I don't want to be an elf!

"Have you said enough, great detective?"

Kurumi Tokisaki smiled, but her voice was gentler than ever before: "If you don't want to die of thirst, you'd better talk less and save your saliva. There's no drinking water for you here."

"Yes......"

Atsushi Nakajima shrank back in fear.

Why are you angry?

She just said she was a good person, so why doesn't it work when he says it?

It's impossible that Nightmare is actually a good person, right?

This conjecture was so absurd that even if it were Nakajima Atsushi himself who deduced it, he wouldn't believe it.

But looking at the nightmare's appearance, it doesn't seem fake...

Atsushi Nakajima felt as if an ant was crawling inside him; as long as he didn't find out the truth, his heart would itch unbearably.

After a long while, once Kurumi Tokisaki's 'kind' smile had faded, he tentatively asked, "Nightmare-san, are you really a good person?"

In an instant, the killing intent that had just disappeared erupted once more.

Sensing the murderous intent filling the air, Atsushi Nakajima's face instantly turned deathly pale.

Her wildly trembling pupils reflected Tokisaki Kurumi as she approached step by step.

"Am I a good person? An interesting question."

Kurumi Tokisaki stood before Atsushi Nakajima, her shadow blending into the darkness of the cabin, making every inch of shadow her domain.

In the shadows, pairs of golden and red eyes opened, peering at him from all directions like predators, making him feel as if he were in a cage.

"Since you're so smart, you'll definitely get the answer to this question soon... well, very soon."

Chapter Seventy-Nine: On the Eve of the Stage's Closing

North America, New York, headquarters of the group.

In an office with a luxurious red carpet, a man in a white suit sits in a chair at his desk, gazing at a photograph in his hand.

The photo shows a young but haggard woman sitting on a hospital bed.

"My love, please give me a little more time."

A hint of sadness lingered in the man's clear blue eyes. He gently stroked the woman's face in the photograph with his right hand and whispered, "Soon, very soon our daughter will be back with us."

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald.

This is a man's name.

As the leader of the group, the leader of a well-known superpowered organization in North America, and a man standing at the top of the pyramid of the capitalist world, his world originally had no connection with that of orphans like Atsushi Nakajima who came from welfare homes.

One day, the leader of the underground intelligence organization "The House of the Dead" contacted him, claiming that he had a way to resurrect his daughter, and Fitzgerald and Atsushi Nakajima's worlds finally intersected.

At first, Fitzgerald thought it was just another trick by the rats and didn't pay much attention.

His daughter died in an accident when she was young, and his wife suffered a mental breakdown as a result.

This is no secret.

He once even harbored the hope of finding people with superpowers around the world who could cure mental illnesses, but after spending hundreds of millions, he only attracted either swindlers or villains.

But the House of the Dead, a second-rate organization, claims to have a way to resurrect humans?

Even if he had never worked in the financial world, he couldn't possibly believe such an outrageous thing.

However, what truly changed his mind was a conversation with another organization.

He was shocked when the Clock Tower Attendants, a mystical organization based in England, first contacted him and told him that the Rats in the House of the Dead had not lied.

Although he is the leader of the group, compared to academic and combat-oriented superpower organizations, the group is more like a money-making machine.

He didn't have a deep understanding of the world of superpowers, while the Clock Tower Attendant was an expert in this area.

So the leaders of the three organizations held a meeting.

During this meeting, Fitzgerald learned a secret that the world had kept hidden from him.

【Book】

That's what the clock tower attendants call it.

There exists a book in this world, a book that can change reality.

As long as you write down logical requirements or wishes in a book, the book can turn that imagined possibility into reality.

Fitzgerald, of course, didn't believe such a thing... until the leader of the House of the Dead placed a page of the book in front of him.

He was shocked.

Immediately afterwards, his mind and body were consumed by ecstasy.

If he could obtain this book, or even just a single page, he could conjure up the possibility that his daughter hadn't died in the accident, distort reality, and thus fundamentally heal his wife's emotional trauma.

If the page for the leader of the House of the Dead Rats hadn't been almost completely filled, he would have even wanted to snatch it.

Then, the leader of the rats in the dead house told him that he knew a clue to the book.

This clue is related to Atsushi Nakajima.

The Clock Tower Attendants are the official British supernatural organization and cannot act directly. The Rats in the House of the Dead are hiding in the shadows and cannot act easily. They need to form a supernatural organization with international influence to help them capture Atsushi Nakajima.

Fitzgerald agreed without hesitation.

Nearly two months had passed since the bounty was issued, and just when he was almost getting restless and wanted to take action himself, the Port Mafia finally brought good news.

Atsushi Nakajima was captured.

Although the news came at night due to the time difference, he was not annoyed by the disturbance; on the contrary, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night.

After confirming the target with the clock tower servants and the rats in the house of the dead, Fitzgerald sent half of the bounty.

As a savvy businessman, he avoids paying in advance before receiving the goods as much as possible.

However, the other party was the Port Mafia, an unreasonable and ruthless criminal organization. They wouldn't release him unless he paid, so Fitzgerald had no choice but to pay in advance.

In his anxiety, he looked forward to seeing the satellite images uploaded to his computer, watching the ocean-going cargo ships getting closer and closer to North America, hoping that time would pass quickly.

Faster.

With his daughter resurrected and his wife fully recovered, the future seemed within reach, filling this billionaire with the same anticipation as a young person just starting their career.

Just then, the bell rang.

"what's up?"

"Boss, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

"Hear the bad news first."

"Atsushi Nakajima has been kidnapped."

"..."

Fitzgerald's strong mental fortitude prevented him from losing control of his emotions immediately. Instead, he calmly asked, "What happened? Are those Port Mafia guys trying to get the bounty twice?"

"No, the people who intercepted the goods were not the Port Mafia, but the Armed Detective Agency."

"Why would the Armed Detective Agency know the routes and ships I arranged?"

"I don't know. It could be leaked by the Port Mafia, or it could be deduced by them. They're said to be a rather sinister detective agency."

"So it really won't be that smooth sailing after all..."

Fitzgerald sighed. "So what's the good news? It'd better be really good news."

"The pass for the White Whale has been issued, and the artisans and apprentices in the organization are all ready to depart at any time."

"Great, this is the best news I've heard today."

Fitzgerald's furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Notify everyone, depart immediately."

-----

-----

Meanwhile, inside a seaplane in the Pacific Ocean.

The entire Armed Detective Agency surrounded the unconscious Atsushi Nakajima.

After the group's ship set sail, the Armed Detective Agency quickly received a message from Nightmare's clone, learning the number and route of the ocean liner hired by the group.

Almost all members of the Armed Detective Agency were mobilized, using high-performance small boats to catch up with the ocean-going cargo ship and successfully abduct Nakajima Atsushi.

"Dun-kun, wake up, it's time to get up."

On the speedboat, Dazai Osamu gently patted Nakajima Atsushi's cheek and called out to him.

Pale-faced Atsushi Nakajima gradually regained consciousness and slowly opened his eyes.

As his pupils refocused, he seemed to remember something, and suddenly sat up, panting heavily.

"Great, finally, finally out..."

"Haha, Atsushi, you're exaggerating. You were only on the ship for a few hours. Did you get seasick?"

"No... no, that's not it at all."

Atsushi Nakajima covered his face with his hands, his back soaked with cold sweat: "It comes from, from the nightmare, from the shadow of the nightmare."

"Nightmare? Why bring her up now?"

Dazai Osamu's playful expression vanished, and he asked seriously, "So, she was right next to you the whole time?"

“Yes, yes, Nightmare has been with me since we set sail.” Nakajima Atsushi’s trembling voice contained barely suppressed panic. “Because I wanted to do my part for everyone, I tried to extract some useful information from our conversations.”

"That's too risky, Atsushi-kun! Even I wouldn't dare to do something like that!" Dazai Osamu scolded. "Your life and death are entirely in her hands. If you anger that kind of person, she won't care whether you live or die!"

“But, Mr. Dazai.”

"what's up."

As a sense of security returned, Atsushi Nakajima's trembling body gradually calmed down, and his breathing became more even.