Older Brother is Just Older Brother - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

One hour ago, Yokohama, Port Mafia.

Mori Ougai: “A laboratory located in the suburbs of Yokohama, and the intelligence of a successful experiment… is actually true.”

“Honestly, we just dealt with Researcher N and took down the [King of Assassins], so why has another research institute popped up in Yokohama?”

Despite the trouble expressed in his words, Mori Ougai’s actual mood was quite relaxed.

After all, the Port Mafia already had Nakahara Chuuya and Verlaine—both of whom were non-humans already capable of flexibly utilizing their powers. In this situation, the Port Mafia wouldn’t be unable to control a newly born non-human.

But as he kept reading, Mori Ougai’s expression turned serious.

After finishing the last page, Mori’s expression carried a hint of solemnity.

“Have Dazai-kun and Nakahara-kun come see me.”

“Yes!”

…

Mori Ougai: “…That is the full content. Do you two have any other questions?”

Nakahara Chuuya’s face was full of disbelief, to the point where he didn’t care if he lost his composure in front of the BOSS: “Those researchers are conducting underground research in Yokohama on a nuclear bomb that could destroy the entire country?”

Were these people crazy, or was he? Weren’t these people afraid that a single operational error would destroy all of Japan?

Mori Ougai calmly replied: “The fact is as it stands. Fortunately, they succeeded, so now the Port Mafia only needs to destroy the program in their hands that can trigger the subject’s explosion.”

Dazai Osamu flicked the documents in his hand: “What about the subject? What happens to the subject? Also solve it directly?”

Noticing Nakahara Chuuya’s instant tension, Mori Ougai blinked his purple eyes: “It would be too heartless to solve him, wouldn’t it?”

“How pitiful, he didn’t become a disposable weapon of his own volition, right?”

Mori sighed with emotion, “Input the code to wake his consciousness, and then bring him to the Port Mafia. As long as he can learn to control his ability, he can have a normal life—wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Dazai Osamu: .

Dazai commented: “Mori-san, that’s a bit disgusting.”

Mori Ougai smoothly switched back to a serious state: “In short, within the scope of your abilities, ensure the survival of the subject—that is the requirement for this mission.”

“Of course, everything must prioritize the safety of Dazai-kun and Nakahara-kun. You two—depart now.”

The faces of Dazai Osamu and Nakahara Chuuya finally took on the seriousness of belonging to the Mafia: “Yes, BOSS.”

Dazai Osamu and Nakahara Chuuya arrived at the research institute.

Upon entering, Dazai’s eyes involuntarily widened.

There were no traps here, nor any tight security nets. What shocked Dazai was

The red blood spread everywhere on the ground and the fragmented remains of incomplete corpses scattered about.

Even in the dark side of Yokohama, this kind of brutal scene was definitely a rare type!

Dazai held his breath, crouched down, and briefly examined a corpse on the ground, murmuring: “A part is missing from all of them out of thin air. An ability? Or the opponent’s personal fetish…”

Dazai: !

Dazai turned his head sharply and found that Nakahara Chuuya’s figure had already disappeared.

He could guess that Chuuya was afraid of other forces interfering; if they arrived a step too late and the subject was detonated, Japan would be finished.

Dazai: .

Dazai stood up, looked at the viscous blood beneath his feet, and sighed again: “This situation seems a bit troublesome now.”

He suspected the one killing was the subject. But the problem was, if the subject had a brain, he shouldn’t make such a big scene.

So Dazai also suspected that these people the subject killed were just the beginning.

The subject was preparing to kill even more people, and unlike Verlaine’s situation back then, this time, Dazai truly didn’t know the subject’s assassination target.

“Tsk, I must find the person quickly.”

On the other side, Nakahara Chuuya found the youth who was the subject one step ahead of Dazai.

Inside what was obviously the most secret room of the research institute.

There were corpses, blood, and various cold metal instruments that Chuuya couldn’t quite understand.

The youth, dressed in the pure white long-sleeved shirt and trousers of a test subject, was hiding in a corner alone.

Chuuya noticed that the youth’s skin was an unnaturally pale white from not seeing the sun for too long. For some reason, he was soaking wet all over, and his long black hair was likewise clinging to his body because of the water.

This must be very uncomfortable, but the youth seemed completely indifferent to it. He was just staring intently at the door and raised the gun in his hand the moment he saw Nakahara Chuuya.

Nakahara Chuuya, being aimed at by the dark muzzle: !

Chuuya, possessing a gravity ability, naturally wouldn’t be afraid of bullets. He just instantly realized what happened to that corpse with a bullet in its forehead lying in front of the computer.

But Chuuya didn’t think the subject before him was cruel because of it.

He also hated being controlled, so he understood the other’s tension and why he was so hyper-vigilant.

Chuuya only felt that gaining the other’s trust would be very troublesome, but no matter how troublesome, he had to do it.

“Sorry for scaring you, but I’m not with them.”

Chuuya took his hands out of his pockets and slowly showed them to the other party to let him see clearly that he wasn’t carrying any weapons and belonged to the “harmless” type.

“I have a similar experience to yours. I am… here to take you away.”

“…Really?” the subject asked in stumbling Japanese.

Seeing the other party lower the gun, Chuuya also breathed a sigh of relief.

He took two steps forward: “Really, I promise.”

The subject said cautiously: “I killed many people.”

Chuuya tried to make his tone sound gentler: “I know. Because you didn’t want those people to control you. It’s very normal.”

Perhaps Chuuya approached too quickly, as the subject suddenly raised the handgun again: “Don’t come over!”

Chuuya immediately stopped in his tracks, yet the subject still shifted his attitude.

He said warily: “You’re lying to me. You also want to control me.”

Nakahara Chuuya: ?

Chuuya: “Ha? Why would I want to control you?”

Does this person have a brain? If he wanted to control him, why would he be standing here talking to him? Wouldn’t it be better to just turn on his gravity ability and go grab the computer directly?!

“…”

The two stared at each other. One second, two seconds, three seconds.

The subject seemed to finally be completely at ease.

In the next second, as if his strength had left his body, the handgun in the subject’s hand slid out, and the subject himself tumbled forward—

Nakahara Chuuya: !!!

Worried that there might be some internal injury in the subject’s body and that such a fall would cause problems, Chuuya immediately activated his ability, rushed forward, and caught the subject, not letting him perform a “it’s great to be young and fall asleep instantly” act in front of him.

Feeling the other’s muscles trembling subconsciously and the obvious violent heartbeat that could be felt upon getting close, Chuuya only felt that the other truly needed a good rest.

Look at how much he was trembling from tension and fear.

So Chuuya didn’t push the person away. In this somewhat awkward posture, he said: “My companion will destroy the things here. You should come back with me now…”

“By the way,” the subject spoke up abruptly, interrupting Chuuya, “Are you Japanese?”

Nakahara Chuuya: ?

Why ask this suddenly?

Hadn’t he been communicating with him in Japanese the whole time? What else could he be if not Japanese?

“Not speaking is a default yes then.” The subject’s voice rang out again, only this time it was exceptionally cold.

In the next second, Chuuya only felt a violent pain from the place where his skin was in contact with the subject, and the subject’s voice, carrying a sinister smile, reached his ears.

The subject was saying: “Doing something to harm a Japanese person who is so kind to me is indeed very hard to do.”

Immediately following, the subject said: “But I’ll handle it like a professional task.”

Nakahara Chuuya finally snapped awake. He pushed the subject away violently, but as the subject retreated with the momentum, he flicked a small piece of metal toward Chuuya’s calf.

Nakahara Chuuya, who now had an extra hole in the middle of his calf: !!!

Chuuya’s gravity ability was indeed very strong, but his ability—which required contact to attach “gravity” was naturally countered by this subject.

Worse still, with pain to this degree, even if Chuuya’s ability was powerful, it was difficult for him to mobilize his muscles to use the ability.

His vision became blurred, yet Chuuya’s thoughts began to function again.

Chuuya finally realized

The people outside were all killed by this subject. Just now, the other party wasn’t tense or afraid at all; the other party was so excited he couldn’t help himself because he thought he could solve Chuuya all at once since he had stupidly approached.

Nakahara Chuuya: .

Chuuya really didn’t expect that, facing a subject just like himself, he could “roll his car” (fail/mess up) to this extent.

Back when Verlaine tried to take him away but failed, could he have felt a similar mood?

No, no! Verlaine wanted to kill all of his companions, and he hadn’t planned to do that!

Chuuya forced himself to be calm, but looking at the subject who was happily humming—”I knew waiting a bit longer in this situation would definitely bring out other forces”—and walking straight toward the computer, Chuuya’s mental defenses broke a little more.

“Why? I really wanted to help you. I will stop them from controlling you to destroy everything…”

“Because I don’t need it.” Jiu Li kicked aside a dead researcher blocking him and happily opened the computer, finding the program to trigger his own explosion.

Nakahara Chuuya: ?

Chuuya felt he completely couldn’t understand: “You…”

Jiu Li had already begun inputting the password he had tortured out of another researcher earlier.

Hearing this, Jiu Li took a moment to turn his head and gave a pitying smile: “Because it’s not that they want to control me to destroy everything.”

Pressing the enter key, the final interface appeared before Jiu Li’s eyes.

Looking at the screen, the smile on Jiu Li’s face finally held a bit more sincerity:

“—It’s that I myself want to do it this way.”

Nakahara Chuuya: ?

Nakahara Chuuya, realizing the subject hated Japan so much he’d rather explode himself just to make everyone in Japan die: !!!

Is the other party crazy?!

Chuuya instantly woke up from the pain. He controlled his gravity ability to cover the objects at his hand and lunged toward the computer.

Unfortunately, Jiu Li covered the computer with his own ability. The objects disappeared the moment they hit, leaving no trace.

Clearly nothing had happened, yet Chuuya still realized the subject was angry again.

Because the other party stopped messing with the computer and began staring at Chuuya while flipping a pen in his hand, as if thinking about where it would hurt most to attack.

Without thinking for long, the other party abruptly raised his hand, and the pen drew an arc in the air.

Chuuya immediately dodged.

“Bang.” The pen left a hole in the floor.

“Ah.” Jiu Li was a bit disappointed that he didn’t aim accurately this time, but forget it, he couldn’t waste more time.

It wouldn’t be good if other forces came.

But just as Jiu Li put his hand back on the keyboard, he heard that annoying orange-haired youth’s voice again.

The other party was clearly in so much pain he couldn’t move much, but he was still saying: “You will die too! Are you going to give up your own life for these people?! Besides, there are so many innocent people outside! Do you want them to be buried with your anger?!”

Jiu Li’s finger was already on the button to detonate himself.

Seeing as the orange-haired youth seemed to really bear him no ill will, it was just that being in different camps couldn’t be helped. Jiu Li’s finger didn’t exert force immediately.

He turned his head and kindly explained one last time:

“I haven’t wanted to live for a long time. As for the innocents outside”

Recalling Sato’s words, “Just fuel for Japan, why bother with him?”, Jiu Li grinned, revealing a very heartfelt smile.

It wasn’t a smile of simply being in a good mood, but a “I want to laugh just thinking about what I’m going to say next” kind of smile.

In the next second, his finger pressed down without hesitation.

“Just fuel for when Japan explodes, why should I bother with them?”