Durarara!! Vol. 5

Prologue

Let's play a game.

It's nothing big - just place your bet on something simple.

Such as heads or tails in the spin of a coin.

Yeah, something as simple as that.

No more than speculations of an event where the chances of each outcome are theoretically even.

For instance - say, I punch hard the next person who walks past the front of this building.

Will the person get angry and punch me back? Or, rather than get angry, will he or she weep and run away? That's the kind of gambling I'm talking about. 

How does it sound? Easy, right?

The chess piece we're using in this game is called the "heart".

Or rather, the sum of human behavior and changes in their feelings.

............

Oops, don't stare at me all dumbstruck like that.

Hmm. Let's suppose someone asks you: "Can you buy everyone's heart with enough money?"

The tricky part of this question is the word "everyone".

The answer should be "Sometimes yes, sometimes no." Correct?

Some people wouldn't do anything that would hurt their pride or conscience even if you offered them 10 billion, while some might be ready to commit murder for one yen. That's the way the world is, isn't it? Even the same person makes very different decisions under different circumstances and at different times in his or her life.

That's right. The losers in the game called life are mostly the ones who are too assertive while answering this question. If they're assertive because they have some sort of faith or principle, they can still be excused. But those who jump to conclusions like "Of course you cannot buy human love!" or "Of course you can buy human love!" without thinking are doomed to fail because they've rendered themselves blind to all other possibilities. Staunch belief in one single answer does make your world look brighter all of a sudden - but it also narrows your world to the extreme. The trade-off is self-explanatory. 

When you look at it that way, it makes perfect sense to gamble on human hearts, doesn't it?

Of course, you might be at an advantage if you know the person we're gambling on better than I do. But the difference it makes is like that between a horse gambler who does his research beforehand and one that doesn't.

Still, some would probably get mad at me and say "How can you compare human hearts to the heads and tails of a coin!" - But they end up being the same. You can't say that you know a person perfectly well unless you know 100% what he or she is thinking. 

Suppose our bet is on whether this certain person would commit murder.

For those who gave "I never expected him of all people to......" as an answer in interviews after a murder, their "coin" had been heads all the way before they got to know what had actually happened - meaning that they thought the person was more likely to not commit murder. For now we're not taking into consideration that "Everyone lies on TV." since this is no more than an example.

That's right. In fact, it's impossible to know what a person is thinking until the time actually comes.

No person can fully manipulate another. 

As an information broker I have, in many instances, done things similar to that out of personal interest. But I cannot manipulate 100% a person's heart.

What I can do is to give them a slight push on the back. 

Not when they're waiting for the traffic light at the crossing to turn green, no. That's something completely different.

If a person stands on the perilously thin line between one side of things and another......to get him to step into one of the sides, I push......slightly, on his back. That way he'll be able to make his first step, and not waver further. 

It's nothing, really. Kind of like charity.

Of course, I don't do this as a business. Neither can I offer any guarantee on his life thereafter. 

So, now that I've made the conditions clear......let the game begin.

It should go without saying, but during the game, I will push the chess piece in the direction that works to my advantage. 

Maybe you can keep that chess piece too. How does that sound?

Come on, don't give me that face.

You're making me look like an incorrigible and unapologetic villain.

Games are meant to be enjoyed.

Am I right?