A revised narrative. | bsd

Chapter 2

Your nails dug into the coat as you wrapped it close to your body to protect you from the freezing weather. Dazai insisted that he'd give you a pair of boots, but you were not looking forward to owing the mafia member any more than you already did.

In your defense, you could hand over the coat to him later, and it wouldn't be as awkward as giving him back a pair of boots. How were you going to give it back? Were you supposed to hold on to your school shoes? If you left them behind, you had to give back the boots later and walk with socks like a weirdo. That was too much even for you, so you shut down the offer and stuck to clinging onto the coat like it was your lifeline. The worst part was probably that you had to walk by foot all the way out of the snowy plane to a roadside.

You followed Dazai as he strode purposefully toward the roadside, where a sleek black car awaited, its dark windows gleaming ominously in the winter sun. He paused beside the door, glancing back at you, and you felt a surge of urgency to pick up your pace, nearly jogging over to him as he opened the door.

As you slid into car, your gaze was immediately drawn to a strange box on the middle seat, its presence blocking you from moving in comfortably. You reached for the box but just as your fingers were about to brush it, a tranquil voice interrupts, "That's a bomb." instinctively jerking back, a wave of panic washed over you as you screeched turning your back to exit only to find the door slamming shut right in your face.

You fumbled with the handle, but it was child locked, and your frantic shaking only added to your dread. Just then, the opposite door swung open, and you were met with Dazai's amused smirk, a sight that should have been comforting but instead sent shivers down your spine.

"I'd advise you not to make any contact with it," he said casually, as if discussing the weather, before closing his door with a soft click that seemed to echo in the silence of the car.

The entire ride was terrifying as you pressed yourself against the car door, trying to calm your mind away from thoughts of the bomb and the sociopath sitting just a few inches away from you. Every little bump in the road made you jump, and you swore that the only thing keeping you from having a breakdown was the sheer terror that any sudden movement could set off the device, turning you into the star of a very gruesome scene.

Horrified, you reflected on the absurdity of your situation: you had transmigrated into a world where the first person you encountered was a literal textbook sociopath, and to make matters worse, it was Dazai in his mafia era. It was practically official that you were dead meat, and the only way to escape this nightmare was to bend over backward and pray for a miracle.

Your thoughts spiraled so deeply that you didn't even notice when the car came to a stop in front of the Port Mafia building. Dazai was the first to exit the vehicle, and you could see him waiting patiently beside your door, a mischievous glint in his eye that made your heart race with both fear and confusion. You took a deep breath, trying to center yourself as you opened the door and nearly toppled over, only to be caught by Dazai's steady hand.

"Whoa there! You look horrified!" he exclaimed, delight dancing in his tone as he helped steady you. His laughter was lighthearted, but all you could feel was a rising tide of anxiety as you quickly removed yourself from his grasp and followed him into the building.

You glanced back at the car, still feeling an irrational fear of the bomb that might still be lurking there, as Dazai led you into the lobby. The building was unnecessarily large, the sheer emptiness of the main floor was filled by the presence of a couple stern-faced guards who seemed to watch your every move. You doubted that anything important was present on the ground floor, but the overwhelming atmosphere made your skin crawl.