How To Eat Life:Chapter 2-1

#2 / The Bygone Days of Dahlia

#2-1_kawauso / The Story of Senpai and I

The Otter made a conscious effort to avoid abruptly pressing down on the accelerator pedal. The same caution was applied to the brakes. Whether it was speeding up or slowing down, he handled it with the delicacy of strangling someone like using a piece of floss.

That was the way he had been taught. The Otter obtained his regular motor vehicle driver's license immediately after turning eighteen. He remembered the praise he received from the instructor. "Are you really just starting out?" the instructor had asked. "Haizaki-kun, you have great sense. You're good at this." By the way, Haizaki was the Otter's real name.

Rather than being good, was he simply cautious? That's what the Otter thought. He tried not to push himself unnecessarily. Since he didn't receive speeding tickets due to his job, he would hurry when necessary but never engage in reckless behavior. His philosophy was centered around smooth driving, without wasting any effort.

The Otter parked the black sedan by the pedestrian walkway. He stopped with the intention of stopping. That's how he brought the car to a halt.

As he basked in a sense of achievement, someone began pulling on the rear door handle with great force. GAN. GAGAGAGAGA- It was a noisy disturbance. They were pulling recklessly, but he wasn't particularly surprised. This happened frequently.

"No, senpai, the lock..."

As soon as he unlocked the lock, the rear door swung open immediately. From there, a large dog, or rather, a wolf-like creature swiftly slipped inside, but the Otter remained unperturbed.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't an animal.

That creature, known as Garm, sat down in the inner seat. Its body was quite big, so it barely fit. Without any hesitation, a beautiful and well-proportioned woman entered and forcefully slammed the door shut.

Before being urged, "Go, quickly," the Otter started the car.

Senpai pushed back her long hair and let out a laugh.

"So you understand, Otter."

"Because I was educated by senpai."

"Hah, you still have a long way to go. Anyway—"

Senpai may have been trying to give him some harsh advice, but her cellphone began to ring. Senpai answered the call.

"Dahlia 4. Yes. I've just met up with the Otter. Yes. Right. Yes. Mm. Yes. Right. Hah? Yes. Right..."

The person on the line was likely their boss, senpai and the Otter's superior. Dahlia 4 was a secret codename, a division name, or perhaps the name of their duo.

Senpai and the Otter were the only members of Dahlia 4. Garm and the weasel-like Olver, who had settled in the passenger seat, were not counted as personnel. As evident, neither Garm nor Olver were human.

Dahlia 4 was a two-person group, the fourth squad from a unit named Dahlia. Hence, Dahlia 4.

Of course, Otter was also a codename. Naturally, the Otter was not an otter named Haizaki. He was a proper human.

Glancing at the backseat through the rearview mirror, the Otter saw senpai removing the phone from her ear. It seemed the phone call had ended. Senpai's exquisitely crafted face was contorted.

Even with her face distorted, the Otter's senpai was not ugly.

When he first met senpai, the Otter had wondered, "Hasn't this already been fixed?" No matter how he looked at it, her makeup didn't seem to be at a fraudulent level. If that were the case, it would be strange if she hadn't undergone extensive plastic surgery. Her features didn't have a single dull spot. Despite having the wolf-like Garm by her side, senpai's face had feline characteristics. It was a top-tier cat-like face. Her physique, too, with a small head and long limbs, resembled that of a fashion model from overseas. It was hard to imagine she was just a human like him. Could she belong to a different species? Perhaps she was an alien.

As much as he wanted to say he was accustomed to it, whenever he let his guard down, he couldn't help but think, "What's with this person?" This was the true definition of "beauty." It existed right in front of him and nowhere else.

"Senpai, what did the division head say?"

"Nothing much."

Senpai held her cell phone in her right hand, using her thumb, while she scratched the end of her left brow with her left pinky. Even with light makeup and claiming not to have done her eyebrows, she exuded a captivating allure. It was unclear what she thought of herself, but she was stunning in the looks department.

Noticing his gaze through the rearview mirror, senpai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Huh?"

"...Senpai, you're sometimes a bit like a delinquent, aren't you?"

Senpai's codename was Dōru, pronounced as Dōru, but not as "doll" like a marionette. It was "dhole," a name shared with an animal, a mammal in the canine family. Another name for it was "red wolf."

"Heh," Dhole-senpai laughed.

"Well, that's where my roots lie."

"Is that so?"

"I'm kidding, obviously."

"It's not so obvious, is it? The theory that the 'Dahlia's prized ace, Dhole-senpai, is a former delinquent. It sounds quite believable."

"Like hell it does. What part of me is Yankee? I meet none of the requirements. If you keep talking shit, I'll break your ass into four."

"...Your expression is quite intimidating."

"Hah? What's wrong with it? Breaking your ass into four, can you even imagine it? That would be quite amusing, won't it?"

"Splitting my bottom into four, that kind of stuff is that...it's more like a horror film with gore in it..."

The Otter's black sedan crossed the bridge below the highway and entered a reclaimed land that resembled a rectangular floating island.

On this reclaimed land, there were numerous public multi-family residential buildings. In addition to that, there were schools, parks, and sports fields. On the side facing the sea, there were docks and warehouses lined up.

The apartment complexes gave way to towering residential skyscrapers, creating a stark contrast between the gloomy complexes and the gleaming towers. A canal separated the two sides, making them feel like different worlds despite being in the same location.

Upon reaching the intersection, The Otter made a right turn. On the left side, building number 22 of the apartment complex came into view, followed by building number 24. Several patrol cars and an ambulance were parked nearby, indicating a significant gathering of people.

"There's quite a crowd, isn't there?" The Otter remarked.

He gently pressed the brakes, parking the car by the side of the road. As he switched on the hazard lights and turned to ask, "What should we do?", he realized that senpai had already opened the door and was ready to go.

Senpai didn't explicitly say, "Let's go," but that was typical of her. The Otter turned off the hazard lights and unbuckled his seatbelt, only to find that senpai and Garm were no longer in the backseat.

"Shall we proceed then?"

The Otter called out to Olver and stepped out of the car. Olver promptly climbed onto his back, as he usually did, perching on the Otter's left shoulder. Despite being the size of a 500ml bottle, Olver was not heavy.

Dressed in a black pantsuit, Dhole-senpai, accompanied by Garm, was trying to navigate through the crowd. Senpai not only possessed long legs but also walked briskly. She always wore white sneakers, never opting for high heels, pumps, or loafers. This style suited her perfectly.

"Move aside, please."

Senpai pushed her way through the crowd, regardless of age or gender. Some people wore expressions that seemed to question her presence, but no one appeared terrified upon seeing Garm.

This lack of fear stemmed from the fact that they couldn't see Garm. It wasn't just Garm—Olver, who clung to the Otter's left shoulder, was also invisible to ordinary humans.

As the Otter followed senpai, he noticed that he had forgotten to wear a tie. He was clad in a gray suit with a pink shirt underneath, but the absence of a tie gave off a more casual vibe. Considering she was his senpai, he wanted to present himself as properly as possible as a kouhai. He tried to keep that in mind at all times but often failed.

This was one of those instances. While scolding himself, he quickly changed his mind. The Otter didn't dislike this aspect of his personality.

Past the crowd, a police officer with a lit baton stood. Senpai showed her ID and was allowed through, but when the Otter attempted to follow suit, he was firmly stopped.

"What's the matter? No, no. You can't go in alone."

"Um, just so you know, I am part of this."

The Otter had no choice but to show his ID as well. After catching up to senpai, he received a scolding.

"What do you think you're doing? How embarrassing."

"I'm sorry..."

Before entering building number 24, the Otter glanced back at the crowd. Upon initial inspection, it seemed that at least half of the people present were over sixty. The apartment complex likely had a predominantly elderly population. There were a few individuals in their thirties and forties, and scattered among them were young people sporting street fashion or vibrant dyed hair. On the whole, they appeared somewhat uncouth. However, judging people solely based on appearances wasn't fair.

"It seems it's not here," the Otter murmured, preparing to follow senpai. But just to be sure, he checked again. As expected, it wasn't there.

Ordinary humans couldn't see it—the target the Otter was dealing with.

"If it were here, senpai would have noticed it long ago," he pondered aloud.

The Otter entered building number 24, proceeding to the third floor where the problematic room, number 305, was located. He entered without removing his shoes and was greeted by the musty, slightly salty scent of other people's furniture. Senpai was already inside, accompanied by several uniformed police officers and detectives in nylon jackets.

Rather than dirty, the room appeared cluttered, with many items left untidy. It seemed impossible to clean up at this point.

A kotatsu occupied the center of the living room, despite the season not requiring heating. Had they left it out all year round? In front of the kotatsu, right by the television, sat an elderly woman who seemed to be a resident of the apartment.

The old woman's white hair was covered by a knit cap, and she seemed on the verge of toppling over the kotatsu, her back significantly hunched. She was of a small stature.

A navy blue-jacketed police detective glared at the Otter, his stern expression reminiscent of an illustration.

"Hello," the Otter greeted, bowing his head. He had encountered this detective at a previous scene. His name was Kogure, either pronounced "Kogure" or "Kogure" with different kanji. Either way, it was 'Kogure'.

Senpai closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and squatted down next to the old woman. Garm stood directly behind her.

Garm resembled a wolf, though excessively muscular in the shoulders, capable of walking on its hind legs as well. It resembled a werewolf in the midst of transforming into a human, caught in that transitional phase. A wolf-like human. A slightly human-like wolf. A phantom, yet not an illusion. Garm was undeniably real.

The Otter observed the old woman, who appeared frail, almost like a lifeless corpse. Apparently, a neighbor who hadn't seen her in a while had grown concerned and decided to pay her a visit. Receiving no response, the friend had eventually entered the room, only to find the old woman in this state.

"What's the situation?" Detective Kogure inquired, scratching his hairline.

Senpai remained silent, her gaze fixed upon the old woman's body.

Kogure crossed his arms and sighed dramatically, characteristic of his style—or rather, his personality.

"What's that?" a younger detective in a suit asked the older detective beside him.

"It's the flower shop," the older detective curtly replied, spitting out his words. The younger detective seemed visibly displeased.

"Oh, you mean those guys you mentioned?"

There was no need to despise them so much. As part of Dahlia 4, the Otter couldn't help but feel that way. Nevertheless, he understood why the police officers felt the way they did.

When an incident or accident was classified as a special case, outsiders like the flower shop—referring to people like the Otter—would intrude upon the crime scene.

The police had to provide all the information they possessed, but the flower shop wasn't obligated to reciprocate. What exactly qualified as a special case was a mystery to most police officers. They only knew that the flower shop was an organization within the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office.

The Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office's role was to collect, analyze, and investigate information concerning critical government policies. Naturally, it operated under the highest administrative body, the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers. CIRO, also known as the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, served as an intelligence agency supporting the Cabinet, with the flower shop being a part of it.

In other words, the flower shop held a position far above the ordinary realm of this country.

Of course, "the flower shop" was not its official name. It bore the more formal title of the Special Cases Countermeasures Office. However, whether it could truly be considered a "fine" name was debatable.

The vice chief, second-in-command of the Special Cases Countermeasures Office, hailed from the National Police Agency, establishing considerable ties with the police force. Nonetheless, rank-and-file police officers didn't hold the flower shop in high regard.

Understandably so. If the Otter were a police officer, he probably wouldn't welcome the intrusion of an unfamiliar group that occasionally barged into crime scenes either.

"Otter," senpai called, still fixated on the old woman.

"Yes," the Otter replied, kneeling beside senpai and giving the old woman another close inspection. On his left shoulder, Olver emitted a sniffing sound.

The old woman was facing downward, likely in her seventies or maybe even eighties. Most women of her age had short hair, and she was no exception. Her hair at the nape of the neck was cut short, exposing the back of her neck.

There was a wound on the back of her neck, resembling more of a hole than a scar.

A small, darkened hole, measuring two or three millimeters in diameter.

"...It's the same, isn't it," the Otter remarked, prompting an immediate nod from senpai.

"Yeah," she replied, her gaze still fixed on the old woman.

"Looks like it."