If I May Shed Away My Burden Now

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Season 2: Episode 12 SUBBED

To: Osamu Dazai

From: Fynn Lind

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"Kyouka, if you'd prefer, I can set you up with a life of killing." Dazai tells the young girl. "But your anguish isn't yours alone. What should one do, when what they want to be isn't what they're best at? Everyone fights, searching for the correct way to live their lives. What do they seek by fighting? How ought they live? No one can say. All we have is the right to waver. Like the stray dogs that have hit rock bottom."

"Stray dogs, huh?" I lightly smile to myself. "What a phrase."

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The fight was over. We won! And the city was saved from being crashed into by the Moby Dick. Now Dazai, Fukuzawa, and I were going to greet Atsushi and Akutagawa by the docks where they had landed. Mr. Melville stood with the two boys also, looking out into the sea at his whale.

"Why? Why her?" Atsushi wonders in agony. 

"Kyouka..." Akutagawa coughs. "What a fool. If she hadn't embraced the hope of living in light, she wouldn't have had to die in vain."

"This is how it ought to have been, Atsushi." Dazai speaks up, announcing our arrival.

"Dazai!" Atsushi perks up, some tears of his flying with how quick his head snapped up. "Fynn... Boss?"

"Yes, it's us! Who else would it be?" I joke trying to lighten the mood. Dazai sighs, shaking his head, before continuing talking.

"Kyouka overcame herself and saved the city." Dazai says. "With the high-mindedness expected of the Agency."

"But there was no reason she had to die." Atsushi states.

"True, this is a merciless conclusion. But there was a reason that it had to be this way."

"My ability, All Men Are Created Equal, has an effect only on my subordinates... that is, on members of the Agency." Fukuzawa explains.

"The ability allows for control over the output of the abilities of another." Dazai continues. "The reason you're able to control your tiger abilities now is because you joined the Agency. And Kyouka passed the entrance exam. Right in the instant before the impact. Do you understand what that means?

"Yay! Woah! She's still alive!" I cheer, flinging my arm around Dazai's neck and side hugging him. In a swirl of wind, Kyouka appears with Demon Snow behind her, all intact with not a scratch on her.

"I used Demon Snow's Katana to cut the chain and escape." Kyouka tells us. "I'm back." She smiles lightly and Atsushi runs to hug her.

"Welcome back." Atsushi says as he squeezes her tightly.

"You're hurting me." Kyouka politely states.

"Sorry." Atsushi panics, letting her go.

"Can you let me go too?" Dazai wonders, tapping out of the hug.

"Fine..." I grumble, letting him go.

"Sorry I kept it from you both." Dazai talks to Atsushi and Kyouka. "If I hadn't, it wouldn't have made for a proper entrance exam."

"Was this all planned from the beginning?"

"Do you not know Dazai?" I ask. "Of course it was!"

"Nuh-uh you goofball!" Dazai says placing a hand on my head and ruffling my hair. "Why do you assume I'm so smart?"

"Because you are." I state, giving him a look of 'I know that you know you're super smart'.

"Anyway, the enemy's been defeated, and Kyouka passed. I'm glad it all worked out."

"Dazai!" Akutagawa shouts causing us to turn to look at him. "There's no one left to get in my way. Please see my strength now."

"I don't know." Dazai states. "You're at your limit now, aren't you? You just defeated the Guild's leader, after all." He stalks towards him.

"That's irrelevant." Akutagawa mutters. "I am—" Dazai places his hand on Akutagawa's shoulder.

"You've become strong." Dazai tells the young man who ends up fainting. Not exactly from the words but from pure exhaustion and from Dazai canceling his ability that was probably the only thing keeping him going. "Oh, whoops." Dazai chuckles looking down at Akutagawa's body.

"Hahahaha!" I laugh, buckling over in pain. "That's hilarious! I need a picture of this!" I take out my phone and snap a few pictures to use as blackmail in the future.

"Nice view, isn't it?" Dazai asks Atsushi who was staring at the sunset. "You protected it. It's your city."

"My city, huh?" Atsushi mumbles.

"Yup! Good job, Atsushi." I smile hugging the tiger boy from behind. "You're amazing."

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Dazai and I were meeting Hirotsu at an art gallery in town. Everybody else, well Agency members, were throwing a party for Kyouka. I wished I could've been there.

"What a weird painting." Dazai says looking at a painting of trees and a grassy landscape. 

"Not really." I shrug.

"I bet even I could do it."

"Yeah, I bet you could—if you were good at painting." I retort with a snort.

"Hey! That's not nice." Dazai pouts, puffing out his cheeks.

"Never said I was." I cheekily smile. "Love you." I say giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Love you too, you silly girl." He chuckles, ruffling my hair. Hirotsu walks over and sits down at the bench beside us. "Hirotsu, thanks for the help." Dazai says.

"Did I do enough?" Hirotsu wonders. "All I did was leak the Moby Dick infiltration route to Higuchi."

"If she knows, she will tell Akutagawa. If Akutagawa knows, he will come in by himself. It was as I expected."

"Why did you go through all that trouble to bring Akutagawa together with the tiger boy?"

"I wanted to be sure. For the real disaster that's about to come."

"Ugh, gross." I grumble.

"He's already on the move." Dazai states.

"Our new enemy? Really?" I question. "Why can't people just leave us alone!?"

"Yeah..." Dazai sighs. "We won't be able to avoid going to war with that demon I've fought in the past. Akutagawa is formidable enough by himself, but his abilities are most valuable in a supporting role. In complementing a forward attacker such as Atsushi, with his speed and toughness, he could be a powerful ally."

"It's better than me having to do all the work." I sigh, resting my chin on my hand. "I've had enough of being in the limelight in fights."

"We'll need to be more powerful than before in order to fight with that demon. Something more powerful than the former Double Black. That's those two."

"Dazai, why do you value Yokohama so dearly?" Hirotsu asks.

"My friend said to me... 'you might as well side with the people who save others. That's at least a little more beautiful.'"

"Teni Muhou."


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Today's uploaded date: 4/25/21

Next upload date: ???

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