♡

Chuuya continued to be a mystery for Dazai. And that only made Dazai even more amazed. The first time he had honestly spoken about what he saw and felt for the boy had been in the company of Oda. At the Lupin bar, soft music played, a relaxing and comfortable jazz and

the clinking of glasses echoed satisfyingly through the air. The ice ball in the glass had made a familiar noise as it was placed on the wooden countertop. "Thaaanks" he replied almost cheerfully to the man who had served him the drink and then turned to the man sitting next to

him "Should I tell you a story today, Odasaku?" Oda Sanesoke was a very calm and interesting person. Dazai had quickly understood that the man was a very good listener. And since then, he talked to him about things. Interesting things, other less interesting things, people...

Dazai told him about everything and nothing. "Ah. My drink is not cold enough" he observed, lowering his torso and looking at the ice ball submerged in the brownish liquid; then he stood up with a smile "Which means I have time to tell you something." Of course Oda didn't

answer him. Taking an innocent sip of whiskey, the man did not utter a single word. Dazai took this as consent, exhaling deeply, eyes fixed on the ice ball as if it were the most interesting thing there. "Have you ever heard about the sheep that pretended to be a wolf?"

Dazai began to say with an almost inconsistent smile on his lips "And what about the wolf that pretended to be a sheep?" Oda just took a sip of his drink very calmly, silently listening to Dazai's words. "Tell me between the two... the wolf-sheep and the sheep-wolf...

who would you consider the most dangerous?" Jazz played relaxedly in the air. Dazai touched the ice ball with his finger, causing it to sink. "It depends, doesn't it? It's very difficult to say what each will do." Suddenly, Dazai raised his head, looking enlightened

"Oh, maybe... there is the certainty that, at least, one of them will be highly predictable." Silence and Oda swallowed a quantity of whiskey, feeling the heat of the liquid When he finished, Dazai was looking at him with that mysterious look. "I know the wolf is going

to act according to his instints, even though it's a sheep behind it. Like a wild animal it will follow his dangerous nature " he paused and then shrugged "I can easily defend myself against him" For the first time Oda spoke out. "That's correct." This brought a smile to

Dazai's young face. "I knew you'd get it!" he said, but then his tone fell a little, becoming more serious. "However, faced with a sheep that is, underneath, a wolf, I can do nothing." he paused, looking ahead "I have no way of knowing whether the sheep will attack or not. "

Oda said nothing. "So a sheep... could always be a wolf underneath, and a wolf could be a sheep in reality." One finger played absently with the ice ball, returning his attention to the glass. "Ah looks like it is cold enough now." And with that said, Dazai drank whiskey like

it was water. Oda looked at him with an unreadable gaze. "Ah. It really is a problem, isn't it?" he laughed softly. "Whether the sheep will eat me or the wolf will follow me like a sheep..." he sighed "It's really interesting too." Appearances can be deceiving. That was true.

After looking at the wall behind the counter without saying anything, Dazai turned to Oda. "Good! But if that's the case, what should I do? Between the two, who would I choose?" The wolf. "The wolf of course. I may be lucky enough and it will be a sheep behind it" he said

"But ah... "Dazai asked the bartender for a second glass, and then sat back down properly. "A sheep can be a wolf and a wolf can be a sheep, right? What a dilemma..." Dazai sighed, placing a hand pressed against his cheek and his elbow on the counter. "What to do? What to do..."

Oda didn't answer, somewhat intrigued and interested. Despite being a child, Dazai spoke loudly to the adults. It was really interesting to hear him speak. "I must test them." Dazai said sternly, "If I give grass to a sheep, it will eat it if it is a sheep, which is actually

a herbivore. It will enjoy it. But if I give another sheep that is a wolf the exact same thing it won't eat. Or it will way it, but it won't like it." Dazai paused "Everybody knows sheep like grass and they enjoy it. It's not a certainty but it's a way to separate them."

Oda spoke "We intend to do the same for the wolves right?" Dazai smiled at him. "Yes! But, wolves are carnivores. If wolves are really wolves, they will eat sheep without thinking twice, whether they are wolves or not. The wild instincts of a predator

wouldn't allow them to think." he said "Which means wolves eat each other, in the end." Cannibalism. "Yes, Odasaku, it's indeed a cannibalism behavior, but... I don't think their stomaches care about it." said the boy and then drank some of his drink, putting it down

on the counter "Now the sheep, whether they are wolves or not, would never eat each other. First, it would ruin the disguise and secondly sheep are content with grass and not meat." Sheep, whether they are wolves in disguise or not, will never be able to be a mindless animal.

"I know what you are thinking Odasaku. Sheeps are dangerous. And yes, you'd be right. A sheep can be a wolf and it won't succumb to their instints, because that will blow their cover." That's why you should always choose wolf. "That's why, the mafia enjoys

having mindless wolves and dogs, killers that kill like it was breathing. Sheeps on the mafia... are... a huge... risk" he said cautiously. Akutagawa was a dog, a wolf. Predictable as anything and under Dazai's control. But... the sheep... that was another story.

Drinking the rest of the alcohol Dazai sighed. "Until some time ago, I had never thought about the possibility of exchanging sheep and wolves. Someone who had as much irrationality as rationality." Dazai was silent for a few seconds, then he continued, "And to tell you the truth

, this type of person is... fascinating and a true anomaly in nature and the food chain." Dazai rested his forearms on the counter with a sigh, the music already lowered. "What they have in predictability, they have in unpredictability. It is impossible to know what is going on

someone's head, who is an anomaly to nature." then he stopped "Someone who can be both the cause of violence and the pacifist. It's incredibly confusing the way these types of people act. There is no logic whatsoever in what they do." In reality they are not even aware of their

your own intelligence. "Ah, a sheep who kills is most likely a wolf. But who can tell? Sheep are such... quiet creatures, sweet and loyal to their shepherd... would anyone ever tell them they were actually a wolf?" No, of course not. "Besides not having any way to prove it,

No one will ever call them carnivores, when in reality... they only eat grass? They are herbivores, aren't they? A sheep that eats meat is... strange." Again, a silent pause. "So, tell Odasaku... who would want such creatures? Anomalies of nature. They eat both grass and meat

, according to the situation. But because they are supposedly tame animals like sheep, we will never know what they want. " then looking with some intensity at Oda, Dazai said "Even if you try to offer them meat they will opt for grass." he smiled "And why? First it is easier to

to obtain, without having to hunt like carnivores, because sheep eat and want meat. Secondly, being sheep superficially, they should choose what is right and not what their stomach wants." A somewhat indecipherable smile appeared on Dazai's lips. "Interesting, isn't it?"

he sighed "A sheep changes its existence according to the circumstance, sacrificing a piece of meat for dry grass... which does not taste as good to them as meat would taste to them, but! " Dazai leaned back a little, thoughtful " Being silent animals, no one will ever notice

that their stomachs growl with hunger for meat. Why?" The boy smiled emotionlessly "Because they don't speak, they remain silent and the silence... is something almost terrifying." In silence there is room for everything, good and bad. It is in silence that uncertainties arise.

Dazai sighed with a smile. "I already told you about my partner, didn't I?" Oda just looked at him in response. "Well, he's the perfect example of a sheep. The most terrifying type of sheep. The flexible one." Nakahara Chuuya it was a dog, Dazai had jokingly called him,