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ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ¹: ʸᵒᵘ ᵂᵃⁿᵗ ᴹᵉ ᵗᵒ ᴴᵉˡᵖ?

      Ango sat across from Dazai in the suffocating gloom of the café, where the mingled scent of burnt coffee and acrid smoke seemed to cling to the air like a shroud. The usually composed government official fidgeted, his fingers drumming a frantic rhythm on the table, trying to controlthe storm raging within him. The dim lighting cast long shadows across his face, accentuating the lines of worry and restlessness etched deeply into his features.

"I... I have a matter of considerable weight for you, Dazai," Ango began, his voice barely above a whisper. The tension in his tone was surprisingly palpable, a stark contrast to his usual measured demeanor.

Dazai, ever the embodiment of theatrical curiosity, leaned forward, his eyes glinting with a malevolent intrigue. "Oh? Pray tell, Ango. What sort of dark enigma could possibly compel such a grave tone?"

Ango hesitated, the gravity of his words pressing down on him like a physical burden. "Have you perhaps heard of a certain prisoner named Kororo?"

"Why have I not heard of this prisoner," replied Dazai, seeming a bit surprised, "Who is she, and what business do you have regarding Kororo?"

Ango, again, showed hesitation in his face. It seemed this was no ordinary business. "She has been confined for over a decade, imprisoned under accusations of possessing abilities that defy understanding. Her case is shrouded in secrecy, but I fear that what she possesses is far more insidious than we comprehend."

Dazai's gaze sharpened, a predatory curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Dangerous abilities, you say? Is she a threat to be reckoned with?"

Ango's face tightened, the weight of the truth evident in his eyes. "Not in the conventional sense. Her power is... a distortion of reality itself, terrifying in its scope. It is both a marvel and a menace, a force that defies all logical boundaries."

Dazai leaned back, his expression contemplative, almost bemused. "A distortion of reality, you say? Fascinating. This is truly a queer anomaly. And why does this bring us into the fold?"

Ango's face paled, a hint of dread seeping into his voice. "It's more than mere interest, Dazai. Kororo is no ordinary threat; she's a ticking time bomb. Her power is evolving, expanding beyond any human comprehension. She is becoming something... more."

Dazai's amusement faded, replaced by a grim seriousness. "More dangerous?"

Ango shook his head, his voice laden with foreboding. "Not merely dangerous, but an enigma that challenges the very nature of existence. She embodies paradoxes—victim and perpetrator, creator and destroyer. Her reality is a labyrinthine prison of her own making."

Dazai's eyes glittered with a dark fascination. "A labyrinth of madness, then. How intriguing. Tell me more about her."

Ango's voice trembled with the gravity of his next words. "Kororo has been isolated for so long that her mind has become an internal world where there are but creations of her mind, resulting from an altered reality, obedient to her desires. She is dangerous, but not to others—she is a danger to herself."

Dazai's lips curled into a wry, unsettling smile. "A self-destructive reality bender? Sounds like an irresistible challenge. This case promises to be as dark as it is complex."

Ango's relief was mingled with apprehension. He knew the stakes were high, but he had no other recourse. "I only hope we're not too late," he murmured, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.

Dazai's eyes gleamed with a sinister intensity. "Too late for what, Ango? To rescue her from her own descent, or to prevent her from unraveling the world around her?"

Ango was caught off guard by the directness of the question. The notion that Kororo might pose a global threat had not fully dawned on him. "I... I don't know," he stammered. "But the potential for catastrophe is real."