you right now??
However, he was a man who had seen much of the world's ups and downs, his expression returned to normal in an instant.
Please forgive my refusal; dying for love with someone else is truly too foolish.
Uchiha Izuna refused. For him, having been born into the Ninja world, death was a constant, but dying for love was absolutely not a way he had ever considered.
Thinking of the issue of death, a certain white-haired figure inevitably surfaced in Uchiha Izuna's mind.
They were close in age and similar in strength; it could almost be said that both believed they would die at each other's hands. It was a sense of destiny, with only the question of which of the two would die first remaining unknown.
"If possible, I hope to stay far away from any possibility of death," said Uchiha Izuna, who had already died once before.
Having his hobby so thoroughly dismissed, Dazai Osamu rarely showed such a choked expression.
Oda Sakunosuke, standing to the side, laughed out loud in gloating amusement.
Oda-kun is being too much, actually laughing at me," Dazai said, puffing out his cheeks in frustration. "My heart is wounded; you'll have to treat me to a drink to make up for it.
No," Oda Sakunosuke refused. "I'm very poor; I don't have the money to buy you a drink.
Hmph, if you're not treating, then fine. I'll just go steal the little guy's booze," Dazai muttered, while simultaneously extending another invitation to Uchiha Izuna: "Would you like to have a drink together?
"Injured people shouldn't drink," Oda Sakunosuke answered on his behalf.
"Is that so?" Dazai Osamu rareley showed a look of confusion. The only injured person he could use as a reference was Nakahara Chuuya, but as far as he remembered, Nakahara Chuuya never abstained from alcohol after being injured.
“It's just common sense, alright?” Oda Sakunosuke pressed his forehead, having long ago realized that although Dazai was very clever, he always lacked certain basic common sense.
"Fine then," Dazai shrugged, "forget about that. Aren't you going to introduce us?" He tilted his head slightly toward Uchiha Izuna.
This is Uchiha Izuna," Oda Sakunosuke introduced. "And this is my good friend, Dazai Osamu.
Dazai blinked, then gave Uchiha Izuna a smile that looked completely innocent and gentle, making him incredibly deceptive.
"Hello, Izuna!" He called out Izuna's name directly, showing no sense of formality at all.
Ah, it seems I've run into one of my own kind. Uchiha Izuna observed with great interest; being an expert himself at disguising things with gentleness, he could naturally sense that no matter how tenderly the other person smiled, he could not hide the aura of darkness clinging to him.
Moreover, he didn't smell a single scent of bloody wounds on the other person, which made it highly suspicious why the other person was wrapped in so many bandages.
“Hello, Dazai.” Uchiha Izuna smiled slightly. Although Dazai's appearance was well-disguised, he still possessed an unmistakable gloominess, whereas Izuna's temperament was clearly much softer and flawless.
Dazai Osamu's pupils contracted. With an aura like this, the person Oda Sakunosuke had saved was no simple individual.
He turned to Oda, "Want to go to a bar? Let's have a drink together!"
"I have something to do right now, maybe next time when I have time." Oda Sakunosuke shook his head in refusal.
Oh, Oda-kun, you haven't been there in so long," Dazai Osamu said, acting pitiful. "I even made special plans with Ango today; the three of us haven't had a gathering in ages!
"This.." Oda Sakunosuke felt a flicker of interest, but his expression remained hesitant.
It was obvious that the other party had sacrificed a significant amount of time lately to take care of him.
"It's fine, I can get back on my own in a bit," Uchiha Izuna said understandingly.
Spending time together during this period had allowed Oda Sakunosuke to know that the other party wasn't forcing him. Since Uchiha Izuna had put it that way, Oda Sakunosuke could only accept his kindness.
“Hurry, hurry!” Dazai Osamu grabbed Oda Sakunosuke's arm. “I think Uchiha-kun is very strong, so don't worry!”
Uchiha Izuna watched them depart, wandering leisurely along the riverbank all by himself.
Walking to the shade of a tree, facing the clear surface of the river, Uchiha Izuna rarely allowed himself to stop and daze off for a while.
A gentle breeze blew, the branches had just begun to sprout new buds in the third month of spring. A handsome young man with black hair stood by the river; to an observant eye, this scene was a beautiful painting.
The person opposite him had been sizing him up for quite a while. Although he didn't sense any malice, for a Ninja accustomed to hiding in the shadows and avoiding the gaze of others, it was enough to make him uncomfortable. Uchiha Izuna frowned, preparing to leave.
Unexpectedly, the person opposite him seemed to have read his thoughts, as he hurriedly stepped forward to strike up a conversation. "Hello, sir. I am a talent scout from Tenxin Company. Would you be interested in becoming a star?"
He was a middle-aged man wearing a black suit and carrying a briefcase, looking just like an ordinary office worker.
A pair of eyes quietly scrutinized Uchiha Izuna. Normally, this person looked to be in their twenties, which might be a bit late to become an idol, but his presence and temperament were so outstanding that he would definitely become a star if he entered the entertainment industry.
For a talent scout like him, being able to discover someone with such excellent potential for the company would definitely earn him a significant amount of commission.
Thinking this way, the middle-aged man in the black suit excitedly pulled a card out of his briefcase. "This is my business card," he said, while launching into a verbal bombardment against Uchiha Izuna.
Uchiha Izuna remained completely unmoved by the middle-aged man's non-stop chatter, his expression unchanging from beginning to end.
Seeing Uchiha Izuna's reaction, the middle-aged man, who had been talking incessantly, felt a bit discouraged, thinking that the other party might not be interested in the entertainment industry.
"Give it to me." A hand reached out toward him.
The middle-aged man was overjoyed and hurriedly handed over a card. "My phone number is on here. If you're interested, you can call to find out more."
Uchiha Izuna nodded. Celebrities—were they those people wearing strange clothes that he saw on television?
Chapter 3
It was still early, there were only a few scattered customers in Lupin Bar. Dazai Osamu took the lead and headed straight for the bar stools.
"One Black Sand," Dazai Osamu said with a snap of his fingers and a grin toward the bar owner.
"No." The bar owner said without even looking up.
Then, give me a cocktail with Black Sand.
No.
"Are you sure?" Dazai Osamu tried his best to widen his iris-colored eyes and purse his lips, putting on a pitiful expression.
Dazai, stop making things difficult for the owner." Oda Sakunosuke walked over and sat at the bar. Every time Dazai Osamu came to the bar, he liked to order strange things just to tease the bartender. He turned to the bartender and said, "The usual will be fine.
“I never expected this, Oda-kun!” Dazai Osamu rested his chin on one hand, looking at Oda Sakunosuke with a meaningful gaze. “So this is the kind of person you are—you're actually keeping a beautiful woman hidden away!”
Oda Sakunosuke.. "Don't talk nonsense!"
"You arrived early." Sakaguchi Ango happened to walk in at that moment. "I think I just heard something about a golden house hiding a beauty?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
Dazai Osamu turned his head and smiled at him, "It's that person Oda Sakunosuke has been hiding all this time; they are quite good-looking." They certainly looked like someone who wasn't simple.
"Is that so?" Ango was surprised. He knew that Oda Sakunosuke had saved someone, but he wasn't clear on the specifics—he didn't even know if the person was male or female, let alone what they looked like.
Yes, he is indeed very good-looking; many celebrities can't even compare to him," Oda Sakunosuke admitted readily. "The first time Dazai Osamu met him, he asked if he wanted to commit double suicide with him, but he was rejected.
"Really?!" Sakaguchi Ango was truly shocked this time, his eyes darting toward Dazai.