8th
There was rainfall this morning.
A solemn and cold winter rain, as if the time for extreme coldness has come.
I wish to live according to ideals.
To conduct one's ideals, that's what I work for. Moving forward without fear, without losing interest, without hesitation.
Alas! To chase after the privilege of being able to dream about the future, will I be blessed to faithfully carry out my professional duties?
If you climb a slope near the harbor of Yokohama, there lies the office of the Armed Detective Agency.
It is a reddish-brown brick building. Because it is an old building and the sea breeze is strong, even the drains and telephone poles are rusting. But although the outwards appearance looks doubtful, it is actually solid, that, even when an enemy shoots at it with a machine gun, they won't be able to land a single damage inside.
Why am I able to confidently say this? It's because there was someone who had tried.
It's simply that the Armed Detective Agency houses only the fourth floor; other than that, the other floors have their respective tenants. The first floor is a coffee shop, the second floor is a law firm. The third floor is empty and the fifth floor is a storage room for miscellaneous things. Before payday, I am often indebted to the coffee shop. Whenever troublesome work comes, I would go down to the law firm and beg for help.
I am now getting on the elevator of said building, coming to work.
I get off the elevator and stood in front of the door to the Armed Detective Agency's office. Written with a brush, a simple Armed Detective Agency was framed and hung from the door.
I looked at my wristwatch. There's still 40 seconds left until I have to go to work at 8 am.
I have arrived a little too early.
Strict compliance to time is my motto. In the 40 seconds that I have to wait, I opened my notebook and confirmed today's schedule once more. I looked over the breakfast time once, the departure time from the dormitories once, the waiting time at the red light once, but because I've went through them once, I won't treat these schedules as dead.
While reading the notebook, work flickered across my mind. I fixed my collar and looked at my wristwatch again.
... Well then.
"Good morning."
I opened the door.
"Ah, Kunikida-kun, morning! Hey, please take a look at this! This is dreadful!"
Dazai suddenly appeared in front of the door. Smiling.
"After a long struggle, I finally did it! Oh, what a wonderful world this is! This is the world after death, the Underworld! It's just like I imagined it, look at it! Smokes are creeping along the ground, the moonlight stained glass feels familiar, in the western pink sky an elephant is dancing!"
He gestures in exaggeration and dances in front of the office door. What a nuisance.
"Hohohohoho, as expected the The Complete Suicide Manual is a masterpiece! Just by eating the mushrooms growing on the mountain trail behind, I am able to go down such a happy and pleasant road towards suicide! Wonderful! Hoho!"
