Bungo Stray Dogs - Volume 7 Chapter 4 Part 4

Chapter 4 Part 4

Long ago, there were two spies in a far-off country. They were colleagues, partners, friends—brotherly figures who could trust each other more than anyone.
At least, one of them felt that way.
They never cowered even when death seemed to have them in its grip. It wasn’t because of the love they had for their country, nor did honor have anything to do with it, either. They simply knew they had nothing to fear as long as they were together. They believed neither fear nor hesitation were necessary to protect each other.
At least, one of them felt that way.
One day, the two partners were given a mission to sneak into an enemy nation and steal a powerful weapon.
It was a dangerous mission. They would have no backup or support, no help from allies on the inside. Nevertheless, they accepted the mission, infiltrated the enemy facility, and found it—that unworldly something.
They couldn’t leave a thing like that in the enemy’s hands. They had to bring it back to their country and surrender it for research, for it would only spark further strife if they left it behind. They had to bring it back home no matter what.
…At least, one of them felt that way.
The subspace vanished, revealing the vast blue sky through the collapsed ceiling. Randou lay feebly on the ground in what was left of the shipyard.
“I see… Paul… You were…”
“Any last words, Randou?” Dazai asked quietly. “If you have any final wishes, we’ll see what we can do to—”
“No… There is nothing left for me…,” Randou said lifelessly. “When I took in…Chuuya’s skill a few moments ago…I remembered…what happened to my best friend, Paul.”
He placed both hands on the ground. No longer able to support his own weight, he slowly sank back into the pool of his own blood.
“He…betrayed me…at the very last moment…” The last remnants of life in his eyes flickered as he grew weaker. “When we were escaping…he betrayed me…and our country. He tried to stab me…from behind…but I just barely managed to dodge. We fought to the death, and in the end…I killed my best friend…with my own two hands…”
“I see,” Dazai said softly, the words falling to the ground. “A fight between two skilled spies would obviously cause a stir given the inevitable destruction that followed. So the military must have noticed that and surrounded you, right? You had no choice but to try absorbing Arahabaki…”
Randou rolled onto his back and looked up at Chuuya with crystal-clear eyes. “Chuuya… Can I…ask you…a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Live,” Randou said in almost a whisper. “There is no longer…any way of knowing…who you are or where you came from,” he rasped. “But even if…you are but a pattern…etched on the surface of raw power…you are you. Nothing changes that…because all people, all humanity…their brains and flesh…are nothing more than patterns—beautiful patterns…upon the material world…”
Both Chuuya and Dazai quietly listened as if there was something in what Randou was saying that they couldn’t allow themselves to miss.
“It’s strange… I don’t feel even the least bit cold…” Randou smiled faintly. “The world I thought was so cold… Paul… Did you feel…this warmth in the end…as well… … …?”
His hand dropped into the puddle of blood with a splash. And then there was silence. The crimson subspace quietly vanished, and the sky returned to its usual blue hue. Some things, however, would not return to normal: the body of a man who no longer felt the cold, and the hearts of two boys who stood rooted to the spot, staring at him.

A gust of wind peered through their souls as it passed them by.