Bungo Stray Dogs - Volume 4 Chapter 3 Part 2

Chapter 3 Part 2

Higuchi was standing at the guard post in the storage zone. It was a small room. There wasn’t even any space to walk thanks to three guards being knocked out on the floor. On the table was a wireless transceiver, a logbook, some half-drunken bottle of alcohol, and a few sake glasses. On the wall was a shelf of logbooks and a computer that managed all items that came in to port.
The three guards were holding their stomachs as they lay on the ground, completely still. Higuchi glared down at them as if they were inanimate objects on the floor. Her phone rang.
“Find anything out?”
It was the monotone voice of a dead fighting dog—Akutagawa.
“I checked the island records at the guard post, but so far, I haven’t found any mention of the detective agency even being hired,” reported Higuchi as she looked toward the computer screen.

“So the man-tiger sneaked onto the island without even leaving a trail… It’s as if he wasn’t even trying to hide.”
“I did find something quite interesting, though,” continued Higuchi. “Something seems to have been transported to the island’s underground facility not too long ago. It’s a bag with some documents inside, and it was sent to the armory on the fifth basement floor.”
“What’s so interesting about that?”
“This island doesn’t have a fifth basement floor, nor does it have an underground armory, according to public record. Therefore, seeing as they seemed to have rushed to get that bag down there—”
“Then it’s highly unlikely the bag was carrying documents, yes? It’s probably the briefcase. How do we get down there?”
“It appears we need some sort of special authentication key to get inside. Even if we were to blow the door up, that would apparently set off an automatic security device and lock us inside. What do you want to do, sir? We have less than an hour left until noon. At this rate, the weapon underground will—”
“There is nowhere in Yokohama the Port Mafia cannot enter,” quietly declared Akutagawa on the other side of the phone. “I have an idea. Contact headquarters and have them find an accurate blueprint of the island. Send Black Lizard and threaten government personnel if you have to. Time is the enemy. Hurry.”
“Yes, sir.” Higuchi began to walk, stepping over the unconscious guards. “One last thing,” Akutagawa began from the other side of the phone. “Surely there were many guards, judging by how much information you
were able to obtain. How did you neutralize them? Submachine guns?”
She looked down at the guards, then somewhat bashfully admitted, “No… I wasn’t confident I could defeat them with force, so I brought them some sake and said it was a gift. They are sound asleep now.”
She could hear Akutagawa softly chuckle on the other side of the phone.
“Good work. I will be contacting you again shortly.”
He then hung up. Higuchi put away her cell phone, looked at the guards on the floor, then hopped into the air.
“Yay! He complimented me!”
Atsushi and the thieves continued down the stairwell. There hadn’t been any commotion since they knocked out the guards. It was as quiet as the bottom of the sea. In fact, it would be no surprise if they actually were close to the bottom of the ocean. There weren’t any windows, so it was hard to tell, but it was clear they were far below sea level due to how many flights of stairs they descended.
“Atsushi, can you hear me?” Atsushi suddenly heard Kunikida’s voice coming from the communicator. “Everyone in the agency has been searching the island, but there have been no eyewitness reports of the briefcase. It appears it really is most likely in the basement where you’re heading.”
Atsushi gulped.
That meant he had to find the weapon with not even thirty minutes to spare. And if it really was nearby, then it was only logical to assume the enemy would try to get in his way. Atsushi had to proceed with the utmost caution and haste.
“One more thing. We’re about to lose signal as you descend out of range, so we won’t be able to contact you any longer. If you really need to reach us, then find a landline phone inside.”
Leaving Atsushi with those final words, Kunikida’s voice was soon followed by static before the connection was eventually lost. Atsushi was on his own now.
Unlike the previous floor, the third basement floor was made up of multiple small rooms lined up and looked more like a warship. The hallways were narrow and split up into many sections. They wouldn’t be getting past the guards like this. Fortunately, they had the ability to walk through walls on their side. Despite almost running into the enemy multiple times, Atsushi would inform the boss when a soldier was coming, and the boss would use his skill to escape into another room with everyone.
“Could I say something, Boss?” Virgo immediately asked while looking at his cell phone.
“Sure. You have my permission.”
“If my assumptions are correct, there should be a computer room around here. We need to unlock the vault there if we want to get our hands on the treasure,” claimed Virgo while inspecting a schematic displayed on his phone. “The vault’s walls are too thick for you to use your skill, Boss.”
“What? Why am I just hearing about this now?!” “I’ve been telling you for the past month…”
“Really? Eh, whatever.” The boss crossed his arms. “Let’s get this over with. You know where to go, right?”
“This way.”
Virgo guided them even farther toward the back. They then circumvented the highly guarded front door to the computer room by going through thin walls to proceed deeper into the room. The computer room was a lot more spacious and emptier than what Atsushi had imagined. It was almost as big as the detective agency, with multiple white square pillars big enough for two adults to hold hands and wrap their arms around. After a closer look, Atsushi noticed the pillars were actually servers with operational equipment built in. Each one had a small screen.
“Allow me to unlock the vault,” suggested Virgo while stretching a cable out from his cell phone. “It’s going to take a few minutes.”
“Virgo, I need to go to the fifth basement floor,” admitted Atsushi. “Do you think you can get any information on it? Like records of who went inside each room, that sort of thing.”
“…Is it just me, or do you sound different now?” Virgo raised an eyebrow—and impressively so. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. You did help us get past the guards, after all. Let me get back to you after I finish this.”
“Thanks,” said Atsushi before he went to the back of the room to check it out. The computer room was split into two areas, but there were no guards on either side. Kicking up dust would only hamper the delicate equipment, and even if guards did find someone suspicious, they wouldn’t want this room to turn into a battle zone. Therefore, this was most likely not even part of the patrol area.
When Atsushi went inside yet another computer room in the back, he gasped. On the other side of the acrylic sheet, similar to the glass used in aquariums, was the ocean itself. They were underwater. The sunlight diagonally pouring into the ocean created a stripe pattern. Calmly swimming in the ocean of blue and gray was a large fish that could only be found offshore. No scenery could have made it clearer to Atsushi as to where he was. This was both an island and a ship, which turned conventional thinking upside down. It was a place where anything could happen.
“Man, what a view.”
Before Atsushi had even realized it, Gab was standing right next to him. “Whoever made this must’ve been really stupid.”
“Yeah, probably,” replied Atsushi.
“Hey, Matasaburo… Why’d you become a thief?” Gab suddenly asked. “I’m doing it because I have to,” answered Atsushi. “Countless people’s
lives will be in danger if I fail this mission.”
“Dang. So you’re the amazing phantom thief who fights for justice, huh?
Nice.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“I believe ya,” smiled Gab. “You’re my number one disciple, after all.”
Oh yeah.
“Gab, you said you became a thief because you wanted to be by the boss’s side, right?” asked Atsushi, figuring Gab would just avoid the question.
However, Gab plainly admitted, “Yep. I wanna be just like him. I’d never met anyone like him before.”
Atsushi stared in puzzlement.
“The first time we met, I was like, ‘This is it.’ He goes wherever he wants and does whatever he wants. That’s what I wanted. I didn’t feel like I was living before I started doing that. Besides…” While gazing at the ocean through the glass, Gab muttered, “Most things work out in the end if you’ve got someone who’ll stick with you no matter what. Y’know? That’s who the boss is to me.”
Atsushi listened in a daze until he was no longer able to hold it in and started to laugh.
“What are you laughin’ about?!” Gab yelled, looking slightly flushed. “Yeah, I get it! Nobody can understand how I feel!”
“No,” Atsushi replied with a grin, “I actually do get how you feel.” “Hmph… Hey, Matasaburo, you got anyone in your life like the boss?” “I do.” Atsushi beamed. “I’ll tell you all about him if we make it out of
here safely. He’s even stranger than your boss.”

“No way. Nobody can be—” Gab suddenly paused as he stared into the ocean. “…The hell is that?”
Atsushi turned around while following his gaze. There was something in the center of the bluish-black abyss on the other side of the glass. It was falling—sinking into the ocean and sending air bubbles back to the surface. Its eyes locked on to Atsushi, its black fabric wavering—
Atsushi’s mind went blank.
Why?
Why is he here?
Why is he here?!
Their eyes met. Its lips moved, mouthing the words I found you. The black fabric flickered, shredding the acrylic sheet into pieces.
There wasn’t even a moment to scream. Like a blast from an explosion, the seawater rammed into Atsushi’s side. His entire body continued to spin until he had no idea which way was up or down anymore. All he could see was white foam, rendering him oblivious to what was happening around him. But his heartbeat was steady. His consciousness had never been clearer.
I’m being attacked. He’s here—and he probably came to kill me.
It was Akutagawa—a monster in human form. Atsushi swung his arms around.
Where are the pillars? Where’s the wall? I have to act fast. He’s actually gonna kill me if I’m at the mercy of the water like this. I have to regain my footing. I have to fight back.
But in spite of Atsushi’s strong will, the powerful seawater robbed him of all movement. The torrent tossed his body around like a leaf, slamming him into the pillars, the walls, and the ceiling. What little oxygen he had left gradually escaped from his lungs. As he desperately swung his arms around, he grabbed something. It was the doorknob. He didn’t know which way to turn it, so he used his tiger strength to just twist it as hard as he could. There was a clink—the sound of metal snapping before the water pressure immediately destroyed the door. Atsushi’s body was thereupon thrown out of the room with the current.

He was in the hallway in front of the door. The water carried his body to the other side. An alarm went off. The facility must have been on red alert after detecting the sudden intrusion of seawater. This wasn’t good. Atsushi wouldn’t even be able to search for the weapon at this rate.
Were the three thieves okay? The thought flashed across Atsushi’s mind, but there was nothing he could do. Akutagawa was approaching, getting closer by the second. A chill ran down Atsushi’s spine. This was a gold- coin area. It would be difficult for even the detective agency to get inside, which was why they had to rely on the thief’s skill. But Akutagawa easily broke in. He cut through the glass from outside in the ocean—an extraordinary feat.
Atsushi dug his tiger claws into the wall. The seawater flowing through the hallway was no higher than his waist, but even then, the current was still a real threat. It felt as if his lower half was going to be torn right off his body. His tiger claws dragged against the wall as he was pushed back until four long, parallel lines were carved into the surface.
Out of nowhere, he was hit in the shoulder. The black fabric had shot over like a beam of light and cut right through the top of his torso. Fresh blood seeped into the seawater, shortly followed by pain. After the impact caused Atsushi to let go of the wall, he was pushed even farther back by the current. But his body almost immediately came to a sudden stop. Something grabbed on to his arm—something black. He was instinctively stricken with horror before he even checked what it was. Being swept away by the powerful current would be better than this. It would be over the moment Akutagawa got ahold of him. Atsushi turned his tiger arm back to normal, then immediately slipped his arm from the black fabric’s grasp. But since the hallway was shaped like an L at the end, the torrent slammed Atsushi’s back right into the wall.
Thankfully, this slowed him down, giving him time to look around. Atsushi gazed up ahead—there he was, freely using his black fabric to pierce the ceiling and walls to keep himself from moving. It was as if the torrent of seawater didn’t even exist. He fixed his bloodthirsty eyes on Atsushi.
“Akutagawa…!”
“Your efforts deserve praise, Man-Tiger.” His husky voice was somehow audible even amid the roaring current of the sea. “No matter how many

times I almost kill you, you somehow manage to survive, and yet you still get in my way. That tenacity, that luck—you are worthy of being my trial.”
Murderous rage radiated from his body. His expression was cold, as if he were the only one in an empty world.
I have to run. I have to get as far away from him as possible. Narrow, long hallways like this are his territory.
Akutagawa’s overcoat writhed. A dark beast emerged from the fabric. Despite being nothing more than a thin piece of material, it transformed a three-dimensional monster. No gun nor fire could stop Akutagawa’s skill. It could not be broken. All Atsushi could do was continue to dodge.
However, the dark beast rushed toward him, engulfing the entire hallway. Atsushi kicked off the wall and jumped toward the end of the path. The beast’s fangs then tore through the wall, leaving a massive hole the size of a cannonball. The monster closed in on him. Figuring the water would slow him down, Atsushi used his tiger arms and legs to sprint down a wall like a wild animal.
I can’t fight Akutagawa. I’ve got both distance and location working against me here. Even if I did somehow manage to beat him, I wouldn’t be able to find the weapon by noon.
But Atsushi was met with even further despair. The shutter up ahead was slowly closing. It was probably an automatic safety mechanism installed to prevent seawater from getting into the basement. Atsushi was going to lose his only escape route at this rate. The black fabric filled the hallway. If he were pushed back into a dead end, he wouldn’t be able to fend off all the attacks with his claws.
The shutter was slowly closing from the bottom up. The opening was no larger than three feet wide.
Will I make it in time? I have to, or I’m dead. Just a little more—
His body suddenly slowed down before stumbling forward and slamming into the wall. His brain rattled, and he saw a flash of stars.
“Gwah…!”
Atsushi saw it out of the corner of his eye—black fabric sprang off the wall and wrapped itself around his ankle.
“There is something elegant about hunting a running tiger, but I’ve grown bored of staring at your back,” scoffed Akutagawa from behind. The black fabric curled around Atsushi’s leg like a snake. It wouldn’t be long until it wrapped around his chest and pierced his heart.
After reverting his legs back to normal and loosening the fabric’s grip, Atsushi kicked off the wall and escaped before landing into the seawater on the floor of the hallway.
“I see you are just as quick to run away as ever, Man-Tiger.” Akutagawa approached Atsushi with a calm expression. “But there is nowhere left for you to run. Fight me.”
He was right. The shutter had already closed. All that was left was the dead end of a narrow hallway. Two strips of black fabric shot in Atsushi’s direction like javelins. Atsushi immediately lifted his tiger arms up to block them, but the piercing blades of darkness, sharper than any blade in the world, dug into his fur as they slid around his arms. Even with his tiger coat, which could easily reflect bullets, Atsushi still couldn’t completely block Akutagawa’s attacks, sending strands of white fur flying into the air.
The only thing that could compete with Akutagawa’s skill was Atsushi’s tiger limbs. One hit to the face or body, however, would be fatal. The only way Atsushi could cut through his opponent and escape would be to bring the fight within grappling range while dodging any shots to these vital areas. Regardless, there was no way he could approach Akutagawa while dodging his attacks, which essentially covered the entire hallway.
“Remember death, for it is by your side. Beg it for forgiveness, for it is waiting for you. You will perish at the bowels of the earth. It doesn’t feel so bad, does it?”
“Did you come all the way to this island to kill me?” asked Atsushi in a trembling voice. “Do you really hate me that much?”
“It isn’t hate. I cannot move forward until I tear you apart.”
Atsushi slowly retreated. While he wouldn’t have a chance if he didn’t get close up, the space between them was a kill zone. He couldn’t fight Akutagawa head-on. He had to create an opening…
“Dazai’s here, too!”
“I know. Therefore, I have to take your head for his sake as well.”
As Akutagawa took a step forward, Atsushi took a step back. His back hit the wall. It was the watertight shutter. There was nowhere left to retreat. It wouldn’t be possible to persuade Akutagawa to stop. All Atsushi could do was move forward, prepared for the worst. He lowered his stance. Seeing the fight in his eyes, Akutagawa faintly smirked. Atsushi tightened his leg muscles— —but all of a sudden, two arms emerged from the shutter behind him. “What are you, stupid?! Get over here!”
The arms grabbed the back of his collar, then immediately tugged him backward. Atsushi slipped through the shutter before even realizing what was happening. He rolled on the ground with a splash. It was the boss’s burly arms that had grabbed his collar.
“What kind of idiot tries to fight against someone with a skill like that?! Thieves don’t win by fighting. Thieves steal without fighting! I’m disappointed in you, Matasaburo!”
Atsushi finally realized what had happened. The boss used his skill to drag him to the other side. Atsushi didn’t check how thick the shutter was, so he never even dreamed this would happen.
The shutter’s thickness…
“He’s not going to give up, Boss!” screamed Atsushi. “He’d easily be able to cut through an iron shutter that’s not even two inches thick! We have to run!”
“I was planning on doing that anyway! Let’s go!”
The boss effortlessly tucked Atsushi under his arm and went through a door leading into a nearby room. Immediately, the sound of the shutter being shredded echoed, followed by the sound of its remains splashing into the water. Akutagawa had already come after them.
They found themselves on a narrow path used for pipe maintenance. The boss had to turn sideways to squeeze his massive body through. After every new door they found, he would use his skill to go through, and they would run even farther away. They continued heading deeper until they eventually reached a staircase leading to the fourth basement floor. After letting Atsushi down, the boss deeply exhaled.
“You know him?” asked the boss while wiping the sweat off his shining forehead.
“Yes,” replied Atsushi while trying to catch his breath. “Akutagawa.
He’s a skill user involved in organized crime.”
“Huh, Matasaburo. You run with a tougher crowd than I thought.” The boss frowned. “I’m gonna go get Gab and Virgo. I stuffed ’em in a locked room earlier, so you don’t need to worry about them being killed.”
“I’ll—”

Before Atsushi could even finish his sentence…
“You go on ahead. The guards will be coming in swarms to the third basement floor, so the bottom floor should be relatively empty. We’re gonna wait things out for a while, then go grab our treasure when the coast is clear.” The boss grinned. “Oh yeah. I almost forgot. When I saved Virgo, he said he found traces of someone who had just brought a briefcase to the armory on the fifth basement floor. Does that help?”
So that really was where the weapon was being kept hidden.
“Thank you so much.” Atsushi stood.
Akutagawa’s after me. If the boss and the others run away, he probably won’t pursue them. Anyway, there’s no time. I’ve gotta stop the weapon.
Right as Atsushi started to descend the staircase…
“Matasaburo.” The boss called out his name and stopped him. Atsushi turned around.
“Yes?”
“What’s your real name?”
Atsushi, taken by surprise, fell silent. He then thought for a few moments before saying, “Atsushi.”
“Atsushi, huh?” the boss repeated, smiling. “After this is all over, I want to hear what you really came here to do and why you pretended to be a thief to do it.”
He got me.
Atsushi’s spine tingled. The boss had seen right through him. “Now, go. And don’t die, Atsushi.”
“…I won’t!”
Atsushi sprinted down the stairs.