Durarara!! Epitome of Eighteen Histories Chapter 2

This is a story from the past

A twisted story from the past.

About 5 Years Ago   New Years

A boy who wore a white scarf wrapped around his neck dashed through the winter city on his bike.

When the boy – Masaomi Kida had just moved to Tokyo.

Masaomi had gone out to a place a little ways from Ikebukuro and bought a juice at a vending machine alongside a main street. After running through the city he took a rest while leaning against the wall of a building.

For a boy who was still an elementary schooler it was quite the adventure to set out from the local area, but for Masaomi who had always journeyed afar from his time in Saitama it was a pleasurable tension, and so he continued to stare at the scenery of the city with bright eyes.

"Tokyo is really amazing. There's a lot of people."

Although he was brought here countless times by his parents, the vast amount of people who actually try living here could be felt differently in a child's mind.

If Masaomi had the time he explored the various places of the city, expanding the range of activities to do within the one or two things different in the lifestyle here from his home town. Each day spent searching for a new discovery was precious time of happiness for Masaomi, who was filled with boundless curiosity even among elementary schoolers.

"Actually, that Mikado said he has never been to Tokyo still. If he comes someday, I'll have to show him around."

Masaomi gulped down his canned juice in one go, threw the empty can in the garbage can next to the vending machine and climbed onto his bike.

And then – Masaomi heard a thick voice coming from the back of a nearby alley.

"Hm?"

When he peeked into the back of the alley, wondering what it could be, there were a few young boys facing towards him.

It would sound better to say facing towards him, but in truth currently there were several middle-schoolers and high-schoolers surrounding two elementary school kids around the same age as Masaomi.

"Since it's the New Year, we can have your otos.h.i.+dama (New Year's gift) as well, right?"

"You give that to us as our otos.h.i.+dama."

"Eh, but……"

Hearing the words of the elementary school kid about to cry, one of the delinquent boys lightly slapped his face.

"No buts. Saying 'but.' That term is something a guy says to make fun of the other you know. Aah?"

"How about we go to the park over there? Then we can take our time and talk this out. Alright?"

No matter how someone looked at it, it only looked like the scene of an extortion for money taking place. With a dark expression Masaomi whispered at the image of delinquent middle and high schoolers taking elementary schooler's otos.h.i.+dama.

"How scary. So there's really those kind of bad guys in Tokyo too……"

While recalling the gangs that were back in his home town, Masaomi gave a large sigh and got back on his bike.

"That's pretty scary. Really I shouldn't get involved with those bad guys. It's better not to get close."

A few minutes later   In a certain place in the city, the park

Separated a little ways from the entertainment district at a small park with relatively few pa.s.serby. There were a few girls in middle school walking around the area, but there was no one playing inside it.

One of the delinquent boys. .h.i.t the cheeks of the elementary school kids they brought into a corner of the place.

"Why are you staying silent? We asked a question, didn't we?"

"Will you give us your otos.h.i.+dama? Will you not? Ah?"

"B-but…."

The moment the elementary schooler said "but" once more, the delinquent boy raised his hand high.

"Alright, you said 'but' again! So now it's the punishment game!"

"Hee……"

"Puuuniiishment gaaaaame!"

The moment he tried to hit a blow against the elementary schooler's cheek-

A voice called out from behind him.

"Hey, old man."

"Aah?"

A relentless stream of spray was showered on the delinquent boys who turned around at the sudden calling of being called an old man.

"Bwaa!?"

And then it was made apparent that that was not just normal water.

An intense pain pierced into their eyes, and a sharp sensation invaded their noses and throats.

"My eyes……! d.a.m.n it! What the h.e.l.l!"

"Gwaha……Gah……!"

The elementary school kids watched the boys coughing violently, confused as to what was transpiring. A boy around the same age as them who suddenly appeared behind the delinquents yelled at them.

"Now! Let's run!"

In the carbonated energy drink bottle was a simplistic spray mixed with vinegar used for cooking.

After getting on his bike, Masaomi immediately went to a convenient store nearby, bought carbonated drinks and vinegar, prepared them and then pursued the delinquents. Then sneaking up behind their backs, he placed his finger on the opening of the plastic bottle he shook up well and showered them in a spray mixed with carbonated drinks and vinegar.

Naturally the elementary schools involved in this were not acquaintances of his.

– Seriously, what a way to use stupid otos.h.i.+dama.

"Although it would have been better to not get involved……."

– Well besides, no one else would do it.

The kindhearted boy had tried to save boys he did not know. If they managed to get away, it would be an event talked about like a petty martial story of elementary schoolers.

However, reality was more than a bit harsh.

"Wait now."

Another delinquent boy suddenly showed up beside him and grabbed hold of Masaomi by the neck as he ran by.

"Ah!"

"Glad I went to the restroom. You did something quite entertaining, s.h.i.+tty kid."

Masaomi was held up by the nape of the neck, and understanding right away that he would not easily be able to run away he yelled at the elementary kids he did not know the names of.

"It's fine; you guys make a run for it!"

"Bu-but……"

"Quickly!"

After hesitating two or three times, the elementary boys ran outside the park as fast as they could.

After tutting watching them go, the eldest looking delinquent took the plastic bottle filled with the eye spray from Masaomi and then threw him to the ground.

"Oh, look at this. Aren't you acting cool?"

"This kid……"

The red-eyed delinquents mercilessly drive in kicks at the fallen figure.

"Ugwa……! ……!"

"Don't……mess with us, you d.a.m.n kid!"

The delinquent boys with their face was flushed in anger matching their red, puffy eyes drove in more kicks into Masaomi one after the other.

"It'd be bothersome if the police gets called or something. Let's just beat the h.e.l.l outta this kid and ditch."

The eldest looking man who caught Masaomi stepped on Masaomi's head as he said this and then poured the eye spray juice onto Masaomi.

The pure white scarf quickly turned into the vinegar color of the energy drink.

-Ah, I really shouldn't have gotten involved with these kind of guys.

Curling up, Masaomi continued to bear through the pain rus.h.i.+ng through his body.

– Although, I wonder if those guys managed to get away.

The face of his childhood friend covered the faces of the boys he did not know.

– If it was that Mikado, he'd be so slow. He'd get caught right away…….

– Actually no, he is more softhearted than me, so he would probably not run and stay behind.

Maybe this was an illusion his brain was showing him to escape from the pain.

While the scenes of the past appear in his mind, Masaomi slowly started to lose consciousness.

However- suddenly, he noticed the rain of strikes attacking his body stop.

And then he heard a voice of a young man.

"Hey, stop it there."

It seemed an adult pa.s.sing by heard the commotion and came over to call out to them.

"I don't know what he did, but that's going too far on an elementary school kid. If you're doing anything more than what that kid did just take him to the police."

The delinquents vigorously threatened the man saying that in a shocked att.i.tude.

"Aah!? Stay outta it, old man! We'll kill you!"

The next moment there was the sound of something hitting something and a slight sound of water splas.h.i.+ng.

-Ah, they're like that even towards adults.

-These guys really aren't afraid of anything.

Absentmindedly thinking over those thoughts, Masaomi's consciousness slowly fell into darkness.

But only a voice continued to resound in Masaomi's ears.

"……It's cold and reeks of vinegar. Actually, is this vinegar?"

The calm voice of the adult.

"If I had a weak heart, I could have died from a heart attack, right……"

However Masaomi who felt a force behind that voice shook with sweat forming on his back.

"Well, you did say "we'll kill you" just now……. You know when you try to kill a person……."

"Aah? ……. ……!? I-I remember!"

"That means you have the resolve to also be killed riiiiiiight!"

"Th-this guy! He's from Raigami OB, Heiwajima-"

Hearing the scream of their leader and the sounds of a fierce fight that continued after that-

Masaomi's consciousness descended into the deep depth of the darkness.

As though the cries of the delinquent boys in the area were in exchange for a lullaby.

"Hey, are you alive?"

Several minutes later.

Masaomi regained consciousness at the voice of a young girl. Even if he could say young girl, she seemed to be a few years older than him and is wearing a middle school uniform.

When Masaomi leaned up and looked towards the girl, he noticed the elementary school boys that ran just previously behind her.

"Well, these boys came up to me on my way home saying, 'help.' I was shocked to see you beaten up when I looked around the park. When I tried to call the police, there was a person pa.s.sing by who beat up those bad guys by himself; I was shocked for a second time."

"……Eh?"

When he looked around, in the park the delinquent boys have fallen here and there, completely unconscious.

There were fallen pieces of the roof from the public restroom and tree branches; it was a scene as though it was the aftermath of a small tornado pa.s.sing through.

The middle-school girl stroked Masaomi's blank face.

"But even so, you're quite something. You tried to save boys you didn't even know, right?"

While his face turned red as he casted his eyes downward, Masaomi brushed that hand aside as though pouting.

"I'm not anything at all."

"Why do you say that?"

"But isn't this totally not cool?"

The older girl, after pondering for a bit, said to the sulking boy.

"You think so? While that strong blond hair guy was also pretty cool, I think you who knew you were weak but tried to save people anyway is way cooler."

"There's no way. I even got this dripping wet."

Once he said it, Masaomi realized his eyes and nose were soaked. It was probably because of the scarf that soaked the spray juice he prepared.

Seeing the yellow dyed scarf the girl smiled.

"It's like the yellow scarves."

"Yellow scarves?"

"It's from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. You don't know? I guess an elementary schooler wouldn't know yet."

The middle-school girl cheerfully explained to Masaomi who quietened in embarra.s.sment since he did not know.

"Well, it may fit perfectly for you who stood up for the weak. The yellow scarves."

"Eh?"

Seeing Masaomi tilt his head, maybe she concluded he was alright now. The girl slowly rose up, turned to Masaomi and the elementary school boys and said.

"I'm Kazane Kinomiya. We may meet again, so take care until then."

Masaomi and them turned red seeing that smile, but the girl, not noticing the boys' behavior, chatted a bit in a carefree, indifferent manner.

"My older brother lives nearby, you see, so sometimes I come here to watch what he's doing in secret."

"What he's doing?"

"No, that's just my story. Now you can't do any unnecessary dangerous things, boys!"

After seeing the middle school girl saying those comments and leave, the remaining elementary school kids exchanged looks at each other.

"Umm……Thank you."

At the boy's timid words, Masaomi accurately grasped his own situation finally- and at the same time the pain in his body returned in full, and he ended up desperately trying to hold back the tears.

Kawagoe Kaido

"I'm…..Yatabe. Nice to meet you."

"I see. I'm Masaomi Kida. Nice to meet you too."

After leaving the park Masaomi exchanged introductions with the boys he saved while pus.h.i.+ng the bike.

Then he heard something like the neigh of a horse.

"……A horse?"

And then the other boys looked at each other in excitement.

"It's the Black Rider!"

"Black Rider?"

Masaomi tilted his head at Yatabe's words.

"Yeah, he comes by sometimes in this area!"

"They say it's good look if you see him….Ah! Here it is!"

Ahead where the boys turned their gaze with s.h.i.+nning eyes- the "shadow" appeared relatively slow.

The black rider as though it was something absorbing all light and without making any engine sounds ran down the road illuminated in dazzling light as though it was its own place.

That whimsical scene- grabbed at Masaomi's heart for an instant.

The boys continued to watch the Black Rider, waiting at the red light with eyes of curiosity from the sidewalk.

"Amazing……It's amazing. So this is Tokyo……."

Masaomi whose excitement had been over for a while first thought of who to tell this joy to while various thoughts ran through his brain.

Would his parents believe it by chance?

The people at school he transferred to are all residents of Ikebukuro, so they already knew about the Black Rider.

If that is the case-

"Right……I got it."

And then in Masaomi's mind the face of one boy came to mind.

"I absolutely have to show this to Mikado someday! I have to surprise him!"

While waving towards the Black Rider, Masaomi yelled innocently.

"Until he comes to Tokyo, please continue running on! Black Rider!"

At that the rider on the black bike turned towards the elementary schooler and lightly waved.

Pleased that there was a response, Masaomi continued to celebrate in delight with the boys he just met.

As though he had forgotten the pain dealt to him in the previous fight.

And so the time began to flow past.

For the boys' fates to meet with another person's fate.