Bungo Stray Dogs Vol. 6: Beast Read online

  “Stay back! Stay back—stay back, stay baaack…!”

  One of the bullets passed through Akutagawa’s thigh, and he immediately stumbled forward, unable to use the muscles in his leg. Another barrage of bullets showered the kneeling child as the outlaw unloaded his clip until he was shooting nothing but blanks. That did not stop the outlaw from continuously pulling the trigger, however. Akutagawa glared at his foe—one of the men responsible for his friends’ deaths—then smiled with evident satisfaction…and collapsed face forward. No longer did he move as the warm blood continued to pour out from every cut on his body.

  “I-is he…? Is he dead?”

  The outlaw looked down at Akutagawa in disbelief. He timidly approached the body and kicked a shoulder. The body didn’t even budge. He kicked his head. Still nothing. He kicked Akutagawa’s arm.

  Beast-like claws grabbed his ankle.

  “I thought I’d had enough killing for the night…but I’m feeling a little greedy.”

  Akutagawa looked up at the man with a gruesome smirk.

  “I think I’ll take all six souls with me.”

  His blade wrapped around the outlaw’s ankle, piercing through the flesh until reaching the bone. Akutagawa’s clothing spun like a rotating saw through the man’s leg, carving up his blood vessels and slicing his nerves. The man screamed in agony as his foot was slowly rendered into mincemeat, starting from his toes. Akutagawa then grabbed the man’s leg and moved his blade farther up. Blood and saliva rained down on Akutagawa as his opponent struggled to escape, but Akutagawa refused to let go. By the time everything below the man’s knee had been reduced to chunks of meat, the outlaw started to go into convulsions, then made a whistling sound before drawing his last breath. The intense pain triggered a trigeminal-vagal reflex, and every vein in his body dilated beyond capacity. He died from shock.

  After making sure the last man was dead, Akutagawa let go of his leg, then rolled onto his back and stared at the cold, starry sky. A silence reigned over the woods as if the world had ended and he was the only one left.

  “Ha…ha-ha…ha…”

  Hollow laughter reflexively escaped his lungs. He had avenged his friends…all by himself. The battle couldn’t have gone any better. But even that couldn’t fill the hole in Akutagawa’s heart. He burned his own life force as fuel to kill the enemy, and his wish came true. He was going to die as well, surely within half an hour or so. However, right as he came to that realization, a certain question came to mind, somewhat passively:

  Who killed me?

  Akutagawa alone had decided to throw away his life to defeat the enemy. Therefore, he’d killed himself in a sense. But he had never desired a fate such as this. Not once. He felt that his life was worthless, so he despised it. He was forced to feel that way, hence why he ended up in this situation.

  “But why do I have to die?” muttered Akutagawa as he stared at the frigid stars. It was a question that would never be solved. He never even expected an answer. And yet, an answer surprisingly came:

  “That’s because you’re not living of your own free will, Akutagawa.”

  Akutagawa was taken aback and turned his gaze in the direction of the voice. A shadowy figure was sitting on a tree stump by the road. It was slender and dressed in a black coat, but the moonlight cast a shadow over its face. All Akutagawa could make out were the figure’s disheveled black hair and white bandages. He doubted what he was seeing. How long has this person been here? There shouldn’t be anyone else around…

  “Who…are…you…?” Akutagawa’s hoarse voice came out like a whisper. “Are you…one of them…?”

  Six outlaws had ambushed and killed his friends, but it was entirely plausible that there were others involved somewhere else at the time.

  “I actually came to invite you to our little group, but…I’ve changed my mind. It’s human nature to lash out with violence. But if hurting others is your natural instinct…then you are nothing more than a mindless beast.”

  Its voice was young and could even pass for a teenage boy. The young man in the black coat hopped off the tree stump, but his face was still hidden in the shadows. And yet, Akutagawa could somehow feel his cold, distant gaze peering into his heart.

  “Me…? A mindless beast…?” White-hot emotions coursed through his veins once more. “Then what…does that make…the likes of you?”

  Akutagawa pushed himself up with his trembling arms. His wounds cried with immense agony, but the fire of his hatred did not fade.

  “Are you saying…your acts of violence…are justified…?”

  He rose to his feet, pushing against his quivering knees. Blood trickled down his body until it landed on the forest road where it immediately turned cold. Akutagawa had lost too much blood. He was in no condition to fight, let alone even walk. He was on the verge of losing consciousness. But there was no way he was going to let himself die if there still remained an enemy’s soul for the taking. Akutagawa seethed with murderous, beastly rage, yet the man in the black coat simply continued to approach him with that same icy tone.

  “Are you planning on killing me? Because if so, that would make you the most foolish person in this world, Akutagawa.”

  “I don’t care.” Akutagawa growled like a wild animal. “My only wish is to make the man before me the second-most foolish person in the world.”

  The man in the black coat got closer to Akutagawa. It would only be a few more steps until he was in the boy’s range of attack.

  “You are hopelessly stupid. You know that?” The man shook his head. “You just wanted revenge? Even if it killed you? Did you not even think of what would happen to your little sister if you left her all alone in a place like this?”

  An intense inner fire burned within Akutagawa like never before.

  How does he know about her? Nobody saw her during the attack… Regardless, the how or why doesn’t matter right now.

  “You bastard…!” Every muscle in his body shrieked with rage. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on my sister! I will not allow it! Rashomon!”

  Akutagawa’s clothes explosively billowed from his rage. The fabric at the edge of his shoulder gradually swelled and twisted into the head of a massive beast. His skill had evolved, gaining new form. As he raised his hand into the air, the beast lifted its head and glared at its opponent like a hungry predator.

  “Die!”

  He pitched forward, sending the beast straight for the man in the black coat as its fangs dug through the ground. Its speed was equal to a bullet’s, and its fangs were as sharp as a guillotine’s. This was the strongest attack Akutagawa had ever unleashed. However…

  “Boooring.”

  The man casually swung his arm to the side and reduced the beast into dust like a dead leaf.

  “What…?!”

  Akutagawa’s eyes bulged in disbelief until the next moment when the man kicked him in the stomach, thrusting his torso skyward. Akutagawa coughed up blood and vomited before flying backward.

  “You won’t be able to kill me.”

  The man quietly walked toward him.

  “Not when you’re this weak. I think I’ll go with that other guy for my right-hand man.”

  Akutagawa’s body was at its breaking point, and his vision started fading. He could hear the man’s footsteps approaching him on the other side of the darkness.

  He’s going to kill me.

  But the footsteps passed right by Akutagawa and began disappearing into the distance. The man seemed to have lost interest.

  “Come find me once you figure out what makes you so weak. We’ll have a rematch. I’ll be holding on to your sister until then.”

  “What…?! Wait…!” moaned Akutagawa. However, his body temperature had rapidly plummeted, and he was unable to move even a single finger.

  Wait! Don’t take my sister! Stop! I don’t care that I’m a fool, that I’m going to die—just don’t hurt my sister…!

  But Akutagawa couldn’t voice his screams. His wishes wo
uld never take form. The tears running down his cheeks cooled as the night wind silently passed him by. Akutagawa’s intense emotion would never influence the outside world but simply echo meaninglessly in the lonely darkness of the abyss.

  His desires would never be heard. Such was this world he lived in.

  Four and a half years passed.

  #1

  Detective Junichiro Tanizaki was at a loss.

  The newcomer was glaring at him. He hadn’t said a word ever since he took a seat across from Tanizaki. Instead, the newcomer simply sat motionlessly as he fixed Tanizaki with a penetrating gaze.

  “I’m so sorry!” Tanizaki had bowed his head and apologized a few moments earlier, but the newcomer still didn’t even blink.

  They were in a bright café. An old piano tune with a sorrowful melody was playing in the background, almost so softly that it couldn’t be heard.

  There were four people sitting at the table, each a detective. They had just gone to town to buy new furniture for the newcomer and decided to stop by a café on their way back to relax. Still bowing apologetically, Tanizaki stole a glance at the newcomer’s face, only to meet his frighteningly piercing gaze. “Fiendish” would be an understatement; it was as if Cerberus were staring down Tanizaki before the gates of hell. That gaze was ruthless, unrelenting—unforgiving.

  Tanizaki had encountered various miscreants and criminals due to the nature of his work, but he’d never seen such a vicious look in someone’s eyes before. The newcomer’s name was Akutagawa. He was a young man who’d just passed the agency’s entrance exam the day before.

  “Uh…,” muttered Tanizaki in a feeble voice before timidly continuing, “I’m really sorry about yesterday. Even if it was a test, for me to pretend to be a mad bomber and threaten to kill you was just… Uh… You’re angry, aren’t you?”

  To no one’s surprise, Akutagawa still didn’t reply. He took the Armed Detective Agency’s entrance examination yesterday where he had to protect the other detectives from a bomber who was played by Tanizaki. Tanizaki had taken a woman hostage, then barricaded himself inside the building and demanded to see the agency’s president. Nevertheless, Akutagawa was able to subdue him within seconds.

  “J-Jun, everything’s going to be okay. Your sister’s right here with you,” assured Naomi in an attempt to cheer Tanizaki up. She had played the bomber’s hostage.

  “You’ve given him the silent treatment long enough,” barked Kunikida, a tall, bespectacled man and seasoned detective who was sitting between Akutagawa and Tanizaki. “You passed your test yesterday. In other words, from today on, Tanizaki is your superior. You can’t just stare at him in silence for the rest of your life.”

  Akutagawa swiveled his eyes over to Kunikida with palpable intensity.

  “Erk!”

  Even the highly experienced detective couldn’t stop himself from yelping when he came face-to-face with the boy’s fearsome glare. A child would’ve burst into tears at the sight.

  Tanizaki suddenly glanced over in Kunikida’s direction. His gaze silently asked:

  What should we do, Kunikida? The new guy is really mad. We did threaten him and put him in danger with the whole bomber and hostage thing, after all… He’s not going to kill us, is he?

  Kunikida’s expression remained hard as a rock, but he replied with his own silent gaze:

  Don’t be stupid. What we did yesterday was all an act. It was a test he needed to take to join our agency. Not only that, but he passed with flying colors. Even if he did happen to attack us, we have two seasoned agents here. He wouldn’t stand a chance. At any rate, it’s you he’s angry with, not me.

  Uh, Kunikida, why are you acting like this has nothing to do with you?

  “Unforgivable,” the newcomer suddenly muttered, causing both of them to slightly jump out of their seats.

  Tanizaki’s mind went numb. He’s…gonna kill me, isn’t he?

  “The girl who played the hostage—is she your sister?”

  “Huh? Oh. Yeah… Naomi’s my little sister.”

  Akutagawa’s expression remained emotionless as he took a sip of water. He then said, “You should cherish your sister. Protect her.”

  Tanizaki repeated those words three times to himself until it suddenly hit him.

  “…Wait… A-are you in a bad mood…because I was rough with Naomi while she played the hostage? Is that it?”

  Still fixing Tanizaki with a piercing gaze, Akutagawa nodded so faintly that it was almost impossible to notice.

  “Oh my. Really? You don’t have to worry about me, though. See? My brother and I are extremely close.” Naomi snuggled up to Tanizaki and began rubbing her cheek on his collar. “I actually requested to play the hostage because I wanted Jun to tie me up.”

  Akutagawa emotionlessly looked back and forth between the two as they shared an intimate moment, then said, “I see. Then there is nothing to worry about. It appears I jumped to a hasty conclusion.”

  The waitress just happened to be walking by, so he turned to her and asked, “Could I get the sweet red bean soup and some roasted green tea?”

  “Sure thing!” the waitress replied with a smile and a nod before leaving to place the order.

  Akutagawa then faced forward once more and took another sip of his water. All the while, his gaze remained as sharp and penetrating as the hound of Hades.

  Is the new guy…?

  Tanizaki and Kunikida exchanged glances. It appeared they shared the same opinion: The newcomer was not glaring at them out of malice. This was just how he always looked…as frightening as that was.

  Ryuunosuke Akutagawa was an orphan who had been found by the riverbank on the verge of starving to death. Nobody at the agency really knew much about him or his background. They weren’t told why Akutagawa was on the verge of death, nor were they told how he was found and taken in. All they knew was that he was a highly talented skill user who could manipulate his clothes into any shape he wanted and that he joined the detective agency to search for someone.

  “Anyway, what’s taking that man so long?” Kunikida retrieved his pocket watch and began restlessly tapping it with his finger. “He was supposed to be here already. Sigh… The man takes in an orphan half starved to death and convinces him to join the agency, only to abandon the boy like this… Honestly.”

  “He can be pretty unpredictable—that’s for sure,” remarked Tanizaki as if to mediate. “But when I called him a moment ago, he said he’d be here in five minutes, so let’s wait a little longer.”

  “Easier said than done…”

  Kunikida glanced at Akutagawa, who was blankly staring off into space. But the look in his eyes was still demonic, like a torturer of the underworld. A cold silence reigned over their table; theirs was the quietest in the entire café thanks to the newcomer’s stiff demeanor.

  “Hey, uh… Akutagawa?” Tanizaki timidly squeaked. “Is, uh… Oh, I know. Is there anything else you wanted to order?”

  “No,” replied Akutagawa with that same penetrating gaze.

  And then there was silence.

  Tanizaki felt like he was slowly withering from the inside.

  Sheesh, this conversation’s going nowhere… Am I even gonna be able to work with this guy…?

  His younger sister, Naomi, picked up on how he was feeling and bluntly asked with a smile, “By the way, Akutagawa, what did you do before you joined the agency?”

  Tanizaki secretly squealed with joy.

  Good job, Naomi! That’s my little sis. I knew I could count on you.

  Akutagawa pondered for a few moments before replying, “My past is like the withering winds—a pebble among gravel. I am always moving, never staying long in one place. I’ve never had a real job. I simply wandered the slums day in and day out.”

  In other words, he basically did nothing, thought Tanizaki. Huh. That’s surprising.

  “But surely you would’ve had no problem finding a job with an amazing skill like that, right?” said Tanizaki. “You co
uld’ve been a bodyguard or security guard or something. I bet lots of places would’ve hired you.”

  Akutagawa, however, lowered his gaze without saying a word. Perhaps he wasn’t comfortable talking about this. After thinking for a moment, Tanizaki asked, “Then…what are you into? Anything you particularly like or dislike?”

  “Not really.”

  The brief reply almost sent Tanizaki into a mental breakdown, but he fired himself back up and doubled down.

  “Well, uh… Let’s say you had to choose something.”

  “If I had to…? Hmm…”

  Akutagawa’s gaze wandered as his mind went to work.

  “I enjoy…tea, figs, and red bean soup… I dislike—If I had to choose, I suppose it’d be fava beans, mandarin oranges, and…stray dogs.”

  “Oh? Stray dogs, huh?”

  Tanizaki’s face lit up with a smile.

  So he hates dogs? Guess he isn’t totally unusual, after all.

  “I know what you mean. There are some massive stray dogs around here, and they’ll just bark at you for absolutely no reason. Scares even the adults.”

  “I see,” replied Akutagawa while sipping on his drink. “A stray dog once almost chewed my arm off in the slums while I was asleep. I immediately woke up and was able to escape, but…I haven’t liked dogs since then.”

  His reasoning was far more horrific than anyone imagined.

  “O-oh, you don’t say…” Tanizaki shuddered as his eyes goggled in astonishment. He didn’t know what else to say, so he simply added, “That must’ve been rough.”

  “No. It was nothing out of the ordinary in the slum where I grew up. One of the people I lived with was even killed and devoured by a stray dog… Of course, I made sure to slaughter each and every one in the neighborhood as payback after that.”

  “O-oh…you don’t say.”

  The newcomer had been through a lot, apparently. Tanizaki struggled to find something to talk about, and every time he did, he regretted it. It wasn’t long before he turned into a robot that automatically replied to everything with “You don’t say.”