Chapter Text
As I walked toward Mori's office, I could feel everyone's stares on me.
It was only natural for them to observe me; I was the Demon Prodigy of the Port Mafia. I was sixteen years old and already among the leading figures in the organization. I had been raised by Mori Ougai himself to become the perfect assassin, the perfect strategist, the perfect enforcer. The blood coursing through my veins was as dark and toxic as tar, my ability allowed me to render anyone helpless, and, moreover, a year ago I had discovered I was an Alpha.
Mori had always suspected this, so it had been no surprise, although Alphas were only 15 percent of the population, consisting mostly of Betas. Even rarer were Omegas and, in the Port Mafia, even more so. In any case, my power had increased exponentially with the manifestation of my secondary gender: when I used my Alpha voice, my commands could not be ignored and made my subordinates tremble with fear, my senses had heightened, and my physical strength had grown as well.
That was why I could not understand why Mori had suddenly decided that I needed a partner. I had always managed perfectly well on my own. In fact, I was convinced that a partner would have gotten in my way. Apparently, he had found the “perfect person for me, a rough diamond that only I could refine.”
I pushed the door open, already nervous and impatient at the idea of meeting this mysterious person I would have to take on for who knows how long, but as soon as I crossed the threshold of Mori's office, perpetually shrouded in that bloody light I resented, I froze at the sight of a young boy who must have been about my age, if not younger. I sniffed the air to pick up a few more clues, but felt absolutely nothing. His secondary gender must not have manifested yet. Basically, I had expected to meet a man, but instead it was a kid.
His appearance was delicate and his size slender. He must have been at least six inches shorter than me and had European-like features that I had never seen in Yokohama, with a small pointed nose covered in freckles and two large blue eyes, not to mention long red hair that gave him an almost alien appearance in my eyes. However, the thing that struck me most was his gaze, even more annoyed than mine, and the total absence of fear in him.
After studying him for a moment, I observed Mori, sitting with a satisfied grin at his desk.
“Dazai, meet Nakahara Chuuya. We just rescued him from a laboratory in northern France, where he was being held captive to conduct experiments on him. Dear Chuuya has agreed to cooperate with us in exchange for his freedom.”
I frowned. What kind of experiments could they possibly have carried out on this little shrimp?
“Chuuya is a gravity manipulator, you will soon discover that his ability can be really...overwhelming. Chuuya, as I anticipated he is Dazai Osamu. He's practically a son to me,” Mori added, making me turn up my nose in disgust. “He will take care of setting you up in the Port Mafia. You are the same age, so it might also be a good chance to make friends.”
“...Are you serious?” I said finally. “When you told me you had found the perfect partner for me, I thought it was a big shot, not a kid who hasn't hit puberty yet.”
“Who are you calling a kid?!” shouted the midget, almost making me flinch. “We're the same age, you asshole! If I wanted to, I could rip you to shreds!” he ranted in a thick French accent.
I was simply dumbfounded. No one dared raise his voice to me. Never. Instinctively I released pheromones that would make anyone bend over and groan in fear at my feet. He wrinkled his nose and bowed his head for a moment, but immediately raised it again, looking me straight in the eye with a scowl.
“Listen, chibi,” I growled, irritated by his lack of reaction. “Maybe you should devote yourself to drinking some milk to get taller before you get into an argument with me. We may be the same age, but I grew up here, is that clear? Mori,” I said then, ”find him another babysitter and, if he is so good, place him beside me when he has matured a bit.”
A sudden explosion made me turn my head sharply. The floor under Chuuya's feet had crumbled and a red halo surrounded his body. The sleeves of his sweatshirt tore as burning marks ran up his arms. I sensed a sudden crushing pressure in the room and one of the chairs at Mori's table rose up and came straight at me like a missile. I threw myself to the side, narrowly dodging it. I saw out of the corner of my eye Mori sneering.
I went back to watching Chuuya, who was looking at me with panting, wreaking havoc around him. I had to admit that his ability was not bad at all, considering that this was definitely just a tiny taste. But his total lack of self-control was painfully obvious, and I finally understood why Mori had wanted him beside me.
I sprinted forward and he did the same, oblivious to my own ability. As soon as we were facing each other, I reached out a hand and clasped it around his exposed neck.
If I had been an ordinary person, he probably would have blown my whole arm off. But my ability, No Longer Human, made me untouchable by any other ability user. Chuuya widened his eyes realizing what was happening, and as soon as I sealed his ability, he slumped to the ground, unconscious.
“...He's a loose cannon,” I said, as soon as I had recovered from my surprise.
“He’s a gem. It's been years since I've seen such pure and devastating power as his. As soon as he learns to use it, he could dismantle the lair of one of our enemies alone, Dazai. He alone is worth as much as twenty of our men with skills.”
“And you want me to teach him to control himself.”
“That's right. You must protect everyone's safety, including his, until he learns to use his ability. Think about it, Dazai, you the mind and he your arm — you two would be unstoppable! I can already see it clearly in front of my eyes.”
“How come he can't control his ability at this age?”
Moors grinned in a creepy way. “...He was not born with his ability, as was the case with all of us. Let's just say he has a somewhat peculiar history behind him, of abuse and violence. He has an unstable temper now, but we rescued him from a bad situation and he will not turn his back on us. I entrust him to you, Dazai. Refine this diamond for me.”
I peered again at Chuuya, still on the ground. He was pale, frail, and malnourished. Only then did I notice purplish bruises around his bony wrists and throat, signs of chains that had held him for who knows how long.
At a single provocation from me he had nearly demolished Mori's office. At a single touch from me he had lost consciousness.
If anything was certain, it was that this brat was going to be quite a headache for me.
“….Yes Sir.”