Part 1[]
Day 61 of the Dragon Head Feud
Oda Sakunosuke So this is the place?
The scattered glass shards crackle under my feet as I step into the jeweler's.
Not a single showcase left unravaged... Even the display lights have been stolen...
Oda Sakunosuke I know they wanted me to search for the culprit, but to find the place in such a disastrous state...
What's more, this isn't just any jewelry store.
It also doubles as a depository for Gerhardt Security Services (GSS), a powerful criminal organization.
Any assets gained from its various underworld dealings were stored here as an attempt to hide the money's seedy origins.
Until tonight.
Oda Sakunosuke Now... Who would do this, and how did they manage to attack a place protected by such a fearsome group?
Mystery Voice And who do we have here?
Young Man Oh? A robber late to the scene, perhaps? You're not going to find a single coin here.
Oda Sakunosuke Who are you? And why are you here?
Young Man Pretty bold demands for such a lax thief. Something wrong with investigating the scene of a crime?
Oda Sakunosuke The police, huh...?
Oda Sakunosuke I'm just an orderly sent to survey the damage. Do you know anything about what happened?
Young Man No, I'm done for the day. Feel free to look around all you like. We're understaffed though, so you'll have to excuse the bodies...
Oda Sakunosuke Bodies...?
Young Man Yeah, try not to puke when you see them.
Oda Sakunosuke What the...?
Oda Sakunosuke What's going on here? How does someone pull off a massacre like this?
Oda Sakunosuke The one up against the wall is an infamous killer from the next town over.
Oda Sakunosuke The body splattered along the aisle over there belongs to an accomplished mercenary, active during the war.
Oda Sakunosuke And the man plastered against the ceiling was the leader of a particularly violent group within GSS.
Oda Sakunosuke I recognize others... Everyone here had powerful supernatural abilities perfect for combat.
Oda Sakunosuke They were probably hired as security for this shop, and killed by the thief.
Oda Sakunosuke But who would be strong enough to take down such strong supernatural ability users?
Young Man Is it really that surprising?
Oda Sakunosuke What do you mean?
Young Man The gangs around here are in the middle of a big war. People are dying in the streets even as we speak.
Young Man The number of Supernatural Ability User corpses probably outnumber those still alive at this point...
Oda Sakunosuke ... This is your first time in Yokohama, isn't it?
Young Man That's right. What about it?
Oda Sakunosuke If you were from around here, you'd know these murders make no sense.
Oda Sakunosuke GSS has completely abstained from this feud. They are a neutral party.
Oda Sakunosuke Whoever attacked their stronghold was just a thrill-seeking fool.
Young Man So the culprit's a real idiot, huh...? Fufu, interesting.
Oda Sakunosuke Ah, this might be his doing...
Young Man "His" doing?
Oda Sakunosuke There've been rumors going around about a supernatural ability user who appeared a few days ago.
Oda Sakunosuke Supposedly, he would attack all organizations involved in this feud. He doesn't discriminate. A real loose cannon. Pretty sure his name was-
Young Man Pale Qilin... They say those who see him never live to tell the tale.
Young Man But then again, if there were no witnesses, who gave him that name in the first place?
Oda Sakunosuke I wonder what he's like... And what is it about his killings that would warrant the word pale...?
Young Man Hmm... Wait, what?
Young Man No, it's Qilin, not 'killings'...
Oda Sakunosuke Oh, I see. My mistake.
Young Man If the culprit really is this Pale Qilin, then I don't think this is the place for investigators. I'll be leaving.
Oda Sakunosuke I'll stay a little longer. I want to learn more about this 'Pale Qilin' and his motive.
Young Man ... Ah, that reminds me. I have a hint for you. His motive is obvious.
Young Man It was boredom. He thought perhaps if he saw a beautiful jewel, he might actually feel something.
Oda Sakunosuke ....
Young Man I've changed my mind. I want to see you again after all.
Young Man If you survive, let's be sure to meet once more, shall we?
Dazai Osamu Odasaku. Are you alright?
Oda Sakunosuke Dazai? What are you doing here?
Dazai Osamu I received a surveillance tip. Did a man with long hair just leave?
Oda Sakunosuke Yeah, we talked a bit.
Dazai Osamu You're lucky to be alive... That man was the Pale Qilin.
Dazai Osamu That demon plans to take over this feud, and all of us along with it...
Oda Sakunosuke ...
Oda Sakunosuke ... So it's true.
Part 2[]
Day 70 of the Dragon Head Feud
Mystery Voice Dazai! Where are you?!
Nakahara Chuuya Come on, Dazai! I know you hate this. Get out here already!
Dazai Osamu *yawn* Quiet down, will you?
Nakahara Chuuya So you were here all along... I can't believe you. The boss is calling for you and you're napping?
Dazai Osamu Is that you, Chuya? Good morning~! Yet another day of being a size that's appropriate for someone like you.. Extremely fitting, I must say.
Dazai Osamu You need me for something? Alright. Just a minute, I'll go grab a microscope...
Nakahara Chuuya Moron! Do you know what it's like out there?! We're in the middle of the Port Mafia's- No, Yokohama's worst gang war in history!
Dazai Osamu You don't have to shout in my ear like that. Of course I understand.
Dazai Osamu Strain, an international crime syndicate and among the four biggest, has had 80% of its members taken out.
Dazai Osamu The head of the Takase Corp has been assassinated, leaving the chain of command in a complete state of chaos.
Dazai Osamu What's more, other groups have decided to join us in our death march.
Dazai Osamu The weapon dealership Shadow Blades, former religious group Shoten's Staff, the smugglers group KK Trading...
Dazai Osamu All this hatred, paranoia, and a thirst for revenge have created a frenzied capriccio of blood.
Dazai Osamu Well, it's nothing we need to worry about... If everyone dies, the feud will end on its own.
Nakahara Chuuya You idiot... Are you serious right now?
Nakahara Chuuya Well, unlike you, I don't want anyone else to die in this town. If you have time to sleep, get out there and end this fighting!
Dazai Osamu Hahaha~! I'm sure that's what everyone's thinking, and it's just adding fuel to the fire.
Dazai Osamu If we leave the strategizing for the war to Mori-san, it'll be fine. We should focus on this instead. Take a look.
Nakahara Chuuya What? That photo?
Nakahara Chuuya A corpse... Whose body is that?
Dazai Osamu One of the Port Mafia underbosses. You probably know him as "The Colonel."
Nakahara Chuuya What...?! Someone offed the old man? No way!
Nakahara Chuuya His supernatural ability allowed him to bend the ground beneath him to his will. No one could beat him! Who did it?
Dazai Osamu The Pale Qilin.
Dazai Osamu His supernatural ability is still unknown, but... If I had to guess, I'd say he gets stronger with every kill.
Nakahara Chuuya What...?
Nakahara Chuuya If that's the case, this feud is the perfect hunting ground for him.
Nakahara Chuuya What's the plan, Dazai?
Dazai Osamu No~. C'mon, Chuya. That's not how you're supposed to react. What does this mean for us future underboss candidates?
Dazai Osamu "An underboss position has opened up." ... Am I right?
Dazai Osamu ... Punching me without so much as a warning. Now that's just wrong.
Nakahara Chuuya Just be glad I didn't kill you.
Dazai Osamu Ugh... It stings. I'm human too, you know...
Nakahara Chuuya As if anyone believes that... I'm gonna go do something about this Pale Qilin jerk. You can sleep there until you die.
Dazai Osamu Fufu... How cruel...
Part 3[]
The sunshine always follows the rain. Dawn follows the night. This too shall pass.
That's what everyone keeps telling themselves.
Day 72 of the Dragon Head Feud
The Pale Qilin silently takes an afternoon stroll through the once busy downtown area.
Destroyed by the feud, the streets are filled with bullet holes. Explosions have taken a toll on the vicinity as well. The place is mostly barren, though not completely empty.
The Pale Qilin watches as a small scattering of students, housewives, and office workers pass by.
Pale Qilin So there are still this many people left... Looks like I can enjoy myself a little longer.
He finds himself walking through a small square with a fountain.
Suddenly, he stops in front of a street vendor.
Pale Qilin Excuse me, ma'am. I would like one of these beautiful white bouquets, please.
Young Girl Huh? Oh, uhm... Yes sir.
Young Girl Is this a gift?
Pale Qilin Yes... For my future encounters. These people are the best of the best. It seems pitiful to leave them lying on the cold earth without offering them a parting gift for their trip to the next world.
Young Girl What a wonderful sentiment.
Young Girl In that case, allow me to offer you this, free of charge!
Pale Qilin ...?!
The young woman pulls out a gun and points it at him.
She's not alone. In a flash, every person in the square takes out their weapon and aims at the Pale Qilin.
Mystery Voice Did you have fun, Pale Qilin-san?
Pale Qilin Who are you...?
Dazai Osamu Just a bit of entertainment before the show. I don't recommend trying to fight back. You're completely surrounded by the Mafia's best.
Pale Qilin Such an impressive setup... I see. You must be that Port Mafia underboss candidate, Dazai-kun.
Dazai Osamu Well you see, I think I was on thin ice with my partner for sleeping all the time... So, will you come with me?
Pale Qilin What happens if I refuse?
Dazai Osamu Go right ahead... Just that I thought you'd like to choose your place of death, so you'd be putting my kind offer to waste.
Pale Qilin Hm. How rude of me.
Dazai Osamu You made two miscalculations.
Dazai Osamu It doesn't matter how strong your ability is. Against me, the ability neutralizer, you are powerless. I am the mafia's Anti-Unit.
Dazai Osamu What's more, you underestimated the power found in organizations.
Dazai Osamu Humans are stronger in groups than they are as individuals. That's just the undeniable truth, Mr. One Man Army.
Pale Qilin .... Stronger in groups, huh...? Is that why you joined the mafia?
Dazai Osamu Correct.
Pale Qilin That's unfortunate. But I'm sure you feel the same way...
Dazai Osamu ...
Pale Qilin Certainly, organized efforts are valuable. You can't make cloth out of a single thread.
Pale Qilin However, if there is even one black thread in a white cloth, the whole thing becomes unsightly, nothing more than trash.
Pale Qilin That is another truth we must all live with.
Dazai Osamu So you're worried about me, is that it? I appreciate your concern, but I have no intention of going easy on you.
Dazai Osamu You killed The Colonel. You've gone too far.
Dazai Osamu And I'm not nice enough to let his death go unpunished...
Pale Qilin That's fine by me.
Part 4[]
Dazai Osamu You killed The Colonel. You've gone too far.
Dazai Osamu And I'm not nice enough to let his death go unpunished...
Pale Qilin That's fine by me...ćBut you'll regret it.
Dazai Osamu Regret? Me?
Pale Qilin All of you. Once you get rid of me, you'll lose your only chance of ending this feud.
Dazai Osamu Haha. What a unique way of looking at it.
Pale Qilin This feud will continue until every last person has been added to the pile of corpses. There's only one way to stop it.
Pale Qilin ... And that's with another feud.
Dazai Osamu What?
Pale Qilin Do you know how they put out fires on oil rigs?
Pale Qilin They extinguish the flames using a large bomb.
Dazai Osamu Was that an explosion...? Where'd it come from?!
Pale Qilin Today I will end this feud. No longer will it be known as such. From this moment on, it's all-out war.
Pale Qilin To all of you criminal organizations who have taken part in this battle, my declaration was just delivered.
Dazai Osamu Wait...
Dazai Osamu The Mafia Headquarters is... getting bigger?
Pale Qilin To begin this war, I will destroy and reduce all of your bases to rubble.
Dazai Osamu No... It's falling on top of us!
Pale Qilin Allow me to repeat your previous statement. "You made two miscalculations."
Pale Qilin One was expecting me to not notice your little ambush. And the second...
Pale Qilin ... Was assuming I was alone.
Mafia Member Uwah!!
Mafia Member Ah!!
Dazai Osamu What?! Supernatural abilities? Where are these attacks coming from!?
Countless supernatural ability based attacks rain down as if the area is completely surrounded. The armed members are toppled one by one.
Pale Qilin You were right. The strength found in numbers is splendid indeed.
Pale Qilin Which is why I decided to found my own group. I thought it might distract me from my boredom.
An enormous shadow engulfs the square as the monumental Mafia Headquarters continues to plummet towards the square.
Dazai Osamu Ah... Haha... Who'd have thought the Pale Qilin would be this powerful...?
Pale Qilin I've grown tired of that name.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko I am Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, the explosion that will end this war. The bringer of death that will end all of the massacres.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko This is the grand finale. I hope you won't leave me yearning for more...
Dazai Osamu Hahaha... This is getting interesting. Oh, I see... You too, huh?
Dazai Osamu Well then, let's have some fun, shall we?
With that, the building collapses on top of the square.
That day, every warring criminal organization watched as their center of business was destroyed.
... And they learned the name of their true enemy.
In the ensuing days, a search party rummaged through the wreckage of the building, but Dazai's body was nowhere to be found...
Part 5[]
Day 87 of the Dragon Head Feud
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko ...
Mystery Voice Seems like you're in a bad mood.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko Oh, it's you...
Fyodor D. There's no longer anyone who can oppose you. You have everything you've ever wanted. Are you still not satisfied?
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko Everything I ever wanted? You mean the trinkets decorating the walls here?
Shibusawa surveys the contents of the room.
Jewels, gold bars, and priceless antiques taken from his fallen foes adorn the chamber, along with the heads of strong supernatural ability users he's defeated..
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko I've obsessively arranged these prizes, just as I've obsessively collected them... And yet, now I've come to regret all of it...
Fyodor D. Of course you have. The pleasures of this world will never sufficiently fill the emptiness within you. Just as I've warned you before.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko So not even jewels or war will satisfy me?
Fyodor D. No, they will not. As someone who has known you for a long time, I can assure you of that.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko Yes... You're right... I should have noticed sooner.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko Most of my foes have fallen. While they put up a fight, every move they made was exactly what I expected.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko How dreadful...
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko Even children, playing with their tin toys, eventually think back and wonder...
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko ... How did I find such amusement in a old rusted piece of junk...?
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko What was my past self hoping to get out of playing with these toys...? A child would become filled with hopelessness and break their things using all their strength...
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko Right now, I feel like those children...
Fyodor D. You have the gods to blame for your current state, for that was how the world was made.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko So what are you saying I do? Detest the gods themselves?
Fyodor D. Hm? No, there's a far simpler answer.
Fyodor D. Break your toys, and move onto the next.
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko ...
Shibusawa Tatsuhiko ... Yes, you're right... That's an excellent idea...
Mori Ougai What a dilemma... This situation is quite unfortunate.
Nakahara Chuuya ...
Hirotsu Ryuurou ...
Mori Ougai In a normal battle, our enemy is a large group. Though risky, we would be able to formulate a mathematical solution. It'd even be possible to predict and manipulate their actions.
Mori Ougai But Pale Qilin is different. We know nothing. Not his motive, his supernatural ability, not even his whereabouts.
Mori Ougai It's like we're fighting the mist itself.
Mori Ougai Besides the Mafia, the four largest underworld organizations have crumbled. A number of our own have also disappeared. Their ranks range from new recruits to underbosses...
Mori Ougai Dazai being one of them...
Nakahara Chuuya Forget about that moron for now. We need to save our other comrades.
Mori Ougai If they're still alive...
Mori Ougai Is there any new information about our enemy, Hirotsu-san?
Hirotsu Ryuurou Yes... Mind you, it's just a bunch of rumors, such as Pale Qilin's supernatural ability being a bizarre power that defies expectations.
Hirotsu Ryuurou It seems that all the supernatural ability users who fight him are so overwhelmed by his power, they take their own lives in despair...
Mori Ougai ... What about Dazai? Did he leave anything behind when he disappeared during the collapse of our headquarters?
Hirotsu Ryuurou I've had Dazai's actions preceding the incident investigated three times, but to no avail...
Hirotsu Ryuurou The only thing we found was that he had recently purchased a microscope, but it shows no signs of use...
Nakahara Chuuya What? Did you say a microscope?
Nakahara Chuuya Where is it?!
Hirotsu Ryuurou In Dazai's room...
Nakahara Chuuya Why that little- Show me!
Hirotsu Ryuurou Here it is...
Nakahara Chuuya Gimme that!
Hirotsu Ryuurou Y-you didn't have to break it...
Nakahara Chuuya Look! This was hidden inside!
Hirotsu Ryuurou Is this...?!
Nakahara Chuuya Yeah, a transmitter for a tracking device...
Nakahara Chuuya Disappeared, my foot! That jerk saw this coming and got caught on purpose.
Nakahara Chuuya These coordinates must be where Dazai and the Pale Qilin are.
Hirotsu Ryuurou Wow...
Nakahara Chuuya And the fact that he put it in a microscope so only I would notice must mean I have no choice but to go rescue that piece of crap.
Nakahara Chuuya Damn it, Dazai! You always know how to be as annoying as possible!
Hirotsu Ryuurou Where are you going?
Nakahara Chuuya I'm getting my motorcycle.
Hirotsu Ryuurou But you can't handle Pale Qilin by yourself.
Nakahara Chuuya Don't worry. I've got something for him.
Hirotsu Ryuurou Wait, you don't mean...? That's your plan?!
Nakahara Chuuya Hold on, Dazai... You damn idiot!
To Be Continued in Bungo Stray Dogs: DEAD APPLE