Read Online Durarara!!, Vol. 4 (novel) by Ryohgo Narita - Free Book Online Page B

mind.
    There was another girl that had been slashed before Anri became Saika’s host. The “child” of Saika implanted into that girl desired a twisted love from humanity in the same way its parent did—and the result of that rampage was the Night of the Ripper.
    The incident was ultimately resolved when Anri brought all of those “children” under her control. With the slashings stopped, she returned the normal minds of all of those victims of Saika to their hosts, onlyensuring that their memories of the slashings reflected a more convenient story: No one who was slashed could remember the face of the attacker.
    However, this incident sparked a conflict between the Yellow Scarves and the Dollars, plunging Anri’s closest friends into a war without her realizing it.

    After all of this, Anri had accepted Saika but was not particularly happy about it.
    Part of it was that it had caused the death of her parents, but mostly it was the unease of knowing that there were people out there aware of her state.
    Saika’s voice had returned to its normal chorus of
“I love you.”
The reasoned, logical words she’d heard a second ago had been an occasional presence ever since the Night of the Ripper. And Anri suspected that Saika was speaking the truth.
    She took a quiet breath and cautiously stared down the man in the gas mask.
    “What do you know…and how much do you know…?”
    “Ahh, well, if I were to answer that question, I would have to say that I know about you,
up to an extent
. But very well. As the saying goes, ‘Even the starving hawk is too noble to ransack the crops,’ and powerful beings like you would not prey upon weak little me, even if you were in trouble.”
    “…? Um, I’m afraid I don’t…”
    “At any rate, we can talk more upon that matter on another occasion. I am currently having a business conversation. Allow me to give you my card; you may contact me here.”
    The man in the gas mask pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Anri.
    “Nebula Pharmaceutical, Special Advisor: Shingen Kishitani,” the card read, along with a number of methods of contact.
    Anri looked at the card—her mind working fast—when she felt the pat of a hand on her shoulder from behind.
    Instantly, a nasty sense of pressure engulfed her entire body.
    A cold sharpness ran through her shoulder, and for a moment, time froze within her.
    It felt like her freedom of movement had been stolen, like her body was being manhandled all over.
    Gushk, gushk.
Her nerves were gouged out.
    Zig-zig-zig-zig.
Her mind eerily creaked and cracked.
    Zigshk, zigshk, zig-zig zig-zig zig zig-zig-zig zig-zig-zig-zig zig-zig-zig-zig zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig zig-zig zig-zig-zig zig-zig-zig zig-zig-zig zig-zig-zig zig-zig zig-zig zig zig-zig zig-zig-zig-zig zig zig zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig-zig—
    The march of the ugly creaking reached its peak, and every cell in her body screamed, warning her of the danger of the man behind her.
    Warning her that he was far, far more dangerous than she could imagine.
    Anri slowly turned around, feeling cold sweat bloom from every pore of her body.
    It was the smile of the white man, who had been watching the conversation from close by.
    “Please forgive me, sweet little girl.”
    It was a smile meant to reassure and set at ease, but Anri’s nerves stayed utterly taut. She stared him dead in the face.
    “We are having a very important business conversation. Let me make it up to you by treating you to dinner sometime,” he joked, pretending to hit on her. The man shook his head and moved in between Anri and Shingen.
    “Oh…I see. I’m very sorry to interrupt,” Anri said, burning the white man’s face into her mind. She left the scene.
    She mustn’t forget that face. Her reason and instincts both told her so.
    At the fork in the road leading to the